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How to Do "Backwards Tape" in the Digital Age
THE BEATLES USED IT. SO did the Stones, the Byrds, Pink Floyd, and a zillion other bands during the psychedelic era. The "backwards tape" process reversed instrument notes so that instead of fading out from an attack, they faded in to an attack.
Doing this with tape required flipping the reels so that the tape traveled in reverse, from the end of the song to the beginning. You'd then play along with the reversed sound, and record your playing on a spare track. Flipping the reels back restored normal tape travel, but also reversed the instrumental part.
The golden age of tape is behind us, but it's easy to reproduce this effect today. Most DAWs have a DSP function that reverses audio, and it's useful for more than just creating subliminal, backwards satanic messages. Reversing audio is invariably a destructive edit in the sense that it's not real time, but instead alters a piece of audio for playback.
Because the backwards tape effect isn't particularly rhythmic, you can often get away with just noodling around, reversing the part, then sliding the audio on the timeline until it more or less fits the rest of the music. But for "gourmet" backwards tape, here's a recommended procedure for lead guitar:
[1] Record a lead guitar part that sounds really good and fits the music well.
[2] Create a premix of your existing tracks, including the guitar solo. Mix the solo higher than normal.
[3] Use DSP to reverse the premix.
[4] Solo the premix.
[5] Play along as closely as possible to the guitar solo, which is now reversed. It won't be easy, but the objective is to remember that the solo's structure needs to be reversed. For example, if the solo builds toward the end by going up a scale, when recording the part to be reversed, you need to start with the highest note and go down the scale. Often a dry guitar part is best—not a part with distortion or sustain, because any sustain will work against a dramatic backwards effect when the part is reversed.
[6] Turn off solo for the reversed premix track and mute it.
[7] Reverse the guitar solo using DSP, and shift its position on the timeline to line up with the scratch guitar track.
It likely won't line up exactly, but tweak the track position so it lines up as rhythmically as possible with the song. This often involves having the reversed attacks line up with the beginning of beats.
Adding some echo or reverb can be very effective (and these effects often augmented backwards tape parts in the '60s). You might also find when recording dry guitar that the backward effect is too pronounced, leading to an excessive amount of "snap" at the reversed note's end. The fix is to use a transient shaper effect, which can soften the part's attack somewhat, prior to reversing the part you recorded.
Craig Anderton has played on or produced more than 20 major label releases, mastered hundreds of tracks, and written dozens of books. Check out some of his latest music at youtube.com/thecraiganderton.

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Talk Like a Pirate Day tells us that people at least want to pretend to be a pirate one day a year. The determined pirate fan can also dress up like a pirate on Halloween. People who are truly a pirate in their heart may need the release that only role playing games, online or otherwise can give.
The best thing is that many online pirate games are free to play, including Disney's recent addition, Pirates of the Caribbean Online. A few good Pirate games are: Sword of the New World, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Dogs of the Sea. Each has its own advantages and player base.
Sword of the New World
Although this is not technically a pirate mmorpg, Sword of the New World takes place in an age of high seas exploration. The game opens with the discovery of a new continent and settlers pouring into the New World to make their fame and fortune. The game play has improved slightly with the recent patch and expansion, but the games charm lies mostly in the music and the broken English. Characters can fight pirate or the natives who have been displaced from their lands.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Capitalizing on the popularity of Jack Sparrow, Disney decided to release their own free pirate mmorpg orffering and tap into a segment of gamers who wanted a slightly higher technological setting than what dominates the standard high, heroic fantasy settiings. Game play for Pirates of the Carribean Online is simple and the controls need a little work, but the system requirements for Disney's pirate mmorpg make it accessible to many players.
Pirates of the Burning Seas
This pirate mmorpg has been in development for a few years, and it includes both a sea and land game for the full experience. The sea battles focus mostly on player versus player combat, while the land game can increase their skills with the sword and pistol. While not having true multiple character control, players do gain a crew that has motivations and skills on their own.
To further capture the spirit of intrigue that is essential to the swashbuckling genre, this pirate mmorpg makes it likely that the crew members cannot always be trusted and may be working for someone else behind the player character's back. This game, unlike the others, requires the player to pay a monthly subscription fee, and no free trials are available as of yet.
Dogs of the Seas
This pirate mmorpg is not technically an mmorpg, but rather a graphical trading strategy game. Players of Dogs of the Seas can take on trading missions or privateer missions to build up their resources. They can do this either by doing the actual work of finding resources or taking the needed resources from other players on the high seas. Dogs of the Seas is oriented more toward player versus player combat than are the other. The best part about Dogs of the Sea is that it is free and can be played in a browser.
Have Fun Or Walk the Plank!
There are other pirate mmorpgs in existence, but these are the ones that have the most players or in the case of Dogs of the Sea, can be run entirely from a browser. Few of these pirate mmos have the depth of larger games like Everquest or World of Warcraft. For a person who has been wanting to roleplay a pirate in a virtual world, these games are the best way to do live out the life of a pirate.
Read more game articles here.


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With just one week left until the boys basketball state championships begin, the 20-win club keeps growing.
Kalaheo, Punahou, Kamehameha-Hawaii and Konawaena are among the teams that have amassed at least 20 victories each. Kalaheo, which collected 17 of 26 first-place votes, remained at No. 1 for a third week in a row.
Other 20-win clubs include Moanalua and Campbell, which entered the Top 10 at the 10 spot.
The one team that is a long way from 20 wins could well be the one that takes the state crown. Iolani (16-8) nabbed eight first-place votes after edging Punahou for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title in a neutral-court battle at Blaisdell Arena.
Speaking of courts, fans of the Campbell Sabers are less than pleased since learning that their top-seeded team will play away on the home floor of lower-seeded Mililani in the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red playoffs.
Don't expect Glenn Flores to question the Oahu Interscholastic Association and OC 16.
He knows that his Campbell Sabers worked hard to earn the No. 1 seed in the Red West of the OIA. In fact, his team swept preseason favorite Mililani, and that factor weighed into the league's tiebreaker formula -- the very one that hoisted Campbell up as the Red West's best.
However, all the regular-season battles amount to little.
Campbell's homecourt advantage as the top seed has been taken away in the name of TV. The Red West's third seed, Mililani, will host West No. 1 seed Campbell in the OIA semifinals.
Figure that: A No. 3 seed hosts a No. 1 seed.
How does that happen? It's because Mililani's gym is "wired" for broadcast on OC 16. The same goes for Mililani's football facility.
"They have the fiber optics there," OIA boys basketball coordinator Hugh Taufaasau said. "It was already pre-selected. Everybody knew that the sites were TBA (to be announced). It's no guarantee you'll be the home team."
From OC-16's perspective, there's no harm meant, not after 18 years of promoting OIA athletics. The league, through executive director Dwight Toyama and its sport coordinators, has a "working relationship" with the cable station.
"What goes into consideration, what Dwight has told me is that the OIA (bylaws) doesn't guarantee the homefield or homecourt advantage," OC-16 sports director Dave Vinton said. "I understand the (school) may feel it's a raw deal."
Kahuku lost its regular-season homecourt edge against Kalaheo when the OIA and OC 16 moved the game to Mililani. Then the Red Raiders, the Red East No. 3 seed, were forced to play against lower-seeded Mililani in the Trojans' gym last week.
Mililani rallied late against a fatigued Red Raiders squad for a narrow win.
"It's never a case of, 'We have to have Kahuku and we have to move them.' My interaction with the league is they want a game that's competitive. It's never a case that we have to have this team or that team," Vinton said. "As far as Kahuku and Mililani, we empathize with Kahuku losing their senior night. I know Dwight talks to all his ADs and they sit as a council and vote. They get their input."
The games, particularly in the playoffs, are viewed with a "regional" concept in mind.
"It's like the NCAA's March Madness, it's about regional sites," Vinton said. "They could ask for a different site, but that's a lot of 'what ifs?' We go for the most competitive game. The OIA selects the game and that's what we're going with. I don't know if there's any perfect solution, but we never pressure them for any game."
Switching sites means rewiring a facility from scratch -- an added cost.
As of yesterday afternoon, Toyama was unavailable for comment.
Flores did make a brief statement.
"I am unhappy with the No. 1 seed having to play at the No. 3 seed's home court," he said, noting that his role as an assistant athletic director limits the extent of his public comment.
Taufaasau, who is also Nanakuli's athletic director and a former longtime coach, empathizes with the teams and fans.
"I got all kinds of calls myself. It's just one of those things. It hurts some people and it helps some people. You can't make everybody happy," he said.
At an athletic directors' meeting yesterday, the possibility of moving host teams like Mililani and McKinley (which also has fiber optics) out of their own gyms -- switching the Campbell-Mililani game to McKinley, for example -- wasn't discussed.
"If we can do anything better (next time), we'll try and do it. We'll talk it over at the end of the year," Taufaasau said.
The Top 10 high school boys basketball teams as voted on by coaches and media from around the state. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, eight for third, etc.
» No longer in top 10 (previous rank): Kahuku (No. 8)
Final regular season standings


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Hunger does strange things to people. It can cause people to become irritable. It can make people lose focus. It is so important that the hungrier people become, the more desperate they usually become. Even the current marketing strategy for Snickers is 'You're not you when you're hungry'.
There have been times when I have been so hungry I have dreamt about food and almost tasted the food. In fact, we are so biologically designed to desire food that we start to automatically salivate when we smell or see food we enjoy.
The Bible says the same is true of our souls.
Humans are designed with an insatiable appetite for God. This comes out in the form of worship or 'giving worth to something or someone'. Worship is a value system instituted by a person for the depth of control surrendered to another entity. The only problem is, instead of turning to God and giving Him the attention and devotion due Him, humans worship self and self interest. So they end up trying to fill their correct appetite for God with the superficial vanity of self. It is similar to trying to fill your starving stomach with the air of a balloon. Although you may become bloated, it does not produce health nor long term satisfaction.
This brings us to spiritual eating. Where do you get 'fed'? Although it is true we must feed on God's word individually, especially in our day and age when we have God's word in almost every format imaginable--written on paper, digital documents, video and audio, the Bible says God has chosen special men to speak His words to His people. This is known as the 'church' gathered together to learn together. I have had many great and rewarding times with God by myself studying and absorbing His word, but I have had the most consistently spiritually rewarding moments with others gathered together to learn and worship.
Every Sunday should be a thanksgiving holiday.
Every sermon should be a thanksgiving dinner. Every believer should be a thanksgiving participant. Everyone should leave church well fed on the word of God. Shame on the spiritual shepherds that starve their flock with their own words or teach an unbalanced perspective on God to the harm of their sheep. Deception runs rampant in our world and unsuspecting, spiritually starving people wander around looking for food and they eat whatever is near them no matter how unhealthy. How damning that they cannot find a good meal in churches many of them attend!
What kind of climate are we in that much of the preaching that reaches peoples ears is neither healthy nor biblical. It might not tickle the ear all the time but if it is what is needed to bring wholeness then let it be brought forward.
I fear for shepherds who keep throwing out sermons of 'peace and happiness' when it is like filling the stomachs of their flock with air rather than food they can use. Their souls may indeed want to passionately pursue God but they are so malnourished they cannot follow.
You are designed to worship God and burn with the energy given from God's word. May we find it this Sunday--this 'thanksgiving'!
Jim Jackson
© 2012 Days With Jesus. All Rights Reserved.


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What a week! It started fairly sedately but descended into a riot (somewhat literally) of power outages, outrages over drainage issues, crazy TxDOT plans that would decimate our historic downtown, and the burning question of whether I'd seen one of our town's major developers in his boxers in broad daylight (no – but then, who was it???). Our teachers are back to work, so the end of summer is here and it's possible that we may have all survived!
I have been doing a bit of sewing in addition to all of the drama and chaos that swirls around me. I've been working for about 18 months on Don't Call Me Betsy's Epic Sampler BOM (http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com/p/epic-sampler-bom.html) Of course, it only was supposed to last for 14 months or so but it was 39 fantastic blocks and some of them took me a little longer than I expected to complete. Most were paper pieced and there are definitely a few that I will revisit in another quilt.
Isn't this an amazing quilt?? Of course, it's not mine – it's Elizabeth's sample. I did mine in Kaffe fabric. I'm somewhat regretting it – not because I don't love Kaffe, but it's hard to get both enough variation in fabric and enough restful places so that your eyes don't explode when you look at the quilt for too long. I'm calling my quilt the Kaffe Collision. I just have to finish the binding and I'll bring you the full experience in another post.
So, anyway, I know you're here for the free pattern. Today's pattern is Breezy Batiks. I'd like to revisit this pattern at some point and make more than one or two changes. But for today, it's ok as is.
I like the dark border framing the scrappy goodness on the interior. I also like the hints of the Irish chain mixed with the stars. This would make a good bee block. You could hand out the background fabric so that there would be some cohesion and then let people go to town with their scrap bins.
What would I change? Well, I might want to accentuate the Irish chain aspect of the pattern by making the squares a little less scrappy and make this a triple Irish chain with three distinct colorways. And I might get a little more aggressive with the stars – you can't look at the Don't Call Me Betsy quilt above and even think about going traditional with the stars in this quilt!
But, in case you're wanting to go ahead and start this pattern this weekend and don't want to wait for me to come up with the pattern, here is this week's pattern!
Have a great weekend!


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Graduating Limerick students get approval from minister
STUDENTS graduating from a southside school received their certificates from Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.
During his visit to Limerick - which saw him visit schools in Croom and Patrickswell - Mr Quinn fulfilled a long-standing invitation to visit Scoil Carmel, located in O'Connell Avenue.
Art teacher at the school, and northside Labour councillor Tom Shortt, said the purpose of the visit was to celebrate the recent refurbishment of the school.
The entire building has been retrofitted and upgraded with new heating, glazing and insulation.
This work was funded through the Department of Education Summer Works Scheme and the school has been transformed with new double glazed colourful windows a brand new heating system and with laptops projector screens and sound systems installed in every classroom. "It feels like a brand new school and we were delighted to let him see it," said Mr Shortt
Mr Quinn's visit coincided with the sixth years' graduation ceremony, so he fulfilled the duty of presenting each member of the Class of 2013 with their graduation certificates.
School principal Aine Bourke said Mr Quinn's visit represents "a proud and historic day for Scoil Carmel marking another stage in our progress as a proud, long established, Limerick city secondary school."
Cllr Shortt added that following the upgrade, the school feels brand new.
He said Mr Quinn discussed the new bill, relating to schools admission policy, with him.
"It is an attempt to regulate the admissions policies to schools, particularly to ensure local schools are open to students in their own locality," the Labour councillor said. "Scoil Carmel has always been a school which hasn't put barriers to admissions. We felt he was impressed by the diverse student population, and that he was probably impressed by our arts background."
Mr Quinn enjoyed music from the school choir, while he also addressed sixth years.
He also admired the students' art work, which Cllr Shortt felt he would appreciate given his background in architecture.


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Kalady - The birth place of Adi Shankaracharya
Kalady is a small village located east of the Periyar river in the district of Ernakulam and is the birth place of the well known philosopher and spiritualist Sri Adi Shankara. This is one of the most popular destinations of Kerala which the tourists and pilgrims choose.
It is said that Kalady, meaning Foot Prints in malayalam, got its name from an incident which happened in a little boy's life. Little Sankara and his widowed mother, Arya Devi, were returning from the bathing ghat at the Periyar river flowing at about 3 kilometers away from their home. The Mother fainted and the boy feeling helpless prayed to Lord Krishna for help. Lord Krishna gave him a boon saying the river will flow where his little feet marks. Now the Periyar river started flowing through his home garden and the village got its new name Kalady the old name being Sasalam. Lord Krishna was then installed in the temple there and Sankara recited his first poem there namely Achutha Ashtakam. This Little sankara became Adi Sankara in the later years.
Places to visit in Kalady
There are many places to visit in Kalady. They are Shankara Temple, Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram, Sri Adi Sankara Keerthi Sthamba Mandapam, Sri Krishna Temple, manickamangalam Karthyayani Temple, Mattur thiru vellaman Thulli Siva temple, Nayathodu Sankara Narayana Temple, Manjapra Karpilli Kavu Siva temple, Thekke Madham, Aryadevi Samadhi Mandapam, Kalady Kadavu, Crocodile Ghat and the ghat of the post funeral rites of Mother Arya Devi.
Shankara Jayanthi is the main festival celebrated in the months of April / May every year for 5 days. Navarathri which is celebrated for nine days and Rathostavam, the chariot festival are also celebrated here.
Here the Lord Krishna is known as Thrikalady appan and the annual festival falls on 6th January, Aarattu of the Lord Thrikaladiappan has been taking place in the holy ghat which was drawn by Little Sankara and the name Kalady was born. This is the place where Little Sankara performed Aarattu of the idol of Lord Krishna before installing the idol in the temple.
Crocodile Ghat is the place where a crocodile caught hold of Little Sankara's foot and started pulling him into the river. Little sankara told his mother to allow him to take up sanyasa and only then the crocodile will allow him to live. His mother agreed helplessly and the crocodile freed him instantly.
How to Reach Kalady
Kochi international airport is the nearest at about 5 kilometers from Kalady, the birth place of Sri Shankaracharya.
Angamaly is the closest railway station but all trains do not stop here. Aluva is the nearest major railway station and is 22 kilometers away from Kalady.
It is very easy to connect Kalady with the other towns and cities of Kerala as the Main Central Road which starts from Angalamy runs through Kalady by connectiong Thiruvananthapuram etc.


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Reality Mediators Will Punish You For Being Lazy
London-based Ling Tan created Reality Mediators as a means of questioning the purpose of wearables in enhancing or interrogating our relationship with the world.
Will these devices make us even more inclined to do little for ourselves, or will they drive us to explore our environment more fervently and in new ways. Alternatively, will they totally change how we perceive and interact with the world, taking us over, in ways we do not notice.
One phase of the project, referred to as Limits Of Bearability, is designed to help us understand "how the artificially intelligent nature of active technological prosthesis can alter the user's consciousness, and how bearable such devices are perceived by the user in the long run".
Project volunteers wear the Reality Mediators for between three and four hours at a time, of which there are three different types: muscle sensors, brainwave sensors and GPS.
When activity is disrupted and the wearer appears to be breaking from their active routine, one of four actuators that run on Arduino microcontrollers will turn on them to deliver either an electrical shock, an unpleasant sound, heat or vibrations.
All the outputs create inherently unpleasant effect on the user so as to measure the level of obvious disruptiveness to user's everyday activities - says Tan on her website.
The wearer does not have to physically stop moving to get a shock, they might let their mind aimlessly wander, thus changing the brainwave patterns and leading to the electrical stimulation that reminds them to keep active.
According to Tan, after a while, the wearer's body starts to change its routine according to the device's demands. It adapts to the wearable, rather than the other way around. "This then questions the issue of who is in control; the user or the device?" she tells in an interview.
She goes on to explain to the magazine how the consumer-style packaging and branding she's created for the project is designed as a piece of commentary on how the public can be led to adopt something that appears like any other product, despite its potential underlying negative effects.
Such intrusiveness can also be good for your health though, according to Microsoft, which wants to bring us the comfort-eating combatting wearable bra. A series of sensors would measure sweat and heart rate. When worn over time the sensors can track behaviour and see if stress/boredom leads to habitual eating. When the system picks up a repeat of these symptoms, a connected app will signal a gentle warning telling the individual not to go to the fridge, or to have an apple.


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Dear Clients,
On May holidays the working schedule of the Bank will be changed as follows:
April 30 – the bank will be open for clients from 9:30 to 16:00 (pre-holiday day);
May 1-4 – May Holidays.
Happy holidays!
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For those of you who are not already aware, the EPA's 2008 lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule is a set of required standards for all building and home contractors who work in buildings that have lead-based paint. The rule requires the use of lead-safe work practices to minimize the possible conditions that can generate a lead hazard during normal RRP activities. Part of the requirement is for contractors and workers to take appropriate classes in lead-safe work practices.
Originally, the law was anticipated to include a requirement for final clearance dust wipe sampling to ensure there is not a lead dust hazard in the area of renovations. However, the EPA backed off of the requirement in 2011, instead favoring a "qualitative" method of having the contractor compare a damp cloth wipe of the renovation area to an "EPA Standard" to determine if they needed to do additional cleaning (the so called "dirty-diaper test"). You can read the EPA's reasoning for this change in a document titled "Improving Our Regulations: Final Plan for Periodic Retrospective Reviews of Existing Regulations." The entire EPA document is worth reading, as it addressed other regulatory topics, including drinking water standards, vehicle emissions, TSCA, NPDES, and others. However, the RRP Paragraph is below:
"After carefully weighing the issues and considering the comments from over 300 stakeholders, EPA has determined that there are currently no data or information that call into question the reliability, safety, and efficacy of the lead safe work practices established in the 2008 RRP rule.
Therefore, EPA did not finalize additional "clearance" requirements that contractors obtain lead-dust testing and laboratory analysis of the results for renovation jobs. EPA believes that if certified and trained renovation contractors follow EPA's 2008 RRP rule by using lead-safe work practices and following the cleaning protocol after the job is finished, lead-dust hazards will be effectively reduced."
The RRP Rule has been in effect since April of 2010. However, it was not until April of this year that the EPA announced the first set of enforcement actions against contractors who violated the RRP rule. For those of you counting, that took the agency two years.
The three announced enforcement actions all included fines of at most $10,000, but it has been long suspected that these actions were in the pipeline. The violations cited by the EPA included both the failure of companies to obtain the RRP certification and then subsequent work practices that could have caused a lead hazard. No incidents of elevated lead blood levels were indicated.
The press release regarding the violations is available here.
Have a comment of question regarding the EPA lead RRP? Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Imagine connecting with a world of vascular access and infusion therapy experience. Imagine listening to to the people who deliver, educate within or research vascular access and infusion therapy topics without having to leave the comfort of your smartphone or computer. Well imagine no more. The IVUPDATE podcast from IVTEAM is here. This regular podcast will deliver vascular access conversation from around the globe.
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Our first podcast features Paul Lee who is a medical devices training manager with decades worth of experience in clinical engineering. The podcast '30 years of infusion safety with Paul Lee' is now available at IVUPDATE.comVisit IVUPDATE
Thank you to our partners for supporting IVTEAM


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Grand jury matinee
Maxine Bernstein of the O had a fascinating story over the weekend (once again, buried by her editors on a Friday night) about how the grand jury in the police shooting of Aaron Campbell were shown a police training video that hammers home the point that "by the time you see the gun, you're dead." This has become the mantra of apologists for the police when they shoot and kill unarmed people based on their alleged, subjective impression that the victim is reaching for a deadly weapon.
In the James Jahar Perez case a few years back, the district attorney went even further, bringing in a live expert to testify before the grand jury to the same effect. Nowadays the D.A. calls in a local cop, and they show the video. Not surprisingly, the grand jury never indicts the police officer who did the killing.
To us, the story reveals a couple of important things. One is that in police killing cases, an independent prosecutor is needed to run the grand jury. The county D.A.'s office, which works with the police 24-7-365, has a horrible conflict of interest, and when it runs its unilateral grand jury proceedings in a police killing case, it presents the police officer's side of the case more forcefully than it does the victim's, or the public's.
If the shoe had been on the other foot -- if the case involved, say, a civilian shooting an undercover police officer -- do you think the D.A.'s office would show a video that establishes that "by the time you see the gun, you're dead"? Of course not. Before the grand jury, the D.A. is supposed to be the prosecutor. But in cases involving trigger-happy police, the D.A. seems to prefer to serve as exonerator.
The other truth that emerges from the Bernstein story is that no police officer will ever be indicted for killing a civilian, because all he or she has to say is "I thought he was reaching for a gun." If they are trained to shoot before they actually see a weapon, with no requirement of any cause other than their own subjective perceptions, then every time they kill, they're essentially just following orders.
If you want to see the Portland police stop shooting unarmed people in the back, you have to change the content of that training. It's not a question of spending more tens of millions on a training center. It's a question of changing the mantra from "by the time you see the gun, you're dead" to something else. Without that change, "Legend" Saltzman's dry cleaner is going to be kept pretty busy pressing that funeral suit.


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Cytokines are small, serum-soluble proteins that interact with cell surface receptors. These interactions with specific transmembrane receptors activate a cascade of signals that result in a cellular response.
Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1; a growth factor similar to insulin) is a cytokine that participates in the cellular granulation process during wound healing. During healing, its expression is increased. However, diabetic patients show overall decreased levels of IGF-1 expression1. IGF-1 is a polypeptide consisting of 70 amino acids with a molecular weight of 7.47 kDa with an amino acid sequence that is very similar to insulin. IGF-1 exerts similar effects on growth as insulin. The anabolic effects of IGF-1 include stimulation of DNA synthesis, cell proliferation, protein synthesis, and glucose transport.
Previous studies have shown a relationship between inflammation markers interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), and IGF-1 and microvascular changes in patients with type 1 diabetes. These studies found that IGF-1 levels were decreased in the control group and that IL-6 and IL-8 levels were elevated in patients with type 1 diabetes2.
IGF-1 has also been described as an agent that acts anabolically and anti-catabolically in a wide variety of cell types3 , 4.
In the context of wound healing, the evidence suggests that IGF-1 is mitogenic for keratinocytes and that fibroblasts inhibit the process of apoptosis, thereby reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines and stimulating extracellular matrix production5.
IGF-1 expression is modulated during wound healing. Expression is increased in wound fluid caused by burns and is also significantly increased during the healing process of skin cells, which ordinarily express only small amounts of this protein3 , 6. This supports the idea that successful healing is associated with IGF-1 levels.
During granulation, tissue fibroblasts develop various structural and biochemical characteristics similar to ultra-smooth muscle cells, including the presence of microfilaments and the expression of α-smooth muscle actin. When the granulation tissue develops into a scar, the myofibroblasts containing α-smooth muscle actin disappear, probably as a result of apoptosis.
The mechanisms leading to myofibroblast development have been investigated elsewhere7. Recent studies have reported the mitogenic action of myofibroblast differentiation and proliferation by IGF-18 , 9.
During the repair of normal tissues, the controlled activation of myofibroblasts contributes to the restoration of tissue integrity10. The most widely used marker for myofibroblast differentiation is α-smooth muscle actin. Under normal conditions, fibroblast cells exhibit little or no short actin and, in the extracellular matrix produced by an injury, fibroblasts are activated by cytokines released locally from resident and inflammatory cells migrating into the damaged tissue to synthesize extracellular matrix components3.
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the topical application of IGF-1 cream influences the tissue repair process of wounds in diabetic and non-diabetic rats. This evaluation was performed using immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of myofibroblasts via antibodies to α-smooth muscle actin.
This research protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA) City University of Sao Paulo, fulfilling Federal Law 11,794 and Decree Nº. 6.689 of July 15, 2009, which regulates Law 11.794. The animals were housed in a vivarium provided by the City University of São Paulo, where the macro-environment was controlled with a photoperiod of 12h.
Animals and induction of diabetes
Ninety-six adult male Wistar rats weighing 250 to 300g were included in the study. Forty-eight animals were non-diabetic and 48 animals were diabetic. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by intravenous administration of alloxan (5,6-dioxouracil monohydrate) with a single dose of 42 mg/kg. Subsequently, the animals were maintained on normal food and water.
Assessment of diabetes
Glucose levels were measured on the 7th and 14th days after induction and were sampled from animals whose blood glucose levels were greater than 250 mg/dl. The results of glucose levels included in the study on the day of induction varied from 69-102 mg/dl on the day 7 to 260-561 mg/dl on day 14 and were between 285-593 mg/dl.
Plasma glucose levels were determined from blood samples collected from the caudal vein using a glucometer Accu-Chek Advantage II (Roche).
Glycated hemoglobin (HA1C) levels were used as a reliable indicator of chronic diabetes, as their high values indicate persistently high blood glucose levels, as in diabetes. [Remark 2] Blood was collected from the tail vein at the time of collection of material for histological analysis before euthanasia to demonstrate the persistence of high blood glucose throughout the experiment duration. Diabetic animals average HA1C levels of 10.88% ± 1.048, whereas non-diabetic animals had an average HA1C levels of 5.12% ± 0.463.
Diabetic rats, in addition to having high levels of blood glucose and HA1C, also exhibited typical features of the disease, including polyuria, polyphagia, polydipsia, and severe weight loss.
The pathological manifestations of diabetes in the kidneys, retina, and blood vessels are related to metabolic abnormalities caused by the disease over time. Therefore, following the induction of diabetes with alloxan, it was necessary that the diabetic animals were kept for three months prior to the experiment, to give enough time for organic changes to be observed in this group11.
Study groups
The animals were divided into six groups of 16. Group 1 included non-diabetic rats receiving no treatment (NDNT), group 2 included in non-diabetic rats that treated with 1% IGF-1 cream (NDIGF1%), group 3 included non-diabetic rats that were treated with 3% IGF-1 cream (NDIGF3%), group 4 included diabetic rats that received no treatment (DNT), group 5 included diabetic rats treated with 1% IGF-1 cream (DIGF1%), and group 6 included rats treated with 3% IGF-1 cream (DIGF3%).
Anesthesia and surgical procedures
Three months after induction of diabetes, all animals received general anesthesia via an intraperitoneal injection of ketamine hydrochloride (75 mg/kg Vetbrands, Jacarei-SP, Brazil) and xylazine (10 mg/kg Vetbrands). After anesthesia, the dorsal region was shaved and antisepsis was performed over the shaved area with chlorhexidine gluconate 2%, and using a autoclave-sterilized razor-sharp metal punch, a 0.9-cm fragment of was removed until exposure of the dorsal muscle fascia.
Treatment of surgical wounds
Following this, the animals were reconditioned in specific boxes, divided according to their respective groups, and rats in each group received their assigned treatment, with saline only being administered to the wounds of the animals in groups 1 and 4. This procedure was repeated daily for the duration of the experiment. All rats were examined daily for their mobility, food intake, and water consumption.
Histological analysis
On days 3, 7, 14, and 21 after surgery, the animals were weighed and anesthetized in the same manner as for the initial surgery. The animals were then affixed to the operating table, and the wound was excised with a margin 1 cm of healthy skin around the lesion, incising deeply into the fascia muscle. This time, the tail vein was punctured and blood samples were taken for measurement of HA1C. Following collection of materials, the animals were sacrificed.
Each sample was individually identified, fixed in 10% formalin solution, and sent to the pathology laboratory where the slides were prepared for histological analysis.
The samples were embedded in paraffin, cut into transverse sections 0.4 mm thick using a microtome, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) for comprehensive assessment of tissue sections, and by Masson's Trichrome (TM) to assess the presence of collagen fibers.
Histological analysis was performed by the same pathologist who was blinded to the identity of the groups. H&E-stained samples were classified according to the intensity that would have been found and has been attributed to the index of histological findings.
The sections stained with H&E were scored according to the following scale: 0 (absent), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), and 3 (severe). In each case, we analyzed the epidermis, the superficial dermis, and the deep dermis. Epidermal histological parameters were used to evaluate whether there was presence of ulcers, crusts or epithelialization. The dermis was evaluated for the presence of congestion, hemorrhage, necrosis, vascular proliferation, spindle cells suggestive of myofibroblasts, scar retraction, and pigments.
The dermal inflammatory infiltrate was evaluated for its intensity and the cellular elements present.
Sections stained using Masson's Tricromic technique were used to evaluate the presence of collagen fibers in the wound, scored according to the following scale: 0 (absent), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), and 3 (severe).
Immunohistochemical analysis
The immunohistochemical analysis was performed using anti-α-smooth muscle actin (anti α-SMA) (EnvisionTM System-HRP, Dako Cytomation, USA) visualized with diaminobenzidine. Positive and negative controls were included according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
For the quantitative analysis of myofibroblasts, histological sections of 5 μc of samples and immunohistochemical staining were performed. Images were taken of the tissue adjacent to the wound area. We used 10 surface fields (each with a field area of 0.024 mm2, totaling 0.24 mm2). Myofibroblasts quantification was performed by a single blinded observer. Myofibroblasts were considered to be either positive cells or brownish.
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism Version 6.00 for Windows (La Jolla, California, USA, www.graphpad.com).
The expression of α-smooth muscle actin in all groups and on all sampled days (3, 7, 14, and 21), and the interaction between them was compared using a two-way ANOVA test.
Nonparametric variables were analyzed using a Mann-Whitney test. The significance level for rejecting the null hypothesis was 5% (p<0.05).
Macroscopic and histological analysis
No complications were reported in any animals during surgery. There were no deaths prior to euthanasia. Daily clinical evaluations showed adequate recovery rate, maintenance status, presence of physical activity, provision of food, and water intake in all groups. The diabetic animals daily showed signs of diabetes, with obvious weight loss despite increased food intake, and also had polyuria and polydipsia. The hair of the animals in this group was ruffled and yellowish.
The development of skin wounds in all animals showed oozing and delicate crusting up until the seventh day after surgery when the crust thickened and began to detach spontaneously as the healing process progressed.
Skin on the backs of the rats showed a pattern of free subcutaneous and very elastic loose tissue. Depending on the manipulation of the animal and the position in which they were immobilized for the purposes of measuring and photography, the size and appearance of the wounds changed significantly. We therefore considered this to be an unreliable way of analyzing the real effects of IGF-1 on the healing process.
In general, similar wound healing and histological patterns were observed in the animals that were treated with IGF-1 and those that were not. On the third postoperative day, an inflammatory process was observed, presenting congestion, hyperemia, necrosis, inflammatory cells, some collagen deposition, and absence of epithelium. On the seventh day post-surgery, congestion characteristic of the third day was still present, although it was less intense. The inflammatory process was more intense and diffused, with greater presence of inflammatory cells, and intense necrosis. Also on the seventh postoperative day, we observed the presence of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and a larger number of fibroblasts that induced greater collagen neoformation (fibers were more numerous and more mature-looking) compared to the third day. Additionally, fibrin-leukocyte crusts were present in the wounds of all evaluated animals. On the 14th day after surgery, the wound healing process was advanced, showing a reduction in the inflammatory process characterized by a smaller amount of inflammatory cells, discrete inflammatory infiltration, absence of necrosis, re-epithelization of the tissues and collagen deposition, presenting more differentiated fibers (Figure 1). On the 21st day, the wound healing process was even more advanced, with a small amount of inflammatory cells and a completely reconstructed epithelium. By this point, granulation tissue was formed, characterized by intense collagen deposition (numerous and many mature aspect fibers).
Histological changes of the skin wounds were analyzed according to time after the injury and treatment, with the specific features of each stage recorded.
Regarding the acute inflammatory reaction, the results of the analysis of vascular proliferation and the mononuclear and polymorphonuclear analyses showed no statistically significant difference in any of the periods studied (according to the results of a Mann-Whitney test).
Immunohistochemical analysis
Tissue samples subjected to immunohistochemical analysis to compare the expression of α-smooth muscle actin between groups showed a significant difference in the expression of myofibroblasts (Figure 2).
Figure 2 shows the expression of myofibroblasts cells stained brown in samples taken from diabetic animals treated with 3% IGF-1 in diabetic animals (left), and the photograph on the right shows the expression of myofibroblasts in tissue samples from diabetic animals that did not receive treatment.
The ANOVA test confirmed that these differences were statistically significant. The samples showed a peak in the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) on the seventh day, which was higher in the groups treated with IGF. This difference was shown to be statistically significant.
Table 1 shows the average value of myofibroblasts in field 10 of the blades subjected to immunohistochemistry (Figure 2). In this table, one can see the significant presence of myofibroblasts on the seventh day after surgery, evident both in non-diabetic animals and in animals with diabetes that were treated with either 1% or 3% IGF-1.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the significant differences in expression of α-smooth muscle actin in the skin wounds of diabetic and non-diabetic rats treated with IGF-1. The largest difference is seen on the seventh day in diabetics rats treated with IGF 3%.
The aim of our study was to evaluate whether topical IGF-1 cream promotes an increase in tissue repair capacity and consequently in better wound healing in diabetic rats.
Several previous studies have demonstrated the expression of IGF-1 in the wounds of different species. Thus, IGF-1 was found in the wound fluid of rats and pigs12 - 14. In an attempt to identify IGFs and their receptors at the wound site, a group injury model used a freeze-thaw technique to study the expression of IGF-1 using immunohistochemistry15. In normal skin, only a few cells in the dermis and epidermis express IGF-1. However, all epidermal cells, as well as macrophages and other cells, express IGF-1 at 1 to 3 days after the injury. Some other studies have suggested a role for the IGF system abnormalities associated with wound healing in animals with diabetes or treatment with glucocorticoids. Thus, one study found that diabetes induced in rats caused a 42% reduction in the levels of IGF-1 in the wound fluid and a 48% reduction in the plasma16.
Others have analyzed the expression of IGF-1 during wound healing in normal mice and genetically diabetic patients. They found that the mRNA expression of IGF-1 was severely retarded and reduced among diabetic patients6.
The specific effects of IGF in wound healing were studied, and it was demonstrated that IGF-1 plays a role in angiogenesis, promotion of collagen synthesis, and stimulation of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. IGF-1 has been found in the epithelium and in the later stages of granulation tissue. Increased expression of these growth factors is therefore related to changes in the wound3 , 6.
These data support the hypothesis that the difficulties associated with wound healing in diabetic patients are, at least in part, due to a deficiency in the activity of IGF-1 in the wound environment. These data are important to elucidate the pathogenesis of human chronic wounds, because IGF-1 proteins are absent in the basal layer of the epidermis and in fibroblasts from diabetic patients, but is present in healthy controls. In addition, IGF-1 proteins were shown to be absent in the basal layer of keratinocytes at the edge of the diabetic foot17.
The healing process involves the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. These cells have characteristic properties similar to those of smooth muscle cells, displaying the contractile phenotype through expression of α-smooth muscle actin that promotes the approximation of the wound edges18.
Myofibroblasts synthesize extracellular matrix components such as collagen types I and III. During the normal healing of wounds, myofibroblasts disappear by undergoing apoptosis when epithelialization occurs. The transition from fibroblasts into myofibroblasts is influenced by mechanical stress and the presence of growth factors.
α-Smooth muscle actin is a major myofibroblast differentiation marker and plays a role in regulating the expression of the collagen gene.
The role of α-smooth muscle actin on the production of myofibroblasts in vitro has been previously demonstrated in experiments on wound healing in mice that used models involving fibroblasts19. Cells expressing this protein or differentiated myofibroblasts are strongly active compared with retractable protomiofibroblastos, in which there is an absence of any change in contractile protein expression20.
Our study found no statistically significant differences in the assessment of the healing process in the analysis of polymorphonuclear cells, vascularization, and inflammation. However, it did demonstrate the effectiveness of the application of IGF-1 in wound healing, which increases the expression of myofibroblasts. The immunohistochemical analysis using antibody α-smooth muscle actin showed that the expression of myofibroblasts was more evident on the seventh post-operative day and was higher in the treated groups.
A significant increase was observed in the expression of myofibroblasts in the animals treated with IGF compared with those that were not treated. This increase occurred in both non-diabetic and diabetic animals, such that the expression in diabetic animals was even more significant than that in non-diabetic animals, suggesting that the receptors for this protein in diabetic animals may also be reduced. However, the increased availability helped to increase the expression of myofibroblasts, which in turn plays an important role in the final process of healing, promoting a more rapid healing process among treated animals.
Several authors have evaluated the use of numerous topical substances to positively influence the healing process. Obviously, many factors are involved in an effective intervention in the healing process, and accurate clinical diagnosis of the type of the injury and its healing stage is critical because different wounds in different patients require different forms of treatment.
In our study, IGF-1 cream was shown to be effective in the healing process; however, it is important to expand these analyses further. Future studies are needed to overcome the limitations of our experimental design as a whole and also to assess the expression of IGF-1 receptors in diabetic patients, other factors involved in wound healing, and thus evaluate the safety of treatment with IGF-1.
The use of a topical IGF-1 cream on wounds induced a higher expression of myofibroblasts in the wound bed and a consequent improvement in scarring.
In non-diabetic animals treated with IGF-1, the expression of myofibroblasts was higher than that in diabetic animals treated with IGF-1, which may indicate a decrease in IGF receptor expression in diabetic animals. Further studies are necessary to assess the decreased expression of these receptors.


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Escape rooms Tyumen
Saint Angelo's Castle
The dungeon of Saint Angelo's castle is a place that evokes horror and awe. Thousands of innocent victims of the Great Inquisition met their deaths there. Komnata is waiting for you. You have one chance. And one hour.
Tyumen, Ленина, 4
adventure, historical, mystical, escape room
- 14+
- 3-4
- 60 min
Mobile quest: the Bootleggers
We offer you a quest-adventure within a few square feet. It's a perfect entertaiment for a corporate event, birthday or a wedding! You won't even have to go anywhere, we'll come to you ourselves!
Tyumen, Ленина, 4
for two, funny, mobile, escape room
- 21+
- 1-3
- 10 min
Boxed up
You and your partner were stolen and put into boxes by a crazy genius. There is nobody else in the room, but you. Your survival now depends on your cooperation. Will you be able to get out?
Tyumen, Ленина, 4
adventure, horror, for two, escape room
- 16+
- 2
- 45 min
A new serial killer appeared in London. He sets ingenious traps for his victims and plays logical games with them. The price in those games is their lives!
Tyumen, Ленина, 4
adventure, detective, mobile, for one, escape room
- 8+
- 1-2
- 10 min
Nowhere Man
А flat suddenly abandoned by the hosts in late 80s is occupied again twenty years later by someone…
Tyumen, Ленина, 4
detective, philosophical, beginners, escape room
- 12+
- 2-4
- 60 min


text:
I have 'inherited' an old and not well looked after Marshall 702 tractor.
I have been trying my hardest to get a tractor mechanic to come by and do a service on it but no wants to touch... eventually found a car mechanic and engine fuel and air filters changed. The oil filter was a pig to get sealed but it is now done.
I still need a mechanic so if anyone k ows anyone who would take a look please let me know.... Midhurst West Sussex area
Anyway when I eventually got restarted to top the field today the topper seems to be going faster ..... much faster than it was before, does the PTO have 2 speeds? Wonder if I have managed to select a 2nd speed.
Also it has a hydraulic oil leak (pipe I think) i put in a gallon of fluid today in that funny double nut thing behind the seat and it didnt even register on the back dipstick!! How much should it take?
Many thanks


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December 18, 2012
A new author who caught my attention! Jennifer McMurrainPosted by missdeianeira under Uncategorized
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November 16, 2012
I support writers!Posted by missdeianeira under Uncategorized
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Dear friends,
Let me introduce you to a great writer and a very good friend! She writes good literature, new, fresh, deep and funny, and I hope you all will agree she's one of a kind!
So, world, here's Livia Ellis and her novel series, The Memoirs of a Gigolo
Were I to write a personal ad about myself it would read as follows:
Blond. Blue. 5'6". A lady never discloses her weight, but I've never had any complaints. I only run if I'm being chased by a gun wielding maniac, but I do love yoga. Bit of a shoe hound. Have had issues passing up handbags. Trying to learn to play the Irish harp. Enjoy both theater and concerts. Love to read fantasy and science fiction. Am not ashamed to admit I adore Star Trek. Have a picture of myself (dressed as a nun) and the late Patrick Swayze (dressed as a medieval warrior) in a frame (Yes – I did cry when he died). Perpetual student with advanced degrees that are mostly useless when seeking job opportunities outside academia. Vivid imagination. Sexually adventurous only on paper. I never know what to say when people end a conversation with 'god bless'. Occasionally play the lottery – but generally only when I'm feeling really poor. Love to travel. Fluent French speaker. Seeks readers whom enjoy what I write.
Information About Memoirs of a Gigolo:
Memoirs of a Gigolo is a twelve part serialized book written by Livia Ellis. The twelve volumes will be distributed over a year. The plan is to release one a month, every month, for a year. Volume One was released on October 1st, 2012. In addition to the twelve volumes in the main story arc, there will be a minimum of six stand alone volumes. Each will have a holiday theme and be told from a different POV.
The story is written in the first person POV from the perspective of the main protagonist, Oliver Adair. Memoirs of a Gigolo is written as a heroic journey. From the call to the adventure, to the trials, and finally the reward.
Oliver Adair enjoys a life of women (sometimes men), travel, and sex. Unfortunately these things cost money – something he doesn't have a lot of. After a personal scandal lands him on the cover of just about every newsstand tabloid and celebrity magazine the proverbial party of his life comes to an end.
He's lost most of his money, his family has pretty well disowned him, and the woman he loves has returned to her husband. He's come to the conclusion that the most expeditious way to get his life back is to find a wealthy wife. To this end, he engages the service of a matchmaker. While she's searching for a wife for him, he's working for her as an escort. When he's offered an opportunity to get paid for doing what he loves, he happily signs on to become a male escort. Oliver quickly discovers that in this
world of high priced sex, not only is being a mans man still desirable, but expected. By embracing his masculine sexuality, he makes a name for himself in the world of escorts.
What sparked the idea for your novel?
I was on a flight and ended up stuck on the tarmac. As one does, I got to talking to the man sitting next to me. He was impossibly beautiful. Blond, but spoke with a Spanish accent. I guessed correctly that he was Argentinian, which kicked off a conversation. After a ten hour flight followed by two hours of sitting motionless, I learned that he was an escort. I thought about him for a long time. Then one day I was stuck in an airport (these ideas always come to me in airports or airplanes for some reason) and as I
trolled through the magazines and read about scandals and downfalls, Oliver appeared to me. I had my story.
What was the hardest part to write in the book?
Writing from the first person POV of a man. I'm not a man. I had to put myself into the mind of a man. Not easy to do.
What is your favorite part of the book?
Any part that has to do with subtly revealing Oliver's character. I like the challenge of slowly showing rather than telling. I'm hoping this comes across in the scene with Elon and Oliver. I want the readers to see that they have a very deep connection, that they love each other, but that Elon is in love with Oliver in a way that Oliver can never reciprocate. Although Oliver engages in M/M sex as an escort, he is heterosexual.
How did you come up with the title?
I was playing around with a few ideas that had to do with autobiographies, biographies, journals, diaries, etc., etc… Then there it was Memoirs of a Gigolo.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Worst: You suck. Best: Style-wise it's really excellent. Makes me smile. It's well-written, good pace, good dialogue (which a lot of people cannot do), and I am very interested in it. (I just received that bit of feedback on my Irish Harry Potter – fingers crossed it gets picked up.)
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Writing is a hard job that requires an extraordinary amount of time, mental energy, effort, and dedication. There is a part of me that feels so deeply sorry for these people that just started writing and think they are somehow due success because their mother/aunt/sister/boyfriend think their writing is fantastic. I've been at this for years and I've devoted hours and hours to dedicated practice. Writing is a craft that has to be learned. That's not to say there aren't people that get lucky and fall into success, but
for the rest of us it's a lot of heartbreaking work. My advice: If you think you might rather do something else, then do it. If you know you can only be a writer, then that's what you are.
What project are you working on now?
Memoirs of a Gigolo is going to take up the better part of the next year. I am also about to start releasing another serial: The Secret World of Juniper Grace. I started writing about Juniper when I was in college. My friends that have been reading Juniper all along have been prodding me to publish. Now that I've taken the plunge into self-publishing and found the water both warm and pleasant, I'm going to start putting more work that is lingering on my laptop out there. I am also working on a YA dystopian, a few other erotic stories, and a story I like to call my Irish Harry Potter (Can I call something an Irish Harry Potter? Will J.K. Rowling's cabal of lawyers come after me? I guess we'll find out!).
Available on youtube http://youtu.be/bJkf7as6ueI
Information about Promo days on Amazon:
In order to promote Memoirs of a Gigolo, build up some readership and hopefully to build up the number of reviews and likes it has, I will be offering Volume Two for free on Friday November 16th and Saturday November 17th. The buy links are below. I'm available to answer questions or write blog posts. Just let me know what you would like. I included a few answers to questions I received when interviewed for the Tarashphere and Pankhearst.
Author Links
Livia Ellis Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Livia-Ellis-
Livia Ellis Amazon Author page http://www.amazon.com/Livia-Ellis/e/B0093XV43M
Livia Ellis on WordPress http://www.liviaellis.com/
Other Links
Memoirs of a Gigolo Volume One on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Gigolo-Volume-Oneebook/
Memoirs of a Gigolo Volume Two on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Gigolo-Volume-Twoebook/
Memoirs of a Gigolo Happy Halloween Oliver on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Gigolo-
Memoirs of a Gigolo Facebook Fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Memoirs-of-aGigolo/
July 24, 2012
Ziua in care planeta s-a invartit in sens opusPosted by missdeianeira under Uncategorized
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Au avut dreptate. Se intampla sfarsitul lumii anul asta. Dar nu cade pamantul de pe axa. Nu vin extraterestrii. Nu se crapa cerul sub greutatea asteroidului menit sa ne puna capat agoniei. Ar fi prea simplu. Prea usor. Sa ai privilegiul ca intre doua batai de gene sa te trezesti ca te indrepti spre lumina… nu…
Sfarsitul asta vine individual, personalizat cu numele nostru pe plic, custom-made, cu dedicatie chiar. Sa ne sfarame in cioburi dar sa supravietuim. Sa il simtim, sa il privim in fata, sa nu care cumva sa ne scape constientizarea ficarei picaturi de sange care ni se scurge din ochi.
Muribund si cu anticipatia dezastrului care urmeaza dupa acest preludiu, nu ai decat doua solutii simple: sa-I dai satisfactie sinucigasului din tine si sa accepti invitatia la un vals etern cu intunericul sau sa intampini valul de ura si lacrimi cu increderea unui ucigas in serie convins ca nu-l va prinde nimeni.
Sfarsitul de capitol vine cu tot cu un vid din care ne priveste inapoi chipul ranjit al nebuniei. Si noptile pe care stii ca nu le vei mai dormi, pernele din care o sa musti urland, peretii de care te vei da cu capul, tentatia de a ingenunchia zdrobit de magnitudinea apocalipsei, neputinta, sufocarea, jalea, dezintegrarea sufletului de pe trup, toate te fac sa iti doresti cu pasiune sa fi venit asteroidul ala. Dar nu ti-e dat.
Vomitand fiere si fum de tigara intelegi ca in fata inevitabilului, nu iti mai ramane de ales decat sa iti masori din ochi crucea si sa speri ca macar au croit-o pe masurile tale. Sa nu fie totusi PREA mare ca sa nu ti se potriveasca cuiele in palme. Nu-i nimic, ce daca ti le-au batut direct in creier, in coaste si-n genunchi, o poti duce si asa.
July 7, 2012
WE'VE GOT OUR FIRST BOOK ANALYSIS!Posted by missdeianeira under Uncategorized
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- It all started some days back, when a company called Allwrite Advertising & Publishing (who's a Facebook friend of us), launched a Following Contest on the above-mentioned social network, on YouTube and on Twitter, the winner being promised a free book analysis. They're from Atlanta, Georgia, and have a pretty impressive portfolio in the publishing business.
- So, like the panther I am, I jumped my accounts within seconds and finished the contest first!
- Then, I let All Writers know I participated and they congratulated me for being the winner. Sent the book (with my heart pumping in my chest) to them and we got back the results in no time!
- And I'd say they are EXCELLENT considering this is a first novel written by an author who doesn't have English as native language (but who owns in nonetheless: D).
- Next in line, All Writers offered us a very affordable fee for stepping to the second stage of the process, the book review. I wrote them telling that we agree and now we're just waiting for their feed-back regarding the money transaction (seeing that Andrei is currently in Tampa Bay, Florida)
- As I said, I'm so proud of him and the book, you'd think I was the one who wrote it!
- Hope to come back soon with even more good news!
- PS. I'd like to thank a very special friend named Oly Saldinger, the drummer of Raizing Hell Band, (Bucharest, Romania), who offered me some moments of his time to calculate the means for every sub-chapter analyze and to give me back the overall results. He did that because I was too tired and busy to calculate, but mostly because he's a great, great pal!
- So, (in order not to keep you any more in suspense), things look like this
- On a scale from 1 (which is very bad I guess) to 5 (very good) CRUX was rated as follows:
|Commonly confused words
|Parts of speech
|Clear writing
|Consistent writing
|Concise writing
|Writing process
|Interest and appeal
July 6, 2012
Updates from the Page and a promise to myselfPosted by missdeianeira under Uncategorized
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There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer. … When asked to define "Great" he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"
He got his wish.
"He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages"
A few days later, nobody guessed that, but everybody had some fun! So, a big round of applause for our guests:
And now, for this week's Angellove Society Exercise, we have another riddle!
Anybody can leave the answer in a comment on the Page.
This used to be my personal space. My hide-out, my napkin to wipe my tears away. It was about my writing, my feelings and my non-sense. A hide-out if you please and a playing ground for ideas, thoughts, dreams and memories. I forgot when I wrote something of some quality last time, as well as I can't remember somebody telling me I still have some talent.
All of this happened because mostly, I hate this template, the colors, the fact that it looks sad, boring and totally devoided of the humor that used to be my sweetest touch on writing. It depresses me only to come here.
Furthermore, this precious universe of mine turned into a total mess, with posts both in Romanian and in English, a mix-up of my literature (or whatever the hell I was writing some time ago), my business of promoting "Crux" and many other small stuff I can't even begin to label.
So. The moment I have some free time, I will break this space into little pieces and hopefully, I'll put them back together in a more attractive, logical, reasonable structure. It will take some time, because basically I hate the WP platform but I'll do it. Even if I get to write once a year, I need to have my place back. This used to be a blog many people loved and many people visited and now it just looks like an abandoned post-war bombed building.
I write this down only not to forget. I'll have my home fixed sometime. And I'll write again too.
June 7, 2012
Blame it on my ADD, babyPosted by missdeianeira under Scrieri noi
1 Comment
June 4, 2012
Mai sunt si zile ciudate, in care Universul conspira ca sa te simti tu mizerabil.
Si apoi, dai de asta
Citindu-i cartea, povestile, blogul, rolurile de pe Darkness Forum, aproape ca am uitat cat e de bun ca jurnalist, de fapt.
Asa ca pare sa fie adevarat ca the Universe has a way of course-correcting its trajectory…
Mai rar gasesti jurnalism atat de pur si de dur si de drept.
Nu am altceva de facut decat sa ma inclin.