text:
As originally published on Monday, June 2, 2003
What began as a hobby for Mr. Berney in 1952 has grown into a full-fledged corporation, one that has gone through four major revisions to incorporate clients' needs with the latest technologies.
Building on his love of radio and tape recorders, he started Fred Berney's Recording Studio in Miami in 1956. Within the year he had changed the name to Satellite Recording Studio.
"Back when I got started, there were only three other recording studios in Miami," said Mr. Berney. "This was way before the days of the audio cassette, and almost nobody owned a tape recorder. My clients included small bands, radio producers and people who wanted to make a record to send to a loved one."
"I remember once a young mother came in with her infant. She wanted to make a record of the child to send to her husband who was in the service. The child, who could not have been more than a few months old, refused to make any sort of noise at all, despite the fact his mother was bouncing and tickling him. Finally, I think he let out a coo, and that is what I ended up putting on the record."
When his father offered to put up the money to produce a feature film, Mr. Berney produced a full-length film that helped launch the careers of a number of then-unknown stars. Joan Rivers, Deanna Lund and Gloring Loring were just at the beginning of their careers when they appeared in "Once Upon A Coffee House," the feature film that Mr. Berney produced in 1964.
While waiting for a distributor to play the film in theaters, Mr. Berney took a job with a company in Buffalo, N.Y., as a sound man and film editor. While at this company he edited films for Mohawk Airlines, Allegheny Airlines, Corning, Carrier Air Conditioning, The Potato Chip Institute, The United States Air Force and the United States Navy.
In 1968, his brother offered to invest in Satellite, and the two moved the business to San Francisco, where Mr. Berney invented a piece of editing equipment. He set up more than 40 dealers around the country to sell the product, and more than 600 units were sold around the world.
He remembers getting a call one day from America Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's company, asking him to bring a unit by so Mr. Coppola could take a look at it. What he didn't even know at the time was that George Lucas shared some space in the same building.
"These were the years of the independent filmmaker. Very few people had editing equipment, so we offered our services as a post-production company. Instead of competing with other producers, we made them our clients. We did work for Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, Lee Mendelson Production (the company that produced the Peanuts Cartoons) and Standard Oil of California," he said.
"This was also the time that the audio cassette was starting to develop. We were one of the very first companies to offer audio cassette duplicating. We got our first job before we even had the equipment, so we purchased a few recorders and my brother and I took turns staying up all night to run several hundred cassette copies for the client. We then purchased a high-speed duplicator and turned out thousands of cassettes a month," Mr. Berney said.
"One day a client asked us to video record the incoming president of Bank of America," said Mr. Berney. "He was just coming into office and wanted to see what he looked like on television. We had just purchased one of the very first video tape recorders, so the timing was excellent."
As the decade progressed and video became the medium of choice for business and private use, Mr. Berney's newly revised company, now called Satellite Video Production, rode the video wave.
The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business did a study that shows that use of video boosts comprehension and retention by more than 70 percent from written materials. "It's a tool businesses learned they couldn't afford not to use," said Mr. Berney.
Normally it takes weeks to produce a video, but for the last four years, Mr. Berney has broken those rules when he volunteered to create videos for the Entrepreneur Council of Frederick County. Council officials hold an awards banquet every year and recognize 12 companies plus a Master Entrepreneur.
Because the results of the selection are not available until a week before the event, Mr. Berney ended up writing, shooting and editing 13 productions within a one-week period. He did this four years in a row.
Digital media technology is the most recent factor to impact Mr. Berney's company. "It's important not only to stay abreast of the latest tools available, but to stay ahead of the curve," he said.
"I've always tried to key in on what the next thing is going to be before it hits the radar screen. That way, I can be prepared to embrace it, making changes in advance when necessary."
With this philosophy, the Mr. Berney was ready for the onslaught of CD and DVD technology in the early 90s. In addition to reinventing his company as Satellite Media Production, he got the equipment needed to make the most of this new technology.
This led to the purchase of equipment that allowed Satellites to author and produce DVDs.
In the past three years, Satellite has purchased the equipment to allow them to duplicate more than 500 CDs a day and more than 100 DVDs a day.
This is in addition to their audio cassette duplicating equipment that turns out hundreds of copies per hour.
|Copyright © 1997-06. Randall Family, LLC. This article is reprinted for the sole use of Fred Berney and may not be reprinted, published, or transferred in any form. All rights reserved.
Return to Main Welcome Page


text:
☕ Happy Friday from Miami Beach.
⚡ Bulletin: "Saudi Arabian officials arrested a partner at consulting giant McKinsey & Co. in the fall of 2017 and have been holding him in detention since then," per The Wall Street Journal.
- "In recent months, he has been repeatedly beaten."
- 'A McKinsey spokesman said that as of early this year the consultant, Hani Khoja [a Saudi national], is no longer a McKinsey employee.'
1 big thing: More industries want to be regulated
While President Trump's deregulatory agenda is beloved by some large companies, an increasing number of industries are pleading with feds to impose new rules, Axios managing editor Kim Hart writes:
- These companies say that without the certainty that comes with regulation, it's harder for them to grow, which hurts the economy.
Here's a sampling of industries — both fledgling and established — that want the government to slap regulations on them:
- Drones: The Gatwick Airport drone incident underscores why drone companies want the FAA to write rules.
- Autonomous vehicles: Current federal law prohibits the deployment of self-driving vehicles without steering wheels.
- Electric vehicles: In October, GM urged the Trump administration to create what amounts to a national electric vehicle sales mandate.
- Facial recognition: Microsoft wants the government to set limits on the technology, which is being used in surveillance and other law enforcement work — raising the risk of bias, discrimination and privacy breaches.
- Digital currencies: 2017 ushered in a boom in so-called "initial coin offerings," but the SEC and state regulators have found fraudsters as hard to catch.
- Online privacy: Telecom and tech companies are on board with policymakers' sudden appetite for new rules — partly because they're inevitable, and partly to pre-empt state regulations that are cropping up all over the country.
- Financial advisers: Brokerage firms want more clarity.
- Oil: Some of the biggest oil and gas companies want the EPA to regulate emissions of methane.
The bottom line: Companies may feel safer handing government the hot potato of figuring out where to draw lines around potentially controversial technologies to help limit their own liabilities.
- But government may not be inclined to limit its own freedom to use the new tools, including facial recognition and drones, notes Axios' Ina Fried.
2. Dems' early 2020 theme: Head over heart
"The same early Obama supporters who admit to being swept off their feet by the then-Illinois senator are now looking steely-eyed for someone who can simply seize the presidency from Donald Trump," AP's Tom Beaumont reports from Des Moines:
- The 2020 Iowa caucuses "are already shaping up for many of Obama's earliest supporters to be more about their heads than their hearts."
- "The innocence in us wants to fall in love," said Niki Neems, an Iowa City Democratic activist. "But whoever we all think stands the best chance, then let's get out there and start door-knocking. So, for me, it's OK to just fall in like."
"More than a dozen Democrats weighing 2020 presidential campaigns have already begun testing their ability to connect with Iowans."
- In October, "New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker paced the stage at an Iowa Democratic Party fall banquet, repeatedly quoting Martin Luther King in a sermon-like speech to 1,200 of the state's most influential party activists, officials and donors."
3. GOP share of Latino vote steady under Trump
"More Latinos reliably vote Republican than many think and the GOP's position among Latinos has not weakened during the Trump administration," AP's Nick Riccardi reports:
- "In November's elections, 32% of Latinos voted for Republicans, according to AP VoteCast data. The survey of more than 115,000 midterm voters [includes] 7,738 Latino voters."
- Other surveys, including data from the Pew Research Center, "also found roughly one-third of Latinos supporting the GOP."
- "That tracks the share of Latinos supporting Republicans for the last decade."
"[T]wo groups stand out as especially likely to back the GOP — evangelicals and veterans."
Bonus: Pic du jour
"A transformer explosion at an electrical plant set the skies above New York City ablaze in an eerie, pulsing blue light [last] night, causing scattered power outages, delaying flights and sparking a social media storm of jokes about an alien invasion," AP reports.
- "The blast prompted a brief fire at a sprawling Con Edison facility in Queens — but no injuries — and a spectacular illumination of the New York skyline."
4. Day 7: Shutdown expected to last into 2019
"Republican leaders gave up hope [yesterday] of reopening the government before the new year, leaving the border wall impasse to House Democrats as they assume the majority next week," the N.Y. Times' Nicholas Fandos and Catie Edmondson report.
- "House Democrats, who take control on Wednesday, are weighing three approaches to getting funds flowing, none of which would include additional money for President Trump's proposed wall along the southwestern border."
Democratic leaders "said they would vote promptly on Jan. 3, hoping to project the image of Democrats as a steadying hand in Washington."
- Speaker-designate Pelosi: "We will vote swiftly to reopen government and show that Democrats will govern responsibly in stark contrast to this chaotic White House."
P.S. More Americans blame President Trump (47%) than congressional Democrats (33%) for the shutdown, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
5. Stat du jour
Five people have gone overboard on Florida-based cruise ships since late November, the Miami Herald's Taylor Dolven writes:
- The Coast Guard was searching for a 20-year-old Royal Caribbean cruise line crew member who went overboard in the Atlantic Ocean, from the Harmony of the Seas on Christmas Day.
- "[A] 27-year-old crew member on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas disappeared from the ship and was never found."
- "A 69-year-old woman from Holland went overboard the MSC Preziosa; the Coast Guard did not find her."
- A 26-year-old man "went overboard from the Carnival Victory and was never found."
- "A 22-year-old man with autism went overboard on the Carnival cruise line ship Fantasy and was never found."
"In four out of five of the recent overboard incidents, ship crews did not become aware that a person was missing until hours later."
- "A 2010 federal law requires cruise ships to have technology to detect when passengers go overboard as soon as it happens 'to the extent that such technology is available.'"
- "Most cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, say the technology on the market is unreliable and causes too many false positives, so most ships do not have it."
6. 1 🏈 thing
Headline of the day ... A tease on the N.Y. Times front page: "More Washington Dysfunction" ... And on the actual story, by Kevin Draper: "The Redskins Aren't Very Good on the Field. Off It, They're Even Worse."
- "At 7-8, Washington will miss the playoffs for the 15th time in the 20 seasons since Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999.
- "With precious little salary cap room, next year's outlook on the field isn't any rosier. But it is also the constant self-inflicted, off-the-field controversies and indignities that have drained many fans in Washington of any enthusiasm they once had for the team."
"The team used to claim that it had over 200,000 fans on a season ticket waiting list. But before this season, it announced that there was no ... waiting list."
- "[T]he Redskins have ripped about 10,000 seats out of FedEx Field."
- This season, "Washington averaged fewer than 61,000 [in attendance], 27th in the N.F.L."
- "FedEx Field has been only 74 percent full this season, the lowest percentage in the league."
- "The team's local television rating ranks 22nd in the league."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Monaro Country Music Muster
A weekend of country music is being planned for Friday, oncology 30th March to Sunday, 1st. April 2012 in Cooma, to raise money to support the Monaro Committee for Cancer Research. The MCCR wants to raise funds to support families living with cancer in the Cooma-Monaro, Bombala and Snowy River Shires.
♫ Friday 30th March at 7.30pm – Jay Podger's Album Launch
Venue: Cooma ExServices Club
Tickets: $20 ($5 of which goes to MCCR)
♫ Saturday 31th March – Cooma Country & Bowling Club
1.00pm Bush Poetry ($2 includes afternoon tea)
7.00pm Walk-Up Concert ($5 includes light supper)
-Poets & musician welcome to perform-
♫ Sunday 1st April – Concert in Centennial Park Cooma
11.00am – 4.00pm
(Bring a chair/rug. Donations will be greatfully accepted. If it's raining this concert will be moved to the Cooma ExServices Club)
Enquires please contact:
Elaine Schofield Phone: 02 64525925 Email email@example.com
ailment sans-serif;">Harmony Day 2012.
website like this
sans-serif;">From 9.00am to 3.00pm at Centennial Park in Cooma.
- Market Stalls
- Performances from around the World
- International Cuisine
- Entertainment for the whole family
If you require further information –
Contact : Yvi Henderson at Monaro Family Support Services in Cooma
- Ph: 0264 523 450 or
- Mobile 0458 523 457 or
- Email email@example.com


text:
Geiger Automotive GmbH is a subsidiary of Sanoh Europe GmbH. We currently have over 900 employees working in our six global locations, where we specialise in the research, development and production of system components for the automotive industry.
For us it is crucial to be "Best in class" in our industry. Since the company was founded in 1960, we have used our concentrated knowledge and strength in innovation to develop intelligent solutions for an automotive future. This goal combined with sustainable environmental management is an absolute priority in our company.
We group our production technologies and our different products in competence centres. The networking of our plants and management structure ensure a constant exchange of ideas and is a prerequisite for the continual optimisation of our production processes.
In this way, we can guarantee to our customers that in every phase of production, components of the highest quality are produced for them.
We supply parts for the automobiles of today
We develop solutions for the automobiles of tomorrow
We create concepts for the automobiles of the future
Martin Thorbjörnson
CEO | GEIGER Automotive GmbH
A member of the Management Board
Richard Metzler
Vice President Global Engineering
Member of the Management board
Peter Reutersten
Vice President Global Finance & Controlling
Member of the Management board
Thomas Fahner
Vice President Global Operations
Member of the Management board


text:
Wherein our party completes their Great Escape (only, with less motorcycles and Nazis). Out from the goblin warren, and right into another pretty pickle, before flying off with the birds.
In this chapter we're treated to not just evidence of Bilbo's growth, but some actual characterization of the numerous dwarfs that he travels with. With so many dwarfs they become a bit nameless, blending into Thorin & Co. Here we get dialog and bits of personality, and even Thorin calling on Dori to give Bilbo a hand.
Going back to Bilbo's development, the hobbit we met at the start of the book was not someone capable of coming to the conclusion that it was his duty to walk back into danger to save his friends, let alone act on that feeling. This is a landmark moment in Bilbo as a hero and adventurer, and from this point on we'll see him to start to take ownership of the situation and become more and more important to how events fall out. He's still misses his comforts of home, but our hobbity friend starts living up to Gandalf's expectations, and perhaps even surpassing them.
Tolkien also takes steps to connect The Hobbit to our world through language.
"Escaping from goblins to be caught by wolves!" he said, and it became a proverb, thought we now say "out of the frying-pan into the fire" in the same sort of uncomfortable situations. This sort of connection we lose in the translation to film, where perhaps there is a desire for a disconnect from this fantasy world and our own.
Tolkien also uses language for little flourishes of detail that draw us in, not only in expressing the actions and feelings of individuals, but for whole groups through song. We've had music in the story from the dwarfs, the elves, and the goblins, each expressing a different cultural personality. The dwarfs have a lay about their lost land and gold, the elves have a song that sounds silly but reveals that they know more than they should, and the goblins have music that shows their delight in cruelty. The goblin music again takes the stage here, as they gleefully sing to our party of adventurers. The first song is truly horrible to the dwarfs as the goblins sing about cooking and eating them, but in the second song we get music similar in cadence and sound to the music of Chapter 4. Chapter 5 itself lacks music, but the riddle game that Bilbo plays with Gollum could stand as substitute, with tricky, slippery thinking being a clear personality trait of Gollum.
My feelings on the movie interpretation for Chapter 6: blah, blah, heroic balderdash and action driven plot. Overly dramatic Thorin is overly dramatic. Also, where is the music?
Now don't get me wrong, I actually think Richard Armitage is an amazing Thorin. But the point of this section seems to be Drama. Thorin does a bit of badmouthing of Bilbo (nothing new here, and this is true to the spirit of the general feeling about going back for Bilbo in the book), learns that his nemesis is alive (and somehow able to teleport over mountains), flails really ineffectually at said nemesis, and dramatically nearly dies.
We've also got an almost hysterically compressed timeline for how long it takes on screen. It's important to note that in The Hobbit they lost several days with the goblins:
"You lose track of time inside goblin-tunnles. Today's Thursday, and it was Monday night or Tuesday morning when we were captured."
After this huge shortcut in traversing the mountains, they journey away, and then take refuge in the trees when they hear the Wargs approaching. We're talking several hours of travel, and then a significant time waiting in the trees that is compressed into an oddly drawn out half hour standoff (might I even accuse the dwarfs of hanging around?) before the eagles save the day.
In the film, the Wargs are present not on their own agency, but there as the mounts for the White Orc and company, and somehow they've all gone from well behind the dwarfs to right behind them. Even with their goblin alliance I'm a bit dubious about that traveling speed. As for the Wargs themselves, I liked them as intelligent, scheming creatures. And why do they so strongly resemble hyenas? Is it because they were afraid over-sized wolves would make us think of Twilight?
Then to cap it all off Gandalf saves (restores?) Thorin's life, which Thorin follows up with giving Bilbo some mixed messages leading into a fond acceptance of the hobbit into their fellowship.
And, the part that made me *squee* in the theater, a teaser of Smaug.
What I did find most interesting about the film, is that Gandalf clearly not only knows that Bilbo is hiding something, but that he just as clearly does not want the dwarfs knowing about it. We don't get the recollection of the riddle game, and when the dwarfs want to know how Bilbo got past all the goblins they are brusquely cut off by the wizard.


text: Valley View Dental provides dental crowns to restore and protect your teeth after they have been damaged. Crowns are typically recommended when your teeth are cracked, decayed or have large fillings in need of support. To learn more about dental crowns in Romeoville, Naperville and Montgomery, Illinois, and to set up your appointment with our dentists, give us a call today!


text:
You will find some of the different domain names & sites that are owned, and operated by us and used to deliver some of the traffic that you will receive from us. We deliver traffic in a number of ways, and you get to see some of it live, and in action. You will be able to visit some of the different sites in our network, or domain names, and see how we deliver traffic. We use our own network of sites, our own domain names, and we use publishers to deliver the traffic that you will receive from us. Our network is growing, and delivering more traffic than ever. We deliver real visitors, which equals real impact, and that means more profit$ for you. We have been delivering real traffic since
1999, and we serve some of the biggest clients on the internet. We deliver over 25 million visitors on a monthly basis, and have many satisfied clients, and resellers. Try a test package, and see what we can do for you, you won't be disappointed!!
We are always buying and selling to improve and grow our network so that we can deliver more visitors for our clients, and resellers.


text:
Winter Park 2018-19 Season
December 10, 2018
Winter Park 2018-19 Season
KEWAUNEE, WI - It's almost time to welcome visitors back to Winter Park in Kewaunee County for another season of skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and snowshoeing.
Staff with the Kewaunee County Promotions & Recreation Department are excited to share that the park may be open before the holidays.
"Our goal is to open the weekend before Christmas, so we can welcome visitors during winter break," says Dave Myers, Kewaunee County Promotions & Recreation Director "If Mother Nature keeps cooperating with us, we should have enough snow made very soon to start grooming our hills."
Winter Park in Kewaunee County is coming off of a record breaking season, welcoming 11,073 visitors from 23 states in just nine-weeks from Dec. 2017 - Feb. 2018.
"People look forward to coming to Winter Park so much that we start getting inquires in November on when we plan to open," says Jennifer Gonzalez, Kewaunee County Tourism Coordinator. "The sooner that we can open, the more fun that can be had, so we have staff working around the clock to make it happen."
Winter Park plans to open the weekend of Dec. 22-23, 2018 to the public, but will make the announcement on its Facebook page, Winter Park - Kewaunee County and for those who don't have Facebook, Visit Kewaunee County recommends calling the 24/7 Kewaunee County Promotions & Recreation hotline at (920) 388-7199 for updates and conditions.
Regular Hours
Saturday: 10AM-4PM
Sunday: 11AM-4PM
Snow Tubing:
Saturday: 10AM-8PM
Sunday: 11AM-5PM
Saturday: 10AM-4PM
Sunday: 11AM-4PM
Winter Park Admission
$15/Daily or $80/Season
Ski/Snowboard Rentals: $10/Daily
Snow Tubing:
$8/Person or $35/Family (2-Hours)
Tube Rentals: FREE
FREE Admission
Rentals: $10/Daily
**Note: Credit/Debit Cards, Cash and Gift Certificates ONLY - NO Checks Accepted**
Click HERE for More Information on Winter Park Recreation
Get a Behind the Scenes Look at the Snow Making Process:
Action 2 News
Local 5 News
FOX11 News


text:
International students are offered accommodation in the ITMO University dormitory. Students interested in renting apartments are welcome to do so independently.
A temporary dormitory room can be arranged upon arrival to St. Petersburg, after which the student can move to a permanent room. If you are interested in arranging a temporary dormitory room for your first few nights in St. Petersburg, please contact the International Coordinator. For more information on the ITMO University dormitories, including cost, location, and photos, please see the ITMO University housing page.
Documents required to move into a permanent room in the dormitory include:
- chest photofluorography
- HIV test
Both of the above documents must be brought to the campus health clinic for inspection prior to moving into the dormitory.
A chest photofluorography can be obtained at the Fluorography Center, at Vosstaniya 1, which provides assistance in English and Russian. For prices and location details, please see the Center's website.
Health Care
There is an on-campus health clinic located at Kronverskiy Prospect, 49, and includes first aid services, treatment of acute illnesses, minor injuries, vaccinations, and preventative medicine. The clinic is open Monday – Friday from 9AM – 3PM.
General health insurance coverage from Liberty Health Insurance is available for an affordable price from the International Students' Office at Lomonosova, 9 . All students are required to obtain valid health insurance in the Russian Federation during the course of their studies. The HPC International Coordinator will assist students with receiving adequate medical care and using their health insurance in cases of injury or illness.
Student ID
To receive your Student ID, please bring 2 3*4 cm photos of yourself to the Dean's Office of the Information Technologies and Programming Department at Kronverskiy pr. 49, room 139.
Your Student ID can be used to access all ITMO University buildings, and will provide you student discounts throughout the city at museums, theaters, and other attractions.
Public Transport Pass
To get a student transport card for discounted fares on public transportation in St. Petersburg, fill out the form here.
Then take your student ID to any metro station to request your transport pass. At most metro stations, it will take 2 weeks to process.You can also get your transport pass same day by going to the Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskovo 2 metro station and applying for your pass there.
Student Support Services
International Student Council
A student-run council providing foreign-language conversation groups and other social activities.
Migration Services Office
Provides visa support, extension, registration, and visa invitations for students.
Center of International Faculty Support
Provides visa and contract support for international faculty members.
International Students Office
Enrollment and academic support for international bachelor's and master's students. Health Insurance is also provided here.
Credential Evaluation Unit
Evaluation of international education credentials and diplomas.
International Graduate Student Department
Enrollment and academic support for international PhD students.
During your studies in St. Petersburg, you must obtain registration every time you re-enter Russia on your student visa. Within three days of your return to Russia, go to the Migration Services Office to update your registration. This must be done every time you leave the territory of the Russian Federation and re-enter.


text:
It appears from reports today more than ever that Panthers WR Steve Smith will not be back with the team in 2011, adding more speculation that the team could go A.J. Green with the #1 overall pick on Thursday night in the NFL Draft.
Pro Football Weekly reported early today that Smith "cleared out his locker of all his personal belongings at Bank of America Stadium."
The report says that Smith's locker contained his All-Pro award from 2005, and that he cleaned out his luxury suite at the stadium. He didn't do this today, but did it before NFL teams were able to lock out their players from their facilities.
Click HERE to read the rest


text:
Fantastic Books I've Edited: Week IX: Immortal…
Except for Immortal and Immortal II, all cover art and design was done by Quinton Veal.
Good evening everyone! Tonight I continue my series "Fantastic Books…" with a spotlight on (drum roll) my own eight SF/fantasy books which I've written and edited. So without further adieu I present me! 🙂
Colony: Ascension: An Erotic Space Opera (excerpt)
She awoke with an impending sense of wrongness. The astronaut reached for her view-screen, intending to alert Leonardo. His voice, any human voice, would comfort her, soothe her panic. Her view-screen was gone.
Everything was gone, her food, valise, helmet, suit. . . She wasn't in her tent anymore. With a strangled cry she sprang to her feet, her heart pounding against her rib cage. Allandra saw that her new room was without windows. Just four walls, and a door without a knob. Behind her was the platform she'd just risen from, with translucent blankets.
The door slid opened and It stepped inside. It was tall, muscular and had two eyes, hands, arms, legs and feet. And there all of the similarity between It and a human being ended. Its head was triangular. Its eyes were bulging and perfectly round with black pupils. And Its nose was a small slit above a puckered mouth that resembled that of a fish.
The skin above Its tan form-fitting suit, and that of Its hands, was black with orange and brown stripes and had a silky almost wet appearance. Each of one of Its twelve fingers had a suction cup at its tip.
It pressed a metal button on its breast and a bass, undeniably male timbre, floated toward her: "Hello, Lieutenant Allandra."
That's not his voice. He's using a translator.
"I am Chotz. You are on Planet Tyria," the being said quietly. "I'm sorry if we've caused you any distress. I know you have questions. You may ask them now, if you like."
Allandra hadn't expected this. She'd expected meetings between equals. Shaking hands.
Pleasantries between two species. Not being kidnapped and confined in a. . . Cell. "Where's Leonardo?" Her voice came out in a squeak.
Chotz's puckered lips turned up in a fey smile. "He's in a room much like yours, not far from here."
Another cell. "Can I see him?"
"That's not such a good idea right now. We need to get you settled in," he replied smoothly.
"We scanned your planet before we landed," she blurted. "We toured the surface. Why didn't we see you?"
Sci-Fi Sunday: Interview with Voyage of Dreams Fantasy/Sci-Fi Writer Valjeanne Jeffers (This interview was originally published by Graveyard Shift Sisters)
When I asked Valjeanne Jeffers which of her books is the best introduction to her work, she didn't hesitate before she replied, Voyage of Dreams.
And after reading it, I agree.
Voyage of Dreams is a collection of shorts from Jeffers longer works, intended as teaser for readers to have a taste of the genres the author writes in. There is horror, there is steampunk, there is erotica, there is sci-fi…
Now I must disclose that "Voyage of Dreams" does not have complete stories. Don't pick it up unless you're ready to understand that these are excerpts—written book trailers, if you will. They will lure you in and give you the need to know what happens next. You will come to hate the words, "To be Continued" (if you don't already) and want to purchase the full-length novels. If you prefer to have an entire story right up front, I suggest reading the excerpts from her work on her Amazon author page and choosing a tale.
Jeffers has an enviable way with creating multi-cultural characters that leap beyond stereotypes. Her descriptions and imagery wrap you into the storylines. For writers, we are always searching for the "hook" that snags the reader quickly and Jeffers has figured that out.
She also creates strong female characters and I can never have enough of those. In Awakening, she sets her sights on freeing Nandi, an young African girl from the societal and family pressures of playing the part of princess. Nandi finds her way to becoming the warrior she craves to be, but not without significant bloodshed.
My other favorites?
Colony: Ascension – Reads like sci-fi horrorotica. A young female astronaut desperate to find life outside of Earth finds answers as she wakes up a captive of an alien race.
Mona Livelong: ParanormalDetective – Bizarre murders, a serial killer that is able to continue his work after death, and a female detective from the country who is the city cops' last resort to stopping a plot that may affect all of North America.
First off, thank you for this interview. Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing style.
I'm a mother, grandmother, artist, poet and (sometimes) a teacher. And I love speculative fiction. I love reading it and writing it. My style of writing has been described by Charles Saunders, my mentor and a writer I greatly admire, as a world in which "science and sorcery co-exist." Another favorite author and good friend, Derrick Ferguson, has described it as "imaginatively experimental."
Both Charles and Derrick have described my style to a tee. When I write, I draw from horror, fantasy, science fiction, and erotica. I have a mixed-media, or I guess you could say mixed-genre style of writing. So depending upon which one of my novels a reader picks up he or she might come away describing me as horror writer, steamfunk writer etc. Some of my books can be very frightening ―I've even scared myself a time or two. Which, I think, is pretty cool.
When did you start writing and what drew you specifically to horror?
I started writing as a young girl; although I took a long hiatus from writing fiction and didn't return to it until I was in my forties. I've always been fascinated by horror stories and shows. I grew up watching Dark Shadows, The Twilight Zone, Dracula etc. And I was always particularly fascinated by the shape shifters―vampires, werewolves and such. I was never afraid of them, instead I was sympathetic. Here were otherworldly creatures who had their weirdness thrust upon them by a bite or a scratch. My sympathy was always tinged with something else: admiration. Shape shifters, from my viewpoint, had wonderful powers!
Years later, their supernatural proclivities were gifts to me as a writer. And I began to imagine what if…? What if immortal creatures with preternatural speed and strength could change at will and use their abilities to fight for their planet? To defend the world against corporate and demonic corruption? This is how my Immortal series was born.
What inspired you to write Voyage of Dreams? What is special about this collection of short stories and how does your heritage influence your storytelling?
Well, I've been toying with the idea of combining excerpts from my novels and short stories into a book for sometime now. I just recently finished writing my two newest novels, Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective and Colony: Ascension, An Erotic Space Opera, so I had an excuse to take the plunge and do it. Excerpts from five of my novels: Mona Livelong, Colony: Ascension, An Erotic Space Opera (these two newest novels will be out sometime in July, 2014) Immortal, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, and The Switch II: Clockwork are included. I also included four short stories: "Outcasts", "Awakening", "Mocha Faeryland", "Grandmere's Secret". I really loved bringing my stories and excerpts together― and each one is so different.
For example, Immortal is an introduction to the first novel of my Immortal series. In Chapter I, "Specter", the reader meets Karla and is instantly submersed in her world: An alternate universe in which horror and science fiction meet, with a little erotica thrown in for good measure. As I've said before I don't shy away from sexuality. I don't emphasize it either. It's just a natural part of my storytelling, like it's a natural part of life.
I also included an excerpt from Immortal III: Stealer of Souls as Stealer of Souls. In this excerpt, the reader is introduced to Annabelle, a seductive and dangerous vampire. But she isn't like any of the vampires from the old lore and films. This is a radically different type of shape shifter―with heavy emphasis on the radical. In writing Immortal III, I really got in touch with my southern roots. Annabelle is a southern belle, and she is how I've always pictured the southern seductress: Black, beautiful, and deadly―especially to a man. But every character should have layers to their personality, so Annabelle is not one-dimensional. None of my characters are.
In Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective, a steamfunk, horror novel (excerpt), readers are introduced to Mona Livelong, the newest character in my newest series. Mona is kind of a city-country-city character. She is gifted with preternatural powers, and she lives in a small southern town right up the road from a big city. I really went out of my way to scare readers. I had a ball doing it too!
In speaking of my heritage, I'm a southern Black woman: card carrying and proud of it. I'm also a child of the 1960s, one of most moving and turbulent eras this country has ever seen. All of this informs my writing. Although a southerner, I've lived all over America and met people from all walks of life. So, I'm writing out of the Black experience, but I also identify with other races. My readers will find folks of all colors within the pages of my stories. Oppression, and fighting against it, is something common to all of us. Love, joy, hate, desire, suffering―these too, are commonalities we all share and that finds its way into my writing as well.
For you, what makes a great horror tale? What do you like to read?
There is so much about life that is terrifying―more terrifying than anything an author can write. For me, since I'm an eternal optimist, I like to read books that take horrific circumstances and transform them into something characters can triumph over; books with really terrifying circumstances and victorious characters; books that show the human spirit as indomitable. "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten," (Neil Gaiman). I think this is very applicable to horror fiction as well. We all know that the monster in our closet is often real. What we need to know is that we can take him down.
What scares you?
I especially, like Black authors, like Tananarive Due and Nalo Hopkinson, that take something familiar and transform it into something lethal. The Good House by Tananarive Due is the scariest book I've read to date. But I'm also a diehard Stephen King fan. I dig Dean Kootz too.
How can African American artists (actors, writers, filmmakers) succeed in horror and dark fantasy fiction circles? How can women? Do you feel your work has been received differently as a Black female author?
As African American artists, our job is to create the best product we can―be it books, film, or art, and then get it out there to our fans and readers. What I'm trying to say is we shouldn't just write books (for example) we should write the best books we can―pour ourselves and our energy into them. Give the readers all you got and leave them wanting more. And then we have to market our products. As artists, we can't wait for someone to do it for us. You have to build your own fan base. The job of female artists is no different from that of a man's. No one is going to open any doors for us. We have to do it ourselves.
As a Black woman, I don't think my work has been received much differently. But, I think sometimes guys―although not those in my inner circle, of course―may think that just because I'm a woman, I can't deliver the hard-hitting battle and gory horror scenes that a man can. I actually had a male reader tell me as much at a conference. Nothing could be further from the truth. My male and female characters can swing a sword, take off a head, and mouth an incantation with the best of them. Author Charles Saunders (in his review of Immortal and Immortal II: "Immortality") said that I can "snap a plot twist on par with the best of the thriller writers." Author Milton Davis, has said (in his review of Immortal) that my "fight scenes are exciting and tense." Recommendations don't get any better than this!
What's your next project?
As I mentioned above, I'm releasing two new novels in July 2014; Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective and Colony: Ascension, An Erotic Space Opera. Mona Livelong is a steamfunk horror novel set in 1970. However, Mona Livelong also takes place in "North America," an alternate historical period in which steampunk/steamfunk reins supreme, this means muskets, gas lights and steam-powered cars, to name a few. Steamfunk is one of my favorite genres. And lots and lots of sorcery. There is actually a whole cast of characters that make their debut in Mona Livelong. I hope my readers will come to love them, as they've come to love the characters of my Immortal series.
With Colony: Ascension, I went way outside my comfort zone and tried something totally different. Colony: Ascension is hard science fiction, a space opera―and an erotic space opera at that. But, as with my other series, I created communities of characters that are dependent upon one another for their survival. Readers can preview the first chapters of Colony on Amazon and Smashwords.
How can regional and cultural horror become more mainstream and recognizable to the wider horror fan base?
Authors have to market their books. They have to find ways of getting them into libraries. (I've donated books to libraries in different cities.) They have to attend conferences and they have to use social networking. These methods are already working. Many indie authors in my circle, Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade for example, are achieving national recognition. I recently attended the Octavia Butler Arts and Activism conference at Spelman College (in Atlanta, Georgia, which as organized by author Tananarive Due). More recently my name was mentioned, along with two very well known writers and Janelle Monáe, no less, as one of the artists influencedby Octavia Butler. I was heavily influenced by Octavia and consider her to be one of my literary mentors, although I never got a chance to meet her.
What's the most difficult part of writing for you?
I never have any problems coming up with ideas. But I can be a perfectionist. What this means for me is that I have to constantly remind myself that the first draft is the first draft. It's not going to be perfect the first time I write it. A first draft is edited and re-edited until the final product is ready. This is a battle I seem to fight with every new novel.
What do you do when you're not writing?
I read and edit other writers' novels. I'm actually co-owner of Q & V Affordable Editing, a small company I started with my fabulous cover artist, Quinton Veal. I have to give a shout-out to Quinton, he's done the artwork for all of my novels and short stories (except for Immortal I and II). He's also very talented writer in his own right, and the author of four books.
Thank you for this interview, Valjeanne. Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
I'd like to thank Eden Royce, horror writer extraordinaire, for interviewing me! I had a blast!
Preveiw or purchase books by Valjeanne Jeffers and Quinton Veal at www.vjeffersandqveal.com
Fantastic Books I've Edited: Week VII: Warriors of The Four Worlds
Happy Black Speculative Fiction Month everyone! On this glorious Monday, I continue my blog series with one of my favorite "hard science fiction" gems: Warriors of The Four Worlds by Ronald T. Jones. What can I say about Warriors of the Four Worlds? I love this book–absolutely love it. Warriors… has action and futuristic weaponry galore, with nail-biting suspense and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. To top it off, the novel is funny too–a must (in my humble opinion) for any five star yarn. So, without further adieu I bring you Ronald T, Jones, author of Warriors of the Four Worlds.
Contact Ronald at Amazon
(This interview was first published by Malcolm "Rage" Petteway,Rage Books Publishing LLC ).
Can you tell us something about your book?
Warriors of the Four Worlds is an action-adventure tale set in a far off future in a distant part of the universe. Humans are struggling for survival in the face of certain extinction at the hands of a brutally aggressive species. Warriors is narrated from the perspective of a hardened military veteran, Lev Gorlin, who is forced to take up arms once again to confront a new threat. Lev's methods in defense of humanity are as merciless and aggressive as the enemy he battles.
How did you come up with the idea?
Honestly, I don't remember. I do know that I approached this story as I've approached previous and subsequent stories. I wanted to present the best action and adventure that I could muster. I wanted twists and turns and peril aplenty in my story. I wanted to convey noble and perhaps not so noble heroics and the most dastardly, despicable villainy. Basically, I wanted to write a story that I would enjoy reading.
When did you start writing and what inspired you to write?
After gorging on a steady diet of Star Wars, Star Trek and all of the TV, film and literary science fiction that I could consume, an idea took form in my head and began flittering around inside my skull like a crazed moth attracted to light. It occurred to me that I don't just have to watch this stuff, I can write it as well. So one day, back in the late 80s, I grabbed a pen, some paper and started writing.
Why did you pick science fiction?
It never occurred to me to write in any other genre. Science fiction was, is and will always be my passion. This isn't to say that I've only read and written science fiction. But as far as fiction is concerned, science fiction has given me the greatest latitude to expand my imagination, to truly envision wondrous, strange and fantastic things.
What do you want readers to come away with after reading your book?
I want readers to come away with that pleasant endorphin-generated feeling you get after enjoying a wonderful movie, or a fine piece of chocolate or a great workout. I want my readers to feel good!
Who is your intended audience?
Science fiction fans, people who enjoy rip roaring action and adventure in any genre, anyone enamored of compelling story telling. Hopefully my work will attract any and all of the above.
What writers influenced you the most?
I've enjoyed the works of David Weber. His space operas are very engaging and his world building is truly epic. The same is true of fantasy writer, Imaro-creator, and godfather of Sword and Soul, Charles Saunders. There's Steven Barnes and a host of other authors whose works I've enjoyed over the years.
What are your favorite aspects of writing?
I love creating characters and settings and situations. I love taking the raw material of my imagination and refining it into gripping prose.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write, write, write. Constantly hone your craft. Write regularly, even if you're not writing something related to your latest novel or short story. If you're jotting down a to-do list, you're writing. The more you write the better you get. Read regularly. Reading proficiency is connected to competent writing. And read aplenty in the genre you're writing in. You'll pick up a variety of styles from a variety of authors and eventually your individual style will emerge. Lastly, enjoy yourself. The moment writing becomes a chore instead of something you love so much you'd do it for free (which many aspiring writers are doing anyway) then it's time to reevaluate your craft.
Review by Rage Books
Powerful, intense and unpredictable
Lev Gorlin is a highly decorated military soldier. He is a superb strategist and a war hero in a galaxy where Humans and Zirans protect the genetically docile Vingin through a tripartite alliance. . After a twenty year war with the Tacherins the humans begin a military drawdown, dismantling their lethal weapons that won the war. But in the eye of a promised peace, discord in the alliance breeds treacherous intentions. Lev Gorlin is pulled out of military retirement to lead the human resistance in face of a more aggressive and violent enemy.
Ronald T. Jones delivers a knockout punch with this exciting tale of military might versus strategic cunning. Warriors of the Four Worlds reads like a Tom Clancy novel. Ronald has embodied the action, intrigue and excitement of Clancy's Red Storm Rising and masterfully wrapped it in a believable science fiction setting. The combat scenes and the military tactics he describes are told like a combat veteran relaying a personal war story. The feelings are raw and the action is fast.
I highly recommend putting this on your "next book to read" list. Definitely five star material here.
This is available for Kindle, which is great, because you will definitely want to take this book with you and steal time to read it at every opportunity until you are done. Then you will want more.
Contact Valjeanne Jeffers for editing: firstname.lastname@example.com
Valjeanne Jeffers is the author of eight science fiction/fantasy novels, and she has been published in numerous anthologies. Purchase her novels at http://www.vjeffersandqveal.com and Amazon
She is co-owner of http://qandvaffordableediting.blogspot.com with poet and artist Quinton Veal. Contact Valjeanne for editing, and Quinton Veal for cover art at: firstname.lastname@example.com Their reasonable prices will shock and amaze you 🙂
Wither the Evil and the Fantastic?
I have often contemplated the nature of evil. What is it that drives men and women to commit evil deeds? I have concluded that evil folks are made, not born. And there are many reasons that evil doers continue on their path. The quest for power. Selfishness. An abiding hatred of everyone― including themselves.
Thus, as a writer, I have found that villains with myriad layers are more interesting, realistic and more fun than one dimensional evil doers—the villain tormented by love or guilt over his own deeds. The man or woman obsessed with material gain or power. This is the stuff of which great villains are made; such as the antagonists of my Immortal series, "Tehotep" and "Z100," the villainess of The Switch II: Clockwork. Art, after all, should imitate life.
Then too, some evil acts may be committed by folks who are not necessarily evil but who have simply made the wrong choices (whatever their motivation). I recently had an inner dialogue about one of my newest characters. I concluded that the character was not evil. But she does make choices that result in mayhem. Who among us has not made bad decisions? And in my Immortal saga and The Switch II: Clockwork (which includes books I and II), I explore these questions through my characters—none of whom are perfect—and plots.
Yet what would a science/fantasy novel be without the fantastical?
Fantastic is described as wondrous and wild; to quote a few definitions. These are perfect metaphors for a SF/fantasy villain: an evil doer with preternatural powers and with dark foreboding or evil intentions. A villain can, and should, wreck havoc with the lives of one's heroines and heroes.
In my novels my evil doers are imbued with fantastic powers―supernatural or man-made. Of course, I've given fantastical gifts to my heroines and heroes, too. Thank goodness for this! For how could they complete their life-changing quests without them? How could the plot twists and turns take place? How could the glorious battles I envisioned, happen? The fantastic too, is a perfect metaphor for speculative fiction. For as writers we don᾿t want the ordinary. We don᾿t want the humdrum.
We want the fantastik. This is stuff of which SF/fantasy worlds are made.
In my newest novels, which I'll release later this year, Mona Livelong: Paranormal and Colony: Ascension, I've used both the evil and the fantastic to build my worlds. Take a gander below at the excerpt from Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective.
Sally looked closer, stretching his mouth further open with a gloved hand. She reached inside. "It looks like a key. . .How did I miss this?" Probing with her fingertips, she pulled the metal from where it was sticking just under his tongue. All at once, she jerked spasmodically.
"Yes. . . I. . ." The laboratory waved before her eyes. . .
Light from a single, gas streetlamp pooled upon the empty street. Footfalls echoed behind her, unhurried, yet unrelenting in their step.
She whirled around His big, tattooed body blocked the dim light.
He was a swarthy man, with dimpled cheeks and full lips, handsome, except for his glistening gray eyes; and his smile. . . a terrible cold grin, the grimace of a killer: a sadist. . .
I hope I've done justice to my characters. I hope my readers will be pleased.
Valjeanne is the author of the SF/fantasy novels: Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, and the steampunk novelsImmortal IV: Collision of Worlds and The Switch II: Clockwork (includes books I and II).
She is a graduate of Spelman College, NCCU and a member of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective. She has been published under both Valjeanne Jeffers and Valjeanne Jeffers-Thompson. Her writing has appeared in: The Obamas: Portrait of America's New First Family, from the Editors of Essence, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Pembroke Magazine, Revelry, Drumvoices Revue 20th Anniversary, and Liberated Muse: How I Freed My Soul Vol. I. She was also semi-finalist for the 2007 Rita Dove Poetry Award.
Valjeanne's fiction has appeared in Steamfunk! Genesis: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction, Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology, LuneWing, PurpleMag, Genesis Science Fiction Magazine, Pembroke Magazine, Possibilities, 31 Days of Steamy Mocha, and Griots II: Sisters of the Spear (in press). She works as an editor for Mocha Memoirs Press and is also co-owner of Q& V Affordable editing. Preview or purchase her novels at: http://www.vjeffersandqveal.com
CrystalTemptres&LoyalFang – Live & Recorded Episodes:
CrystalTemptres&LoyalFang – Live & Recorded Episodes:.
Live reading of Immortal: Chapter 1: Specter. Conclusion
And Chapter 2: Deseo
Visit us at our site:
Pick up books by Valjeanne Jeffers and Quinton Veal at:
Eljay's Used Books Pittsburgh PA
The Wild Fig Lexington KY
And Nubian Bookstore Morrow GA
Science Fiction and Fantasy: We All Know the Difference, Right?
From the Great Traveling Round Table of Fantasy Bloggers
The Difference Between SF and Fantasy by Carole McDonnell
Science Fiction generally falls into two categories: hard or soft. Depending on the reader's belief in his scientific aptitude or love of hardware technologies, the SF reader can explore technological, biological, physiological sciences that are emerging, yet to come, probably possible and hypothethical.
The Fantasy writer and reader roam larger territories. Sometimes those territories are far afield from modern known science, sometimes they are mental realms, sometimes spiritual arenas, sometimes past historical and cultural lands.
The science fiction reader joins the SF writer in seeing how far the mind of man can go, often learning about and wading deep into some emerging science the author or the reader share. And often the sf reader will have the sf novel in one hand, a scientific tome in the other, and be sitting in front of the computer: facts are checkable.
The fantasy reader may read her fantasy book alongside another book — if that other book deals with some lore of some lost culture. But the fantasy reader is just as happy to venture into the unknown world of the author's mind. All the reader asks, however, is that the novelist be true to the world he or she has created.
Whether the fantasy novel deals with European vampires, Native America shapeshifters, East Indian demi-gods, European elves, alternate realities, far off planets, Earth analogues, living, dead, non-living, eternal, godly, helpless, miniscule, mammalian, oceanic, elemental, speaking, non-speaking, beings within this galaxy, across galaxies, planetary, geophysical, or plainly and simply human, the fantasy world the author creates must be held up to the collective scrutiny of its readers.
Fantasy is game-playing of a higher order of imagination than Science fiction because the SF author is bound by and exploring the ramification of rules he has found. But the fantasy author is examining larger premise of creativity. This is not to say that science fiction is not creative but while Science fiction aims to discover and seek out rules and aspects of life that is already there, the fantasy writer aims to create whole new worlds or culture, emotion, and spirit.
No wonder, then, that fantasy comes in so many forms with so many varieties. Fantasy is extreme.
Carole McDonnell holds a BA degree in Literature from SUNY Purchase and has spent most of her years surrounded by things literary. Her writings appear in various anthologies including "So Long Been Dreaming: Post-colonialism in science fiction," edited by Nalo Hopkinson and published by Arsenal Pulp Press; Fantastic Visions III" anthology published by Fantasist Enterprises; "Jigsaw Nation" published by Spyre publications, "Griots: A Sword and Soul anthology," edited by Milton Davis and Charles Saunders, "Life Spices from Seasoned Sistahs: writings by mature women of color," "Fantastic Stories of the Imagination" edited by Warren Lapine and published by Wilder Publications.
Her novel, Wind Follower was published by Wildside Books. Her other works include My Life as an Onion, Seeds of Bible Study: How NOT to Study the Bible. Her collection of short stories, Spirit Fruit: Collected Speculative Fiction, is available on kindle and also at Lulu.com Her second novel, The Constant Tower, will be published in 2013
SciFi Versus Fantasy? by Theresa Crater
I teach a class in writing speculative fiction and often use Orson Scott Card's book How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. In it he classifies Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern and Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series as science fiction rather than fantasy. Why? Because they take place on other planets. I say hooey.
Why? Because they have all the earmarks of fantasy. Early fantasy reinvented the medieval, mostly European. It brings Celtic, Norse and Germanic mythology to life. Now writers are expanding culturally, which is all to the good, but many fantasies still take place in a predominantly agricultural world whose cities have castles, farmer's markets and guilds of artisans. Then there are the aristocrats and rulers along with their soldiers or knights. People move about on horseback for the most part. Or sail on ships. Fantasy is pre-industrial revolution.
Many say science fiction began with Frankenstein, although it's still got a lot of hidden alchemy and magic in it. But the text argues between the old mistaken alchemy and the new correct chemistry. Much of the science in that text looks like dark fantasy to us now, but that was the science of the day. Science fiction is the conscience of science. It looks over the shoulders of men in their laboratories and asks, "What will happen if?" What will be the moral, social and personal price humanity pays for your discovery? It's the same question Mary Shelley asked.
Urban fantasy has complicated the picture, but the reason it's fantasy is that it convinces us that the possibilities science tells us are not real are real after all. Faeries exist. Vampires haunt the night. But if you add aliens, then I'll have to say we're back to science fiction.
Theresa Crater brings ancient temples, lost civilizations and secret societies back to life in her paranormal mysteries. The shadow government search for ancient Atlantean weapons in the fabled Hall of Records in Under the Stone Paw and fight to control ancient crystals sunk beneath the sea in Beneath the Hallowed Hill.
Her short stories explore ancient myth brought into the present day. The most recent include "The Judgment of Osiris" in Tales in Firelight and Shadow and "White Moon" in Ride the Moon. Writing as Louise Ryder, she publishes women's fiction. God in a Box returns us to the 1970s world of feminism and Eastern philosophy. Theresa has also published poetry and a baker's dozen of literary criticism. Currently, she teaches writing and British lit in Denver. Visit her at http://theresacrater.com.
Science Fiction and Fantasy: We All Know the Difference, Right? by Warren Rochelle
One of the first questions I ask my students in both my fantasy and science fiction lit classes is just what is the difference between these two closely related genres. After all, as Ursula Le Guin says, "Fantasy is the ancient kingdom of which science fiction is but a modern province."
Close relations indeed, one the descendant of the other, or rather one evolving from the other, the metaphors and tropes of fantasy of sword, sorcery, the Hero and the Quest, magic, fairy kingdoms, monsters, and the rest, giving way to the metaphors and tropes of technology and the machine, of science, and other worlds and aliens.
The simplest distinction is, of course, magic and science, the impossible and the possible. Or, to cite a definition that appeared on the listserv of the SFRA (Science Fiction Research Association, whose purview is SF and fantasy), "if the story has dragons in it, it's fantasy, but if the dragons are given an evolutionary history, it's science fiction." I would modify that slightly: if the story has dragons in it as one of the native fauna, it's fantasy, but never mind that.
So, Elves, fairies, witches, wizards, magic—the impossible, fantasy. Spaceships, lasers, warp drive, aliens and mutants—the possible, science fiction.
All right. But just the other day, my individual study student this semester, Evan, turned in a blog post on Dune. First, Evan's individual study is the writing of a science fiction novel, along with some readings and journals. I suggested Dune. After all, it is one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. Everybody knows that, right?
Evan begged to differ: "One important thing to note about Dune is that it's not really a science-fiction story. It's a fantasy. It's about a chosen prince having his kingdom stolen, then mastering the magical arts and fighting, as well as befriending the natives of his land and the super-powerful creatures that inhabit it, all to overthrow the evil emperor and reclaim his rightful place. The whole story reeks of fantasy. They have swordfights for one thing."
Wait a minute. Many of Paul's abilities as Kwisatz Haderach come from his genetics—he is the product of a ninety-generation breeding program, a long-awaited messiah. His prescience gets "turned on" when he takes the Water of Life, a natural by-product of the life cycle of the giant sandworm. His enhanced mental abilities are, in part, attributed to his training as a mentat, a human computer. Doesn't that make the novel science fiction?
Not according to Evan. He argues that the novel doesn't need to be science fiction: "The emperor's ships could be boats on an ocean just as easily as spaceships … The sandworms are basically dragons or wyverns and Paul's [Kwisatz Haderach] status is basically that of a wizard or a magical hero. He's not a sci-fi hero. He doesn't make machines, tinker, or have any real connection to technology . . .
While the story does contain loose sci-fi elements, aside from a singular instance of a small drone being used and the fact that their economy relies on large spaceships, the story is simply not sci-fi. It is science-fiction flavored fantasy."
All right. Evan does have a point and I wasn't able to shake his conviction—not yet anyway. If we were to have this discussion again, here is what I use to counter his argument. I would point out that Paul has and does use atomic weaponry and the spice, another sandworm by-product, is harvested by machines. A force field surrounds the family castle.
I would ask if the SF hero has to make machines or be connected to technology? Not those with psychic powers, which Paul has. But, more importantly, a primary basis of the novel, its controlling metaphor, is ecology, or interconnected biological systems—here, an entire planet. The Fremen, thanks to Liet-Kynes, and his father, are superb field ecologists, and have given over their entire culture to the mission of bringing water to their desert world.
It is here, I think, that Evan's argument that the novel is fantasy doesn't quite work. Yes, the relationship between the two genres is clearly discernible in his analysis of Dune, particularly in how science fiction evolved from fantasy through a reimagining of familiar metaphors and symbols and devices. Science fiction is, in many ways, the modern response to the questions and themes of fantasy.
I am not suggesting that ecology can't be a theme in fantasy; it often is, including the idea that magic itself must be saved, conserved, and renewed, if necessary. But the world-view of Dune, ultimately, is rooted in science, the possible, not the magical, the unseen, the impossible but still the imagined,
And that, I think, might be the difference between science fiction and fantasy.
Warren Rochelle has taught English at the University of Mary Washington since 2000. His short story, "The Golden Boy" (published in The Silver Gryphon) was a Finalist for the 2004 Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Short Story and his novels include The Wild Boy (2001), Harvest of Changelings (2007), and The Called (2010.
He also published a critical work on Le Guin and has academic articles in various journals and essay collections. His short story, "The Boy on McGee Street," was recently published in Queer Fish 2 (Pink Narcissus Press, 2012). Contact him at: http://warrenrochelle.com
The Difference Between Fantasy and SF is Horses by Andrea Hosth
If your characters get about on horses, you are writing fantasy. If they travel using something mechanised, then you are writing SF. Your SF can have wizards, and spaceships which fly through hand-waving. Your story can lack any form of magic whatsoever, but if the tech level has not advanced beyond the equivalent of a horse-drawn cart, it's still fantasy.
This is almost not an exaggeration. Reader expectation is a force which can easily overcome author intention. What you write may be fantasy, science fiction or some combination of both, but your setting is what determines whether or not a story is science fiction.
Still, if I am to take a serious stab at the question, I'll start by considering the definition that "science fiction is what could be, while fantasy is what never could be". Of course, this is a definition which works best if you take a strict "hard science fiction" approach to SF, since a very large portion of science fiction involves magic-equivalent hand-waving science.
There are many definitions for fantasy, mostly revolving around some variation of "has magic", but that is a definition which quickly falls down. I prefer to regard fantasy as "any story where the setting/worldbuilding is intended to be different to an accurate depiction of our own world". Thus a historical novel (intended to be accurate) is not fantasy, but alternate history is fantasy, books with working magic are fantasy, stories set in the future are fantasy (because there is no possible way for them to be truly accurate). Hard or soft, sword and sorcery, magic realism – the crux of the fantasy genre is that something exists in the story which demonstrably cannot be located and pointed out as having existed in (the current agreed understanding of) our world.
Science fiction is thus a subset of fantasy, and the question becomes how it separates itself off from the broader genre. A quick perusal of the Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness shows that even the completely soft end of science fiction can still be regarded as "unambiguously science fiction" – though in this case it appears that science fiction can be science fiction purely in terms of setting, which brings us back to the horses. The TV Tropes site goes on to base science fiction firmly in the realm of a 'what if' story, and makes the crux of the story a 'technological difference'.
So, science fiction is a story where there is an intentional difference to our world where the crux of the tale depends on a difference in technology/science. Even if the science is not rigorous, and cannot by any means be considered hard science fiction, it is still science fiction if the core of the story is "what if this this technology…".
Stories which have a scientific setting, but which are not interested in that setting – where the technology is of no import to the tale but is merely a fancy dress which could be exchanged for other fantastic clothing – could perhaps be termed science fantasy. And the flip side – stories with horses and magic where the crux of the story is a technological question?
I recently discussed the question of science fiction vs fantasy in my own novels, pointing out that the magic-rich Champion of the Rose has at its core a technological question – it's a "genetic manipulation gone wrong" story in a fantasy setting. I suppose this may be termed "fantastic science", since it's using a magical means to attain a scientific action.
But, on the whole, my definition is my definition. Like so many other genre questions, it becomes an "I know if when I read it" answer, with every individual's answer having some slight variance, and most readers interested in specific sub-genres rather than the whole breadth and depth of fantasy or science fiction.
Meanwhile, I'll be over here writing about a mechanical horse.
Vampires or Space Helmets…Fantasy or Science Fiction? by Valjeanne Jeffers
Technology and fantasy: put them together and you have a delicious synergy that's not quite SF, not quite fantasy. Some of my favorite authors have skirted the divider between fantasy and science fiction. Octavia Butler, for example, while she is almost always described as a science fiction author blended the two quite brilliantly in books like Wild Seed
and Clay's Ark. Nalo Hopkinson also combined them with sheer genius in her novels Brown Girl in The Ring
and Midnight Robber.
The existence of technology in fantasy often results in the co-existence of "science and sorcery," as Charles Saunders (creator of Sword and Soul) has described my Immortal series. In my novels you have werewolves and vampires—totally in control of their preternatural abilities and using said abilities to protect their universe; but still such characters are most often found in fantasy or horror genres. Yet the Immortal series also has time travel, aliens… and technology to support its futuristic setting. Such as in the excerpt from Immortal book 1:
Karla walked across the wooden floor of her living area into a kitchenette. A press of her fingers on the first sphere of a triangular pod started coffee brewing.
She filled a cup with chicory, walked back into the living area and pushed the second button on her remote, activating a blue panel beside the window. Jazz music filled the apartment. Like her bedroom console the unit kept time, transmitted holographic images and played tapes. Using the third button, she opened the curtains.
Thus, the Immortal novels have been described as both fantasy and science fiction novels. Use a little science and one still can be considered a Fantasy writer. Use a bit more and you've inched into the science fiction genre. An excerpt from Colony: A Space Opera (my novel in progress) illustrates this point:
She was born 20 years after Planet Earth's decline. The same year IST began building the probes: lightweight spacecrafts that humans could live in for years, if need be, and that moved fast enough to break the sound barrier—traveling millions of miles within weeks.
In 2065, global warning had accelerated. The final stage in Earth's destruction had begun. Temperatures of 150 degrees scorched the planet. Tidal waves, monsoons and cyclones tore it apart. Those who could afford it moved underground. Food became the world's most valued resource. The rest were herded under the domes.
Scientists scurried to genetically reproduce fruits and vegetables—with horrible side effects. Money still ruled the world. But money was gradually becoming worthless. That's when the government saw the writing on the wall and created IST and the probes: spacecrafts designed for one purpose, to seek out planets capable of sustaining human life.
When a writer uses technology in fantasy, the lines between the genres are even more gloriously buried. What may be described as science fiction by one reader/writer can just as easily be characterized as fantasy by the next. The only real rule here is to make one's technology believable; credible; plausible. Although it doesn't yet exist—in a kind kind of literary sleight of hand.
Pulling this off, just gives me one more reason to absolutely love speculative fiction…even if no will ever be able to figure out whether I'm a science fiction or fantasy writer. I think I prefer it that way.
Valjeanne is the author of the Immortal series, The Switch II: Clockwork (includes books I and II) and several short works of fiction.
Her fiction has appeared in Steamfunk!, Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology, LuneWing, PurpleMag, Genesis Science Fiction Magazine, Pembroke Magazine, Possibilties, 31 Days of Steamy Mocha, and Griots II: Sisters of the Spear (in press). She works as an editor for Mocha Memoirs Press and is also co-owner of Q and V Affordable editing.
Preview or purchase her novels at: http://www.vjeffersandqveal.com


text:
Learn how Simply Technology can help move your business forward.
Innovative Solutions
Purpose-built solutions that remove barriers and complexity to SIMPLIFY your business' technology!
Simply VoiceHosted and on premise VoIP services give your business the features and mobility required to succeed.
Simply Voice
Custom driven voice solutions are engineered and configured to keep you connected on-site or offsite.
Managed ITManaged IT Services keep your business network running with minimal downtime.
Managed IT
Get your downtime back with Managed IT Services from Simply Technology.
Cloud ServicesBackup your important information and add mobility to accessing documents.
Cloud Services
All Cloud Services from Simply Technology are secure and compliant.
Video SurveillanceEnsure your business's security with a system that fits your needs.
Video Surveillance
Latest Surveillance technology brings stunning clarity to your devices.
Business VoIP
Simply Technology Business VoIP empowers organizations with the flexibility to utilize the features that best fit your business.
Why Us?
We rely on technology in our office and on the road to help run our business, Simply Technology provides us with a VoIP phone service customized to our needs. Simply Technology walked us through when setting up our call routing to ensure our customers are reaching the right division so their needs are met in a timely fashion. The mobility provided allows us to conduct our business on and off-site so we can better serve our clients! We recommend Simply Technology to any business that is looking to improve their production and organization.
Simply Technology is Simply Outstanding!!! Prior to working with Simply Technology we had multiple issues with our internet, phones and camera system. Running a busy restaurant, we can not afford for our Point of Sale Systems, phone lines or internet to be compromised. They came and solved all of our needs quickly and within our budget. Their customer service is amazing! Simply Technology is always available to troubleshoot issues over the phone or to send a technician on-site. I would recommend them to anyone who needs these types of services. To put it Simply there are Simply the BEST!
Simply Technology has been able to implement a secure office network as well as bringing us up to speed with new equipment. Their hardware configured very easily with the current technology we were utilizing to make us more efficient. Being both Voice and Managed IT Services customer, we are very happy with the results thus far as well as the ease of use! Thanks again.
Simply Technology, LLC was introduced to our office by a business colleague who is extremely happy with the service they were provided. Currently maintaining our IT and phone services for our Dental practice and are quite efficient in doing so. Regardless of when a situation happens, they are always cheerful, helpful, and diligent in providing optimum customer service. They function with high quality-superbly effective service! I would highly recommend Simply Technology, LLC to any business – regardless if they are looking or not!
Technology News
Backups Can Save Your Business
Backups Can Save Your Business There's something special about a workplace and technology arrangement that has a workflow as sleek as Luther Vandross. A sexy, sleek and fast setup gives tech nerds like us goosebumps because it
Death to Office Communication?
I'm somewhat fascinated by how people and coworkers communicate with each other. Nowadays, we have practically infinite ways of exchanging thoughts, notes or work it
3 Reasons Why To Reevaluate Your Hotel Wi-Fi
When someone is planning a trip and selecting a hotel they often start imagining sleeping in a clean room with fresh sheets, a minifridge, TV
Trusted Partners
We take great pride in offering our clients the best products available to ensure their needs are being met to the highest standard.


text:
NABC Insider goes one-on-one with basketball coaches and administrators at every level of the sport. Today's feature is Lamar Director of Basketball Operations Tommy Strine.
Why did you become a coach?
"To be honest, it was kind of out my control. I got hurt after my freshman year of playing at Anderson University in Indiana, and during rehab started working in the AAU scene with Spiece Indy Heat. With full intent of going back and playing, I started coaching in the summer of 2010 and started to fall in love with it. During rehab, I got hurt again and was going to have to miss a full season, so I stuck around Fort Wayne. As I started to coach more, I found that it was becoming my passion and I stuck to it."
Who are your most influential mentors, and what have you learned from them?
"This is an endless list, as every coach, manager and player I have worked with has influenced me in some way. However, Kim Lewis at Mercer University is someone that took me under his wing. I worked with Kim at the University of Richmond during my first year in coaching as a video coordinator. Kim and I talk every day, and not always about basketball. When considering what I have learned from him, two things come to mind: loyalty and family. Being loyal to your inner circle is so important in this business, and when you are loyal to them, you are family to them. Kim has been such a positive influence on my life inside and outside of basketball."
What was the transition from high school coach to a college staff like?
"The transition was actually pretty smooth. Being in the AAU scene gave me a little bit of an advantage, as I was around college coaches a lot and saw a lot of high-level players. It also allowed to me develop a multitude of relationships with AAU and high school coaches across the country. Working with James Blackmon and his son at a prestigious high school in Indiana like Marion also had its advantages, as I was not only able to learn from a great person, but work with a player like James Blackmon, Jr."
"All of this helped with my transition simply because I wore so many hats and had so many different responsibilities at the AAU and high school level. Being able to juggle so many different tasks while working at these places helped me be able to take on any task that I was asked in administrative roles, and really helped shaped me with attributes that maybe were not my strong suits."
What are your ultimate career goals?
"Eventually becoming a great on-court assistant and eventually a head coach. My first college boss, Ricky Yahn at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, gave me my best piece of advice: to bloom where I am planted. So currently, my ultimate goal is to be the best teammate, co-worker and friend that I can be to people I work with. That will ultimately help me reach my career goals."
What impact do you hope to have on the student-athletes in your program?
"I hope for them to know that I truly do care about them. I am a believer in relationships. I want to make sure that student-athletes I come in contact with know that I care about them in all aspects. It is awesome to me when a former player reaches out to congratulate me on a new job, or tells me about their new job. It means even more when they write me on Twitter or text me to just say thank you. As I am getting older and my former players are growing up, this has happened more, and I am starting to see the fruits of my labor."
You serve on the NABC Assistant Coaches Committee. What made you want to get involved on the national level?
"I was approached by Ken Dempsey, who serves as the chair of the committee. I built a relationship with Ken while he was at New Hampshire and I was at American. I wrote Ken a letter telling him it was nice to meet him when we played at their place in 2015. Over time we built a relationship, and when I took the job at Cleveland State, he needed a Horizon League rep and asked me to be involved. Now that I am at Lamar, I serve as the Southland rep and really enjoy the fellowship and discussion amongst the committee."
What advice would you give to young coaches just starting out in the profession?
"Bloom where you are planted. I have really struggled with this over the course of my career, as I see some guys moving up quicker than I am. It is a fine line between becoming complacent and striving for your dreams. Ultimately, you must find your balance of doing a great job of where you're at, while also positioning yourself to pursue your dream. Being great at your current role helps you achieve your goals."
"Surround yourself with the right people and keep your circle small. When I first started out, I thought the more people I knew the better off I was. While there is some truth to that, genuine relationships are more important in this business than forced ones. Have a small circle of people that value you and your opinions, and vice versa. Find people that hold you accountable not only in basketball, but in life."


text:
Staff required...
09 July 2019
Posted on 09 July 2019 posted in News
Here at Mercury Bay Estate, many of our people come from somewhere else, looking for some place inspiring to settle for a time and continue on their life's learning path. We invest in our chefs, wine tasters, servers, cleaners who then bring their love and their life's passions to us. We are currently hiring for Summer 2019 with roles starting in September. If you wish to apply to work for us, please don't hesitate to send us your CV to firstname.lastname@example.com
2019 Grape Harvest
07 March 2019
Posted on 29 January 2019 posted in News
Our annual grape picking days are coming up in early March. We're always looking for helpers to join up with our ever so reliable team of locals, so please get in touch if you are keen? Our grapes are 100% hand picked which is obviously labour intensive however it allows for each individual bunch to be quality controlled meaning only the best fruit gets to have the pleasure of being made into wine. As usual we finish the day with a 'pickers lunch', a few drinks and plenty of laughs.
Our restaurant rated as 'Best 10 in Coromandel'...
15 November 2018
Posted on 15 November 2018 posted in News
We're thrilled to tell you that Culture Trip has chosen Mercury Bay Estate Vineyard to feature in: The 10 Best Restaurants in Coromandel, New Zealand
They love our wine...
06 September 2018
Posted on 06 September 2018 posted in News
Well regarded independent wine reviewer Sam Kim certainly likes our Chardonnay, he writes..
Mercury Bay Estate named as Coromandel's Top 10 Things to Do
06 June 2018
Posted on 06 May 2016 posted in News
Experience Oz + NZ has put together Top 10 lists for all of Australia and New Zealand's major regions for activities, accommodation, restaurants and more, and Mercury Bay Estate was voted to the list for the Coromandel region. Here's the link to the website, https://www.experienceoz.com.au/top-10-things-to-do-coromandel


text:
When you see this pic, do you spot anything wrong?
Well, some time ago, I read a thread on Renotalk about things that people regretted doing/not doing during their reno. I wondered back then what are the things that would bug me about my reno and I've found the 1st major one…
The window.
Yep, I prefer casement ones, cos then you can open up more of the window plus the window in BR2 is so small to begin with. Along the way I agreed to sliding ones also cos I was confused about whether casement ones are allowed. But now when I see that only 1/2 of the window can be opened at anyone time, it really makes me feel sick especially since I don't like to sleep with aircon which means my window is usually open. I couldn't even bear to take pics of the other casement windows installed by the maisonette owners in my block. 😦
So now the ventilation of my entire bedroom depends on that one window opening. Small and sad right?
So soon-to-renovate HDB maisonette owners who read this, remember to insist on casement windows for your 2nd floor corridor ones cos it can be done.


text:
Big Flippin' Ad Trucks vs. Billboards
When they are new, billboards do a good job of creating awareness. Being in a great location can help, too. However, most billboards are not in a great location, limiting your message's effectiveness. More problems can include:
Blocked visibility – Trees or other objects block motorists' view
Traffic – Heavily traveled routes require drivers to keep their eyes on the road, preventing them from seeing your message.
Multiple billboards – block billboards positioned behind them.
Damaged boards – repairs may not take place for weeks or months
Blocked visibility – Trucks and other large vehicles obstruct visibility
Heavy competition – Store signs, traffic lights and signs and more compete for your message's attention; Your billboard is one of thousands located around the city
Tri-vision billboards – Located in the best locations in town, these boards cost more than standard boards, and are usually sold out long into the future because of their prized locations.
Research proves that mobile outdoor advertising is over twice as effective as stationary outdoor media.
It usually requires several roadside billboards placed at strategic locations around town to equal the impact of one ad with Big Flippin' Ad Trucks.
Big Flippin' Ad Truck's message, rotating motion and distinctive vehicle commands the driver's attention, driving recall and effectiveness of your message.
Fade to black (and white)
A new billboard gets noticed, simply because new colors, a new message and a new design engages a driver's senses, snapping them out of their thoughts.
As time goes by, the same message becomes familiar, no longer commanding the same attention as in the beginning. It has begun to "fade" into the background of the driver's senses.
Finally, the message completely fades into the background of the driver's mind, and is replaced by street signs, radio programs, or stop-and-go traffic.
Typical billboard is located at least 1,000 feet away from the motorist, and appears to be 4 inches high to the driver. Literally seconds later, the driver speeds pass your message, and the driver's attention is focused elsewhere.
Big Flippin' Ad Trucks' message visually dominates the driver's field of view – often for miles. Your message is viewed repeatedly, and never becomes just another sign on the horizon.
Big Flippin' Ad Trucks vs. Television
Television advertising has captivated viewers for years, especially during the "prime time" hours. However, there's more to this picture than meets the eye.
Living Room – Your TV advertisement may be running during prime time, but there is no guarantee that people are watching the correct station, or even watching television at all.
Bedroom – Children doing their homework, surfing the Internet or listening to music won't see your ad. Or, they're not even at home – their shecules include sports practice, band recitals, school functions and more.
Kitchen – As families sit down to their evening meals, your message frequently gets tuned out and turned off.
Who has the remote?
Your audience does, and they can use that power of choice to change channels, mute the audio of your message while waiting for their favorite show to return, or turn the television off completely.
Fast Fact: 97% - Number of U.S. Homes that own a DVD player or video game console – all advertising – free
TiVo anyone?
Most homes will have a Tivo TM or DVR (Digital Video Recorder) within the next few years, and most of them routinely skip the commercials. It is expected that TiVo commercial skipping will devalue TV advertising by over $27 billion per year by 2007* Source: Advertising Age, April 2005
Home | About | Contact | Advertise
Moblie Advertising | Mobile Services | Where You Will See Our Trucks | Our Clients | Testimonials
Quality is the Difference | Mobile Billboards | Visualize Your Ad!
Visit our blog!


text:
Experts discuss the future of Plant Based Diets and how many people are now recognizing the benefits of eating a "mostly" plant based diet.
Tag: health
Illness Prevention: Massage Therapy…
Hello all, Feeling stressed? Anxious? Muscle pains? Christmas just around the corner? Then maybe you should look for a local Registered Massage Therapist (RMT). After a few… Read more "Illness Prevention: Massage Therapy…"
Wild vs Farmed Salmon – Can Some Fish be Bad For You?
I've been wondering about Wild Salmon vs. Farmed Salmon for many years now. I found this article online and I feel it explains it fairly well. Let… Read more "Wild vs Farmed Salmon – Can Some Fish be Bad For You?"
Even more promising news regarding Cannabis?
I've been preaching the health benefits of Cannabis Oil for some time now. The video below is a great reason with some reputable research and why Cannabis… Read more "Even more promising news regarding Cannabis?"
Heathy Orange Julius Recipe???
I'm sure everyone in my generation remembers those amazing Orange Julius drinks from back in the day? I shouldn't make assumptions, but I would imagine these are… Read more "Heathy Orange Julius Recipe???"
If today was your last day, would you be cool with that???
I was in Cuba a few months ago and was really enjoying my time there. It dawned on me one day when I lying around in the… Read more "If today was your last day, would you be cool with that???"
Legalize Cannabis Oil – SAVE LIVES
I've started a new petition over at Change.ca to Legalize Cannabis Oil here in Canada! It's time we bring awareness to the positive benefits of Cannabis Oil!… Read more "Legalize Cannabis Oil – SAVE LIVES"
2 Very important videos that could save your life!
Hey everyone, I guess I lied about not blogging for awhile, but I could not keep these 2 videos from you! The first is about how marketing… Read more "2 Very important videos that could save your life!"
Follow your Intuition, even when it seems tough???
Hey everyone, The older I get (I'm not up there to high yet!) the more I realize how important it is to follow your intuition. I was… Read more "Follow your Intuition, even when it seems tough???"
How important is detoxing???
Hey Everyone, I wrote a post awhile back, appropriately named Let's talk about the dirty old secret called poop! As you can see from that post, I… Read more "How important is detoxing???"


text:
Apricot, oat and cardamom cookies
Some weekends, when I don't have anything on, I send out a barrage of text invitations to friends I've not seen in a while to pop by for tea. Usually, I haven't seen these people for a reason: they are more organised than I am and will already have an action-packed weekend planned. Clearly, this weekend, everyone was at a similar loose end. On Friday night, I suddenly found myself booked in for an entire weekend of morning, afternoon and evening tea and coffee.
Being home alone, with my new oven to keep me warm, it seemed only natural to get inventive and devise a new recipe to go with all the caffeine (or decaf) . This is another American-style cookie, a little more exotic than your usual oat and raisin.
It's Saturday night now and, while there were two and a half tins of these yesterday, I'm not sure if there will be enough left for tomorrow night's book-group. I'll let you know.
Apricot, oat and cardamom cookies
- 250 grams butter
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 150 grams soft brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 350 grams plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of green cardamom seeds, ground in a mortar and pestle
- 100 grams rolled oats
- 200 grams dried apricots, roughly chopped
In one bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, bicarb, salt and ground cardamom. Stir this into the butter mixture. Gently stir in the apricots until evenly distributed
Drop heaped tablespoons of mixture onto a lined baking tray, allowing several inches for the cookies to spread. Bake in a 180C oven for 10 minutes or until golden , but still a little soft. Allow them to cool a little on the tray, so that they retain their shape when you move the to a cooking rack.


text:
Welcome and don't miss out on this great asset in the Greater Summer Hill Community and secure your 2019 . Click Here to View Our Events Calendar to Date . Summer Hill Swim Club – 13709 1/2 Harcum Rd, Phoenix, Maryland 21131 – Rated 4.8 based on 6 Reviews "Summer Hill is a great community pool […]See More
Tag: summer flickr
Charming Freeze Summer Squash
25 août 2016 – Time to start saying yes to zucchini. . Zucchini. Here's how to freeze zucchini and summer squash! 0 Ratings . 1 nov. 2018 – Learn how to easily freeze your excess zucchini or summer squash to enjoy it all year long with these quick tips. Yes, you can certainly freeze it without […]See More
Ikea Concept 66 Summer Street
Ratings & reviews of 66 Summer Street in Stamford, CT. Find the best-rated Stamford apartments for rent near 66 Summer Street at ApartmentRatings.com. Check for available units at 66 Summer Street in Stamford, CT. View floor plans, photos, and community amenities. Make 66 Summer Street your new home. 1 review of 66 Summer Street "My […]See More


text:
Established on June of 2016, Florida State-based
Specializing in production of bi-valves seeds, bi-valve farming, seafood distribution, and the export of seafood throughout the United States
The planting system of bi-valve we use can help clarify the water. The plumping system we use also solids and debris is bound together helping to improve water quality within the local water body. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture view bi-valve aquaculture as beneficial to the local waters, as the water leaving our facilities are typically cleaner than the incoming water.
All of our aquaculture facilities in Florida are located in small town/cities, with low population, where economic challenges are magnified. Our company will build facilities including bi-valve hatchery, nursery, wet storage. With all the facilities, job creation, and business opportunities, our company will attribute to local economy growth.
SV LLC has been supplying the highest quality quahog seed to growers across the state for 18 years. Collectively, our staff has over 38 years of experience developing and perfecting bivalve hatchery protocols for numerous species.
Specializing in production of bi-valves seeds, bi-valve farming, seafood distribution, and the export of seafood throughout the United States
Sunray Venus Clam was initially presented in March 2011 at the International Boston Seafood Show, which is the largest seafood convention in the country. The responses that we received from this new product was overwhelming.
This sunray clam has a beautiful starburst design on the shell, which is grey in color, and turns pink when it is cooked. The taste is sweeter and milder than a hard clam and the meat is described as more tender. In addition to the taste and presentation, the meat content is about 50% higher than the hard clam. The shell thickness is thinner than the hard clam, which allows faster cooking and higher meat content for the Sunray Venus Clam.
The Eastern oyster is known for its distinctive, salty flavor and meaty texture. Oyster meats, which are somewhat fatty, should be smooth with adequate liquor (store cup-side down to retain the liquor). Eastern oysters have a moderately deep, elongated, gray-white to gray-brown, rough, spoon-shaped shell with rose-colored streaks. Inside is alight-colored fringe (the gill) and creamy to light-brown meat. Cooked meat turns ivory. To test for live oysters, tap the shell; it should close. A sulfur odor indicates a dead oyster.The liquid in which fresh, shucked oysters are packed should be clear.
Hardshells are the connoisseur's choice for raw, halfshell clams. They are mild-flavored, sweet and briny. Cooked hardshells are soft, juicy and mild. Raw meat should be tender-crisp and plump, ranging in color from ivory to golden yellow, with some dark areas. Cooked meat is pale, pinkish-white.Hardshells have an off-white, oval, symmetrical shell with a purple or violet border inside. Discard clams with open or broken shells. Unlike softshells, hardshell clams can close their shells completely and "live on their own juices" for a time, giving them a longer shelf life out of water than softshells.
Copyright ©2019 Sunray Venus, LLC. All Rights Reserved


text:
Myths On Tankless Water Heater
Tankless water heaters have taken the heating market by storm ever since they have been introduced. Ever house owner is willing to buy them for their own comfort and convenience. These water heaters are very efficient, provide you with an unlimited supply of hot water and do not take a lot of space. However, with […]Keep reading