text: [Event "Xtracon Chess Open"] [Site "?"] [Date "2016.07.30"] [Round "9"] [White "Sebastien Maze"] [Black "Goh Wei Ming, Kevin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C18"] [WhiteElo "2628"] [BlackElo "2435"] [Annotator "Wei Ming"] [PlyCount "109"] {This was an extremely important game in the tournament as a win would mean a GM norm and a draw followed by a win in the last round would have given me very good chances for a 10 game norm. Just like any other sport, it is important to come to a chess game and focus all your energy on the game but if there's a good time to really use everything in the tank, this would be it. Unfortunately, I started my pre-game preparation by doing something I really shouldn't have done - I played in the festival's blitz tournament the night before! The tournament ended around midnight and I was completely exhausted at the end. I could have put the 3-4 hrs to good use by checking my lines and catch a good night sleep. I tried to justify my decision by thinking that I should play the blitz despite the importance of the next day's game as I have already paid the entry fees. This was irrational and I was merely trying to come up with excuses to make myself feel better on making a bad decision. The result may or may not have been different but the blitz definitely broke my momentum somewhat and I heavily regretted playing it especially after this game.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 $6 {As already mentioned, a win would grant me a 9 game GM norm, and that a draw in this round, followed by a win in the last round might also be sufficient for a 10 game norm. As such, given that a win is not particular vital at this point, I understood the importance of playing solidly especially when I knew that my opponent would probably play seriously for the win. In this respect, it can be argued that the French Winawer, an opening known for its huge complexity and aggressiveness is not the best opening choice for this particular round. It is therefore quite important to be flexible in your opening preparation especially when you may need to face very strong opposition. You should always have a very solid line and a line where you can play for a win although that normally comes in exchange for some risk. In my opinion, this flexibility in your repertoire is even more important when you are having the Black pieces.} 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 {This particular move order is played to avoid some of White's options.} ({For instance,} 6... Qc7 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. Bd3 {is a line that is not that dangerous but it requires a fair amount of study.}) (6... Qa5 {is probably a more "solid" line that I mentioned earlier and it has recently become very fashionable mainly thanks to the efforts of GM Kovalenko who has scored many wins with it recently.}) 7. h4 $1 {My opponent played this very quickly and has obviously prepped this. I smelt a rat but decided to continue with the mainline in my notes anyway.} (7. Qg4 cxd4 8. Qxg7 ({Comparing with my note to Black's 6th,} 8. Bd3 {can now be met with} Qa5 $1 {although there are complications there that have to be worked out. The young Indian star Parimajan Negi had recommended this approach in his 1.e4 GM Repertoire series.} ) 8... Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 {is the traditional Winawer Poisoned Pawn, one of my favourite openings of all time. In round 4, my game with Daniel Naroditsky continued} 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 {and now, the young American talent continued with the trendy} 12. h4 $5 {and had very good chances to obtain a significant opening edge. The game eventually ended in a wild draw.}) 7... Nbc6 {A slightly different move order that was designed to confuse. I had already played 2 games with this move and it was slightly naive of me to repeat the line despite knowing that my opponent must have prepped seriously against this. On the other hand, I didn't have a back-up to what I usually play and this cost me dearly in this game.} ({After what transpired in the game, perhaps the classical move order with} 7... Qa5 8. Bd2 Qa4 {should be considered.} 9. h5 { and now, a recent game of the French expert Emmanuel Berg continued} b6 (9... h6 $5) 10. h6 gxh6 11. Nf3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. Bxh6 cxd4 14. Nxd4 (14. cxd4 Rc8 15. Rc1 Rg8 {is fine for Black according to Berg.}) 14... Rc8 15. Qf3 Nc5 16. Bg7 Rg8 17. Rxh7 {and now in Smirin,I (2644)-Berg,E (2549) Minsk 2014,} Nc6 $3 $17 {with the idea of defending f7 with ...Rc7 if the need arises gives Black a significant advantage.}) 8. h5 $1 ({After the innocuous} 8. Nf3 {,} f6 $1 $132 {leads to interesting play where I believe Black is able to generate a fair amount of counterplay. This has been analysed in Steel - Goh, Istanbul Olympiad 2012 elsewhere on the blog.}) 8... Qa5 9. Bd2 cxd4 $6 {Again, naively following a previous game of mine and continuing to walk into my opponent's prep. Against a 2600+ GM who is known to be well versed with high level engines, this is almost a suicidal approach. However, I was unable to find a satisfactory alternative and if White indeeds gets an opening edge by force, the entire move order with 7...Nbc6?! may no longer be playable.} (9... Qa4 10. h6 gxh6 {is a line although I think} 11. Rb1 $1 {gives White some initiative.}) ({I was also not entirely satisfied with Black's position after} 9... h6 10. Qg4 Nf5 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Nf3 {when Black seems to be passively placed.}) (9... Bd7 {is the old mainline that was favored by the famous French expert, Germany's Wolfgang Uhlmann.}) 10. cxd4 Qa4 11. h6 $1 {White continues to blitz out the opening moves. Here, I was starting to feel more and more intimidated.} ({The famous stem game Kasparov - Anand continued} 11. Nf3 Nxd4 12. Bd3 { but this line has been largely diffused recently.}) ({The position arising after} 11. c3 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 h6 {is also known to be completely fine for Black despite White's having the bishop pair as Black would gain sufficient counterplay down the c-file and playing on the light squares with ...Bd7, ... Na5 & ...Rc8.}) 11... Qxd4 12. Nf3 Qe4+ 13. Be2 Nxe5 14. Bc3 $1 {The principled option.} ({Both} 14. Kf1 Nxf3 15. Bxf3 Qc4+ 16. Be2 Qd4 {and}) (14. hxg7 Rg8 15. Kf1 Nxf3 16. Bxf3 Qd4 {are fine for Black.}) 14... f6 15. hxg7 ({ A recent game of mine that was in the database continued} 15. Nxe5 fxe5 16. Qd2 $2 g6 $1 {and Black was much better although I eventually suffered a horribly painful defeat. This was covered in another article elsewhere on this blog. This fact that this game is on the database has not slipped my mind and at this juncture, I was certain that I was walking into some high level opening preparation. In such sharp lines, it is entirely possible to lose immediately from the opening with deep analysis and I became worried.}) 15... Rg8 16. Qd2 $1 $146 {The big novelty that my opponent had prepped.} ({The mainline in my notes continued} 16. Nxe5 fxe5 17. Qd3 Qxd3 18. Bxd3 d4 19. Bb4 Rxg7 20. Rxh7 Rxh7 21. Bxh7 {and in ½-½ (62) Miton,K (2383)-Shabalov,A (2620) Stratton Mountain 1999, White has sufficient compensation for the pawn deficit in view of his powerful bishops.}) 16... Rxg7 17. O-O-O $1 {Energetic follow up from my opponent. White is a couple of pawns down so he had to continue his active play and not allow Black to consolidate his forcces easily. Specifically, it was essential for him to stop Black from castling long.} ({For example,} 17. Nxe5 fxe5 18. f3 Qf5 19. Bd3 Qf6 20. Rh6 (20. Bxh7 $6 {gives Black time to do what he wants with} Bd7 21. Rh6 Qf8 $1 {with the idea} 22. Bxe5 Rxg2 $1) 20... Ng6 {followed by ...Bd7}) 17... N7c6 {Played after 30 mins of thought. Black's idea was simply to strengthen e5, and at some point, ...Rc7 may be a possibility.} ({My opponent had analysed} 17... Bd7 18. Nxe5 fxe5 19. Bh5+ $1) ({and} 17... N7g6 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bh5+ $1 {both leading to a large edge for White. There is no need to go into any deep variations here but it just goes to show how detailed my opponent's preparation was. Fortunately, my opponent had not analysed the move played in the game.}) {At this point, my opponent had 1 hr 35 mins on the clock while I was already down to 55 mins. This is a significant time advantage and also in practical terms, I had already invested too much energy just to stay alive from the opening. In this respect, it is clear that White's opening choice was a tremendous success.} 18. Nxe5 {The first independent move that my opponent had to make and he immediately makes an inaccuracy! Still, the position remained very tricky and complex.} ({ As my good friends on a particular Facebook group chat soon discovered,} 18. Nd4 $3 {is an incredibly strong move. The point is to immediately weaken the e5 knight indirectly, and at the same time, open up the possibility of nasty Bh5 checks, creating ideas of f3 or f4, followed by Rde1. For example,} Nxd4 19. Bxd4 Rxg2 20. Rde1 Qf5 21. Rh5 $1 {is already almost close to winning for White. With this in mind, it can be said that the entire line may well be lost and Black can do better by investigating the options at move 9 or 7 (but not the first move. The French is a great opening!).}) 18... fxe5 19. Qh6 { Strong practical chess. White introduces a series of nasty threats into the position.} Re7 $1 {The most solid, defensive move.} ({I rejected} 19... Qxg2 { simply because of} 20. Rdg1 $1 Qxg1+ 21. Rxg1 Rxg1+ 22. Kb2 {as White has at least a perpetual check and that it would be extremely difficult to fend off White's powerful pieces. In a practical game, there is no need to calculate further - this conclusion should already be enough reason for you to hunt for alternatives.}) ({I also considered} 19... Rxg2 {but again, I did not see any sense in opening up another avenue for White to continue the attack. In particular, I did not like Black after} 20. Qf6 $1 Qf4+ 21. Qxf4 exf4 22. Rxh7 {. Black may have some kind of a defence here but it is clear that it would take many moves before Black manages to coordinate his queenside.}) 20. Bh5+ Kd7 21. Rhe1 Qf4+ $1 {Not the engine's first choice, but I felt this was the most practical move.} ({The machine suggested} 21... Qf5 {and claims that Black can ride out the storm but it is obvious that Black would be subjected to a lot of pressure after the simple} 22. Re3 $5 d4 (22... Qf4 23. Qxf4 exf4 24. Ree1) 23. Kb1 $5 {. I really wanted to get rid of the queens even at the expense of some material.}) 22. Qxf4 exf4 23. Bf6 {winning the exchange but Black has decent compensation as we shall soon see.} Kd6 24. Bxe7+ Nxe7 25. c4 Bd7 26. cxd5 Nxd5 $2 {Played without hesitation, bearing in mind that I was already experiencing mild time trouble at this point.} ({Thomas Luther pointed out that the dynamic} 26... e5 $1 {would have been very strong. White's d5-pawn shields the Black king perfectly and Black's plans are simple enough. Go for ...Nf5-d4, or ...Rg8 and ...Bf5 and White almost invariably loses the d5 pawn. Some sample lines:} 27. Kb2 (27. Rh1 Rg8 28. Bf3 Bf5 $44) (27. Bf3 Bf5 ) 27... Rg8 28. Bf3 Bg4 29. Rh1 Bxf3 30. gxf3 Nf5 31. Rxh7 Rg2 32. Rd2 Nd4 33. Rxb7 Nxf3 {and Black has sufficient counterplay. In many of these lines, White can very easily find himself in a lot of trouble with a couple of imprecise moves which makes this variation even more appealing.}) 27. Bf3 {Now, White has an edge as all his pieces now make a lot of sense and he has a simple plan of ganging up on the h-pawn before continuing the squeeze.} Rc8+ {I wanted to defend my h-pawn from the c7 square.} (27... Bc6 28. Rh1 {would transpose to the note on White's 29th after} Rc8 29. Kb2) 28. Kb2 Bc6 $5 {This sets a little "trick".} 29. Rxe6+ $6 {Walking into the trap although White should have still gained an edge after it!} (29. Rh1 $1 {with the idea} Rc7 30. Rh4 { was considerably stronger.}) 29... Kxe6 30. Bg4+ Ke5 31. Bxc8 Nb6 $1 32. Bh3 Nc4+ {The point. White loses the a3 pawn almost by force and this was the end of my calculation. However, I had missed a very important detail.} 33. Kc3 (33. Kb3 Ba4+ $1 {was what I was praying for and Black even turns the tables!}) (33. Ka2 Bd5 {leaves the White king in an inactive position and my opponent made the correct decision to choose activity over material.}) 33... Nxa3 34. Re1+ $6 {White decides logically, to go for my h-pawn without waiting.} ({Here, I froze when I saw White could have played} 34. Bd7 $1 {which would have posed a lot more questions for Black to solve. For instance,} Nb5+ (34... Bxg2 35. Kb3 {, trapping the knight was the whole point although here Black could have gone} h5 36. Kxa3 h4 37. Rd3 {and the amazing move} b6 $3 {, continuing the fight according to the computer! I did not analyse this too deeply as I am certain that White would be winning with normal moves.}) 35. Kb4 Nd4 36. Bxc6 Nxc6+ 37. Kc5 Ke4 38. Rd7 Ne5 39. f3+ Nxf3 40. Re7+ $1 (40. gxf3+ Kxf3 41. Kd4 h5 42. Rh7 {was also winning but there was no need to analyse the resulting pawn vs rook endings with Re7+.})) 34... Kd6 {The next few moves do not require any comments.} 35. Re6+ Kc5 36. Re5+ Kd6 37. Rh5 b5 38. Rxh7 a5 39. Rh6+ Kc5 { Black has clear compensation with his connected passies on the queenside and was already very close to a draw at this juncture.} 40. Rh5+ Kd6 $2 { Unfortunately, I made an inaccuracy on the infamous 40th move. I was obsessed with keeping my pawns that I had not even considered the other king move.} ({ The paradoxical} 40... Kb6 $3 {, moving away from the defence of the f4 pawn was very strong. The point is that the Black king would help to support the passed pawns and it would be very difficult for White to make any kind of progress. For example,} 41. Rf5 b4+ 42. Kb2 Nc4+ 43. Kb3 Nd6 $1 44. Rxf4 Bd5+ 45. Kb2 Kc5 {(Black's pieces are coordinating beautifully)} 46. Bd7 {(stopping ...a4)} Nc4+ 47. Ka1 Nb6 48. Be8 Bxg2 {and Black should hold this comfortably. Again, the quality of the remaining pieces on the board matter a lot more than material itself.}) 41. Kd3 $1 {A nice move, almost putting Black in zugzwang.} Bd5 ({Black has to be careful not to push his queenside pawns too fast as he would risk losing them one after the other.} 41... a4 $2 42. Kc3 Nc4 43. Kb4 { and White soon collects the pawns.}) 42. Rh6+ Kc5 43. Rh5 Kd6 {A repetition of moves that did not in any way means that White was ready to offer a draw. This is simply a demonstration of power during the game and is a common technique among strong players. One shouldn't overdo it though, for instance, repeating moves in your opponent's time trouble and giving him extra time and moves to reach the time control. At this point, White found the only move to test Black in this position.} 44. Bg4 $1 {An extremely high class move. White only has 2 remaining pawns and he did not shy away from giving away one of them. White's threat was obviously Bf3 and I did not spend too much time over my next decision.} Bxg2 ({As it turns out, White had a very difficult win after} 44... b4 $5 45. Bf3 Bxf3 46. gxf3 a4 47. Rf5 $3 {Another paradoxical move.} ({ After the forcing sequence,} 47. Ra5 b3 48. Kc3 Nb1+ 49. Kb2 Nd2 50. Rxa4 Ke5 51. Rb4 Nxf3 52. Rxb3 (52. Kxb3 Ng1 $1 53. Kc2 Nh3 54. f3 Ng1 55. Rb3 Kd4 56. Kd2 Nh3) 52... Nd2 {, Black has arrived at a theoretical draw. This was not so easy to determine over the board but Thomas Luther promptly took out his old copy of Encyclopedia of Chess Endings and pointed out that this sort of endgame was already analyzed by Averbakh in 1962!} 53. Rc3 Ne4 54. Rc2 Kf5 $11 (54... f3 55. Kc1 Kf4 56. Kd1 Kf5 57. Ke1 Kf4 58. Rc8 Kf5 59. Rf8+ Kg4 60. Rf7 Ng5 61. Rf6 Ne4 62. Rf8) 55. Kb3 Kg4 (55... Kg5)) 47... b3 48. Kc3 Nb1+ 49. Kb2 Nd2 50. Rxf4 {and now without the f-pawn, Black has no more chances left.}) 45. Kd4 $1 {Threatening the powerful threat of Rh6+. Black's reply was almost forced.} Nc2+ 46. Kc3 Na3 47. Kb3 {To my horror, I realised I was about to lose my precious queenside pawns. During the game, I remembered feeling very disappointed and that my position was already lost here. Not so! Chess is a game full of wondrous possibilities and it is important to fight till the bitter death, even when all hope appears to have gone.} Nc4 (47... Nb1 48. Rxb5 Bd5+ 49. Kb2 Nd2 50. Kc3 Ne4+ 51. Kd4 Bc6 52. Rb6 $1 Ng5 $3 53. Ra6 a4 { also retained some drawing chances.}) 48. Rxb5 Ne5 $2 ({I had actually seen the little trick} 48... a4+ $3 {but I had brushed this possibility off after calculating} 49. Kc3 a3 50. Rb4 {, thinking that I would probably lose the a-pawn very quickly. However, after} Bd5 51. Be2 a2 $1 52. Ra4 Ne5 53. Kb2 f3 $1 {, Black would have saved his position by going after the f2-pawn. This would have been the cleanest way to force an immediate draw with no complications or deviations along the way.}) 49. Bf5 $1 {A good square for the bishop, covering both the g4 and d3 squares.} a4+ 50. Kc3 Bc6 (50... Bd5 51. Ra5 Bb3 {was a possible defence but it was clear that White retains very good winning chances.}) 51. Ra5 Be8 $2 {Collapsing in time trouble but Black's position was already very difficult.} 52. Be4 Ng4 53. f3 Ne5 54. Ra6+ Kd7 55. Kd4 1-0


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Santa Clara/San Jose State Tournament Central
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara volleyball takes to Leavey Center for the first time in 2017 this week at the Santa Clara/San José State Tournament. On Friday, the Broncos host Idaho in the home-opening match at 11 a.m. and close the day's action against No. 9 Kansas at 7 p.m. Santa Clara plays its final match of the weekend on Saturday with a 7 p.m. first serve at San José State.
The combined record of all four tournament participants is 25-10 (.714). Santa Clara has won three of its last four matches, all by way of the sweep. The Vandals are winners of four straight matches, the Spartans have won five in a row and the Jayhawks began the year on a nine-match winning streak. Click here for a full tournament schedule, including neutral site matches in Leavey Center and two matches at San José State's Spartan Gym.
Santa Clara fell to Boise State in three sets on Friday morning before rebounding for victories against Portland State on Friday night and UC Davis on Saturday afternoon at the Davis Invitational. Santa Clara last posted three sweeps in a four-match span from Nov. 12-19, 2015, when the team swept San Francisco, LMU and Pepperdine in three consecutive home contests.
|Tournament Central
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Santa Clara finished in second place at the UC Davis Invitational. Hailey Lindberg and Michelle Gajdka earned spots on the all tournament team, which marked the third career all-tournament nod for Lindberg and the first for Gajdka. In three matches, Lindberg hit .378 with 21 kills and 10.0 blocks while Gajdka had a team-high 29 kills and 26 digs.
Gajdka led a balanced Bronco attack in Davis that included 28 kills from Jensen Cunningham and 26 kills from Chloe Loreen. Cunningham ranks second on the team with 88 kills for the season. Loreen turned in a career-best performance with 16 kills on .286 hitting against Portland State.
The Broncos controlled play at the net during the tournament, winning the overall block battle 23-10. They matched a season-best effort with 12.0 blocks against UC Davis, which included a season-high 8.0 total blocks from Taylor Odom. Facing the Aggies in the second set, Odom logged a block on three straight plays to help the Broncos close out the frame on a 5-0 run. She finished the weekend with 5.0 block solos and 14.0 blocks overall.
Preseason All-West Coast Conference selection Kirsten Mead logged a career-best five straight double-doubles in the first five matches of the season. The senior setter leads SCU with 11 aces (no other Bronco has more than seven) and ranks second on the team with 89 digs. She set the Broncos to a season-high .278 hitting percentage against the Vikings.
Taylor Laugero, who led the team with 471 digs as a freshman last year, has not played in 2017 due to injury. Tatiana San Juan has stepped in to the libero role and is averaging 3.84 digs/set while playing in all 32 sets through nine matches. She has double-digit digs in seven of nine matches, including a career-best 25 in Santa Clara's season-opening victory at American.
Idaho | Record: 4-4 | SCU Record vs. Vandals: 4-1
First Meeting: 1983 | Last Meeting: 2010 — SCU Won 3-1 at the Sacramento State Tournament in Sacramento, California
Idaho enters the weekend on a hot streak, having won four matches in a row and 10 consecutive sets. The Vandals swept Gonzaga, Fordham and Grand Canyon at the GCU Tournament Friday and Saturday. They rank 26th in the country with 1.7 aces/set and are led by the service of Maura Donovan (11 aces) and Klaree Hobart (10).
No. 9 Kansas | Record: 9-1 | SCU Record vs. Jayhawks: 0-1
First Meeting: 1994 — Kansas Won 3-2 at the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, California
No. 9 Kansas boasts the best overall record of any team in the tournament and began its season at 9-0. The Jayhawks swept Belmont and downed Purdue in four sets last Friday before being swept by No. 9 Creighton at the Kansas Invitational. They enter the weekend atop the NCAA with 15.5 kills/set and are led by reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Kelsie Payne, who ranks 15th in the country with 165 kills.
San José State | Record: 7-1 | SCU Record vs. Spartans: 14-23
First Meeting: 1979 | Last Meeting: 2008 — Santa Clara Won 3-1 at SJSU
San José State brings a five-match winning streak to the weekend and is off to its best start since 2006. The Spartans rank 24th in the country with 14.26 kills/set and are outhitting opponents .260 to .170. Fernanda Vido (120 kills) and Nandyala Gama (114 kills) are the team's two offensive focal points.
Tickets: Click here to purchase tickets for the matches at Santa Clara. Entry on Friday is $12 for an all-day pass, which will allow patrons exit and entry for all games in Leavey Center. Entry on Saturday is $7 for the Kansas vs. Idaho match. Tickets purchased for events at SCU do not count for entry at SJSU. Admission at SJSU is free. Visit the San José State volleyball page for game information at that site.
Season and single-game tickets are available. Tickets are available by clicking the link above or contacting the ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Group discounts are also available through our ticket office's sales and service consultants. Doors to the Leavey Center, as well as its ticket office, are open one hour prior to the start of each match.
Parking: Parking is free in Santa Clara's Leavey Center parking lot for each of Friday's matches. THE LEAVEY CENTER PARKING LOT WILL BE COMPLETELY OFFLINE ON SATURDAY due to SCU's move-in weekend. Plan on more time for arrival on both Friday and Saturday due to SCU's move-in weekend. Parking on Saturday is free in the Guadalupe Lot, across the street from the Leavey Center. Any other parking facility on campus will be subject to normal daily rates or restrictions, including the main structure, located adjacent to Stevens Stadium on Palm Drive. Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions. See below map for Saturday parking:
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subset: commoncrawl


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Abdominal pain, or stomach ache, is a common complaint that virtually everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Most of the time it is not due to any underlying condition, however, it is essential to know when abdominal pains may indicate something more serious.
Seek medical help if you experience abdominal pain that is sudden and severe (acute), or has been going on for weeks or months without improvement (chronic).
Abdominal pain can be described as:
Localised – i.e. in one part of the abdomen. This may give a clue as to the possible cause, such as gallbladder pain in the upper right area of the abdomen, or appendicitis pain in the lower right.
Generalised – when the pain is diffuse around the abdominal wall. This may be due to wind, but could also be a symptom of a serious, underlying condition, such as a bowel blockage, or inflammation of the inner membrane of the abdomen from a perforated organ (peritonitis).
Colicky pain – which comes in waves, may last for a few hours and then subsides. A good example of this is gallstones.
Crampy abdominal pain – tends to be due to wind and is often associated with loose motions. However, it can also be caused by an obstructed bowel.
If your abdominal pain persists, please seek medical attention, especially if:
- The pain lasts more than 2 days and is associated with nausea and vomiting
- You are also experiencing a fever, persistent bloating, passing of blood in stools or vomit
- If the abdomen is tender to touch and you find it difficult to get comfortable
- If your heart is beating very fast and/or you are having difficulty breathing
- If the pain radiates to your shoulder blades
- If you have had a recent abdominal injury
- If you are pregnant, or suspect you might be pregnant
What are common causes of abdominal pain?
Conditions that may cause abdominal pain include:
- Indigestion, sometimes referred to as dyspepsia
- Gallstones
- Gallbladder inflammation (acute cholecystitis)
- Stomach ulcers
- Acute appendicitis
- Inflammatory bowel disease – e.g. Crohn's disease
- Bowel obstruction
- Obstructed hernia
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- Stomach bug
- Excessive wind
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Food poisoning
- Menstrual period cramps
- Kidney stones
- Urinary tract ("water") infection
How is abdominal pain assessed?
There are many possible reasons for abdominal pain. If you are referred to us we will need to understand your full medical history and carry out tests to determine the cause.
These might include:
- Blood tests
- Chest and Abdominal X-rays
- Ultrasound scan
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Diagnostic laparoscopy
How is abdominal pain managed?
This depends on the underlying cause.
In the majority of cases, there is no serious, underlying illness and the pain is self-limiting. Some problems, such as stomach ulcers and indigestion, can be managed with medications. However, certain conditions, such as appendicitis, an obstructed hernia, or gallstones, will require surgery.
Our medical team will discuss the management plan best suited to you.
Please ensure you consult a healthcare professional before making decisions about your health.


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Muscle Activity and Body Position
Do slight changes in body position affect muscle activity?
One day, while I was doing squats in the gym and listening to my iPod, a bodybuilder friend approached me with some advice. "Jason," she interrupted, "if you want to target the inside of your quads, use a wide stance and point your toes out like a duck. If you want to target the outside of your quads, use a narrow stance and point your toes in like a pigeon." I decided to give it a try since, after all, bodybuilders should know how to target different muscles. But I also started to wonder whether changing body position really changes the focus of the exercise.
The only way to truly know which muscles are used is to measure their electrical activity with an electromyogram (EMG), the skeletal muscle equivalent of an electrocardiogram for your heart. Well, guess what? Scientists have done just that. And some of what they have found may surprise you. Let's take a look at how different body positions affect muscle activity during some common weight training exercises.
Comparing three leg positions (medially rotated, laterally rotated and neutral) during a set of 8 repetitions of leg extensions on a leg extension machine, Stoutenberg et al. (2005) found that medially rotating the legs by pointing the toes inward targeted the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis muscles, whereas laterally rotating the legs by pointing the toes outward increased rectus femoris activity. Using isometric contractions on an isokinetic leg extension machine (a machine on which you can do isometric contractions against a nonmoving leg pad) at three knee joint angles (90, 150 and 175 degrees), Signorile et al. (1995) found that when the legs were held almost straight (175 degrees), a position often used to stabilize the knee joint during the early stages of rehabilitation, medially rotating the legs produced the greatest quadriceps activity. However, these researchers suggested that in the later stages of rehab, a neutral foot position at a 90-degree angle might provide the most effective condition for rehabilitation following knee injury, since this angle and foot position caused the greatest amount of quadriceps muscle activation.
For squats, Boyden, Kingman & Dyson (2000) found that changing leg position by pointing the toes in, out or straight had no effect on quadriceps activity (I guess my bodybuilder friend was wrong). McCaw and Melrose (1999) found that stance width did not affect quadriceps activity either but did influence adductor longus and gluteus maximus activity, with a wide stance (140% of shoulder width) eliciting greater activity in these two muscles than a shoulder width or narrow (75% of shoulder width) stance. Comparing partial, parallel and full squat depths, Caterisano et al. (2002) found that the gluteus maximus, but not the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis or biceps femoris, became more active as squat depth increased.
Seated Rows
Signorile, Zink & Szwed (2002) found that a wide grip during frontal lat pull-downs using a cable lat pull-down machine while seated increased latissimus dorsi and triceps activity whereas a close grip increased pectoralis major and posterior deltoid activity. In contrast, Lehman et al. (2004) found that a wide grip did not increase latissimus dorsi activity, nor did a close grip (with palms facing in) preferentially activate the biceps, as is commonly believed. To target the upper-back muscles, seated rows seem to be better than lat pull-downs. Lehman et al. (2004) found that the trapezius, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi were all more active during seated rows than they were during lat pull-downs. These researchers also found that the common recommendation of retracting the scapulae by squeezing the shoulders together had no effect on muscle activity.
Mainly thought of as a chest and triceps exercise, the bench press is also great for the deltoids. Clemons and Aaron (1997) found that the triceps and anterior head of the deltoid were the most active muscles during the bench press (compared with the pectoralis major and biceps). The researchers found that the widest grip tested (190% of shoulder width) elicited greater muscle activity in all four muscles than two narrower grips (shoulder width and 130% of shoulder width). For the best overall training stimulus, clients should use a grip that is almost double their shoulder width.
While push-ups may seem to be similar to a bench press (with the bench in neutral position), there appear to be differences when isolating specific muscles. Researchers found that for both exercises, the triceps were more active in a narrow hand position, whereas the pectoralis major was more active with a narrow hand position for push-ups (Cogley et al. 2005; Lehman et al. 2005) and more active with a wide grip for the bench press (Lehman 2005). Moving from a wide to a narrow grip for the bench press moved the emphasis from the pectoralis major to the triceps (Lehman 2005). Lehman et al. (2006) also found that rectus abdominis (but not external obliques) activity was greater when doing push-ups with hands (but not feet) on a stability ball compared with hands on a bench.
With all the abdominal training devices on the market, how can clients know which is best for their abs? The answer: you are probably best served sticking with the floor or mat. There has been enough research comparing commercial abdominal devices with traditional mat or floor crunches or sit-ups to conclude that traditional crunches are just as effective or better for eliciting abdominal muscle activity. For example, when comparing the effectiveness of commercial abdominal devices with that of traditional crunches consisting of lifting the shoulders and torso a few inches off the ground, Sternlicht et al. (2005) found that only one commercial device elicited a higher rectus abdominis activity than a traditional crunch. In all other cases, traditional crunches, including those eliciting external obliques activity, were better than or similar to commercial devices.
When your clients do crunches, tell them to lie on an unstable surface. Vera-Garcia, Grenier & McGill (2000)—using 6-second isometric contractions—and Clark, Holt & Sinyard (2003)—using 2-second dynamic contractions—found that the rectus abdominis and external obliques were more active during crunches performed on a stability ball with feet on the floor and back on the ball than they were during crunches done while lying on a stable surface. Sternlicht et al. (2007) found that abdominal muscle activity was significantly greater during stability ball crunches than during floor crunches only when the ball was placed under the lower back. Placing the ball under the upper back, below the shoulder blades, actually resulted in less abdominal activity than doing crunches on the floor.
While crunches on unstable surfaces may be better for your clients' abs, don't assume that other exercises on the stability ball are better for your clients' core muscles. Lehman et al. (2005) found no difference in rectus abdominis, external/internal obliques and erector spinae activity between upper-body exercises (bench press, biceps curls, lateral raises, shoulder press, and triceps extensions) performed while sitting on a bench versus a stability ball (the bench press was performed in the supine position). Behm et al. (2005) found that while rectus abdominis and erector spinae activity was greater when a chest press was performed on a stability ball rather than a bench, there was no difference in muscle activity between stable and unstable conditions with a shoulder press.
The popular belief that certain exercises can target upper and lower portions of the rectus abdominis is also not supported by research. That is because muscles cannot contract with only part of their length. The six-pack look your clients dream of is not six separate muscles or three pairs of muscles. It's all one muscle, with tendon inscriptions separating each "section."
Clark, Holt & Sinyard (2003) found no difference between upper and lower rectus abdominis activity during any of the exercises they tested, but did find that upper-body exercises (traditional crunch, crunch on stability ball and ab trainer–assisted crunch) elicited greater rectus abdominis activity than lower-body exercises (reverse crunch, leg lowering). Lehman and McGill (2001) found no difference in activity between the upper and lower rectus abdominis for either the traditional crunch or the straight leg raise. Willett et al. (2001) found that the traditional crunch, twist crunch (rotation of the spine while lifting torso), reverse crunch (raising legs and buttocks instead of torso) and V-sit (raising both torso and legs to create a "V" shape) all produced similar levels of upper rectus abdominis activity. These researchers did find that the lower rectus abdominis was more active during the reverse crunch and the V-sit—as were the external obliques, which goes against the popular belief that twisting movements target the obliques.
While a couple of other studies have also shown differences in activation between upper and lower portions of the rectus abdominis, they did not express the EMG signal as a percentage of the muscle's maximum activity, precluding valid comparisons between the two portions of the muscle.
The next time you are training clients, use these research findings to help you decide which positions and grips are best. Not only will your clients maximize their workouts, but they won't get interrupted while listening to music on their iPods.
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Contact Morris Retail Association
Thank you for visiting the Morris Retail Associaton Contact page. Feel free to use our quick and easy Online Contact form to send us any questions, comments, or concerns. Our friendly & professional staff is standing by waiting for your e-mail. Otherwise, you can call us at 630-947-4411 or send mail to PO BOX 212, Morris, IL 60450.
Morris Illinois is located 60 miles southwest of Chicago, 15 miles west of I-55 at the intersections of I-80 and Route 47.
Downtown Morris is 2 ½ miles south of I-80 and two blocks west of Route 47.
Morris Retail Associaton


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Oscar Murillo
binary function
David Zwirner is pleased to present Oscar Murillo's first exhibition at the gallery in London, which includes new paintings and drawings as well as sculptural, sound, and film elements.
The exhibition's title, binary function, refers to the pairings that permeate Murillo's multifaceted practice. For the artist, the notion of the binary is not oppositional; instead, these pairings work and play against one another to create a dialogue that exceeds individual works.
For more information about available works contact firstname.lastname@example.com


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"Cost segregation" studies have been a popular tax saving strategy ever since the Tax Court's 1997 decision in Hospital Corporation of America[i] and the Service's subsequent acquiescence in 1999.
In short, cost segregation studies involve breaking down the cost of a building that would ordinary be depreciated over 39 or 27.5 years into its components assets,[ii] some of which can be depreciated over shorter 7, 10 , or 15 year lives. These studies are often performed several years after the acquisition, with the building owner entitled to a "catch-up" of the depreciation they would have been permitted to deduct had they performed the study prior upon the building's purchase. This catch-up is captured in the form of a change in accounting method and a favorable I.R.C. § 481 adjustment.
Yesterday, the Tax Court dealt a blow to the cost segregation movement, ruling that cost segregation was not permitted when the taxpayer purchased the building as part of a larger asset acquisition in which the buyer and seller allocated the purchase price among the transferred assets — including the building — and reported the allocation on Form 8594.[iii]
Peco Foods was the common parent of a consolidated group of corporations. In 1995, the group entered into two assets acquisitions in which it acquired processing plants as well as other hard assets and goodwill. Peco and the two sellers agreed to an allocation of the purchase price among all the transferred assets, including the two buildings. As required, the parties reported the allocations on the Forms 8594 attached to their 1995 tax returns.
In 1999, Peco engaged a firm to perform a cost segregation study related to the acquisition of the plants. The study resulted in nearly $6,000,000 in additional depreciation deductions by reclassifying amounts previously allocated to the buildings to shorter-lived assets. Peco reported these adjustments as a I.R.C. § 481 adjustment on a Form 3115 attached to its 1998 tax return.
The IRS disallowed the I.R.C. § 481 adjustment, and the Tax Court upheld the disallowance. In reaching its conclusion, the court ruled that the original allocation of the purchase price was binding, and Peco could not subsequently reclassify amounts previously allocated to buildings to other assets:
…amended section 1060(a) [provides] that where the parties to an applicable asset acquisition agree in writing as to the allocation of any amount of consideration, or as to the fair market value of any of the assets transferred, that agreement is "binding" on the transferee and the transferor unless the Commissioner determines that the allocation (or fair market value) is not appropriate.
The purpose for this unyielding flexibility, in the eyes of the court, was to protect the IRS against the potential whipsaw the Form 8594 was designed to prevent:
In binding Peco to that schedule, [the IRS] ensures that the transferee (Peco) and the transferor treat the assets consistently for Federal tax purposes. Allowing Peco to treat the acquired assets in a way other than the one in which it agreed to, subjects [the IRS] to a potential whipsaw. Such a whipsaw might occur if, for example, Peco treated certain property as section 1245 property but Marshall Durbin treated that property as section 1250 property. Even if a danger of whipsaw did not occur, binding Peco to the original allocation schedule prevents it from realizing a better tax consequence than the one it bargained for.
So how does the Tax Court reconcile its decision in Peco with its previous landmark decision in Hospital Corp. which opened the door to cost segregation studies?
The dispute in the instant case is far more simplistic than the one presented in Hosp. Corp. of Am. Unlike the taxpayers in Hosp. Corp. of Am., Peco is bound by the clear and unambiguous terms of the original allocation schedules. Thus, whether the acquired assets may be subdivided into component assets is immaterial because Peco may not deviate from its characterization of those assets as stated in the original allocation schedules.
This differentiation by the IRS would seem to be the death knell for cost segregation studies performed on a building acquired as part of an asset acquisition with an agreed upon purchase price allocation. In the coming days, I will be reaching out to WS+B's cost segregation experts to see if they agree.
Peco Foods, Inc. & Subsidiaries, T.C. Memo 2012-18
[i] 109 T.C. 21
[ii] Such as land improvements, parking lots, landscaping, etc…
[iii] The purpose of the Form 8594 is to alert the IRS to an asset acquisition so it may ensure that both parties have treated the acquisition the same. In the absence of such a form, the seller may allocate the majority of the purchase price to self-created goodwill (to achieve long-term capital gains), while the buyer could allocate the majority of the purchase price to machinery and equipment to take advantage of a 5 year depreciation period, allowing them to recover the purchase price three times faster than if the purchase price were allocated to goodwill.


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Purpose: To carry the message to alcoholics residing in Correctional facilities in the Lincoln area and surrounding communities, and bridge the gap between those facilities and the A.A. community for those inmates interested in recovery.
Activities Include: Providing transportation to inmates to A.A. meetings in the community, participating in meetings held inside facilities, and to provide A.A. literature to inmates.
Who Can Help: Any A.A. member is welcome to participate yet must meet the requirements of each individual facility to be allowed entry.
Corrections Committee meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at The Meeting Place, Room 2A, 28 & S Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.


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How do I manually enter an order?
We have an ecommerce site and a bricks and mortar store running Shopify POS. When customers require special shipping or handling, we have them call us directly with their order, and then we need to enter it into the system so that the products come out of inventory and the order get accounted for in quickbooks.
How is this done?
Hi Brian,
I had the same issue with our site when customers would call up and want to do an order over the phone. There were two solutions that we used to overcome this:
1) We came up with a dummy account that our team would sign in to and complete the order while on the phone with the customer. we would change the shipping and billing address with each order and receive their billing information over the phone and enter it live.
2) We upgraded to run our store with Stitchlabs inventory management system. That allows us to monitor orders and inventory from multiple channels (shopify, amazon, ebay, etc) and then we can manually enter orders from our customers online. It will also support your inventory issue and can be exported to quickbooks (a feature i don't use).
Take a look!
Yeap! And we use the Stripe integration so we can take a credit card right then. Unfortunately their system is slow so I like to take the information down, generate the order, and then call them back when i'm ready to process their card.
On the top right of the orders page is a button '+ Order' to add a new order.
I'd also like to chime in and mention that our connector will help in this situation as well, helping to sync Shopify with your POS and accounting system (QuickBooks) to help keep inventory, orders and all data in sync. This would help you to integrate your online store with your brick an mortar. You can read more on our site or if you have questions, just let me know: https://www.nchannel.com/connectors/shopify/
I am using Teapplix for my shipping, Quickbooks integration and inventory management, all in one. They can automatically download orders from my website, and also allow me to manually create orders. Once the orders are in my teapplix account (automatica or manual), they are processed all the same for shipping label, downloading to Quickbooks and inventory auto-deduct. So the good part is that once I sold an item over the phone, the new item quantity will be sync-ed to my my website quickly.
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New York Public Library
Photo Walls in Picture Collection
curated by Arezoo Moseni
Winona Barton-Ballentine
Wild Stainless
March 8th - August 15th 2016
and an
Artist Dialogue with Justine Kurland
Saturday, April 9th, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Mid-Manhattan Library
455 Fifth Avenue
Pictures Collection
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10016
M-Th 9am-9pm
F 9am-8pm
Sa 10am-6pm
Wild Stainless is an exhibition of photographs by artist and musician Winona Barton-Ballentine. It features a combination of photographic still lifes taken both in and around the artist's home in Woodstock, New York, to where she moved immediately after the birth of her daughter in 2014. The work is inspired by physical and psychological relationships to domestic space and landscape. The interior images act as puzzles incorporating materials such as fabric, ceramics, food, clothing, and at times the human form (both of parent and of child) which are indicative of cultural, social, and gender roles; of materialism, motherhood, and the history of domesticity. These elements are woven together into a simultaneously precise yet disorienting world that is both tense and playful. The second component are landscapes made outside the home using varying visual techniques. Here the neutral and lyrical textures of the idyllic landscape contrast with the seductive paraphernalia of homemaking. The relationship between objects and tones allows the viewer to piece together a story behind the surfaces. The variations in the psychological space of the fabricated and natural environments are emphasized by juxtaposing the interior and exterior forms.
After living in twenty-one homes the domestic environment became my studio. Over time I established a methodology for inhabiting these spaces on a tight schedule, and when given the chance to settle down I planted roots; collected old fabric, painted every room, and bought cookbooks on Ebay that belonged to faceless American grandmothers.
My work explores the mental tendencies that I both inherit, eschew, and cultivate in my surroundings; in particular in and around the home. With color, framing, lighting, and focus I confront location, gender, parenthood, family history, and economy in day-to-day life. What is the effect of space and place on the mind and vice versa?
Wild Stainless began during a residency that I did in Arles, France in 2012 where I made daily photographs of food which I had purchased either at the grocery store or the open air market. Back in New York I began making Home Studies: the interior still lives which represent part of the Wild Stainless project. These images offer densely packed, at times jumbled, information. They reflect the playful and chaotic mental space which is the result of my domestic existence.
The landscapes contain a contrasting anonymity regarding relationships. There is a sense of isolation, singularity, and sparsity: a brown twig rests on an old stump hidden by snow. At other time they mirror the interior chaos: a metal crane grabs at the side of an unidentified, vacant home. In all of the images the camera remains playful and manipulates the space similarly, continuing to allow for spaces and objects to exist in an altered world, gratefully departing from daily existence.
I ask the viewer to approach all of these images as one would analyze a dream: seeking signs and symbols, responding intuitively to the feelings that they conjure; all the while, falling blindly into the knowing arms of photography.
Upcoming Talk:
The Artist Dialog Series Event
Winona Barton-Ballentine in conversation with Justine Kurland
Saturday, April 9th, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
The Corner Room
Mid-Manhattan Library
455 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
doors open at 2 pm
Justine Kurland and Winona Barton-Ballentine's work intersects in the search for self-defined space, from inside of the home to out on the road. In this talk, they ask how culture, gender, social class, and motherhood, among other things, affect the desire for self-reinvention through the shaping of one's surroundings; and how this is explored in photography and literature. Kurland criss crossed the United States making photographs for 15 years before and after the birth of her son, while Barton-Ballentine lived in 21 homes before the age of 18. Kurland's recent book The Black Thread of Meng Chiao (in collaboration with John Yau; TIS books, 2015) features black and white photographs made in the artist's home which contrast with her larger body of work made while living on the road. In her current exhibition in the Photo Walls in Picture Collection Barton-Ballentine contrasts the texture and rhythm of the interior and exterior spaces around the home before and after the birth of her daughter. In light of photography's ability to transform objects, spaces, and circumstances they will discuss how photographer's have approached ideas of freedom and responsibility, gender and motherhood.


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Bad news for future Sonics could be great news for future Sonics
Update 6:15 — This tweet from Tony Bizjak, a writer for the Sacramento Bee.
The bid to move Kings to Seattle – for this year – was rejected today, but no vote on sale. It seems the Hansen group is still in play.
— Tony Bizjak (@TonyBizjak) April 30, 2013
6:03 PM — A good thing happened today. A city with no other major professional sports franchise kept their team. A fan base with nearly 30 years of history kept their team. A good thing happened today.
By now the news has circulated through most outlets that the chances of the Sacramento Kings moving to Seattle took a major hit today when the relocation committee recommended that the Kings remain in Sacramento, and not move to Seattle. The rest of the NBA owners must vote on this, but historically such a vote has been little more than a formality.
For many fans this has become a debate of the merits of Seattle and Sacramento as cities. The problem with that attitude is that the cities aren't on a level playing field. The cities aren't duking it out for an expansion team. Rather, they're duking it out for something that belonged to Sacramento last year. They're duking it out over something that has belonged to Sacramento for 28 years. Most importantly though, Sacramento is facing what most Sonics fans thought was inevitable for Seattle five years ago: an infinite amount of time with no NBA team.
Seattle didn't get bested today. They were just not the beneficiaries of a really bad thing.
This doesn't mean that Seattle is out of the NBA picture. For NBA owners to turn down a $525 million valuation of a struggling team, with a solid arena plan in place in any city is pretty powerful, and probably speaks to a larger future plan.
It's perfectly rational to think that the NBA is doing this so as to keep the NBA in Sacramento, but also to prevent future ownership groups from holding the NBA and their team's cities hostage like the Maloofs have done. If Christopher Hansen values the Kings at $525 million and expansion team figures to be similarly valuable to the ownership group. And while the NBA has been reluctant to expand, a lot of that ostensibly had to do with the shrinking team values. Expanding by two teams and adding $1 billion or more in value to the NBA in new teams, but undoubtedly increasing the appraised value of several other NBA teams is likely a different equation than the one that the NBA has been operating under.
David Stern is a jerk, and we've known that for a long time. However, the NBA relocation committee is headed by Clay Bennett, who has been a public advocate for the city of Seattle, and David Stern has shown that the league's bottom line is the most important thing to him, and Chris Hansen has shown a desire to add to the league's bottom line. It's hard to believe that the NBA would flatly decline the opportunity to fold Hansen, Steve Ballmer, and the Nordstroms into the NBA.
There are almost certainly things that we don't know. One of those things may or may not be that the NBA is looking into the possibility of expanding into Seattle. If the league considers it at all, they Kansas City and to a lesser extent Virginia Beach have already shown to be contenders for any available team.
I'd encourage all Sonics fans to remain positive. If the NBA gives Seattle an expansion team then this is the closest realistic thing to a perfect scenario as it relates to Seattle regaining a team.
If Seattle gets an expansion team you can enjoy them guilt free. If they don't a plenty deserving city of Sacramento retains their team.


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Jails and prisons provide good opportunities to provide HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) testing for individuals who are hard to reach and may be at high risk. One study set out to examine how effective opt-out testing for HIV and hepatitis C could be among individuals who entered the Dallas County jail. Terri Wilder, M.S.W., spoke with study authors Carolina De La Flor, M.D., and Ank E. Nijhawan, M.D., M.P.H., at CROI 2017, in Seattle.
You can also read the study abstract and view the study poster.
Terri Wilder: Please take our readers through the background, objectives, methods, results, conclusions and lessons learned from your study.
Carolina De La Flor, M.D.: Of course. Basically, when we started doing some lead review for this poster, we found that, of course, the burden of HIV and hepatitis C [HCV] are much higher in correctional facilities. Jail and prison are good opportunities to perform hep C and HIV screening in hard-to-reach individuals and, of course, high-risk individuals.
In terms of background, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine opt-out HIV testing in jails and prisons, but only around 19% of our prisons in the States, and 35% of jails, offer this service. In terms of hep C, only 15 states in the U.S. report performing routine HCV screening. So, that was basically a little bit of the background that we did.
In terms of the objective, we wanted to describe the results of an opt-out combined HIV and hep C testing program in the Dallas County Jail and describe the prevalence and the demographic characteristics of the HIV and hep C positive population.
Before this study, a previous study was done, also in the same population. Instead of just offering the screening when the patients were in the intake process, we changed that to opt-out -- basically meaning that during any scheduled blood drawing the patients will be informed that by protocol HIV and hep C screening will be done unless they refuse.
TW: So, this was when they were entering jail?
CDLF: Yeah.
TW: Right. OK.
CDLF: When we switched from offering the test during the intake process, when we switched that to just offering the opt-out testing during our already scheduled blood drawing, our acceptance rate went from 13% to 80% -- which was huge. After that, we started collecting all of these data.
So, for both populations, we extracted basic demographics. For HIV positive, we looked at risk factors, prior engagement in care, reengagement in care. And for hep C positive, we looked at prior positivity by chart reviewing.
In terms of results, our HIV population, we test 3,155 individuals. We had a positivity rate of 1.3%. And, if you go only to your new diagnoses, it was 16. And overall, it was .2% of new diagnoses, which is kind of like what is reported in the literature.
We had a high false positive that we need to actually look into and study a little bit more.
Regarding baseline characteristics, I think interesting facts: most of the HIV positive were male; most of them were black -- which is the usual jail population. The most common risk factor was heterosexual transmission. Most of them, the ones that were already diagnosed, that came into jail with a known diagnosis, were already on treatment. But not all of them had undetectable viral loads.
Our engagement in care before jail was pretty high, I will say: about 60%. While they were in jail, all were seen by either a social worker or an HIV provider. And then, our engagement in care post-release, which is having been seen by any HIV provider in the next six months, was about 30%. Having that said, we have a big number of patients that didn't follow up in our system. They follow up in different systems, which we don't have access to, so we really don't know what happened to them.
In terms of hep C results, our positivity rate was 16%. Mean age was 49. Eighty percent were men. One-third had previously documented hep C antibody positivity, and this was done by chart checking. From all of our hep C population, only 52% were born in the baby boomer cohort -- which is actually an interesting fact. If we would have only tested them, we would have missed a lot of infections.
In terms of race, there were whites or blacks, but when we broke it down by birth cohort and race -- and these are actually really interesting results -- among the baby boomers, the ones who were born between 45 and 65, most of them were black -- 60% -- so, two times higher among black versus whites. Among the non-boomers, usually younger patients, they were most commonly whites -- which kind of plays against only screening the baby boomers.
TW: Correct. And I think there's a lot of conversation that is starting to happen around hep C screening. There was recently a hep C elimination summit in New York state, and they talked about seeing increasing numbers in younger people with hep C. It looks like that's what we're seeing here, as well.
CDLF: Yes. Exactly. It's been linked to IV drug use, really. I think the rates -- I don't have numbers on the top of my head, but numbers, rates -- of IV drug use are not as high in the South as in probably the Northeast. But that's very interesting data that we need to look into more closely, probably.
In terms of conclusions, routine opt-out testing in the Dallas County Jail identified multiple HIV and hep C infections. Our new diagnoses were relatively rare but still similar to numbers that are being reported in the literature. Our linkage to care and reengagement to care were really high, which is really positive. Our hep C antibody positivity -- and we didn't do reflex hep C RNA, so it's just the antibody -- was really high. One-third was already aware of this diagnosis. And testing only the baby boomer cohort would have missed approximately half of our infections.
That's basically it.
In terms of lessons learned, opt-out testing is definitely feasible in the correctional setting. We are doing a great job with our linkage to HIV care. Now, the next step of this project is to start hep C linkage to care. So, once they're diagnosed in jail, they need to be referred, and somebody needs to follow up on them to make sure that they touch base with clinic, and they get treatment if they qualify for treatment.
Hep C testing should be offered to everybody, regardless of whether they are part, or not, of the baby boomer cohort. And what we need to add, of course, are reflex hep C RNA.
TW: In terms of engagement with this particular community, sometimes it's hard to do research with populations that are incarcerated. Was this something that this correctional institution embraced as an added benefit of you guys coming in because it's going to help with something? Can you talk about that a little bit more -- about how you were able to negotiate that relationship to come in and do this?
Ank Nijhawan, M.D., M.P.H.: I think we've been very fortunate. We have a couple of unique things. One is that the health care at the jail is actually run by the county health system, which is Parkland Health and Hospital Systems. We're fortunate in that they're very interested in the outcomes in these patients, because they are also their patients in the community. The majority of the people getting released from jail are underserved, underinsured and going to end up in our safety net hospital system, anyway. So they've been very invested.
We have had a progressive medical director at the jail who worked very closely with the sheriff and with the security, which is really key to getting any research done in this setting. Certainly, things have to go through the institutional review board, and you need a prisoner representative. And you have to be particularly mindful of ethical issues and things like that. But I think we've set up a very good partnership with them and, in addition to this, have been able to conduct other research studies in the jail, in the criminal justice system, because of those partnerships and relationships.
TW: Just another question about engagement care post-jail, because we don't know where some folks went; we don't know what happened. And I'm curious, in this Dallas community, are there different programs that you have relationships with that are kind of a coming-home program that maybe social service staff who work in the jail system know to make referrals to -- so that those medical providers and social service staff are ready to catch those folks and help not only with their medical care but also with reentry services that are so key to folks being able to be successful?
AN: That's a very big area of interest of mine. I actually run, have run for the last four years, a stakeholder group of people who, in some fashion, come into contact with people, either during their incarceration or after, who are HIV positive and recently released. That includes people who are doing medical care. So, HIV care, but also people are providing housing, people are providing mental health care, substance abuse treatment, transportation.
Although there's not a dedicated program for recent releasees, there are all those organizations, which are often AIDS service organizations -- often Ryan White funded [but] not necessarily -- have come together and really recognize this as an especially vulnerable population.
We have recently started to look at: What is our linkage to care rate for folks coming out of the jail? It's about, within 90 days, it's about 30% overall, which is not stellar. So, I think we have a lot of room to improve because we have great stakeholders who invested. I think future projects must focus on: How do we improve that linkage to care? How do we improve the retention in care? And then, of course, virologic suppression in the HIV patients.
TW: Great. Thank you so much.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Terri L. Wilder, M.S.W., is a director of HIV/AIDS education and training in New York City.


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Jumpstart's Picks—Must-Reads for Entrepreneurs in 2017
By Kaden Ng
1. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Adam Grant, Penguin Books, February 2017
Looking into the stories of successful innovators, Adam Grant—Wharton's most beloved professor—debunks the widespread myth that non-conformist innovators are ultimate risk-takers. The data tells a completely different story: a lot of what they are doing is balancing their risk portfolios.
This book is not just a unique insight into the behavior of "originals". It also shows how we can enhance our creativity, and foster a culture of originality.
2. The Content Trap: A Strategist's Guide to Digital Change
Bharat Anand, Random House, October 2016
In today's crowded digital space, getting noticed and getting paid are the main challenges faced by every startup. Bharat Anand—Harvard Business School Professor of Strategy—argues that simply producing the best content will not make you stand out.
Prof. Anand offers a compelling case for favoring connectivity over content. The key to success in this digital world is to foster and leverage meaningful connections. As the author succinctly puts it, "Don't just create; create to connect."
3. Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts
Daniel Shapiro, Penguin Books, May 2017
Negotiation is a part of our daily life. And for entrepreneurs, a good negotiation strategy is absolutely critical in leading the business to success. Daniel Shapiro, a Harvard negotiation expert, shares the leading-edge method he used to resolve all kinds of intractable conflicts.
This book is not only a profound study of the impact of emotions on conflicts. It is also a powerful toolkit that can guide us to overcome the hidden forces that stand in our way to agreement and harmony.
4. Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back
William MacAskill, Avery, August 2016
Want to give back to the society? Doing Good Better is a must read for anyone who wants to maximize their personal impact. By combining both the head and the heart to guide our altruistic behavior, each of us can do an astonishing amount of good.
The author William MacAskill was only 28 when he joined the faculty of University of Oxford, becoming the youngest associate professor of philosophy in the world. After developing the idea of effective altruism, MacAskill launched two non-profits based on this approach. He is the only founder so far who has got into Y Combinator twice as a non-profit.
Read Jumpstart's latest issue here: www.jumpstartmag.com/issue15


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Pilgrimage Itinerary
Day 1 – Wednesday, 9th October
This afternoon we will depart from Dublin to Naples where, upon arrival, we will meet our tour escort and transfer to the four-star Bel Sito Hotel le Due Torri where we will spend the first night of our pilgrimage. After checking into our rooms, we will enjoy our evening meal.
Day 2 – Thursday, 10th October
This morning we will enjoy a scenic drive through the countryside to the hill-top town of Pietrelcina, birthplace of St. Pio. After the celebration of Mass, we will have a walking tour of the quaint town visiting the home of the Forgione family where Padre Pio was born, the Church of Sant'Anna where he was baptised and the church where he celebrated his first Mass.
After lunch in a local restaurant we will travel to nearby Piana Romana where we will see the humble farmhouse of the Forgione family and have time for prayer before the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the invisible stigmata. We will have a scenic drive through the countryside, enjoying the contrasting landscapes of the Italian countryside before arriving at our destination of San Giovanni Rotondo where we will stay in the four-star San Giovanni Rotondo Palace Hotel.
Day 3- Friday, 11th October
After breakfast we will celebrate Mass in the ancient church of Our Lady of Grace where St. Pio celebrated Mass, heard confessions and received the gift of the stigmata. Afterwards we will meet with one of the capuchin friars where we will hear more of the life of St. Pio and receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix of the humble friar.
In the afternoon we will follow in the footsteps of the humble friar during his time in San Giovanni Rotondo. Despite experiencing great suffering in his own life, through his ministries and great work which saw the realisation of the hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, he helped relieve the sick and troubled from their own individual sufferings. After visiting the capuchin friary and seeing the cell occupied by the capuchin friar, we will visit the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and have time for private prayer before the mortal remains of this great saint of our time.
Day 4 – Saturday, 12th October
After breakfast we will travel to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo and celebrate Mass at the Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel, the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael. As we make our way back to San Giovanni Rotondo we will visit St. Matthew's monastery where we will have the blessing with the relic of St. Matthew and Holy Oils.
In the afternoon we will walk the Way of the Cross which allow us, as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus's journey of love. We will have the remainder of the afternoon free for private prayer.
This evening, after dinner, we will participate in the Marian Torchlight procession as we honour the Madonna, for whom St. Pio had a great devotion.
Day 5 – Sunday, 13th October
We will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage and afterwards depart to Naples airport as we return to our homes, filled with a sense of tranquillity, rejuvenation and peace in our hearts.
Marian Pilgrimages, Dublidn
19 Eden Quay, Dublin 100-353-1-8788159
[email protected]
click here for all terms and conditions
All images, text, and content within this web site are subject to copyright
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium is prohibited. Marian Pilgrimages will not be held responsible for
any omissions or mistakes in text or graphics
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it has arrived! the package we have been waiting for. the little big man and i have been taking classes for about a month now and this is all part of the plan; something i've been dreaming about doing and yet, as the realization of that dream approaches, something i've been having mostly nightmares about! this endeavor will be left almost entirely up to me......until the little big man is either old enough or brave enough to help out. big b is going to help with the construction but is not interested in the upkeep. i'm just hoping that all goes well. more on this when we actually open the boxes! maybe even tomorrow!
for now they have become a window seat for bella who uses them to keep an eye out for birds, squirrels and bunnies in the backyard:
oh, and speaking of flowering house plants, this is one of my favorites thats now in full bloom! its called a lipstick plant:
we've had this plant forever and its been through alot. the thing i love most about it is its a survivor. and its also very easy to make cuttings of. we have made a couple for a few different people and you can pretty much cut and place right in soil and things should be okay!


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Contact Us
Welcome to the signup and record keeping page set up by Hubbs at SunTel Services so that we can keep track of what everyone is bringing.
See the list of what others are bringing and then enter what you are going to bring. We would like to have three appetizers for each dessert.
Barb and Clark, Cheryl and Hubbs, Sue and Al


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Katy Simpson
Katy Simpson is a teacher and materials writer currently based in Japan. She has worked in the UK, Thailand, and Dubai, where she developed an interest in the use of English as a Lingua Franca. She co-authors a blog about English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) pronunciation, at elfpron.wordpress.com, which aims to bridge the gap between research and the classroom. Katy has spoken about ELF pronunciation at conferences around the world, including a presentation for the British Council Seminar Series. In 2016, she set up an online school aimed at students who use English internationally, at myenglishvoice.com, which publishes weekly self-study materials aimed at developing students' listening and pronunciation skills. My English Voice is a finalist in the 2017 ELTons for Innovation in Learner Resources.


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With so many collagen drinks in the market, here's one which boosts 13,000mg of premium, low molecular weight collagen peptides which are rapidly absorbed by the body to improve the skin elasticity and strength to achieve youthful-looking skin. That's the highest mg available and sold in stores currently.
If you are a frequent shopper at GNC, you would have seen the LAC Taut Gold Standard Collagen Infusion Therapy drinks. They are retailing for S$91.95 for a box of 8 individual bottles. I've tried the drink and it tastes pretty much like a Vitamin C drink.
You would be pleased to know that LAC Taut has two other products.
The LAC Taut White is an intensive spot targeting and skin whitening supplement. It fades dark spots and imperfections for crystal clear, fair skin that is the envy of all. You can find this retailing for S$59.90 for a box of 30 sachets.
Then there is the LAC Taut Collagen Mask is a luxurious and high intensity facial mask that transforms the skin texture and facial contours in just 7-10 minutes. This collagen mask is specifically formulated to target sagging, dehydrated and dull skin. It has a unique and concentrated blend of hydrolyzed collagen, Squalene, Hyaluronic Acid and antioxidants, this intensive mask penetrates deeply into the skin to firm, hydrate and brighten complexion. It's retailing at S$49.90 for a box of 5 sheets.
Collagen, as explained in many of my other beauty drink blog entries, is a protein that helps support skin structure keeping it firm and smooth. Wrinkles, one of the most hated evils by all women, is the result of the loss of elasticity. Therefore, drinking a beauty drink like Taut could slow down the process and aid in anti-aging.
I have not tried the drinks out yet however, my mom is a fan and she stocks up a lot on these especially when they go on sale at GNC. If you want to find out if it works, then try out this trick which I did previously. Check out more about it at my previous blog post HERE.
All LAC Taut products can be exclusively found at GNC stores island islandwide.


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A comprehensive but easy to use shopping cart. Mambo-friendly Ka-Ching fits snugly into your payment gateway or instead, you can choose to receive emailed orders. This means that the work is done for you online, taking away the human handling time and reducing the room for error. Categorise and sub categorise your products intelligently and with ease, and watch in real-time while this refreshes onto your public site.Visit publisher site: Ka-Ching!
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Homemade Dog Treats
Homemade Dog Treats2 cups flour
2 (4oz.) jars baby food
Combine, roll out, cut out, bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Store in a paper bag.
We made our first batch of treats with flour and baby food carrots. I just so happened to have a dog bone cookie cutter in my stash too!
They were a hit with the big guy!
I decided to make another batch with some blueberries that needed used up. I blended the blueberries and combined with the flour. Samson liked these just as much.
We ended up with quite a few treats (each batch made about 10 treats), so we made up little bags for our neighbor friends with dogs.
I found the recipe via Pinterest and the original post can be found at http://www.curbly.com/users/capreek/posts/13538-how-to-make-your-own-diy-dog-treats.
Linking up with:http://betweennapsontheporch.net/
8 comments :
I can't wait to try these. I am going to try sweet potatoes. There are supposed to be good for their tummies. Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing! I'm sure my dogs would love these too.ReplyDelete
These dog treats look great! We'd love to feature them on CraftFoxes.com as a how-to. Interested? Feel free to email me at firstname.lastname@example.com
visiting from someday crafts...this looks like a great idea! I'll have to try some for my pups!ReplyDelete
I've been wanting to try to make treats for my doggies too. They look great! Visiting from Lil Luna Linkup :)ReplyDelete
We just got a puppy that's a little over three months old right now and we have been having the hardest time getting him to fall in love with his treats! It's making training him kind of difficult. I'll have to try these and see how they work for us! Thanks for sharing :)ReplyDelete
These look great!! I am hosting a Giveaway to win a 50 dollar gift card to the store HomeGoods. It would be great if you stopped by and entered. Thanks AnuReplyDelete
It's party time over at Debt Free Mommy's blog! You are invited to join the party by linking up anything related to making your space a better place for you and your loved ones. Please join us at Making Space Mondays at www.debtfreemommyblog.blogspot.com. Link up starting at 9:00 (central time) tonight. Hope to see you there! -TabithaReplyDelete


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2017 Ivor Novello Inspiration Award Goes to Gary Numan
The Ivor Novello Awards take place every year in London, celebrating inspirational talent and excellence in songwriting and composing. The 2017 recipient of the Ivor Inspiration Award, went to our very own Gary Numan. We are humbled to work with such an array of musical talent, and especially proud when our creators get the recognition they deserve, outside the Kobalt community. Read on for a brief Q&A with Gary, where he discusses some of his major musical (and non-musical) inspirations, including David Bowie, Trent Reznor, and volcanic craters.
1. How does it feel to win the 2017 Ivor Inspiration Award?
I'm very proud. The Ivor's are extremely prestigious and something that I think all songwriters would love to have. So, to receive one for being considered inspirational as a songwriter is rather special. It means a great deal to me.
2. Given the nature of this award, and how focused it is on inspiration, who are some of your biggest inspirations?
Musically the likes of Marc Bolan and David Bowie when I was younger, people like Trent Reznor and Alan Wilder since I've been a bit older, Graeme Revell, Clint Mansell and so many more. Inspiration for music comes from so many more places than other musicians though. Film, books, the world in general, all feed you a never ending supply of ideas that help with creating new music. I stood recently on the lip of a volcanic crater and looked out across a huge desert. That was pretty inspirational.
3. What are some exciting projects you've got coming up this year?
The most exciting is my new album Savage, and the series of tours that will promote that album around the world. But, I'm also trying to finish my first novel (which is closely connected to the album in many ways), the second volume of my autobiography, a new DVD from a legacy tour I played last year and a lecture tour possibly. I'm also taking the family and some friends for a cruise on the Adriatic in an old Gulet sailing boat that we're chartering. A few days of calm before the storm hits with the new album release :)
Congratulations to Gary for the big win! Keep an eye out for his forthcoming release, "Savage" which will be released in August 2017.


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If you're as eco-conscious as I am, you'll love our latest prize draw.
We've just launched Bobble Bottles on the site – they're handy new bottles that not only filter water as you drink but are eco-friendly too. And there are 10 to win in our latest competition.
They're made of recycled plastic, and can each save 300 regular water bottles from your rubbish bin. They come in a range of colours, but only the winners will have the green filters; we're saving them just for you.
How to enter:
- Email firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject line 10 Green Bobble Bottles.
- Make sure you include your full name in the message.
- Then, tell us why you'd like to win a Bobble Bottle in no more than 100 words.
- Entries need to be in by the 25th March 2012, so get emailing today.
We're expecting some really creative responses to match this creative product. So, whether you want a Bobble Bottle for theme park queues or to squirt water at your kid brother, we can't wait to see your ingenious/practical/silly (delete as applicable) answers.
Good luck!
Gillian Leahy
Terms & Conditions
10 Green Bobble Bottles competition – 19th March 2012
- This Bobble Bottles competition is open to all UK residents aged 18 or over (except for anyone directly connected with the planning or administration of this Bobble Bottles competition) who have emailed firstname.lastname@example.com with the reason they'd like to win a Bobble Bottle by 25/03/2012.
- Prize Details: There are 10 prizes of one Bobble Bottle with a green filter (1 litre size).
- The closing date and time for entries into the Bobble Bottles competition is 23.59 on 25/03/2012.
- The winners of the prizes will be contacted within 5 days of the draw and will be given full details of how to redeem their prize. If a winner cannot be contacted or does not respond within 14 days of the initial notification, or cannot take up the prize, then Ocado reserves the right to select another winner.
- The prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative available.
- Ocado reserves the right to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value or to terminate, amend, extend or shorten the promotional period at any time and without notice.
- Your personal data will be treated in confidence and will not be disclosed to any third parties for their marketing purposes unless you agreed otherwise during your registration process.
- Ocado has organised this competition in good faith but cannot accept any liability relating to the competition or the prize offered.
- All entry instructions form part of these terms and conditions. By entering this competition, all participants will be deemed to have accepted and be bound by them.
- The promoter of this competition is Ocado Limited. For details of the winners' name and counties please send a SAE to the Marketing Department, Ocado Limited, Titan Court, 3 Bishops Square, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9NE.


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R.I.P. Nate Spiering #47977
On October 22nd we lost a beloved member of our disc golf family, Nate Spiering. Whether you played with Nate for a round or for years, it's sure you knew him as an outgoing, fun loving, entertaining, endearing, exciting, all around great guy.
— Nate was in a motorcycle accident claiming his life on Saturday October 22,2016. Things were finally looking up for him and his family. They had a place of their own and we're talking about buying, he had a job he loved, he recently got full custody of his oldest daughter Zoey and he just had a newborn baby girl LeighLa with the love of his life 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately Nate has nothing to help Tia and the kids going forward so any little bit will be greatly appreciated. Even if you cannot donate please keep her and the family in your prayers. – Alicia Phelps —
There is a gofundme page setup to collect donations to help support his fiance and children in this unimaginable time.
CVDGO is also holding a raffle on November 6th. It will be held at Tower Ridge in the Ski Chalet just after noon.
- Tickets are currently being sold. $3, 2 for $5, 5 for $10, 15 for $20
- Email us at email@example.com if you would like to purchase tickets. or find us on the course
- Members have been donating tons of discs, bags, swag and baskets to be raffled off. need not be present to win.
- All money collected from this raffle will be donated to Nate's family.
Nate, what we would give to throw one more round together. May you rest in peace knowing you will never be forgotten.


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Monday, 19 January 2015
Some tips for planning a series!
When I get an idea for a new book, I like to decide fairly early on whether it'll be a series or a standalone. I've only ever written one standalone (a YA fantasy) - I'm naturally drawn to big, world-spanning ideas which would take several books to do justice to. But sometimes when reading a series, I get the sense that it's being dragged out too much, and that fewer books would mean a tighter, better story. People talk about "middle book syndrome" (usually when discussing trilogies) and I think that can happen when an author tries to stretch a story too far, resulting in filler and a slow pace. To avoid this, I try to plan in advance.
Firstly, there are two types of series. One is effectively one long story broken into smaller sections which are, usually, complete stories in themselves (the Harry Potter series comes to mind) and are intended to be read in one order. And the other is a series of interconnected self-contained stories set in the same world (a famous example is the Sherlock Holmes series) which can be read in any order. I write the first kind of series, where each book builds on the last, until it comes to a natural end-point. Some writers expand their books into longer series when fans demand it, others write the first book and figure the rest out later. But as an outliner, I always want to figure out as early as possible how long a series will take to complete. It depends on the following:
1. Overarching idea. If it's a big, world-spanning idea, I need to figure out how many books it will naturally take to resolve the overall plot. From the beginning, I knew the Alliance series would be at least five or six books because of the nature of the plot: it's big. There are several entire worlds involved, and various conspiracies, conflicts and earth-shattering - possibly literally ;) - secrets.
2. Characters. The central characters need to be strong enough to carry the series over the course of more than one story and to undergo believable development.
3. Genre, to some extent. Certain genres, especially sci-fi and fantasy, are more likely to be part of a series because they are often - but not always - based on big ideas. If you've created an expansive world packed with exciting conflict, wrapping it up in one book can be a challenge. On the other hand, romance novels are more likely to be standalones. The danger of dragging out a romance in a series is that obstacles can start to feel contrived. (On the other hand, I've noticed quite a few romance authors having success with the second type of series, where each book is focused on a different couple but set in the same "story world" as the others.)
So, here are some of my tips for planning and writing a series.
1. Give each book its own storyline. Many readers hate cliffhangers, especially if they picked up the book without realising it was part of a series. It's fine not to resolve everything in the first book, but I try to create one major problem to solve per book, and then have some other, bigger conflicts to leave hanging in the background until it's their time to come forward. A lot of authors use this method - again, the Harry Potter series is a great example. In the first book, the conflict revolves around the Philosopher's Stone and is solved by the end. But the ultimate series goal - defeating Voldemort - doesn't fully come into play until later in the series. As each book is a complete, satisfying story, readers don't feel cheated or impatient. This is a great lesson to learn.
2. Raise the stakes with each book. One danger is repetitiveness, so to avoid this, I try to plan so that each story's conflict builds on the previous ones. This is really tricky, I admit. But think of the series as one big story, with its own three acts, and plan accordingly. The first act is setup. The second builds the conflict, and the third is the climax. The first book in a series has its own major conflict which is resolved by the end, but it's also an introduction to the series as a whole. The second ups the stakes, introduces more of the world, sometimes new characters and settings. And in a trilogy, the third is where the climax begins and the stakes are sky-high. Managing the timing over a longer series can be a challenge, but you can still use the three-act structure as a guide. This blog post is a great help. I also used this post on planning character arcs across a series. And to write a synopsis, this post is a lifesaver!
For the actual planning, a lot depends on your own writing method. Even if you're a panster, I definitely recommend writing down certain things like character appearances and the "rules" of your story's world (if you're writing fantasy) - trust me, you'll need them later on. Personally, I'd recommend a series notebook, or a document in Scrivener, which I use to plan all my books now. I create separate folders for each book, and others for characters, settings, and a "series bible" with the rules on magic and the various worldbuilding areas.
I outline based on the snowflake method, where I'll start with a one-sentence summary for each book, centred on the main conflict. Like I said, I want the stakes to get higher with each volume, so by figuring out what the conflict actually is, before anything else, I can hopefully avoid issues later down the line. There'll always be one huge conflict happening either in the background or even in plain sight, which will take the whole series to resolve. Each book then needs a smaller dilemma. With the Alliance series, Adamant starts with a murder (which then escalates into something bigger). The second book involves a more high-profile killing (which again escalates), and the third involves the fate of an entire world. And so on.
I then write a paragraph-long summary for each book. For each main character, I also write down their goal, motivation, flaw and conflict, in each book, and then a one-paragraph summary. Now I've written more than one series, I know I have a habit of wandering off-outline, but the one thing that stays the same is the main character's arc. An excellent resource for planning a novel/series based on the main character's flaw is Libbie Hawker's book, Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing. By keeping the main character's journey at the centre, I find it easier to work out what direction the story will take even if it ends up looking very different to the original outline.
Then I write a synopsis for each book, which I expand into an outline. I don't plot every single detail, and I like to leave space in case the characters take the story in directions I didn't expect. Sometimes things just naturally come together as I'm writing, so I make a note of them in the Scrivener file and carry on. Obviously, this is only one way of doing things. I sometimes just write short synopses for sequels before drafting the first book, and expand them into outlines later. With the Alliance series, I've been revisiting my outlines after I complete each book and adapting them to fit with any changes I've made. I always do this while drafting, which is why I consider myself a "plotser" - I know the main pieces of the plot and the key background information, but not every single scene, and sometimes my characters surprise me.
I also like to draft series books back-to-back if I can (as I'm doing with my Alliance series) in order to minimise inconsistencies and make sure the foreshadowing works. But this is because I'm self-publishing. If I was querying the first book, I'd then move on to a new project, because the first book might not sell (I've made this mistake before, spending a year drafting the sequel to the first book I queried, before I realised the whole series was deeply flawed). On the other hand, it can be an advantage to have synopses for the other books in the series ready if your agent or publisher asks for them. And, of course, it can be hard to leave your characters behind once you've finished the first book. Ultimately, it's up to you as the writer.
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14 comments:
Topping the fate of the world would normally be quite tricky, but not in your series ;)ReplyDelete
I'm going to keep this page bookmarked in case I find myself writing a series someday. Thanks for sharing your method with us.
I have two series, one of the first type and one kind of matching the second. It's not the same world. It's actually a different world in each book, but the collection of characters is the same. The premise is these characters are world-hopping in search of a cure for the main character's father.ReplyDelete
These are good tips. I'm a horrible planner, but I have noticed some of it is necessary to keep a consistent feel.
Great tips, Emma! I wrote a post about creating a series a long time ago, when my blog was much smaller, so not many people saw it. It's extremely important that each book in a series has it's own plot, but with a little thread to link them all, and that the stakes raise with each one.ReplyDelete
Fantastic post! Definitely bookmarking it for future reference. And I'm very curious how you'll top the fate of the world being at risk! :)ReplyDelete
Great post! In your darkworld series you really notice that each book has it's own storyline while there is still an overarching plot, kinda like with Harry Potter indeed. I found it interesting to hear about your writing process and how you plan whether it will be a series or standalone from the start.ReplyDelete
So much great advice! I'm a total plotter when it comes to planning a series, too. I feel like I'd write myself into a corner otherwise! Plus, sneaking in foreshadowing years ahead of time is just plain fun... :)ReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing this!ReplyDelete
I'm revisiting the first manuscript I ever wrote, which was a YA Fantasy that I planned as a trilogy. At the time I knew NOTHING about publishing or writing (thought I was supposed to use as many adverbs as possible *cringe*). I wrote two of the three, but now I feel like I can go back and rewrite it, and make it a strong series (though, a stand alone, of course!)
Thank you for sharing your tips - they are very helpful! :D