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Family: Bothidae, Lefteye Flounders view all from this family
Description Paralichthys lethostigma (also Southern Flounder) is a popular sports fish and is the largest and most commercially valuable flounder in the western north Atlantic ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Its range is North Carolina to the Yucatan peninsula. It is a "left-eyed flounder," meaning the left side is pigmented and is the "up side." The body color is brown with diffuse, non-ocellated spots and blotches.
Dimensions Up to 33" (83 cm).
Habitat Rivers & streams, Estuaries, tidal flats & salt marshes, Ocean or bay shallows.
Range Southeast, Florida, Texas.


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The 20th annual snapshot of the federal regulatory state published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) last month announced the arrival of an unhappy milestone: Regulatory costs now equal more than half of all federal spending. Put another way, the real cost of government in the United States is half-again as much as the federal budget. It is approaching a third of the country's economic output. Said CEI in its Ten Thousand Commandments 2013 report: "Federal environmental, safety and health, and economic regulations cost hundreds of billions — perhaps trillions — of dollars every year over and above the costs of the official federal outlays that dominate the [current] policy debate."
Just how many billions and trillions the regulatory state costs, and has cost, the American economy has been put into perspective by two economists in their paper, "Federal Regulation and Aggregate Economic Growth," published in the June issue of the Journal of Economic Growth. Rather than count the cost in dollars, the authors, John W. Dawson and John J. Seater, take a unique approach and attempt to measure how much lower Americans' standard of living is today compared to what it would be if regulations had stayed at the level they were in 1949, the starting point of their study. Their conclusion? The average American household's income would be $27,500 a month instead of the $4,400 a month that it is currently.
In their study they count the pages of federal regulations from 1949 through 2005 and discover that they have grown by 600 percent, slowing the economy by an estimated two percent every year. In simple terms, today's economy, which produces about $17 trillion in goods and services every year, would instead be producing almost $55 trillion. And the authors apologize that their study doesn't reflect state and local regulations during that period as the effort that would have been required to collect and analyze them as well would have greatly exceeded their time and resources.
In a word, incomes and standard of living for the average American family would be even higher than they estimate, had that data been available. They also note that the avalanche of regulations under the Bush and Obama administrations were not included as part of their study.

subset: commoncrawl


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Here's a little political humor from the Wall Streetr Journal....
The health-care address President Obama should really give to Congress.By HOLMAN W. JENKINS, JR...
What follows is a leaked first draft of President Obama's speech on health care tonight, complete with instructions for Democrats in the audience.
Members of Congress, Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of the Obama Youth Corps—I come to you tonight to speak frankly about our nation's health-care crisis and how we in Washington can make it worse.
Salami tactics on health care have long involved slicing the salami from both ends.
On one hand, we enlarge the government's role in providing health care, making more and more voters dependent on Washington.
On the other, we enact regulations and restrictions to keep driving the private insurance system off a cliff.
To the American people I promise tonight, whatever compromises lay ahead, whatever the arduous negotiations, Democrats and Republicans will work together to continue to drive the current system off a cliff. (Applause from Democrats in the audience; Nancy Pelosi beams.)
Even if we cannot enact my administration's "public option," we will extend the great work of previous generations, making sure private health care continues to be unaffordable to more and more Americans, and piling up fresh mandates on employers so fewer and fewer of our citizens will have either jobs or health insurance.
At the same time, with tax dollars, we will continue to subsidize ever more consumption of that which everyone agrees we already consume too much.
We may not get there right away. But by taking these steps, we will bring closer the day when the only form of health care for most Americans will be government-provided health care, and the dream will never die. (Pandemonium among Democrats. Nancy Pelosi daubs her eye.)
I want to give a shout-out to our Republican friends, who have been with us every step of the way, who have been an important part of our salami progress so far—by pushing various "patient's bills of rights," defending the tax giveaways that encourage spending regardless of cost or benefit; by expanding Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans benefits and subsidized health care for middle-class children.
I say tonight, without Republican help, we could never have brought the system to its current dysfunction and I thank you.
Now, much has been said about our "public option" that's been confusing and misinformed. It's in that spirit that I speak to you tonight.
Critics wonder: How can a new "public option" bring meaningful competition to the health-insurance marketplace and drive down costs?
They miss the point. The great work done so far has tended to squash competition, and we would continue this work—by restricting the ability of insurance companies to design and market their policies; by regulating what coverage they can offer; by using tax distortions to keep consumers in the dark about what their health care really costs, so they will continue to treat it as a "free lunch" when it actually gobbles up more and more of their disposable incomes.
People, this is why insurance rates keep going up and up, and why a competitive marketplace, in which consumers reward those who provide high-quality care at low cost, hardly exists. And I say again, with all humility, this is a great bipartisan achievement.
So the purpose of our public option is not to change any of this, but merely to scoop up the growing number of Americans who won't be able to get private coverage because we've made private coverage so expensive and uneconomic.
Some say the public plan would be unfairly subsidized with tax dollars. No, no, no—the public option would be self-sustaining, just like the Post Office, just like Medicare, just like the federal government, which carefully lives within the tax revenues it receives each year.*
Now, my administration is not wedded to the "public option." I know my Republican friends say families should not have health care. They believe we can save money by lying down before rapacious insurance CEOs. They say the indigent should be encouraged to practice self-surgery (I'm sure some Republican somewhere thinks this is a good idea).
But let's put aside our differences and recognize how much we have already accomplished together. I say to Republicans and Democrats alike, if we can just keep working together to inflate the burden of public and private health-care spending as we have the past 30 years, we will push the system to the breaking point. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. (Democrats chant, "Yes we can." Nancy Pelosi levitates above the audience, flies around the chamber three times and bursts into flame. . . .)
. . . Together we can push our current health-care system over a cliff, and then—well, then [STRONG ENDING HERE]
*Certain factual statements subject to OMB review.


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Topic: HICCUPS
My husband had a successful Whipple Surgery Oct 3rd. He is doing amazingly well for 73 years old except for bad hiccups. He had them until about a month ago and now they have come back. They are terrible, every 3 seconds or so and do not want to leave. Has anyone had any experiences with this. They totally wear him out and seem to be gettting worse. At least 5 different doctors we have seen over the past 6 months do not know where they are coming from or why!
Any suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.


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You are here
Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch & Fright Nights
Date & Time
Monday, October 22, 2012 - 9:00am to Saturday, October 27, 2012 - 9:00am
Boone Hall Plantation
Event Details
For fun in the sun and fear after dark, head to Boone Hall Plantation. During the day, kids bounce on the state's largest "jumping pillow" or conquer "Mount Playsant" Hay Mountain, and the whole family can enjoy the corn maze, corn hole toss, and hayrides. Later, freaks come out in Fright Nights' Bloodstone Manor, Haunted Corn Field, Body Farm, and Psycho Clowns Sideshow. Boone Hall Plantation, 1235 Long Point Rd., Mount Pleasant. Pumpkin Patch: Monday-Saturday, 9am-6pm; Sunday, noon-6pm. $10-$8; free for child under two. Fright Nights: Days, times, & prices vary. (843)884-4371, www.boonehallplantation.com


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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Two sides of the same coin - writing twin genres
I'm the mother of twins. Twin sons and twin genres. My stories are my babies, just like my real kids, but neither my sons nor my genres resemble each other.
One of my sons is a brunette who plays guitar and loves baseball. He wants to be a veterinarian. The other is a blond who plays drums and loves skateboarding. He wants to be Albert Einstein. People who meet them for the first time don't believe they're twins. If I hadn't been there for the c-section that followed twenty-two hours of labor, I might not believe it either.
My stories are just as opposite. I write both CIA thrillers and paranormal comedy. Why? One lets me explore the darker side of life and the other lets me have fun with that side. Two sides of the same coin. Also, I'm a Gemini, so having a split personality is second nature to me. LOL.
I've had folks ask how I can switch gears from one to the other. For me, it's more like tuning in a different radio station. Some days I'm in the mood for U2 or Bruce Springsteen. Other days, Prince and Bon Jovi are more appealing. Luckily my voice accommodates both.
There are advantages to having fraternal twins. People don't mix them up or assume they have the same likes and dislikes. Each boy has an independent identity. They don't fight much because they rarely like the same thing. If one is struggling with his science homework, the other can help. If one wants to learn how to do a kick-flip, he has a teacher in the bedroom next to his.
The same applies to writing two distinct genres. WITCHES ANONYMOUS, my recently released paranormal comedy doesn't compete with the second book in my Super Agent series, I'D RATHER BE IN PARIS (out this week). Yet, the two genres reach different niche readers and draw more fans to my writing.
There's sort of a built-in bonus with writing multiple genres as well. Paranormals continue to be popular while suspense novels are relatively flat. But as we all know, publishing is cyclical. One day suspense may boom again and paranormals will go flat. Either way, I can sell stories.
Disadvantages with twins like mine arise, though. As toddlers, one boy hated timeouts and would become an angel the second I threatened him with one. The other loved to spend time by himself, even if it was on a chair in a bare corner. I had to be more creative with his discipline.
So, too, with my genres. Humor can lessen the impact of a dramatic moment if overdone. Tension can take over and turn a lighthearted conflict dark and suspenseful. Each genre is unique, and while both can incorporate humor, drama and love, sprinkling the right amount of those elements in the perfect spot is key.
For example, this scene in I'D RATHER BE IN PARIS showcases Lawson and Zara in a suspenseful car chase, but I added a touch of humor....
Lawson had two options. Evade the threat or eliminate it. "Get up here and drive."
"Come on, you're a woman of action, right? You wanted to drive, so get up here and drive the damn car."
Zara's head rose from the backseat, her gaze catching his in the rearview mirror as she leaned forward. "Stop yelling at me."
Lawson reached back and grabbed her arm, hauling her into the passenger seat. She flailed and fumed and once she'd righted herself, he saw she'd exchanged the robe for her leather jacket and miniskirt. She tugged the hem of the skirt down and sent him a scathing look. "What exactly--?"
"Take the wheel. We're going to exchange places, okay?"
"While the car's moving?"
Lawson flipped the steering wheel up as high as it would go. He set her hand on the wheel. "You're going to slide on top of me, got it? Like you're going to sit in my lap."
Her hand tightened and Lawson saw her shift into spy mode. A second later, she climbed across the gearshift and slid between his legs.
He released the wheel and extracted his body from around hers. "Keep the car on the road, but don't make it easy for them to shoot us again. When I give you the signal, I want you to pull the hand brake and crank the wheel to the left like you're doing a hard U-turn. You're going to turn the car counterclockwise and land on three o-clock. The car will be blocking the road and I'll be facing the motorcycle. Got it?"
She dropped her hand and repositioned the seat. "And what are you going to do?"
Lawson hauled the gun out of his waistband. "My Dirty Harry impersonation."
"Oh god." She gripped the steering wheel in a ten-and-two position. "We're going to die, aren't we?"
On the flip side of the coin in WITCHES ANONYMOUS, when Amy is telling her best friend Keisha about her Biblical-size troubles, I needed to show Amy's intense emotional state without losing the overall humorous tone of the story.
Pushing herself out of the chair, Keisha left my office, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. Five minutes later, she returned with two cappuccino milkshakes. She plunked one down in front of me and dropped back into her chair. "Okay, spill it. All of it."
Sitting back in my chair, I sipped the cold milkshake and told her about my visit to the Garden of Eden and Gabriel's missive. When I was done, she was staring, openmouthed, at my gremlin. "Your life is never dull."
"Tell me about it. I can't decide what's worse -- a demon-possessed sister with a slave hex hanging over my head or an angel of God dumping the future of good and evil in my lap."
"This is bad. Really bad." Keisha shook her head in a slow arc. "What are you going to do?"
Taking a long pull on my straw, I swallowed the cool, coffee-flavored ice cream and met her eyes. "It gets worse."
All the muscles in her face tightened in fear. "Worse?"
"Lucifer told me he loves me."
Her eyes lit up, her face muscles relaxed and she smiled. "I knew it. That man is fine, no matter what you say."
"He is not fine. He's the Devil."
Chuckling under her breath, she stood and shuffled to the door. "Don't you just love a happily-ever-after ending?"
"Happily ever after?" I slammed my milkshake down on the desk. "Do you understand what I'm dealing with here? I could snap my fingers and you could die. I could wake up tomorrow and have to clean dog poo off my sister's shoes -- my shoes -- and tell her she's prettier than Gwyneth Paltrow. Come on! My life sucks."
Keisha and her psychedelic hair shook with laughter in the doorway. "Love conquers all." She raised her milkshake cup to me and winked again before disappearing.
"That's it?" I yelled at her. "That's the best advice you've got? Love conquers all?" Growling in frustration, I kicked the side of the desk. "Just so you know, I'm hiding your romance novels!"
Do you want to write twin genres? Lots of authors do it successfully and you can too. Dial your internal radio station to something new that interests you. Read all you can in the genre and get a feel for the tone each story requires to make it work. Then give it a try. Maybe write a short story, like I did, to get your feet wet and see if you like it. While writing in distinct genres requires a bit of labor, you'll end up with two beautiful babies to love and nurture. And who knows? You may want to try for a third.
Misty Evans is an award-winning, multi-published author of CIA thrillers as well as paranormal comedy. Her recently released witch lit novella, WITCHES ANONYMOUS, is part of Samhain Publishing's Tickle My Fantasy anthology. The next story in her Super Agent series, I'D RATHER BE IN PARIS, releases March 17th. She is currently flipping the coin to juggle her twins as well as writing the third Super Agent book and sequel to WITCHES ANONYMOUS.
42 comments:
- KL Grady said...
Yay, Misty! As always, we love having you here.
My question for you is whether you ever feel the urge to go for triplets? ;) Seriously, how do you manage time commitments to your fave genres? Is it organic and which ever way your creativity tugs, or do you specify certain days/times for one or the other type of manuscript?
- March 18, 2009 at 12:35 AM
- Debbie Kaufman said...
I can completely understand the pull into twin genres. I love switching gears and adding variety. Right now I'm only working on one project, but have plans for others that are completely different. I guess that will be an author branding problem :)
- March 18, 2009 at 8:27 AM
- Terry Odell said...
As the mother of fraternal twin daughters I understand. They're definitely two different people, even though they're sisters. Sure makes you rethink that 'nature-nurture' thing so prevalent back in my youth.
I write romantic suspense and contemporary - but would love to try a straight mystery. But definitely not going to try for triplets -- besides, my twins have an older brother.
- March 18, 2009 at 8:30 AM
- Donnell said...
Hi, Misty! Thanks for joining us here today. Your discipline is amazing. I figured it out. Dealing with twins was perfect preparation for your writing. You had to learn to flip your muse switch at the drop of a button. Question: So do you write on the same story on the same day? Or do you work, say on one story for three days on, the next for three days off, I'm curious about your system.
- March 18, 2009 at 8:38 AM
- Beth Caudill said...
I love reading multiple genres, but I'm still trying to find myself in writing one genre. Maybe in the future.
At least you will never be bored with everything you have going on.
- March 18, 2009 at 8:38 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Hi KL! Love being here. It feels like home away from home. :)
Time...I'd love to bend it. I'm one of those folks who over commits, freaks out, and then drops everything and starts over. Can't quite do that with the boys or the stories, but I have learned over the past few years to be very protective of my time in other areas. The family and the writing come first.
As far as dividing my writing time between the two genres...the CIA thrillers take way more actual time to reasearch and to write, so they are my first commitment. Usually, I need a break from all the drama about two-thirds of the way through so I can recharge my mental batteries for the climax. That's a great point for me to write some comedy and play around with ideas for new stories.
However, any time a good idea hits for either genre, I write it down or type it up. Getting the bones of a scene or a plot or even just a funny line of dialogue is like planting the seeds of each story. Then when it comes time to write it, I have lots of fodder.
There are definitely days when I can't write humor, so I stick with drama. The reverse is also true. That's one of the advantages to writing two different genres!
- March 18, 2009 at 9:02 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Debbie, you sound like my kind of writer. I love variety too. I've dabbled in mysteries, contemp romance, and dark paranormals. Next I want to try urban fantasy.
Authors in general are more diverse with their branding these days. Lots jump genres. I can't imagine only writing one genre and then branding myself within that box. I mean, that's like saying I can only ever be vanilla when I maybe I want to try rocky road, and bubblegum, you know?
Find the genre your voice REALLY shines in and once you get that nailed, branch out and try new things. Writing is a smorgasbord. Enjoy it.
- March 18, 2009 at 9:07 AM
- Liz L. said...
I loved your excerpts, Misty. I am currently working on a fiction and a nonfiction project and finding it hard to switch gears. So my appreciation for your success with it is intensified.
I also love that your twins are so totally different.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
- March 18, 2009 at 9:08 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Hi Terry! I didn't realize you had twins too. Cool!
I'm with you on the nature-nurture arguments. How can two boys born one minute apart be SO different. Not just physical characteristics, but personality, learning abilities, everything?? Crazy but incredibly fun to watch as they grow and change. I sincerely hope this means they'll never like the same girl at the same time! LOL.
A straight mystery sounds fun and with your suspense writing experience, the elements would come naturally to you. I hope you try it!
- March 18, 2009 at 9:12 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Donnell, thank you for having me today! I always love visiting the Five Scribes.
Yes, having twins taught me to write scenes in my head before I sat down at the computer. That way I could make the most of my time when the boys were napping. I still do that, even now that they're older and in school.
I try to stick with a daily writing schedule and which story I work on has a lot to do with what kind of deadline I'm on. The paranormal comedy is easier to write in the evenings or on weekends when I don't need blocks of time to research or brainstorm with my favorite FS writer. *wink* So school days, I typically work on the thrillers. Unless I'm blogging!
- March 18, 2009 at 9:20 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Beth, I love to read multple genres too. Figuring out your favorite genre is the key to deciding which genre is a good fit for your writing. Experiment a little and see which genre or genres you enjoy the most and why.
Even when I wrote a contempory romantic mystery two years ago, I realized the story really kicked in when I got to the suspensful, drama-filled climax. It was fun to write that story, but it reinforced that suspense and thrillers are where my voice comes through best.
- March 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Liz, switching between fiction and nonfiction is tough. For ten years before I wrote my first full length fiction novel, I was in the business world doing interviews, writing press releases and editing newsletters. A different part of your brain gets a work out with fiction.
The easiest way for me to switch between the two is to grab a great fiction novel and dive in. Reading fiction for even ten mintues triggers the creative side of my brain and puts me in the right frame of mind to write.
- March 18, 2009 at 9:28 AM
- Liz L. said...
Great advice. I'll give it a shot.
Thanks again.
- March 18, 2009 at 9:38 AM
- Ellen said...
Hey Misty!
Wonderful post :) And many congratulations on the release of I'd Rather Be in Paris! Now that you mention it, I'm sort of a mom of twins myself---women's fiction and contemporary romance. But I'm pretty sure I don't balance the lot as well as you do :)
Congrats again!!
- March 18, 2009 at 9:40 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Hi Ellen! Balance is not in my vocabulary. LOL. And I know for a fact that you are just as creaive as I am at keeping many balls in the air. :)
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I look forward to reading more of your fiction, either genre!!
- March 18, 2009 at 10:02 AM
- LuAnn said...
I would imagine writing two different styles allows you to pick which style you feel like writing each day, depending on your mood!
- March 18, 2009 at 10:12 AM
- Edie said...
Hi Misty! I just read KL's comments about triplets and cracked up. I write women's fiction and paranormal. My voice is the same in both, but my writing in paranormal is tighter and my women's fiction is chattier and in some spots, more lyrical. I enjoy them both.
- March 18, 2009 at 10:16 AM
- Misty Evans said...
LuAnn, you're exactly right. I have to keep both of my personalities happy!
Mood always effects my writing, so having two different genres gives me freedom to express myself in many ways.
- March 18, 2009 at 10:25 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Edie, KL cracked me up too. I would take on a third genre before I'd go for physical triplets. Yikes. When I had my first ultrasound, the tech scared the heck out of me, first by telling me there were two babies, then by searching for more!
I love your paranormal stories, btw. I hope I get to read more of them!
- March 18, 2009 at 10:28 AM
- Carolyn Matkowsky said...
Great blog, Misty. You've given me inspiration for my own writing. Your stories both sound wonderful. Good luck.
Carolyn Matkowsky/Cara Marsi
- March 18, 2009 at 10:35 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Carolyn, thanks for posting a comment! It's nice to be an inspiration once in awhile instead of a mother/nag. :)
Keep writing! I enjoy your contemporary romance voice very much!
- March 18, 2009 at 10:40 AM
- Cathy M said...
Hi Misty great blog post, it was so nice to get to know you. I too am the mother of twin's, though mine are identical and are actually St. Paddy's Day babies, to boot.
I haven't read your stories yet, but your excerpts have me wanting to remendy that, so funny. I have quite a few authors that I enjoy reading that give me wonderful stories in more than one genre. When I fall in love with an author's voice, I tend to follow them through out all their adventures.
- March 18, 2009 at 11:14 AM
- Nancy said...
Hello, darling Misty! (And darling Donnell!!)
I agree that it's fun to write in different genres, tho I'm pubbed in only one so far. I find, too, that if I get stuck on one project and work on the other, it kick starts me for the one I put aside.
My genres aren't as different as yours - paranormal mystery romance, and cozy mystery. Tho when I throw my fledging screen writing in the mix, I guess that's triplets. :)
Thanks for another excellent blog, Five Scribers!
- March 18, 2009 at 11:23 AM
- Channon said...
Hi Misty, WOW!! I do not know if I could handle twins. I had one at a time and still had problems. LOL I came over here from the Cafe. And Witches Anonyous sounds like fun. I really like anything paranormal. But my family still think I am never normal. HEE HEE.
- March 18, 2009 at 11:37 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Cathy, I do the same with favorite authors. Any genre they try, I will read. If I don't like it, well, nothing lost. I can return to one of their other genres. But if I DO like it, I've just opened up another avenue of reading adventures.
St. Paddy's Day twins? How cool!
- March 18, 2009 at 11:40 AM
- Helen Hardt said...
Misty, nice to meet you. Your books sound wonderful. I write in several genres myself, though they're all sub-genres of romance. I have two boys, too, though mine came three years apart, thank goodness! You moms of twins amaze me. I enjoyed your post!
- March 18, 2009 at 11:44 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Nancy, your paranormals are fabulous! I can't wait to read Last Vampire Standing.
Jumping from one genre to another is a great way to jumpstart creativity. If you get stuck with one story, spend time with a different one. Great idea!
Good luck with your cozies and the screenwriting!
- March 18, 2009 at 11:45 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Thanks, Helen. I don't know about the other twin moms here today, but for me the first year was...um...difficult. I came from the business world, was a Type A personality, and had read every book under the sun on motherhood and twins. All that went right out the window! Which left me a bit overwhelmed. Two babies and no sleep. Bad combination.
After the first year, things got much easier. Phew!
Romance sub-genres can still be very different in execution. Good luck with yours!
- March 18, 2009 at 11:49 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Hey, Channon! Are you recovered from yesterday's St. Pat's party at the Cafe? That was fun.
Having twins can be just as incredible as it is challenging. My kids are pretty cool and I'm glad they're two very different boys.
Thanks for stopping by.
- March 18, 2009 at 11:54 AM
- J K Maze said...
I love both, wouldn't be able to buy one and leave the other. That car scene is delicious. And the scene referring to Lucifer is intriguing. I'm drawn to stories about twins, maybe because I was one.
- March 18, 2009 at 12:53 PM
- Misty Evans said...
JK, glad you enjoyed the excerpts. I hope other readers will love both my genres as well.
Twins are fascinating. There are few stories out their for young twin boys. Wish someone would write some! Hardy Boy type stuff would be great, if anyone's listening!
- March 18, 2009 at 1:09 PM
- Donnell said...
By the way I'm disqualified from either entries because I own both books LOL. However, just had to say I read an excerpt listed on Samhain's website for Misty's new release. I read this version when it was a gleam in her eye, and it's so much deeper now. Well done, Misty. I'm popping off for the rest of the day, gang. Wanted to thank Misty for her thought-provoking article, for doing her give aways and for great entertainment. We'll let the winners know tomorrow! Happy reading and writing!
- March 18, 2009 at 1:15 PM
- jwhit said...
Thanks for this motivating post, Misty. I hope it's not too late for questions [I'm on the other side of the planet, so don't always get in on the game at the same time as other readers on here.]
1. Are you writing under your own name in both genres? And what was your thinking around that decision?
2. Do you have an agent for both genres. one for each, or an agent at all? What is their view on your branding choice?
3. I don't know how long you've been published, but assuming it's longer than these two books, have you received any feedback from readers on this choice to write in multiple genres?
Sorry if that is too much to go into. I don't have any pubs yet, but am thinking ahead, having written YA mystery, adult mystery, and developing a scifi project.
Thanks for any insight!!!
- March 18, 2009 at 5:07 PM
- Chiron said...
I love both excerpts!
Misty, I really relate these days, as I'm preparing my light, romantic women's fiction for release and simultaneously writing a psychic suspense. Both genres appeal to me for different reasons. The real key is I truly love both genres and both 'voices'.
Thanks for sharing your own story!
Chiron O'Keefe
- March 18, 2009 at 5:22 PM
- Misty Evans said...
Hi JWhit. Yes, I use my pen name Misty Evans for both genres. I considered taking a different name for my paranormals, but developing a whole other presense with a second pen name didn't appeal to me.
Many authors write under more than one name and make it work for them. I think it's all in your mindset. In my case, I didn't want to separate my writing images. It's a lot of work and I find it challenging enoug just to handle this one. LOL.
If you're looking for an agent and you have plans to become published in multiple genres, be sure you discuss this up front. You want an agent who will be as versatile as you are and able to support your career, whether you stay with one main genre or branch out into mulitple genres. I had one agent when I sold the first book in my Super Agent series (Operation Sheba). Witches Anonymous won a spot in Samhain's Tickle My Fantasy anthology through a contest I entered. And I submitted Paris on my own.
My editors were really key as far as believing in my stories. They don't worry about the diversity, only that I tell good stories. Their belief, which I share, is that readers will follow you as long as you produce emotionally satisfying stories.
My readers are my lifeblood! Ninety-nine percent of them read many genres, so my books give them a nice selection to pick from. There will be a third book in the thriller series and a sequel to WA coming up soon.
Good luck with your writing. YA is hot and I know my publisher is actively looking for space operas if your scifi happens to fit that genre...
- March 18, 2009 at 6:06 PM
- Misty Evans said...
Hi Chiron, sweetie! So glad you had time to stop by. You hit it on the head...both of your genres appeal to you for different reasons. Mine too. I think many of us have more than one version of our voice and it's fantastic when we can let both out to play. Some days we like to sing Streisand and some days we prefer The Beatles, right?
I love Sidekicks and can't wait to get my copy when it's released!!
- March 18, 2009 at 6:09 PM
- fcammer2 said...
Hi, Misty! I came over from the Samhain Cafe to visit you. Both of your books sound wonderful. I can't imagine having twins. I sweated it out both pregnancies though because twins and triplets are on both sides of mine and hubby's families. My paternal grandma was a twin. My dad has twin brothers. He also has a sister that was the only surviving child of triplets. On hubby's side, my father in law had an identical twin brother and my hubby has twin sisters. So the odds were definitely there. I tell both my daughters when you decide to have a family you might get it all at once. LOL!
- March 18, 2009 at 6:38 PM
- Misty Evans said...
Hi Sherry! Glad you could make it. Sounds like you dodged the twin bullet. Twins run on my mother's side, but until I had mine, there were not any twins for over twenty years. After mine were born, a cousin got pregnant with twins too. They say twins sometimes skip a generation. In our case, it seems true.
- March 18, 2009 at 7:15 PM
- Joanna Campbell Slan said...
Misty, I enjoyed your excerpts. You know, as a Gemini on the cusp of Cancer, I can sure relate about twins. I think there are two or three people roaming around inside me! You've done a wonderful job making your "separate" selves toe the line.
Joanna Campbell Slan
- March 19, 2009 at 9:03 AM
- Misty Evans said...
Joanna...another Gemini! Yay! I absolutely understand the two or three people inside me routine. To add to the Gemini state of things at my house-both my sons are Gemini, as is my mother. There are a lot of personalities running and clashing here.
- March 19, 2009 at 10:30 AM
- Donnell said...
Congratulations!!!! To Helen and Sherry: Misty drew your names and will give you either your choice of Witches Anonymous or I'd Rather be in Paris.
I will contact you privately. Thank you, Ms. Misty Evans for your twin conspiracy theories. I for one thing you're on to something!
- March 19, 2009 at 10:48 AM
- Cynde L. Hammond said...
Hi, Misty!
Whenever I see the words twin or triplet anywhere, my ears perk up. Our Family Tree is loaded with multiples on both sides, and oftentimes, they don't bother to skip generations.
So as not to bore you to tears, I'll just tell you that in our little family unit, my sister Sande and I are twins (originally triplets, but our sister, Cande died shortly after birth) and we also have a set of older twin step-sisters (all from my father). While growing up, you would not have known we had different mothers, even though my mother is MUCH MORE beautiful than the other woman...much! (In fact, she STILL is, at age 85!)
Sande and I could have been described as the typical twins that were exactly alike in every way. We dressed alike, got along well, were inseparable, and even had our own little "twin" language. We were so alike that when we had x-rays taken of our teeth for getting braces, the slides were mixed up and they discovered that even the SHADOWS were identical, so they ALL had to be redone! Even so, we were referred to as "mirror twins," for reasons I will share with you, IF I win your contest. If not, the world will be in suspense. (Just kidding! It's a long story, that's all...)
The other set of twins (my sisters), on the other hand, were called "identical," but were no more identical than most fraternals of today are. They looked very much alike, but not as much as Sande and I did. They didn't like the same things, nor did they have the same hobbies, but they DID marry brothers!
By the same token, my first husband was a twin and his twin wanted to marry my twin, but she said "no way!" Good thing, because I am no longer married to him.
I plan on writing a book about all of our twin escapades--of which there are many. We have had that twin connection all of our lives, where I feel her pain and we know what each other is thinking. I have even had her morning sickness and labor pains for her!
I don't think that this was quite what you were looking for, but I wanted share these things with you.
I enjoy your excerpts so much! Also, in answer to your question:
"Do you want to write twin genres?" My answer is a resounding, "Yes!"
In fact, right now, I'm working on my first novel, a crime-mystery type story for Young Adults. At the same time, I' ve been working on a short-story that's a surprise. I don't want to jinx it by saying what it is, but I'm having so much fun, that I'm contemplating switching over for good!
I hope I haven't talked your ear off completely! Continued success with your twins and your writing.
Cynde Hammond
- March 19, 2009 at 4:29 PM


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Results 1 to 10 of 10
03-27-2013, 04:35 AM #1Junior Member Guppy
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Posts
- 3
Please help all my tropical fish are dying
My tank is in serious trouble. It is a 50 gallon tank with one of those external filters....The filter is like about a foot tall cylinder with some fibris mats and some plastic cylinder like material in between the lairs. There is also a foot long bubbler stick in the bottom of the tank that runs around the clock as well and the water temperature is a constant 77-78 degrees 24 hours a day. The tank has been going for about 4-5 months now everything was going good....there was only maybe 8-9 small fish in it and a bunch of small weird snails that hitch hiked a ride on a live plant an started breeding. Fast forward to today now in the last 2 weeks alot of the snails are dead as well as all the fish but 2 of the same species. I am sorry I do not know the species it is a neon yellow fish with a tiny red spot on it's forhead. An now even one of these fish is now looking not very well and is swimming sideways and at times it seems like he is gasping for air although he is doing it while underwater. He seems to get around pretty well albeit swimming sideways the other fish seems to be fine atm. I do not know what is wrong the only thing I have atm that I can use to test the water is a PH strip which came up as 6.8. I feel really bad and I wan't do help this fish and not lose these last two and get the tank back in order and I feel really bad that I neglected it and let all the fish die. Any idea what is going on here? Other then the fish swimming sideways I can't see anything physically wrong with it. I have not cleaned the filter at all as my brother has had fish for many years and I asked him if the filter needs to be cleaned and he keeps telling me no.
Last edited by Arkmind; 03-27-2013 at 04:37 AM.
Without knowing your water maintenance routine, it's difficult to tell but I would guess your fish have ammonia or nitrite poisoning. Do an immediate water change. 75% would be good.
Tomorrow, buy an API master liquid water test kit and check ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
If either the ammonia and or the nitrites are above .50 then you have your answer as I suggested above. Do another water change and keep doing them until both are below .50.30 g FW planted:corys, female ABNP, blue angel, harleys, zebra danios, rummies,
15 g FW planted:2 male guppies, neons, pygmy corys, clown pleco, 4 types of shrimp, assassin snails
90 Gal Journal: http://bit.ly/1vC7gVX
fishless cycling: http://bit.ly/1DARf3T
fish in cycling: http://bit.ly/1ILvcfp
03-27-2013, 05:01 AM #3Junior Member Guppy
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Posts
- 3
And you didn't change water because? A 30% water change now with water you've treated with a conditioner against chlorine is a good idea.
Not cleaning the filter isn't necessarily a bad thing. Cleaning it without knowing what you're doing makes things worse.My 33 gallon/125 liter tank. My photography on flickr.
03-27-2013, 05:38 AM #5Junior Member Guppy
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Posts
- 3
I keep forgetting, not everyone believes in being prepared when keeping pets.
OK, next top tip, find a piece of hose somewhere, I use 6mm hose but in your state anything will do, and start syphoning that muck from the bottom once it's settled.My 33 gallon/125 liter tank. My photography on flickr.
The tank is probably cycled because you never did any filter maintenance. Because you never took water out or cleaned the gravel, the the nitrates and dissolved solids in the water are probably at toxic levels and that is probably what is killing your fish. As talldutchie says, get something to siphon the gunk out of the bottom of the tank and start doing water changes. You will also need to clean the filter media in clean water, because you have well water you don't have to worry about the dechlorinater, and put it back in the filter.
Last edited by mommy1; 03-27-2013 at 07:17 AM.When I go fishing I just throw sharp rocks in the water and wait for the dead fish to float to the top... Kingfisher
Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes that reason is you are stupid and make bad decisions.
I think my fish is adjusting well to the four gallon, He's laying on his side attempting to go to sleep on the bottom of the gravel.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Dear naps, sorry I hated you so much when I was a child... Love me
That filter can wait a few days more. Let's get the worst of the bottom first
Agree with mommy1. Fish need clean, fresh water changes. Most of us change water weekly, for me 50%. Water is replaced in the wild by water moving in and moving out and rains. You can not expect fish to live for long in a closed up system that never gets changed or cleaned. I expect that your nitrates are sky high. Your pH is fine tho. Replacing the filter media will set the cycle back but rinsing it out regularly in tank water you are tossing out will not.....or in a pail of dechlorinatored water. You do not mention what filter you have but often on larger tanks, two filters are used so one can be cleaned and then a couple weeks later, the other.
Now that I know you have never made a water change, I agree with the above posters. Your tank is most likely cycled and your problem is from the poor water quality.
When you get your API liquid test kit also pick up a gravel siphon. You can use it to change your water and to clean all the waste from the bottom of the tank. What you are stirring up is not just food, it's fish poo.
Once you get all of the waste vacced out, and start a regular weekly water change regiment, you should see much improvement in your fish health.
Good luck and I would advise reading the free e-book here on the forum. It will give you many insights on fishkeeping that will benefit you and your fish.
Good luck.30 g FW planted:corys, female ABNP, blue angel, harleys, zebra danios, rummies,
15 g FW planted:2 male guppies, neons, pygmy corys, clown pleco, 4 types of shrimp, assassin snails
90 Gal Journal: http://bit.ly/1vC7gVX
fishless cycling: http://bit.ly/1DARf3T
fish in cycling: http://bit.ly/1ILvcfp


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I finally found some time to look at the archiver code for Mailman. I made a small fix to it long ago and Barry never let me forget :-).
I fixed the archiver so that it generates useful HTML pages for mail messages that use non-ASCII character sets, either in the message body or in the headers (using encoded-words). It looks like it's working; I see lots of non-Roman characters where I used to see line noise. I also spent a lot of time refactoring the code; it had far too many long methods, including several that were almost line-for-line duplicates of the same method in a superclass.


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Manufacturer: Nakajima Manufacturer: XTZ 2 Results
XTZ EarPhone-12
The new XTZ EarPhone-12 with a dedicated iOS app for DSP sound correction will blow your mind! The EarPhone-12 is our first earphone ever! Obviously, as you could expect from XTZ, we went for something completely new. The idea behind this project was not only to create a good earphone, maybe with an excellent price/quality ratio, but to build something revolutionary, something that expresses...
Kuromi Glam Earphones
Enjoy your favorite music the super stylish way with this neat Kuromi glam earphone. The ideal accessory for your iPod or other audio players. The cute design features Kuromi with shimmery pink metallic highlights. Digital stereo sound. Super lightweight.


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Updated on 28 November 2012
ASTAR technology transfer arm ETPL earmarks 5 hotspots to boost innovation pipeline in Singapore
Singapore: ETPL, the technology transfer arm of A*STAR, has earmarked five innovation clusters or hotspots aimed at strengthening Singapore's research and business ecosystem. Its goal is to drive a consistent pipeline of technologies for commercialization as well as build clusters of industries around these hotspots.
Spanning both the biomedical science and engineering sectors, the focus areas include, diagnostics, anti-microbials, and bio-imaging among others. These areas were selected based on market potential as well as the strength and leadership of A*STAR's research in those areas. Patent strength in technologies that support the hotspots was also a factor, along with the speed at which each hotspot is likely to mature, deliver results, and reach leadership position.
"Technology transfer isn't just about numbers and revenue," said ETPL CEO Mr Philip Lim. "ETPL's role includes creating new jobs, transforming industry and giving Singapore businesses a competitive edge. The world beyond 2012 will rely increasingly on ecosystems of partnership for success. Moving ahead, we will continue our focus on integrative industry engagement and look to becoming international in our outlook as well as commandeering industry leadership for all technology transfer services."
ETPL, which was set up in January 2002 to commercialize the outcomes of A*STAR's research institutes and to consolidate the research organisation's patent portfolio, today manages more than 3,500 active patents and applications, has granted more than 400 licences for A*STAR technologies, with expected revenues of more than $500 million, has spun off more than 40 start-ups, and serves diverse industries including biotechnology, ICT, manufacturing and shipping among others.
In 2011 alone, ETPL achieved 40 percent of its five-year targets for licences as well as realized imputed commercial value, defined as the revenue that the licensee is expected to generate from incorporating the technology. Its patent utilization rate tripled year-on-year and it saw double-digit growth in the number of A*STAR start-ups.
Editor's Pick
Featured Links
Survey Box


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Please complete the form and click the submit button. This will notify our store that you wish to reserve this product.Our store will contact you to confirm the reservation.Please do not travel until the store has contacted you.
Please double check your phone number, if it is incorrect we will be unable to contact you.
We aim to get back to you within the hour, during shop hours (please see store details), to confirm your reservation. If you do not hear from us then please resend the request.
Kaija Saariaho's La Passion De Simone was commissioned jointly by the Vienna Festival, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Barbican London and Lincoln Center New York.


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Podshock? There's an App for That!
Stay on top of your favourite podcast, plus get bonus exclusives with the new DW Podshock Companion App for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad. It is an inexpensive way to help support the podcast while keeping up with news, podcast episodes, the Twitter feed, and exclusive content available through the app.
It is a universal app, so it runs in native resolution on both the Apple iPhone/iPod touch as well as the iPad. When you launch it, you will see a splash screen featuring the familiar faces of the podcast hosts. From there you can explore news stories, podcast episodes, the latest on our Twitter feed ( @Podshock ), and exclusives just for the app (these are different than DWP Extra Edition episodes).
Free Rose and Everything Changes
Apple iTunes is currently offering selected science fiction series premiere episodes for free. "For a limited time, download the first episodes of these series for free and own their first seasons for a great price"
Included in the offerings is Doctor Who (Rose) and Torchwood (Everything Changes (both SD and HD versions)). Other series include the recently re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, Fringe, Heroes, Stargate SG-1, Eureka, Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Stargate Atlantis, Robin Hood, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Again, we don't know how long this will last as it only states "for a limited time" - so get them while you can.
Links to episodes:
Where to Watch New Doctor Who…
One of the questions we are asked often is how to watch the new (2010) episodes of Doctor Who. As one might guess, these questions for the most part come from outside of the UK. Obviously for those in the UK, one just has to check the Radio Times listings to see where and when they can watch new episodes of Doctor Who on the various BBC channels and/or the BBC iPlayer.
Outside of the UK though, it is trickier, but there are various choices. It comes down to the digital medium, be it digital downloads, streaming, or on a physical disc or transmission/broadcast medium (which today is digital as well, but we get too technical here).
Doctor Who Premiere is the Highest Rated Telecast Ever on BBC America!
BBC America had its ratings records broken with the premiere of Doctor Who this past Saturday, the 17th of April, 2010. It delivered 1.2 million viewers (live and same day viewers) making it the highest rated telecast ever for BBC America! Doctor Who is also the currently the number 1 TV series in the Apple iTunes store (see links below).
Here is a breakdown of the ratings for Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour on BBC America:
|The Doctor Who premiere on Saturday, April 17 was BBC AMERICA's best Live + Same Day P2+ rating (.68) and delivery ever (1,196,000).
|The Doctor Who premiere on Saturday, April 17 was BBC AMERICA's best Live + Same Day A25-54 rating (.89) and delivery ever (682,000).
|In Live + Same Day coverage rating, BBC AMERICA premiere beat SYFY's season premieres for Doctor Who seasons 2-4 in P2+ and P25-54.
|The .89 in P25-54 coverage rating for the Doctor Who premiere on Saturday, April 17 ranked #2 among all ad supported cable nets in its time period (9-10:10PM).
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour Now On iTunes
If you missed Matt Smith's first full episode as the Doctor on BBC America, you can now purchase the episode from Apple's iTunes. Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour is now available on iTunes (in the US).
If your television service provider doesn't carry BBC America, don't let that stop you from enjoying the exciting new series of Doctor Who.
Link to the entire episode from iTunes here:
Link to the season pass for the new series:
The Cultdom Collective Podcast now on iTunes!
The Cultdom Collective Podcast Talkshoe ID 54821 with daveac and Ian, The 6th Doctor, is now on iTunes - subscribe - http://tinyurl.com/nvgkxb
Cheers, daveac
Doctor Who: Podshock Feeds
Subscribe to our podcast feed to get each episode of Doctor Who: Podshock automatically using either Apple iTunes or your favourite podcast ("catcher") client software. While iTunes is great and easy to use, you may want more features and functions for subscribing to podcasts. Simply copy and paste our feed address into your favourite podcast "catcher" client.


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Damnit man.
You think I might be screwing with things, again ?
Damnit man.
You think I might be screwing with things, again ?
Just had to reply to Mikal today -
Don't know about the Midway, but we've been to the Intrepid in NYC, and recently to visit the Yorktown in Charleston, SC. The Intrepid has more planes in better condition (though she's in drydock now). The Yorktown was awesome, due to all of the access they give you to the ship. Enjoy these pics ...
Another BT web site bites the dust. The story has hit Slyck already ...
OK, so I posted here.
I don't even post to my own mod virg often enough these days.
There's a penguin sitting on my desk, and I'm not out sailing the Atlantic any more for now, though I do rejoice at having executed such an evil plan from the long dead Badvogato ! I have a donkey hanging in efigy over my desk.
: )
We got a phone call the other day, from Dr. Baptiste about our old TLDs and some oposition to ICANN that's going on from the EU. WTF ? I hope you all enjoy competition amongst registrars and the new accepted TLD options available.
Are we all having fun yet ?
I'm not dead yet.
I changed diapers today !
I've been screwing with the trust metrics at badvogato today.
Mr. Stewart - I built an 8K memory board from scratch for my little brother's Sinclair ZX80 back when I was 13... We still have my old Osborne II 'round here, along with a copy of 'tiny c'. Anybody got an old Altair they'd like to let go of ? Maybe a Sol 20 ?
Journeyer ?
Maybe I should visit here more often ...
New HTML Parser: The long-awaited libxml2 based HTML parser code is live. It needs further work but already handles most markup better than the original parser.
Keep up with the latest Advogato features by reading the Advogato status blog.
If you're a C programmer with some spare time, take a look at the mod_virgule project page and help us with one of the tasks on the ToDo list!


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Bile is a digestive juice that your liver produces. Your gallbladder stores it, and from there, it flows into the upper part of your small intestine to help you digest food. At the same time, your pancreas produces juices that are important for digestion. Both bile and your pancreatic juices flow to your small intestine through a common duct that is opened and closed by a round valve. The valve is a muscle called the sphincter of Oddi.
In rare cases, the sphincter of Oddi goes into spasm. It clamps shut and cannot relax. This is called Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD). The condition causes intense belly pain. Your digestive juices back up into your pancreas and into the bile ducts of your liver.
Doctors aren't sure why SOD happens, but you're most at risk for this condition if you've had your gallbladder removed. If you have had gastric bypass weight-loss surgery, you may also develop it.
The main symptom of SOD is severe abdominal pain that comes and goes. All the symptoms can feel similar to a gallbladder attack. You may have pain in your upper abdomen that seems to move, or radiate, into your right shoulder. You may also have chest pain that feels like a heart attack. Symptoms that go along with the abdominal pain include:
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Each year, about half a million people in the U.S. have their gallbladder removed. Up to 20 percent of people may have some symptoms of SOD afterward. Risk factors for SOD are similar to those for gallbladder disease. They include:
Being female
Being middle-aged or older
Having high cholesterol
Having had gastric bypass surgery for weight loss
Your doctor may suspect SOD if you have bouts of abdominal pain after your gallbladder was taken out. Of the 10 to 20 percent of people who have abdominal pain after this procedure, about half will have blood tests, imaging tests, or other diagnostic tests that suggest SOD. These tests may include:
Blood tests for higher-than-normal liver or pancreatic enzymes
Ultrasound of the bile duct, liver, or pancreas
MRCP, or magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography, an imaging study of the bile and pancreatic ducts
ERCP, endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography, a procedure that looks directly inside the duct system while taking pictures and measuring pressure
Your doctor may also test you for SOD if you are feeling severe abdominal pain after recovery from a gastric bypass surgery.
Treatment of SOD depends on the type you have. It's also affected by how severe your symptoms are. If diagnostic tests show that your symptoms stem from a backup of digestive juices into your liver or pancreas and you are having frequent symptoms, you may have your sphincter of Oddi muscle cut surgically during an ERCP exam. This procedure is called sphincterotomy. It's generally effective and relieves symptoms of SOD about 70 percent of the time.
If you have type III SOD, you have symptoms of SOD, but your diagnostic tests do not show actual evidence of blockage or backup of digestive juices. Treatment for type III SOD starts with medications like pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and occasionally antidepressants. Sphincterotomy is done only if medications don't help.
Most complications of SOD are seen in people who need to have their bile duct system examined. Up to 10 percent of people develop pancreatitis after the medical procedure ERCP, with or without surgery to cut the sphincter. Pancreatitis is a severe swelling and irritation of the pancreas. This complication usually clears up within a few days of hospital treatment, but for a few people it may result in weeks or months of hospitalization.
Complications from surgically cutting the sphincter of Oddi may include bleeding, infection, and delayed narrowing of the duct system because of scarring.
Let your doctor know about severe abdominal pain that is not going away or keeps coming back. Also, let your doctor know if you have these symptoms, especially after gallbladder surgery:
If you have an SOD diagnosis or you are recovering from sphincterotomy, follow all your doctor's orders. Take all your medications as directed, and make sure your doctor knows about any other medications you take, including over-the-counter medicines, supplements, or herbs.
Tips for living with SOD include:
Avoiding alcohol
Not smoking
Avoiding high-fat foods
Controlling cholesterol
Maintaining a healthy weight
Eating smaller, more frequent meals


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International Songwriters Tour
|Here's Oskar Nyman from Finland, along with Tiffany Shea from Nashville TN. They're a part of the International Songwriters Tour, and Oskar is a big fan of the Voyage-Air guitar. He proudly plays it on stage.
The International Songwriters Tour features Nanna & Andreas Larsen from Denmark, Ashley Fayth from Newfoundland, Canada, Oskar Nyman of Jerry Lindqvist and the Grace from Finland, and Tiffany Shea from Nashville, TN/Austin, TX.
Each are being mentored by Robert Singerman (NYC) who, after 35 years in the music industry, is known for discovering new talent. Robert Singerman helped launch the careers of REM, 10,000 Maniacs, Violent Femmes, Smithereens, among others, He also founded Roadrunner Records and Gigmaven, which eventually became ReverbNation.
In 2011, these artists performed Official Showcases at CMJ Conference in NYC, Cutting Edge Music Conference in New Orleans, and are now touring from Memphis to showcase at SXSW Music Conference in Austin, then on to showcase at the CMW Music Conference in Toronto, Canada, performing 20 shows in 25 days. Click here for tour dates.
|Photos by Milton Adams
International Songwriters Tour 2012
Hello from Nashville, Tennessee! My name is Tiffany Shea, and I am thrilled to introduce the 1st Annual International Songwriters Tour, consisting of artists and musicians from Denmark, Finland, Canada, Brazil and the US, who are performing 20 shows in 25 days.
The tour starts in Memphis on March 2nd and goes to Austin (via New Orleans and Northeast Texas) for official showcases at South by Southwest, and ends in Toronto, with each artist officially performing at Canadian Music Week Conference and Festival.
Tour Dates:
- Saturday, March 3- Dru's Place (9 pm); Memphis, TN
- Monday, March 5- Bluebird Cafe (5 pm), Dan McGuiness Girls' Night (9pm); Nashville, TN
- Tuesday, March 6- Billy Block Show; The Rutledge (7 pm); Nashville, TN
- Wednesday, March 7- Bunganut Pig (8 pm); Franklin, TN
- Thursday, March 8- The Big Top Gallery (8 pm); New Orleans, LA
- Friday, March 9- Harmony Chapel (7 pm); Ben Wheeler, TX
- Saturday, March 10- The Iron Horse Pub (8 pm); Wichita Falls, TX (opening for Tiffany Shea Band)
- Sunday, March 11- J Gilligans (6 pm); Arlington, TX (Tiffany Shea Band Homecoming Show - pending)
- March 12-17, SXSW Music Conference; Austin, TX
- Wednesday, March 14- Iguana Grill (6-9pm), Austin, TX
- Thursday, March 15 – Cutting Edge Music Conference SXSW Stage; Victory Grill, Austin, TX (Individual Showcase Times TBA)
- Friday, March 16 – Waterloo Ice House, 6pm-2am; Austin, TX (pending)
- Saturday, March 17 – (Afternoon Performances) Love. On the Lawn @ Mercury Mambo; Austin, TX
- Saturday, March 18 – Waterloo Ice House, 6pm-2am; Austin, TX (pending)
- March 20-25: Canadian Music Week Conference; Toronto, Canada (Individual Showcases TBA)
How did these artists end up together?
These artists were introduced by Robert Singerman (NYC), who is known for discovering and developing new talent, and is a forerunner in the exploration and development of new concepts in the music industry. He has worked in the music business for over thirty years, representing at various times R.E.M., Gipsy Kings, James Brown, Suzanne Vega among others. He has founded US labels; Fetish and Roadrunner (Rush, Nickelback, Lenny Kravitz), and has been meticulously involved in album and TV production; music supervision and consulting; co-founding music incubator and internet consulting firms, and is a partner in a French management firm.
He founded and then directed the EU funded European Music Office in the US for 3.5 years, and the French Music Export Office of North America for 5 years (through 2008). He has a long history of working with European professionals in music export offices to develop their artists and labels.
His current mission is creating a system of subtitling and dubbing solutions to make music truly universal and global. He is working with partners in a new company and non profit, to create (as Jon Pareles called it in his NY Times blog) a "world-pop utopia," so that fans everywhere can understand lyrics in their own language in real time with the music. He is also currently working with the Brazil Music Export Office.Singerman has been both a consultant and panelist at major music conferences in the US, including SXSW in Austin and CMJ in New York City; additionally at CMW in Toronto, and other conferences around the world including those in Brazil, Paris,Warsaw, Berlin, and Los Angeles. He has also worked in conjunction with the World Cultural Economic Forum.
In the summer of 2011, Singerman coached a songwriting camp in Austria, where he met and worked with Finnish artist Jerry Lindqvist, as well as singer/songwriters Ashley Fayth from Newfoundland, Canada and Nanna Larsen from Denmark. In September, Singerman was a panelist at the Cutting Edge Music Conference in New Orleans, where he met and heard the music of Texan artist, Tiffany Shea, who currently resides in Nashville.
In October, at the invitation of Singerman, these artists played an official CMJ showcase together in NYC. They all discussed co-touring in 2012, starting with SXSW in March. As a seasoned US touring veteran, Tiffany Shea agreed to coordinate and book a tour from Nashville to Austin and then up to Toronto for CMW; co-producing alongside Singerman the "First Annual International Songwriters Tour."
Robert Singerman's quote regarding this tour:
International Songwriting Treat!
A wonderful evening awaits if you take the chance to hear these 5 singer-songwriters/ bands from around the globe. Following their Manhattan CMJ Music Marathon concerts together last fall, they have joined up to tour the Southeast, culminating in showcasing at SXSW and Canadian Music Week in Toronto. Do your soul a favor and spend the evening with them, you'll be glad you did!
Artists Websites:
Finland: www.jerrylindqvist.com
Denmark: www.nannalarsen.com
Brazil: www.tiemusica.com.br
Nashville: www.tiffanyshea.com
Canada: www.ashleyfayth.com
Find all of these Artists on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation, SonicBids - Buy Tour Merch at www.cafepress.com/internationalsongwriterstour2012


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Bashar Assad wasn't the only person paying protesters lately.
A Lebanese man who rushed the border in last month's Naqba Day incident told The Guardian:
One demonstrator who was wounded that day told the Guardian the Lebanese militia Hezbollah had given him $50 to turn up at the border and $900 to have his gunshot wounds treated by physicians. He said he had been planning to return to Maroun al-Ras yesterday until the rally was cancelled.
So the Palestinian Spring sponsored by Hezbollah and Assad is neither Palestinian, nor Spring.
A few years ago, David Brooks pointed out that the Palestinian cause was being co-opted by outsiders — then Iran and Hezbollah. Add Assad to the list — with 38 Syrians killed in Idlib, Naksa's a fantastic distraction. As Dominic Waghorn puts it:
Using Palestinians as pawns is one of a dwindling number of cards held by Bashar al Assad.
Where have you gone, Yasser Arafat?
Related reading: Naksa Day: Plotted Paydirt, Not Popular Palestinian Protest


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The M.Ed. in TESL program at RIC exceeded my expectations. It was an opportunity to study the theory and practice of language teaching alongside peers from diverse teaching backgrounds. Language teaching is a huge field, but the courses that I took were an excellent sampling of its various aspects. In addition to methods classes, I was also able to study language acquisition theory, linguistics, educational technology, curriculum design, and assessment.
One of the most valuable elements of the program was the teaching practicum. I had the opportunity to spend many hours in the classroom of a highly experienced teacher. I was able to observe her teaching and to teach several classes under her guidance. The program director also observed two of the classes that I taught and wrote formal observations. Their feedback was invaluable.
I am now working as a level coordinator at the Preparation Center for Languages and Mathematics at Mahidol University International College, which is located in Salaya, Thailand. The curriculum is currently being updated to reflect current theory in language teaching, and I am able to put the knowledge I gained at RIC to use. Without having completed higher studies in education, I would have been neither qualified nor knowledgeable enough to participate in this project. The TESL program at RIC developed areas of my teaching that I have previously neglected, such as the integration of technology into instruction, and it prepared me for my current employment by giving me a solid understanding of theory.


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China Southern Airlines upgauging one of its twice daily services to an Airbus A380 from today.
Sydney Airport today welcomed China Southern Airlines" first Airbus A380 service, which further strengthens Sydney Airport"s status as Australia"s primary gateway to China.
"Sydney Airport is excited to welcome China Southern"s A380 aircraft on the popular Guangzhou-Sydney route in time for the busy holiday season and ahead of Chinese New Year," Sydney Airport Chief Executive Officer, Kerrie Mather, said.
"This additional A380 for Sydney will add more than 160,000 annual seats, boosting tourism and trade between Australia and China, delivering a further estimated $100 million in additional annual visitor expenditure to the New South Wales economy, and providing an associated increase in jobs.
"Close to 400,000 Chinese resident visitors visited Sydney in the past financial year. Chinese passengers are consistently our highest growing passenger group – with annual growth averaging almost 14 per cent over the past four years – and last year became our second largest international passenger group.
"China provides a huge tourism opportunity for Sydney and it"s essential that we"re well placed to serve this important market. At Sydney Airport, we"re ensuring we"re "China-ready" for our Chinese customers, with our iPhone and Android apps, mobile website and desktop website all now available in simplified Chinese.
"We"ve also installed Chinese wayfinding signage and introduced Mandarin-speaking Red Ambassadors to assist our Chinese customers."
Since 2009, China Southern"s number of annual passengers has increased by 167 per cent. It is the fourth airline to fly the A380 to Sydney, which is quieter and more efficient than the older A330 aircraft it replaces.
Sydney Airport is now the world"s fifth busiest A380 airport – catering to 120 flights per week – and is a hub for next generation aircraft.
It is also Australia"s gateway to China, with seven airlines currently serving greater China from Sydney, providing more than 90 frequencies per week.
Laura Stevens
Manager, Media and Communications
(02) 9667 6477 or 0437 033 479


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Local Kombat Onesti Sells Out In A Day, Event Tomorrow
- Written by Rian Scalia
Local Kombat has been around in Romania for a long time, even before SuperKombat, and is powered by SuperKombat and Eduard Irimia. Its Bodyguard Finale event back in June drew 15 000 people, which is probably the biggest attendance for a kickboxing event in the world this year.
Local Kombat Onesti takes place tomorrow in Onesti, Romania, with the weigh-ins having taken place today. We previously posted the fight card, which features a wide array of Local Kombat national title fights, featuring many of Romania's up and coming kickboxers. Special guests on hand will be Raul Catinas, Mighty Mo, Sebastian Ciobanu, Andrei Stoica and Benjamin Adegbuyi.
The event is set up for 1800 people, but all it took was one day for it to sell out. SuperKombat, Local Kombat and ultimately Eduard Irimia in are highly successful in Romania, with the success continuing here and likely continuing for the SuperKombat WGP 2012 Final in Bucharest on December 22.


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Latest Headlines
Redskins Trade Downs Get More Picks
Posted on 2 May 2011 by Mercedes Green.
Second Round The Redskins take DL Jarvis Jenkins (Clemson) for their 9th pick in the second round. Jenkins is 6'4" and 310 lbs of a potential nose tackle or DE in the newly formed 3-4 defence. The Redskins were due to pick at #17 (49th overall) but trade down to Colts for 53rd and 152nd They then trade down the 53rd pick to Chicago for 62nd and 127th. Redskins trade down again for picks ...


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By Rheta Grimsley Johnson
They died on the same day, and they both sang heartfelt renditions of old-fashioned country music. That's about all the two men had in common.
George Jones, everyone knew about. He was one of those artists that even young people liked, those who turn up their noses at country music. "Contrarian hip," the Los Angeles Times called Jones.
He struggled with drink and drugs and women, most famously his former wife Tammy Wynette. When Tammy took away his car keys, George drove the riding lawnmower to the liquor store. They nicknamed him "No Show Jones" because of the concerts he missed.
His life, or much of it, was like his songs – all rheumy-eyed and bone-weary.
The other man, the other singer, was Braxton Schuffert, who you may or may not have heard about. He helped Hank Williams start his first band when Hank was 15 and Braxton 21. Schuffert remained a hero and father figure to Hank all of Hank's short life. Brack – as his friends called him – ultimately made a career driving a Hormel meat truck, not singing.
Schuffert was a family man in the ultimate sense, turning down Hank's repeated requests that Brack go on the road to make music. At Hank's behest, Brack made a record, which was popular, but Schuffert wouldn't leave his family to go on the road to promote his songs, even at Hank's insistence.
He still loved music, though. Into his late 90s, Brack was still playing and singing for fun, telling his Hank stories to anyone interested. A heap of us were.
Brack's life was as straight as an envelope edge, and the music he wrote was mostly religious. At one point, Brack stopped singing Hank songs for a while after a conversion experience.
They are a study in contrasts, Brack and George. I appreciate them both.
I loved how ol' George could pull a phrase through a shredder then put it back together again on the other side. "We used to drink Blue Nun in Room Number 321, over the river where we weren't well known …"
And for a singer who didn't write his own lyrics, George copped some great lines, including those he resisted recording because he thought them too maudlin: "He Stopped Loving Her Today."
All of this brings up that question that gets asked a lot, about artists and writers but most often about musicians. Do you have to live the life you sing about to make it work, to make it authentic? Did Hemingway and Faulkner have to drink to think, does Willie have to roll one to roll on?
And did Hank have to suffer through matrimonial hell to write classics with such believable cold and cheatin' hearts?
I suspect there's a link between country music and the thirsty muse. Oh, shoot, I know there is. Sad to say for the artists involved, and there are exceptions. Think Kitty Wells, the singing Church Lady.
But nobody happy and fat is going to sound lean and full of longing, either in print or on stage. If you don't know heartache, pain, jealousy, distrust or a hangover, nine times out of 10 you aren't going to sound convincing writing or singing about it.
Brack Schuffert was a good picker, and a terrific and happy man. George Jones was a fierce battle still raging.
To find out more about RHETA GRIMSLEY JOHNSON and her books, visit www.rhetagrimsleyjohnsonbooks.com. She is a syndicated coolumnist who lives near Iuka. Contact her at Iuka, MS 38852.


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I followed a link Raph mentioned recently to David McCusker's site. I was amazed at the openness with which David shares his personal life and seemingly, intentionally with the general public. Here is a quandary for me. Reading a personal diary evokes a personal response. But I don't David at all (well, apart from what I've read). Are social norms sufficiently different in this context from regular conversational contexts that a response to (hard) personal matters from a stranger would be normal here? The additional, complication is that not everything I would like to say seems appropriate for 'first contact'. More specifically, if a friend were to unburden his heart to me there is an openness in the friendship that allows both comfort and criticism. Can this level of familiarity be forged in a moment? I don't think so and that leads me to say that a response is more likely to come from someone who has an established relationship with David already. But in that case why is everyone told? In any case, having publically aired my confusion, I will say that I hope for the best for all involved without going into what exactly that means.
While refactoring some Quixotic code I obliterated large chunks of working code accidently. Coupled with the increasing need to organize my Makefile into something sensible I attempted a swan dive into the GNU pool. Having crawled out of the pool I now have stinging, red skin from the gigantic belly flop.
More specifically I tried to start a personal CVS repository, conquer the auto* tools and perform experimentation with gcc, gdb and gprof simultaneously. I am slightly confused by what happened. I don't think there are any conceptual barriers to the tools; in fact I'm fairly sure I understand what need each of them addresses. On the other hand, I'm not as surprised as I might make it sound. I've known for a long time why I haven't approached many of the tools - they seem inflexible and inelegant.
That may sound harsh but that's not my intention. I feel the need to explain further but have the dreaded feeling that this is going to come out all wrong. Nonetheless I'll try to give a few examples (which may not be strictly true of the GNU tools but hopefully are generally true of the way they're used -- see I'm qualifying already):
So using Makefiles you can cross-compile to a plethora of platforms, write shell scripts, call any external tools you need and its inflexible?
no structure to create within
The majority of a platforms (to my limited knowledge) which the auto* tools are used on are Unix variants with frustratingly petty differences (my impression, I remain ignorant). It is nice to be isolated from these differences as much as possible. Nicer still would be to fix stupid differences. Shells are not guarenteed but may be entrenched. Bash scripting also has excellently archaic syntax. External tools become dependencies which need to be pre-installed and as such are used only in a restricted manner.
structure to create within is anoying :)
Hardcoded directory format and files. The guts of the build process are always hanging out all over the place. I'd prefer build related files to be somewhere nice like in a directory called build.
- no structure to create within
strange consistency and cyrptic historically evolved techniques (survival of the obscure?)
bin_PROGRAMS = helloThis may be familiar to some and its not a major conceptual barrier - its an annoyance barrier. Why did compound words suddenly appear and taken on special meanining? It just doesn't *feel* right. Configure.in and Makefile.am *seem* like a gigantic bundle of IFs, GOTOs and black boxes (M4 macros).
hello_SOURCES = hello.h hello.cc main.cc
This point could be summarized by saying that using Makefiles isn't an a-ha or clean or fun experience. Its more of 'alright here we go..." manual labour kind of thing.
Hierarchies and relationships appear to be hard to accomplish in a clean manner.
It seems hard to make multiple build pathways (ie. different compilers, or different compiler flags, etc.). It seems harder still to visualize these pathways as time goes on. It appears difficult to chain makefiles together efficiently in, to sub-projects, or out, to connect broader projects together.
Poor means of establishing boundaries and contexts
For instance, I'd like to be able to create a project with sub-projects which might be shared libraries, or loadable modules, or give a name to some aspect of the project which I treat as some kind of unity. More broadly it seems that there is a lack of ability to name things and then refer to things by name.
- strange consistency and cyrptic historically evolved techniques (survival of the obscure?)
While I'm on the soapbox, I'll also take this opportunity to say that it has been my experience that this is a universal problem. Makefile problems seem to be a very common frustration when experimenting with source, the easiest thing for maintainers to dismiss, the least likely to be fixed and the most prone to magic hand-waving explanations ("experts only please") rather than thorough investigations.
Also, bear in mind that this is more of an emotional rant borne of ignorance and mild frustration.
Oh, and finally, several auto* tutorials and sites recommend reading the "Recursive Makefiles considered harmful" document. Are these techniques in practical use anywhere?
Drex & a creamy white paper request
This was what I was going to talk about originally so I'll keeping going despite the length of this post.
I've also been thinking of beginning to develop some of the concepts for Drex Authoring (-ing in a title is weird isn't it?) that I've thought about. I prefer the term authoring to the processing of words but it will have similarities to a word processor - ie. content is predominantly text. However, presentation of the content will exist symbiotically with the content rather than being integrated with it. More simply, the content can be created/edited and presented separately as needed. Drex Authoring is entirely about on-screen editing so I don't want to deal with physical limits like pages. I'd like the text to be displayed larger than your average word processor text (probably pseudo-zoomable), wrapping to fit the screen not the page but with typographic quality spacing. Additionally, I'd like a creamy white paper texture rather than a stark white fill for the background. Think of the nicest paper you've seen and nice crisp, black letters and that's it. I'd like to find a good procedural algorithm for the creamy paper to consistently generate the same texture results for a given (x,y) offset given a random seed (ie. no tiling).


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The fall shotgun turkey season in Illinois is getting close. It's only 9 days away now. We've been seeing lots of turkeys and both Doris and I have our guns and gear ready. We can hardly wait.
Turkeybuster wrote:Hope ya'll have a good season ours will start on thr 29 th. Ready on this end also!
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This is a good sub for a small system. At first the suspension is very stiff but over time it will loosen up and this woofer be at it full potential. I have had mine for a year now and it sounds great, i only have it running on about 110 watts and it is awesome, especially for only 30 bucks. Just the other day i played some test tones from 5hz-70hz. The woofer took it like a champ, I heard no distortion and at the end of the 30 min test the coil wasnt even warm!
Expert Service 1-661-257-9993 [Hours]


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NEW YORK (Reuters) Confidential diplomatic cables from the U.S. embassies in Beijing and Hong Kong lay bare China's growing influence as America's largest creditor.
As the U.S. Federal Reserve grappled with the aftershocks of financial crisis, the Chinese, like many others, suffered huge losses from their investments in American financial firms -- from Lehman Brothers to the Primary Reserve Fund, the money market fund that broke the buck.
The cables, obtained by WikiLeaks, show that escalating Chinese pressure prompted a procession of soothing visits from the U.S.Treasury Department. In one striking instance, a top Chinese money manager directly asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner for a favor.
In June, 2009, the head of China's powerful sovereign wealth fund met with Geithner and requested that he lean on regulators at the U.S. Federal Reserve to speed up the approval of its $1.2 billion investment in Morgan Stanley, according to the cables, which were provided to Reuters by a third party.
Although the cables do not mention if Geithner took any action, China's deal to buy Morgan Stanley shares was announced the very next day.
The concern in certain influential Washington and Wall Street circles is that Beijing would leverage its position as the main enabler of U.S. overspending. And the cables provide a glimpse into how much politics inform relations between the world's two largest economies.
One cable cites Chinese money managers expressing concern that US arms sales to Taiwan -- a major, longstanding irritant in the relationship -- could sour the Chinese public on Treasury purchases...
During the financial turmoil, the cables show that Beijing also shifted its portfolio away from longer-term Treasury notes, which helped drive up America's long-term borrowing costs .
Imo, this is a great reason to cut the budgets/spending NOW, not freezes at elevated levels and gradual reductions over 10+ years. While China is not holding the economic gun to our heads yet , we have to realize it's in the pocket. But yet Obama wants to raise the debt ceiling and invest/spend even more. Our interests are being held hostage to central banks and foreign governments, what the Founders warned us about.
And before the cries of "well Bush (or whoever) started it..", or the rationalization of "Mutually Assured (Economic) Destruction" comes
out, this is the here & now, THIS President is trying to tie the concrete blocks around our ankles and sink us deeper. China can do this and we've got a lot more to lose than they do.
PBO swore/affirmed to "and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
I don't think he's doing any of these.
From http://www.constitution.org/cmt/high_crimes.htm
The term "high crimes and misdemeanors" had a special meaning to the Framers, and the key to understanding it, is the word "high". It does not mean "more serious". It refers to those punishable offenses that only apply to high persons, that is, to public officials, those who, because of their official status, are under special obligations that ordinary persons are not under, and which could not be meaningfully applied or justly punished if committed by ordinary persons.
Perjury is usually defined these days as "lying under oath". But the original meaning was "violation of one's oath (or affirmation)".
When a person takes an oath (or affirmation) before giving testimony, he is assuming the role of an official, that of "witness under oath", for the duration of his testimony. That official position entails a special obligation to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and in that capacity, one is punishable in a way he would not be as an ordinary person not under oath. Therefore, perjury is a high crime.
An official such as the president does not need to take a special oath to become subject to the penalties of perjury. He took an oath, by Art. II Sec. 1 Cl. 8. While he holds that office, he is always under oath, and lying at any time or violation of the oath of office should constitute perjury if it is not justified for national security.
So does this subordination of our national interest(s) to a foreign power constitute a violation of his oath in your view?


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Web Stories
Student Health Advisory Board plans information meeting, Feb. 18
Posted February 15, 2002; 11:31 a.m.
The Student Health Advisory Board will hold a recruitment and information meeting at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, in 247 Frist Campus Center. The student-run organization is committed to ensuring the quality and student satisfaction of health care at Princeton University. As liaisons between the student body and the staff of Princeton University Health Services, advisory board members advocate for the health of all students on campus. Positions on the advisory board are open to all undergraduate, graduate and Princeton Theological Seminary students. Applications are due at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. To apply online click here . For more information, call (609) 986-9847 or e-mail email@example.com .
Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-3601


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The Breakers start their bid for an historic third consecutive ANBL title on Friday night. Michael Brown of APNZ looks at five reasons why they can achieve a three-peat.
1. No change
The Breakers have established one of the most stable squads in New Zealand sport and virtually all of the players who achieved back-to-back titles last season have returned. They lost import Gary Wilkinson, largely because they want to give centre Alex Pledger more game time, and replaced him with Will Hudson, a get-the-job-done-with-no-fanfare type of player. Hudson, who has built a game around bringing down rebounds and being a general nuisance on both offence and defence, fills the second import slot but won't start.
Corey Webster also returns after serving a second drugs ban and will provide backup in the point guard position.
2. Going deep
The Breakers have long trumpeted their depth and they routinely play all 10 players in their squad. It means they can play a high-tempo game because they are all relatively fresh but also means that if one player is off on any given night there's likely to be someone else who steps up in their place. With the likes of Tom Abercrombie, CJ Bruton, Daryl Corletto and Pledger, they have scoring threats across their roster who can get the job done.
3. Home and Away
Unlike the Warriors and Phoenix, the Breakers know how to win both at home and away. During the last two seasons, they built a 31-5 record at home and a handy 20-12 record on the road. That consistency plays a massive part at the end of the season, and saw the Breakers earn home-court advantage for the last two playoffs series. They have demystified the vagaries of travel, even though their schedule is a demanding one, and this was no better illustrated than two seasons ago when they went to Perth and beat them on their home court in a must-win semifinal.
4. Hungry
Hunger, desire, motivation ... call it what you like, the Breakers have it. They are the most successful New Zealand team to play in the Australian competition - in fact, they are the only ones to win a professional competition - and want more. They want a three-peat. It wasn't that long ago, however, that they were awful and there are still plenty around, including coach Andrej Lemanis, who remember the bad, old days. With so many old pros like Bruton, Boucher and Mika Vukona, the rest of the squad won't be allowed to slacken off.
5. Action Jackson
There might have been a little disappointment at Breakers HQ when Cedric Jackson missed out on an NBA contract, but not that much. The livewire point guard has returned to Auckland for a second season and is among the most potent players in the league. He missed out on the league's MVP award last season - he was fourth in voting - and wasn't happy about it. He doesn't possess a great shot but he can still hurt teams in many ways, particularly his speed on the dribble and defensive hustle.
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Well I haven't updated this diary in ages.
Life has been really great lately; I'm no longer depressed, I've got a lot more friends, and I'm happy. School is still stressful as usual, but I'm managing. I'm hoping to have an internship this summer, but so far I haven't had any job opportunities. I should start actively looking for a job. I still have a job at Euclid Computers, but they don't really have me do much, so as a result I'm not really getting paid. They're going to have me set up a new server soon, though, so that will be cool.
Computer Science
I took compiler design last semester at school. We were writing a Pascal compiler in C, but I never finished, since it was merely a one semester course. I already had it generating parse trees using my own parser/tokenizer, and it was just a matter of code generation .. Right now I'm taking programming language design, which is a pretty interesting course. We've studied all sorts of languages, language principles, and different programming paradigms. I'm currently learning functional programming with Scheme.
I made a really cool new friend at Linux10 and he and I basically meet every weekend now. We were working on a language for this synth we were writing using my compiler/language design knowledge, but then we stopped and were working on a "War on Afghanistan" game which is still unfinished. (I'll post screenshots later.) Last weekend, we resumed work on the synth, but with greater ambitions. The synth is going to be part of a music sequencer we're writing . We're probably going to have it use SDL and GTK+. GtkHx is still going, but with less committment. I have threaded news completely done and I'm mainly working on some minor feature requests/bug stomping right now.


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Shortly after the Newtown shootings, University of Rhode Island history professor Erik Loomis took to Twitter with this little jibe at the National Rifle Association's head honcho: "I was heartbroken in the first 20 mass murders. Now I want Wayne LaPierre's head on a stick."
The tweet was relatively tame by Internet standards. But a metaphor-challenged right was all in a bother. One blogger headlined his well-proportioned post "Professor calls for assassination of NRA CEO."
"In my world," Loomis replied in a post of his own, "calling for someone's head on a stick is a metaphor to hold them responsible for their actions. I think the last time 'head on a stick' actually meant murder was sometime around 1450."
But the on-line thrashing continued. Loomis got a visit from the state police. URI's president, David Dooley, even issued a statement declaring that the school "does not condone acts or threats of violence." (After taking some heat from free speech advocates, he later affirmed that Loomis's remarks, "however intemperate and inflammatory . . . are protected by the First Amendment.")
A month after the hullabaloo, Loomis has quietly returned to the web — Rhode Island's leading terrorist on the loose again. The Phoenix greeted him with a few questions, which he kindly answered via email.
I'VE BEEN SHOPPING AROUND FOR A GOOD PIKE, BUT HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND ONE. WHERE DO YOU GET YOURS? Turns out a good pike is hard to find today. As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest forests and writes about their history, I feel like I should just cut down some trees and make my own pikes. A friend photoshopped Wayne LaPierre's head on a northern pike. Which would have the advantage of being tasty. At least the body.
I'M SURE THIS WAS A STRESSFUL EXPERIENCE. BUT IS THERE ANY PART OF YOU THAT MISSES BEING IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF CONSERVATIVE SITES LIKE THEDAILY CALLER? (SORRY FOR THE VIOLENT METAPHOR.) Being in the crosshairs of angry extremists is no fun for anyone. Not for me, my family, or my colleagues. These are some pretty mean people who want to intimidate professors from speaking out about issues they care about. So, no I don't miss it. On the other hand, there's something positive about having websites that push homophobia, racism, sexism, and class war against the poor seeing me as Public Enemy #1. It's important to stand up to them when they direct their Two Minute Hate at you. Like any bullies, the only way to stop them is to stand up to them.
LAPIERRE-ON-A-STICK SOUNDS LIKE A DELICIOUS, VAGUELY FRENCH FROZEN TREAT. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WAYS TO MARKET THIS MEME BEFORE WE ALL FORGET ABOUT IT? I always wanted to be a grifter so I wish I could make some money off of this. Glenn Reynolds, who writes the conservative website Instapundit and who helped lead the attack against me, has capitalized on his fame by pushing various Amazon products every day to his readers. Why can't I do something like that? My friends wanted to make "Free Loomis" T-shirts, but that doesn't seem very marketable. I agree that various popsicle-like deserts might work, but LaPierre's head on them might scare children, especially if he was holding an appropriate AK-47. Unfortunately, I am a terrible capitalist. But I am open to ideas!
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Make your own soft serve frozen yogurt at home with Yoplait® Greek 100 protein yogurt!
Avoid opening your freezer frequently when trying to freeze yogurt; opening the door will allow the cold air to escape and cause the freezing time to be longer.
Make it your own! This recipe works with all varieties of Yoplait® Greek 100 protein yogurt; mix and match with your favorite varieties and toppings.
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