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I'm excited to introduce Margaret Locke, an author who feels like an old-friend after just a few email conversations! Here, Margaret gets real about the independent publishing process and the challenges of just getting the darn book done. Begone, Procrastination Fairy!
She also tells us about her debut, A Man of Character. I love this novel's premise so much, I wish I'd thought of it first (I have a feeling I'll be saying that a lot about Margaret's ideas)!
How long have you wanted to be a romance writer? When did you decide to write a book?
A very, very long time. Ha ha. I announced as a teen I was going to write romances—in part to stem the flak I got over my beloved genre, and in part because I really meant it. But it took me twenty-five years to actually give it a go. (I found some book idea sketches from my college days recently, but all they remained were sketches.)
Why now? Because my kids aged into full day school, and I needed to finally answer the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up. The head said "get a real job." The heart said, "WRITE!" And here I am.
What inspired you to write this story?
My husband and I were on a date when I confessed what I most wanted to do was write romances. He said, "Go for it!" On the drive home, this idea suddenly popped into my head: What if there's a woman who discovers the men she's dating are characters she'd made up years ago?
I couldn't stop thinking about that idea.
So even though I'd always assumed I'd only write historical romance, this first book had a mind—and a time period, and characters—all its own.
Describe your process for writing this particular book.
After blurting out that main idea to my husband (who, by the way, gave it one thumb up—it would have been two, except he was driving), I sat down at the computer the next day and sketched out the whole story, scene by scene, as if it were a movie playing in my head. It wasn't as pretty or clean as an organized outline, but it worked.
As I wrote the actual story, I'd look down at the next scene notes to see what was coming up, and write from there. It was mostly a linear progression, writing from beginning to end. Until major edits happened, at least.
How long did it take to complete?
Longer than it should have. I wrote the first third in the fall of 2011. Then I set it aside. I got scared; who was I to write a book? I'd never had formal creative writing training, never written fiction longer than the occasional poem or short, short story.
That fear/anxiety manifested itself the form of the Procrastination Fairy, who waved her magic wand and paralyzed me for the next year. Yes, a year. Eventually I acknowledged if I were going to be a writer, I had to actually—get this—write. So I sat down in the fall of 2012 and finished the first draft of A Man of Character.
Of course, it was two more years of futzing around with it, making my own edits, getting friends to read it, starting a critique group to get writer eyes on it, sending it out to numerous agents, hiring a professional romance editor, etc., before I actually published.
Was this the first book you had written?
Did you work on simultaneous projects?
Kind of. I signed up for National Novel Writing Month in the fall of 2013—my first time as as NaNoer! I'd had a full draft of A Man of Character done and was tinkering/editing it, but set it aside that November, and banged out two-thirds of the draft of A Matter of Time (which I didn't finish until October 2014—and then only because I said I couldn't do a new book for NaNo if I hadn't finished the old book!).
Then, in the fall of last year, while querying agents and such for A Man of Character, I likewise mostly set it aside for November and wrote a complete draft of The Demon Duke.
What was the rest of your life like while writing the book? Were you working? Raising kids?
I'm very blessed to have a supportive husband who's happy to let me write, and who's fine with earning the bacon while I do. (Yes, I'd like to earn bacon, too. Or really not—not a big bacon fan, but I'd love to sell enough books to a) pay for production costs and b) build up a small fan base of people who might actually like my stories.)
I'd been a stay-at-home mom (a misnomer; what mom ever wants to stay at home? Get me out and about! Interacting with other adults!) since my son was born in 2001. My daughter came along in 2006, extending the duration of my full-time SAHM hat-wearing. But once both were in school all day, I had time to write.
I'm not one of those people who can write in ten-minute increments, jumping in and out of the creative process. I need a good, solid hour—preferably two—in which I know I won't get interrupted. By the evening, I'm usually too wiped to consider putting pen to paper (er, fingers to keyboard), so weekday mornings/early afternoons while kids are away are when I write. Which explains why my productivity has drastically dwindled this summer
How did you fit your writing into the rest of your life?
Not well. Like I said above, if I can't get big chunks of time, I don't do it. Often even if I do have big chunks of time, I don't do the writing-related activities I ought to do. That Procrastination Fairy is pernicious, I tell you. However, I find myself involved in more and more writing-related activities and groups, so slowly, very slowly, I've built up a more consistent writing schedule. I'd like to say I write/edit every day from 9-2, but that would be a lie. Still working on the consistency thing.
Were you involved in a writer's group?
Yes! Several invaluable ones. On the professional side, I joined the Romance Writers of America right away, in part to tell myself I really was doing this. I also joined the Virginia Romance Writers and the Beau Monde (for Regency writers), both of which are subchapters of the RWA. I haven't had as much luck as I would like getting to the VRW meetings (most are in Richmond, which is two hours away for me, plus family obligations often mean Saturdays are booked), but the one I did attend in person was marvelous, and I met several Virginia writers with whom I'm still in good contact via social media.
The other fantastic group I stumbled my way into is the Shenandoah Valley Writers, a Facebook group composed of writers from up and down the Shenandoah Valley. Most of the interactions are online, but I've met a number of SVW peeps in person, and several have become very close friends. Also, I founded the SVW In-Person Critique Group (not the best name, but whatever), which brings local writers together once a month to provide feedback on each other's writing.
Who gave you feedback as you worked through writing the book?
Certainly the SVW group mentioned above, but I also had friends beta read, and last spring hired a professional editor to help me whip the book into the best shape I could.
What kept you going through the process?
Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Not kidding. But what encouraged me most was support from family and friends. I was smart enough to share the book with my cousin Joy first—she is the best cheerleader in the world. Plus, SVW peeps will pick you up when you are ready to chuck yourself and your manuscript in the river. So definitely support from others was and is key. Sure, actual writing you do alone, but that doesn't mean you have to be alone on the journey.
Did you have a market in mind when you started writing the book?
Um, romance readers, I guess. In truth, I wasn't/am not as savvy on the contemporary romance end of things, because my first love has always been historical. But that crazy woman-with-real-life-book-boyfriends idea just caught hold and I had to write the story.
For a while, I called it paranormal romance. Then, when researching romance subgenres, I realized the story really, truly best fit the descriptions for chick lit, in many ways. Only "chick lit" was a phrase apparently on the outs; "romantic comedy" is the new buzz word, so I read. So now I call it a magical romantic comedy—because paranormal romance makes most people think of vampires and werewolves (of which my book has none), and I wanted the chick-lit-esque/funny vibe to communicate itself right away.
How many submissions did you send out?
Eight in the spring of 2014. And it took a lot of guts and not a little bit of stomach churning to do so. All but one turned me down fairly quickly; the eighth waited until three months after I'd queried them to respond, but when they did, they wanted a partial. Ultimately, they rejected it, but having gotten that wee bit of positive reinforcement, I decided to do a Query Blitz in the fall of 2014. I queried somewhere around seventy agents. I got numerous rejections, three requests for a partial, and three requests for a full—all of which became nos, except for one, an agent who requested the whole darn thing, from whom I never heard again.
I'd also queried a number of small presses, and one of them offered me a publishing contract in December of 2014. Which leads into the next question…
What made you decide to publish independently?
I'd already been considering it as the rejections piled up. Independent publishing appealed to me from the "complete control" side of things—I wouldn't be beholden to anybody else's deadlines, I'd have complete control over the story, the title, the book covers, etc. But it also felt, I don't know, safer? Like, if it didn't go well, I could slink off into the sunset, my tail (and novel) between my legs.
When the small press offer came in, I was ecstatic; here was validation, here was that brass ring proving I was good enough that someone other than my friends and family actually wanted to see my story in print!
Except the small press was a digital press only. No paperbacks. And I desperately wanted to hold a book—my book—in my hands. I was tempted to go with the press, because they'd provide professional editing and front the editing costs. In the end, though, I just couldn't give up the idea of having physical, tangible proof I'd achieved this life-long goal. Indie publishing became more and more appealing—so I went for it.
How did you decide to publish with Amazon?
Well, uh, they are the biggest name in the game right now. So it was kind of a no-brainer. Being indie, I can't get my book into bookstores. And although I could/can get it onto other online platforms such as Barnes & Noble or Smashwords, I decided to tackle one platform at a time. Indie publishing, I'm learning the hard/long way, is not for the faint of heart. There's an incredible amount to learn, all of which takes an incredible amount of time (and I'm sure I'm making tons of mistakes), so limiting myself to Amazon exclusively, at least at the beginning, made sense to me.
What was the biggest challenge of publishing independently?
So far? First, getting the word out about the book. The good news is, authors have opportunities like they've never had before to publish their books. The bad news is, authors have opportunities like never before to publish their books. We're all out here crying in the wilderness, desperately trying to make our voices heard, while the rest of the world is drowning in traffic noise.
And second, getting people to take the book seriously. For one thing, I write romance, which some people pooh-pooh automatically. For another, I'm self-published. Many people still equate that with cruddy writing. And while I don't claim to be the World's Best Writer at all, I did go through all the steps a traditionally published author goes through (write book, edit book, submit to beta readers, submit to editor, edit and polish, submit to editor again, etc). But the stigma about self-/indie-publishing, while lessening, is obviously still strong, given the number of pregnant pauses, blank looks, and tight smiles I've gotten after telling people I published independently.
What were the benefits of publishing independently?
Freedom! Control! (Do those contradict each other?) I loved having complete control over my book. I could work on my own timeline (though having deadlines, I've learned, is crucial), craft the book exactly as I wanted, pick the cover and title I wanted, etc. I'm also free to do as much or as little marketing and promotion work as I want. And, of course, the time to publication is much faster. Had I gone with the small press, the book would have been out late this summer, at the earliest. Had I landed an agent, who'd then have to sell the book to a bigger publisher, it could have been one, two, three years or more before the book ever hit shelves (okay, virtual shelves), if indeed it ever did.
What was the process of getting the book ready for publication?
Write book. Edit book. Repeat editing process ad nauseum. Hire the fantastic developmental editor, Tessa Shapcott. Decide to quit writing after said editor gave me four pages of pretty major suggestions for changes. Do 90% of her suggestions anyway. Edit and proofread a zillion times more.
I also was extremely lucky to land the most extraordinary Joy Lankshear from Lankshear Design as my cover designer and my interior formatter. Joy and I had met online by chance, on Twitter, I believe, and gotten chummy over our love for BBC shows like Merlin. When I mentioned I was writing this book, she offered to do the cover—because, lo and behold, she was a graphic designer. A great graphic designer. I jumped at the chance, and absolutely love not only the cover, but the inside look and feel of the book. Without Joy, A Man of Character would look a lot shabbier!
What has surprised you most about the process?
How much there is to learn, and how little time there is to learn it. I see why these all used to be separate jobs; now, as an indie author, I have to not only write and edit, but I have to maintain an online presence on social media, as well as my website, and figure out how to promo. I have to seek out bloggers willing to review the book (and I am so grateful to the ones who've said yes!), bloggers willing to feature me (thank you, Romance Debuts), learn about blog tours and swag and book signings and conferences … sometimes I have to be that ostrich and stick my head in the sand, so that the Procrastination Fairy, who feeds on anxiety, doesn't find me again for at least a little bit.
What would you change if you could?
I'd do more pre-publication publicity prep. I set my own deadline for publication in May, but didn't fully appreciate how much time it was going to take to proof the final copies of the book, and proof it again, and again. I didn't have a polished, finalized copy done in time to send it out to anyone in advance (beyond some local readers, who didn't care if it was in Microsoft Word). I didn't have reviewers lined up. I didn't have promo materials designed, both online and physical versions. So I'd say that.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Keep writing. Don't let naysayers stop you. Don't let anxiety trap you. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Do read a lot. Do learn about the craft. Do find a writing community, whether it's an online group, several of you who meet in person, a professional organization, etc.
When I met one of my idols, Sabrina Jeffries, for the first time, she said, "Don't write in a vacuum." I never appreciated that advice as much as I did the day I held my book in my hands, and realized just how many people had helped make that day possible. My husband, my friends, my writing community, my editor, my cover designer and formatter, my online friends, my professional associations … without them, I would not be here. I firmly believe that. It really does take a village.
A Man of Character:
What would you do if you discovered the men you were dating were fictional characters you'd created long ago?
Thirty-five-year-old Catherine Schreiber has shelved love for good. Keeping her ailing bookstore afloat takes all her time, and she's perfectly fine with that. So when several men ask her out in short order, she's not sure what to do…especially since something about them seems eerily familiar.
A startling revelation – that these men are fictional characters she'd created and forgotten years ago – forces Cat to reevaluate her world and the people in it. Because these characters are alive. Here. Now. And most definitely in the flesh.
Her best friend, Eliza, a romance novel junkie craving her own Happily Ever After, is thrilled by the possibilities. The power to create Mr. Perfect – who could pass that up? But can a relationship be real if it's fiction? Caught between fantasy and reality, Cat must decide which – or whom – she wants more.
Blending humor with unusual twists, including a magical manuscript, a computer scientist in shining armor, and even a Regency ball, A Man of Character tells a story not only of love, but also of the lengths we'll go for friendship, self-discovery, and second chances.
Book Links:
Amazon: http://bit.ly/AManOfCharacter
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25535077-a-man-of-character
As a teen, Margaret Locke pledged to write romances when she grew up. Once an adult, however, she figured she ought to be doing grown-up things, not penning steamy love stories. Yeah, whatever. Turning forty cured her of that silly notion. Margaret is now happily ensconced back in the clutches of her first love, this time as an author as well as a reader. Margaret lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her fantastic husband, two fab kids, and two fat cats. You can usually find her in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window; she's come to terms with the fact that she's not an outdoors person). Please visit her at margaretlocke.com.
Margaret Locke's Contact Links:
Website: http://margaretlocke.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMargaretLocke
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/MargaretLocke
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Margaret_Locke
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Margaret_Locke


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"Holy friggin' harmonies! It's almost distracting how good the vocals are on the Ginny Mules debut release" (Marquee Magazine, 2016). Recognized as finalists in the renowned Rockygrass Festival band competition in 2017, Ginny Mules are setting sail, and charting a course that is all their own. Drawing from varied elements of American music and heritage, each member brings their own blend of Appalachian music, Blues, Folk & Bluegrass to the table. The end result sounds a lot like BLUESGRASS, with a focus on tight vocal harmonies and the raw, bluesier elements that give Ginny Mules their distinctive sound. According to Copple, "it's like Bluegrass with a little extra stank on it."
With their debut, self-titled album from 2016 garnering weekly spins on Bluegrass radio programs near and far, The Mules are setting their sights on a sophomore release full of original songs, scheduled for 2018! It's sure to follow the same roadmap as their debut, which includes signature instrumental work and unique original songs that carry the "high lonesome sound" into a new era.
The band first began to coalesce when, Liz Forster (guitar and vocals) met Keenan Copple, the band's banjo and slide guitar player at a Denver music store in 2013. The pair began playing music together almost immediately. Weekly jam nights with Keenan, Liz and Phil Hanceford (mandolin and vocals) materialized, and the trio began the epic quest for a bass player. On a friend's recommendation, they called on Carbondale native, Sheena Gruber. Forster says, "We caught a lucky break with Sheena. She plays terrific bass, looks and sings like Bonnie Raitt, and is a great fit for us vibe-wise." Rebekah Durham (Juilliard grad and former member of San Fermin), joined the band in 2016 and rounded out the official lineup of Ginny Mules with her incredible 5-string fiddling and original songwriting.
With 4 out of 5 Mules writing songs for the band, and 5 out of 5 Mules working collaboratively on arrangements, their sound really is unique - though they do draw frequent (and flattering) comparisons to The Steeldrivers for their hard driving, bluesy and fiddle-forward stylings. Ginny Mules have shared the stage (or festival lineup) with many of their friends and heroes alike - including: The Steeldrivers, Wood and Wire, The Traveling McCoury's, Rapidgrass, Della Mae and Mipso (to name a few). Keep an eye out for these Mules as they venture out of Colorado and make their way to your town. As they like to say...Giddy up! #mule2ride

subset: commoncrawl


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'The public are losing their access to rockclimbing sites'
Criminal gangs have taken control of four of the twelve popular rockclimbing-sites in greater Johannesburg and Pretoria, warned Mountain Club of South Africa spokesman Dean van der Merwe this week. Three Pretoria students were held at knifepoint in a 3-hour ordeal by six black males on Jan 12 2011; climbers were robbed at knifepoint on 29 December and two climbers also were attacked last week at the Chosspile rockface north of Brits at the Hartbeespoort dam.
"These past few years rock-climbers are beginning to get the identical problems with violent criminals also experienced by mountain-bikers. It's becoming a big problem because the public are losing their access to their climbing sites", "said Van der Merwe. A similar warning was also issued by Neil Margetts, chairman of the South African Mountain Climbing Federation, after the latest incident on Jan 12 near Brits.
Students Jaco de Villiers,Gert vd Walt,Dennis Wevell held 3 hrs at knifepoint during mountainclimbing Chosspile Rockface, Jan 12 2011, 6 black males Hartbeespoortdam, Brits
2011-01-17 Three Pretoria students were grateful to be alive after a three-hour ordeal when six black knifemen tied them up and threatened to cut their throats on Wednesday Jan 12 2011. The three Pretoria University students had gone rockclimbing on the Johann Rissik Estate on the Brits-side of the Hartbeespoort Dam. They were planning to climb the Chosspile Rockface and were hiking the 1km from the parking lot to the picnic area when they were attacked by a well-organised gang of black knifemen.
They told of their ordeal in an interview with Jacques Steenkamp of Beeld newspaper. Jaco de Villiers (21) , Gert van der Walt (24) and Dennis Wevell (22) had parked their car at a parking terrain next to the R512 highway and were walking the 1 km to the picnic area below Chosspile Rockface when six black men, seperated in three groups of two knifemen each, attacked the students and held knives against their throats.
Jaco de Villiers: robbed by knifemen with two friends while rockclimbing
De Viliers: "We were forced into the woods, trussed up by our hands and feet with telephone cables and robbed of all our belongings", De Villiers said. Then Van der Walt 's feet were loosened and he was forced to walk with them into the woods. His two friends feared that he was going to be murdered. When they complained the two friends also were taken to the spot where Van der Walt was forced to lie down facedown on the ground. Two of the knifemen demanded their PIN-codes and bank cards and left to withdraw cash from the nearest cashpoint. "One of the knifemen kept saying to De Villiers: "I am looking for your head', picked up his head and gestured with his fingers across his neck while another one kept sharpening his knife and stabbing Van Der Walt's legs with it. Then the gang loosened the students' hands and left with all their belongings: cellphones, watches, cameras and climbing equipment worth some R40,000.
Mountain Club of South Africa spokesman Dean van der Merwe said climbers were also robbed at knifepoint on 29 December last year and two climbers were attacked at Chosspile. "These past few years rock-climbers are beginning to get the identical problems with criminals also experienced by mountain-bikers. It's becoming a big problem because the public is losing their access to their climbing sites.' It was also confirmed by Neil Margetts, chairman of the South African Mountain Climbing Federation, that criminal gangs have also already taken control of four of the twelve climbing-sites in Johannesburg and Pretoria. http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Student-hoor-Ek-soek-jou-kop-20110117


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In our tech world, every day new tools and framework emerge to help us in our live.One of them is Puppet.A Configuration Management tool. This blog will be for who are trying to explore any configuration management tool or someone who is hearing a name puppet for the first time.Lets us explore what Puppet is actually. Why we need it, and how it works.
What is Configuration Management Tool?
Configuration management (CM) is a systems engineering process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.
In simple term, if you have 100s of the production server and you have to upgrade the OS version in all the server or you have to install new software on all systems.Any configuration change required. Basically, your system admin helps you with this.
For more on CM click here.
Puppet Intro
Puppet is a pioneering configuration automation and deployment orchestration solution for distributed apps and infrastructure.
This open source configuration management solution is built with Ruby and offers custom Domain Specific Language (DSL) and Embedded Ruby (ERB) templates to create custom Puppet language files and offers a declarative paradigm programming approach. Puppet uses an agent/master architecture—Agents manage nodes and request relevant info from masters that control configuration info.
The Puppet Enterprise product offers the following capabilities:
- Orchestration
- Automated provisioning
- Configuration Automation
- Visualization and reporting
- Code management
- Node management
- Role-based access control
- Strong compliance automation and reporting tools.
- Active community support around development tools and cookbooks.
- Intuitive web UI to take care of many tasks, including reporting and real-time node management.
- Robust, native capability to work with shell-level constructs.
- Initial setup is smooth and supports a variety of OSs.
- Particularly useful, stable and mature solution for large enterprises with adequate DevOps skill resources to manage a heterogeneous infrastructure.
- Can be difficult for new users who must learn Puppet DSL or Ruby, as advanced tasks usually require input from CLI.
- Installation process lacks adequate error reporting capabilities.
- Not the best solution available to scale deployments. The DSL code can grow large and complicated at a higher scale.
- Using multiple masters complicates the management process. Remote execution can become challenging.
- Support is more focused toward Puppet DSL over pure Ruby versions.
- Lacks push system, so no immediate action on changes. The pulling process follows a specified schedule for tasks.
How Puppet Works
Puppet works on the master-slave relationship. There will be master which handle all the changes and logging.Every client/machine have the puppet agent which are slaves.
In general, there is two type of master-slave relationship.Pull based and push-based architecture.Below are the images which will explain this architecture.
In Push configuration, the centralized server will push the changes or any action to all the nodes, but in pull based configuration node will as for new changes, and then get the changes from the centralized server.
Puppet is written in Ruby. It is available in enterprise version also.From version 2.0 it is available under Apache License.
Master server contains the manifest file, where with the Puppet declarative language/Ruby DSL we have to write the task we have have to perform.
There are resources[services, packages etc] in Puppet, we have to define these resources in the manifest .Group of the resource is called as the class to logically combined the resources.
We often have multiple modules to logically group the manifest file.
Puppet has multiple masters to handle the failure conditions.All the agents have to sign the certificate and all change of information is over SSH , so every exchange is fully protected and authenticated.
Below is the video from Edureka , which explain and demonstrate how it works.
Alternatives of Puppet
- Chef – Push Based master-slave architecture
- Ansible – Push Based master-slave architecture
- Salt Stack – Pull Based master-slave architecture


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Do you have a special date for Valentine's Day? Don't fret about what to wear. Knock him dead in red with these fantastic fashion choices, from dresses to shoes and jewelry to lingerie.
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Make a big statement with a shiny patent clutch in bold, bright red. This La Regale clutch is on sale at Macy's marked down from $70 to just $17.50
Racy red wrap
Even if you decide to wear your favorite little black dress instead of a red one, you can add some color to your look with a red wrap or scarf. Choose a silk or cashmere scarf in bold fire engine red or deep burgundy.
Funky red hat
If you are going on a casual date for Valentine's Day, add a splash of color and a little funk to your outfit by wearing a red hat. A cloche, bucket hat or even a knit beanie are fun choices.
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Select a romantic, ruffled red blouse and pair it with everything from a pencil skirt to jeans to black cigarette pants.
This Go Silk wrap blouse features a ruffled collar, balloon sleeves and a tie at the waist.
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Nothing says sexy like a pair of red high heels. For an affordable option, check out these crinkled patent pumps from Franco Sarto
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Choose ruby, garnet or red crystal earrings for Valentine's Day. Pull your hair into an updo or away from your face in a
half-up, half-down style to show off your face, neck and jewelry.
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On Valentine's Day, what you are wearing underneath your clothes may be just as important as the clothes themselves. If you are planning a sexy evening with your sweetie, slip into a red lace bra or camisole with matching panties.


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Free-agent wide receiver Wes Welker is reportedly meeting with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.
Free-agent wide receiver Wes Welker is meeting with the Dolphins on Wednesday, according to ESPN's James Walker.
Welker, who is entering his 12th season in the league, played with the Dolphins from 2004 to 2006 before being traded to Patriots in 2007 for second- and seventh-round draft picks. He played the last two years with the Denver Broncos
In five of his six seasons in New England, Welker had more than 100 receptions and 1,000 yards receiving.
Last season was Welker's worst statistically since his 2005 campaign with Miami. In 14 games in 2014 with the Broncos, he had 49 receptions for 464 yards and two touchdowns.
• FARRAR: 2015 NFL Draft wide-receiver rankings
In his 11 years in the league, Welker has recorded 890 receptions for 9,822 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Wide receivers Greg Jennings and Michael Crabtree have also visited Miami this off-season. The Dolphins, who finished 8-8 in 2014, lost wide receiver Mike Wallace in a trade last month with the Vikings.
• Inside police failure to stop Darren Sharper's rape spree
- Erick Fernandez


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Sleeping Beauty was one of the watercolor original paintings that I didn't finish 2 weekends ago. Well, it was almost finished when I did that stupid thing an artist can do every once in a while, I tried to change something mid stream. Watercolor is a very unforgiving medium, it doesn't like change – unless of course the change was it's idea! Those of you who work in traditional watercolor techniques know what I'm talking about.
I had to put it aside that Sunday because it was getting late and come back to it this weekend. I turned it into an opaque watercolor because I had to cover up my mess on the face – the only area I leave white of course – and use an opaque Titanium White for the skin tone. It actually gave me an opportunity to try out some new modeling ideas using soft grays and I really liked the effect.
I also took the opportunity to color some of the stars in the negative space.
Mistakes can often lead you down a new road you might not have traveled and help you out in the end by improving your work. Anyway, Sleeping Beauty turned out lovely and is one of my favorites. I really like having the face coming in from the side and off-balance like this. You'll note that I rarely do a centered piece – usually I find them uninteresting and boring in design.
an Original 8″x10″ Watercolor and Acrylic Painting on 200# D'Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper
$185.00 Plus Shipping*
Contact Me to Purchase "SLEEPING BEAUTY" Original Art
(I ship by Boxed Priority Mail – if you live in the U.S. the total shipping cost is $12. If you live outside the US I can figure your shipping costs once I have your address.)
Care: Electra should be framed and mounted under glass to protect her delicate sensibilities – watercolor divas are susceptible to UV and moisture damage!!!)


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Standing out in a cluttered job market means more than submitting a stellar résumé and enthusiastic cover letter. With law firms doing limited recruiting, and even less hiring, it's important to build your own personal brand and your "unique selling proposition."
But how do you begin building your brand, and what does that mean exactly? Corporations spend big bucks on consultants and experts to help develop product branding that will catch the attention of consumers. But for students on a budget, there are simple ways to identify your strengths and assets that form the basis of your brand. And once you have developed your brand, there's no hiding your light under a bushel. It takes additional work to market yourself like a company markets a product, to let your target audience know you are out there and that you're someone they can't live without.
"You have to let people know what it is about you that's worth making an investment in," says Jasmin French, a Chicago branding specialist and lawyer. "Branding is about perception. The message you're putting out into the atmosphere needs to convey exactly how you want to be perceived."
French knows from personal experience. She started her branding business in 2009 after being laid off from DLA Piper's corporate security practice. The 2007 Vanderbilt University Law School graduate found herself out of a job when the recession hit, along with 40 percent of her entering class. French had to decide what to do next.
"It would have been foolish to run back to an Am Law top 50 firm in this economic climate," French says.
For French, branding meant branching out on her own and harnessing her core strengths. As a member of DLA Piper's associates committee, she was used to advising others on topics such as making a great first impression in an interview and getting more work from partners. She quickly realized her unique selling proposition was her ability to help others find theirs, and J French Branding was born.
French lectures and conducts workshops for law firms, for schools, and at conferences. She helps associates and professionals who want to raise their profiles, learn public speaking, develop new business, get hired, get promoted or those "who are simply tired of disappearing among the masses."
"I help people tell their stories and more importantly, help people tell their stories to someone new," French says.
Brand Building How-To
When French gives presentations on brand building for legal professionals, she offers a number of strategies to get started, based on the realities of the current market.
"Now more than ever employers no longer have 'want' money, they have 'need' money," French explains. "They hire employees they need and they keep employees they need, and you need to be able to explain clearly how you can fill that need."
French has three top tips for self-assessment and standing out:
- Identify what attributes you can offer consistently that would prove a benefit to an employer. Do this by having a personal board of directors—people not related to you who can speak to your traits as an individual. Ask someone you can rely on: "You've known me for a number of years, what would you describe about my work style that hasn't changed?" French says.
- A résumé only gives a snapshot of points in time. Break down previous experience and projects to explain what value they'll have to your target audience: "How do your past experiences have transferable value to your target market?" French asks. "Your résumé may show you did 'research,' but what does this say about your ability to work with a partner in the future? Break down your previous experience and project what value it will have to who you're targeting."
- Even if you're just starting out in law school and have limited experience, figure out your top leadership skills and be able to talk about them confidently: "Leadership skills are separate from legal skills," French says. "You need to be able to say, 'Even though I have never worked for a firm, I have leadership skills and this is how they can bring value.'"
French says law students can point to situations where they've interviewed candidates for a position on a journal, campaigned for elected office, or volunteered in a school clinic—all of which involve some form of leadership. "Leadership and consensus building requires strong verbal skills, empathy and the ability to zero in on the essential things that are most important among a diverse constituency," French says. "And associates do each of these things every day."
Put Yourself Out There
The idea came to third-year Georgetown Law student Mike Sacks when he couldn't sleep one night—he would start his own blog covering the U.S. Supreme Court, but first he had to find a way to get people to read what he wrote.
"There are so many people shouting on the Internet, and if you want to get recognized, you need some sort of hook," Sacks says. "For me the hook was getting first in line for the general admission to the Supreme Court—treating it like a rock concert."
Sacks started his blog, First One @ One First (the address of the U.S. Supreme Court), in September 2009, and he quickly got noticed. Through a combination of networking with other Supreme Court reporters, and building his personal brand, Sacks has found a way to set himself apart from other law students.
"It helps to have this going on given the economy," Sacks says. "The blog has helped to get in the door for interviews at firms that right now are more picky and aren't hiring the way they used to."
Sacks says he took a holistic approach to branding to see how it could help his career in law, journalism, or just get his name on the map. "I wanted to make an impact and my mind is always open for the next thing that could make a splash," Sacks says.
Sacks' blog was a natural extension of his interest in the High Court, and so was his success.
"Entrepreneurs are most successful when pursuing things they are intrinsically predestined to do," notes French.
As a result of his creative efforts, and branding as a law-student-Supreme-Court-watcher extraordinaire, Sacks has not only opened doors at law firms but has written for the Christian Science Monitor and has been quoted in the New York Times.
Sacks' advice to others seeking to make that "splash" and build a brand?
"Don't be afraid to put yourself out there," Sacks says. "The hardest part is getting out in front of everyone else who's interested. Find an angle no one else can get, find that perspective, and run with it."
Sacks is currently running with his blog concept and plans to take it as far as he can. Right now, he's still in school, interviewing for jobs, and trying to decide whether he'll pursue a career in law or journalism.
Leveraging Your Brand
As a speaker, coach, and author of The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career Through Creative Networking and Business Development, Ari Kaplan has a bird's-eye view of what's going on in the market. He has spoken at 34 law schools across the country, and as a big firm alum, Kaplan has plenty of advice.
"I'm always suggesting students go out and interview lawyers they want to meet and learn what those lawyers are most in need of in terms of support," Kaplan says. "Then be a resource for those lawyers, and it's a perfect way to create a long-term relationship."
Start by identifying professionals you want to meet and consider offering to write for their website or profile their work for the school newspaper, a student association's website, or the alumni magazine, Kaplan suggests. As you get to know the practice preferences and goals of those individuals, consider contacting them when you see press leads, writing opportunities, or teaching positions. Kaplan says free resources like editorial calendars and The Chronicle of Higher Education can be very helpful in this regard.
Kaplan points out the statistical truth: 90 percent of law school grads will not be in the top 10 percent of their class, which means there are a lot of students who will have to find creative ways to distinguish themselves in a down economy. Kaplan encourages law students to focus on the needs of others, rather than themselves, to gain value.
One way to do this is to find ways to introduce lawyers you meet to others you know, such as professors, or even the dean. As you connect with business professionals and experts in other fields, continue to make those introductions as it will demonstrate the depth of your character and your interest in creating opportunity for those with whom you are interacting, Kaplan says.
"Students need to listen to practitioners and ask, 'What do you need help with?' And then help them with that," Kaplan says. "When you do this, you are immediately creating an opportunity for yourself."
Kaplan also suggests harnessing the Internet through guest blogging, targeted social networking, and gaining technical skills. Kaplan found success post-law firm by targeting clients who would be interested in what he had to offer. Kaplan's experience at top-tier firms proved valuable to businesses looking to outsource legal writing and research, from ghostwriting articles to conducting industry research.
"You have to know what you do, and who you can do it for in order to effectively create a game plan," Kaplan says.
French agrees that social networking isn't just for collecting Twitter followers and Facebook friends. The economy has created a word-of-mouth hiring system that can be leveraged through the proper use of technology.
"People go with candidates referred to them personally," French notes. "Social media is a good way to let people know how great you are."
It takes time and effort to lay the groundwork, but once you've figured out what your unique selling proposition is, and how you can add value to an employer or potential clients, you will be able to identify your personal brand. And that is the first step to self-marketing success.


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I was excited to see in our guidebook that the weekly Tiangui (or flea market) that comes to the small town of Santiago was going to be on Saturday when we'd still be in town.
Lagoon Juluapan entrance from Santiago Bay. Camanoe is anchored in the background.
We've missed a couple of these kinds of markets while on our sail south. Not that we really need to buy anything, but they're a lot of fun to visit and spend a day wandering around with the locals. Usually there are good tacos or bebidas (drinks) to try and lots and lots of randomness to photograph.
We're anchored in Playa la Boquita on the opposite side of Santiago Bay from the town of Santiago proper. The day before the market we thought we'd check out the town and get our bearings. We wandered down the curving, dusty road that snakes behind the beach and through the gringo vacation home area. It was probably almost two miles of walking up to the highway where we could catch a bus into Santiago. We hopped on the first bus that said Santiago – it was route #3. We ran into a vacationing Canadian couple later in the day at a restaurant that recognized us and said they saw us boarding the bus and realized too late that they should have told us to wait for route #1, which is much more direct. But where's the fun in not getting lost EVERY TIME we get on the dang bus..??!? Sigh. Anyway, route #3 DID get us to Santiago and the bus driver stopped at the town square and made sure we got off since this is where we'd asked to be let off. Route #3 takes you up and around a mountain and then down into Santiago while Route #1 just follows the main highway that runs along the beach. It's about a 20 minute difference. Doh.
Dusty road was not the best option.
Our other mistake that day was the walk on that dusty, windy road. We were trying to avoid walking the beachline as we had done in Melaque trying to get to Barra de Navidad. We'd had such a hard walk on that beach that I think we were a little intimated to try to do a similar walk in Santiago. But fellow cruisers, David and Roz on s/v Barefoot, told us that the beach was an easy walk, with really compact sand. After about 20 minutes you come to a large, white staircase that leads you directly up to the highway and the buses. Totally cut down on almost an hour of walking! We really need to ask more people for their suggestions before we start exploring!
Anyway, Saturday morning we were all prepared for a shorter beach walk and a faster bus ride to the flea market. (I'm going to note here, since no other blogs or mentions of the Tiangui online or in the guidebooks tell you the hours of the market. It runs from 9am to 6pm.)
Size-wise, this market is the biggest one I've seen. Quality-wise, it's not great, but it is entertaining. A lot of the clothing vendors are just Goodwill or Salvation army clothes. Some people look like they've just rummaged through their garages or sheds and brought out whatever crap they want to get rid of. But some of the Mexican crafts, pottery, ceramics, rugs, tablecloths, jewelry, etc, were very nice and I liked looking at the various items. I picked up some necklaces and even Dave picked up some souvenirs. I still haven't been able to find a Mexican tablecloth that I like enough to purchase or that is at a reasonable price. There was one in Barra de Navidad that I probably should have bought; it had most of the colors I want (brighter the better!) and was only 120 pesos. The tablecloth vendors at the Santiago Tiangui were all asking 300 pesos or more and wouldn't barter lower. Total rip-off. I'm going to have to check out one of the Puerto Vallarta markets again when we get back to Banderas Bay.
Plastic toys galore…
Locals trying to find a bargain on clothes…
Easter dresses?
The largest bowl of pico de gallo I've ever seen.
Dave's new sunglasses. Spiffy. Hope these don't go overboard like the others…
Pregnant Barbie dolls…??????????
We ran back into s/v Barefoot while we were eating some yummy burritos and they recommended that we check out one of the carnecerias up the street. Up till now, Dave and I have avoided purchasing meat from the meat markets. We look and ponder and then end up going to one of the regular grocery stores to purchase any meat. I'm the same way back home; I don't know what to tell the butcher, so how am I supposed to do it with a language barrier?? But we've both been craving ribs. We found ribs back in Mazatlan at Sam's Club, but since then, we haven't recognized beef or pork ribs at any of the markets we go to. We thought we'd check out the carneceria and if they had ribs then we'd bite the bullet and go for it.
Dave had to use a little gesturing on his body in order to get across that we wanted ribs, but the butcher understood, pointed at a slab of beef hanging from the ceiling and said it was 70 pesos a kilo. DONE. Dave asked for two kilos, which I thought was a bit much, but it gave us two, good-sized racks of ribs, so two dinners worth at about $12 USD. Nice.
Carneceria (top) and dinner on the scale (bottom).
We pressure cooked the ribs, along with some fresh corn on the cob that we grabbed at the produce market next to the carneceria, some rice and the last of Dave's pressure cooker bread. This type of cruising isn't doing anything for my waistline. LOL
We'll head out tomorrow for Ensenada Carrizal just five miles north and then probably up to Tenacatita a day or two after that. Looking forward to it!


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The Nashville Smile Team is the place to go when patients want more options from a family dentist or a newcomer to the area. They are committed to providing general dentistry in a great environment while using minimally invasive procedures. Led by Dr. Kristin Rushing and Dr. Lee Coulter, patients are provided with a thorough exam so they can work together to create a treatment plan that helps restore teeth to have a lifetime of healthy smiles.
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National Seminars Training, National Seminars Group,
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teams, departments or corporate reference libraries.
When you choose National
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Check-in for all programs begin at 8:30a.m. All full day seminars and
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Casual business wear is appropriate and a light jacket or sweater is
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You may register up to the day before the seminar.
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Our training seminars, conferences and self-study programs offer you continuing
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Contact your licensing board or our Continuing Education Department for credit
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The best ways to heal herpes? For that reason, whether you have actually been detected with the herpes infection, finding out about herpes is essential so we'll find out how you can heal herpes too.
Herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted viral disease caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), which stays in the nerve ganglia after first direct exposure to the herpes infection. Herpes is an usual as well as normally moderate infection however it is an infectious infection. It is similarly common in men and also ladies. Herpes is a viral illness that typically affects the mouth by the herpes simplex virus kind one is exactly what triggers cold sores on the lips and also face; and also the genital areas by herpes simplex type 2 causes' genital herpes sores.
Signs of herpes are marked by collections of little, agonizing blisters and sores on the lips, or genital areas. Dealing with herpes is a simple event commonly made much more made complex by tension, exhaustion, stress and anxiety, and recklessness.
Ways to cure herpes?
There are several types of herpes remedies, including oral and also topical anti-viral creams, essential oils, medical natural herbs, as well as oxygen treatment. The treatment of a Herpes virus infection differs relying on the website of infection; 1-oral, or on the lips, 2-genital, 3-other body surfaces. Before selecting a therapy to cure herpes, a healthcare provider has a number of concerns to consider, that will differ relying on the strain as well as phase of the infection. Anti-viral therapies are most likely one of the most reliable herpes treatments for many individuals, and also can be combined with others as well. These herpes treatments in addition to various other reliable treatments have actually proven to be useful at quiting the infection while making use of the medications, yet do not stop reoccurrence once the therapy is stopped. The goal of treatment for herpes is to offer relief from the discomfort of herpes sores and to decrease the time it takes for an outbreak to heal.
Exists an organic treatment for herpes?
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"Remember the old bit about a General Motors car in every garage? Today, iPhones, MacBooks, and iPads seem just as ubiquitous, especially at Starbucks."
That's a line from Roben Fazard's great article on BusinessWeek about how Apple's fall mirrors its struggles this year.
Apple's stock tumbled 23 percent last Wednesday, pushing it to a four-year low to $545. According to BusinessWeek, the one-day misfortune eradicated $35 billion in market value for Apple.
So, what gives? If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I've discussed Apple a few times over the course of the semester. My most recent post on the company divulged how it is losing face as it inches further and further away from Steve Jobs' original vision.
The article outlines a few more reasons for discontent:
- Investors have not yet gotten that mega-dividend they prayed for ahead of the U.S. fiscal cliff.
- Increased competition, notably from Samsung
- The closed-off nature of the App Store experience, which is a turn-off to consumers
- Management discord, particularly after Scott Forstall left the company after its failure to duplicate Google Maps resulted in the laughably erroneous Apple Maps
Apple's products will not sell forever just because they carry the brand's name. Competitors will catch up and perhaps pass Apple in terms of innovation, technology, and price. This dip may just be an unfortunate-but-natural deviation from Apple's grand scheme, but the company should try to forestall this autumn of discontent from becoming a year of one.


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For further information, please see pdf file.
Contact : 206.334.6432.
Called in to determine nature of liquid material that appeared to be a caustic chemical in a Warehouse return facility. Successfully identified the material and defused potentially hazardous and disruptive work environment.
Three year work as Safety Director, including six months at sea aboard offshore fish processors and fishing vessels in the Bering Sea, Unimak Pass, Kodiak Island, the Pribliof Islands, Sand Point, Bristol Bay and the Gulf of Alaska.
Sound level measurement (dosimetry) to document employee noise exposure in various job functions. Provided data essential to establish that hearing loss was not caused by conditions of employment.
Characterization and measurement of diesel bus exhaust exposure to drivers that provided benchmark for safe working conditions aboard buses.
Air quality characterization in Brightwater Tunnel wastewater project, 5.5 miles underground in North King County.


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Middletown Business Listings
Please select a letter above to find the business you are searching for.
We have found the following businesses for you, they are listed alphabetically below.
9 J.P. Murphy HIghway
W. Warwick, RI 02893
Fax: 888-309-9038
Visit Website
For real-time resources for B2B and B2C business owners with a focus on Internet marketing, social media, mobile marketing and more! Cox Business is a leader in providing voice, video and data services to business. Contact your local MIDDLETOWN REPRESENTATIVE – ANDY DEUTSCH at 401-615-7624 or firstname.lastname@example.com for more information!
On The Right Side
999 West Main Road
Middletown, RI 02842
Visit Website
We offer the following services: * Computer repairs and upgrades * Virus/Spyware/Adware removal * Computer performance improvement * Home and office network setup * Data recovery * Computer and software instruction * Custom built computers * Website Design and Edits * PC & Mac Services * and more


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Agent Reboot!!
Los Angeles
Program » Speakers » Location »
Los Angeles | August 5, 2010 | Register Now »
Agent Reboot is a power-packed, low cost, local event for real estate professionals. This one-day, fast-paced program, will equip agents with the latest in business development, technology and marketing skills to help them be more successful. Agent Reboot is being offered in 12 cities across the United States.
Agent Reboot is the perfect hands-on training day for a newer agent or a seasoned pro. Local real estate agents and REALTORS® are expected to attend each event.
Highlights of each event include a networking power-hour and expo featuring cutting-edge real estate technology vendors.
Plug in to the future of real estate in one power-packed day!
8:00 am to 9:00 am — Attendee Check-in
Pick up your Agent Reboot badge and enjoy coffee and a continental breakfast while visiting with our sponsors and exhibitors.
9:00am to 9:15am — Welcome Address
Technology is changing the way buyers and sellers connect, and that means new opportunities and challenges for real estate professionals. Join Nicole as she kicks off the program with a fun and interactive look at how innovation is changing the future of real estate.
• Moderated and Presented by: Nicole Nicolay, Founder & CCO, Agent Evolution, @nik_nik
9:15am to 9:30am — Download: Must-Have Tools for the Agent with Mobile Mojo (Part 1)
Get the lowdown on 10 leading edge technologies that will help you "reboot" the way you do business.
9:30am to 10:00am — From Clicks to Closings: Turning Your Online Marketing Strategy into a Lead Machine
Video, virtual tours, single property websites – there are dozens of options for marketing properties online. Not all methods are created equal though. Find out which ones will keep your pipeline of prospects full, while saving you time and money.
• Jason Lopez, Director of Interactive Marketing, Century21 Award @jaylopez
•Derek Overbey, Senior Director of Marketing and Social Media, Roost, Inc. @doverbey
10:00am to 10:30am — Mastering Social Media to Expand Your Reach Online
Learn how to develop a comprehensive social networking strategy to grow your sphere of influence. Agent Reboot's experts will help you sharpen your online marketing skills with proven best practices for using Facebook, Twitter and other online services. Win friends, influence people, and increase sales!
•Derek Overbey, Senior Director of Marketing and Social Media, Roost, Inc. @doverbey
10:30 to 10:45 — Break
10:45am to 11:00am — Life Style Branding: Why it Matters
The traditional branding strategies used by the real estate profession no longer work. Connecting with today's consumer is a whole new adventure. The last 8 years has changed the expectations of home buyers and sellers. Learn why life style branding is critical to your success moving forward.
• Sherry Chris, CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate @BHGRE_Sherry
11:00am to 11:30pm — Case Study: Managing Reputation and Content on the Web
Two experts will walk you through their journey towards a progressive Web strategy using social media. They'll share lessons learned, offer tips, and show you the results of their efforts. Learn how to do it from people who have done it.
Presented by:
• Stacey Harmon, Founder, AgentApplause.com @staceyharmon
• Lindsey Planeta, Realtor and Broker Owner for Orange County at M Realty Orange County @lindsey
11:30am – 11:40am – Download
11:40am – 12:00pm – Half Time Report
Gut-Check. We hope the first half has left you brimming with ideas! You're ready to stop doing the old stuff, but what are you supposed to be doing now? Join Nicole as she checks in with the audience to wrap up the morning and sets the stage for the afternoon.
12:00pm to 1:00pm – Lunch Break
In real estate, making connections is vital to an agent's success, so take advantage of this hour-long break to grab lunch with new found contacts. It's a great opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the best agents and vendors in the business before the afternoon program begins.
1:00pm to 1:30pm — Maximum Exposure: Publicizing Your Listings
Make sure your listings appear everywhere potential buyers are looking. Discover easy methods for syndicating listings across the Web to spread the word about your properties, and get simple tips for tracking results.
• David Vivero, CEO, RentJuice
• Amanda Wernick, Realtor/Director of Social Media, Seven Gables Real Estate
1:30pm to 2:00pm — Download: Must-Have Tools for the Agent with Mobile Mojo (Part 2)
Get the lowdown on 20 MORE leading edge technologies that will help you "reboot" the way you do business.
2:00pm to 2:45pm — Going Local: What Does It Take to Win in Los Angeles Real Estate?
It's no secret that the industry has had its share of ups and downs in the last year. So, what lies ahead? Hear from leading real estate professionals who are navigating the changing landscape, and find out what steps you should be taking to ensure success in the future.
• Gary Gold, Executive Vice President, Hilton & Hyland / Christine's Great Estates
• Mike Hickman, CEO, Seven Gables Real Estate
• Rick Sharga, Senior Vice President, RealtyTrac
2:45pm to 3:00pm — Wrap-up and Agent Reboot's Giveaways
| Sherry Chris
CEO, Better Homes
& Gardens Real Estate
|Gary Gold
EVP, Hilton & Hyland/
Christine's Great Estates
Stacy Harmon
Principal, Harmon Enterprises
|Mike Hickman
CEO, Seven Gables
Real Estate
| Jason Lopez
Director of Interactive Marketing, Century 21
| Nicole Nicolay
Founder & CCO
Agent Evolution
| Rick Sharga
Ackerman Union
Grand Ballroom
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024


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Do you ever have the urge to buy a certain piece of clothing that you don't have a clue how you'll style it much less phloem when you'll ever wear it but you can't walk out of the store without it? This knit crop sweater was one of those for me. I've actually had it hanging in my closet for I think going on 2 years now…maybe a year in a half (makes it sound a little better). I had never worn it until I put together this outfit and until then I would also pass by it hanger there so pretty on it's hanger, never wanted to get rid of it any time I purged my closet but never honestly knew if I'd ever wear it.
shop with SIE
sweater or this | gingham | denim | riding boots | handbag | sunglasses


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In the streets of cities like Posadas, Resistencia and Jujuy, heritage is very much a part of everyday life.
Buenos Aires likes to regard itself as an Italo-Spanish city washed up on South American shores, and here the legend of immigrant gauchos taming empty wildernesses survives. But in the north this myth disintegrates.
Walk the streets of Posadas, of Resistencia, of Jujuy – these are important cities, not remote villages – and people's indigenous heritage is clear.
The Andean northwest
This is an Argentina far removed from the capital's bustle. A thousand miles northwest of Buenos Aires, in Jujuy, the Andes loom just out of sight, but define the way of life. The ñoquis (gnocchi) and steaks have long since given way to locro, a highland maize-and-pork stew full of soul-satisfying textures. The road north towards southern Bolivia winds upwards through the otherworldly colours of the Quebrada de Humahuaca. Indigenous handcrafts brighten village markets, locals chew coca, and ruined thousand-year-old fortresses crumble among giant trident-shaped cardón cactuses. Off the highway, asphalt becomes rutted dirt, and battered buses churn through mud or dust to settlements where the daily rituals of llama-herding and coping with high-altitude life on the puna go on. Buenos Aires is a world away.
Calchaquí valleys
Southwest of Salta, these valleys produce traditionally-woven ponchos and high-quality wine from the Andean foothills. It is dry, dusty terrain and a bone-jarring journey away from urban life. Adobe houses, clay ovens and hamlets seem untouched by European influence - but not so. "We Diaguita adapted to Spanish culture long ago", says one weaver. "I'm proud of my indigenous roots but I feel Argentine above all else."
The Toba of the Gran Chaco
Resistencia sits at the edge of the "Impenetrable", where cattle roam over vast, dry solitudes comparatively recently settled by Europeans. It is a place of big hats, big trucks and big moustaches, and is home to several indigenous groups. Tourism's golden rain has barely watered Toba communities who scrape a meagre living from the parched land. In town collectives promote Toba culture and issues, but it is an ongoing battle to be heard.
Misiones, the Guaraní, and the Iguazú Falls
In northeast Argentina, the stones of spectacular missions founded by Jesuits have been swallowed by the jungle, but the people with whom they forged a visionary alliance, the Guaraní, are part of the contemporary picture. Some more remote villages conserve a reasonably traditional existence - some even banning outside contact for their own protection - but most folks in Misiones, from the mate plantations to the Iguazú Falls, have indigenous blood, and Guaraní words pepper the Spanish up here. Tropical rains, fertile vegetation and orange-red mud make Argentina's north-eastern finger distinct, and the thunder of the world's most spectacular waterfalls leaves a lifelong impression.
How to
From Buenos Aires, there are flights to Salta, Jujuy, Resistencia, Posadas and Puerto Iguazú. Regular, comfortable long-haul buses also service these places.
Andy Symington has lived and worked in Argentina, and returns regularly. He is co-author of Lonely Planet's Argentina guide.
The article 'Argentina's indigenous north' was published in partnership with Lonely Planet.


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About us
IIB Faculty Team
Director's Message
Why IIB
Degree Programmes
Research Groups
STEM Outreach
Biology Teachers Meeting
IIB Roadshow
IIB Teacher Training
Students Internship Program
Trends in Life Sciences (TLS) Seminar Series
IIB Workshops and Trainings
Islam Science and our Future (ISFS) Series Introduction
Contact us
Degree Programmes
BS and MS degree programmes in Biotechnology
Biotechnology is one of Biology's fastest growing areas, which has revolutionized a broad range of industries – from the food and chemicals sector to agriculture and medicine. The degree programme in this area includes courses that deliver in-depth and comprehensive training to students at different levels of the subject matter – from the intricate molecular biology of cells to the industrial production of valuable chemicals and bio-products. Core subjects include biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology and genetics. The programme also includes courses on cutting-edge areas like next-generation sequencing, systems biology and synthetic biology.
The Biotechnology degree programmes have a relatively larger breadth of subjects, which corresponds to the diversity of applications within the field. For example, technologies like genetic engineering, metabolic engineering, stem cells technology, personalized medicine, bio-nanotechnology and synthetic biology, to name a few, have directly affected a variety of sectors and continue to do so. This includes medicine, agriculture, energy, livestock, agriculture, manufacturing, food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
If you enjoy observing and studying life and nature and are interested in undertaking rigorous training in how you could use biological systems to engineer valuable products and develop solutions to tackle the most pressing problems we face in the world, this could be your choice.
MS degree programme in Bioinformatics
The field of biology in general is undergoing a major shift, thanks to some major technological advances. Instead of single 'reductionist' experiments by biologists, where they focus on individual molecules and their reactions, the trend is moving towards high-throughput experiments, which generate massive amounts of data. This phenomenon has enabled scientists to draw a more holistic 'systems' level understanding of biological processes. A simple analogy could be looking at an image or a map at a very high zoom-in level, compared to a zoomed out view of an entire space, which can be much more comprehensive and complete.
The surge in data over the past couple of decade has also brought in new problems into the field, which had to be solved. For example, the storage and analysis of this amount of data has not been possible without the help of computers. These computational needs along with other applications, which developed with time, like data visualization, statistical predictions, mathematical modelling and molecular dynamics simulations paved the way for a new area of specialization, which is broadly termed as bioinformatics. With a very high demand for computer science and engineering experts, the field has drawn lots of experts from fields outside biology.
Bioinformatics can be a breathtaking course for the 'inter-disciplinarians' out there. Students from biology (pre-medical) backgrounds who have knack for computer science, mathematics or statistics or students from physics and mathematics (pre-engineering) backgrounds who wish to apply their skills in biology and medicine, can find this a rewarding experience that unifies their college experience with their current interests.
For more details, call the University Admissions Office at 0321-JOIN-IIB (03215646442) or visit the
Admissions Page


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The system developed by AltiBreizh is comprised of three main elements :
1. The cradle,
2. The remote control,
3. The support (mast or balloon).
The cradle :
The cradle is pivoted on two axis with the assistance of an accelerator and electronic compass, thus enabling the cradle to fully stabilised. Stability is essential for the production of high resolution panoramic views.
Communication between the cradle and the remote control device is achieved by the use of Zigbee® technology. It is also equipped with a powerful micro-controller to control stabilisation and facilitate automatic panoramic construction.
The camera, a Pentax® with a resolution of 10 million pixels is housed in the cradle. Communication between the remote control and the microcontroller is by way of a video transmitter.
The remote control :
The remote control makes it possible to control the cradle when in use and fully extended. There are two modes of operation :
1. The first is fully manual the image being taken from the viewfinder.
2. The second being automatic and is used in the construction of panoramic shots.
The controller is equipped with two video screens. The first is involved with the control parameters of the cradle and the second displays the video feed from the camera.
The cradle support :
There are two ways the cradle can be elevated: the telescopic mast and the balloon method. The latter is dependent on the prevailing weather conditions :
The mast, 17 metres high, enables many pictures to be taken at each elevation even in a moderate wind.
The second is a ground tethered balloon which can rise to 150 meters before images are taken, but can only be used in very light winds.


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Estimating the actual effective income tax rates that U.S. corporations pay is tricky. Tax returns are confidential documents under strict laws, never released by the IRS for public scrutiny. Corporate accountants and tax lawyers abide by rigid professional codes of secrecy. The information that corporations include in their publicly available financial statements is often incomplete. Sometimes it's even misleading.
A new report released Monday by the General Accountability Office slices through the smoke and mirrors and gives one of the most accurate pictures yet of the U.S. corporate tax burden. The GAO's data shows that taxes in fact are not a burden at all for the big multinationals. The effective rate of taxation for the biggest companies is even smaller than previously thought.
|For U.S. corporations with assets above $10 million, the General Accountability Office found that
in fact the average effective tax rate
is only 13 percent.
The statutory federal tax rate for most large corporations is 35 percent. Most people know that virtually no major corporation pays this high a proportion of their earnings to the Treasury. Instead America's corporate titans game the tax code and accounting rules to retain as much cash as possible. But by exactly how much? A few high-profile cases like General Electric's 2 percent tax rate over the last decade illustrate perfected tax avoidance, but what about the entire corporate sector? How rampant and costly is tax avoidance? How many companies take on tax planning with the obsessive focus of Apple, Inc., or Hewlett Packard?
Previous studies examining mostly public financial statements of corporations have estimated an average effective rate of between 22 and 31 percent. Using tax returns obtained from the IRS for U.S. corporations with assets above $10 million, GAO researchers found that in fact the average effective tax rate is only 13 percent.
When the GAO's researchers included the tax payments made by the these companies to other nations, corporate taxes paid to U.S. states, and taxes to local governments, the total effective tax rate only rises to 17 percent. It turns out then that the largest U.S. corporations are paying on average only half the statutory rate of 35 percent.
"Large, profitable U.S. corporations as a whole are not paying their fair share in taxes," said U.S. Senator Carl Levin upon releasing the GAO report yesterday.
Levin, chair of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, ordered the report as part of a larger foray into corporate tax shams. Last month Senators Levin and John McCain put Apple, Inc.'s tax avoidance techniques under a microscope during a Senate hearing, dissecting the tech giant's Irish and British Virgin Islands subsidiaries and massive pile of overseas cash.
Corporate tax rates are at historical lows. Taxes on corporate earnings crested in the 1960s at about 50 percent, falling quickly in the 1980s and 1990s to 35 percent. Over this same period, corporate tax strategists were devising schemes to further reduce the effective rates applying to their clients, and to write hundreds of complex loopholes into the Internal Revenue Code for everyone from oil companies to drug manufacturers.
The effect is that whereas in the 1950s corporate income taxes accounted for upwards of one quarter of all federal revenue, today corporations provide probably less than 15 percent.
Making up for most of the lost revenue has been individual income tax receipts, and social insurance and retirement tax receipts, and these taxes have become more regressive over the years.
Thus the burden of funding the federal government has been significantly transferred from corporations to individuals, and within individual and family tax filers it has been shifted from the wealthy to the middle class.
|Whereas in the 1950s corporate income taxes accounted for upwards of one quarter of all federal revenue, today
corporations provide
probably less than 15 percent.
Many of the tax rules and loopholes used by American corporations to slice in half their intended tax rates were implemented within the last 15 years.
Two key changes were written into the Internal Revenue Code and policy guidelines in 1997 and 2004.
Known as the "check-the-box" regulations, and the "CFC Lookthrough Rule," these obscure tweaks to the tax code have allowed companies like Pfizer, Microsoft, Google, and Walmart to shelter upwards of $1.7 trillion in cash abroad in tax havens where the statutory tax rates are sometimes as low as zero percent, and where governments have struck special deals to garner direct investment by the gargantuan corporations.
Using a technique called "transfer pricing," U.S. multinationals have built global webs of subsidiary companies and holding companies whose sole purpose is to take title to valuable assets, and to book overseas income, while the U.S. parent corporation records as many losses as possible.
The income booked abroad remains untaxed, boosting the company's share value, while the domestic losses are tax-deductible.
"When Congressional leaders talk about tax reform, closing egregious corporate loopholes, particularly those that enable corporations to shift income and intellectual property to offshore tax havens, ought to be at the top of the list," Levin said.
Levin is particularly opposed to the ongoing obsession some in Congress have with revenue neutral reforms as they would, in his view, "just bake into the tax code all the revenues lost to multinational corporation's current tax avoidance."
Darwin Bondgraham is a sociologist and journalist who writes about political economy. His writing has appeared in Counterpunch, Truthout, Z Magazine and others. Follow him @DarwinBondGraham.