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About writing. And reading. And being published. Or not published. On working on being published. Tangents into the pop culture world to come. Especially about movies. And comic books. And movies from comic books.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Putting Yourself Out There (an Indie Life post)
Of course, when I was in high school (and college), all of this was complicated by "The Girl." I was so stuck on her that it made me incapable of seeing other opportunities that were in front of me. And it lasted for YEARS. And it's not like it was some hidden, unrequited thing, either. She knew how I felt and there was pretty consistent pursuit. In fact, any time I would start to get fatigued, she'd do something to keep me hooked without ever going out with me. She very much wanted to make sure that I didn't date anyone else while still not dating me. I came to hate, "I like you, but..." It was... horrible.
But I was completely blinded by her and her unfulfilled promises and it prompted me to completely turn away several girls who were interested in me just for the chance of going out with "The Girl." That and it felt dishonest to go out with someone when I was clearly attracted to someone else. The couple of times I did actually go out with some other girl, I let "The Girl" mess those up. Like I said, she didn't want to date me, per se, but she didn't want me dating someone else, either.
Eventually, though, I did get past her and started asking out some other girls. And, my gosh, the dread of doing that...
There was this one girl... I think I was a freshman in college (pretty sure), and she was, well, she was older than me, like a junior or something. Blond. Pretty. She sat next to me in... Intro to Drama? Maybe. She sat next to me in something, at any rate, and I really wanted to ask her out. I argued with myself over that for weeks. I gave myself all the reasons why I shouldn't ask her:
"She's older than you."
"She's popular."
"Look how pretty she is."
"She'll never say yes to you."
I'm sure there were more, and I'm also sure you get the idea.
At any rate, what it finally came down to for me was this:
If I didn't ask her out, it was the equivalent of a "no." But, if I did ask her out, I might get a "yes." I suppose I couldn't let the possibility slip by, so, one Friday after class when some friends of mine and I were going to hit the local pizza joint, I asked her if she wanted to come along. And...
I did not get a "yes," but I also didn't get a "no." I got a "I can't right now, maybe some other time." And, maybe, that was a "no" and, maybe, it was exactly what it was. I don't know, because I didn't try again. Maybe, I should have; I don't know. The main thing, though, was that I asked her, which I even knew at the time.
That was my thing after that, "If you don't ask [about whatever, not just dating], the answer is always "no." Or to say it the way my mother-in-law used to say it, "Let them say 'no,'" meaning: Don't not ask because you're convinced you'll get a "no." Make them say it.
Of course, I'm not really talking about dating. All of this has to do with what it's like being an independent author. "The Girl" is like that time period where you're stuck on going with a traditional publisher. Most authors go through that and will pursue it for years and years. They'll jump through all kinds of hoops thrown out there by "The Girl," um, I mean Agents. "I like it, but..."
You just need to change these parts.
You just need to write it first person.
You just need to have a love triangle.
blah blah blah
All of that when it's not really about you, anyway. They just want the attention and the power (and I'm not talking about any specific agent; I mean that in a general sense about the way that part of publishing works).
Of course, I could also talk about looking for an agent in the same context of dating, but I'm not going to do that, because I don't think most authors ought to be looking for agents, but that's a post for another time.
What I want to talk about is the whole thing of putting yourself out there. I mean, that's what dating is: putting yourself out there and becoming vulnerable. You risk the big "NO" any time you ask someone out, and that risk is scary, and it never feels good to get it. But you don't always get a "no." I hope.
Putting your book out there is a lot like this. Putting it out there where people can see it and read it is risking the big "No" of bad reviews (and no reviews), no sales, and people responding negatively to you rather than your work. It can be... hard. Scary.
But not putting your stuff out there is the same as not asking. Don't let the fear that people won't like what you have to say keep you from making it available. Let them say "no." And some people will say "no," but some people will say "Yes!" And isn't it those people we're writing for anyway?
This post has been brought to you in part by Indie Life.
32 comments:
Wow! Very nicely put together post about facing the word 'No' - I really haven't thought about it quite like this before. Thank you!ReplyDelete
Awesome post! I really enjoy your analogies. Plus, I bet "That Girl" is still regretting her actions! You were the one who got away.ReplyDelete
I'm having conflicted feelings about this post. On the one hand it's a very convincing argument for publishing your work and getting it out in front of readers, no matter the response. On the other hand, I'm reminded of how no one ever asked me out in high school or college and I'm feeling all that rejection all over again. Hmph.ReplyDelete
Most people will say no but you can make a few bucks off the people who say yes so woo hoo.ReplyDelete
This post really resonated with me, Andrew. Thanks for this perfect analogy. I definitely can relate this to my publishing journey. Wonderful motivation I needed... such a perfectly crafted post.ReplyDelete
RG: Sure thing!ReplyDelete
JKIR,F!: Oh, well, I happen to know that she did, much later, regret her actions. I was way gone by that time, though.
L.G.: Oh... um... I'm sorry?
I don't know what else to say.
GP: Well, yeah... Unless they're just in it for the free stuff.
Morgan: Thank you so much :)
Once again, a very nicely drawn analogy.ReplyDelete
I hated dating. I mean, I didn't think of it that way at the time but it sure is nice not to have to do it anymore.ReplyDelete
You do do very good analogies - I have never tried to publish a book so I don't have the problems of people saying no. Maybe with dating though although haven't been there for many a long year.ReplyDelete
TAS: heh I thought of it that way at the time.ReplyDelete
Jo: It's nice when you're at a place where you don't have to worry about that.
I have a close friend, recently divorced, who's going through it all over again. Poor guy...ReplyDelete
TAS: That's rough. Having to date again after a divorce is like a punishment on top of a punishment.ReplyDelete
Great post, Andrew. For me it isn't the "putting it out there" that's hard. It's the promotion aspect, where I'm required to repeatedly put my product in front of people, completely in their space…I don't like that part! If it could be out there and just be found, that would be super. :)ReplyDelete
Why are all dating stories so cringe-inducing?ReplyDelete
Good point, though. Flexibility is important. All I ever hear is that publishing doesn't go as planned. If you spend all your time trying to bust through the wall, you don't realize you can just walk around it.
J.R.: To me the promotion is the "putting it out there" part. That's part where I have to say, "Will you buy my book?" or, as in the analogy, "Will you go out with me?"ReplyDelete
Jeanne: Exactly.
Dating stories aren't stories if they're not cringe-inducing.
Nicely put~ if you don't put yourself out there, it's the equivalent of a "no," so why not try? I think I tend to set my expectations to that "no" in lots of situations in my life, which actually frees me up emotionally to put myself out there (does that make sense?) because I don't worry as much about getting hurt. If I get the 'no' it's more like, "Well, crud. I figured that'd be the case, but I had to try." And the older I get, the more I realize how short/fleeting life can be and there are only so many chances we're given to try things, etc. And my embarrassment threshold is much bigger/stronger now, which helps (I think having kids does that to you).ReplyDelete
Very well said. One difference, though. No woman ever took 6 months to get back to me just to say, "I like you, but..."ReplyDelete
Also, I wasn't very adept at dating, either. And not just with the asking out. As the Joker said, "I'm just a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't even know what to do with one if I caught it."
See what I mean about your posts being like parables? I call this one "The Parable Of The Girl."ReplyDelete
Lots of good points here, as always. Lately I've been thinking a lot about publishing myself vs. traditional vs. less-traditional, and playing around with it. It's part of a bigger thing I'm working on, but one aspect of it is the validation.
When people comment on a post ("I like it!" "I hate it!" "WTF?") you at least know someone noticed it, and especially when people like it, link to it, reblog it, tweet it, etc., that, or a good review of a book, are validating. I mean, I like my stuff: I re-read my stories a lot, a year or two later, and I enjoy them still. But it's nice to have other people say that.
So going with traditional publishing is a way, too, of validating oneself, and I think that's why the EL Jameses of the world get into that eventually. Just like Kevin Smith wanted to be more than an indie film maker, writers want to be able to say "I'm a REAL writer." I'd be willing to bet that if I sold 10,000,000 copies of "Eclipse," and then went to a cocktail party and called myself a 'writer,' at least one person would disagree because it was indie published.
Then there's the aspect of whether you should change it to get that validation: "I like it, but...". The last time I submitted a book to a publisher was "Up So Down," and the publisher said "I like it but..." and made some suggestions. I followed them, resubmitted, they still said no, and then I published the version based on their suggestions (a version that entirely cut out one of my favorite characters, and which sort of dramatically changed the way other characters interacted, too).
I originally did it because I wanted to be published, but then I realized that the advice was good advice anyway.
So if Blondie had told you "You know, I kind of like you but you're always covered in pizza sauce and have messy hair, maybe if you cleaned yourself up a bit..." some people will say "NO ANDREW DON'T CHANGE STAY GOLDEN PONYBOY," but others might say, "You know, it wouldn't hurt to run a comb through your hair now and then."
See? I tried my hand at a parable and it was awful. Take that and make it better, Gospel According To St. Andrew.
I listened to "I Love It," my 10,000-play song, twice while writing that comment. That's my thing I'm doing today: listening to that song and letting people know it.ReplyDelete
I listened to "I Love It," my 10,000-play song, twice while writing that comment. That's my thing I'm doing today: listening to that song and letting people know it.ReplyDelete
I read once that pretty girls don't get hit on much because most guys are scared to approach them. Go for it I say. Good analogyReplyDelete
Jessica: Expecting a "no" while trying anyway is certainly okay; you just can't let the "no" keep you from taking the chance. Also, having kids can really help with that if you are encouraging them to not let fear of a "no" stop them.ReplyDelete
ABftS: Oh, yeah, I had that problem, too. But that's probably a story for another day.
Briane: Hmm... Maybe, if I ever collect all this stuff up, I will call it "Writing Parables."
And you're right, there would be at least one person, probably many, who would consider you a "fake" because you weren't traditionally published. And that goes along with what you're saying about Blondie, because there can be some things that are just "clean up" issues while other things actually change who you are. Like if she said, "Also, I know you're friends with X, Y, and Z, and I won't go out with you if you are friends with them." So there has to be a decision in there about where the changes switch from affecting how you look to changing who you are.
And I think that's actually another post.
Maurice: Yeah, I've heard that, but I don't know if it's empirically true or not. Hmm... now, I'm wondering if there have been any studies on that.
Awesome, Andrew. You articulated it well. It's the same with asking for help when you're promoting. IF you never ask, you'll never get a yes, and people's willingness to share you with the world may surprise you. Speaking of which, I owe you an email...this weekend. Toodles!ReplyDelete
Crystal: Yeah, it's true of most things. And, um, I'll be waiting for the email...ReplyDelete
Great post, Andrew, and I totally agree - this is something I am dealing with right now. The "I want to self publish but none of my stuff is ready and arrrggggh it makes me so nervous arrrgggh." But I'm inching ever-closer to taking that step. I've seen plenty of my blogger friends do it, and I know I can as well.ReplyDelete
I still think it's a very brave step to take!
Yes, I think the best parts of a traditional publisher is getting your work in front of more people, and secondarily, give those of us that need it, the validation that the story is a) finished and b) good enough for the public.ReplyDelete
And that's about it. Those are pretty big things, especially now that I think everyone is struggling to rise above the background noise of the thousands of titles that are coming out so often that even the most voracious readers may never even hear your name.
I'm starting to think a hybrid approach is really the way to go, I know some authors have been very successful doing that, getting the agent, the traditional book deal, but also putting out self-pubbed work. That way you're pulling in a much bigger audience than you might otherwise.
I might not feel that way tomorrow, but as of right now, that's where my head is at... not that you asked, I'm just rambling. It's early, I missed this yesterday.... I have a headache.... what was I talking about... whose blog am I on?
As a reader not an author, I find I obtain dozens of freebies from Amazon and end up buying the rest of the trilogies. There is an ezine which comes out daily offering all kinds of Kindle books and I usually pick out the freebies from there.ReplyDelete
Trisha: It is a brave step. It's always brave to step out and risk rejection.ReplyDelete
Rusty: Except I don't think being traditionally published actually helps you get your stuff in front of more people. That is the great illusion, but mid-list authors tend to sing the same song: they had to do all the work themselves anyway. They only put your stuff out in front of people if you're a big name, in which case you probably don't need the help.
Jo: A lot of people do that, which both helps and hurts indie authors.
Andrew - I'd dispute that statement somewhat, I won't dispute it a lot, because I think your right, mostly, but I think getting almost nothing from a publisher is still a ton better than me working myself into the ground could manage.ReplyDelete
I think getting my book published by any big 5 group, or a large mid-sized publisher (like Angry Robot, for example) will mean that I'm going to a) have an advance of at least $5k, and b) sell at least 1000 copies (I'd be tempted to say more like 3 or 4 thousand, but I'm not very confident in that number, even though I'd like to think that 1000 is in the bank).
Now, if I sold 1000 copies I'd be an epic failure and my big 5 publisher wouldn't be able to get out my contract fast enough, I'd never earn out my advance and probably wouldn't get another contract again. So, that is a pretty big failure all way around.
BUT - if the book is good (and it just had a crappy cover, or came out the same time that Stephen King released his latest novel that happened to overwhelm mine because they came out the same week, or whatever), I think 1000 people reading it is enough to find an audience of people that might enjoy it and become fans. Not all 1000, but some, and those folks might want to find other things I've written, and if I have a catalog of self pubbed items to choose from, I might be able to turn what was a failure from a publishing house into a real revenue stream.
However, back to my point about a nothing from a big publishing house being better than what I can do. I realize I'm not a hard worker when it comes to self promotion. But a decent sized publisher will get review copies of books in the hands of folks that are either very popular reviewers, or at the very least, into the hands of other authors from their imprint that will at least write blurbs.
Those two things alone will get me more reviews and eyes on my work than I'd ever generate on my own.
I know folks like Chuck Wendig have become pretty darned successful with that hybrid approach too - as well as previous mid-list authors that couldn't move enough copies of their books to warrant future contracts with their publishers (Linda Nagata comes to mind, she all but disappeared until self publishing resurrected her career). Their small fanbases have been enough to give them huge boosts when they self publish.
Of course, it isn't for everyone, if I were a better marketer, promoter, faster writer, better writer, whatever it was, I might have a leg up self publishing, but as it stands, I think the modest sales I have now is what I can expect forever, which means I can take my wife out to eat once or twice a year, nothing more.
If I want more financial success, I have to do something different.
Rusty: I'm not saying that it can't work; I'm saying that it mostly doesn't work. And, from what I've been reading, selling 1000 is actually a lot these days. For most, it's only a few hundred without getting out and doing the work. Basically, you're going to sell approximately the same number of books either self or traditional, both based on the amount of work you put into it. Even books that get excellent reviews and awards barely move if the author expects the publisher to push the book and, so, does nothing.ReplyDelete
Unless you just get lucky, which is just as likely with self-publishing as it is with traditional publishing.
None of which is to say that you shouldn't pursue traditional publishing if you want the validation that comes with that.


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What is Standards Based Grading?
Standards-Based Grading is a system of reporting student proficiency in a number of specific learning goals (or standards). Rather than give students one grade on a test that assessed multiple skills, this system gives students a number of scores that represent their proficiency in each of the skills assessed. The idea is that at the end of the class a student has mastered the essential concepts and skills necessary for the next level. You are focused on learning, not on points.
"A grade should not be compensation, but communication."
-Rick Wormeli
A Comparison of Grading Systems
Standards-based Grading System
- Based on learning goals and performance standards. One grade is given per learning goal.
- Standards are criterion-based. Criteria and targets are made available to students ahead of time.
- Measures achievement only OR separates achievement from effort and behavior. No penalties or extra credit given.
- Selected assessments (often only identified summative assessments) are used for grading purposes.
- Emphasize the most recent evidence of learning when grading.
Traditional Grading System
- Based on quizzes, homework, tests, projects, etc. One grade is given per assessment.
- Assessments based on a percentage system. Criteria for success may be unclear.
- Uses an uncertain mix of assessment, achievement, effort, and behavior to determine the final grade. May use late penalties and extra credit.
- Everything goes in the gradebook, regardless of purpose.
- Include every score, regardless of when it was collected. Assessments record the average – not the best – work.
Why Standards-Based Grading?
- Increases Effectiveness of Work Done for Student and Teacher
- It's about LEARNING.
- Providing specific feedback gives students a sense of where students are in their learning. Homework assignments and other formative assessments help judge the progress of the group as a whole before deciding how to proceed.
- Feedback Cycle
- Feed-up, Feedback, Feed-forward
- Helps Teachers Adjust Instruction
- The standards-based grade book gives a wealth of information to help the teacher adjust instruction. Some standards may require more class instruction and/or some students my need additional instruction or practice.
- Students can also see much more information about their learning. In the traditional grade book, a student would assume she is in solid shape with a letter grade of a "C", but standards-based grading reveals she has not mastered some crucial concepts and therefore needs to complete additional corrective activities.
- It teaches what quality looks like.
- In the adult world, everything is a performance assessment. Quality matters, and the ability to measure the quality of one's own work is a learned skill. We create an environment where standards can and must be met.
- If we base our grades on standards rather than attendance, behavior, or extra credit (which often has nothing to do with course objectives), we can actually help students grapple with the idea of quality and walk away with a higher degree of self-sufficiency. We can and should report information about student performance in areas like attendance and effort, but we can report it separately from academic achievement (O'Connor, 2007; Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006).
- If nothing else, grades should have meaning.
- What does each grade indicate to students, parents, and teachers about what students have learned, or not learned, in a course? What does 8/10 really mean? Is 5 out of 10 ever good? How is an 81% different from a 79%? Should we "curve" grades? When pressed to describe the qualitative difference between an A, B, C, D, or F, could we?
- These questions are simplified in a standards-based grading system. Students are provided with the standards and the criteria on which they will be assessed in every unit and for every assessment. Students and parents can clearly see which areas students are performing well and where they may need support. Grades are no longer a mystery.
- In the adult world, everything is a performance assessment. Quality matters, and the ability to measure the quality of one's own work is a learned skill. We create an environment where standards can and must be met.
- Increases Effectiveness of Work Done for Student and Teacher
5-Point Rubric
Category 5 = Exceeds
Student has demonstrated an unexpected understanding of required concepts and mastery of essential skills. Student consistently performs above and beyond course expectations.
Category 4 = Advanced
Student has demonstrated both an excellent understanding of required concepts and mastery of essential skills. Student consistently displays a superior performance on course expectations.
Category 3 = Proficient
Student has demonstrated both a good understanding of required concepts and mastery of essential skills. Student consistently meets course expectations.
Category 2 = Basic Understanding
Student has demonstrated a basic understanding of required concepts and is approaching or has demonstrated a basic mastery of essential skills. Student generally meets course expectations.
Category 1 = Beginning
Student infrequently demonstrates a basic understanding of course concepts and lacks mastery of essential skills. Student generally does not meet minimum course expectations.
Category 0 = Not Evident
Student demonstrates little to no evidence of a basic understanding of course concepts and little to no mastery of essential skills and/or evaluation of student understanding of concepts and mastery of skills is not possible due to lack of evidence. Student regularly does not meet minimum course expectations.
Grading by Indicator Example
Standard: Power Standard 6; W.9-10.a; Indicator 2
Content Related: Main Idea Sentences (nonfiction summary, analysis, and argument)
- 0 - No Evidence
- Missing main idea sentence(s) OR
- Main idea(s) is illogical or off task
- 1 - Beginning
- Main idea(s) is plot summary OR
- Main idea(s) is unclear/confusing
- 2 - Basic Understanding
- Main Idea(s) is missing one of the two/three components
- Answers the prompt
- Clear claim (paragraph topic)
- References the author/last name (for analysis writing)
- 3 - Proficient
- Main Idea(s) answers the prompt, includes a clear claim (paragraph topic) AND
- References the author/last name (for analysis writing)
- 4 - Advanced
- Main Idea(s) answers the prompt, includes the claim (paragraoph topic) and references the author/last name (for analysis writing) AND
- Exceptionally clear, fluent, well-worded. comprehensive yet concise.
- 0 - No Evidence
Types of Assessments
- Diagnostic Assessments
- Common pre-assessments given at the beginning of each unit of instruction
- Informs Teacher
- what student already knows
- what needs to still be learned/taught
- what adjustments to make to unit based on student results
- Informs Student
- what is already known about unit of instruction
- what student can expect to learn in the unit
- Formative Assessments
- Common "check-up" assessments given throughout the unit of instruction, usually at the end of each building block
- Informs Teacher
- what students have learned
- what needs to be re-taught
- what changes should be made to instruction to improve student learning
- Informs Student
- what has been learned
- what changes need to be made to habits to improve learning outcomes
- Summative Assessments
- Common assessments that are performed at the end of a unit, or at a predetermined time.
- Inform Teachers
- what a student has learned to make a judgment of student competency.
- are used to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and services
- various types (e.g., traditional tests, essays, projects, labs, presentations)
- Inform Students
- what has been learned
- what "grade" is
- what has been learned
- Diagnostic Assessments
Assessment Response
Teachers respond to student learning needs based on data from the various types of assessments.
- Correctives (a.k.a. "re-teach")
- Used when students have not demonstrated required level of knowledge or skills
- Focus on specific challenges
- Students given the opportunity to "re-test" to demonstrate what they have learned
- Enrichments
- Used when students have already demonstrated the required knowledge or skills
- Extend learning and challenge students
- Re-Test
- Formative Assessment data will be used to re-teach and re-assess student knowledge during the unit of instruction.
- Students are required take a summative re-test on any Power Standard where mastery is not attained ("3").
- Retesting is not optional for the student or the teacher.
- All students must be provided with corrective activities and then provided a re-test.
- Student grades are no longer point-based. All students must demonstrate mastery of the standards at the level described on the rubric in order to be successdul in a class or subject area.
- Correctives (a.k.a. "re-teach")
Daily Checking for Understanding
- Daily Assignments
- Daily, in-class activities help teacher monitor the effectiveness of instruction in relation to the degree of student learning
- Student's opportunity to "show what they know"
- Homework / Practice
- Informs teacher and student about how the student is doing in class
- Teacher makes adjustments to lessons based on what student has learned and what they have yet to learn
- Class Participation
- Indicates student understanding of lesson
- Daily Assignments

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Video: Ducks horribly abused at Dutch poultry farm
A video surfaced showing serious abuses at duck breeding companies in the Netherlands, specifically when the animals are being caught and transported. Animal rights organizations are horrified, RTL Nieuws, who published the video, reports.
The video, made by Animal Rights last winter, shows a young duck being stomped to death, ducks being brutally crammed into crates, and being grabbed by their wings and legs. It also shows two employees throwing a young duck between each other in what seems to be a game.
The video contains shocking images and may not be suitable for sensitive viewers:
Robert Molenaar of Animal Rights calls the video nauseating. "What you see is that ducks are thrown into crates, that they are kicked and chased and that they feel a lot of stress, fear and pain through the catch teams' actions. That can not be allowed", he said to the broadcaster.
According to veterinarian Arabella Burgers, this company is breaking the law. "You can not allow the animals to suffer unnecessarily, no extra stress can be caused when catching them or during transport. If that does happen, it involves animal abuse." She thinks the poultry farms in question should be prosecuted or fined.
Every year around 8 million ducks are slaughtered in the Netherlands, mainly for export to Germany, France and Great Britain. There are about 10 companies on and around the Veluwe that raise ducks, and then transport them to the only duck slaughterhouse in the country - Tomassen Duck-To in Ermelo.
In a statement Tomassen Duck-To said that the treatment of the ducks may look harsh and clumsy, but that the catching teams are professionals who know how to treat the animals in most cases. The video was shown to the poultry farms in question, but they did not want to respond, according to RTL Nieuws.
Gertjan Tomassen, director of Tomassen Duck-To, told ANP that the claims made against his company are false. According to him, animal abuse is "absolutely not an issue". "All our departments are equipped with camera surveillance, so we know exactly what is happening. What Animal Rights is doing is criminal", he said. According Tomassen, there is constant supervision by Dutch food safety authority NVWA. "There are inspectors around here all day." He is considering taking legal steps against Animal Rights. "We are looking at what we are going to do about this. This is very annoying. I now keep getting calls from angry customers."
Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA called the behavior seen on the video "totally unacceptable". The companies can expect a visit from the regulator soon. "We also want to talk to the sector ourselves", spokesperson Benno Bruggink said to RTL. "To make it clear that this is not acceptable." The rules are clear, he said. "Animals must be transported in such a way that they do not suffer and that no injuries occur. That is clearly the case here."
Companies that buy the ducks' down for pillows and duvets are furious about the state of affairs, according to RTL. "I find that this can not be allowed", a spokesperson for duvet manufacturer Yumeko said to the broadcaster. "Down is a by-product of the meat industry, and in that context we have to think about animal welfare. Bed manufacturer Auping is shocked by the video. "There seems to be evidence of animal suffering and that can not be allowed", a spokesperson said. The company will take immediate action and enter into discussions with the suppliers.
Supermarket chain PLUS announced that it will immediately remove all products from Tomassen from its shelves. "We've seen the images and they speak for themselves. It is unacceptable. We called the supplier and are very shocked", PLUS said, according to ANP. The products that were removed from the shelves will be given to local food banks.


text:
Media release - 7 September, 2016
The Spring 2016 issue of Raine & Horne Commercial Insights has found a trifecta of factors – comprising low interest rates, a supportive Federal government and lacklustre returns on many other investment classes – is driving significant interest in commercial property assets on Sydney's North Shore.
"Today's low interest rates make now the ideal time to review commercial portfolios and add new assets," said Angus Raine, Executive Chairman, Raine & Horne Commercial.
"Small business owners are well-placed to take advantage of the current favourable market to step into their own premises, or upgrade business premises, and strengthen their enterprise's asset base."
In North Sydney, the commercial market has a vacancy rate of 7.8% however this looks set to change.
According to Nick Moloney, Sales Director of Raine & Horne Commercial North Sydney, many commercial buildings across the lower North Shore are being withdrawn from the market for redevelopment as residential towers.
Given the strength of the Sydney residential property market, this trend is likely to continue – potentially with significant impact on the local commercial market. "With limited new supply coming on board, the vacancy rate in North Sydney could drop to 5% - a level not seen since 2001," said Mr Moloney.
Based on this estimate, commercial vacancy rates will continue to tighten, leading to increased rents in North Sydney – particularly as rental incentives taper off. This underpins the North Shore market as an attractive destination for investors seeking strong returns.
For more information on Australian commercial property markets, download a copy of Raine & Horne Commercial Insights.
About Raine & Horne Commercial
For more than 130 years, Raine & Horne has been assisting Australians achieve their property objectives. Since its launch in 1984, Raine & Horne Commercial has been an active market participant and is now the largest commercial property group in Australia, with over 35 offices servicing every state capital and key regional growth centres.
It is a full-service commercial real estate network with a broad suite of commercial, industrial and retail property services including sales, leasing, consulting, business broking, business recovery & insolvency, facilities and asset management services.
For further media information contact:
Angus Raine, Executive Chairman, Raine & Horne Commercial on 0409 920 697
Andrew Harrington, National Communications Manager, Raine & Horne on 02 9258 5400


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NATA is pleased to introduce your 2014 presidential candidates: Russ Richardson, EdD, ATC, and Scott Sailor, EdD, ATC. Voting will take place Sept. 1-30, so be checking your email inbox for voting informaiton in the coming months. We'll be publishing expanded profiles in the August/September issue of the NATA News. Scroll to the end of the post to watch a video of the candidates presenting their platforms and answering questions at Face Time 2014 in Indianapolis.
NATA member since: 1979
If elected president, Richardson plans to focus on raising athletic training's profile within the health care arena. He said the profession has grown tremendously in the past five years but still lacks a clear roadmap for moving forward. "I would advocate for a new strategic planning process to reinforce our current direction as well as clearly direct us for our future. Like most roadmaps, directions change and modify frequently," Richardson said. "Our association needs to be mobile, agile and nimble enough to ensure our safe arrival at our final destination."
Richardson says a hallmark of a vibrant, health care profession is its commitment towards continuous academic development for all of its constituents. "In my current role as the Executive Committee for Education chair I was able to direct complex, and sometimes controversial discussions leading to the implementation of strategic initiatives that had previously only been talked about," he says. "As a practicing clinician, and former academician, I have experienced firsthand the complexities of each entity and have worked to bridge the gap between the two."
Richardson says he hears two common themes from members: "We need more job opportunities, and we need improved compensation." One of the strategies he believes will move ATs towards better job opportunities includes equipping our members to advocate for their compensation through the medical model. "We are currently working on a plan to identify resources and provide examples of this strategy to make available to our membership early next year," he says.
Finally, Richardson wants to further develop the association's position as a leader in youth sports safety and other issues related to concussion in sport. He knows NATA members can help make a difference and wants to empower ATs across the country to get involved. "I have been rewarded many times over as I have witnessed our members be successful not only in patient care, but legislative issues, complex leadership issues, litigations and more."
Name: Scott R. Sailor, EdD, ATC
Job Title/Employer: Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and program director for the AT program at Fresno State University
NATA member since: 1985
Sailor's presidential platform can be summed up in three words: access, awareness and allies. Sailor would like to see improved access to athletic trainers in secondary schools and youth-sports organizations. Sailor points out that many schools throughout the country lack adequate staffing of athletic trainers, so those ATs are often required to scale back the services they provide in order to meet the overwhelming demand. He plans to work toward making athletic trainers more accessible to the general population, especially adults who need help returning to their active lives after an injury. "I envision a day when members of the public consider consulting an athletic trainer a normal part of an active lifestyle, much like they currently consider consulting personal trainers prior to undertaking a fitness program," says Sailor.
Though Sailor says awareness of athletic training has improved in recent years, he believes NATA members need to continue to raise awareness about their knowledge, abilities and clinical research. Sailor wants to continue to emphasize the AT's role in the management of concussions, sudden cardiac arrest and heat illness. "I believe we will soon see a day where athletic trainers are fully engaged and leading health policy discussions, especially when it comes to topics related to youth sports safety," he says.
He thinks those grassroots efforts, along with the association's collaborations with likeminded organizations that understand the value of athletic trainers, will continue to raise the profession's public profile. Sailor points to the importance of engaging and maintaining serious dialog with long-standing allies about issues such as appropriate models of supervision for ATs, rules changes and growing demands on student-athletes and athletic training staffs. "It is imperative, as we move forward, that we [strategic allies] work together to bring about positive change for this profession which will result in improved outcomes for our various stakeholders."
Face Time 2014: Presidential Platforms from National Athletic Trainers' Assn on Vimeo.
This information was first published in the Convention Daily News.
Posted by NATA News Editor-in-Chief Jordan Grantham (email@example.com).


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So last night's Spooktober viewing was NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF, a 1981 Spanish film whose original title was El Retorno Del Hombre-Lobo.
It's one of Paul Naschy's twelve-film series about the werewolf Waldemar Daninsky. It's only a "series" in the strictest sense — they're largely unrelated films, all of which feature a 16th century Polish nobleman who's been cursed to be an immortal werewolf. Each film pretty much stands alone, and this one, in fact, is a higher-budget remake of one of his earlier stories, 1970's La Noche De Walpurgis (Walpurgis Night, known in the US as The Werewolf vs The Vampire Woman, in which Daninsky combats the vampiric Elisabeth Bathory, who has returned from the beyond the grave to something something.
Gotta be real: NOT a good movie. There's something about bad dubbing and Cinemax Bewbs that just makes even the most earnest attempt nearly unwatchable. But, it was a fun bit of horror-adventure-pulp, and really wasn't trying to be more than that.


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Early childhood obesity prevention efforts through a life course health development perspective: A scoping review
By Sheri Volger, Diane Rigassio Radler, Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia
Introduction The obesity rate in preschool children in the United States (US) is 13.9%, while even higher rates are associated with racial and ethnic minorities and children from low-income families. These prevalence patterns underscore the need to identify effective childhood obesity prevention programs. Method A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's framework to provide an overview of the types, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of obesity prevention interventions and policies in children up to 6 years old. Inclusion criteria were studies at least 6- months duration; included a weight-based outcome, conducted in the US, English publications from January 2001 to February 2018. Exclusions: studies in overweight/obese children and …Read full article
Early in the Life Course: Time for Obesity Prevention
By Summer Sherburne Hawkins, Emily Oken, and Matthew W. Gillman
This is one of 26 chapters published in the Handbook of Life Course Health Development. Abstract: One of the reasons for the intractability of childhood obesity is the underappreciation of the complexity and interconnectedness of contributing factors across the life course. A multilevel approach for obesity prevention takes into account individual risk factors that operate "above water" (family, neighborhood, policies) and the interaction with biology and "underwater" influences (genetics, epigenetics, physiology) and recognizes that these factors also interact across the life course, starting before birth. We organize this chapter to reflect phases of life course health development, prenatally through adolescence, that appear to be most important for the development of …Read full article
Maternal Obesity
By Various
The prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate, across all populations and age groups. Estimates suggest that 20% of women will be obese by 2025—a sobering statistic, particularly considering that obesity during pregnancy increases risk of adverse health outcomes to both mother and child. What's more, obesity during pregnancy increases the risk of life-long health problems in children, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. This Series in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology examines the growing burden of maternal obesity worldwide in terms of its impact on clinical management and intergenerational health, and highlights the need for a focus on the pre-pregnancy period, along with a whole-of-society …Read full article
Modifiable early-life risk factors for childhood adiposity and overweight: an analysis of their combined impact and potential for prevention
By Siân M Robinson, Sarah R Crozier, Nicholas C Harvey, Benjamin D Barton, Catherine M Law, Keith M Godfrey, Cyrus Cooper, and Hazel M Inskip
Background: Early life may be a "critical period" when appetite and regulation of energy balance are programmed, with lifelong consequences for obesity risk. Insight into the potential impact of modifying early-life risk factors on later obesity can be gained by evaluating their combined effects. Objective: The objective was to examine the relation between the number of early-life risk factors and obesity outcomes among children in a prospective birth cohort (Southampton Women's Survey). Design: Five risk factors were defined: maternal obesity [prepregnant body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) >30], excess gestational weight gain (Institute of Medicine, 2009), smoking during pregnancy, low maternal vitamin D status ( Results: Of the children, 148 …Read full article
Longitudinal changes in infant body composition: association with childhood obesity
By M.B. Koontz, D.D. Gunzler, L. Presley and PM Catalano
Summary Background Rapid weight gain in infancy has been established as a risk factor for the development of later obesity. Objective We aimed to investigate the role of changes in infant body composition (assessed via total body electrical conductivity) on the development of overweight/obesity in mid-childhood. Methods Fifty-three term infants were evaluated at birth, three times during infancy and in mid-childhood. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between rates of total weight gain, fat mass gain and lean mass gain during infancy and later overweight/obesity (defined as body mass index [BMI] ≥85th percentile), adjusted for birth weight and parent education. Results At follow-up (age 9.0 ± 1.8 …Read full article
Fetal programming of body composition, obesity, and metabolic function: the role of intrauterine stress and stress biology
By S Entringer, C Buss, JM Swanson, DM Cooper, DA Wing, F Waffarn, PD Wadhwa
Epidemiological, clinical, physiological, cellular, and molecular evidence suggests that the origins of obesity and metabolic dysfunction can be traced back to intrauterine life and supports an important role for maternal nutrition prior to and during gestation in fetal programming. The elucidation of underlying mechanisms is an area of interest and intense investigation. In this perspectives paper we propose that in addition to maternal nutrition-related processes it may be important to concurrently consider the potential role of intrauterine stress and stress biology. We frame our arguments in the larger context of an evolutionary-developmental perspective that supports roles for both nutrition and stress as key environmental conditions driving natural selection and developmental …Read full article
Childhood antecedents to adult cardiovascular disease
By Neal Halfon, Philip A. Verhoef and Alice A. Kuo
Many of the most common and costly chronic adult health conditions have their origins in childhood and adolescence. This recognition is leading to both a profound shift in our understanding about the developmental origins of diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and a greater focus on how different risk and protective factors influence the developmental pathways that determine optimal health across the life span. Scientific breakthroughs in the basic, clinical and epidemiological sciences reveal how different stressors and exposures during what are now termed "critical" or "sensitive" periods of development can affect growth, tissue differentiation and physiologic set points that influence an individual's response to …Read full article
Childhood cumulative risk and obesity: the mediating role of self-regulatory ability
By GW Evans, TE Fuller-Rowell and SN Doan
We tested whether early childhood risk exposures are related to weight gain in adolescence and evaluate an underlying mechanism, self-regulatory behavior, for the risk-obesity link. Nine-year-old children exposed to a greater accumulation of multiple risk factors show larger gains in adiposity over the next four year period, net of their initial BMI. These gains in BMI during early adolescence are largely accounted for by deteriorated self-regulatory abilities among children facing more cumulative risks. Early childhood risk exposure leads to larger gains in BMI in adolescence. Given the importance of childhood adiposity to the development of obesity later in life, understanding the underlying mechanisms that link early experience to weight gain …Read full article
Prenatal exposure to a natural disaster increases risk for obesity in 5½-year-old children
By Kelsey Needham Dancause, David P. Laplante, Sarah Fraser, Alain Brunet, Antonio Ciampi, Norbert Schmitz and Suzanne King
An adverse environment in utero, including exposure to prenatal maternal stress (PNMS), can result in poor birth outcomes such as low birth weight, which increases risk of later cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension and obesity. It is unclear to what extent PNMS influences obesity risk independent of its impact on birth characteristics, especially among humans. Our objective was to determine whether PNMS resulting from a natural disaster influenced risk of childhood obesity. Read full articleRead full article


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It takes just ten law firms. That seems to be the preferred number of law firms for many corporate legal departments.
By year's end in 2013, more than half of corporate legal departments had consolidated at least 80% of their corporate legal work with 10 or less firms, according to the newly released LexisNexis Enterprise Legal Management Trends Report (ELM).
The report, which was just released today, and reported by the Wall Street Journal, analyzed more than three million law firm invoices processed through the LexisNexis CounselLink system. The report is freely available for download without registration.
Corporate Legal M&A Spending Spiked
Recent headlines suggest M&A spending is back in vogue and an announcement highlighting the key findings reinforced this notion:
The report found law firm billings for merger and acquisition (M&A) related work spiked in 2013 by 77 percent. As its title suggests, the report also found that a bulk of that work went to law firms in the "Second Largest" category, which the report defines as those firms employing between 501-750 attorneys. Within the data set, the Second Largest accounted for 37% of all outside counsel spending on M&A matters in 2013.
Within high-value M&A legal work, the Second Largest law firms fared even better:
The changeover first occurred in 2012, however the gap widened substantially in 2013 and the disparity is even wider for high-value M&A legal projects. High value M&A legal work is characterized by those matters where outside counsel billings are greater than $1 million. In 2013, the Second Largest earned 52% of all outside counsel spending for this category of legal work.
Free Webinar: Highlights from the ELM Trends Report
With trends report principle author Kris Satkunas
Wednesday, August 27, 2014 from 2:00-2:45 p.m. EST
Link: http://bit.ly/WWGG9W
Industry Metrics and Benchmarks
While the report strives to identify big picture spending trends among corporate legal departments it also provides a range of useful industry benchmarks, which included the following among others:
- Blended average rates paid on M&A matters drop year-over-year. The shift of M&A work to the "Second Largest" law firm group is the dominant cause of the average rate drop. A closer look at associated partner rates for M&A matters rationalizes the shift in work – the largest firms have average rates 18% higher than the new category leaders.
- AFA utilization remains steady. 12.4% of matters utilize alternative fee arrangements in whole or part. The percentage is virtually unchanged from the previous 12 month period.
- Average partner rates have modest 0.8% gain to reach $386 per hour. This useful trend-spotting metric is representative of multiple law firm sizes, locations, lawyer experience levels and practice areas. For a partner in a U.S. law firm specializing in advice and counseling related to M&A work, the average hourly billing rate continues to occupy the top spot at $589 per hour among 12 practice categories.
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Unlike survey research, the data sample in this study is derived from law firm invoices to corporate legal departments. Corporate legal departments that have agreed to opt into the system permit their legal spending data to be anonymized and aggregated and in return gain access to unprecedented industry-wide benchmarking information that can be easily tailored for comparative analysis on performance, budgets and spending.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
6 Emergent Trends from a Corporate Legal Department Conference


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- YouTube said videos of the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, were being uploaded at an "unprecedented" speed last Friday.
- YouTube's Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan told The Washington Post that his team removed human moderators, instead letting AI unilaterally block videos.
- Even then not everything was caught, as users got around the machine by adding watermarks, cutting together clips, or in some cases even animating people in the video.
- Mohan said YouTube's processes could be improved. "Frankly, I would have liked to get a handle on this earlier," he told the Post.
YouTube has provided an insight into how it dealt with the "unprecedented" deluge of videos of the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, last Friday.
In an interview with The Washington Post, YouTube's Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan explained how the company was playing whack-a-mole to block videos, taken from a Facebook live stream, which were being uploaded at a rate of one per second.
In order to deal with the volume of videos, Mohan and other executives took the decision to override YouTube's content moderation systems, doing away with human moderators entirely. Instead, they used AI software to immediately identify the most violent parts of the video and autonomously block it.
"We made the call to basically err on the side of machine intelligence, as opposed to waiting for human review," said Mohan, adding that a "trade-off" was that some videos unconnected to the shooting got taken down by the system. He also made the decision to disable YouTube's "recent upload" search tool.
Although the AI software made instantaneous decisions on whether to block a video, it could also be tricked. Many uploading copies of the footage made edits to get it past YouTube's safeguards — adding watermarks, cutting together clips, or in some cases even animating people in the video.
Read more: Facebook, facing huge criticism over live streaming, says it removed 1.5 million videos of the New Zealand shooting in 24 hours
These edits meant loads of videos were slipping through YouTube's "hashing" systems, which are used to spot when footage has been duplicated somewhere, often for enforcing copyright.
"Like any piece of machine learning software, our matching technology continues to get better, but frankly, it's a work in progress," said Mohan.
YouTube declined to say exactly how many videos of the shooting it was able to remove or block, but said it was in the tens of thousands. In a statement released on Twitter on Monday, YouTube added that it has terminated hundreds of accounts "created to promote or glorify the shooter."
"Frankly, I would have liked to get a handle on this earlier," said Mohan. "Every time a tragedy like this happens we learn something new, and in this case it was the unprecedented volume [of videos]."
He added: "This was a tragedy that was almost designed for the purpose of going viral ... We've made progress, but that doesn't mean we don't have a lot of work ahead of us, and this incident has shown that, especially in the case of more viral videos like this one, there's more work to be done."
On Sunday, Facebook said it removed 1.5 million versions of the video within the first 24 hours. The situation is ongoing and researchers are still finding versions of the video on Facebook and Instagram, according to Bloomberg's Sarah Frier.


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Cairo, a gash over his eye, stands with a gun over Brigid as she huddles, terrified, in the chair. Brigid claims he struck her first, but Cairo tells the police that she and Spade attacked him after he was let into their apartment and that she threatened to murder him. Aloof and hovering by the door, Spade stays quiet until the police threaten to arrest all of them.
Since the reader has little idea about what happened between Brigid and Cairo, this scene forces us to imagine what went on inside. Depending on one's view of Brigid's ethical integrity, she could appear as the aggressor or the victim.
Not wanting the police to bring them to the station, Spade tells Dundy that the three of them were just playing a practical joke on him. Spade claims that before answering the door, he told Cairo to call out to the police in order to get the police tense and nervous for no reason. Cairo, who doesn't want to go to the station either, agrees and says he got the gash from tripping over himself. Knowing that Spade is hiding the truth, Dundy snaps and hits Spade in the face. Before Spade has a chance to hit him back, Polhaus gets between the two men and prevents the fight.
Although the story is preposterous, the officers have no evidence to prove that they are lying. Without evidence, the officers are powerless. In an example of aggressive masculinity, this powerlessness provokes Dundy into trying to regain some power by hitting Spade. Just as aggressive, Spade doesn't care that Dundy is a cop and would have hit him back if not for Polhaus' intervention.
Cairo and Brigid confirm that it was all a practical joke. Spade tells the police that if they bring them to the station, the newspapers will ridicule the cops for arresting people on the basis of a practical joke. Angry but not wanting to be embarrassed, the cops decide to leave. Cairo leaves at the same time as the police, despite Spade's warning that they will question him.
The cops know Spade is lying but they don't want to risk looking like fools in the paper so they let them all go. This scene show just how good Spade is at manipulating the incompetency of the police.


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Poltrona Frau Group has named renowned designer Patricia Urquiola art director of its Cassina brand. She will work with leaders of the group's other brands, including the creative management of Poltrona Frau and Giulio Cappellini, art director of Cappellini. The collaboration is a part of the work Urquiola currently directs with Haworth, the American holding company that acquired Poltrona Frau Group in 2014.
"Patricia Urquiola will have a significant role in leading this center of excellence, where she will contribute to defining the future vision of the group, whilst meticulously keeping the identity and characteristics of the companies unique," said Dario Rinero, CEO of Poltrona Frau Group.
Urquiola's first undertakings include the renewal of the brand's midtown Manhattan showroom and preparing the programming for Cassina's 90th anniversary celebration in 2016–2017.
"It's a great honor and a great responsibility to become part of a heritage, a history, an identity so important for international design," said Urquiola. "My intention is to take into consideration the company's past, its cultural background, not as a passive container, but as a systematic part of the mind, the integration of processes and the creation of an empathetic relationship."


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French niche line Memo has launched The Flying Collection, with four fragrances: Rose Paris Rose, London Tweed, Siberian Golden Wood and Desert Orange Blossom.
Rose Paris Rose (shown) ~ "A touch of gold, everything begins in Paris, Memo's home. The unforgettable city where each souvenir is unique. From the rooftop of the Opera Garnier, Rose Paris Rose is ready to fly following the two bronze statues from Charles Gumery: Harmony and Poetry with their wings spread ready for flight. Memo's Flying Collection is born in Paris and will take flight from here. Rose Paris Rose Eau de Parfum unveils notes of rose, davana essence and gaiac oil."
London Tweed ~ "Flying over the magnificent historical city, over the royal seat of Buckingham Palace to the Victoria Memorial crowned with a gilded bronze - the Winged Victory standing elevated and free. Looking over the elegant tree canopies of London's royal parks the Flying Collection is bound to hold London Tweed as one of its cardinal scents. Part of Memo Paris' Flying Collection, London Tweed Eau de Parfum unveils notes of bergamot, ginger and cardamom."
Siberian Golden Wood ~ "Siberian Golden Wood Eau de Parfum is mapped on the navigational path of Memo's The Flying Collection. It's a smooth, rhythmical tribute to the motion of the Trans-Siberian on board the famous "Gold of Tsars" to discover the wild jewels of the territory. It's an experience of time favourable to new thoughts and new paths, unveiling notes of sesame oil, vetiver oil and sandalwood."
Desert Orange Blossom ~ "From the skyline of Dubai at dusk you can see the birds dancing high on rising thermals. At dawn, the call of the desert is intense. The atmosphere turns gold, the sand unveils hidden dreams: your dream, kept vivid long after this immersion." Part of Memo Paris' Flying Collection, Desert Orange Blossom Eau de Parfum unveils notes of cinnamon oil, almond flower oil, patchouli."
The Memo Flying Collection fragrances are available at Harvey Nichols in the UK, £295 each for 75 ml Eau de Parfum.
(via harveynichols)


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Whether you've already been released or were just charged with a felony, one of the best things you can do for yourself is study up to better understand what you can expect. How will your life be impacted? What changes can you expect? Has anyone in a similar situation still found success professionally? All of these are very good questions and very important if you don't want to let your felony define you. To help with this, we've compiled a list of the best books and resource guides (aside from the guide that we created) that we could find.
The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage: Daymond John has been practicing the power of broke ever since he started selling his home-sewn t-shirts on the streets of Queens. With no funding and a $40 budget, Daymond had to come up with out-of-the-box ways to promote his products.
Luckily, desperation breeds innovation, and so he hatched an idea for a creative campaign that eventually launched the FUBU brand into a $6 billion dollar global phenomenon. But it might not have happened if he had started out broke – with nothing but a heart full of hope and a ferocious drive to succeed by any means possible.
Beyond Bars: Rejoining Society After Prison: The United States has the largest criminal justice system in the world, with currently over 7 million adults and juveniles in jail, prison, or community custody. Because they spend enough time in prison to disrupt their connections to their families and their communities, they are not prepared for the difficult and often life-threatening process of reentry. As a result, the percentage of these people who return to a life of crime and additional prison time escalates each year.
Beyond Bars is the most current, practical, and comprehensive guide for ex-convicts and their families about managing a successful reentry into the community and includes; Tips on how to prepare for release while still in Prison, Ways to deal with family members, especially spouses and children, Finding a job, Money issues such as budgets, bank accounts, taxes, and debt, Avoiding drugs and other illicit activities, Free resources to rely on for support
Beyond The Bars: From Prison To The Podium: Beyond the Bars is the riveting story of how one man rose from the depths of "the hole" in prison to the highs of the championship podium. As a young gang member, Chris Luera was looking for a life of success and glory. He found near-death experiences and solitary confinement. In taut, dramatic prose he tells his story of life as a lost youth, who didn't fit in, to finding his tribe on the gym floor and becoming a champion.
Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Hope, Healing, and Forgiveness: Previously available only through free distribution to prisons, this life-changing book is the result of charitable donations from sales of Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul and gifts from thousands of individuals.
Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America: The product of more than 35 years of research, the Second Edition of Slaying the Dragon is the remarkable story of America's personal and institutional responses to alcoholism and other addictions. It is a story of addiction treatment institutions from the inebriated asylums through the rise of modern addiction treatment. It is also the story of the rise of a new addiction recovery advocacy movement that promises to transform the future of addiction treatment and recovery in the United States and beyond.
The Alchemist: Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure.
His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.
Earning Freedom – Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term: On August 11, 1987, when I was 23 years old, DEA agents arrested me. I served the next 9,135 days in federal prisons of every security level. On August 13, 2012, authorities released me. EARNING FREEDOM shows readers how I began to transform my life from inside of a county jail. It shows the steps I took to develop values, skills, and resources that would empower me through a quarter century in confinement.
Unlocked – Keys To Getting Out & Staying Out: Written by veteran prison officer Chance Johnmeyer of New Hampshire, and Florida with contributions from several former inmates, Unlocked: Keys to Getting Out & Staying Out is an honest guide for those re-entering society. Combining compassion, experience, and practical advice, "Unlocked" talks straight about the challenges facing released inmates as they try to reestablish life on the outside. Filled with exercises, real-life suggestions, and a resource guide for Florida inmates, Unlocked is your pocket guide to embracing freedom and starting over–the right way.
Everyone Makes Mistakes – Living With My Daddy In Jail: Take a heartwarming journey with the 10-year-old author, Madison Strempek, as she candidly depicts her life experience of living with her father in jail. Through her eyes, you will live the heartbreak of her life-changing news, discover how she survives with her embarrassing secret, and ultimately finds resolution and strength in understanding everyone makes mistakes. It's truly a story of perseverance, forgiveness, and love.
The Voice from Inside: Failure Brings New Knowledge: "The Voice from Inside" is the first book by professional speaker John Wannamaker. The book is about finding yourself in the midst of heartache, turmoil, break-up, and failure and then how to redefine yourself with new knowledge. This book is a collection of his best blogs and the blogs he refused to publish during his time in federal prison. He captures the transparency angle of prison and tells of how the prison system is a microcosm of our society (families, neighborhoods, and cities).
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: JobsForFelonsHub.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, JobsForFelonsHub.com participates in various other affiliate programs. This means that when you purchase certain products through our recommendations, at no additional cost to you, we receive a monetary reward for referring you .*Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.


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Editor's note: This op-ed is adapted from "America's Bitter Pill – Money, Politics, Backroom Deals and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System" -- the best-selling book by Steven Brill published earlier this month by Random House.
As we pass the first anniversary of health insurance coverage on the ObamaCare exchanges, and as we approach the tax-filing season, the complex, indeed inscrutable, structure of the subsidies ObamaCare provided for the middle class to buy insurance could end up making Tax Day 2015 an especially unhappy one for many Americans.
In a program that signed up eight million people in just the first year, this could leave tens of thousands of families who might have slightly underestimated their incomes facing unexpected tax bills this April because overpayments of subsidies will be charged back by the IRS.
It all has to do with the structure of the subsidies given to millions of Americans so that they could buy health insurance – and with a little-discussed phenomenon that the health care industry and Capitol Hill insiders call "the cliff." Lots of middle class families are going to fall over that cliff if they earned even a few dollars more than they estimated when they signed up for ObamaCare.
In a program that signed up eight million people in just the first year, this could leave tens of thousands of families who might have slightly underestimated their incomes facing unexpected tax bills this April because overpayments of subsidies will be charged back by the IRS.
Under ObamaCare, any individual or family earning less than four times the government-defined poverty level is entitled to a subsidy to buy health insurance. Yes, the subsidies are generous, so much so that, as I explain in "America's Bitter Pill," ObamaCare is likely to prove unaffordable to the federal government.
Yet even with those expensive subsidies, insurance coverage is also going to be unaffordable, or at least a major burden, for many of the families it is intended to help. Millions of families will be victims of the choice that the Democrats who passed ObamaCare had to make: To keep the law's overall cost down, they could not make the subsidies more generous. That was a compromise forced by the reality of the larger compromise they were making: creating a law that extended coverage by buying it in a market where the underlying prices for medical care are by far the highest in the world.
As I explain in detail in the book, ObamaCare did little to address those exorbitant prices.
For example, suppose a couple we'll call the Johnsons, each 63-years-old, lives in Florida, and their kids are out of the house. Suppose, too, that they ran a small boat-chartering business that made them $62,000, which is just below 400 percent of the poverty line for a family of two adults. Under ObamaCare, that means that they would qualify for a subsidy of $9,024 to pay for their insurance.
But even with that $9,024 subsidy, they would pay about $5,000 a year in premiums (depending on the plan they choose). On top of that, they would still have a deductible of about $12,000. That meant the Johnsons' total medical costs (premium and amounts paid to meet the deductible) could take $17,000 ($5,000 in premiums, plus $12,000 in deductibles), or 27 percent, out of their $62,000 in pre-tax income. To be sure, that would happen only if the Johnsons suffered enough medical mishaps to reach their deductible limit, and it does not account for the fact that ObamaCare offered them a lot of preventive care for free, with no deductible. But if they did reach that deductible limit, it seems a stretch to call a law requiring them to pay 27 percent of their income to comply with ObamaCare's mandate that they must buy insurance the "Affordable Care Act."
Yet the news would get even worse if the Johnsons made even $50 more than what we just postulated was their $62,000 income. That's because of that little-noticed quirk in the law -- "the cliff."
An income at 400 percent of the poverty line was $62,040 for a family of two like the Johnsons in 2013. Up to that amount, they would get a subsidy. But if the Johnsons earned any more than that, even a dollar more, they would get no subsidy. In other words, earning an extra $50 would cost them their entire $9,024 subsidy. They would be "taxed" $9,024 on an extra $50 of income.
Critics could call that an 1,800 percent income tax!
For the Johnsons, now making $62,050, those insurance premiums now costing $14,000, plus a potential $12,000 in out-of-pocket costs (again, assuming they had enough in medical bills to hit their deductible) would add up to an unaffordable $26,000. After taxes, that would probably be half of their disposable income. And even if they enjoyed perfect health and never had to pay a penny toward their deductible, their premiums would still be $14,000 a year—a huge expense (22 percent of their income) for a family earning just over $62,040 before taxes.
Only a small percentage of people signing up for the exchanges are likely to fall over that steep a cliff. But many would likely face the crunch — 27 percent of income — that the Johnsons would face even with a subsidy.
Those going over the cliff would mostly be older people, like the Johnsons, in expensive health care states whose income was just over 400 percent of the poverty level. Younger people, to whom insurance companies were charging lower rates, or people in lower health care cost states, where all premiums are likely to be lower, were less likely to qualify for substantial subsidies if they had incomes approaching the 400 percent of poverty line, and, therefore, would not lose much if they went over the line.
Yet in a program that signed up eight million people in just the first year, this could leave tens of thousands of families who might have slightly underestimated their incomes facing unexpected tax bills this April because overpayments of subsidies will be charged back by the IRS. And it will mean a huge increase in health insurance costs when they lose those premium subsidies going forward.
"I'm already advising some clients who may be at or near the cliff to watch their incomes toward the end of the year," Ohio insurance broker Barry Cohen said when I asked him about this in February 2014. "Maybe they can stop working overtime or take a month off. If not, they could get hammered with huge tax bills that they never expected."


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Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to a large federal study that offers powerful new evidence that a diet that regularly includes steaks, burgers and pork chops is hazardous to your health.
The study of more than 500,000 middle-age and elderly Americans found that those who consumed the equivalent of about a small hamburger every day were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk.
Previous research had found a link between red meat and an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, but the new study is the first large examination of the relationship between eating meat and overall mortality.
"The bottom line is we found an association between red meat and processed meat and an increased risk of mortality," said Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute, who led the study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In contrast, routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry decreased the risk of death by a small amount, the study found.
Read the rest of the article


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Marou Ba Ria 76 Chocolate Bar Review
Little was known by me (and a few others) about cocoa from Vietnam before the two intrepid French entrepreneurs decided to set up shop in Vietnam and make chocolate from the beans grown there. What makes this a doubly interesting venture is that chocolate is rarely made at origin. Generally, beans are sent from the country of origin in sacks to somewhere else where it is then made into chocolate. If one source was to be believed, this was historically for tax reasons, with beans taxed much lower than finished product.
Vietnam also was not known as a massive chocolate-producing country before the Marou guys came along yet at around the same time, some chocolate finished by Franck Morin called Viet Cacao popped on the Salon du Chocolat scene. Both brands are doing something very different but both are using these amazing beans.
It's hard to imagine high yield trees producing such varied flavours as these trees do. I doubt they are criollo (a.k.a. the diva of the chocolate world with small yields and it'll get sick if you look at it wrong) but if they are Forrestero (they are getting apparently massive yields from these trees) it'll just go to show that terroir, as much as varietal, makes a great chocolate. The chocolate itself is… dynamic.
This particular cote starts out with an intense dark flavour with an edge of acidity. Super dark coffee and I think I got a bit of tobacco coming in there (not like the smoker who sits next to me on the train sometimes – real tobacco). There is an edge of almost over-stewed tea in there (which is how I like it sometimes – thick enough to support a spoon it's been brewed so long) and a very quick finish – so fast in fact I felt myself reaching for another piece! I think there was some leather in there but overwhelmingly this is a dark bar that I want to call bitter but it really isn't. It doesn't have that bitter, over-roasted bean burnt notes some chocolate can get and yet that is where those flavour notes are coming in. At 76% this actually seems more like an 80%+ but still full of awesome.
This bar is probably, of the three I tried, the most interesting, balanced and enjoyable. I do like challenging chocolate but even I have my limits but this chocolate gets close without going too far. I enjoyed it!
2 Responses to Marou Ba Ria 76 Chocolate Bar Review
I love Marou chocolate, I especially like Ba Ria and Lam Dong. I find the Ba Ria works well with candid orange
Thx for posting the history of chocolate in Vietnam. I do really like the Marou bars in the 70's, and like you, found the 80% to be a bit too strong. So much chocolate to explore!


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Badlands Motorcycle Products is proud to offer you the very best lighting control modules and trailer isolators in the motorcycle industry!
We accept Pay Pal, Visa and Master Card. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5PM Eastern Standard Time. Dealer price lists and credit applications are available upon request.
Placing an order: NAMZ is happy to provide you with online ordering in order to better serve you 24 hours a day, 365-days a week. You may also call us at -877-277-NAMZ (6269) to order your motorcycle products with one of our Customer Service or Technical Service reps. (NOTE, there is a $20.00 minimum on ALL orders)
NAMZ Return Policy
* Customers have 30-days from the purchase date on the invoice to return items for WARRANTY issues only.
* Customers MUST call our sales department and obtain an RMA before sending in defective merchandise.
* Defective merchandise MUST be received within 10-business days from when the RMA was issued.
* Merchandise received after the 10-business day period may be eligible for credit to account only.


text: A new wargame convention will be held in Canino (VT) this Sunday during a fair about asparaguses and other traditional food products. It will be an opportunity to play and eat a lot. More, some visits to Etruscan and Longobard archaeological sites are organised for the day. All information on a mini-website that I designed: https://www.legiopalatina.it/lastoriapergioco/index.htm


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Digital Archiving
Author E-prints
IJEET supports a range of policies (i.e., digital archiving policy);
to benefit the authors, with respect to providing them with an e-print. E-prints are sent out automatically to the corresponding author of articles published ahead of print and in print issues. A link is provided allowing the author to download the article directly from the IJEET website and forward the link to their co-authors.


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Azalea H.H. Hume
(Rhododendron 'H.H. Hume')
- Type: Evergreen
- Light: Partial to full shade
- Height: 3-5'
- Spread: 3-5'
- Flower: White
- Bloom: Spring
- Fruit:
- Fruit Time:
White with a faint yellow throat, early hose-in-hose bloom. Grows 6′ high and wide. Prefers full to part sun and well draining, acidic soil types.


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Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Non-Fiction
Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store
John David is a licensed insurance agent who once sold more insurance than anyone else in his company for five straight quarters. He says he's "sold thousands of car insurance policies in over 30 different states."
A guide to understanding how to get the best price possible for auto insurance.
It should be noted that this is very specific to how this process works in the US. Although there is some variance from state to state, the areas where there is a difference are pointed out.
One difficulty with a book like this is in gauging the expertise of the author beyond taking his claims on faith. With no particular insider knowledge of my own, the best way available to me, and probably to the majority of people reading this review, is going to be whether what is presented agrees with your experience as a consumer. At least by this measure, the book seems credible to me. Of course, the ultimate guide will be whether implementing the book's suggestions results in a savings or not and you wouldn't have to save much to make the purchase worthwhile.
The book does use some technical terms or insurance jargon. However, the author explains most of these when first used and again in a glossary at the back. Understanding these terms should be easy enough for most people.
A potential reader is probably interested in knowing what kinds of hints the book explains. One hint, applicable to a policy with multiple drivers (maybe a husband and a wife) is that who is listed first on the policy (the "primary" insured) can make a significant difference in the amount of the premium. He explains why this is and how to determine which driver to make primary to get the best quote. Another hint explains why having a bad memory could cost you and what to do to prevent this. All in all an excellent guide for car insurance consumers.
Format/Typo Issues:
No significant issues
Rating: **** Four stars


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DRT SF has been blessed by the assistance of off-grid communications experts. Two Meter Critical Mass will staff the checkpoints with ham radio operators who will relay competitor status data to BASE (start/finish/Presidio). Three of the operators will be bicycle-based, based on their own inspirations, not our urging.
All this competitor data will be graphically displayed on the prototype pedal-powered digital Leader Board provided by the maniacal innovators at Open Air Cinema.
Yes, low-cost innovative powerful disaster relief tools on display. Using our fat monkey brains to reduce future suffering and death…outside of big government.
THREE DAYS LEFT to register as a competitor. We still have open slots.


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Picture courtesy of Jon Collier, via Flickr Creative Commons.
You've just passed your driving test and you're cruising around town, feeling pretty damn proud of your achievement, when your biggest driving fear happens. Sitting idle at a junction the lights turn green, you go to pull away and … you've stalled. Without your driving instructor there to guide you through the situation, panic rises as you struggle to restart your car and deal with impatient drivers behind you.
Sound familiar? We've put together this handy guide with everything you need to know about how to stop stalling your car, from why it happens to what to do when it next happens to you.
Why does a car stall?
Stalling a car is most common in manual cars, although automatic cars can stall if there is an underlying mechanical problem, this is due to the nature of how a manual car works. When the clutch is engaged, i.e. you are in gear and your foot is off of the clutch, two discs connect the engine with the transmission. Once the engine and transmission are connected they must have the same RPM (revolutions per minute), which is determined by what gear you are in. If your car begins to slow but you do not change down to a lower gear the engine will begin to struggle, which is when you experience the 'bucking' sensation experienced as the engine begins to stall. The same scenario applies when pulling away in your car from sitting idle. As you begin to engage the clutch there needs to be enough speed and acceleration in the car to ensure that the RPM of the engine and transmission is matched.
How to stop stalling your car
As you now know from the point discussed above, there are two scenarios in which you may find you stall your car, each with a different approach to stop your car from stalling:
When coming to a standstill:
- Gently press the brake pedal to begin slowing your car, then depress the clutch pedal to disengage the clutch (unless you are in first gear, in which case depress the clutch followed by the brake)
- Once the car has come to a standstill depress the clutch once again and put the car into first gear before pulling away again
When pulling away:
- Depress the clutch pedal with your left foot
- Select first gear
- Gently put pressure on the accelerator until revs reach around 1500
- Slowly lift pressure from the clutch pedal until you find the biting point
- When you are ready release the handbrake, continue slowly lifting the clutch pedal and putting pressure on the accelerator
- As the car starts moving slowly lift pressure completely from the clutch, keeping your right foot steady on the accelerator
What to do if you stall your car?
First things first, if you do stall your car try not to panic. Every driver does it, even those with years of experience can stall their car. It's important that you keep your cool and get moving as quickly as possible. Think of a stall as a reset and follow the procedure below:
- Apply your handbrake
- Put your car into neutral and restart the engine
- Put your foot back on the clutch and put your car into first gear
- Check your mirrors and pull away again once it is safe to do so
Is stalling your car during your driving test a fault?
If you stall your car during your driving test it may not necessarily register as a fault, it depends entirely on how you deal with it and the impact on other road users. If you repeatedly stall the car it is likely to be marked as a fault, so it's important you calmly restart the car as per the above procedure. If you stall on a busy road and are unable to restart the car quickly and safely, resulting in other road users being held up, it may be marked as a fault.
Whilst you're learning to drive you are bound to stall your car several times as you learn more about how a car works. It's during your lessons you should build your experience and learn how to deal with a stall quickly and safely. If your test is upcoming, it might be worth asking your instructor to help you deal with stall procedures if you haven't yet experienced what happens and what you need to do.


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Gay Marriage: A $284 Million Stimulus For New York?
The New York City wedding-industrial complex is downright giddy about the recent legalization of same sex marriage. The Independent Economic Conference estimates that the increased tourism and wedding services (cakes! jewelers! DJs! retail registries) will bring in an extra $284 million a year.
Bill White, the former president of the Intrepid Museum, has reserved the main ballroom at the Four Seasons in New York, for what he claims will be the first gay marriage held at the iconic hotel. "We're going to have something very simple, but masculine," he said, according to the The New York Post.
The city has already launched its "NYC I Do" advertising campaign, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg invited gay couples — who don't need residency in the state to marry — to visit: "Buy flowers, clothes, meals or whatever," he said. "It's good for the economy."


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Celebrate your Honeymoon in the BVI or Caribbean on a private luxury yacht or a lush Caribbean Island. Make your romantic and unique destination honeymoon incredibly special on an island venue or a charter yacht. There is always a package or a special deal available for your personalized honeymoon, call us.
How do I choose the right boat for my honeymoon?
Well first of all if you are new to the world of private yacht vacations then you may be thinking it is way out of your budget. In reality it is more than likely not! It can be less expensive than going to a resort and much more fun – way more fun for the two of you.
You need to choose a boat based on the most important factors for your honeymoon.
Do you like to sunbathe? Then a catamaran or a power yacht will be best for you.
Do you want to fit in as many different locations as possible? A powerboat is the answer.
Do you like the thought of slowly getting to your next destination and having time to enjoy the quiet time on the water during your honeymoon? Your catamaran is the answer.
Are you both avid sailors who love the sailing above all else? Monohull is best for you
Looking for space and luxury but not at an exorbitant cost – Catamaran
Looking for over the top luxury and service in lavish surroundings and your every need taken care of immediately by one of the many crew members? Powerboat
Looking for breakfast; lunch and dinner; your favorite bar drinks and wines; favorite snacks; private chef and captain who will let you relax on your ultimate honeymoon trip – Power or Catamaran
Overall, in my professional opinion, a Catamaran is the best way to sail the Caribbean waters in the BVI for your honeymoon. These yachts sit well on a mooring ball or at anchor; they offer lots of outdoor space; they can get in close to the shore so that you can swim to land if you want to; easy access into the water from the swim platforms; mostly large air conditioned cabins with luxury linens. All the modern luxuries you would expect are on a power boat.
Catamarans are also very quiet once the engine is off. All you hear is the gently lapping of the water on the hull as you glide through the clear aqua waters. Heaven! These yachts all carry an assortment of water toy like paddle boards; kayaks; swim tubes and noodles; floating mats etc
Now having said that we have many clients/guests who really prefer a power boat. Either because they like to get from A to B fast or because they feel safer with engines on all the time. Powerboats cannot get in as close to the shore so you will need to be taken by dinghy to the beaches.
On the smaller power boats you will be able to hear the engines at all times when underway. On the large mega yachts you will be further away from the engine rooms so the noise will be greatly diminished. If you want to jump in hot water with your honey a great feature on some power yachts, and I mean the mega yacht type here, is having a Jacuzzi.
And on some of the mega yachts that cruise these waters, there will be jet skis and kayaks and many other water toys. The smaller powerboats will carry the same water toy as the catamarans. Each yacht will have a list of toys on-board, these can be great fun when celebrating your once in a lifetime honeymoon.
Some of the Yachts that we feature offer Honeymoon Specials, and may include one or more of the following:
Boat Miami knows the ins and outs of what would be best for your event. We believe in customer satisfaction and putting our clients' needs foremost in our advice.


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Hat Alterations & Hat Repairs
Do you have a hat that you have had for years, and love, but is looking a little worse for wear?! At Beverley Edmondson Millinery we can use our technical millinery construction know how and design experience to offer an alteration service, which includes re-shaping, stretching and/or tidying up trimmings.
As well as hat repairs we can also carry out hat alterations. Adding extra colours, feathers, a bit of sparkle or a full re-trim. We can make both big and small alterations to existing hats so you can re-use an old favourite.
This also includes the hats in our shop, if you have seen one in store that you like, but it needs a little more to make it the perfect fit for your outfit, just let one of us know and we will see what can be done.
Drop in during our walk-in hours, get in contact to find out more or book an appointment.
Please note we cannot take responsibility for your own hats and all are left at your own risk, major risks and expectations will be pointed out before work begins.
Our hourly rate for alterations and repairs is £38 + materials. Unless the work required is minimal, our minimum charge for alterations is £25.
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