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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Guest Post - Giveaway - Leanna Renee Hieber
*Don't forget to read the instructions below the guest post to enter for a chance to win one of two copies of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker!*
The Guest Post:
My favourite thing about the hero of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker- first in my Strangely Beautiful Gothic Victorian Fantasy series- is this: Clove tea and leather-bound books.
I believe the most evocative, dare I say delicious thing I've ever written is how my compelling, enigmatic, ever-so-sexy (otherwise why would I have written him) hero, Professor Alexi Rychman, smells. Before I wax rhapsodic about how intoxicating I find the man, let me set his scene. The year is 1888. London is ghostly and gas-lit. This is the ghostly world in which his tale takes place:
What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria's Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death…
A few months ago author/blogger Lise Horton of my RWA NYC Chapter (http://www.blogger.com/profile/13315265091119634416) gave a fabulous presentation about using sensory input in our stories. This is particularly important when dealing with paranormal universes. Not only is it fun to create and imagine new and unexpected sensory input, but such details can immerse readers in alternate realities and make a book a transporting experience. I find creating the necessary atmosphere, whether realistic or utterly fantastical, a delightful part of the process. During Lise's presentation I kept thinking of a specific moment in my book. One of my very favourite moments. And in the end, this detail isn't supernatural at all. I'll show you. The setting:
Nineteen year old Miss Percy Parker, feeling freakish in her ghostly-white skin has fled from the uncomfortable social trauma of the Athens Academy ball and into a darkened, abandoned foyer where she dances alone. Professor Rychman, helplessly intrigued by her, silently follows, and time stops a moment to allow them this encounter...
From The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker...
Suddenly, Percy realized that she'd never before been so terribly alone. Tears sprang forth, and she let them come.
"Now, now, Miss Parker, what's this?" a voice scolded from behind.
Percy whirled at the familiar, stern sound. A figure broke from shadow, clad in an elegantly tailored frock coat trimmed with ornate embroidery, and a white silk cravat. His black hair was combed neatly, framing that noble, stoic face at which Percy had spent countless hours staring. Percy's heart throbbed in her throat.
"Oh, Professor! Good evening!" She nearly coughed out her words, feeling all grace drain away, cut to the quick by his unexpected appearance. She tried to bat away her tears but his firm hand caught her pale, lace-covered fingers. He took her hand, their entwined fingers bridging the cold chasm between their bodies.
"May I have this dance, Miss Parker?"
"Oh … of course, sir." A blush bloomed ferociously in her cheeks but she was helpless to stop it.
As his hand grasped hers, she examined his full lips, which had just enough curve to make his expression inviting. There was just enough light in those dark eyes to make Percy wholly forget about breathing, and without words or even a nod he drew her hand to his side. He slid his opposite hand around layers of smooth lavender satin and placed the fullness of his palm assuredly upon her waist.
Percy's hand flew to his shoulder, alighting like a lark on a branch. She saw his nostrils flare, as if he took in the intoxicating scent of the heather she wore, and if her mind did not play tricks he stared at her as if she was his peer. But her mind did play tricks, and these were dangerous thoughts.
They began to waltz—slowly at first, their circles precise and narrow, their gazes locked. Percy, who had already memorized the professor's features, now savored each pore, crease and eyelash. The study of his sculpted lips forced her to close her eyes or else, truly, her knees would have buckled. In turn she knew she was being parceled; but from him, she welcomed the scrutiny.
Their bodies were one with the music, and Percy found she didn't have to think about the correct steps any longer. In and out of the moonlight they floated, silent save for the deft clicks of their heels, the whispers of the music rising from below and the occasional sigh escaping Percy's lips. Their orbit grew, expanded. Her sighs grew into giggles and laughs.
Professor Rychman spun her, and Percy swept fully against him, lingering there for just a moment. Her face brushed his chest and she took a deep breath. He smelled faintly of clove tea and leather-bound books. She did not want to remove her cheek from the thick black lapel of his jacket; she could have nestled in that warm darkness indefinitely. Perhaps, at least, until class. A giddy scream welled up inside her. This was surely a dream…
(end of Excerpt)
Scent is one of the most powerful senses to evoke memory and emotion. For me, having this real, small yet absolutely knowable sensory detail, amidst the improbable and vast spectral universe of the Strangely Beautiful world, has remained critical to me. It anchors me to Alexi, as I journey forward with him as I write his future books. I always have a cup of clove tea by my side when I write, to keep him near.
I very much appreciate the opportunity to be here at Darque Reviews and I hope you'll love Alexi, Percy and The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker as much as I loved writing it! Blessings!
Leanna Renee Hieber
Thank you so much for joining us Leanna! I wish you the best with The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, and hope to see more in the Strangely Beautiful series soon!
You can visit Ms. Hieber's website: HERE
You can read a review for The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker: HERE
You can visit her author page on Darque Reviews: HERE
The Giveaway:
To enter for a chance to win one of two copies of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, please leave a comment on this post. I'd love to hear what draws you to reading books with a historical setting. Two winners will be chosen on release day, August 25, 2009, so be sure to check back to see if it was you! Good luck, and Happy Reading!
Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com
73 comments:
- Unknown said...
Hi :)
Thank you for having Leanna Renee Hieber here, and thanks Leanna for sharing.
I loved the excerpt and the articulation of the importance of using the senses in your writing.
I am looking forward to reading this first book in what is sure to be a terrific series.
I love dark fantasy and alternative historicals. The 2 combined is great! I don't know why I love 'em but I do.
Love and best wishes,
xoxo - August 11, 2009 at 1:16 PM
- Lexie said...
I have to admit the allure of clove tea and leather bound books caught my attention. My grandfather used to drink clove tea and I can clearly remember loving the smell of it (though not the taste).
Historical novels to me have one of two draws--if its contemporary (as in after 1700) its the period mannerisms, social graces and such. I read a book one time all about how to attract a man with a fan (written back in the 1800's) that I found so...intriguing. I admit I'm not much for flirting overtly, I prefer the subtler forms (but men don't understand that do they?).
If its ancient historicals...I just love ancient cultures so its a treat for me to read a writer's take on certain historical 'beliefs'.
firstname.lastname@example.com - August 11, 2009 at 1:24 PM
- Jerrica Knight-Catania said...
Yum, yum, yum, Leanna! That might be the sexiest smelling hero ever! And I, too, loved that workshop that Lise gave...I think I still have my baggies of yummy smelling things she passed out! LOL!
As for what attracts me to historicals...I think the setting alone of candle or gaslight is appealing to me. England is my favorite setting and the rainy weather definitely draws me - there's nothing more romantic than a rainy afternoon.
I absolutely cannot WAIT for this release! :) - August 11, 2009 at 1:32 PM
- Michelle Greathouse said...
Wonderful interview. Thank you Leanna for sharing your thoughts. :)
I like a historical setting for the simplicity. No modern distractions like cell phones or tv's. And the ingenuity of people who are living in that time without those modern conveniences.
kweenmg at yahoo dot com - August 11, 2009 at 2:07 PM
- Jenny J. said...
I am so excited about this book -- it (and its hero) sound utterly delicious!
As for what attracts me to historical novels, it would have to be the clothes. Those form-fitting Regency trousers. Those high, shiny black military boots. The gleaming armor. The togas. The kilts... oh, the kilts. Mmm...
Ahem, what was I saying? Ah, yes. On a more serious note, I enjoy the opportunity that a historical presents me to imagine myself in a different time and place. And in different clothes. **grin** - August 11, 2009 at 2:13 PM
- Lisbeth Eng said...
Leanna, I can't wait to get my hands on your book! It sounds absolutely wonderful. The excerpt is rich and atmospheric.
Lis - August 11, 2009 at 3:07 PM
- The Scarf Princess said...
So happy to see Leanna and her book here! It looks like a fabulous read!
And I like historicals because they show a time that was simpler, less rushed, and a bit more civilized. - August 11, 2009 at 3:44 PM
- Santa said...
Utterly delicious, Leanna. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
I adore historicals and am delighted to find one set in Victorian London. I think historicals are so full of scents that have become rather homogenized in modern times. Each nuance, when well written, is unique onto itself. It's one of the things that draws me to them again and again. - August 11, 2009 at 4:03 PM
- Lise said...
I am so thrilled that my "senses" workshop was enjoyed, Leanna (thanks for the plug!), and great to see your amazing example of just how beautifully you convey the immediacy of the moment with Percy and Alexi! I love the rich combination you haev devised - unique, but very distinct to me as a reader.
Why I love historical romance: Because it so beautifully can capture the bygone eras, taking me out of my modern existence and into one where the world moved a bit more slowly, and men and women interacted in a whole different way. I don't know, it just seems more romantic to have a couple dancing to the naughty waltz, for example, than, say, slam dancing?!
Thank you for having Leanna come to visit and having read this latest excerpt has only further whetted my appetite for the momentous release date! - August 11, 2009 at 4:08 PM
- Daelith said...
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
What draws me to historicals. I find it really depends on my mood. Recently I watched season one of Deadwood so I was put in a western historical frame of mind. I've always liked the Victorian period though...the dress, their speech, their customs, etc. Brings to mind a short lived tv series - The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne with Michael Praed playing Phileas Fogg.
Good luck with the new release! - August 11, 2009 at 4:17 PM
- Sage Ravenwood said...
Great interview. I love the smell of Clove. I swear I used to smoke clove cigarettes just for the smell.
As for what draws one to a historical setting...I would think it would be the sense of everything being timeless. When I read history I feel as though it's forged in time, never changing. Thanks! Indigo
firstname.lastname@example.com - August 11, 2009 at 4:17 PM
- tetewa said...
I enjoy reading Historicals because they take me away to places I'd never be able to go to!
- August 11, 2009 at 5:51 PM
- Karen W. said...
The book sounds wonderful, and what a beautiful cover!
I like historicals because they're a glimpse into a past world that I find fascinating. - August 11, 2009 at 7:53 PM
- Ellz said...
This is the second interview I have read by Ms Hieber and I am so excited to read this series.
Books with historical backgrounds feel so real, more believable. I have not read many, but a well written one can really take you to that time period. I love how she uses scent in her writing. Clove smells wonderful.
zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom - August 11, 2009 at 8:20 PM
- donnas said...
Thanks for sharing. I love the cover and it sounds like a great story. I am glad we got the chance to read the excerpt and hear more about it.
bacchus76 at myself dot com - August 12, 2009 at 12:37 AM
- Angiegirl said...
Kimberly's review of this one has me really excited to read it. I love how stoked you were about writing that scene! When an author feels so excited about it it's infectious for the readers as well.
I get lost in the language of historical novels. I'm enchanted by the slight variations in the way people spoke and I love it when an author can paint a vivid picture of a time long gone with just the right chosen words.
Thank you for the interview and giveaway! - August 12, 2009 at 12:49 AM
- catss99 said...
I love that, not only do you get a good story, but you get to learn some history as well.
email@example.com - August 12, 2009 at 1:26 AM
- kerribookwriter said...
You had me at the scent of "a leather bound book"! Are there many things more intoxicating that the smell of a real book? Sigh.
Loved the excerpt and the whole bit about sensory perceptions in novels. I think it is something that we take for granted when we read a really well written novel. The smells can totally take you deeper into the scene. No doubt!
What draws me to historically set novels is the escape to a world in which I'll never have a chance to experience for myself.
Cannot wait to read this book! - August 12, 2009 at 12:44 PM
- Donna MacMeans said...
Well - No surprise here that I love historicals (grin).
Wonderful excepts, Leanna. I think I shall adore this book. I kept picturing Alan Rickman as the professor. Did you have an actor in mind as you created the character?
I love historicals - Victorian especially - because of the clothes, because the lack of phones meant the heroines had to handle situations for themselves, because travel by carriage is so romantic, and because the upper class (and our heroines are always upper class) had servants to do the everyday things I wish I could delegate to someone else (grin).
I'll be watching the bookshelves for this one. - August 12, 2009 at 1:00 PM
- Leanna Renee Hieber said...
Hello friends!
I am so desperately pleased that you've come, commented, and shared your enthusiasm for Historical novels! I am in good company with all of you, I see. Thank you for your excitement about this book! It's truly my love-letter to the world and I'm so looking forward to sharing it with all of you.
Lise, I'm so glad you stopped in to see your mention. :) You truly lead a wonderful workshop and I hope you'll continue to do so in the future and take that seminar on the road!
*waving to fellow RWA NYC chaptermates*
I recognize names here from the Twitterverse, thanks for stopping over!
Donna MacMeans!
If anyone here hasn't yet read The Trouble with Moonlight, you simply MUST, it's a delightful Historical Paranormal that has been racking up awards whereever it goes, literally.
Donna... you psychic you.
On the dedication page of my novel, across from the acknowledgement page, is a simple sentence: "To Alan, the muse" *grin* Oh, yes, I had an actor in mind in Alexi, I'm impressed you guessed which one. I tend to cast all my characters, but there was no mistaking this one. My agent just sent his publicist a copy of the book as we're going out to producers for movie rights soon, I can only hope he'll be as flattered as I mean it to be, rather than alarmed. *laugh* - August 12, 2009 at 1:22 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi Leanna!
I rarely read historicals. When I do they're usualy recomended to me. I like things that are unusual, that are filled with texture and that have just as much excitement and adventure as the contemporary urban fantasy novels I usually read.
Congrats on your upcommign release!
~Suzi - August 12, 2009 at 1:25 PM
OMG! Love love love Alan Richman. Have you seen Truly Madly Deeply? I got a postcard of yours at the Lori Foster weekend and was completly intrigued by the title. Looking forward to seeing you in Columbus in September.
Best of luck with your release!!!
Gia - August 12, 2009 at 1:48 PM
- Karin Shah said...
Ahh, Alan...I just saw HBP for the second time, so with his picture in mind, am now anticipating your release date with giddy excitement!
I'm amazed Donna recognized him in the description.
Can't wait to read it! :-) - August 12, 2009 at 1:52 PM
- Beth Caudill said...
I'm drawn to historicals for the setting and an escape from RL. Same reason I read fantasy and paranormals. It's just not going to happen to me in RL so I can enjoy the book.
Great excerpt.
Beth Caudill - firstname.lastname@example.com - August 12, 2009 at 2:43 PM
- The Brunette Librarian said...
I like to read books with historical settings simply because of the setting. Love learning more about the past and being able to see how events from the past effect my life.
The book looks fabulous. Congratulations and much success to ya!! You deserve it!!
rachie2004 @ yahoo (dot) com - August 12, 2009 at 4:19 PM
- -.- said...
Great post, this book looks fantastic.
What draws me to historical books is the fact that everything back then seemed so simple. Despite all the technology we have today, I feel like the people back then were better and happier.
~ Popin
proudbookworm[@]gmail[dot]com - August 12, 2009 at 7:24 PM
- Barbara Monajem said...
Hi, Leanna! Thank heavens release day is soon. I can hardly wait.
I drink clove tea, too, although usually I combine the cloves with cinnamon or mint.
I read historicals for two reasons: 1) because I love learning more about history and 2) because they don't take place now. When I read, I want to be somewhere/somewhen that I can't be in real life. - August 12, 2009 at 9:41 PM
- Kimberly B. said...
Well, I'm actually getting my PhD in history, so my perspective may be different than most. One of the things I like about reading historical fiction is that it tends to include more of the everyday details, the minutiae of daily life. Historical non-fiction tends to focus more on important people and events, although books about average people and daily life are becoming more common. When I read, it's a way of exploring things I don't actually get to experience, and living in another time period certainly qualifies!
- August 12, 2009 at 10:53 PM
- emjay79 said...
What a lovely excerpt! Cloves and leather are two of my favorite smells, very masculine and strong, yet romantic!
I love historical romances and fiction in general because it allows me to explore another age, to live through the characters in another time, another way of thinking. And I love that in historical romance, at least, chivalry is definately NOT dead! - August 12, 2009 at 11:08 PM
- Llehn said...
I am a plot person, so the situation in the beginning must be intriguing enough to draw me in.
lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com - August 12, 2009 at 11:15 PM
- CrystalGB said...
Hi Leanna. Your book sounds wonderful.
I like to read historicals because you get a view of how life was then, how people dressed and the social functions that they attended. - August 13, 2009 at 9:52 AM
- Jasmine said...
I love historicals because they bring to life characters and settings that I can only imagine.
- August 13, 2009 at 4:27 PM
- LeslieJane said...
This looks like a great series. Great, another book to add to my TBR pile (as if it isn't high enough now).
The draw of historicals is the chance to visit another era, to be transported to someplace different from your everyday life.
Plus, you can often learn some of history from reading the books and you don't feel like it is being jammed down your throat. Amazing what I have learned by reading historicals.
And, though I know it isn't politically correct, I like the thought of being treated like a lady, at least for a short time. It would be great to experience it, but I think I would haul off and hit someone after too long, since I definitely like my independence and the ability to try whatever I like. But I still like to be treated like a lady sometimes. - August 13, 2009 at 6:29 PM
I love historical settings because they are so different from this day and age and it intrigues me.
wandanamgreb (at) gmail (dot) com - August 13, 2009 at 6:32 PM
- Gaby317 said...
Thanks so much! This book sounds so fun.
I enjoy reading books in a historical setting, particularly if it's set in a period that fascinates me like ancient Japan or regency England or a similarly historically romantic period.
gaby317nyc AT gmail DOT com - August 13, 2009 at 10:47 PM
- orelukjp0 said...
It's hard to say exactly why I first started reading Historical novels. I watched Dark Shadows when I was growing up and that may have had a small influence on me. Or it could have been the novels my mother read.
I just know I love England especially during the Victorian time. I love the women of that time period. They were to have been so helpless and dependent on their husbands and fathers and I love how their manners reflect that dependence but they are really strong and capable in their time. Things were so much simpler and classes were well defined but I love how they are also crossed in novels.
Don't even let me get going about Scotland in the 1700's. And the big brawny men in their kilts. My knees just go weak. - August 14, 2009 at 1:10 AM
- Pissenlit said...
Fantastic guest post and excerpt! *happy sigh* :)
Books with a historical setting are probably the closest I'll ever get to time travelling to the past. :) - August 14, 2009 at 2:34 AM
- mrsshukra said...
Reading historical romances transports me to a different world where problems don't exist!
delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com - August 14, 2009 at 3:05 AM
I think that what draws me are the way things were done. The proper way society expected everyone to act. And the way people tried to rebel quietly from those expectations.
Amy M
atc218 at aol dot com - August 14, 2009 at 10:04 AM
- azteclady said...
I am a bit *coughquitecough* late to the conversation.
It is interesting what the sense of smell will bring to mind; I quite agree it is a powerful stimulant of long ago memories.
I find, though, that I prefer it when the author uses it sparingly--overuse can completely obliterate the author's intent. (See Jessica's post on this) - August 14, 2009 at 7:31 PM
- Mishel (P.S. I Love Books) said...
I so enjoyed this book! I'll be giving my ARC copy away so I would absolutely adore a brand spanking new copy on release day =)
To answer your question dear Kimberly...I've never really been into historical fiction. I'm just now slowly dipping my toes into it. Bust I must say I thoroughly enjoy traveling back in time. This London Victorian setting in Leanna's book was just lovely. I don't have too much to compare it too but I thought it was beautifully done! - August 15, 2009 at 1:48 PM
I'm so, so exicted to read this book! I've always had a love for historical/fantasy stories. I think the most basic reason that I'm drawn to historical fiction is the fact that I'm a historian. I love to see how other people see what the past is like.
deathmouse AT comcast DOT net - August 15, 2009 at 3:04 PM
- I ♥ Book Gossip said...
Love historicals cause I wouldn't be able to go back in time to experience it.
cindyc725 at gmail dot com - August 15, 2009 at 4:01 PM
- Unknown said...
I would love to read this book. I hate history but love dark fantasy so if the history is included in something I enjoy it like taking bad tasting medicine in something delicious... Thanks :)
layersofthought at gmail dot com - August 15, 2009 at 6:01 PM
Ms. Hieber's book sounds wonderfully unique. Percy is going to be great to read about. I read historicals because I'm an old soul. I feel as though I somehow belong there, and I feel like there is more adventure in historical settings!
- August 15, 2009 at 6:20 PM
- Mardel said...
I loved the excerpt. I usually read urban fantasy, but will read a historical novel here and there. Especially if there is a paranormal twist, or even a humorous twist to it. For some reason I like to read about leather bound books also.
- August 16, 2009 at 6:32 AM
The excerpt is absolutely intriguing... as for the theme of this interview, scent is so important for memory and our first impressions that it's wonderful to see it included in the details that create character and scene.
Please enter me in the giveaway! oilsdragon (at) hotmail (dot) com - August 16, 2009 at 12:07 PM
(sorry for the double comment)
As for why I read historicals... I love immersing myself in new worlds, and that includes the history of this world. So much opportunity to play with characters in strange new settings! - August 16, 2009 at 12:09 PM
- Sara said...
I love entering a world that existed in the past.
- August 16, 2009 at 12:34 PM
- Michelle said...
Thanks for the great interview. I think I love historicals becuase it is usually so 'other'. Either it is the time or place, I get a sense of the exotic and that for me, is a winner every time!
mmillet at gmail dot com - August 17, 2009 at 12:06 AM
- buddyt said...
I have read a couple of good reviews on this book, so I would like to read it if I can.
Please enter me in the drawing if it is open worldwide.
Thank you.
buddytho {AT} gmail DOT com - August 17, 2009 at 5:37 AM
- throuthehaze said...
Count me in please!
Historicals seem more romantic and ideal...its a nice escape from everyday life
throuthehaze at gmail dot com - August 17, 2009 at 7:19 AM
Count me in.
I'm normally not a fan of historical novels but, something about this book caught my attention.
Thanks for the contest!
iiiioneloveiiii AT gmail DOT com - August 17, 2009 at 2:27 PM
- Carolyn H said...
I like historicals because of the way that people interact with each other and the way there everyday life was run
- August 18, 2009 at 7:21 AM
- Pam P said...
I love the mix of Victorian and fantasy, with the gothic, and the excerpts I've read have me wanting to read it, Renee.
- August 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Leanna, I admit that it was the title of your book that drew me in and made me want to read more. The excerpt had a feel of Harry Potter to it -- that magical, world unto its own, feel -- and the romance scene convinced me I need this book.
Historicals let me visit another world, one that is warm and familiar, like the remnants of a wonderful dream. They also provide a look back to my dormant European
roots and are almost like seeing family again.
Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to read your book!
Sherri M. - August 18, 2009 at 1:08 PM
- CherylS22 said...
Looks like a good book - please count me in!
What draws me to books with historical settings is the opportunity to learn more about the history of a certain era or part of the world.
Thanks ~ megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com - August 18, 2009 at 7:23 PM
much to my surprise - your book arrived early this morning. I've read to Chapter 10 so far, and it is a wonderful tale. Mr. Rickman should surely be flattered. If not, we will haunt him in the usual fashion until he sees the error of his ways! *s* j/k Well I'm off now to the opera. Best of luck!
Mr. Darcy - August 18, 2009 at 11:24 PM
- Britt said...
Historical romances are a perfect chance to indulge in my escapism. Plus..who can deny the strong pull to memory that smell has? And I'm glad that someone else is acknowledging that the smell of leather-bound books pushes their happy buttons!
This book looks very good and I look forward to reading it! - August 19, 2009 at 10:18 PM
- Leanna Renee Hieber said...
I am loving what people are saying about why they love historical settings in fiction, it's so encouraging to hear, it will inspire me when I write! I couldn't agree more with your sentiments on the lure of history and escapism and I'm glad my post and excerpt has been resonant!
(And always happy to find fellow Alan Ricman fans, lol) - August 20, 2009 at 12:47 AM
- Unknown said...
I like reading historical books because I feel like I'm traveling back in time.
- August 20, 2009 at 4:42 PM
- chocowafer said...
If it's international, please count me in on the giveaway. :)
I love reading historical fiction cause they're so different and oftentimes very romantic. :) - August 21, 2009 at 1:20 AM
- tina werner said...
the draw for me is reading about a time different to that i know today. things really were different then, i find it very interesting.
thanks for the chance to win!
stampitchick at yahoo dot ca - August 21, 2009 at 1:29 PM
- Unknown said...
I have alread commented but have your give away posted on my blog.
Layersofthought{@}gmail{dot}com - August 21, 2009 at 5:57 PM
Hi Leanna,
just finished your new book and I believe Jane Austen is smiling wherever she is! It was captivating, charming, luminous, and very touching. Had a powerful
thunderstorm going on as I read the last two chapters which added to the overall experience of being lost in another world of magic, evil forces and heart wrenching
romance between the major characters (Alexi and Percy). It was a book that you never really want to end, and yet you cannot wait to see what will happen as the final chapters write themselves. 'A writer paints with words' and you certainly painted
a lovely tale. Well done! Bravo!
Mr. P. Darcy (box 5, Pa) - August 21, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Great interview and post!
I'm drawn to reading books with a historical setting because I like to think what it was like during that time period and the clothes.
Terri W. - August 22, 2009 at 2:05 AM
- I ♥ Book Gossip said...
Great post. Please count me in.
cindyc725 at gmail dot com - August 22, 2009 at 10:36 AM
- Julia Phillips Smith said...
*waving* Hi, fellow Popculturediva!
Your Haunted London Blog Tour seems to be going along like a streak of lightening!
I've only read your excerpts, but already Alexi Rychman has to be one of the most captivating characters I've come across. As for historical paranormal stories, I adore dissolving into a world like your Strangely Beautiful one. - August 22, 2009 at 7:44 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi Kimberly and Leanna!
Great interview and review (on previous post)! And Congrats on a great release!
I'm attracted to historicals because of the settings - moody castles, highlands, moors, and the characters themselves - the clothing, language, everything. A trip through time is remarkable. Throw in a few ghosts, and the trip goes from remarkable to fascinating. I love it all.
Thanks for the great contest!
Dottie :)
firstname.lastname@example.com - August 23, 2009 at 2:44 AM
- Unknown said...
Being a history major in college, I adore studying the past. While I love first hand accounts/documents of historical eras, sometimes works of fiction create more sense of authenticity then straight rendition of facts. And there's always something about the restrictive gloominess of the Victorian era that make books with a magical/supernatural twist so intriguing, I simply can't resist them. :)
- August 23, 2009 at 11:45 PM
- paulandcindy.blogspot.com said...
The Victorian era captivates as no other , with it's strict etiquette. So, baring the sense of touch, my sense of smell becomes the first "safe" sexual sense,leading my mind on to ,"what would he be like to touch, caress etc. etc." A great smelling guy is SO HOT!!
- August 24, 2009 at 7:13 PM
- Valorie said...
I read books in a historical setting because I love history! I am getting my Master's Degree in it and absolutely love a book that can take me back in time.
email@example.com - August 24, 2009 at 8:53 PM
- Paradox said...
Historical fiction fascinates me because it seems so alien, but awe-inspiring because it includes things that actually existed and happened. I especially love historical fiction if fantasy in involved, or if it's an alternate history.
paradoxrevealed (at) aim (dot) com - August 24, 2009 at 9:17 PM


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As of July 2012, Google Notebook has shut down and all Notebook data should now be in Google Docs. As previously announced, in most cases we were able to automatically export the Notebook data, so please visit Google Docs. Also please update any bookmarks or links to Notebook so that they point to Docs instead.
Here are answers to some questions about this transition. We may add or update questions over time.
For auto-exported documents, you should see a new document in Google Docs for each notebook you had in Google Notebook. The titles of these documents will be 'ÄúImported from Google Notebook - 'ÄĚ followed by the original name of the notebook. These documents will contain the data from the original notebook including labels, comments, and urls. You can edit, share, or delete these new documents just like normal docs.
If you are having trouble finding the new docs, search for 'ÄúImported from Google Notebook'ÄĚ in the doc list.
All public notebooks were unshared.
Bookmarks data is not affected; you will still be able to access your bookmarks at bookmarks.google.com. However notebook.google.com/bookmarks will no longer be available.
The Google Docs team has put together a getting started page here.
First make certain that your notebook data hasn'Äôt been exported, by searching in Google Docs for 'ÄúImported from Google Notebook'ÄĚ.
If you've confirmed that there really is a problem with the export (duplication of data or missing notebook data) you can start a thread in the Google Docs discussion forum and we will investigate the issue.
We loved working on Notebook, but sometimes we have to make the hard decision to focus more of our efforts on products and technologies that will yield the most benefit to users in the long run. With all the great innovations and improvements to Google Docs in the last few years, we think it's a great replacement for Notebook.

subset: commoncrawl


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People love to spend time lounging on the beach or in the park. But when the temperatures go down and it becomes cool outside, they need a comfortable, cozy item to keep warm, like our custom promotional blankets! Help clients and customers stay toasty warm while wrapped in your custom printed promotional blankets. Made from a variety of materials for different purposes, these personalized logo blankets will help add to the quality of recipient's time outdoors. Plus, their large size means that your imprinted logo will attract plenty of attention in public places.
At IASpromotes.com, we have an incredible selection of custom promotional blankets in materials such as cotton, fleece, wool and more in different sizes, colors and patterns. Personalize them with your imprinted corporate name and logo, and clients and employees will take comfort when wrapped in your marketing message. If you want to give your customers the best in comfort and relaxation, try these logo imprinted blankets today.


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Mark Bittman, New York Times columnist and author of the book Food Matters: A Guide To Conscious Eating delivered the keynote speech at the Food Film Festival last weekend in Amsterdam – an event organized by members of the Slow Food Youth Network. While he was there, he had the chance to have a long chat with Slow Food president Carlo Petrini.
Bittman has been writing about food since the early 1980s, but in recent years has gone beyond cooking and recipes to explore a broader spectrum of issues concerning the global food system. We spoke with him in 2011 to find out more about how he came to be so passionate about food and what led him to write his 2009 book Food Matters – a practical analysis of some of these questions. Read the full interview here.
The following is an excerpt from his article 'Slow Food Quickens the Pace' based on his interview with Carlo Petrini last weekend, published on Tuesday in The New York Times.
First I asked if my original misperceptions of Slow Food as an organization of "gourmets" was wrong. He (Petrini) had two answers to this. First: "The nature of Slow Food has changed. When we began Terra Madre" — a biennial conference in Turin, Italy — "we were joined by Asians, Africans and Latin Americans, and we realized that 'gastronomy' was perceived by everyone in different ways, because our histories and conditions are different. But we all realized we had something in common, and that this fraternity was an important value."
But, he reminded me, "gastronomy is holistic. It's not only recipes and cooking but agriculture, physics, biology, genetics, chemistry, history, economy, politics and ecology. If we adapt this vision of gastronomy, our relationships with food and each other changes."
One problem, of course, was that gastronomy became equated with "gourmet-ism," or something of concern only to bon vivants. (He uses the word "gastronomer" as we might use "foodie" or, more kindly, one who appreciates the pleasures of food.) But now, he said: "A gastronomer who is not an environmentalist is just stupid. Whereas an environmentalist who is not a gastronomer is sad. It's possible to change the world even while preserving the concept of the right of pleasure."
Click here to read Mark Bittman's full article, published in The New York Times on Tuesday March 26, 2013.


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Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - NBC was able to keep the abduction of chief Middle East correspondent Richard Engel in Syria largely a secret until he escaped late Monday because it persuaded some of this country's most prominent news organizations to hold back on the story.
Otherwise, the disappearance of Engel _ probably the most high-profile international television reporter on a U.S. network _ would have been big news.
Engel and three colleagues, producers Ghazi Balkiz and Aziz Akyavas and photographer John Kooistra, escaped during a firefight between rebels and their captors, forces sympathetic to the Syrian government. The journalists were dragged from their cars, kept bound and blindfolded and threatened with death.
NBC said it did not know what had happened to the men until after their escape. The first sign of trouble came last Thursday, when Engel did not check back with his office at an agreed-upon time.
The Associated Press learned of Engel's disappearance independently and was asked to keep the news quiet upon contacting NBC, said John Daniszewski, the AP's vice president and senior managing editor.
"A general principle of our reporting is that we don't want to write stories that are going to endanger the lives of the people that we are writing about," Daniszewski said. The first few days after an abduction are often crucial to securing the captive's release.
In any case, he said, the AP never had enough information to report to its standards. "The fragmentary information we did receive was not solid or sourced in a way we could use. We had no actual news to report until they got out on Tuesday and NBC went public with the story," he said.
CBS News also said that it had honored NBC's request, but a spokeswoman declined to discuss it. ABC, Fox News and CNN were also contacted by NBC.
CNN, in an editor's note affixed to a website story on Engel's escape, noted NBC's request. CNN said it complied to allow fact-finding and negotiations to free the captors before it became a worldwide story.
"Hostage negotiators say that once the global spotlight is on the missing, the hostages' value soars, making it much harder to negotiate their freedom," CNN said.
For similar reasons, the AP did not report its own news several years ago when a photographer was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip, securing his release within a day. In one celebrated case of secrecy, The New York Times withheld news that reporter David Rohde was kidnapped while trying to make contact with a Taliban commander in Afghanistan. Rohde escaped after seven months in captivity.
It wasn't clear whether Engel's abductors knew what they had at the time. That knowledge, CNN argued, could have greatly complicated any negotiations. In this case, the captors did not make any ransom demands during the time he was missing.
This isn't simply a professional courtesy; the AP has withheld news involving overseas contractors in the past, Daniszewski said. For similar reasons, the organization does not reveal details of military or police actions it learns about beforehand if the news will put people at risk, and doesn't write about leaders heading into war zones until they are safely there.
Still, it's not a decision lightly taken by news organizations. "The obligation of journalists is to report information, not withhold it, except in exceptional circumstances," said Robert Steele, a journalism ethics professor at DePauw University.
The news that Engel was missing was first reported Monday by Turkish journalists who had heard about Akyavas' involvement, and was picked up by the U.S. website Gawker.com. In explaining why the news was reported, Gawker's John Cook wrote that no one had told him of a specific or even general threat to Engel's safety.
"I would not have written a post if someone had told me that there was a reasonable or even remote suspicion that anything specific would happen if I wrote the post," Cook wrote.
He also noted that China's Xinhua News Agency and the Breitbart website had also reported on Engel's disappearance. Breitbart's John Nolte attached a note to his report saying that he wasn't even aware of any news embargo until after hearing that Engel had been released.
The news was also tweeted by a small number of journalists, apparently unaware of the embargo request.
Whether a disappearance has become widely known could influence a decision by AP on whether to withhold the news, Daniszewski said. In this case, it wasn't clear that it had been widely circulated, he said.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Your application will be considered for all positions within this store. Some positions may not be available in all locations.
Assistant Store Manager – will support the Store Manager in all facets of store operations including ensuring that the store staff provides friendly, open and enthusiastic customer service, in person and on the phone. This includes answering questions and assisting with product selection, purchases, and returns. Ensure that the store is clean, well-organized, and properly merchandised at all times, and that all policies, procedures, and controls are followed. Supervise up to 5 or more Game Advisors by planning, organizing, and delegating work.
Senior Game Advisor (Shift Leader) – will assist the store management team in supervising all store activities as well as providing friendly, open and enthusiastic service to customers, in person and on the phone, including answering questions and assisting with product selection, purchase, or return. Assist with store merchandising, inventory control, loss prevention, restocking, store cleaning and maintenance.
Game Advisor (Sales Associate) – provide outstanding customer service experience using elements of GameStop's buy, sell, trade, and reservation business model, The Circle of Life. Working under direct supervision, this position ensures customers are greeted on the sales floor, informed of trade, reservation and loyalty program benefits and thanked. Game Advisors also share product knowledge with customers, ensures products are easy to see and buy, processes customer transactions, and provides a clean, organized store environment in which to shop. The principal business outcome for this role is higher levels of overall store performance and customer satisfaction.


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We know that especially today, when so many people are uninsured or underinsured, it is important for individuals to have healthcare pricing information. We are committed to making this information available to consumers so they can better anticipate and understand their financial responsibilities and make informed healthcare decisions.
Because we know that healthcare is complex and that a general listing of prices for our common procedures will not meet everyone's needs, we have developed a toll free number where consumers can contact us directly for a prospective service quote. Our goal in making this information easy to access is to remain a leader in key healthcare initiatives aimed at better patient care.
Your personal physician or other physicians providing you with services related to your hospital stay or visit will bill you separately. This can include fees related to specialists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, and radiologists.
Independent laboratory and radiology services will also bill you separately for reading and interpreting EKG's, X-rays, EEG's and lab work.
Before you call, it is a good idea to contact your physician's office to get the best description possible of the services that you need. Then, if you have insurance, contact your insurance company and make sure that the services required are "covered services" under your specific plan. If they are not "covered", then you would be considered "uninsured" for these services.
When you call us, please try to have the following information at hand so that we can provide you with our best estimate of your financial responsibility:
- Description of services needed - we will need to know as much information as possible about the specific services needed as described by your physician.
- Type of services needed - we need to know if you will be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient overnight, or if you are expected to be treated on an outpatient basis.
- Physician/Specialist Name - example, if you are having surgery, we will want to know the surgeon's name.
- If you have insurance, we will also need:
- Your insurance card - please have your card available so that, if needed, we can get the following information from you: name of insurance company, type of policy (e.g. HMO, PPO, POS, Indemnity), policy holder's name, group name and number, policy number, insurance company phone number.
- Policy holder's personal information - it is possible that the insurance company will want us to verify the Social Security Number and date of birth of the person who is named as the primary insurance policy holder.
Similar to your visits to your physician's office, we expect payment at time of service. If you have insurance or other coverage, we will expect you to pay your copayment, coinsurance and/or deductible upon arrival at the hospital. After your insurance company pays us, we will send you information about any amount you may still owe.
If you are uninsured, we expect payment at time of service (or will work with you to arrange monthly payments) for the estimated price of your services. If, after your services are received, any additional payment is due, we will send you information about any amount you may still owe. If you receive emergency care and cannot pay for your services, with your cooperation, our financial counselors will evaluate whether you qualify for Local and State programs, including County Assistance and Medicaid, or our Charity Discount Policy.
We accept major credit cards, checks, money orders and cash.


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Wednesday 10 April 2024 (other days)
Wednesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
Using calendar: Australia - Perth. You can change this.
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: B(II). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: White.
About the author of the Second Reading in today's Office of Readings:
Mid-morning reading (Terce) | (Romans 4:24-25) © |
We believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Jesus who was put to death for our sins and raised to life to justify us.
Noon reading (Sext) | 1 John 5:5-6 © |
Who can overcome the world? Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus Christ came by water and blood: not with water only, but with water and blood.
Afternoon reading (None) | (Ephesians 4:23-24) © |
Let your spirits be renewed so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God's way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.
Scripture readings taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. For on-line information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet web site at http://www.randomhouse.com.
This web site © Copyright 1996-2024 Universalis Publishing Ltd · Contact us · Cookies/privacy |
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ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The persistent U.S. drought is taking a toll on producers of ethanol, with corn becoming so scarce that nearly two dozen ethanol plants have been forced to halt production.
The Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol industry trade group, provided data to The Associated Press showing that 20 of the nation's 211 ethanol plants have ceased production over the past year, including five in January. Most remain open, with workers spending time performing maintenance-type tasks. But ethanol production won't likely resume until after 2013 corn is harvested in late August or September.
Industry experts don't expect a shortage — millions of barrels are stockpiled and the remaining 191 plants are still producing. Still, there is growing concern about what happens if the drought lingers through another corn-growing season.
"There's a lot of anxiety in the industry right now about the drought and a lot of folks watching the weather and hoping and praying this drought is going to break," said Geoff Cooper, vice president for research and analysis for the Renewable Fuels Association.
"If we get back to a normal pattern and normal corn crop, then I think the industry is in good shape," Cooper said. "But if this drought persists and it has the same effect on this coming corn crop, then we've got a problem."
America's ethanol industry has taken off in the past decade. Plants in 28 states produce more than 13 billion gallons of ethanol each year, Cooper said. By comparison, in 2002, the industry produced 2.1 billion gallons. Today, roughly 10 percent of the U.S. gasoline supply is made up of the biofuel.
Roughly 95 percent of U.S. ethanol is made from corn. The National Corn Growers Association estimates that 39 percent of the U.S. corn crop is used in ethanol production.
Corn producers had high hopes going into 2012. Record harvests were predicted.
Then the weather dried up. The drought began before planting and never stopped. Even though more acres were planted in 2012 compared to 2011, 13 percent less corn was harvested.
Availability of locally produced corn is vital for ethanol plants since having it shipped in is too expensive. To make matters worse, the drought hit hardest in many of the top corn-growing states.
Six of the 20 ethanol plants that stopped production are in Nebraska, two in Indiana, and two in Minnesota. Ten states have seen one plant affected. Cooper said the 20 plants employ roughly 1,000 workers combined, but it wasn't known how many have been laid off.
Valero Energy Corp., idled three plants last year — in North Linden, Indiana, and Albion, Nebraska, in June; and in Bloomingburg, Ohio, in December.
Five plants ceased production in January alone — Abengoa plants in the Nebraska towns of York and Ravenna; a White Energy plant in Plainview, Texas; an Aemetis facility in Keyes, California; and POET Biorefining's mid-Missouri plant in Macon.
The production stoppages are cutting into ethanol production. The 770,000 gallons per day produced in the last full week of January were the fewest since the U.S. Energy Information Administration began tracking weekly data in June 2010.
That's not much of an issue for consumers, at least for now, because there are plenty of stockpiles of ethanol. Purdue University agriculture economist Chris Hurt said the nation has more than 20 million barrels of ethanol in stock, slightly more than a year ago, largely because Americans are driving less and driving more fuel-efficient cars. Cooper said, though, that stockpiles are expected to dwindle in the spring and summer as demand picks up and plants remain idled.
Hurt said the ethanol industry needs an end to the drought, a strong corn crop and a drop in corn prices. Corn futures were $5.51 a bushel in May, before the drought's impact took hold. Prices rose to a peak of $8.34 per bushel in August and were $7.46 per bushel last week.
"I cannot see any profitability in this industry until we get lower corn prices, and it's going to take a reasonable-sized U.S. crop," Hurt said.
Officials at the nation's leading ethanol makers — Archer Daniels Midland and POET — declined to speculate about whether additional plants will close. POET spokesman Matt Merritt said producing ethanol at Macon became cost-prohibitive because of the lack of available Missouri corn, and shipping it in was simply too expensive.
Cooper said most of the idled plants expect to restart production — just not anytime soon. Corn is expected to remain scarce and expensive at least until the 2013 crop is harvested, starting in late August and into September. Cooper believes ethanol production won't resume at most plants until then.
For now, many of the plants remain open with workers doing maintenance or helping to modernize the facilities while they wait for production to resume, Cooper said.
Only one of the closed production facilities, an ADM plant in Wallhalla, North Dakota, may be closed for good, Cooper said.
"Generally the industry is optimistic," Cooper said. "We're just going through a rough patch here."
Not everyone associated with the industry is that optimistic.
Brian Baalman farms near Menlo, Kansas, typically growing 8,000 acres of corn each year. Last year's crop was about one-third of that. This year, he may plant only the one-third of his acreage where irrigation is available this summer.
Like many growers, Baalman has a direct interest in ethanol. He is on the board of Western Plans Energy in Oakley, Kansas, and has stock in seven ethanol plants. He said near-record prices for corn, driven up by the drought-fueled shortage, are making ethanol production costs too high.
"We are burning up all our excess cash just to stay running at a reduced rate to keep people working and keep the people there, keep the lights on, so to speak," Baalman said. "It's very tough right now."
"A lot of these ethanol plants aren't going to make it," Baalman said.
AP reporter Roxana Hegeman in Kansas contributed to this report.


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Grisdale Auto Insurance
Find Cheap Auto Insurance in Grisdale, Unlock the Best Rates
Unlocking the Keys to Purchasing Auto Insurance
Your Guide to Comprehensive Coverage in Grisdale, WA, 53027
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Don't settle for subpar auto insurance coverage in Grisdale. Take advantage of our platform and unlock the keys to comprehensive and affordable protection. Visit Grisdale Auto Insurance today to access a network of trusted insurers, receive competitive quotes, and secure the perfect policy that fits your needs and budget. Your peace of mind on the road starts here.
Other great Business Resources in Grisdale, Washington are Hempworx in Grisdale, Divorce Lawyers in Grisdale, CBD Oil in Grisdale


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You can search for a resource in two ways. Quick keyword search, which is available via the Search box in the upper right of most screens, matches your word(s) to words anywhere in the resource record. Advanced Search gives you more opportunities to specify which fields or areas of the records you would like to search.
Quick Keyword Search is designed to allow you to search for one word or phrase without any customization of the search process. Advanced Search provides many additional options to refine your search strategy, including searching for combinations of words or phrases, limiting the search by a variety of variables, and customizing how you will see the search results.
A number of tips should allow you to maximize your use of Quick Keyword Search and Advanced Search:
To browse all resources included in AMSER, click on Resources heading in the navigation bar. The number in parentheses to the right of each topical subject gives you information about how many sub-topics or records are associated with that topic heading. Topics get more specific as you drill down; you can go back to the previous topic level(s) by clicking on them at the top of the page or using the back arrow on your browser.
There are two different vocabularies you can use to browse resources by topic: Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM) subject headings and Library of Congress Classification (LCC).
With only a little over 200 classifications, and only two hierarchical levels, GEM subject headings are broad and shallow. It helps to break our collection into general disciplines, fields, and topics. While each heading can encompass quite a number of resources, browsing GEM can also be quite easy and intuitive. A resource may have more than one subject heading. Examples of GEM subject headings include:
LCC is used by most academic and some larger public libraries to classify their collections in a way that groups books that are about the same things together. It appears to you as the call number on the spine of the book. Unlike a traditional library, however, we do not have to choose only one spot on a shelf for a resource; each one can have many different classifications. AMSER uses LCC in its written-out form. It is a very specific classification system with more than 400,000 subject strings, and each can have many hierarchical levels in it. Examples of LCC subject strings include (compare with the GEM subject headings above):
The New Resources area can be found in the left column of the home page. This list contains the most recently added resources.


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The safe disposal of sharps is heavily regulated, how you manage your sharps waste speaks volumes for how proactively you approach your health and safety responsibilities. Our range of sharps containers ensure you have the right container to fit your disposal needs, From Hospitals, Dentists, Nursing homes, Schools, Vets, Doctors, Tattooist, Beauty Treatments, to Chiropodist or Alternative therapist we can supply the right sharps container to match your requirement.
Our Sharps container range is fully compliant with the requirements of the Safe Management of Healthcare Waste guidance published by the department of health. From self-locking final closure conforming to British safety standards to colour coded containers, lids and labels to a full range of sizes we can offer a sharps container to meet all requirements.
For a Quote on a One Off Collection of Sharps / Clinical Waste please click here
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We offer a range of sharps containers in Bletchley for:
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Call the experts in Bletchley - Buckinghamshire
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Get a Clinical quote today or call us to discuss further, If you are unsure about the type of container you should be using or you have a mixed waste stream call us, we are on hand to provide advice and support.
Waste Compliance Service
Your Waste: The law is very clear if you do not have a premises code; we will be unable to remove your waste in Bletchley. You should also have a pre-Acceptance Audit in place, we understand legislation can be very confusing for many customers that is why we offer our Waste Compliance Service, we take care of your Premises Registration, Pre-acceptance Audit, Legislation Updates etc., we keep you compliant leaving you free to manage your business. For more information, call us today for a chat.
Sharps Disposal in Bletchley for Tattoo Parlours Bletchley
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Banks are trying madly to raise it, investors are wary of giving it, and lenders seem keener than ever to hang on to it. Strange, then, that we hear so little about how to manage the scarce resource of the day: capital. One reason for the lack of discussion is the sorry current state of the art of capital management. In the run-up to Basel II, banks treated the subject with appropriate energy. But as the global expansion after 2001 turned into a full-fledged boom, capital was plentiful and cheap, and a strategy to manage it was not only unnecessary but even, arguably, counterproductive. According to some, banks that worried about improving their capital usage were thinking too small and missing much bigger opportunities in rapidly expanding businesses. Whatever their view, most banks paid only scant attention to the husbanding of their capital.
Now, at a time when regulators, investors, and rating agencies, in various ways, are forcing banks to deleverage and increase capital ratios, the focus is on finding more of it—that is, on recapitalization. Of late, however, the search has yielded very little. Capital, when it can be found, is extremely expensive. Effective capital management is no longer just a nice, if somewhat obscure, skill to have; for some banks, it is a question of survival.
Out of necessity, then, banks are rediscovering the lost art of capital management. Done well, capital management not only answers the immediate need of improving capital adequacy; it also protects banks from risks and even enables growth. Should the industry consolidate, as seems likely, superior capital management will almost certainly be one of the chief distinctions between buyers and sellers.
While a comprehensive capital-management program includes seven elements, two of these—reducing capital "wastage" and developing "capital light" business models—are essential for boosting capital adequacy ratios. Many institutions squander their capital by allocating more of it to a business than is required. This can happen through inefficiencies in business and credit processes and poor data, and through poor choices in the risk-modeling approach. Banks can draw on a catalog of proven ideas to reduce this capital wastage.
They can achieve even more if they also successfully implement capital-light business models—that is, if they adopt smart credit-management principles in their day-to-day business and help frontline lenders and sellers internalize these principles. Typically, banks that both reduce waste and put in place capital-efficient business models can achieve a reduction of 15 percent to 25 percent in risk-weighted assets (RWAs). Further, some banks also see revenue increases of 8 percent to 12 percent. These improvements result in additional economic value—for one global bank, about 25 percent in two years. Seventy percent of impact is typically achieved within a year of launch.
Reducing capital wastage and implementing a capital-light business model are not only the cheapest ways to improve capital ratios—much cheaper than appealing to once-bitten, twice-shy investors—they can also inform the bank if it has any true additional capital needs. And if banks do instead resort to capital injections, they will not only pay dearly in the short term but also lock in their capital inefficiencies for the foreseeable future. At a time when the need to rebuild return on equity is paramount, capital inefficiency is like a weight around the neck—a burden that will keep the bank uncompetitive but that when removed will result in a powerful uplift to performance.
A new imperative
With the onset of Basel II, in 2004, banks were forced to take a more active approach to capital management. Capital requirements under the Basel II internal-ratings-based (IRB) approaches—especially the advanced, or A-IRB, approach—depend heavily on internal models to estimate risk. The quality of the data entered into these models is critical, and so banks began to pay more attention to how they used their capital. Thus at most banks, a bare-bones capital-management approach took hold.
The global financial crisis has rendered that basic approach untenable. Capital proved to be far less available than banks had assumed, and mark-to-market losses ($934 billion as of May 2009) from credit investments and subprime-related assets have eviscerated capital ratios at nearly every institution of any size. The rise in market volatility and the need for more capital to cover it only make the problem worse. The lack of adequate capital, as is well known, forced many banks into bankruptcy or into the safe haven of government rescue plans. To date, governments around the world have provided more than $1 trillion to recapitalize financial institutions.
Already severe, the capital shortage will almost certainly get worse with the coming of new banking regulations. Ironically, the green shoots of economic recovery that many have noted may provide regulators with the faith they need to push through three changes that will particularly affect corporate and investment banks. First, most countries seem sure to impose a cap on banks' leverage and to introduce "procyclical" adjustments to these such that in good times, the cap will grow tighter. Second, many believe that changes to the calculations used to measure risk in the trading book will increase RWAs by at least a factor of three (Exhibit 1). Off-balance-sheet items and securitized assets will also likely be saddled with much higher capital requirements. Finally, the focus will shift more toward tier-1 and common tier-1 capital (consisting mainly of common shares, cash reserves, and retained earnings), thus limiting the usefulness of the hybrid structures that many banks now employ to ensure capital adequacy.
Capital requirements on the rise
All these regulatory changes are in different stages of development and implementation but will likely come to pass over the next few years. While many banks are still struggling to come to grips with capital management, leading banks have recognized the trend and are establishing or recommitting to a comprehensive approach to capital management. Exhibit 2 lays out the seven building blocks common to the best of these approaches.
Seven building blocks
In our experience, two of these elements are essential for a successful hunt for capital, regardless of the bank's starting position: reducing capital wastage and instituting capital-light business models. All the elements are important, of course, but for expediency we will concentrate on these two. The former is by far the more powerful and faster to produce results, and banks should begin with this.
Reducing capital wastage
As noted, the primary source of waste is a too-generous allocation of capital to individual businesses to reserve for the credit and market risks they run. We see three common mistakes that afflict most banks.
First, many banks have optimized their credit risk-mitigation activities (underwriting, collateral management, and workout) for cost efficiency—but in so doing have cut a lot of corners that considerably undermine their capital efficiency.
Second, banks routinely struggle with poor data. Although data issues exist throughout banks—some consider the modern bank more a technology business than a financial one—the problem is particularly acute when it comes to capital efficiency. Information is insufficient, incorrect, or incomplete (for example, gaps and noncredible outliers in loss databases used for risk-parameter estimation). Nor do banks always treat their data properly. Assets are often misclassified; for example, small-business loans are sometimes treated as retail rather than corporate exposures, when a corporate classification would reduce the risk weight.
Finally, although hard to believe given some of the risks banks took that culminated in the recent crisis, bankers' innate conservatism actually leads them to overestimate their risks at times. The tendency is understandable: if estimates are too optimistic, regulators will likely question them and then impose additional capital reserves. Another problem is that banks choose and develop risk models from a purely mathematical perspective, giving little or no consideration to the realities of the business. For example, estimates of loss given defaults (LGDs) are often set too high. Finally, many banks use the same internal model for all their businesses, when a variety of models, including some less conservative ones, might be more useful. For example, the Effective Positive Exposure (EPE) model for counterparty risk in trading book assets is not used as extensively as it might be.
Capitalizing on the opportunity
All these practices eat up more capital than the business really requires, presenting banks with an opportunity. Banks should begin by thoroughly checking the data quality and risk-parameter estimates in their banking and trading books. They should then benchmark the main risk parameters, especially:
Effective risk weights by asset classes, that is, RWA per exposure at default (EAD)
LGDs by asset class, and, more specifically, the level of collateralization by portfolio segments and recovery rate by collateral type
Credit conversion factors (CCFs) by product categories. CCFs are used to calculate EADs, which equal drawn exposure plus the CCF times undrawn exposure
Further analysis can identify whether any gap between current performance and best practice is due to inadequate processes or poor data quality, or perhaps overly conservative modeling. For example, high risk weights for a given asset class can be a sign of too little Basel II–eligible collateral. Digging deeper, the bank might find that its model does not sufficiently distinguish between different types of collateral or does not manage the collateral provided for maximum value.
Knowing the source of the problem, the bank can then design a highly specific program of capital optimization. Our experience suggests that there are more than 100 levers available to reduce capital wastage. For further details on some of these levers, and for an example of a large European bank's use of them in developing a capital-optimization program, see Exhibits 3 and 4 in this article's downloadable PDF. Note that there are no "silver bullets" in this work; rather, it is the sum of 20 to 30 small optimizations that generates the significant amount of capital savings that these programs can produce.
Although banks will not often choose exactly the same set of capital-wastage reduction levers, we have found the following to be especially powerful for most banks:
Improve collateral management in the banking book. As a rough rule of thumb, each additional euro or dollar of Basel II–compliant collateral reduces RWA capital by 50 cents without changing the exposure at default. This makes collateral management a significant source of additional capital. Two ideas often work well to improve this activity. First, a comparison of the front-office systems with the back-office systems that are used in the RWA-calculation model will often reveal that there is much more Basel II–eligible collateral collected than is entered in the model; data quality is often the underlying reason. Banks can correct the data and make sure that all the available collateral is used to mitigate RWAs. Second, the ways that collateral is classified and valued are often suspect; improving this can also significantly reduce RWAs.
Improve netting and collateral processes in the trading book. Collateral management is also an issue in the trading book. As financial markets recover, demand is rising for capital markets and risk-management products. At most banks, the 20 or so largest corporate and institutional customers are again pushing up the capital requirements for counterparty risk in the trading book. More frequent settlement with corporate customers and faster collateral processes can significantly slow this RWA increase. Surprisingly, netting processes are far from perfect. In the quest for cost efficiency, many banks have not put in place netting agreements with their second- and third-tier counterparties—even though in aggregate these customers create significant RWA and capital requirements. Similarly, banks do not often have collateral agreements with these smaller customers; as a result, RWAs increase with every profitable trade.
Adjust Basel II risk parameters. Regulators usually require banks to include unresolved cases of default or workout in their estimation of recovery rates and LGDs. Banks must make some assumptions about the extent of eventual repayment. They tend to take the most conservative approach and assume very little or no further payment; after all, this minimizes time and money spent on model development and allows banks to avoid intense discussions with regulators. A more realistic and still inexpensive approach is to estimate repayment based on the current status of the workout or restructuring. This not only significantly lowers the bank's LGD and the loans' risk weight but is also much more representative of business reality.
Reconfigure credit processes and install early-warning systems. Since estimated risk parameters under A-IRB are based on a bank's historical losses, they reflect not only the bank's assumptions about the future but also the past performance of its credit processes. Improving credit processes is its own reward, of course, as it reduces credit losses. But it also improves risk parameters, allowing the bank to further lower its CCFs and EADs, LGDs, and risk weights.
In the past year, many banks have been caught off guard as financially weak customers drew down lines of credit and then defaulted. Banks should make timely and full use of all available information, such as credit-line usage, incoming payments, and reports from credit bureaus, to develop insights into customer behavior. These leading indicators, coupled with better credit-monitoring processes, allow a bank to identify high-risk customers early—typically six to nine months before loans become past due. Banks can then reduce their lines with some at-risk customers and also ensure that no additional credit is extended to them. This will lower CCFs and EADs, and can also help lower LGDs as uncollateralized exposures are reduced and banks get faster at seizing and liquidating collateral.
Capital-light models
The second essential element of effective capital management is the longer-term ambition to align a business unit with the principles of efficient capital use—what we call the capital-light business model. The gap between principle and practice is often large. For example, two or three products might serve a customer's needs equally well, with no noticeable differences to the customer—but they may have very different implications for the bank's capital requirements. Similarly, a loan can be collateralized in various ways; the choice makes a big difference to the bank's capital. Cash and high-quality securities such as US government bonds are the most capital-effective; real estate is typically much more capital-effective than inventory; and residential real estate is in most countries more effective than commercial real estate.
Some banks have taken steps toward a capital-light model by streamlining their processes, actively managing the credit portfolio, and rethinking their securitization strategies. These are good moves, but banks can do more. We suggest five actions to establish a capital-light business model.
Embrace risk-adjusted pricing. Banks should introduce risk-adjusted pricing for every client type and every product. The move to risk-adjusted pricing began many years ago but is still not standard operating procedure at some banks where risk is consistently underpriced. Risk-adjusted pricing is an essential first step to maximize value for the bank; the price of a loan must cover the bank's cost for risk, capital, liquidity, and operations.
Sell the right products and get the right collateral. Banks should provide commercial guidelines and tools to help the front line meet two goals: to sell the product with the highest RWA-adjusted return for a given customer need and to boost the level or quality of collateral wherever possible, without jeopardizing that return (Exhibit 5). To achieve both goals—that is, a product and collateral that are optimized for both economic value added (EVA) and RWA returns—frontline staff must have transparency into RWA under Basel II, and their incentive schemes must be set accordingly.
Sell the right products
Understanding the return on RWA is essential; it may look very different for short-term lending and factoring, or for investment loans and leasing. To help sellers with this, actual risk costs must be reflected in pricing and performance calculations. Staff must be well trained in Basel II regulations and equipped with the necessary tools—simulation tools and pocket guides that will help them quickly assess the implications of their choices.
Many banks give sellers incentives based on ROE at the time of origination and then freeze this ROE for purposes of compensation. A better approach is to link compensation to ROE at various points in the life cycle of the loan. That creates a situation where, when the client's credit risk deteriorates and its capital consumption increases, the responsible lending officer will follow up and ask for additional collateral or take other action to reduce exposure.
Advise clients on financial ratings. Banks can provide clients with solutions to improve their financial profile and therefore their rating. If successful, clients will reduce their cost of credit, and banks will be able to lower their reserves for products sold to these clients. Clients will also gain from a better understanding of Basel II logic and opportunities. Additional benefits for the bank include a deeper relationship with the client and strong cross-selling opportunities that will emerge from the client's enhanced knowledge.
Develop a superior capability for market placement. Banks should put in place all the requisite skills and infrastructure needed to participate fully in opportunities to sell assets, such as syndication, club deals, private placements (which have proved resilient through the crisis), and also, once the crisis has passed, securitizations. Obviously, securitization has become much more difficult and will change further with Basel II. Banks must rethink their approach to this business. But even now, when liquidity in most markets remains dried up, disposing of parts of the loan portfolio, either through securitization or syndication, can be a successful strategy to reduce RWA. To capture the benefits fully, banks need for the moment to follow Basel II–optimized securitization strategies and then to be ready to update these when expected changes come through. One thing that is clear already is that securitization structures will have to become more transparent. More standardized credit contracts for securitized loans and more transparent securitization structures—in other words, instruments comparable to the German Pfandbrief and other covered bonds—will have to be adopted.
Scale back business with EVA-negative clients. Often very few customers (5 percent or less) account for more than 20 percent of RWAs and do not contribute significantly to the bank's P&L—even before the cost of capital. Banks should sort through their portfolios, especially in corporate banking, to reduce their business with these clients, and they should put in place strict rules on new business that will prevent them from acquiring more.
Identifying these clients is difficult, however. Some banks may first need to develop a metric for customer profitability, embed it in their systems, and then systematically review the portfolio. They can then reduce their business with EVA-negative clients. Large customers should be discussed at the highest level and each case considered individually. For small customers, a special unit can work to reduce exposures and change the product mix. To keep the problem from getting worse, banks can provide guidelines to frontline staff, as discussed earlier.
Reducing capital wastage and transitioning to a capital-light model are not straightforward approaches. Banks must lay the groundwork if the efforts are to succeed. In our experience, there are three prerequisites. First, banks must establish clear governance of capital management at every level. This task must be incorporated into the mandate of a senior leader, usually the CFO or CRO, and people responsible for the activity in every major business unit must report in to him. Second, the bank must ensure the close collaboration of the businesses and the risk and finance groups. A cross-functional team goes a long way toward meeting this goal. Finally, the bank must focus relentlessly on execution. An excellent way to maintain focus is to continually track the increases in capital and the impact on the bottom line. Some leading banks have already institutionalized the hunt for capital by setting up RWA- and capital-management units and launching internal competitions to find capital-savings opportunities.


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Home » Electroacoustic/Contemporary » XENAKIS: Hibiki Hana Ma, Polytope de Cluny
XENAKIS: Hibiki Hana Ma, Polytope de Cluny
A gem. Hibiki, an electronic composition, was written for the now legendary Federation of Iron and Steel pavilion at the1970 World fair in Osaka - a massive space with 700 speakers under the floor and a further 128 distributed throughout the auditorium and suspended in the air. The result is massive and deeply impressive, even in stereo, and is a classic of the genre. It's accompanied here by the 1972 Polytope de Cluny - designed for the Roman Baths at Cluny and employing as its visual component a highly complex, calculated programme of laser projections (see the dvd) the sound continues in the vein of Hibiki Hana Ma, though its mood is less stark. A very welcome release.L
Code: Mode203
Price: £14.50


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2nd International Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction to Cultural Heritage
A second International Workshop on "Disaster Risk Reduction to Cultural Heritage" was held at Acre, Israel, from 14 to 17 November 2009, and organised jointly by the Israel National Commission for UNESCO, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the World Heritage Centre, gathering experts and managers of World Heritage cultural properties from all regions, as well as representatives of ICOMOS, ICCROM and ICOM. This Workshop aimed to further develop the initiative on Disaster Risk Reduction, identify concrete opportunities for cooperation among World Heritage properties and define specific actions that each of the actors of the World Heritage Convention might implement (see the recommendations of the Acre Workshop).
The Acre Workshop built on the results of the Olympia meeting of 2008 and other strategic policy documents on subjects related to DRR, notably the Policy Document on the Impact of Climate Change on World Heritage Properties adopted by the General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention in 2007. With regard to Climate Change, the Acre Workshop clarified that, whereas not all the phenomena associated to it are relevant to DRR, some extreme weather events responsible for disasters appear to be linked to global warming as flash storms and flooding. Moreover, climate change impacts, such as rising water levels and moisture, constitute underlying risk factors that, in the presence of some primary hazards, may cause a disaster to happen or aggravate their consequences.
Following the Acre Workshop, representatives from several World Heritage properties expressed their interest in joining pilot initiatives to develop disaster risk reduction strategies at their sites, possibly through appropriate twinning arrangements and with support under the World Heritage Fund. The feasibility of these pilot projects - and the possible establishment of twinning agreements between sites - is currently being explored.
Recommendations of the Second International Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction to Cultural Heritage Acre (Israel), 14-17 November 2009
The Acre Workshop resulted in a document containing a list of proposed specific actions, aimed at further implementing the Strategy for Risk Reduction at World Heritage Properties, adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 2007. This 'Action Plan' is reproduced here below, structured according to the institution that would be responsible for implementation.
The World Heritage Centre, in consultation and close cooperation with the Advisory Bodies and other relevant organisations like ICOM, may:
- Develop a concise position paper on the linkages between heritage and disaster risk reduction, and present it to the UN-ISDR Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in order to promote the integration of a concern for cultural and natural heritage as defined in the World Heritage Convention and other heritage categories such as movable properties, archives and documents, and intangible cultural heritage within global and national DRR policies;
- Seek extra-budgetary funds in order to organise - at the earliest possible time - an expert workshop with the Advisory Bodies, interested States Parties and other partners, aimed to develop specific proposals to revise the Operational Guidelines so as to mainstream DRR more explicitly into its provisions, including format for nominations, periodic reporting, reactive monitoring, evaluation procedures for International Assistance and nominations. The expert workshop should also explore opportunities for establishing synergies with other UNESCO Conventions, notably with regard to movable and intangible heritage and the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict;
- Develop, following the proposal contained in the Olympia Protocol, a feasibility study/proposal for the creation of a "World Heritage Disaster Risk Reduction Day", aimed at raising awareness of the issue among the public and strengthen the preparedness of agencies in charge of World Heritage properties. A Draft of the feasibility study/proposal would be presented to the Committee for consideration at its 35th Session (July 2011), in view of the possible adoption of the proposal by the 18th General Assembly of the States Parties to the 1972 Convention in the fall of 2011;
- Facilitate, together with the States Parties, the development of twinning arrangements among World Heritage properties where pilot projects could be implemented to develop disaster risk reduction strategies, based on the principles and methodology presented in the Resource Manual on "How to Develop Disaster Risk Management Plans for World Heritage Properties";
- Propose that the next UNESCO Forum - Universities and Heritage prioritize the debate on DRR and coordinate the necessary activities.
The Advisory Bodies may:
- Ensure, in the framework of the evaluations of nominations for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage List, that a proper DRR component is integrated within their management plans or systems, developed based on the principles and methodology presented in the Resource Manual on "How to Develop Disaster Risk Management Plans for World Heritage Properties" (ICOMOS and IUCN);
- Develop the methodology to implement the revised Operational Guidelines mainstreaming DDR as part of the nomination, evaluation and management of sites in the context of the World Heritage Convention (ICOMOS and IUCN).
If resources are made available, moreover, the Advisory Bodies, in cooperation with other relevant organisations like ICOM, may:
- Develop, together with the World Heritage Centre, best-practice materials on DRR based on the above-mentioned pilot projects carried out at World Heritage properties in the framework of twinning agreements, to be disseminated to a wider audience of professionals and administrators;
- Develop regional training courses on DRR based on the above-mentioned Resource Manual, including curricula and course materials, possibly to be organised in cooperation with World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres and University networks such as Forum UNESCO (ICCROM);
- Develop a template for short handbooks targeting Civil Defence departments to raise their awareness of cultural heritage issues in Disaster Risk Reduction, which may be translated and adapted by States Parties according to their contexts (ICCROM);
- Develop a Clearing House on Disaster Risk Reduction and World Heritage (ICCROM);
- Develop a template for documenting impacts of disasters on cultural and natural heritage and integrating such data in response operations and recovery planning.
The States Parties to the Convention may:
- Develop management plans and systems, which incorporate concern for disaster risk reduction;
- Establish twinning arrangements among World Heritage properties where pilot projects could be implemented to develop disaster risk reduction strategies, based on the principles and methodology presented in the Resource Manual on Disaster Risk Management for World Heritage Properties;
- Encourage and support greater research and DRR training and planning at Universities and institutions and prioritize national funding for these programmes.
- Integrate movable and intangible heritage, archives, museums and libraries included in or related to World Heritage properties in their DDR planning and seek specifically scientific assistance to specialised international and national organisations such as ICOMOS, IUCN, ICOM, ICA and IFLA.
- Develop, with support from the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and if necessary with assistance under the WH Fund, 'debriefing' reports on World Heritage properties hit by a disaster, highlighting the lessons learnt, for dissemination among the WH community;
risk,risque,Disaster Risk Reduction
Acre, Israel


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My boys spend hours perched in our front window, just watching birds.
They especially love putting out treats for their feathered friends.
It is amazing how quiet and still a three & five year-old can be - completely memorized.
So, for gifts this year we are keeping it simple - giving an experience rather than just more stuff. We are giving the experience of spending a few moments watching nature - a few moments to slow down, and relax.
These molded bird seed ornaments are a lot of fun to make, and very inexpensive. You may already have all the materials you need in your home - we were able to make gifts for all the wonderful friends in our life for around $3.
I found this recipe here, and it worked great!
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups birdseed
molds (muffin tin, cookie cutters, etc.)
nonstick spray
drinking straw
waxed paper
2: Add the birdseed to the mixture, stir until well coated.
3: Spray your mold(s) with cooking spray, and spoon birdseed mixture into each mold. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it down, and make the top smooth.
Poke a hole through top of each birdseed mold using a drinking straw, making sure it goes all the way through.
4: Leave the birdseed mixture in the molds for two to three hours. Then, remove the straws and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Gently remove the hardened ornaments from the mold, and place them on the wax paper upside down. Allow them to dry for at least two to three more hours, or overnight.
5: Cut your ribbon and carefully put it through the hole.


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Pricing Information
Heater hose replacements vary in price by application. Come in for an inspection, and our technician can give you an estimate to replace the worn or cracked hoses.
Reasons why you may consider replacing your heater hose
Heater hoses play a crucial role in a vehicle's heating system, which operates in conjunction with the cooling system. Running engines produce a tremendous amount of heat that will need to be transferred away from the engine in order to prevent overheating and subsequent breakdowns.
Heater hoses are responsible for carrying coolant to prevent overheating. Coolant or antifreeze flows through the engine, absorbs the excess heat, and carries the heat away from the engine. More specifically, heater hoses are responsible for transferring coolant away from the engine to the heater core, where the warm air can be blown inside the compartment of your vehicle by engaging the adjacent fan.
Heater fans blow through the heater core to heat the vehicle and cool the antifreeze inside of it. The hoses transfer the coolant back into the path of the cooling system at a lower temperature so the coolant can continue to regulate consistent temperatures inside the engine.
Made of durable rubber, heater hoses are built to sustain the hot coolant that is carried from the engine to the heater core. Poor climate control is a sign of problems with your vehicle's hoses. When your heater hoses near the end of their useful life, they will become hard and brittle or soft and mushy. If they crack, the coolant will leak and pool underneath your vehicle. When this happens, allow a member of our service staff to replace your heater hoses.
A leaky hose means your heating system will not effectively heat your vehicle, and your cooling system will not have a proper supply of coolant. Leaky heater hoses can result in your engine overheating. As such, we encourage you to periodically inspect your heater hoses to determine the correct time to replace them.