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Now browsing: Hometown News > Election > Volusia County
By Dan Harkins
DELTONA - Michael Carmolingo knows the voters must be talking about it, how his chair on the Deltona City Commission has been vacant in recent months due to a dangerous spell of gout in his ankles that had him on his back for three months.
But the 76-year-old retired trucking terminal supervisor said he's not only back on his feet, but on the job of serving his constituents and, as he says, "watching the store."
"Me being out of circulation for three months worries me more than anything else," he said. "But I stand on my record. I just hope I earned the respect of the residents. I run on honesty, integrity and respect."
Mr. Carmolingo was elected in 2005 to serve a two-year term when the District 6 seat was vacated. He ran unopposed in 2007. For the primary election on Aug. 14, he has three opponents: Christopher Nabicht, a retired Deltona deputy fire chief; Michael Wycuff, director of pastoral care at Pine Ridge Fellowship; and marketing consultant George "Ron" Watral.
Mr. Carmlingo said he would feel a void in his life without this job.
"I really do enjoy representing the residents of this city, servicing their complaints and needs," he said. "I take calls a 8 o'clock on a Saturday night, 8 o'clock on Sunday morning. It doesn't matter."
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mr. Carmolingo attended Villanova University, studying pre-law and accounting."
Before he could graduate, though, he got a job with National Freight, working his way up to terminal supervisor in Atlanta.
"I call what I was doing then 'watching the store'," he said. "And I'm still trying to do that for the city."
In 1990, he moved with wife, Eloise, and seven children, to Deltona when he was sent to run National Freight's new terminal in Orlando. He said he soon discovered that Deltona offered his family a big, modern home at much cheaper prices than other suburbs. He retired in 1996, as he and Eloise's nest emptied out.
Since first taking office, he believes many improvements have taken place.
Not only are major roads like Normandy, Elkcam and Fort Smith boulevards now freshly repaved, but the city has recently seen the first of what's expected to be an oncoming flood of new commercial offerings, where an EPIC movie theater has opened near Howland Boulevard and Interstate 4.
"I think the floodgates are ready to explode there," he said, "We're talking retail, restaurants, office buildings. I think maybe people are finally realizing that the city of Deltona is a go-to place."
This is not to say that city leaders should just rest on their laurels, he said.
Some problems, like escalating water and sewer bills, are going to be tough to fix, he said. And so getting residents with septic systems to switch over to the city's system is like asking them to make a paper airplane out of a few hundred dollars every month.
"Basically, the bill has to be high," he said, "for ownership to continue because of the bond issue supporting" the area's water infrastructure.
But other problems can be fixed, he said. The city's image must be spruced, he said, and it's near-fully residential tax base has to be further diversified to include more commercial offerings to citizens.
"People would love to have jobs in the city," he said. "They wouldn't be hard to fill. I think we need to get more of our own commercial and retail. The community would support it if it came."
He said the body of commissioners hasn't always presented the most unified front, but he believes the new commission seated this year will be eager to do just that.
"It's important because it will help the city move forward," he said. "We need to think as seven people who want something to happen."
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Hyundai announced a few weeks ago that a concept version of the rear-wheel-drive Genesis Coupe will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. But until then, the first uncovered images of the RWD Sports Coupe have been taken to a presentation comparison for marketing purposes: Hyundai Genesis Coupe on one side and Ford Mustang on the other side.
The Genesis Coupe will be offered with a choice of two different engines: a 2.0 liter Turbo with 215 and pricing starting at $19,900 and a 3.8 liter V6 with 300 hp and pricing starting at $25,900.
Unknown if optional or included w/ pricing...
- Ipod integration in center console.
- Bluetooth w/ stock head deck.
- Sunroof.
- Limited slip.
Marketing will tell if it:
- MIGHT have Brembo brake upgrades.
- MIGHT have its own badge. (Tuscani for example)
- It keeps the LED turn signals on the side mirrors.

subset: commoncrawl


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Working Babies
Yes, it's exciting to have a kid in showbiz. But should young children be working?
Gina Kaysen Fernandes: As the economic crunch takes its toll on working families, saving for college has never been more stressful. Along with your 401(k), your child's 529 funds are probably drying up faster than a drought-parched desert. Many parents are turning to child modeling as a way to pad the college account. Your kid doesn't have to look like Dakota Fanning to get a job. "It's better if they're not too cute," says Karissa Corday, whose daughter works as a model several times a week. "Companies want 'real' kids, so beauty is not what it's all about."
Corday's daughter, Scarlett Isabella, got her first gig at 6 months old, and her career is still going strong today at the age of nine. "Everybody told me, 'You have the Gerber Baby -- if you don't sign her up, I will,'" recalls Corday. After finding Scarlett an agent, she began booking commercials and print ads. Corday brings snacks and toys on set to keep the tantrums at bay. It also helps to have a good-natured child, and to schedule work around sleep time. "I made sure she got booked between naps," says Corday.
While it may sound extreme to put babies on the payroll, it's legal and heavily regulated.
Infants as young as two weeks old can work up to 20 minutes a day, as long as there's a nurse and teacher on hand. The on-set staff is expected to watch the clock to make sure the shoots don't run long. Once a child is 7 months old, only a teacher is required, and the baby can work up to four hours.
The monetary rewards are quite lucrative. Print jobs pay a few hundred dollars per shoot. National commercials can net up to 20 thousand dollars plus residuals, which can keep trickling in for 24 months. If your child can land a recurring roll on a TV show, they could nab the same kind of financial windfall as the Olson twins. "But you have to do this for a while to see the payoff," says Dawn Osbrink, vice president and head of the Youth Print and Commercial Department at the Osbrink Agency. "It's not for everybody. The children who succeed are the ones who are bugging their parents to get involved," said Osbrink.
There are some upstart costs to consider if your child is over 4 years old. They'll need professional headshots, called zed cards. If they're under four, at-home digital photos work fine. "Any reputable agency only charges commission based on the jobs you get," says Osbrink. Corday bought her daughter a whole new wardrobe, with clothes that are only used for auditions. But Osbrink says that's not necessary: "Never dress them in their Sunday best. They should look casual, in a Gap-type outfit."
The real cost is time. Parents who embark on this added revenue stream need to have a flexible schedule. "Sometimes you have to head out the door on a moment's notice," says Corday. She adds, "The ideal situation is to be at home or have very flexible work hours." There's also the commute time to consider, especially if you live in areas with heavy traffic like Los Angeles. Driving is Corday's number-one complaint. "You need to have a lot of energy and patience because of all the waiting around. Ninety-five percent of the work is waiting, five percent is work," says Corday. While places like New York and L.A. have the most work, there are child modeling jobs in all major U.S. cities.
There's also your child's time to think about. Corday (along with another mom, who didn't want to share her name) admits to pulling her kid out of class now and then for a job. "I used to take her out of school between kindergarten and 2nd grade. But there's always a teacher on set to help with homework," says Corday. Modeling should be considered an extracurricular activity, like soccer or ballet. "They need to be professional when they go to a job, like they would for a sports competition," says Osbrink. And they have to be willing to make sacrifices. "Sometimes I'd hope she wouldn't get called back because she'd have to miss out on something fun," says the off-the-record mom.
While most agree that the child has to want to work, there are the "stage moms" who give the industry a dirty name. These parents have been known to drag their kids on the road to auditions for weeks at a time, often leaving their non-working children at home. Photographers cringe when a pushy parent rides them on shoots, making sure they get the best shot. "It's somebody who will push their kids at all costs," says Corday, who insists she would never let her daughter work if she felt sick or had a prior commitment. "My main objective is to make sure she's having fun, or else we won't do it."
When she's not in school, Scarlett Isabella works basically full time, if you factor in the audition days. Corday says her daughter is humble about her success, and doesn't brag about it to friends. Corday has two older daughters who are not in the industry. She sometimes wishes they were interested in it too. "I've seen moms lug up to four kids to auditions at the same time. That's the jackpot! You have three more chances of getting the job."
Thought I would escape a bit from my coursework to tell you how much I enjoy reading your site. It is one of my daily pleasures. Thank you
Bookmarked your site. Thank you very much for sharing. Definitely worth the time away from my classwork.
I just wanted to say that I found your web site via Goolge and I am glad I did. Keep up the good work and I will make sure to bookmark you for when I have more free time away from the books. I really have to say thank you!
Thank you for the entertaining read! Happy New Year and keep up the great work in 2011!
Thanks for the absorbing read! Happy New Year, and keep up the good work in 2011!


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Emma Lou Burt Price
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Daughter of Odis Clarence Burt and Ada Kate
Fitzgerald Burt, both of whom were born in Clarke County, MS. I was born in Laurel, Jones County, MS. Graduated from Meridian, MS High School in 1947. Married in 1949 to Jesse Winston (Buddy) Price.
We had 62 wonderful years together.
I lived in Toomsuba, MS, his family's home place, for 62 years. Now living in Sheridan, WY.
I am an avid genealogist and love to help others.
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Barbara Powell
Need obit on Myrtle M Estes/Clay Memorial
I have recently connected with Mrs. Estes son Richard. I advised him I was working on a Sequel to a Book I published earlier and would like to include as much infor on Myrtle that I could. She was my friend somtimes roommate and in nursing school and we graduated together in 1959 Sept class at South Mississsippi Charity Hospital in Laurel, MS
The book I published is a 350 page compilation of the hospital school of nursing, history, photos and personal stories and obits- "The Charity Girls of SMCH Laurel MS" I will publish in next 18 Mo or shorter time a Sequel of this book. I would like to have the written obit of Mrs Estes to put in the Sequel Barbara Powell firstname.lastname@example.com
Thank you
Added by
Barbara Powell
on Sep 07, 2014 1:03 PM
Joy Ivaldi Durrett
RE: George W. Mayfield
An easy slip to make when you are typing.
Thank you.
Added by
Joy Ivaldi Durrett
on Jul 20, 2014 1:47 PM
Joy Ivaldi Durrett
RE: C. F. Fitzgerald
The Death Certificate State he was buried at the Mississippi State Hospital in Forden which my research shows is now part of Jackson, Mississippi.
Added by
Joy Ivaldi Durrett
on May 21, 2014 7:45 PM
Melinda Freeny McKee
Pine Hill Cemetery/Clarke county
I took a photo of #71726474 and posted it today.
I noticed on the memorial the death date was unknown; the photo shows the death date.
I though you might like to adjust the memorial date.
Added by
Melinda Freeny McKee
on May 16, 2014 8:42 AM
Wrong Way Dave
RE: Bethel Methodist church Cemetery
Hi Emma,
It's on New Lincoln Rd (which I think is County Road 371). As you travel south from I-20 on Hwy 77 towards Talladega, you will turn right onto New Lincoln Rd (I think it's the first turn past Idalia Rd). There is a small sign on Hwy 77 for Limbaugh Chapel church. New Lincoln Rd runs parallel to Hwy 77. On New Lincoln Rd, you will pass the Limbaugh Chapel church and cemetery on your right. You will continue heading south on New Lincoln Rd and you should see Bethel Cemetery on your right before New Lincoln Rd dead ends into Stemley Bridge Road. I think the Bethel Methodist Church in on Stemley Bridge Road. Hope this helps.
Added by
Wrong Way Dave
on Apr 20, 2014 7:28 AM
Charline Herring Ryan
RE: Transfer of George Miller Helms
You're welcome.
Added by
Charline Herring Ryan
on Apr 07, 2014 5:40 PM
Ron Manley
RE: George M. Helm(s)
Yes. However, his last name was Shows, not Showers. It's misspelled in George's 1934 obituary. I just added a correction. The daughter was Rose Mary. Her memorial is # 110384740. I will send its contributor her obituary (below) which I found and transcribed, and updates for her name, vitals and a link to her father.
JACKSON � Funeral services for Mrs. W.F. (Rosemary) Shows will be conducted Tuesday at 10 a.m. from the Baldwin Funeral Home, 5235 Robinson Rd. in Jackson. A graveside service will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens at Gulfport.
Mrs. Shows, a former resident of Gulfport, died Saturday in Jackson. She had resided with her daughter, Mrs. D. L. (Evelyn) Fortenberry of Jackson and was a member of the Van Winkle Baptist Church in Jackson.
In addition to her daughter, she is survived by two other daughters, Mrs. Bill (Frances) Lowe of Laurens, S.C., and Mrs. Arthur McCaleb of Biloxi; five sons, Marcus Shows of Albuquerque, N.M., Weldon Shows of Atlanta, Ga., Hulon Shows of Sacramento, Calif., George Shows of La Porte, Tex., and Harvey Shows of Gretna, La.; one brother, Ray Helms of Florence, Miss.; three sisters, Mrs. Ruth Lewis of McComb, Mrs. Ester Albrooke of Meridian and Mrs. Mary Weustney of Columbus, Miss.; 23 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
Lang Funeral Home in Gulfport is in charge of local arrangements.
Published in South Mississippi Sun (Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula), Tuesday, December 14, 1976
Added by
Ron Manley
on Apr 07, 2014 1:32 PM
Ron Manley
RE: George M. Helm(s)
I've studied the records and have concluded that you are correct that they are indeed the same person. I've updated my memorial for him substantially, adding his original obituary, a link to his daughter buried in Hollywood Cemetery, census records, etc. The death date you have for him, however, is incorrect. I note that no dates are on his grave marker. My suggestion would be for you to revise the death date on the memorial you maintain so that the two can be merged.
Ron Manley
Added by
Ron Manley
on Apr 07, 2014 12:33 AM
RE: Tommy Mars tombstone
My pleasure to try to help. Best Regards, John
Added by
on Mar 21, 2014 6:29 PM
Magnus Westbrook Mayfield
As requested, Magnus has been linked to his father and mother. Thanks -
Added by
on Feb 23, 2014 4:51 PM
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Data Updates
Keeping you up to date on the latest data releases.
October 2014
- 03.31.2010
- Factory Orders
- New orders for manufactured goods increased 0.6 percent (nonannualized) in February, following a relatively large 2.5 percent jump in January, its sixth consecutive gain. Unlike January's increase, which was mostly due to a spike-up in aircraft orders, new orders excluding transportation rose 0.7 percent in February, and are now up 9.2 percent over the past year. Orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft rebounded from a sharp 4.4 percent decrease in January, rising 2.0 percent in February. That said, its recent trend has been slowing. The 3-month annualized growth rate in nondefense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, has slipped from a recent peak of 21.3 percent in November to 1.9 percent as of February, well below its year-over-year growth rate of 8.2 percent. Manufacturers' shipments fell 0.1 percent during the month (its first decline in six months), while inventories rose 0.5 percent. This lead to the first uptick in the I/S ratio for manufactured goods since May 2009, which increased from 1.28 months to 1.29 months in February.


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ECON 1013 with D or better or ECON 2023 with D or better
This course gives an overview of recent Italian history, with a focus on how the evolution of Italian history has affected the lives of present day Italians. The course also introduces students to contemporary culture in its wider sense, while familiarizing them with Italian design, fashion, television, newspapers, films, music, uses of language, etc.
ECON 1013 with grade D or better or ECON 2023 with grade D or better
The course aims to analyze the relationship between sustainability, economy, quality and globalization. It will also focus on the European Union and sustainable development. Other included topics will be: food industry in Italy (especially in the Campania region), organic farming in Italy, "local food, local market, local business" and sustainable tourism in Italy.
Microeconomics deals with the behavior of specific economic units such as individual households, industries, or firms within an industry. Topics covered include the nature and method of economics, demand and supply analysis, consumer behavior, price and output determination under various degrees of competition, and production and the demand for resources.
Macroeconomics is concerned with obtaining an overview of the basic sectors of the economy such as households, businesses, and government. In analyzing the economy we deal with such factors as total output, total levels of employment, and the general level of prices. Topics covered include the nature and method of economics, supply and demand, measuring domestic output, national income, and the price level, aggregate demand and supply, and fiscal and monetary policy.


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Category — On Reading
Late summer news & events…
I just sent out an e-newsletter with late summer and early autumn news and events …
…and there's a lot more going on than I realized until I put it all together.
The fabulous Sheila Bender will be in Southern Oregon … I'm reading (with Janée Baugher) and teaching in Port Townsend in September … there's an all-day writing conference coming up in Ashland in October … I found a very cool online resource for writers … and I'm teaching an online class for the amazing organization Kahini in the new year.
You can check out the latest news here. And, if you'd like to receive news via email, click here to subscribe.
Hope to see you this fall!
August 5, 2014 Comments Off
Bookstore Geek: Imprint Books in Port Townsend, Washington
I've written about this wonderful bookstore previously, and it's as wonderful as ever — but now, the store is in a new location under a new awning: Owners Anna and Peter Quinn purchased Imprint Books and, this spring, combined the two stores in its new location at 820 Water Street.
The new Writers' Workshoppe and Imprint Books has all the best of both places — a huge selection of books (still creatively organized), as well as fun writerly gifts and toys (from Writer's Block chocolate to cleverly worded T-shirts and mugs).
The store is as bright and welcoming as it was in its previous location, and the Quinns continue to host visiting and local writing instructors in a lovely and inviting new workshop space.
You can check out the workshop offerings here — I'm delighted to be in the lineup to teach two workshops on September 17 (call 360-379-2617 for more information and to register), and I'm in great company with other fall instructors, including Bill Kenower, Erica Bauermeister, Sheila Bender, and many more.
And for those of you with little ones, Imprint Books has a fabulous, child-sized section for kids, a cozy little nook perfect for getting lost in a book or two.
If you haven't stopped in already, be sure to visit The Writer's Workshoppe and Imprint Books when you're in Port Townsend…and be sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore this fabulous spot for readers and writers.
July 30, 2014 Comments Off
Bookstore Geek: Lyon Books in Chico, California
Chico, California, is a fun town — not only is it home to Cal State Chico (and hence a great many bars/restaurants and fantastic boutiques), it is home to Lyon Books, one of the most fabulous indie bookstores I've encountered in my many years of being a bookstore geek as well as an author.
I was privileged to enjoy Lyon Books not only as a reader but as a presenter (I spoke about book marketing to the wonderful Chico Authors & Publishers Society), and Heather Lyon and the CAPS writers were so incredibly welcoming. The store holds weekly events with a range of speakers, and CAPS holds its monthly meetings at the store. Lyon Books is one of those amazing bookstores that is truly a part of the community.
The store is beautiful and welcoming, with a wide array of new and used books, magazines, gifts, and cards that are thoughtfully arranged throughout the space. Among my favorites is the travel section, which features this globe and vintage suitcase:
If you're ever in northern California, don't miss the town of Chico … Lyon Books is worth a visit for all book lovers, but you'll also enjoy Chico's quaint downtown shopping, as well as Bidwell Park, one of the country's 25 largest municipal parks. But do make sure you have enough time (and a good book budget) for Lyon Books!
April 23, 2014 Comments Off
See you at AWP in Seattle!
I look forward to seeing many of you at the AWP Conference & Bookfair — February 27 to March 1.
I'll be hanging out at our booth for Ashland Creek Press, EcoLit Books, and Literary Provisions. Please join us (we'll be in booth #1207 in the North Hall) to check out new books and fun stuff for writers.
And don't miss these other events before, during, and after the conference …
Wednesday, February 26
I'll be one of the readers at the fabulous AWP Festival of Language at the Rock Bottom Brewery (1333 5th Avenue, just a couple blocks from the conference center), along with dozens of other authors. I'll be reading sometime between 5 and 6:30 p.m., and the literary festivities will go on until 10 p.m.
Thursday, February 27
Julian Hoffman, contributor to Among Animals and author of The Small Heart of Things: Being at Home in a Beckoning World, winner of the 2012 AWP Award Series for creative nonfiction, will be signing books from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. (ACP booth #1207)
Jean Ryan, author of the "captivating" (Publishers Weekly) short story collection Survival Skills and contributor to Among Animals, will be signing books at the booth from 1 to 2 p.m. (ACP booth #1207)
Friday, February 28
Mindy Mejia, author of the "beautiful" (Twin Cities Pioneer Press) novel The Dragon Keeper will be signing books from 9 to 11 a.m. (ACP booth #1207)
JoeAnn Hart, author of the eco-novel Float ("a stellar model of eco-literature"—Cape Ann Beacon) will be signing books from 4 to 5 p.m. (ACP booth #1207)
And at 4:30 p.m., I'll be leading a panel on Book Marketing — From Finding Your Muse to Finding Your Readers: Book promotion in the twenty-first century, with Kelli Russell Agodon, Wendy Call, Janna Cawrse Esarey, and Susan Rich. Panelists from a variety of genres—poetry, fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir—will discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of transitioning from writer to published book author. Through specific experiences and using real-world examples, panelists will offer tips for finding one's natural niche and audience, and how to reach out to readers authentically and generously. Topics include book promotion through conferences, book clubs, social media, awards, blogs, events, and salons. (Room 608, Washington State Convention Center, Level 6)
Saturday, March 1
On Saturday, the Bookfair will be free and open to the public!
At 12 noon, join John Yunker for a panel on The Greening of Literature: Eco-Fiction and Poetry to Enlighten and Inspire, with authors JoeAnn Hart, Mindy Mejia, Ann Pancake, and Gretchen Primack. From mountaintop removal to ocean plastic to endangered species, ecological issues are increasingly on writers' minds. Authors on this panel discuss how their ecologically themed fiction and poetry engages readers in powerful ways that nonfiction can't. Panelists discuss writing in these emerging sub-genres as well as their readers' responses and offer tips for writing about the environment in ways that are galvanizing and instructive without sacrificing creativity to polemics. (Aspen Room, Sheraton Seattle, 2nd Floor)
Sunday, March 2
I'm thrilled to be doing a post-conference reading with the amazing Gretchen Primack on Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library in downtown Portland. We'll be reading eco-fiction (me) and eco-poetry (Gretchen), and we look forward to a lively discussion afterward about the environment and animal protection in the context of fiction and poetry. This event is free, and all are welcome; click here for complete details.
February 21, 2014 Comments Off
Bookstore Geek: Serendipity – The Used Book Place
For a tiny town on a small island, Friday Harbor, Washington, has wonderful bookstores. Among them is Serendipity, a used bookstore near the ferry line at 225 A Street. The store doesn't have a website, but you can call (360) 378-2665 to check its hours.
This beautiful store is overflowing with books (yet all books are cataloged, so if you are looking for something specific, just ask). And books are arranged by section, from contemporary general fiction to classics to Oprah Book Club selections, and so on. Particularly fun is the cookbook section, which is located in what formerly was the kitchen of the house:
All the different rooms and nooks makes for excellent browsing. This definitely outs me as a Cat Lady, but I did love the cat-book section of the store.
Between the sheer number of books and the cozy fireplace, Serendipity is one of those bookstores you can lose yourself in, so plan accordingly — and if you're in the ferry line, keep an eye on the time!
November 29, 2013 2 Comments
Bookstore Geek: Griffin Bay Bookstore
Griffin Bay Bookstore is in the heart of Friday Harbor, Washington, on gorgeous San Juan Island.
Griffin Bay is a must-see when you're in Friday Harbor, and it's a particularly perfect spot to visit on a rainy day, with its cozy feel and relaxing cafe.
The bookstore features a great selection of island-related books, as well as all of the latest indie bestsellers. It's wonderful for browsing not only for books but for all sorts of readerly and writerly things; I especially enjoyed its amazingly diverse and lovely selection of note cards.
Last but not least, Griffin Bay has a truly impressive selection of Theo Chocolate.
November 19, 2013 Comments Off
Q&A with author Tom Lombardo
Today I'm very happy to post my Q&A with Tom Lombardo, a poet, essayist, and freelance medical writer who lives in Midtown Atlanta. Tom's poems have appeared in journals in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and India (translated to Hindi and Mayalayam), including Southern Poetry Review, Ambit, Subtropics, Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, Atlanta Review, New York Quarterly, and many others. He is also editor of the anthology After Shocks: The Poetry of Recovery for Life Shattering Events, and he runs the Poetry of Recovery blog.
Tom's new book, What Bends Us Blue, has been praised as "remarkable" (Thomas Lux) and "exquisite" (Cathy Smith Bowers). Clifford Garstang recently reviewed the book on his blog, calling it "a lovely collection of poems…both sad and hopeful…and there's also a great deal of humor."
Q: Congratulations on your new poetry collection, What Bends Us Blue, whose title I immediately fell in love with. Can you tell the story behind it?
A: Thank you, Midge. In music, especially in blues and jazz, notes may be bent upward or downward, on guitars or other stringed instruments or on harmonicas, saxophones, clarinets, and other reed instruments. It's a way of taking the note up or down a half-step or more without changing the string or the holes. The musician will bend the string with a finger or bend the reed with the embouchure of the mouth and the speed of exhale or inhale. This technique was popularized by the Mississippi blues men of the early 20th century, so it is associated with blues, but it has crossed over into jazz and other genres. So…what bends us blue, literally, is bending a note to achieve a bluesy sound. What bends us blue, figuratively, is what What Bends Us Blue is about.
In 1992, at a table in a two-room flat in Prague, I wrote the first poem that became part of What Bends Us Blue. It was seven years after the death of my first wife, Lana, in a car accident. The poem was about her death, and some of it was in her voice. It was an awful poem, much worse than a rough draft, but that poem, scores of drafts later, entitled "Elegy on a Visitation," has been published in a journal, is in What Bends Us Blue.
Over the next several years, I wrote a few more poems, some of them about Lana and her death and my recovery, some not. Then, a creative burst between 2001 and 2011 when I wrote hundreds of poems, many of which appear in What Bends Us Blue. The collection centers emotionally on loss and recovery, but it also looks at What Comes Next. As I was a young widower, the course of my life changed dramatically. It's not unlike experiencing a divorce, I would imagine. You think you're going in one direction, then Bam!, you're not, and you're lost for a while. When your life is shattered by an event, you come to a point like Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." You face a choice. A new direction. You can sit at that fork your entire life, or you can move on. That is a key theme of What Bends Us Blue, the moving on. Life wants to live. In my case, I remarried, had two children (who are now teenagers), and some poems of What Bends Us Blue give the reader a view of redemption.
Q: The collection has been praised for, among many things, the diversity of the poems — which range from satire to irony to heartbreak. What were the challenges of putting together a collection with such emotional breadth?
A: Let's put aside for now the challenges of writing the poems themselves. Once I had the poems in hand, I built a collection. I had been submitting this manuscript for several years to contests and open submissions, and it was rejected over and over and over. Then, I turned to April Ossmann, former executive director and editor at Alice James Books, which awards the prestigious Beatrice Hawley Award each year to a book of poetry. April became my editor. The first thing she did was cut one-third of the poems I had included. Like most poets, I found it difficult arranging my poems into a coherent collection, even though I've been an editor for more than thirty years. But I'm smart enough to listen to a good editor. The poems April cut were good poems, had been published in good journals, but they were clotting the collection, disrupting the flow, distracting the reader. In this case, less was more. April also did some rearranging of the poems, creating an interesting arc that I had not considered. My arrangement was linear, telling a story from A to Z. Hers maintained the story arc but was somewhat less linear, becoming more impressionistic, which fed the emotions. And achieved better balance of heartbreak and humor and fantasy. The collection succeeds because of its humor and flights of fancy, which offer readers some relief from the sadness and grief, and the balance was the beauty of April's arrangement. She found exactly the right pacing. What's ironic is that I do this kind of editing in my work with other poets as a poetry series editor for Press 53 (Winston-Salem, NC). It's difficult to do it with your own poems. But that's what good editors do—step back, objectively view the collection, suggest cuts and new arrangements that make sense for the whole.
Q: Speaking of being the poetry series editor for Press 53, can you tell us about your process of acquiring new work. What makes a poem or selection of poems stand out among the rest?
A: I'm always looking for new poets for Press 53. Journals—paper or online—and submissions and recommendations from trusted sources. I will probably read 300 submissions each year, maybe more. We received more than 100 during our open submissions last year (we ask for a 10-poem sample), from which I selected two. I also solicit samples or full manuscripts from poets I read in journals or who have been recommended. In addition to selecting poets from Press 53's home base in the Carolinas, I make a concerted effort to build Press 53's poetry catalog across the U.S. I've selected poets from Portland, OR; the San Francisco Bay Area; Los Angeles;, Houston; Louisiana; Atlanta.
In my reading of submissions for Press 53, I reject a lot of poetry because it contains no figurations. It's prose with line breaks, and it fails to elevate from prose. That's an important lesson for all poets to understand. Poetry is essentially figurative language. Metaphor, synecdoche, metonymy, irony, synesthesia, imagery, intensity of senses are the keys to authentic poetry. So to answer your questions, submissions that use figurations stand out. Submissions without figurations—rejection.
Q: How does editing poetry affect your own writing?
A: I've been editing for a long, long time: newspapers, magazines, Internet. My career has been editing. Many of my professional skills transfer over to poetry editing, though the forms obviously are different. I feel like I was born to edit. My tombstone will read: I edit, therefore I am.
The most important thing I've learned as an editor that has transferred to my own writing is that I must write for an audience. A reader. What I write must be understood by someone else. Poetry is a form of communication. That is so fundamental that you would think it's obvious. But I see too many manuscripts in which the poetry is written for the poet himself or herself, the reader ignored. Only the best poets and writers do it well, some of them may just do it naturally, a gift from the gods. Another important editorial skill: I fully understand and embrace the revision process. I write in order to revise. Good writing is the result of good revisions. Some poems of mine are published in their hundredth draft. To me, revisions are fun. I love to revise. Love it, love it, love it. The writing opens itself up to me as I revise. Being an editor, I've spent my life revising the work of others, so I truly enjoy revising my own work.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I'm working on a novel. I'm about half finished. Soon, I'll query agents and publishers.
I'm also producing frequent items for the Poetry of Recovery blog, which is an offshoot of an anthology I edited in 2007. After Shocks: The Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events comprised 152 poems by 115 poets from 15 nations. The poets wrote of recovery from grief, war, exile, divorce, abuse, bigotry, illness, injury, addiction. The Poetry of Recovery blog presents poems from the anthology along with an interview with the poet. I also feature new collections or readings by the After Shocks poets.
I'm putting the finishing touches on a chapbook due out next year from Kattywompus Press (Ohio) entitled The Name of This Game. It's based on my experience playing football for eight years in high school and college, during which I experienced a number of concussions. The poems capture the violence of the sport and the damage it may cause to a young brain. The concussions fuzzed up mine through my early twenties, and I drifted a bit. My brain clarified in my mid-twenties, and I found direction to my life. Now, I'm waiting for dementia to kick in. The title of this short collection is from a quote from one of my coaches: "The name of this game is to hurt someone." Indeed, coaches actually speak in luscious metaphor and simile. "Charge to this spot like a dog on a porkchop." "Cover this guy like a cheap suit, like dirty shirt." That coach got me a college scholarship as well as some great lines of poetry, so I can't complain too much about football, though the injuries concern me enough that I encouraged my son's early interest in tennis. He's quite athletic, but he ain't goin' anywhere near a football.
I've also spent a lot of time lately arranging readings and workshops to promote What Bends Us Blue. The book's Facebook page will list the specific details, places, and times of my readings. But note that I'll be reading this fall in Atlanta on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12; in Charleston, SC, on Oct. 14; in Asheville, NC, on Nov. 3; and in Cary, NC, on Nov. 17. I'll also be reading at the Press 53 offices at the Community Arts Café in Winston-Salem, NC, as soon as I can arrange that. I also have a radio interview scheduled for Oct. 28, 9 p.m. Eastern, on RN.FM. You can listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rnfmradio.
Keep an eye on Tom's book's Facebook page for more details and future events.
September 5, 2013 2 Comments
Bookstore Geek: The Writers' Workshoppe
I was delighted to visit The Writers' Workshoppe while I was at the Port Townsend Writers' Conference last week — this spot is a veritable candy store for writers (literally; the store sells chocolate and other goodies).
This amazing bookstore and writers' center offers an abundance of books, gifts (fabulous T-shirts, mugs, coffee, writing implements, and other necessities for readers and writers), as well as writing workshops. Owner (and writer) Anna Quinn's vision is that of what every bookstore should be — a hub for writers, readers, and all things literary.
It's especially fun to browse the stacks here, as Quinn does not merely stock the shelves; she is a curator of her inventory and has arranged books by subject and theme as well as the usual categories, with such sections as "Influential Women Writers You May Not Have Read" and "Best Kick-Ass Female Characters."
This wonderful spot also offers classes, from weekly workshops to one-day intensives, for writers of all levels and genres. These classes are both literary and hands-on: offerings include everything from poetry and fiction to social media and blogging classes for writers.
The Writers' Workshoppe is located in beautiful downtown Port Townsend and is a must-visit for writers and readers … and those who love them.
July 26, 2013 2 Comments
We have a winner!
Thanks to all of you who entered the Forgetting English giveaway (and also to those Kindle readers who enjoyed Forgetting English at only 99 cents) in honor of Short Story Month.
To enter the giveaway, readers contacted me with their favorite travel destinations — and I absolutely loved reading about your favorite places (many of which, like Maui and Tokyo) appear in Forgetting English and are favorites of mine as well).
On June 1, I randomly chose a winner: Julia Cousineau, who has graciously given me permission to share with all of you what she shared with me. Julia's favorite travel memory was a ten-day stay in Tokyo during the early 1907s, when she was a flight attendant for Flying Tiger Airline; on this particular trip, she injured her knee and had a long stay in Japan, which inspired this poem:
The pickles were purple
the puppies were plump
the frog legs were stir fried
the peanut sauce spicy
the produce perfectly strange
murky air, gray pallor
sharp smells I know
nothing about…
a market place in Tokyo
Am I ready for this
much unfamiliar?
–Julia Cousineau
Thanks to Julia for letting me share her memory and poem … and thanks again to all who entered the giveaway.
Here's to every month being Short Story Month!
June 3, 2013 Comments Off
Happy Short Story Month!
As many of you know, May is Short Story Month!
To celebrate, the Kindle edition of Forgetting English will be only 99 cents for the entire month of May.
I'm also offering a giveaway of the print edition of Forgetting English, a beautiful, expanded edition from Press 53. To be entered to win a copy, simply contact me with your favorite travel destination (whether it's someplace you've been or someplace you've always wanted to go), and I'll enter you in the giveaway. A winner will be chosen in early June. (Please note that I can't ship overseas, so the giveaway is limited to U.S. readers.)
For all of you who enjoy reading individual short stories, a few stories from Forgetting English are always available on e-readers. On the Kindle, you'll find Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean, The Ecstatic Cry, Translation Memory, and Beyond the Kopjes.
On the Nook, you can read Translation Memory, The Ecstatic Cry, and Beyond the Kopjes.
And, finally, you can also find Translation Memory, The Ecstatic Cry, and Beyond the Kopjes in the Apple iBookstore.
A few other celebrations are taking place for Short Story Month …
Visit Press 53 and check out the special Kindle discounts on short story collections — and join Press 53 on Facebook for more special offers and giveaways.
Dan Wickett, founder of the Emerging Writers Network and creator of Short Story Month, has a lot of story news on his EWN blog.
Visit the Short Story Month website for stories, news, and resources.
Jean Ryan's new collection, Survival Skills (which Publishers Weekly calls "captivating"), is hot off the presses from Ashland Creek Press — click here to get yourself a copy. And if you have an e-reader, enter to win a free Survival Skills e-book on the Booklover Book Reviews blog.
Happy Short Story Month — and happy reading!
May 4, 2013 1 Comment
Springtime writing
For all of you who may have missed my spring newsletter, click here to read it online. And click here if you'd like to subscribe.
You'll find out about upcoming events, a few great resources for writers, calls for submissions, and have a new writing tip and prompt to keep your writing going.
Happy spring!
April 23, 2013 Comments Off
Q&A with Clifford Garstang, author of WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW…
After reading Clifford Garstang's beautiful story collection What the Zhang Boys Know, I had to learn more about it … and to my delight, Cliff was willing to answer a few questions. I always love to know what goes on "behind the scenes," especially when I'm so strongly drawn to the writing, and I hope all you writers out there will enjoy learning about Cliff's process as well.
Here's a little more about Cliff: Clifford Garstang is the author of the prize-winning short story collection In an Uncharted Country (Press 53, 2009) and the novel in stories What the Zhang Boys Know (Press 53, 2012). About his first book, Tim O'Brien, author of The Things they Carried, said, "In an Uncharted Country is an impeccably written, sumptuously imagined, and completely enchanting book of stories. . ." John Casey, author of Spartina, called What the Zhang Boys Know "a wonderful and haunting book."
Garstang's work has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, Blackbird, Cream City Review, Los Angeles Review, Shenandoah, Tampa Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and elsewhere, and has received Distinguished Mention in the Best American Series. He won the 2006 Confluence Fiction Prize and the 2007 GSU Review Fiction Prize and has been awarded fellowships by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Sewanee Writers' Conference. He holds an MFA in Fiction from Queens University of Charlotte and is the co-founder and editor of Prime Number Magazine. He is also the author of the popular literary blog Perpetual Folly.
Garstang teaches creative writing at Writers.com and elsewhere. He currently lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Q: What the Zhang Boys Know is "a novel in stories"—and the stories are indeed seamlessly woven together, even though most of them were published as stand-alone pieces in literary magazines. Did you begin with interconnected stories in mind, or did the collection become linked after you'd begun writing individual stories?
A: Unlike my first book, In an Uncharted Country, which just grew as I kept writing stories and borrowing settings and characters from the finished stories, this one was conceived from the beginning as a whole, complete with the overall narrative that ties the independent stories together. The first story in the book, "Nanking Mansion," which I also wrote first, serves as something of an outline for the whole. It introduces most of the characters—indeed, early drafts included all of them—and also sets out the themes that the book seeks to explore.
Q: Your collection features such a wide range of voices—you write from the point of view of characters male and female, gay and straight, black and Chinese, young and old. Do you have any special way, as a writer, of immersing yourself so completely in these characters?
A: It's just a matter of authorial empathy, I think. Doing all those voices is part of the pleasure of writing short stories, in my opinion. You toil on a novel for many years, often mired in a single voice. I know! I've done that. But being able to shift gears, so to speak, and try on different voices the way you'd try on different clothes, is liberating. As for the "how," I'm not really sure. Years ago a writing teacher recommended a book by Stanislavsky, the great theater director, called An Actor Prepares. The salient part of the book for writers is a section on finding emotional authenticity by tapping into feelings that the actor shares with the character. I may not have felt the exact same pain that my character feels, or the same love, or the same anxiety, but I have felt pain, love, and anxiety, and so I am free to write about those feelings. With a little research and observation, I think you can make those things come alive for a character who is quite different from yourself. That's the theory anyway.
Q: While the collection's anchor is Nanking Mansion, the condominium in which the characters live, many of the stories also take readers to distant places, such as China and Paris. Have you been to these places yourself—and if so, do you find that you get story ideas from traveling, or does the act of writing bring you back to the places you've visited?
A: I've been to Paris a few times and to China many, many times. I can't recall having story ideas while traveling, exactly. I think it's when I sit down to write that the places flood back. For example, as I began this book, I had recently visited Nanjing, China, and had seen the memorial to the victims of the Nanking Massacre. (Nanjing is the modern spelling of Nanking, which means "Southern Capital.") That was a moving experience, and it occupied my thoughts in the crucial, formative stage of the planning for the book. That gave me the name of the building and also some of the themes that I come back to in several of the stories.
Q: You bookend the collection so beautifully with Zhang Feng-qi—was he (and were his sons, the Zhang boys) always in your mind as the central character to the story? And how did the other inhabitants of Nanking Mansion begin to take shape as characters?
A: Feng-qi came first, simply because I wanted to create a central character who was unfamiliar and so unpredictable. Then came his sons, because I was interested in the diversity of the building specifically and in Washington, D.C., generally, and what better way to show diversity than with biracial children? And of course they were crucial to Feng-qi's goal, which is to find them a new mother. As for the other inhabitants, they too were manifestations of the diversity of the population. I've joked about this, but it's more or less true that I imagined the doors of the apartments of this building and started opening them one by one in my mind. Every new door revealed a new character, and ultimately a new story for the book.
Q: The same old question I love to ask: What's your favorite place to write, and what time of day? Do you have a regular writing routine?
A: I have a nice office in a loft at my house. It's quite spacious, lots of natural light from skylights. My dog has a comfortable bed there, and that's where I do most of my work. I do escape to coffee shops from time to time just to shake things up a little. And I also try to go to a writing residency once a year to get some really hard, concentrated writing time in when I'm immersed in whatever I'm working on. Much of What the Zhang Boys Know, in fact, was written in first draft in a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. But regardless of where I am, my routine is to get to my writing space pretty early in the morning, right after breakfast, and to work until lunch time. After lunch I'll turn my attention to other things—submissions or teaching preparation or whatever.
Q: What are you working on now—and where can we find some of your recent work?
A: I've recently completed a novel set partly in Virginia and partly in South Korea, where I lived years ago as a Peace Corps Volunteer. But now I'm working on a novel set in Singapore, where I lived for almost a decade. Because I've been writing longer things for a couple of years, there isn't a lot in the way of new work available to read, but I do like a story that appeared in Joyland last year, "Cousin Barnaby is Dead." That's available here: http://www.joylandmagazine.com/stories/midwest/cousin_barnaby_dead.
Thanks so much for asking all these great questions!
March 19, 2013 3 Comments
An interview with author Brenda Miller
Brenda Miller is an award-winning author, a professor of English at Western Washington University, and the editor-in-chief of Bellingham Review. Her many books include Listening Against the Stone: Selected Essays; Blessing of the Animals; Season of the Body; and Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction. Most recently she co-authored, with Holly Hughes, The Pen and the Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World — and this is what I'm chatting about with Brenda today. This new book is a wonderful reminder to us writers that we need to create the time to write rather than wait for it — and its prompts show us how we can incorporate mindfulness into our writing practice in order to deepen and strengthen what we do.
Q: Brenda, I love that your book connects writing and mindfulness—and your own writing space is the same space you use for meditation. What are some of the ways in which being mindful in turn helps you with your writing?
A: I think it allows me to practice observation, even subliminally, so when it comes time to write, I have images/words/memories that can float more easily to the surface. It also teaches you patience and faith: I might be writing something that seems odd and random, but I've learned to just go with it and see where it leads. If I stay quiet, without too much judgment at the beginning, the writing can flourish without the intellectual/critical mind interfering too soon. If the writing ends up not leading anywhere, that's okay, because I haven't labored over it, beating it into submission. It's all practice.
Q: Yes, practice—that is another key component in your book; in fact, Chapter Six is devoted to the idea of writing as practice, as with a musical instrument. You mention in this chapter that you sometimes do a writing practice with friends. How is this different from writing alone? And do you have any tips (such as using a timer, as your group does) for writers who get together with others for their writing practice?
A: Writing with others provides a certain kind of focus and momentum that I find is not possible when writing alone. Since we are writing in a timed fashion (with a timer) there's also an intensity about it. When I'm writing alone, it's a bit more leisurely, and I'm gathering my thoughts and written fragments together to form a bigger picture. It's more of a "mulling," a stroll, while the writing together is more like aerobics! If you write with the same group for any length of time, you may also find yourself subtly working off each other's imagery and energy; oftentimes people will end up having the same imagery as if they were telepathic.
I think it's important to have a certain level of commitment from the group; while it's okay to be flexible of course, it's best to have the same time/day that everyone agrees on for a certain length of time. Then you're not always trying to figure out schedules and it becomes a habit.
Q: I agree that getting into the habit of writing is one of the best ways to get into and remain in that creative space. In your book, you write, "As a young writer, I don't think I ever really understood that you need to prepare for writing…I've come to see that I need to be warmed up." In one chapter you mention the importance of observation, and how a woman who prunes the roses in the park near your house always makes you eager to write — I love that! For me, too, paying close attention to the world around me always sparks my creativity. Have you ever experienced a loss of connection to your writer/creative self, and if so, how did you reconnect? Do you have any advice for writers seeking to find better access to creativity in their everyday lives?
A: That's a timely question, Midge, as I'm experiencing that right now! It usually happens when I've finished one project (in this case, a book of linked short-short essays) and don't really have another one in the works. I get very, very nervous during these fallow times, and the intellectual mind feeds that anxiety, giving me messages of despair: "Okay, that's it, you've written everything you're ever going to write." So, at some point, with the help of my therapist (a saint!) and my writing friends, I remember that this voice is not the true voice. I continue with the weekly writing practice, even if nothing I write feels "good." I read poetry. I take a lot of walks. I type up words from the writing practice just to see if anything might spark something new. I find a writing contest deadline to motivate me. But the main thing is having a sense of humor about the whole thing, not being so heavy about it. I slap that critical voice on the shoulder and say, "Cheer up, old chap!"
Q: This is all such great advice … I often finish a project and lose my connection to writing, and then it only becomes harder to reconnect. I like the idea of continuing to write, but I especially like the idea of taking walks, which is not "writing" but an activity that opens up the mind, which in turn leads to writing. Your book includes chapters on travel and encounters with the wild — how does connecting with other places and with nature affect your own work?
A: I recently returned from a trip to northern California, a landscape that is quite special to me. I lived there in my early twenties, at a hot springs resort, and as I walked down the road from that resort, I found myself talking to the trees. Really talking to the trees! I know this sounds crazy, but there's a point on that road that shifts from mellow oaks and dry grass to old redwoods. You feel like you're crossing a threshold into a deeper place. It's very, very quiet–and timeless. And I truly felt like those trees remembered that younger self I'd so firmly packed away. They were asking me to remember her, to accept her, to welcome all her good qualities into my life now.
That's a long (and maybe pointless) story, but in regards to your question: that experience in nature allowed me a moment to feel something unexpected, and to have the space to really feel it: to let it settle and expand. This would not have happened in my quotidian life, where I live more on the surface, where the familiarity of the day-to-day landscape can dull my perception. I haven't yet translated this experience into writing, but it's certainly a seed that is germinating.
Q: It's so true that stepping outside one's everyday life can be so enriching; we notice things so much more. Your chapter "Emptiness" reminds me of how I need to get away from the clutter of my desk in order to think more clearly. Do you have any advice for writers who tend to avoid the emptiness and the quiet that is both necessary as well as a little intimidating?
A: I'd say it's important to know that you don't necessarily need A LOT of it; just a small respite can do. Even 30 minutes off of email/Internet at a particular time every day. Or a ten-minute intentional breather outside where you practice, simply observing without doing anything. And also to enlist allies: make a contract with a friend and hold each other to it!
Q: Last but not least, one of the many things I love about your book is hearing both your voice and that of your co-author, Holly Hughes. Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to collaborate?
A: It was wonderful; we each brought different perspectives to the topics and so our voices complemented one another. We wrote the book as letters to one another, so it was always easy to simply sit down and write "Dear Holly," which would be like a mindfulness bell, putting me immediately in a writing frame of mind. We enjoyed the letters so much that we kept the first draft of the full book in letter form, but got the feedback that it wouldn't work in the long term for the reader. The hard part was shaping the book out of the letters, but keeping that same sense of intimate communication. Letters are a wonderful practice, and I recommend it wholeheartedly as a way to infuse your writing with joy.
For more inspiration, visit The Pen and the Bell website — and also Brenda's blog.
November 29, 2012 Comments Off
A Q&A with author Judy Reeves
Just in time for a new year of writing, I've received a copy of the latest wonder from author Judy Reeves: her Daily Appointment Calendar for Writers.
In addition to being absolutely gorgeous, this book is filled with daily writing prompts, quotes, and inspiration — and its workbook shape and style make it easy to personalize, make notes, and (especially) to carry around everywhere.
You may already know Judy from her many books on writing, among them A Writer's Book of Days — and she generously agreed to chat with me about this latest project. And, as you'll see below, chatting with Judy is always inspiring…
Q: I love that this is a perpetual calendar—writers can begin any day, any year—and I especially love that it has a spot for us to note what hours we intend to spend writing, or, if we don't have a specific schedule, what our goals are, such as "finish chapter three." Over the years, what are some of the things you've learned about your own writing practice, and how has it evolved?
A. Probably the most important thing I've learned is that if I don't make the time to do the writing, the writing won't get done. It is so easy to say, "I'll do my writing as soon as I _____________." You can fill in the blank. I joke now that "as soon as" is going to be the epitaph carved on my gravestone. Thank goodness I've learned to do the writing first, and let "as soon as" refer to what I do after the day's writing is done.
Another thing I learned the hard way: perfectionism is my Achilles' heel. Many years ago when I was in a read and critique group with Janet Fitch, I used to stay up until o'dark hundred the night before group laboring over sentences and auditioning words for the perfect fit. Then I'd take these fraught pages to the group only to have that sweat-drenched sentence I'd struggled with until 2 a.m. x-ed out as "overworked" or "unnecessary." Get the words on the page, I say; read them aloud and give them an edit or two to make sure the whole thing works, then do the fine tuning and wordsmithing. There's always the next draft to change magenta to fuschia and use a semi-colon rather than a period. (I still haven't perfected this practice, by the way.)
Do it alone? Not a chance. My writing community is critical to my well-being; to my self-esteem and conversely, to my humility; and to the writing itself.
Q: Throughout the calendar, you incorporate tips and inspiration from myriad writers, from Janet Fitch to John Steinbeck to Ann Patchett. What has been among the most helpful advice on writing you've ever received?
A: I've been a student of writing for so many years, and I am grateful to all the writers who have shared their experience so I am able to get better at this thing I want to do most in the world. Every piece of advice I've included in the Appointment Calendar, and in all my books, is something I have taken to heart.
Maybe the most liberating tip is Natalie Goldberg's "You're free to write the worst junk in America." In our regular writing practice groups, we use that quote in the guidelines we read at the beginning of each session. Then add to it, "and some days you will. Other days you'll write something really beautiful, and some days, you'll just write." Meaning, don't let your writing be so precious. Just get out of your own way and fling the words down on the page.
The most affirming advice is Brenda Ueland's "Everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say." To me this means every human being is given some gift of expression: painting, singing, dancing, making pottery or poetry, cooking, crafting, and so on, ad infinitum. For those of us who are called to write, this is our gift, and we have a responsibility to use it. No one else is going to write like you do and no one else can tell the story you can tell.
Janet Fitch told me to "stay in the room," and Cynthia Ozick said, "If we had to say what writing is, we would define it essentially as an act of courage." Colette wrote, "Look long at what pleases you, longer still at what disturbs you." Facing a blank page and writing from our most vulnerable place, being willing to expose ourselves, telling the truth even when it scares us—writing is fraught with danger. Before I understood this, I veered away from the scary parts by trying to be clever and glib. Those hours looking for the perfect word were really a way to avoid going deeper, which is what I needed to do to write the truth. I'll admit my need to munch on almonds or raw carrots or apples when I hit the parts in my writing that need a longer look; there's something about all that crunching relieves some of the anxiety.
I'll stop now, though I could fill a book with advice that has helped, and continues to help me.
Q: The "Dear Lively Muse" feature appearing in the calendar is wonderful. In your experience as an instructor and workshop leader, what is the most common question writers have about the writing process, and what's your answer?
A: Probably the most common question about process is, "Do I have to write every day?" I tell them it's a good idea to write every day, at least five days a week if possible. I say they need to create what Flannery O'Connor called "a writing habit" and that the writing will come easier if they do it daily and writing every day keeps the story alive. I also tell them that I understand daily writing isn't the be all and end all to being a good writer, and then I recommend your book, Everyday Writing, to show them how they can be about their writing when they're not actually sitting at their desk and writing.
The most common question about the craft, probably because I mention it so much, is how to "show, don't tell." So we talk about lively verbs and specific, concrete details and writing from the senses. We unpack abstract words and play around with descriptions that move on the page and characters that have unique qualities and interior lives, and settings that make the reader feel as if they're actually in the place. We examine writing in scene as the events in the story actually happen so the reader experiences them right along with the characters, and moving from the head into the body, and from the brain into the heart.
Q: I enjoyed the section on rituals and habits—for Francine Prose, it's a view; for Toni Morrison, it's coffee and morning light. What is it for Judy Reeves?
A: Candle, coffee, journal. More coffee.
Q: The calendar makes note of literary events—National Poetry Month in April, for example, and International Short Story Day in June. What are some of your favorite literary events, from local to international, and how do you celebrate them?
A: I love Banned Books Week, which is the last week in September. Over the years, I've been part of number of Banned Books readings. I think it's important to call attention to our freedom to read and write whatever we choose. This isn't the case the world over. During Poem in a Pocket Day I print out little poems from the poets.org website and leave them around places, and I chalk poems on the sidewalk. Last year I participated in World Book Night, and gave away 20 copies of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. I hope I'll be chosen as a participant again this year. I make sure to kiss a librarian during National Library Week, which is also in April, and I wouldn't miss San Diego Writers, Ink's Blazing Laptops Write-a-thon. Oh, and the LA Times Festival of Books. What an abundance!
Q: Tell me a little bit about the process of creating this book, from the fabulous prompts to the wonderful illustrations and design.
A: I first thought of creating a daily calendar for writers with a prompt for every day more than a dozen years ago. When I sent my proposal to New World Library, they said they didn't publish calendars, but would I consider writing a book. (Would I?) This is how A Writer's Book of Days came about. But the idea of a calendar for writers didn't go away, and somehow the project found its way to the top of my list last winter.
The daily prompts were critical to my concept. From nearly twenty years of leading writing practice groups, and from the response I get from my books, I know that no matter what else is going on in their writing, writers can use a prompt to get started or get unloosed from a stuck place. Where they go from the initial prompt doesn't matter; all that matters is getting the hand moving and the words on the page.
My initial idea was a single-year calendar, spiral-bound and hardcover. You see that the published book is actually a perpetual calendar, rather than a single year, that it has a soft cover and is perfect-bound. Concepts change as you talk to friends and get practical advice from people who'll actually use the product. Designs sometimes have to change, too, as you research what's available in POD format. Oh, what I have learned!
About those wonderful illustrations and the design: Steve Montgomery, my close and dear friend and co-leader of our Thursday Writers group, has so many talents and gifts, I can't begin to list them here. Among the many things he does really well is design. He and I have co-created many a project and work easily and well together, so I asked him if he would be interested in doing the layout and design for the calendar. He answered with an enthusiastic "yes!" and am I ever grateful.
I knew I wanted to use the Lively Muse as inspiration—a muse for us if you will, and Steve found all those delightful sprites that frolic throughout the pages. (The Lively Muse comes from the subtitle of A Writer's Book of Days, A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life. I blog as the Lively Muse, and started The Lively Muse Press to publish the book.) Steve created an elegant design with so many subtle and not-so-subtle echoes of the text in the illustrations; I think he did a brilliant job. The book is a collaboration, start to finish.
Click here to get your own copy of this lovely book (which, by the way, makes an amazing gift for the writers in your life!)
Judy Reeves is a writer, teacher, and writing practice provocateur who has published four books on the craft including A Writer's Book of Days, which was named Best Nonfiction in the 2010 San Diego Book Awards. She lives in San Diego and is co-founder of San Diego Writers, Ink. Her website is judyreeveswriter.com, where you can sign up for her monthly newsletter. She blogs at livelymuse.com.
November 23, 2012 Comments Off
Think like a writer every day, even if you can't write every day…
A million thanks to Joanna Penn for hosting me this week on the brilliant The Creative Penn blog, where you'll find my post "Think Like A Writer Every Day, Even If You Can't Write Every Day."
Best of all, Joanna's wonderful readers have chimed in with fantastic tips and ideas for how to stay inspired and creative, even when you're unable to sit in the chair and write — I so enjoyed hearing about so many different processes and learning a few new tips.
For those of you not yet familiar with The Creative Penn, do check it out — you'll find a wealth of information on writing, publishing, and marketing. In addition to Joanna's own expertise as a writer, her website features guest posts and interviews with other authors on everything from finding time to write to editing and revising to how best to publish your work.
October 23, 2012 Comments Off


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Kenric of Blackstone is tormented. Not entirely human, he cannot live with his past or with that he truly is. When he is needed to help in a battle that could destroy the Earth, it is Megan who gives him strength, Megan whose kisses heal him.... In a strange land and time, it became clear to Megan Potter why she'd been summoned. This wasn't about Faerie prophecies or wizardry, or even a desperate struggle to find her way home. This was a quest to save a man's heart. And for the first time ever, she felt destined to prevail, because with her help she knew this handsome prince could discover the most powerful magic of all - love.
"Just enough"
Yes, I would recommend this audiobook; because there is not a lot of sex it is just enough to make the book perfect. I like the charecters.
It was said that when her people danced, powerful things happened. Thus, when the golden stranger appeared before her, demanding that which he believed she'd stolen, Deirdre was not afraid. She had spent many nights dreaming of this man on his white charger, this errant Faerie prince. He was everything she was not: light where she was dark. He burned like the fiery sun she was forbidden to see, that she longed to feel on her skin, and she wanted him in the same way.
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After years apart, the fae Allana returns to Darrick, the mortal whom she left at the altar, in order to save the kingdom of Rune and their love.
Fae Prince Alrick of Rune accepts a quest to another time and place with hopes of becoming sole heir to the throne. He must save a Texan beauty whose recent widowing had made it impossible to run her ranch. Little did she know she was being threatened by dark sorcery. Alrick would protect her and fate had brought them together. Fate and Lone Star Magic.
Heir to the Fae kingdom of Rune, Cenrick traveled to the world of mortals in a quest that could mean his very soul. Human Dee Bishop's life has gone to hell in a hand basket. So when she's told of a conspiracy that threatens a world she doesn't even believe exists, she is skeptical. Until she looks into this dark stranger's eyes and realizes she can imagine nothing worse than a life without magic.


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Perfect for a weekend lunch with friends, try these Goan-style shrimp kebabs on the barbecue or cook under the grill.
The shrimp:
- 8 large shrimp
- 8 lemongrass sticks
- 5g turmeric powder
- 10g cumin powder
- 10g garam masala
- 5g red chilli powder
- 30ml olive oil
- 30ml lemon juice
- Salt/pepper
The salad:
- 100g green papayas
- 30g onions
- 40g cucumbers
- 60g tomatoes
- 10g herb mix (fresh coriander, chives, etc.)
- 5g spice mix (green cardamom, cumin, coriander)
- 30ml lemon juice
- 4 poppadums
How to prepare
Cook the shrimp kebabs on a grill. Place the vegetable salad on plates, add a few sprigs of herbs and finish off with crispy poppadums.
Provide two kebabs per person.
Find out more
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tablet PC(n.) (1) Spelled tablet PC, a type of notebook computer that has an LCD screen on which the user can write using a special-purpose pen, or stylus. The handwriting is digitized and can be converted to standard text through handwriting recognition, or it can remain as handwritten text. The stylus also can be used to type on a pen-based key layout where the lettered keys are arranged differently than a QWERTY keyboard. Tablet PCs also typically have a keyboard and/or a mouse for input.
The tablet PC relies on digital ink technology, where a digitizer is laid under or over an LCD screen to create an electromagnetic field that can capture the movement of the special-purpose pen and record the movement on the LCD screen. The effect is like writing on paper with liquid ink.
(2) Spelled Tablet PC, the Microsoft Windows operating system designed for tablet PC technology.
The future remains, well, cloudy. But either way: Amazon, look out. Microsoft is gaining fast. Read More »Hype Versus Action in the Developer's World
Often times technologies start as hype but with time become adopted. As a developer or technologist, it is worth reading the hype and knowing the... Read More »Microsoft Hyper-V Network Virtualization Q&A
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|Home | Software downloads | Submit | Drivers | Codecs | Linux | Scripts |
Inzomia image viewer 3 is a very fast free zooming
Inzomia image viewer 3 is a very fast free zooming image viewer that will allow you to spend more time viewing pictures and less time waiting. Stop waiting for images to load, the inzomia image viewer prepares the next image in the background as you are viewing. Use all the screenspace for your images not a user interface. The inzomia image viewer has fullscreen mode and a number of layouts for different types of work. This allow you to use as much of your computer screen as possible for what is important. Save time by viewing zip and rar image archives directly without the need to first extract the image files including comic books in cbz and cbr format. Organize and manage your digital photo collection with ease using thumbnailed image playlists that remembers zoom and rotatation. Thumbnailed image playlists that remembers zoom and rotatation. Build buisness solutions with a professional image viewer. The Inzomia image viewer is available in two versions, one for comercial use and one free for non commerical use. No version of the inzomia image viewer contain spyware, adware or other third party software.
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For your own safety, we recommend that you always have an antivirus, with virus definitions up to date, installed on your computer when downloading and installing programs from the web.
Audio : Business : Desktop Management : Developer Tools : Drivers : Games : Graphics : Home & Education : Internet : Network Tools : Security : System Utilities : Video : Web Authoring


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Below are the available bulk discount rates for each individual item when you purchase a certain amount
The Motorola Elite Flip headset provides excellent audio with increased clarity and richer sound from HD Audio Plus with true wideband audio and CrystalTalk dual-mic technology. It can be worn in either ear, and it comes with multiple sizes of ear gels as well as a removable ear hook. The Elite Flip has a 6-hour talk time and a standby time of 12 days.
In addition to voice communication, the Elite Flip can initiate text messages using the MotoSpeak app (compatible with Android phones), which enables you to read and respond to texts without lifting a finger. With Tap to Pair functionality, the Elite Flip easily pairs by tapping it against a phone with integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. (Available with NFC-enabled phones that support NFC Bluetooth pairing). Get audible updates on phone status with Voice Prompts and listen to music or audio streamed from your phone with the embedded A2DP streaming audio profile.
What is included:
Posted by Suzanne Taylor on 20th Feb 2013
Purchased this product locally, however, after several weeks stopped working. Ordered a replacement online, that week waiting for it to hit my mailbox (yes, it took a full week even though I paid for the fast delivery) seemed much, much longer. I became spoiled so fast. I love this headset!!
Posted by Unknown on 9th Nov 2012
the unit works well, is easy to use except for receiving calls. The caller hears nothing for about 6 seconds while the call is announced in your ear. Also, it is very uncomfortable around my ear due to the hard plastic hook.


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Created: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 05:34:00 CST
Updated: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 05:36:38 CST
Patricia A. DeVore, 80, of Wood River, NE died March 3, 2014, at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.
Memorial services will be held at 3:00pm on Thursday, March 6th at Apfel Funeral Home in Grand Island with the Rev. Philip Sloat officiating. As per her request, she was cremated, the inurnment will be at a later date at St. Mary's Cemetery in Wood River. Apfel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Patricia was born May 10, 1933 in Milwaukee, WI the daughter of Condie and Wilma (Lambright) Cooper.
Survivors of the immediate family include, Cynthia and Mark Switzer of St. Louis, MO, three sons and daughter-in laws, Michael and Jody DeVore of Grand Island, Matthew and Lisa DeVore, Curtis and Nancy DeVore of Wood River and a son –in-law Barry Rogers of Mesa, AZ.
Also left to cherish her memory are her grandchildren, Nicole Hicken and Lindsey DeVore of Grand Island; Katie and Meghan Switzer of St. Louis, MO; Mercedes, Madison, Nicholas, Cheyenne, Danielle, and Dillion DeVore of Wood River and one great-grandson, Brennan Hicken.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard; daughter, Deborah; and son, Mark.
At age 5, Patricia moved to New Orleans, LA and graduated in 1950 from Metarie High School, Metarie, LA. She attended college at Southwestern Louisiana Institute in Lafayette, LA. As a New Orleans native she tried to influence her southern heritage into her children and enjoyed taking friends and family to visit the "Crescent City" and seeing her good friend Phyllis Mayronne. When the Saints finally won the Super Bowl she was thrilled.
She married Richard DeVore on August 7, 1954 in Gulfport, MS and settled in Wood River in 1955 after Dick left the Air Force. As they started a farm operation Pat was a homemaker and also assisted with the farm chasing parts, serving meals, and doing the books.
She enjoyed reading, gardening, her cats and spending time with her grandchildren.
Memorials are suggested to the Wood River Community Foundation or Hall County Humane Society.


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Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Thank You For the Venom
I'm not a complete idiot.0 Reviews
Mikey and Mel have known each other forever. Can one day change what they think of each other? And will it change to something more?
Mel's POV
I ran up to my room and flopped onto my bed with a huge smile on my face. I did it. I actually kissed Mikey Way. I think I was just high off of my feelings for him.
And he kissed me back. That made me so happy. I think he likes me too. He seemed really happy after we kissed and- oh no. What if he doesn't like me? What if he just kissed back out of reflex and I was just so happy I didn't notice how much he hated it? I have to stop thinking like this. He said he liked me before, right? And at his grandmother's grave...
"Mel?" Ray's voice came accompanied with a knock on my door, interrupting my thoughts. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," I said cautiously, wondering what he had to say. "What's up?"
"It's about before. During practice, I did some things that I'm not particularly proud of," he started, blushing. "I know I'm really protective of you and I'm sorry."
"OK..." I said, uncertain of how to respond.
"So I'm telling you right now that you and Mikey will never work out. You'll never be together. You two are just so different. If he does anything, if he makes a move on you, tell me. I'll be sure to put him in his place," Ray said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing my older brother saying.
"What? You're telling me who I can and can't date now? Last time I checked, the only people that can do that are me and God. Not even Mom or Dad," I said angrily. Ray just sat on my bed, fining the comforter very interesting. "What makes you think that me and Mikey want to be together anyway?" I asked, suddenly panicked. Ray couldn't have seen us...
"I can just see the way you two look at each other. The way you liked staying so close to him. The way he wasn't the same after your 'magic discussion' in the kitchen. The way you were so eager to come to his rescue. The way he ran when we thought he was daydreaming about you. I'm not a complete idiot. I can pick up on these sorts of things," he said defensively. I snorted at the last part.
"Mikey and I aren't together, OK? We're...friends," I said, trying to sound convincing. Ray just gave me a knowing look as he stood up.
"Just be careful, OK?" he said, and he walked out, closing the door behind him. I shook my head and pounded my fist on the bed when my cell phone rang. I answered without looking at who it was.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hey Mel? It's Mikey. You think you could come over to our house for a little while?" Mikey said carefully. I was thankful for a reason to get out. I picked up my jacket and left my room.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Any specific reason why?" I asked. Just then I heard a wild cackling only Gerard is capable of coming from the background. This couldn't be good.
"Well..." Mikey started, but the phone was quickly snatched away by Gerard.
"MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I KNOW!!!!!" Gee said with his evil laugh. Mikey came back again as I held a confused look on my face that no one else could see.
"He knows about today. Please hurry," Mikey pleaded. I hung up and started running to their house as fast as I could before Gee could do anything. If I knew Gee, he'd be putting it all over the web. I only hoped that Mikey could hold Gee down. And I hoped that he had a damn good excuse.


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Maine Gay Marriage Law Repealed
Maine would have been the sixth state in the country to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, but instead becomes the 31st state to oppose the unions in a popular vote.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting as of 2 a.m. today, gay marriage opponents claimed 53 percent of the vote to supporters' 47 percent.
Marc Mutty, campaign manager for Stand for Marriage Maine which opposed gay marriages, claimed victory at a rally in Portland just after midnight. "We've struggled, we've worked against tremendous odds, as we've all known," he said. "We prevailed because the people of Maine, the silent majority, the folks back home spoke with their vote tonight."
Gay-rights activists had hoped Maine voters -- known for thier moderate, independent-minded views -- would have been the first to endorse same-sex marriage in a statewide ballot. In the five states performing gay marriages -- Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts -- the practice took effect after legislation or court order. New York and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, but do not grant them.
"We're in this for the long haul. For next week, and next month, and next year until all Maine families are treated equally. Because in the end, this has always been about love and family and that will always be something worth fighting for," said Jesse Connolly of the pro-gay-marriage group Protect Maine Equality.
Sources inside the Protect Maine Equality campaign tell ABC News the referendum is likely headed for a statewide recount. After the Maine secretary of state certifies the results, the campaign will have to pay a nominal fee to request the count, which could take at least several weeks.
Both campaigns spent millions in out-of-state funds on rallies, phone calls, e-mails and ads in the days leading up to the vote, and their messages resonated among voters of both sides.
Mary Lou Narbus, a 51-year-old mother of three from Rockwood, Maine, told ABC News she's pleased Question 1 prevailed in rejecting same-sex marriage. "I believe that marriage is for a man and a woman... and I don't believe that [gay marriage] should be taught in school, period," she said.
Gay-marriage opponents had stressed the idea, disputed by supporters, that public schools would begin teaching children about unions between same-sex couples if the law were allowed to stand.
"That's a red herring," David Rutledge, a 43-year-old father of two in Bangor, told ABC News. "I have felt like this law was very important to equality."
Ellen Sanford McDaniel, 35, of Fairfield, Maine, said she's relieved the referendum passed, rejecting gay marriage. "I don't feel anybody has the right to redefine marriage," she said. "I would have been heartbroken for our country if it did not pass... We had a prayer night last night for it to go the way it should."
But gay marriage supporters, like Carole Cheeseman Russo, 65, of Carmel, Maine, says this vote likely won't be the last on the matter.
"No one in my family is gay at least that I'm aware of -- but I just don't think anyone has the right to tell someone who they're allowed to love or who their allowed to marry ," she said. "[Same-sex marriage] has just got to come back."
Read more hot stories Moms Are Talking About.
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While we are in the area of Maine Gay Marriage Law Repealed | momlogic.com, Corporate history firms are specialists at organizing information and finding the necessary stories to fill in the blanks your company officers might not even know. When the work of the researchers is complete, you'll have a completed document or perhaps a commemorative book to distribute to employs or proudly display.


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Apple's Cook says focus remains on products
CEO does not see himself as replacement for Steve Jobs.
By Dan Gallagher
Apple (AAPL) Chief Executive Tim Cook said he doesn't see himself as a replacement for the late Steve Jobs, nor does he see the iconic consumer electronics company moving into new areas like media content, or owning a wireless network.
In a wide-ranging interview on the stage of the D10 conference Tuesday night, Cook discussed matters like the company's massive overseas manufacturing network, as well the company's views on the TV business -- though he stopped short of sharing any details of new products Apple may be planning.
Cook's interview was part of the opening session of the D10 conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. The conference is sponsored by AllThingsD, a technology blog owned by News Corp., which also owns MarketWatch.
Cook took over as CEO of Apple last August, as co-founder Steve Jobs stepped down just two months before dying of cancer.
"I've never viewed my role as to replace him," Cook said on the stage. "Steve was an original, and I don't think there's another one of those being made. It's not my goal in life. I am who I am. I'm focused on that."
He maintained, however, that Jobs told him specifically to never ask "What would Steve do?" He also shared that Jobs himself was a master at letting go of the past, as the famously hot-tempered CEO could change his mind suddenly about a product decision and move ahead.
"He would flip on something so fast, that you would forget that he was the person taking a 180-degree position on that issue the day before," Cook said. "I saw it daily. He wouldn't even remember it."
During the interview by AllThingsD co-editors Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, Cook was quizzed about a wide range of other issues. He said Apple would likely "double down" on its legendary nature of secrecy around product development, but would become more transparent on other matters, including its global supply-chain and its efforts to improve conditions for workers in the factories that make the company's products -- most of which are in China.
Cook noted the company's efforts to audit its network of suppliers, and to publish the results of those audits on a monthly basis. He said Apple has been most focused during this year on "putting overtime down," in terms of capping the hours that workers spend on the job floor.
"We are measuring the work habits of 700,000 people. No one else is doing that," he said, adding that he wants more of Apple's peers "to copy us" in that area.
He also said he would consider moving more manufacturing jobs for Apple products to the U.S., noting that many vital components such as chipsets and glass for smartphone screens are already produced here. But he added that the U.S. lacks much of the needed infrastructure for a large manufacturing base anymore.
"The truth is, if we called a meeting of tool and die makers based in the U.S., we wouldn't fill this room. In China, you can fill several cities with tool and die makers," he said.
Cook gave no details about new products that may be under development. Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11 in San Francisco, at which it is expected to show off the latest versions of its Mac and iPhone operating systems. Analysts expect a new iPhone as well as an Apple-branded TV to come out later in the year.
Asked several times about Apple's plans for the TV space, Cook demurred on product details, but added that the AppleTV set-top box has already sold about 2.7 million units in the first half of its current fiscal year -- roughly on par with the total number sold for the entire year prior.
"We ask if we can we control the key technology. Can we make a significant contribution far beyond what others have done in this area. Can we make a product we ourselves would want, as we see ourselves as good proxies for others," Cook said of the company's thought process in looking at the TV space.
But he was dismissive of the idea of the company ever getting into the content business, in terms of producing shows or movies. He also reiterated past statements about how Apple does not typically buy "new revenue stream" with its M&A deals, preferring instead to focus on adding new talent or technology.
As far as Steve Jobs' legacy is concerned, Cook said Apple would remain focused on building "great products," rather than making a goal of a certain revenue or profit level.
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