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Three Slavic / East European / Eurasian - focused entities are administered or recognized by the MLA:
Guaranteed, nonguaranteed, and collaborative sessions:
Entity Guaranteed Nonguaranteed Collaborative
LLC Russ/Eurasian 2 1 1
- The Russian and Eurasian Forum (LLC Russian and Eurasian -- the "LLC" stands for "Languages, Literatures, and Cultures").
- The Slavic and East European Forum (LLC Slavic and East European).
- The American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL), which is not part of MLA, but is recognized as an "Allied Organization."
Detailed information about the policies governing the three entities is available here: Policies for Forums and Allied Organizations. A summary is given below:
Each of the two Forums (which are part of MLA's official structure) is governed by an Executive Committee of 5 people. The current membership of each committee can be found here:
Note that service is counted by "Convention Year" (and a "Convention Year" ends with the Annual MLA Convention; thus, "Convention Year 2017" runs from Jan 15, 2016 through Jan 14, 2017). Forum Executive Committee members typically serve as Secretary of their respective committees in their 3rd year of service, and as Chair in their 4th year of service.
The chief responsibilities of the Forum Executive Committees (hereafter, FECs) are to organize panels/sessions of interest to the field at the annual MLA Convention; and to perpetuate themselves by nominating candidates to run for election to the FEC during the annual MLA election in the fall.
Representation on the MLA Delegate Assembly:
The Russian and Eurasian Forum also designates a delegate to the MLA Delegate Assembly; this delegate serves a three-year term. For historical reasons, the Slavic and E. Euro. Forum does not currently send a representative to the Delegate Assembly.
AATSEEL, as an Allied Organization, is represented at the MLA by a Liaison who is a member of both organizations; his/her chief responsibilities are to arrange one or more AATSEEL-sponsored sessions at the annual MLA Convention, and to submit the necessary forms for the seven-yearly Allied Organization Review.
* * *
Each year, after the MLA Convention in January, the longest-serving member of each Forum Exec. Committee rotates off the committee, and is replaced by a new member, elected the preceding fall. Forum executive committee elections are held in the fall along with the elections for second vice president, the Executive Council, and the Delegate Assembly. The executive committee of each forum is responsible for placing at least two names in nomination for each open seat on the executive committee. At least one of these names must be selected from a list of suggestions put forward by the membership. If you would like to serve on one of the FECs or would like to suggest someone else, you can nominate yourself or another MLA member here: https://apps.mla.org/ballot_nominations
The MLA's Coordinator of Governance emails the necessary paperwork and instructions for election nominations to the Chair and Secretary of each FEC every year, ahead of the MLA Convention.
* * *
Forum Executive Committees meet each year during the MLA Convention. Typically, a joint meeting is arranged by the Chairs of the Russian & Eurasian and of the Slavic & East European Forums, and this meeting is also attended by the AATSEEL Liaison and by the Russian & Eurasian Forum's Delegate to the Assembly. At this meeting, nominees are generated for the forthcoming fall elections to both FECs, and a set of topics is generated from which to form the Russian/Eurasian, Slavic/East European, and AATSEEL-sponsored panels at the following year's MLA Convention.
* * *
An overview of the guidelines for organizing a session at the MLA Convention is available here:
See especially the Procedures for Organizing Meetings and the Policies for Forums and Allied Organizations (also linked from the overview page above).
See especially the Procedures for Organizing Meetings and the Policies for Forums and Allied Organizations (also linked from the overview page above).
- January (approx. Jan 6-10): At the MLA Convention, the meeting of the Slavic groups is held.
- February: Calls for Papers to form panels for the following year's Convention must be submitted via the MLA website, typically by February 28. Note that the word limit for a CFP is 35 words, including the session title!
Information about submitting CFPs is available here: https://apps.mla.org/conv_papers
- March: Typically, CFPs should list a deadline no later than March 15, so that the panel organizer has time to select participants, write up a proposal (using the submitted abstracts as a base) if the panel is a competitive one (i.e. nonguaranteed -- see info below re: guaranteed vs nonguaranteed panels), and submit all the program information to the appropriate person (FEC Chair or AATSEEL Liaison) well before the April 1 deadline. Sometimes, an organizer may extend the CFP deadline by a week to get more proposals, but then s/he needs to get the final panel information to the FEC Chair/Liaison quickly!
- April: April 1 is the deadline for the FEC Chairs and AATSEEL Liaison to submit all program copy for sessions being proposed for the upcoming Convention. (Session proposals may be submitted from early March. They are submitted online. Only the designated individuals can access the proposal submission forms. Details about how to access the forms are available in this FAQ.) April 1 is also the deadline for submitting Membership Waiver requests -- see below.
April 7 is the deadline for all proposed participants in the upcoming Convention to acquire or renew their MLA membership. Waivers of the membership requirement may be granted for nonscholars (e.g., medical doctors, visual artists, etc.) and scholars who work in disciplines other than language and literature. An individual may be granted a waiver once every five years. The request for a waiver of membership must be made by the session organizer and must be submitted on the Request for a Waiver of Membership form by 1 April for the following January's convention.
Guaranteed, nonguaranteed, and collaborative sessions:
A "guaranteed" session is one that is guaranteed inclusion in the Convention program, regardless of topic. A guaranteed session proposal only needs to contain the session title, participant names and affiliations, and (where applicable) paper titles.
A "nonguaranteed" or "competitive" session must compete with other proposals for acceptance into the Convention program. Unlike guaranteed session proposals, each proposal for a nonguaranteed session -- i.e., the material that is submitted on the Program Copy forms due April 1 -- must contain (1) a detailed description of and scholarly rationale for the session and (2) information about the participants' scholarship and its relevance.
A "collaborative" session is one that is co-sponsored by another MLA entity (so, another Forum or Allied Organization); collaborative sessions are also nonguaranteed. AATSEEL can serve as a "collaborator" for either Forum if desired. Each entity can submit only one collaborative session proposal, but that collaborative proposal is in addition to any other nonguaranteed session proposal the entity may be submitting.
Detailed information about how to put together a proposal for a nonguaranteed (and/or collaborative) session, including sample proposals and scoring guidelines, is available here:
How many sessions does each entity get to propose?The Russian and Eurasian Forum is allotted two guaranteed sessions each year. The Slavic and East European Forum and AATSEEL each have one guaranteed session. In addition, each entity may propose one nonguaranteed session and one (nonguaranteed) collaborative session.
So the total number of session proposals available under the auspices of the three Slavic entities is:
Entity Guaranteed Nonguaranteed Collaborative
LLC Russ/Eurasian 2 1 1
LLC Slavic/E. Euro. 1 1 1


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Tuesday, March 13, 2007
I need to get out more
Doing my project 365 has been more challenging than I thought. Often, I get to the end of a day and realize I haven't taken a single picture. When I think back over the day, I don't think of great photo opportunities I've missed. Partly that's because I tend to go to work, sit at my desk all day (broken up by a few meetings), and go home. I don't do very different things each day. I don't pass by different things. Since the weather has been kind of yucky until recently, I haven't gotten out much on the weekends either. I'm hoping that once the weather improves I'll do more and see some different sights. Right now, I feel like the most boring person on earth.
Posted by Laura Blankenship at 7:10 AM
Labels: project365

subset: commoncrawl


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Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, April 25, 2016. Before 6AM, a Corralitas Neighbor out for a morning run was stopped by CHP at the Corralitas end of the Red Car Property. When the first photos came in, officers were investigating an abandoned car on the SB 2 Freeway, and searching the dense foliage on the side of the freeway and Corralitas Drive. CHP was looking for a suspect, and not letting the neighbor pass on foot.
Video sent before 6AM showed officers with flashlights, traffic halted on the 2 Freeway. It was surreal video as there were no sounds of traffic, just birds and crickets chirping. Subsequent video shot a few minutes later, you can hear a helicopter arrived and CHP continued the search. Twenty minutes later they let the opened up Corralitas to foot and vehicle traffic.
The Eastsider, reported CHP was looking for an armed suspect near the 2 Freeway Terminus.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Corralitas Drive: This Morning's Police Activity
Posted by Corralitas Red Car Property at Monday, April 25, 2016
Labels: 2 Frwy, CHP, Corralitas, crime, Joys of Hillside Living


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Here's a few facts you might not know about breast cancer.
September is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many media outlets focus on the most common risk factors for the disease and its typical symptoms. Meanwhile, breast cancer research continues to explore new causes for the disease, and, because breast cancer can take several forms, some symptoms might not be well known either.
What's in Your Food
Eating more plants seems to lower the risk of developing cancer, but a chemical found in the soil around them may boost it. In one study scientists saw a link between breast cancer and cadmium. This heavy metal turns up in many fertilizers used to grow our food. Other sources of cadmium include:
- Burned fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas
- Burned wood
- Emissions from incinerating municipal waste and medical waste
- Crabs and mussels
- Organ meats
Chemicals in the Air
Certain chemicals in environmental pollutants are similar to estrogen and other hormones. Exposure to those chemicals seems to raise the risk of breast cancer. The chances of breast tissue damage is highest when:
- An unborn baby's mammary glands are forming
- A girl reaches puberty
- A woman is pregnant
Drinking and Hormones
Postmenopausal women who drink alcohol daily and take hormone replacement therapy for five years or more increase their chances of developing breast cancer. One study showed that mixing the therapy with 1.5 drinks per day doubled the risk. The good news is that the risk is lowered when the therapy ends.
The Unexpected Symptoms
Some less well-known symptoms of breast cancer include:
- Swelling of the breast
- Enlarged lymph node under the arm with associated redness
- Discoloration of the breast
- Dimpled texture to breast skin
Some of these symptoms are associated with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare form of the disease.
If you experience any unusual changes to your breast or nipples, don't hesitate—see a doctor. In most cases, the cause is not cancer, but it's better to be safe. And if you have questions about women's health issues or need a doctor, call North Hills Hospital at 1-855-5NHILLS for a physician referral.
Related Posts:
Top Three Ways You Can Prevent Breast Cancer
Breast Reconstruction After Breast Cancer


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Here in this beautiful beehive state, "the force" is most definitely the Mormon church. If "the force" is with you, life here is easier and more comfortable. Many people in the state find it necessary to know who is on the side of "the force". Sadly, some of these same people will judge outsiders as being on "the dark side". The current controversy over an anti-Bob Bennett mailer is a perfect reflection of this strange division in Utah society. The flier showed republican candidate Mike Lee's photo above the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple and Bob Bennett's photo over the United States Capitol building with the caption "Which candidate really has Utah values?" The mailer did not come directly from Mike Lee's campaign, but in my opinion that is irrelevant. Here are the facts: although people were apparently offended by the flier, it worked! Bob Bennett will not be on the ballot this fall. You see, Utah values are Mormon values and separation of church and state is non-existent in my current home.
Rules and laws in other states do not apply here. LDS seminary is part of the public school day. My husband gets calls from job recruiters on a regular basis and many ask him if he has a "temple recommend". For you outsiders, this translates, "Are you a Mormon in good standing with the Church?" Now, close your mouths, I know you think that is illegal, but not here in Utah. All things in Utah, lead to "the force"! If you have "the force" behind you, you are "in" – with your neighbors, your companies, your schools, etc. If, however, "the force" is not with you it is harder to find your way in just about every aspect of society.
Recently, "the force" decided to give a nod to the Salt Lake City Council and allow it to make it illegal to discriminate against the gay community in housing and employment. If "the force" had not given their approval the city would still be in the dark ages as far as that basic civil right. I am grateful to the Mormon Church for finally taking that position and hope the "the force" remains on the moral and just side of all Utah citizens.
My family navigates through life without the powers of "the force". We are happy and appreciate the positive aspects of our life in Utah. Along the way, we may even have convinced a few people that we are not on "the dark side". As Utah adjusts to more diversity, the long standing battle may subside. We have to accept that one side is not more important than the other, nor more right than the other. People are just different and that should really be OK as long as no one is getting hurt on either side of the issue.
I hold out hope that Utah will not always judge people by their religion. However, until that time,
"May the force be with you!"


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"If I throw a stick, will you leave?"
True story. Only Certain Names Have Been Changed.
Okay, so Saturday night I was a bit out of sorts. It's been an emotional couple weeks over my way. The plane crash at SFO really upset me. It was depressing and scary. It will be at least a year before we have any final word on the exact cause, and while some things seem obvious now, I am trying to wait and see what the NTSB says in it's final report. So I was feeling that stress. Now, the added element of that ridiculous mistake made at KTVU about airing those blatantly racist names as the true names of the pilots of Asiana 214, both embarrassed me and pissed me off! I would have thought that a network affiliate, hell any news outlet, would have checked, double checked, triple checked those names before they ever reached the anchor desk! It's sad. But the news networks have to fight each other to get the scoop. So, there you go. They certainly did get the scoop!
"When I look into your eyes, I see straight through to the back of your head."
As for Saturday night's verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, well, HELL! What do we have to do to get justice in this country? The jurors ruled, and reserving judgement about them because we haven't heard from them as yet, but I feel the prosecution team did a truly less than stellar job, and it was obvious. I am also hugely unimpressed with the forensics team that did such a bad job of collecting evidence, but even with all that, in my opinion, the jury still should have brought back at least a verdict of manslaughter. Zimmerman brought a gun, to a situation that could have been accomplished with words, had he not decided in his own mind that Trayvon Martin was up to no good. Why couldn't he have introduced himself throughout the neighborhood, to all his neighbors, as the volunteer neighborhood watch captain? Or taken similar steps. Why couldn't he have I.D. himself to Trayvon early on that night? Why did he have to assume anything?
"Don't let your mind wander, it's far too small to be let out on it's own."
So I am sitting at my desk late Saturday night, tweeting, and having a good cry for that poor child, Trayvon Martin, when what do I hear? Not Alan snoring, not the cats playing, but rather the shrewish cry of my neighbor Nina (not her real name) yelling at the love of her life Donny (not his real name). See the above graphic. And for the next 5 hours there was various expletives, and thuds as object flung in passion hit assorted walls and gates.
"I used to think you were a colossal pain in the neck. Now I have a much lower opinion of you."
The last thing I heard from the love birds last night was the sound of the their gate slamming shut. Donny left around 2:15 A.M. or so. He hasn't been back as far as I can tell. It's probably a smart thing to remove oneself from a heated situation, so for that I applaud him! The thing is, this couple has been a pain in the ass to everyone on this property since the day they moved in almost 4 years ago. I would be lying if I said I would be sad if they moved. I wish. I pray that one day this property can just go back to the way it was before they moved here. But I now have a deeper insight into some of the problems. We have heard bickering going on for years. Lots of immature stuff. But, what occurs on me, about why they are so nasty to everyone on the property, is that fact that it all comes down to control. If you can't get along with the person you have chosen to live with, then you are going to go out of your way to not care about others around you. If you feel beaten down, chances are you will probably become a bully.
And they both have.
They have lied about people living here. They make noise after having been told to respect others quiet. They take things, that don't belong to them. They let their dog bark and throw his body against the fence we share, just for the purpose of disturbing others, especially me. I have asked more than once for them to put the dog in when running errands, for my well being as well as "Snoopy's." Not his real name of course. It breaks my heart to hear his little whelp as his body hits the fence. That dog loves Donny with all his heart, and when Donny leaves, "Snoopy" just wants him to come back. I overheard one day, Donny say to Nina... "The property management told us to put Snoopy in." To which she replied a resounding "FUCK NO! No one tells me what to do!" Donny... "But we're gonna get in trouble."
Donny sounded like a little kid just then. And I think I felt very sorry for him in that moment. Not that Nina had dictated to him how things were going to be, like it or not, but rather I felt bad that an adult couple, both in their 30's, apparently had the emotional maturity of a couple of teenagers. Other people's children, what can you do? Thank GOD for better living through chemistry, thank GOD for Valium!
"Too many freaks, not enough circuses."
Mood: Tired/Emotional/Ok


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Is not clear to me why so many people want to have an iOS eSpeak port. All the applications built on top of such port cannot be distributed via Apple app store. May be the plan is to distribute on jailbreak iPhones.
So, you convinced me, let see what will happen. I just added the GPSpeechSynth library code on github. There is a Xcode project that generates three different static libraries. One based on eSpeak v1.44.05 (I didn't have time to update it to the latest version) and other two based on FLite 1.4
The library based on FLite 1.4 was successfully used in Math Teacher application that is now distributed by Apple. here you have the links:
UPDATE (17th Nov 2011):
I just added a working example in this repo.
john boydon


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SACRAMENTO, Calf. (KXTV) -- A three-year-old from California has been waiting almost her entire life for a heart transplant, and on Monday, she finally got it.
At 7:44 p.m. on Sunday night, Lisa and Martin Fairgood got a call from doctors at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford telling them that there was a heart transplant ready for their daughter, Mariah.
The family immediately packed their bags, drove to Stanford, and by noon, the brave little girl was headed into surgery.
"She took it like a champ," Lisa told ABC10. "I was the emotional kid crying not wanting to go, and she just wiped my tears and said, 'it's OK. I'm going to go.'"
Mariah even rode into her surgery on her motorized unicorn.
"She rode in like she got this," Lisa said. "She was ready to take it on."
Mariah was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy when she was 9-months-old and was told she needed a heart transplant – an operation that could cost the family as much as $500,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.
After friends posted about Mariah's story online, the community of Elk Grove rallied together, raising thousands of dollars to help the 14-month-old baby.
That support, Lisa said, has helped the family immensely.
"We thank every single person from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea," she said.
Despite the happy ending, the parents say it is bittersweet.
"Someone had to pass away in order for us to get such a blessing," Martin said.
Lisa added that they hope some day to meet their daughter's donor.
"Their son or daughter gets to live on and save our daughters life," she said. "They will forever be our guardian angel."
Doctors say that Mariah's surgery went well, although there was a difficulty with her lung during the procedure. She will remain sedated for the next few days, but her family says doctors tell them they expect her to fully recover.
The family shares updates about Mariah on her Instagram and Facebook pages.


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- Is a highly reactive chemical
- Is one of the main waste products from nuclear power plants
- Is used in the production of pesticides and is an ingredient in spray oven cleaners (!)
- Has been used by ALL students responsible for school shootings in the United States in the past
- Is used by athletes to improve performace
- Contributes to the greenhouse effect
- Have been found in large amounts, in children who live near factories
Trust me, the list goes on and on. If you don't trust me, listen to this girl at you tube, or visit DMHO facts, or "Ban dihydrogenmonoxide".
Fooled? I hope not, though if you were you are certainly not alone. The common name for dihydrogen monoxide, or DMHO, is water (di=two, mono=one, two hydrogen and one oxygen makes H2O=water). This hoax which I rate almost as highly as the Sokal hoax which I have written about here, was popularized by a 14 year old american high school student as a part of a science project. He came up with this alternative name for water and listed statements such as the ones above, all of which are of course true. He then went around and asked fellow student to sign a petition to ban DMHO, 43 out of 50 signed it.
According to wikipedia more influential people have also been fooled. In 2001 A staffer at the New Zealand green party was asked to support the campaign to ban dihydrogen monoxide, in response she wrote that she was "absolutely supportive of the campaign to ban this toxic substance". In New Zealand 2007 (are they lacking scepticism in New Zealand?) Jacqui Dean a member of parliment wrote to the health minister asking whether there were any plans to ban DMHO.
I think that this hoax illustrates that scepticism is more often than not a virtue. This hoax was very transparent compared to many of the stories that are circulating in the world which are also not true, and yet, people fell for it.


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Well i cannot believe, how fast i have got this far! and how amazing all of you are.
Even better that i get to draw on they day my first official crazy daisy makes got to their new homes and are loved!
Well i have drawn and the pictures are to follow!
Congratulations please contact me with your choice of fabric!
I have drawn a second place with 15% off (excluding p&p)
And that person is
Louise Paper panda!!!
Well done all! and thank you all so much! remember its free p&p until 9pm this eve for orders ordered and paid for


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Well, hellllo! #blush#
Yes, it's been a while indeed since I posted on my blog. In a way it's a good thing as it means that I've been very busy with other work but, dear readers, don't think that I haven't thought about you! I've wanted to post about this dress for a long time and, finally, the illustration is finished.
One of the things I've been busy with is my new website http://www.lucypearce.co.uk/ Please do have a look to see more of my other (less fashion based) work.
#Fanfare# And now, a little about the dress!
This electric blue silky 80's number grabbed me as soon as I spotted it on the railings in the shop. The shop assistant also grabbed me - actually pounced on me would be the more accurate description. Usually in vintage shops you are left to your own devices whilst cool staff ignore you because they're too busy being cool. Not here. My boyfriend and I wandered into the Brockley based Bird's Dress Agency and in less than three minutes the two assistants were watching us, like cats ready to pounce on innocent little mice.
Both impeccably turned out in a Sloaney way - think neat ponytails, red lipstick, Barbour jackets and bright white teeth - the best way to describe this pair would be Two Fat Ladies, if they were thin and much more glamorous! I had barely glanced at this dress when Lady A sidled up to me. "£25" she answered, though I hadn't asked the question! I looked around and spotted Lady B helping my boyfriend try on a jacket and talking to him about fine tailoring. Eeeek! They've got us trapped, I thought! As he was trying on random shirts and cufflinks I escaped to the changing room.
Anyway, I could drag this story out but let's just say I'm easily persuaded and actually left with two dresses(!) and my boyfriend left with a very dapper tailored jacket (which he didn't need!)
Lovely ladies...just dangerously persuasive.
Anyone else had a similar experience?


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Locally Owned & Operated
People are not limited to being employed within their own community, nor are local businesses required to hire from within their tax-paying jurisdiction. In fact, many companies will make a point of filling their payroll with employees from a variety of postal codes in order to bring diversity to their organization. As ridiculous as this sounds, our local university, for example, gives preference to candidates who are graduates from other post-secondary institutions in the hiring process for that exact reason. So for all the pomp-and-circumstance that city council made during the recent election process about attracting and supporting businesses in to the municipality in order to increase local employment opportunities, unless city hall is able to require that businesses hire from our local candidate pool, businesses will do little for our local economics other than contribute to the city's tax base in exchange for consuming our local resources.
Think I'm wrong? Let's suppose that Fictitious Company sets up a new Western Distribution Centre on the edge of town. City council has allowed some expedited rezoning applications through to facilitate this development as Fictitious Co. is international and is reputed for repeatedly winning Awesome Employer awards on a regular basis. Our little city will be so blessed to have them chose us!
Fictitious Co. sends in its own team of architects and engineers because they are responsible for designing and building the Western Distribution Centre to look exactly like the Eastern Distribution Centre and the Northern Distribution Centre and the…well, you get the idea. The Senior Architect has had a long term working relationship with Handy Joe General Contracting from Back East and trusts him to fulfil the construction requirements on the WDC no different than he did on the EDC and the NDC and…you get the idea; consequently, Handy Joe is flown in to spearhead the ground-breaking.
A quarter of a million dollars spent on wages thus far by Fictitious Co. and has any local talent yet been hired? If you answered no you would be wrong – the cab was hired to drive the employees from the airport to the hotel. The cab driver collected $10.00 in fare, of which he gets to keep 40% so when combined with the generous $5.00 tip from his passengers, he is able to provide his family with a jug of milk, a loaf of bread and…maybe a half dozen bananas.
Ah, but what of the other economic spin-offs, like the hotels and the restaurants? Fictitious Co., being an international business, has an established partnership with the hospitality chain Worldwide Comfortable Hotels that, coincidentally, has locations in virtually all major centres that Fictitious Co. has distribution centres or principal offices. Worldwide Comfortable Hotels is notorious for employing locals and compensates them competitively; the chamber staff earns slightly better than their minimum-wage counterparts at other local hotels and the wait staff working at the in-house restaurants are privileged to serve the higher-tipping clientele.
Unfortunately for both the cabbie and the hotel staff, Fictitious Co. provides corporate credit cards for these types of expenditures, so their respective gratuity incomes are subject to a 5% penalty by Major Credit Card and, because those tips are processed through their payroll departments, the remaining 95% are subject to payroll deductions as mandated by the Canada Revenue Agency. The cabbie's $5.00 tip quickly whittled away to $3.26 (give or take, people – I'm sure there is a senior bookkeeper out there right now with a calculator trying to see if I am wrong) but still, that is money for groceries that the family may not have had otherwise, right? Besides, if the cabbie is lucky, a couple more tips like that and a jar of peanut butter will be sure to grace the shopping cart.
Are these out-of-town, six-figure income high-rollers out and about in our community playing tourist and buying souvenirs for their loved ones back home? Likely not. This is really no different than commuting for you or I and I certainly do not commemorate my commuting experience with memorabilia. Unless there is something rather temptingly unique at the Overpriced Outlet Store in the Airport compounded by a personal motivating factor (ie: spouse's missed birthday due to the business trip), then any gifts for family are more conveniently purchased on home turf where they do not need to be packed for flight.
Handy Joe makes arrangements for core members of his construction crew from Back East to join him and set up for the duration of the contract. Mr. Joe contacts his buddy at Federal Real Estate Agency in Quebec to provide him with information about who he needs to talk to here about rental accommodations for his crew. Several phone calls later, a couple of local property owners have one-year leases on their investment properties, including generous advanced payment on the rents and what will ultimately end up being non-refundable damage deposits. Mr. Joe scouts out some locals for general labour and hires a company from within the same telephone area code to come in and prepare the site. Coincidentally, two of the $12/hr labourers and one of the equipment operators actually live in the same town as his new project – Handy Joe likes to make good use of the local talent.
Since Handy Joe has a corporate account with National Building Supply Company, naturally he is disappointed to discover that there isn't an immediately available outlet but is relieved to find one in the neighbouring municipality that would be able to supply him with all of the tools and materials he and his crew will require to complete the project. It's just so much easier to simply order the Fictitious Co.'s specific line of finishing products than to have to go to the trouble of having certain things customized by a local shop – like particular paint colours, for example. Joe has worked with Senior Architect long enough to know that all of Fictitious Co.'s Distribution Centres have to present exactly the same, according to the established policies of head office Back East.
As construction progresses, Fictitious Co.'s Project Manager from Back East manages every detail of the project and decides to invest in a Project Assistant. A reputable Big City Recruiting Agency with offices in several Provincial Capital Cities is contacted and a posting is advertised throughout the area that the agency serves. Of the numerous applicants for the position, the chosen candidate living in the Big City catchment area is hired and begins the daily forty-five minute commute to and from the location of the WDC.
Meanwhile, Back East Executives begin the daunting task of assembling the necessary team of employees to staff the new WDC, scheduled to open in a few short months. Internal job postings are distributed by the Human Resources Department through the existing payroll of employees, soliciting applications for the new West Coast location. Relocation bonuses are offered and not surprisingly, HR is inundated with interested parties. As selection of staff for the WDC progresses, positions become available at the EDC and the NDC and…you get the idea, so additional hiring in those areas occurs simultaneously.
A Well-Known National Moving and Cartage Co. (with its head office in close proximity to Fictitious Co.) is contracted to pack, haul and resituate the Management Team relocating from Back East. Again, the Federal Real Estate Agency provides listing information on the local housing market and the transactions for everyone's new accommodations are settled before the first boxes are even packed. Dozens of families are transported across the country, children are enrolled in available private schools in the area and spouses resign themselves to re-establishing their career paths in a foreign job market.
Throughout this construction process, the nearby Popular Coffee Chain experiences an increase in business and hires a couple more part-time employees to cover the morning rush but with fluency in English not being a requirement for those positions, the drive thru line ups do not move any faster in the mornings. As a result, the surge in morning customer demand subsides as the regulars find alternative locations and the Popular Coffee Chain reduces the number of shifts at that location. The new WDC's convenient location with Easy Highway Access is appreciated by the majority of commuting workers who can readily come and go from work to home without having to navigate their way through the community, and otherwise contribute to the local traffic congestion.
Nearing completion, Fictitious Co. ships out a team of professionals that will ensure that the entire building is outfitted and ready for operation. The Lead Designer orders furniture and finishings from the same Old Time Merchant that supplies all of their other locations in order to maintain the consistency between all of the Fictitious Co.'s locations. All materials are drop-shipped to the Main Terminal in the Big City and Big City Cartage is contracted to deliver the shipments to the WDC. A Reputable Landscaping Company, recommended by the manager of the National Building Supply Company and also based in the neighbouring municipality, is contracted to install the landscaping as per the specifications set out by Fictitious Co.'s head office policies.
A Hiring Fair is organized and advertisements are posted with the Big City Recruiting Agency stipulating that a vehicle is required for the available positions due to a lack of accessibility by transit, but emphasizes that the new WDC is handily situated with easy highway access both east and westbound. Starting wages are listed at a dollar an hour more than other employers with a benefit package for full time employees available after a probationary three month period. Fictitious Co. could only guarantee about twenty hours per week per employee for the first few months until the WDC became fully established in the supply chain with most of the warehouse positions to be on an on-call basis. Nonetheless, the Big City Recruiting Agency is flooded with applications for the available positions and opts to raise the minimum qualifications in order to eliminate the majority of candidates. Some of the select few chose to commit to a regime of commuting from neighbouring communities despite the initial low rates of monthly remuneration – only one future employee is able to ride their bike to and from work.
The day of the official grand opening of Fictitious Co.'s new Western Distribution Centre sees many VIPs in attendance, including the Mayor of the Community who in his welcoming speech to the new business, proudly expounds on the wonderful employment opportunities that Fictitious Co. has provided to the Community. The local Media publishes articles in the Community Newspaper about the multi-million dollar construction project that provided hundreds of jobs and the continued operation of the WDC that would see long-term employment opportunities with a company that utilizes a "promote from within" philosophy. The photos in the newspapers show smiling faces and the headlines proclaim "Locally Owned and Operated".
God Must Love Stupid People
Please don't blame me for the quote, as much as I would happily like to take the credit for it.
It's as offensive as it is true. In fact, the average intelligence seems to be, well, sliding below average. For some inexplicable reason a typical I.Q. seems to now be sporting a decimal point in it.
Go ahead and scoff; perhaps my allusion that our society is evolving into a Clan of Idiocy riles you so far as to ridicule me and question my faculties. In return, I dare you to prove me wrong when you know that there is truth in what I'm saying because you, too, see it every day.
It's the car in front of you suddenly accelerating and making a left hand turn from the right hand lane – not a stellar example of human intelligence, in my opinion.
Or the cashier at the store who, after several attempts, cannot count your change out to you and in frustration simply dumps the bills and coins into your hand; again, not a candidate for a merit-based scholarship.
My personal favourite are the inattentive pedestrians who seem to have the belief that they sport an invisible force-field that will protect them from being struck by a vehicle. The extra-special version of these people are the ones who are pushing strollers and dangle them off the curb at intersections, oblivious to the fact that the infant occupant of said stroller is actually in the path of oncoming traffic. Smart ones, they are, S-M-R-T, smart!
I am sure that everyone reading this has also seen the no-hands bicyclist texting while peddling, "earbuds" in the ears and tuned out from the traffic frantically trying to avoid colliding with the two-wheeled piece of bumper-bait. It would not take a full sized truck to knock the decimal out of that rider's I.Q.
The all-time winner of the "Cruising at the Speed of Stupid Award" was the medical office assistant who, after expressing her condolences for the loss of my relative, offered to reschedule the appointment for the recently deceased. Hard to believe that there would be academic credentials associated with that one.
Sadly, idiocy is quickly becoming the norm. Not long ago, witnessing such dangerous levels of stupidity happened but it was rare and I simply went home thankful for not having participated in Darwinism Theory Applied.
Nowadays, I swear I cannot leave the house without wondering if I will be plucking a moronic member of human society from the front grill of my truck. The average housecat demonstrates more intelligence when attempting to cross the street. Stupidity sure makes for easy pickin's.
All of this begs the question: "what happened?" Have advances in medical science somehow circumvented nature's ability to thin the herd and we are now experiencing a reverse evolution of sorts? Since when were the intellectually deficient able to multiply so proficiently under some fictional Queenbury Rules of Procreation? Can we blame this on the fast-food industry and sue McDonald's?
Darwin, I do believe there is a hole in your theory – perhaps the Creationists can offer a plausible explanation.


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Recipe of the Month
Yield: 12 deviled eggs
- 6 large eggs
- 5 tablespoons mayo
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2oz smoked salmon*
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the eggs in a steamer and steam over boiling water for 15 minutes. Then submerge the steamed eggs in cold water until cooled. Peel the eggs carefully, cut in half and separate the egg yolks.
- In a medium bowl, mash the egg yolks with a fork and stir in mayo, dried dill weed and black pepper. Transfer the filling into a piping bag, or a zip lock bag with one end cut, and pipe the filling into the egg whites. Top with small pieces of smoked salmon and serve immediately.
*For this recipe, choose cold-smoked salmon.
4 cup Flour
4 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup softened Butter
1/4 cup melted Butter
1 1/4 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg
Preheat oven to 375.
Grease a baking sheet.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup buttermilk and egg to dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Flour work surface.
Turn out dough and knead briefly.
Shape dough into a round shape and place on prepared sheet.
Whisk together 1/4 cup melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk.
Brush loaf with buttermilk mixture.
Cut an X in the top of the loaf.
Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Brush with buttermilk mixture every 15 minutes or so while baking.
Serves 2
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing custard cups
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the custard cups
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 425°F, and grease two 6 to 8-ounce custard cups or ramekins generously with butter. Put a small spoonful of sugar in each cup, then turn the cup sideways and rotate it so that the sugar is coating the butter all around. Dump out any excess sugar. Place the greased cups on a baking sheet or oven safe dish.
2. Put the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it on high for 30 seconds, take it out and stir it, then microwave it for another 30 seconds and stir it again. It should be completely melted. If there are still chunks of unmelted chocolate, microwave for another 20 seconds and stir.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the room temperature butter and the sugar with an electric mixer or a rubber spatula. The mixture should be thoroughly combined, smooth, and paste-like, not lumpy.
4. Add the two eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, and beat it with the electric mixer or a whisk until everything is combined and the mixture is starting to foam, about a minute. Add the flour and salt, and again beat everything with the mixer until it's thoroughly mixed.
5. Add about 1/3 of the melted chocolate to the mixture in the mixing bowl, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold it in. Add the rest of the chocolate mixture, and fold together until you have a uniform batter with no streaks.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two greased custard cups, then bake the cakes in the preheated oven until the tops are just set but the cakes still jiggle slightly when you shake them, about 11 minutes.
7. Let the finished cakes sit in cups for five minutes when they're finished baking. Then, flip each cup over on a dessert plate, and tap the bottoms of the cups so that the cakes fall out.
8. Serve immediately. If you want, you can garnish them with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and berries.
- 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
- 2 lbs. Roma tomatoes cut in half
- 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
- 7 garlic cloves
- 3 large carrots, cut in half
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups vegetables broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2-3 tablespoons basil pesto
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place the cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots on one large baking sheet. It's okay if some of the ingredients are overlapping. Drizzle the olive oil along with a big pinch of salt and pepper and give it a good toss. Place the baking tray in the oven and allow the ingredients to bake for 1 hour. Check on the ingredients every 30 minutes and give it a toss.
- Transfer the ingredients along with any juices from the baking tray to a blender and blend the veggies until they are completely smooth. If you've got a super powerful blender it will go in one batch and be super quick. If you've got a regular blender, you may need to add a little broth to help it along. For super smooth soup, run the puree through a strainer to get rid of any larger pieces.
- Transfer the puree into a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and allow the soup to heat all the way through, about 5-7 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes. Add two tablespoons of the pesto and give the soup a taste. If desired, add the third tablespoon. I used 3 in total because I love a little extra punch of basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cheese toasts.
Serves: 8 Servings
- 2 lb. Brussels Sprouts, halved
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- In a large bowl, toss together Brussels Sprouts, red onion, olive oil, salt, pepper and mustard seeds. Transfer to preparedbaking sheet and spread out evenly.
- Roast veggies for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring only once in between, until sprouts are tender and slightly browned.
- In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey and Dijon and drizzle over roasted veggies. Serve and enjoy!


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I have been working on some small projects, and finished a few.
First, another $5 special from Michael's.
I didn't want to spend a lot of time on this. It was another birdhouse. It had a smaller structure on top, but it didn't leave enough room around the edges to put figures. A quick whack with a rubber mallet removed the offending structure. It left a pretty rough surface on top, because the glue kind of tore wood out. I put in some craft sticks, used some more to make a door and frame it (to cover the big hole for the birdhouse) and painted it. Its a bit dark where I paint, and my eyes are not what they should be. I apparently need to do a bit of drybrushing with gray, as I got door paint on the wall.
The next thing I have been working on is Mech stuff. We are playtesting a quick game for mechs, and we use the click stuff as its very cheap online. All I do is rebase it, and here is the result.
The final project is my retro space guys for Blasters and Bulkheads. I finished the bases and sprayed them with Dullcoat.
I am getting enough posts that I need to figure out the tagging business. I have been poking around in the blogspot stuff, but haven't figured it out yet.
I am still working on my Seven Years War stuff. I have a couple of artillery stands almost ready to go, and another battalion of Musketeers. My buying has been slowed lately because of house repairs. Its always something.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Galactic Space Patrol 42, the GSP Beagle
She started life as a short haul freighter. The Galactic Space Patrol was new and looking for ships for exploration. They bought her, gave her the name Beagle, and she soldiered on for years. She was about to go to the breakers yard, when the Patrol had one last duty for her. As an old tramp freighter, she could get into places where a Patrol Cutter would stand out like a sore thumb. They gave her a full suite of brand new electronics, a new Mannschenn Drive, and she was ready skulk around the rougher corners of the galaxy, putting Patrol teams into danger.
Our group recently started playtesting Blasters and Bulkheads, the pulp science fiction game using the Goal System. I found some figures, and then at Michael's for about $6, I found this:
I think, from the big hole in the side, its supposed to be a decorative birdhouse. The first problem was to make a hatch. I am not the greatest scratchbuilder around, so with a Litko base, some plastic, and little "jewels" also from Michaels, I came up with this.
The goal system is for small groups of figures, so I bought a few figures and painted them up. I still need to add some dullcoat, I did the "dip" method on them.
So now I have a contingent for the game. If they get into action, I will post more pictures. I decided that the huge hatch on the ship is to make cargo handling easier. That's my story, and I am sticking to it.
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Here's a look at the full wraparound jacket for Michael Moorcock's forthcoming THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE from Pyr. Front cover illustration and design by me, as well as spine art, and the overall jacket design is by Nicole Lecht. Pyr's latest newsletter features a few words from me about the book. It's available to anyone who registers at their site. However, here's a brief excerpt: "I originally wanted to paint [Seaton Begg's companion] Taffy Sinclair on the cover too, but I designed the cover type as well, and I realized there was a balance between the picture and the words, and Taffy was upsetting that. I was refining the illustration and designing the type simultaneously, and I realized that Taffy was gonna get lost in the type so regretfully, he had to go. Even better, Mike was at my wedding in March and he was with me in the green room about ten minutes before I was gonna be married. So we're talking about the progress rough of the cover, and he said that he really dug it, but wished it had a female presence somewhere. It sure seemed like a sensible request since Rose Von Bek appears, but I couldn't figure out how to work her in without destroying the composition. I think Lou Anders was the one that said, 'What if she shows up on the spine?' So that sparked my solution for the spine and that separate piece of art wraps around partially to the back cover. So Rose is staring at the audience when the book sits spine-out on the shelf, which I think is very nice. If you're a fan of Moorcock and the Multiverse, you're gonna love this. Can't wait until Halloween when this hits the shelves."


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This is a blog about my teaching, research and service with some occasional personal comments thrown in.
These are my notes on a variety of topics. If you want to follow my blog posts on a specific topic, then see the Table of Contents in the right-hand column. While I try to work in the realm of facts, logic and moral absolutes, if there are any opinions expressed here, they are my own. -WilliamHartPhD
Friday, October 25, 2013
MediaTech: TV Tech: The Evolution of TV (U9-P5) [VID] Fa13
How has TV evolved? When watching this what changes do you spot? What features change?
Is it helpful to think of media technology evolving?
Along with Winston's model, Diffusion of Innovations, etc., we'll add the evolution of tech as another theory that helps explain how and why media tech develops and spreads throughout society.
Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.
Posted by WilliamHartPhD at 10/25/2013 03:00:00 PM
Labels/Tags: Basics, cable, fa13, HD, MediaTech, tagit, teaching, Technology, Television, TV, Unit 9, Unit 9-Post 5
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Originally posted by VeritasAequitas
I will have to call bunk as well here. Having studied the effects and causes of those around me, I have personally noticed an increase in behavior during certain moon cycles. Now if the Sun can affect your overall mood and positive well being, why would the Moon not have its own effects on the human body?edit on 24-11-2012 by VeritasAequitas because: (no reason given)
The primary circadian "clock" in mammals is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (or nuclei) (SCN), a pair of distinct groups of cells located in the hypothalamus. Destruction of the SCN results in the complete absence of a regular sleep–wake rhythm. The SCN receives information about illumination through the eyes. The retina of the eye contains "classical" photoreceptors ("rods" and "cones"), which are used for conventional vision. But the retina also contains specialized ganglion cells which are directly photosensitive, and project directly to the SCN where they help in the entrainment of this master circadian clock.
These cells contain the photopigment melanopsin and their signals follow a pathway called the retinohypothalamic tract, leading to the SCN. If cells from the SCN are removed and cultured, they maintain their own rhythm in the absence of external cues.
The SCN takes the information on the lengths of the day and night from the retina, interprets it, and passes it on to the pineal gland, a tiny structure shaped like a pine cone and located on the epithalamus. In response, the pineal secretes the hormone melatonin. Secretion of melatonin peaks at night and ebbs during the day and its presence provides information about night-length.
Several studies have indicated that pineal melatonin feeds back on SCN rhythmicity to modulate circadian patterns of activity and other processes. However, the nature and system-level significance of this feedback are unknown.
The circadian rhythms of humans can be entrained to slightly shorter and longer periods than the Earth's 24 hours. Researchers at Harvard have recently shown that human subjects can at least be entrained to a 23.5-hour cycle and a 24.65-hour cycle (the latter being the natural solar day-night cycle on the planet Mars)
This so-called 'theory' is wrong in a few ways.
First, the Moon-tides thing happens because the oceans are large, and made of a liquid. They would still happen if the liquid was freezing liquid hydrogen, room temperature mercury, or hot liquid iron. It doesn't have to be water.
Second, tides happen only over large expanses, not within the small dimensions of a human body.
Third, the ocean tides still happen if the Moon is full, new or half-full. The Moon still has a gravitational effect even if the Sun doesn't fully light it up for us.
A better theory to explain it all is selective recall. It's a busy night, and you look out the window to see that rare animal, the full Moon. You put two and two together to make five, and assume that the full Moon made your night busy.
This belief that the full Moon massively affects human behaviour is a cultural fossil. It's a memory of the effect that we would party on a full Moon, way back when we had no artificial light.
But in our modern society, it's just moonshine.


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Windows FTP Service Configuration
The main purpose of the FTP service in Windows shared hosting is to make customers able to upload/download files in their webspaces.
Windows FTP service is implemented using native Microsoft IIS FTP service. Single Windows server works as web and FTP hosting server in POA.
POA creates the default FTP site in IIS during the new server deployment, the name of the FTP site is 'PEM FTP server for Shared Hosting' by default. The website is configured to listen to the port 21 (FTP) and customers may connect to their websites using IIS FTP service.
In the default installation the FTP service log is stored as C:\CustomerData\FTPServer\logs\FTPSVC<ID>\extend0.log, where <ID> is the ID of the IIS FTP site (it may be seen in the IIS Manager). Analyze the log file during troubleshooting problems with FTP service.
See the main Knowledgebase article #115790 Website Hosting: General information, Best Practices and Troubleshooting for more information.


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Thursday, March 17, 2016
Agent Wish List: Joan Paquette #4
GENRE: YA - Dystopian
Dear Joan Paquette,
I am submitting a YA novel of 64,000 words for your consideration. Please find below the first 250 words. The Ruby Locket is a YA dystopian novel told from the two points of view of Kerina and Saxon. It tells two different stories about two different lives but one connected future.
Saxon finds Kerina near death on the outskirts of the Utopia community. She wakes with no memory, just hunted images she struggles to understand.
Saxon discovers Kerina is Okodee, a genetically engineered trait found in few people. She is being is pursued by those who know her Okodee secret. Saxon finds out the death of his parents was no accident. To find answers they set off together on a quest of self-discovery.
Along the way Saxon learns the truth of his parents' murder just as Kerina discovers her true identity and their worlds collide forever.
My debut YA novel, Destiny Road was released by Morris Publishing Australia (Sep 2012). The publishing contract was won through a writing competition. Destiny Road is a contemporary story of decisions and consequences for 16 year old Jessica. In 2015 I was honoured as a participant of the Maurice Saxby Mentorship Program.
There's nothing else to look at, except the body slumped on the ground.
'Do you think she's alive, Manny?'
'Must be a wanderer.'
'Shut yer mouth, Saxon,' Manny hisses, looking around. 'It don't matter if she is 'cause either way she's dead. Now let's go!'
'We can't just leave her here to rot.'
The dustland stretches out before them. A crimson stain spreads across the sky.
Manny checks his watch. 'It's late. Constance will be gettin' worried.'
The days are longer at this time of year, but it will soon be night. They don't want to be out here when darkness falls.
'We gotta burn her,' says Saxon. 'It ain't right not to and you know it.'
The brothers stare at each other, waiting for the other to give in. It won't be Saxon. It never is.
'All right, fine. We'll come back and get her early tomorrow morn. You can help me take her to work at the Crematorium.' Manny's footsteps crunch on the gravel as he skulks away.
Saxon pinches the bridge of his nose. A habit of frustration picked up from his late father. It doesn't sit well with him leaving the body here. Wild animals might find her. He squats and stares, careful to keep some distance. The girl's long, black hair is matted, spilling out around her head. Her skin is blistered and peeling. Dirt streaks her face with dark lashes crusted closed. She might have been pretty before death found her.
5 comments:
The first line is killer! (heh, no pun intended) I would keep reading based on that alone.ReplyDelete
But, unfortunately, after that, I lose interest and this is mostly because I feel ungrounded. There's a lot of dialogue between 2 (more?) characters and I don't know who they are, where they are or what's going on. It's definitely a lot of floating head syndrome.
I think slowing down a bit, grounding us in the characters and setting, will really help to make this opening pop more than it already does.
Super good luck!!
I agree with the above comment re: the excerpt. Also, explain what at an Okodeeis in the query letter, too. There's a difference between intrigue and throwing out words that don't mean anything to the reader yet. You're nearly there, though!ReplyDelete
I disagree with the above comments. I wondered who the boys were which poses questions and keeps me reading. You didn't make me wait long as you soon describe the two brothers. Very well in 250 words. Now I want to know who she is.ReplyDelete
The narrative tone is lovely here--smooth and effortless, really pulls you in to the story. My first overall concern, though, for my personal list is that the genre is a non-starter. Unfortunately, dystopian is at or beyond saturation for most of the market right now. Something would have to utterly blow me out of the water for me to keep reading knowing that it's dystopian; it's just been done too much before and it's too hard for the worlds to feel fresh.ReplyDelete
As far as the opener, as I said, the writing is fluid and immersive. But I did have a similar problem to the other piece I read with regards to starting with dialogue. After the intriguing opening line, we are dropped into the middle a scene with no context on character 1, character 2, or the body-character 3. It's hard for me to feel a proper sense of urgency or connection with these characters and their situation when know nothing about them or their world. It's possible that in reading further this would snap into place, and the writing is strong enough that I would probably keep reading a bit more to see what happened next. But unfortunately, in this case combining that with the dystopian slant makes it a no-go for me.
Props to the author on excellent narrative voice, though!
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As good a spot for this update as any. Obviously not directly related to PO. But certainly just one more element of the bigger picture of the POD:
The govt announced a lower royalty for new GOM leases. For !eases in 200 m water depth and less: was 18.75% reducing to 12.5%. Certainly in part due to lower oil prices. But the GOM above 600' (which pushes out to the edge of the shelf north of where the Deep Water plays begin) is a very mature trend. Completely shot with 3d seismic multiple times.
But some companies have been trying to develop a very deep play below 28,000' in shallow water close to the shoreline. Some huge IN PLACE reserves have been reported. But much of them may remain in place: the pressures and, in particular, the temperatures are so high the completion technology is right at the limit. A company spent over $220 million on its first well in the trend and eventually plugged it as unproducible. Not sure if the lower royalty combined with relatively low NG prince's is going to build enough enthusiasm.


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Wind turbine critics rally opposition
Credit: Seaton wind turbines: Critics ask residents to object | BBC News | 9 June 2016 | www.bbc.co.uk ~~
Opponents of plans to erect three wind turbines near Hartlepool, said to be the tallest in England and Wales, are urging more residents to object.
Plans by Seneca Global Energy for three 175m (574ft) turbines in Seaton Carew were approved in February 2015.
Seaton Wind Turbine Action Group chair Monica Vaughn said they would "tower" over homes and be "overbearing".
Seneca Global Energy has been approached for comment by the BBC. A planning inquiry is set for October.
Plans for the turbines were called in by the government amid fears over their environmental impact.
'Somebody has to fight'
"I think they're being imposed on people," said Ms Vaughn. "There's concern from them about the noise, about the flicker and, also, some of them are actually concerned about the re-saleable value on their houses."
The turbines at Graythorp Industrial Estate, Brenda Road West Industrial Estate and Tofts Road West were to be 200m (655ft) but their height was reduced following concerns over toppling distance to the nearby railway line.
By comparison, turbines at Northumberland wind farms such as Lynemouth and Middlemoor are about 120-125m (about 400ft) high.
Ms Vaughn said she was rallying opposition because "the residents in this area are going to be impacted and somebody has to fight their cause."
The group is fundraising to pay for "expert witnesses and technical reports" and is holding a public meeting in July.
The Planning Inspectorate is expected to hold its planning inquiry on 4 October.
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
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As more Americans lose their jobs and the overall economy gets worse by the day, you hear over and over, please don't stimulate us anymore we can't afford it! Our government is continuing to follow the pattern of the past number of years where our nation spent for things it couldn't afford with money we didn't have.
So now comes today and we find ourselves expecting someone else to pay for it. The working and middle class are expected to bail out and reward the special interest groups that elected the current administration and those so-called politicians that we elected to work for us; to do our bidding; we find out too late for now that they make their own decisions, those that favor themselves.
What we are expected to do currently is to pay the mortgages of those that bought too much house and then just walked away from the debt because a community activist from Chicago told them someone else would make their house payments. On top of this we are expected to reimburse the banks and mortgage companies for making bad loans to people with a history of not paying their bills. Let's not forget the politicians that were in office and listened to the community activist during the Clinton years that enacted a law that forced the banks to make loans to bad credit risks.
We have all got to stand up and tell the incumbent members of Congress, all those that voted "yea" on the $789.5 billion stimulus package and we must add here, none of them read one word of this bill before enacting it, that we will all remember and see to it the day of reckoning will come in November 2010, 2012, or 2014, for we will fire you all! Then do it!
Buried in the legislation that none of Congress read, are some 9,000 "earmarks" or if you prefer, "pork" that our president, on the campaign trail, said there would be no more earmarks allowed when he was president, then after election he said the bill as presented had no earmarks in it. However, by the time you read this, the bill will be passed and he said he intends to sign it.
Among the earmarks is a provision to create a board, using $1.1 billion of our dollars that will make life and death decisions about whether or not seniors can have life saving operations and the ability to choose your doctors for you and they can and will override the doctors' decisions, even regarding treatment and drugs, etc.
We can't forget the reward in the bill that the ACORN group gets some $5.2 billion for helping the president win in 2008. This also will help assure him re-election in 2012. This so-called stimulus bill runs over 1,000 pages and no way can we list even a long list of the "pork" but the bottom line is we can't afford this big government administration. In less than a year, the public has been presented with bailouts upon bailouts and stimulus bills, all of which are really just spending bills the leftist democrats and some republicans want, mostly for social interests. The total so far is somewhere in the range of $13 to $15 trillion dollars added to our national debt. They apparently haven't learned that you can't spend your way out of debt.
Since the election, the stock market has dropped approximately 3,000 points and every day that more bad news comes out, the market drops another 200 to 300 points. Most analysts say it's the lack of confidence in the government policies for the incredible pessimism of investors and consumers. Surprisingly, 63 percent of investors say "much more" stimulus is needed and 20 percent say "a lot more" is needed to turn the economy around.
Hurting the recovery also is that states from California to New York are raising taxes, which creates more obstacles to an early recovery. This is not the time to raise taxes of any kind. Instead we should be cutting taxes on workers, businesses and investors to give the economy the capital and breathing room it needs to recover.
At present, 48 percent of the nation's homeowners, who have a sub prime adjustable rate mortgage, are behind on their payments or are in foreclosure. Florida, California and Nevada are among the worst states – having reckless lending practices. Here in Florida, one in five mortgage holders aren't current with their payment.
The new government relief plan aims to help up to 9 million borrowers to qualify for more affordable mortgages and get to stay in their homes. The devil is in the details, borrowers can't owe more than 105 percent of their home's current value on their first mortgage. In other words if you owe currently more than what your house is worth, its called being "underwater" and sorry, you're on your own. Another problem is that troubled homeowners, who are in the most battered housing markets, will not qualify for aid because their house will have lost too much value. If you look at the map of the worst hit areas, you will find the highest area is Stockton, California with 18.7 percent foreclosures. The rest of California in need is about half-way south to the Los Angeles area, then it jumps over to the Phoenix, Arizona area. There are approximately 24 other dark coded areas across the U.S. In Florida, it shows Tampa and south along both coasts to Miami. Also, Marion County is shown. You can't say whether we will see any of this mortgage money coming here, but you can be sure a large part of it will go to the heavily populated areas of Los Angeles, where 51 percent of the population is illegals and legal Hispanics, blacks and the poor. The money will go to a select few, where the government hopes to, as soon as possible, pick up some 12 to 15 million new democratic voters when they give them all amnesty and green cards.
Most of the experts agree on one thing and that is, to address our fiscal crisis is to cut spending or raise taxes and we all know which way the administration is determined to go. Everyone who voted democratic should be happy the way things are going.
"Once we realize that government doesn't work, we will stop dreaming that this or that social problem can be solved by passing a law, or by creating a new government program – or by electing someone who will make Washington more efficient or cost conscious"……………… Harry Browne.
Robert E. Beckner lives in Majestic Oaks with his wife, Sarah. He is a retired private investigator and insurance adjuster. He has also been a photographer and served with the Military Police in the Marine Corps.
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Monday, December 5, 2016
Udderly cute and funny
I would like to enter these challenges:
Allsorts - CAS
Catch the Bug - gift tape (red/white striped)
Little Miss Muffet - AG
4 comments:
Your CAS creation is beautiful and thank you for entering my challenge theme of CAS [clean and simple]at Allsorts Challenges, do hope to see you again. ♥ReplyDelete
[aNNie DT for Allsorts Challenges]
Thanks for keeping it clean and simple at our allsorts challenge this week Tracy xReplyDelete
Thanks so much for playing along in our Christmas Chaos Tag Challenge at Catch the Bug! I love your project, good luck !ReplyDelete
Super cute!! Love it! :o) Thank you so much for joining us at Little Miss Muffet Challenge this fortnight. I hope to see you again. :o)ReplyDelete
Milka GDT
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Gamers want choices, reality, and open-ended worlds. The majority of all games (until very recently) were helmed by male protagonists, so any female gamers could just shut up and play as a dude. The first game I ever played where a female lead was an option was Harvest Moon: Magical Melody and I was so ecstatic. Nowadays all MMOs offer both male and female characters, and newer open-ended single player experiences are offering that as well, such as Mass Effect. There are still only a handful of games with just a lady at the forefront; a smattering of Resident Evil titles, Mirror's Edge, and Bayonetta are the first ones to come to mind.
So. Choices. Non-linear gameplay, reality, and options parallel to those in real life. Women have finally been given the option to play in familiar terrain, and games such as Fable, The Sims, Skyrim, and Mass Effect have taken it a step further and provided players the option of a love interest. Now, given that whole "do whatever you want in-game" thing that everyone is so wild about, doesn't it make sense to include homosexual options? YES. That is a resounding "yes".
EA has done just that, to the anger and dismay of homophobes everywhere, with their series Mass Effect. Since the most recent offering in the series released late last year there has been a constant growl of disapproval circulating the title, especially since this most recent iteration includes *gasp* gameplay footage of same-sex individuals together. Please note that this "footage" is men talking to one another while in their underwear. The horror! More sexy and exciting things happen in football locker rooms.
Even though EA was voted the worst company of last year, they are being shone in a favorable light this last week as they responded to an influx of hate mail over their inclusion of same-sex romance options and plot lines in-game for Mass Effect 3 as well as their MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The haters and protestors continue to insist that the company is corrupting the youth, encouraging homosexuality, and is marketed at young children: BS line after BS line. While the ESRB may not be perfect, it is still fairly adequate at providing an at-a-glance answer as to whether or not a game is appropriate for a child. FOR INSTANCE! Mass Effect 3 is rated M for Mature. Mature, as in seventeen or over. Over seventeen as in nearly an adult. The ESRB provides more than just a letter rating though, they also give a description of the content that constitutes the letter rating. Mass Effect 3 is rated M for Mature for the following reasons: Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence.
Are you actually telling me that those things are perfectly acceptable for your child, and the only thing that will cause that content to be inappropriate is a man loving a man, or a woman loving a woman?
Excuse me a moment.
I hope it's no surprise that what this boils down to is the parent-child relationship, interaction, and how responsible the parent is in moderating and monitoring the child's recreational intake. When I worked at GameStop I sold a truly, disgustingly, unbelievable number of copies of GTA to parents who were openly purchasing it for their ten-years-of-age-or-younger children.
As a person with at least a smattering of moral responsibility (I have a very strong moral compass, just FYI), I felt angry and sickened each time this happened. I warned each and every parent that the content was extremely unsuitable for someone of such a young age, and 95% of the time I was greeted with a flippant hand flap and a casual remark that their, presumably unique, child was smart enough to understand that "it's just a game."
This has become increasingly rant-y, and I'm apologizing for that. Not because I dislike rants, but because I didn't set out to create a rant.
It's true that parents should know their children, and if they truly believe that their seven year old is responsible, mature, and smart enough to understand that just because the gun-toting man in GTA is stealing cars and shooting cops, that doesn't mean that that's actually OK, then fine. But then don't have the audacity to turn around and blame gaming companies for "corrupting" your child because they continue to expand to all-inclusive reality by allowing gamers to pick a same-sex partner. The box says "sexual content". It's not the company's fault that you assumed that meant "straight people only".


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Missing civil rights icon arrested returning from Dubai over Obama inauguration check that bounced
Fauntroy, who helped Martin Luther King Jr. plan the 1963 March on Washington, fled the country four years ago amid myriad financial problems. Chief among them was a bad check he wrote in 2009 to an event-planning company that helped him organize a ball for President Barack Obama's first inauguration. A Prince George's County, Maryland judge issued the bench warrant after the retired pastor failed to appear for a court hearing related to the $55,000 check.
But on Monday, he was ready to come home and face the music.
Breaking! Rev Walter Fauntroy is arrested at Dulles airport upon return to the US from Dubai @firstname.lastname@example.com/HDoGDvWpYX— bruce johnson (@brucejohnson9) June 27, 2016
Fauntroy, 83, was taken into custody at the airport, WUSA's Bruce Johnson reported, on the bench warrant for the bounced check.
Fauntroy fled the country for the United Arab Emirates in 2012, leaving his wife of nearly six decades in deep debt and facing foreclosure. Over the years, he spoke with her, but never told her where he was or when he'd return, the Washington Post reported.
In February, Dorothy Fauntroy, 81, headed to court, asking a District of Columbia probate judge to grant her access to the couple's joint bank account before her husband was able to withdraw money. Mrs. Fauntroy was relying on church donations to pay bills, and needed the $5,000 monthly deposits from Social Security and retirement benefits, according to the Post. She also sought a protective order so she could sign legal documents on Fauntroy's behalf, in part to prevent foreclosure of their Washington, DC home.
Fauntroy served as the District's congressional delegate for 20 years.
Pray for Reverend Walter Fauntroy. True American superhero. You can't erase the history he created. pic.twitter.com/6yg4L75qfv— ? (@WizardKelly__) June 27, 2016
The couple filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2014 after the Bank of New York Mellon filed for foreclosure on their home, but that case was dropped after Fauntroy failed to get credit counseling.
Fauntroy's return to the US was not unexpected. In his first interview since he fled the country, he told the Post he was prepared to come home.
"I have my ticket. I have my passport. Without question, it's over," he said. "I'm coming home."
Fascinating @ianshapira read on the downward spiral of DC civil rights leader Walter Fauntroy https://t.co/2E4vUt6x3R— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 8, 2016
For the last three months, he had been living rent-free in the guest room of an apartment with a South Sudanese family in Ajman, north of Dubai. It was there that the US State Department finally tracked him down and offered to help fly him home.
"They said, 'We've been asked to see if we can help you get home.' I said, 'Thank you.' It was an answer to prayer," Fauntroy told the Post. "I want to come home. It's blistering hot, and I'll be happy to come home for that reason, but also so I can see my wife, my son, my daughter and my new grandson. 'New' for me, because it's been two years since he's been born."
Family and friends have been increasingly worried about Fauntroy's mental health, the Post reported. A photo of him from 2015 showed him as gaunt and frail, while he has appeared delusional in emails and phone calls.
While in the UAE, Fauntroy began using an the alias "Shahid Sarkar" in his emails, but signed his correspondence as "The Congressman." He wrote of conspiracies and spies blocking his emails. In phone calls, he spoke of "rogue elements" within the US and international intelligence communities working against him, according to the Post.
83 yr Walter Fauntroy been in Middle East since 2012. Friends and family concerned bout his mental health @wusa9pic.twitter.com/F0BR1WShF5— bruce johnson (@brucejohnson9) June 27, 2016
The former civil rights leader dismissed the criminal charge against him and his mounting financial problems as a conspiracy to undermine his reputation.
"That whole effort was a determined effort to discredit me as I moved around the world to organize people," Fauntroy told the Post last week. "You read the news on the Internet that 'nobody knows where he is' and 'when he comes home, he's going to be arrested'? Well, see if I get arrested. It is disinformation which you can dispense easily when you control the media."
"The charge is a false flag... That is a tactic of intelligence institutions, the KGB, the CIA," he added.
#CBP arrests Walter Fauntroy, 83, of Washington, D.C., on outstanding arrest warrant at Dulles airport. Read https://t.co/SueXwI56F4— CBP Mid-Atlantic (@CBPMidAtlantic) June 27, 2016
A group of family friends chipped in together to pay for Fauntroy's flight home on Emirates airline, E. Faye Williams, the president and chief executive of the National Congress of Black Women, told the Post.
Fauntroy was arrested by US Customs and Border Protection officers after he cleared customs at Dulles. He is being held without bond in the Loudoun County Jail, Johnson reported. He has a hearing set for Tuesday on the warrant.


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After writing the Mortgage Overpayments article, where I discuss what, where and how, I decided to put together this overpayment mortgage calculator, so anyone can quickly and easily calculate how much they can save by making regular or a one-off lump-sum overpayment.
The tool calculates how much you can save, along with how much time you will be shaving off your mortgage.
Generally, most lenders allow borrowers that are still with in their fixed period can make a 10% penalty-free overpayment 'per mortgage anniversary year' (i.e. without incurring an early repayment charges). While the rest, those that are out of the fixed rate period and onto the lender's standard variable rate, typically don't have a limit to how much they can overpay (but still might be subject to a fixed-rate early repayment charge, which usually doesn't amount to much).
Lenders have been known to calculate the 10% threshold quite differently from one another. For example, 'Lender A' may allow you to make a 10% overpayment based on the overall loan value, while 'Lender B' may only allow you to make a 10% overpayment based on the remaining balance (which means the penalty-free limit goes down each year). Some lenders also allow you to carry over the penalty-free allowances to the following year if it's not used.
Point is, before overpaying your mortgage, check that your lender allows you to overpay it penalty-free, and if there are any limits as to how much you can overpay.
Important: Please note, this information is computer-generated and relies on certain assumptions (e.g. interest rate will remain the same). It has only been designed to give a useful general indication of costs.
It's important you always get a specific quote from the lender and double-check the price yourself before acting on the information. We cannot accept responsibility for any errors.
How much can you save?
Please, let me know what the calculator comes back with and how much you can potentially save, I'd really love to hear. Are you going to make the overpayment?


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The Yankee Dental Congress, an annual convention sponsored by the Southborough-based Massachusetts Dental Society, could break an attendance record because it will be held in the massive Boston Convention & Exhibition for the first time. The event had been located at Boston's Hynes Convention Center since it started in 1976.
Thousands of dentists and dental professionals will descend on Boston this week to learn about the latest in teeth-related technology and oral health services.
The Yankee Dental Congress, an annual convention sponsored by the Southborough-based Massachusetts Dental Society, could break an attendance record because it will be held in the massive Boston Convention & Exhibition for the first time. The event had been located at Boston's Hynes Convention Center since it started in 1976.
The dental society received about 25,543 early registrations but expects "walk-ins'' to boost the total attendance figure beyond 28,000.
"We have pre-registrations of over 6,000 dentists, which is a new benchmark for us,'' noted Robert Boose, the organization's executive director.
The event primarily draws dental professionals from New England and New York but large groups are flying into Boston from California and Ohio. The number of exhibit booths totals 1,036, up from 934 last year at the Hynes. Attendees can choose among 450 courses on such subjects as forensics, oral cancer and cosmetic dentistry.
"It is a regional meeting but the whole fabric of focusing on continuing education and networking is just an added value, so people (from across the country) see the worth of the show,'' Boose said.
Whether it breaks a record or not, the Yankee Dental Congress is one of the top five dental expos in the country and lines up as the second biggest convention in Boston for 2008, with an estimated economic impact of $22 million. The city's largest convention this year is the AIIM and On Demand combined expo, scheduled for early March and expected to draw about 35,000 people involved, respectively, with the information management and digital printing industries.
The Yankee Dental Congress kicks off Wednesday night with a reception and awards ceremony at the Seaport Hotel in South Boston, with the convention center opening Thursday and events there running through Sunday.
The event typically features top-notch entertainment and this year singer Sheryl Crow performs Friday night in the convention center's ballroom. Actress Geena Davis and mystery author Harlan Coben will make guest appearances.
Dr. Andrea Richman, a Carlisle dentist and president of the Mass. dental society, helped book Crow - "she's always been one of my favorites'' - but was quick to note the event's focus on education.
"Although we make it fun, the primary purpose of it is continuing education for dentists and their staff,'' she said.
The Hynes' Back Bay location is closer to hotels, shopping and nightlife, but its twin exhibit halls had become too cramped for the dental expo, according to Jim Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, which manages both the Hynes and Boston convention centers.
Rooney said two other annual events, the seafood and horticultural expos, had moved from the Hynes to the bigger facility and saw 40 percent increases in size. "I think you'll see the same thing for Yankee Dental over time,'' he said.
The Yankee Dental Congress has a fixed contract through 2014 to hold its event at the Boston Convention & Exposition Center, according to the convention center authority.
Many exhibitors are looking forward to easier access and larger display spaces at the convention center in South Boston. Henry Schein Inc., a major dental supply company based in Melville, N.Y., expects to have a 50-by-70-foot, double-decker booth to show off nearly everything it sells.
"We are very excited that the Yankee Dental Congress decided to move to (that) location so that it provides the attendees with a centralized opportunity to view all exhibitors in one hall,'' said Tracy Sunke, marketing and conventions manager for Henry Schein. "We do anticipate a greater number of attendees, and that's good for us.''
The Yankee Dental Congress is a major draw for the dental industry, but patients shouldn't worry about their toothache going untreated this week.
"Most dentists arrange for coverage,'' Richman said. "If somebody has an emergency, they'll be taken care of.''
(Greg Turner can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 508-626-3909.)


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Internal Company News
The Scrabble Club will meet in the social area at 6:00 on the first Tuesday of the month. New members are welcome! If you would like some Scrabble help, or have ever wondered about the best two letter words with C, then join us for a sociable after-work get-together. We will be playing competitively, as well as teaching the game and giving word tips for beginners and advanced players. Contact Kim Larson via internal mail. See you there!


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четверг, 1 марта 2012 г.
NSW: Premier seeks urgent meeting with chief justice
AAP General News (Australia)
NSW: Premier seeks urgent meeting with chief justice
New South Wales Premier BOB CARR is seeking an urgent meeting with the state's chief
justice amid escalating outrage over sentences given to the youths who pack-raped two
teenage girls.
The premier will also meet with the New South Wales Judicial Commission on Thursday
to examine ways of ensuring rapists are dealt tougher sentences in line with community
Radio talkback callers have jammed switchboards with suggestions from public floggings
to punishment under the religious laws of the offenders.
Two brothers were yesterday jailed for no more than four years each over the attacks
in Sydney' south-west in September last year.
The maximum sentence for aggravated sexual assault is 20 years.
AAP RTV ls/rp/wz/jn
2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
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With his latest novel COMPANY, Max Barry once again takes aim at the corporate environment with razor sharp wit and his sly, almost absurdist, satirical voice. His writing often feels very similar to Douglas Coupland who shared many of his views of corporate culture in his wonderful novel MICROSERFS. Most of us have been there before, in the banal cattle farm that is the world of cubical culture. For those who have not and cannot understand what your friends are talking about should read these two books. They're sort of DILBERT for adults.
The book has many surprising and often funny twists and turns as its protagonist, Stephen Jones, slowly uncovers the truth about the new company he is working for. Zephyr Holdings is like many large companies. Each department is its own serfdom and Senior Management rules all with its hidden hand of authority. What is always surprising to me about Max Berry's books is that through all this satire and absurdity, his characters still feel real and you often find yourselves rooting for them and languishing with them in their ethical dilemmas. His last book, JENNIFER GOVERNMENT, had a similar feel, but was more concerned with the lengths that corporate marketers will often go to, to get their product to rise above the flotsam and jetsam of the consumer feeding tough.
This wasn't the easiest book for Barry to write. I've been waiting almost two years for it to come out. It would seem that getting this close and remaining true to his goal was quite difficult this time around and many rounds with his editor delayed the book many years. I personally am glad he waited. It isn't easy to find compassion and truth buried in these types of cultures. Obviously this is the story of the worker and not the corporation. But, there were many places he could have misstep and I have no doubt that he did many times before pulling together this novel. I would love to point to one of the articles or blog threads where he discussed this, but with the publication of his book they seem to hiding.
I also believe that if you are one of those management types that enjoys reading books about how to manage people, most likely because you never really worked up to that position but just sort of ended up there, you should read this book instead. Of course I don't think there are any of those sorts of people who visit my little island here, but you never know, they could click over from reading some poor employees blog before sacking them and wonder to the "next blog" feature and end up on mine. I've found in the few large companies that I have worked in that the managers forget, if they ever had the knowledge in the first place, what it was like to be a low rung employee as soon as their ass hits their new comfortable chair. Funny that the higher you get in an organization the more comfortable your chair gets. It's just like in churches where the worshippers sit on slightly cushioned slabs of hard wood while the preacher and adjunct ministers have nice comfortable seats up on the Dias. Odd, that analogy.
As soon as this one comes out in paperback, I will immediately begin spreading it around like a virus.
Twitter Updates
Saturday, February 04, 2006
1 comment:
- Alan Gratz said...
I read and really enjoyed Jennifer Government. I gave his previous effort, Syrup, a good try, but it didn't click for me the way JenGov did. I've read good things about Company though (and now here again) so I'll have to give it a shot.