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For most consumers, the home they own and live in is their largest and most important investment. Adding improvements, repairing damage, and keeping up with routine maintenance are all part of the smart consumer's effort to protect and increase the value of this important asset.
Scammers know you'll spend money to improve your home. Be sure you know how to protect yourself, and you should familiarize yourself with common home improvement scams.
Be cautious when a salesperson appears at your door uninvited. Two very common sales pitches often associated with home improvement scams are:
Both come-ons are red flags. Businesses that do a particular kind of home repair do not generally cruise neighborhoods, knocking on doors, looking for houses that need them. This would not be a very efficient way to find business.
And while most contractors will put up a sign in the yard where they are working to try and win some neighborhood business, they are not likely to go from door to door selling leftover materials. They are more likely to use the leftovers on the next real job.
Maybe not all door-to-door contractors are scammers -- but many scammers do work from door to door. Home improvement scams often flourish in the wake of disasters, especially violent storms such as hurricanes and tornados. Some legitimate repair specialists may work door to door in these circumstances, but so do con artists.
You need to know who the person is and how you would be able to find that person. Is it a legitimate businessperson with dependable contact information and a good reputation? Or a fly-by-night who will disappear with your money?
Too often, the unsolicited salesperson uses high pressure sales tactics: "The offer is for today only!" "Special price only if you do it today!" If you are being hurried into a decision, your answer should be NO. You need time to check them out, and if they are legitimate business people, they will welcome your questions.
Take time to choose the person who will work on your home. It is a good idea to choose a contractor with an established physical address. It is common for people in construction to use cell phones, but you should be sure you can find anyone who has done work on your house, in case problems arise.
The best policy is to get bids from more than one person for any work you are going to have done on your house. Get the bids in writing, and look for detail about exactly what will be done. Depending on the nature of the work, you may wish to specify the kinds (grade or thickness) of materials that will be used.
Beware of the "low-ball" bidder whose price is much lower than everyone else's. Question the quality of the materials that will be used and the work that will be done. A very low bidder may not plan to include all the specific tasks you might expect, may use very cheap, inexperienced labor, or second-rate materials. Most of the legitimate bids will fall into a fairly close range.
Seek references. Ask to speak to satisfied customers, and ask them if you can visit their homes to inspect the work done by a contractor you are seriously considering. If you are hiring the kind of worker who must be licensed by the state (such as an electrician), contact the licensing agency to check the person's credentials and inquire about complaints.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is a state regulatory agency that currently oversees over twenty types of businesses, industries, trades and occupations. The agency is responsible for issuing licenses, conducting inspections, investigating complaints, assessing penalties, setting rules and standards and holding hearings.
Verify any claims the contractor makes about energy savings or increased security, home value, or other added advantages to the improvements you are buying.
Most home repair and remodeling work is performed under contract. Legitimate businesses will usually insist on having a contract for their own protection, and a well written contract should protect the homeowner, too.
DO NOT sign a contract with blanks in it. It happens: the blanks get filled in later, and the new terms are not likely to be in the consumer's favor.
DO NOT sign a contract until you have carefully read and understood every word of it. Sometimes it can be difficult to get out of a signed contract.
These precautions are important to remember whenever you sign a contract of any kind. Consumers contact our agency all the time complaining of unreasonable, even outrageous, terms of business. Too often, they have signed a contract they have not read which puts them at a disadvantage.
Do not allow anyone to rush you into signing a contract. The sales person should be willing to leave the contract with you so you can read it carefully on your own time. If anyone rushes you or tries to make you sign on the spot, or will not leave a copy for you to study, you should be suspicious of that person and the contract.
Make sure everything promised to you is in the written contract. Insist on a written contract that specifically states what the contractor will do, when the work will start, and when it will be completed. Make sure the contract includes everything the salesperson or contractor promised and spells out the cost of special orders and materials.
Be aware that most contractors will not allow you to change your mind for free about what you want done or how you want it done. Often a contractor will require a service charge for changing the work order, and this should be covered in the contract.
Get and keep copies of everything you sign at the time you sign it.
Any contract you sign for work on your homestead must contain the following warning next to the space for your signature:
"Important Notice: You and your contractor are responsible for meeting the terms and conditions of this contract. If you sign this contract and you fail to meet the terms and conditions of this contract, you may lose your legal ownership rights in your home. Know your rights and duties under the law."
When you sign a contract for home improvements on your homestead, the contractor can legally place a lien on the homestead. If you sign a contract containing the language quoted above and you fail to make the payments, the company can take away your home. Therefore, it is extremely important that you understand exactly what your obligations will be under the contract, and that you are confident you can meet those obligations. If you have any questions or doubts, consult an attorney before you sign the contract.
If there will be a lien on your home, make sure a notary is present to witness your signature. A notary other than the salesperson must be present to witness you sign the document creating the lien. It should be a warning to you if the salesperson does not have a notary present or if he says he will take care of the notarization later.
It bears repeating: get and keep copies of everything you sign.
If your contractor fails to pay the subcontractors and suppliers, YOU are responsible, even though you have not contracted directly with the subcontractor or supplier. Under Texas law, if a subcontractor or supplier who furnishes labor or materials for the construction of improvements on a property is not paid, the property may be subject to a lien for the unpaid amount.
If your homestead improvement exceeds $5,000 in cost, the contractor is required by law to deposit your payments in a construction account at a financial institution. Ask the contractor for written verification of the existence of the construction account. Monitor deposits and disbursements to subcontractors, laborers, and vendors. Access to the account record should be included as a requirement in your written construction contract.
It is normal for a contractor to ask for partial payment in advance, and provided that you have taken the precautions recommended above, you should expect to provide a part of the cost before the work begins. However, it is notorious that scammers involved in door-to-door rip-offs will ask for payment in full in advance, and then abscond without completing (sometimes without even starting) the job.
Even with a reputable business and a sound written contract in place, you should not pay in full until the work is complete and you have inspected it yourself and found it satisfactory. A partial payment schedule will usually specify what part of the job has been done when a partial payment is due. Inspect the work and make sure the contractor has met the schedule before you make your payment.
If you are asked to sign a certificate of completion, do not do so until all the work is completely finished, the site is cleaned up, and you are satisfied.
If the job is expensive enough that you will need to finance it, be sure to shop around for the best terms on the financing. This is separate from taking bids on the cost of the work. In choosing your source of financing, you will be concerned with the rate of interest, finance charges and the terms of the pay-out. As with any financing agreement, you should calculate the entire cost of interest and charges over the term of the loan.
A home improvement company may offer financing, but this is not necessarily the best option, even though it may seem easy to arrange the financing and the work contract at the same time. Be aware that some contractors will have you sign a credit contract to pay a certain price for the work plus a finance charge, then immediately sell the right to collect on the contract for 20-50% less than the contract price. That usually means you could have gotten the work done for 20-50% less by paying cash or arranging financing yourself.
If you are asked to sign a credit check application, read the form carefully and make sure it does not bind you to anything. Make sure it really is a credit check and not a contract. If you do not understand everything in the document, do not sign it until you have had someone else explain it to you.
Not all water and mold damage is covered by your residential property insurance policy. Most of the homeowner's insurance policies sold in Texas are known as HO-A policies. In general, HO-A policies only cover sudden and accidental water leaks and do not cover damage resulting from continuous or repeated leakage. Many do not cover remediation of mold; those that do generally have a cap on coverage.
The other principal type of policy, commonly offered in Texas in the past, is referred to as HO-B. HO-B policies pay for the full replacement cost of the structure of your home, except for items specifically excluded. Few insurers in Texas are now offering HO-B policies.
Some homeowners who have filed claims for mold or water damage later experience difficulty in renewing or obtaining new insurance coverage for their homes. Contact the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) for possible assistance if you have difficulty finding an insurer. CLUE tracks claims filed on properties all across the nation. The database tracks both the claims history of your house and on claims filed a homeowner. CLUE is administered by LexisNexis.
In general, property claims filed with insurers are recorded in the CLUE database. In some cases, insurers may have reported inquiries about how to file a mold claim, even when no claim was made. Home buyers may request a building's CLUE report. Claims on your property may prevent potential buyers from obtaining homeowner's insurance. This in turn may limit your ability to sell the property. Therefore consider carefully whether to file repair claims on your home.
Under federal law, you can challenge incorrect information in your CLUE report. If you are denied homeowner's coverage because of a CLUE report, you are entitled to receive the report free. Contact the Equifax Insurance Consumer Center at (800) 456-6004. You do not have to report mold problems to your insurance company if you pay for the remediation. However in order to accept a claim, your policy may require you to report water damage to your insurance company within a set time (generally 30 days) after you discover or should have discovered the damage.
In general, your insurer must begin an investigation within fifteen days after you file a written claim. The company may ask you for more information, and has another fifteen days after you send the information before it must accept or reject the claim. If the company agrees to pay the claim, it must do so within five days. If the company rejects the claim, it must give you the reasons in writing.
It is common for an insurance settlement check to be made out to both the homeowner and the mortgage company. Some mortgage companies will endorse the check to the homeowner, leaving the homeowner to arrange for remediation. Otherwise the lender usually uses the insurance checks to pay the contractor, with an inspector monitoring the work and releasing payments. Consult with your mortgage company about how involved it will become with the remediation work. If the company oversees the work, you should still understand who is responsible for ensuring the job is done properly, and the extent of your liability. Remain active in this process.
Remediation is more than just repairing damage caused by mold. It involves the process of evaluating the situation before repair work begins. It also involves removing and cleaning items contaminated with mold, treating potentially affected areas, and ensuring that mold does not reoccur.
All non-exempt mold assessors and remediators must be licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). A person may hold licenses, but may not do both jobs on the same project. In addition, a person may not own an interest in both firms that do the assessment and the remediation on the same project.
There are exceptions to the licensing requirement. Homeowners can take mold samples or clean up mold in their homes without a license. Also, a person does not need license if the assessed or remediated area is less than 25 sq. ft., or where the remediation is part of construction or improvement of a one or two-family home. This exemption covers landlords and tenants (and their agents and employees) when the rental property has less than ten residential units. These exemptions do not apply if the people involved provide mold assessment and remediation professionally to the general public.
Review all bids with your insurer to determine which costs will be covered. If your lender is involved in the process, make sure the bid specifics and payment schedule meet the lender's requirements.
Check with DSHS to see if the contractors are properly licensed, and whether any complaints have been filed. Also check the company's complaint history with our office and the Better Business Bureau.
Be wary of possible conflicts of interest on the part of companies that provide multiple services. Remember that by law, the same person or company may not do mold assessment and remediation on the same job.
Some insurers may have a list of recommended mold specialists, but you must choose the contractor. Your insurer is prohibited from requiring you to use a specific company, but may assist you with your selection and with getting remediation work done in a timely manner.
After the contract is signed, licensed remediators are required to give you a Consumer Mold Information Sheet prepared by DSHS.
Under state law, a mold assessment must be done before remediation begins. Check your insurance policy to see if the remediation settlement should include the assessment cost.
The assessor must prepare a work analysis for each project, and give the client a copy before remediation begins. The analysis must state:
The licensed remediator must then produce a plan with instructions for each aspect of the project. The remediator must give the owner a copy of the plan before work starts, and keep a copy at the job site. The remediator must also notify DSHS about the project at least five days before work begins, except in emergencies.
Within ten days after completing remediation work, the remediator must give the property owner a certificate of mold remediation. The certificate must include a statement from a mold assessor that the contamination has been remediated in accordance with the clean-up plan. The certificate must also show if they fixed the underlying cause of the mold. Remember that the certificate only applies to mold removal - it does not cover other types of water damage repair.
Remediators must keep a record of all jobs they did over the last three years. This record must include before and after photos of the contamination scene, the written contract for remediation and all job related invoices. The remediator is required to give the homeowner a copy of all photos included in the project record.
Property owners should keep copies of the mold assessment, remediation contract, remediation certificate, photos and other related materials on file. If owner sells the property, he or she must give the buyer a copy of each remediation certificate issued on the property.
The rules do not apply to the following actions, when not done specifically as part of a mold assessment/remediation:
If you have questions or complaints about the license status of a mold assessor or remediator, contact DSHS. Call (800) 293-0753 for more information.
We also accept complaints against mold assessors and mold remediation contractors, including matters related to warranties. You may also want to discuss the matter with a private attorney.
You may be anxious to get started on a new home improvement project, or anxious to have damage repaired, but be sure to take enough time to check out the company, look at their work, review the contract, and find the best possible financing terms. Do not act on the spur of the moment, or jump on an offer that sounds like a fast-breaking opportunity. Proceed with care, take precautions, and enjoy your new, improved home!


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Reflections on contemporary Benedictine life at the Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, ID
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Feast of St. Gertrude
The Feast of St. Gertrude is November 16. St. Gertrude is the patroness of our Monastery. This year on the Feast Postulant Katie Cooper became a Novice. This is the next step in becoming a sister of the Monastery. I hope to have her and some of the sisters, novices and postulants share their impressions of the day.
What is life like in a Benedictine Monastery in Cottonwood, ID. Stay tuned to find out.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, January 07, 2010
Rhode Island effort to reconnect city, river
St. Louis has the same opportunity with plans to reconnect the City, Arch, and River. Highway removal is key to making it happen.
Lots of other cities are considering their own highway removal options. Will Arch design competition entrants be so inspired?
Removal of the I-70 depressed and elevated lanes separating downtown from the riverfront and Arch grounds might seem like an impossible dream. However, here's what the National Park Service says about it in its recently adopted General Management Plan for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (from Section 5.4 "Comments, and Responses to Comments, On the Draft Plan"):
COMMENT: The portion of I-70 adjacent to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial should be removed in order to eliminate the physical and psychological barrier it creates.
RESPONSE: The National Park Service would prefer and strongly supports the removal of the Interstate highway between the Poplar Street Bridge and Eads Bridge at some point in the future. We recognize an undertaking of this magnitude may not be possible during the timeframe this GMP addresses (15-20 years), but we would amend the GMP should such an opportunity become feasible prior to the expiration of this plan.
At Ecology of Absence, Michael Allen makes a compelling case for analyzing the potential of highway removal in connection with the rerouting of I-70 over the new Mississippi River Bridge.
While the life of the GMP is 15-20 years, improvements built through the results of the design competition will surely be planned to have a useful life of much longer than that. We are likely to live with the decisions made today for the next 50 to 100 years. Unless of course the New Madrid decides to make a major move. In that case, all bets are off.
4 comments:
- Daron said...
that's very interesting that two universities hope to step in. What STL universities would be interested in archfront property?
- Rick Bonasch said...
Daron -
You had a great idea about using this project to leverage an educational opportunity for St. Louis city school kids.
Imagine locating a downtown neighborhood school somewhere in the reopened connection between downtown and the riverfront/Arch area?
It'd be a source of pride for city public school kids.
- Daron said...
I heard an interview on Smart City from the president of Portland State University and he talked on and on about how his university exists only to make the city a better place to live. They're located downtown and invested millions in public transit. Inspirational really, three entries about it on my blog already.
About public schools, I was really just commenting about Confluence Academy opening adjacent to the library. It is happening, I just hope it works out for the best.
Putting in a school on real estate reclaimed from the removal of I-70 though is your idea that I just now read. That'd be brilliant. If I grew up going to such a school, I'd be devoted to the city forever. How many Ram's players would volunteer at my school? ... probably none, but that's ok.
- Rick Bonasch said...
Washington University has been a leader in jump starting discussions about reconnecting downtown and the riverfront.
This past year they held a Saarinen exhibit at their architecture school, and earlier in the year, they co-sponsored a major student design charette focused on the riverfront. It would be great if they continue to be a voice in this effort.
As far as reclaimed land becoming available for redevelopment, there has not been a detailed survey of the amount of acreage made available, but it is significant, especially in the area between Laclede's Landing, the Bottle District, and the Edward Jones Dome.


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This is my first time ever to blog. I thought it would be a good way for my family to keep up on our new baby girl Addyson.
I made Addyson her first costume for Halloween. She is a ladybug . That was my first time I had ever sewn something that was worth wearing! After making her costume it has caused me to think of all kinds of things that I want to make her and things that I want to make for my house.
I can't wait to share all the wonderful moments that we have with our new daughter Addyson Marie.


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The BBC has launched a new training programme which will focus on working with disabled actors currently in the industry, as well as finding new up-and-coming talent.
The participants of the scheme, which is called 'Class Act: a nationwide search and skill factory', will be tutored in auditioning, camera technique, business and acting skills, and script and character work. They will also be given the chance to work with directors on material for use in their showreel. The workshop will last three days, and give actors the opportunity to build contacts within the industry. The residential training scheme will be held in London from 2nd to 4th October this year.
Controller of BBC Comedy commissioning, Shane Allen, said increasing the number of disabled actors represented in comedy programmes is "crucial" and this new training scheme is the "most focused and practical way" to nurture new talents. The BBC's target for disabled people within the organisation is 8% of all staff by 2020, including 8% of all screen talent.
Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama said the actors will be provided with the "finest training the BBC has to offer", while Alison Walsh, the pan-BBC disability lead, said: "Although this scheme doesn't guarantee work, it will provide training opportunities and exposure for new talent". To apply, prospective actors should register their interest by visiting this website.
Disabled performers of note to appear on stage recently include Game of Thrones' Mat Fraser, who played Richard III for Northern Broadsides, and Genevieve Barr, a D/deaf actress who appeared alongside Matt Smith in Unreachable at the Royal Court. When he was appearing at the Hull Truck Theatre, Fraser said British television is "pathetic" when it comes to casting disabled performers.


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|Photo © Platon-Courtesy The New Yorker
Be sure to view the accompanying short videos. You'll first have to suffer Goldman Sachs adverts, but just close your eyes while they play.
According to the news, Hosni Mubarak, his two sons, former interior minister Habib el-Adli, six of his aides and businessman Hussein Salem, are all charged with being involved in the killing of protesters during the 18-day revolt.
I'm not optimistic that the trial will be a speedy one, nor thorough. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it's postponed for a myriad of reasons...but the Egyptian people will eventually get justice. They must.


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Not the most ideal weather, for a session of making terrain boards on the patio.
Driven indoors, and at a bit of a loose end, yes ok, I did say I would finish Pyrrhus, but I did'nt enjoy painting the models, and the frustration at my inability, to plonk some pigment on a Cretan Archer, had me desk diving again.
The dedicated followers of my idiot ravings on here know by now, that means,
I will find something, then get fixated, try to paint it, get frustrated, put it away, sulk a bit, then, hmmm I wonder whats under there?.................I think you can understand the cycle of despair by now.
Well, Spain has returned to the desk, I had the lads on standby anyway, so it was a simple process to push Pyrrhus into a box, and fill the desk with random Anarchists, and a token ethnic minority, in the shape of a Moroccan cavalry scout I have converted.
We now have this view, when we plant our fat arse onto the leather desk chair.
Lets have a closer look
Its mostly militia on this side, in various stages of paintyness, lots of converted loveliness in this lot, mostly head swappery, so we have a few lovely ladies, a wounded Legionario, with an attending Medico. Over the back there is the Moroccan scout, and accompaniying him, we have a Militia despatch rider slaking his thirst, whilst holding his trusty Motorcycle. The other two models are crew from the Anarchist car, remember that project? :-)
I work on a number of figures at a time, so you tend to find a weird selection of half painted nonsense littering my painting space, as I get towards finishing an individual figure, I then concentrate on that one, and try to get it off the lids, and onto a base.
The figures on the right are a lot further forwards, and I will try to get those squared away this week.
No organisation at all, and thats perhaps why I don't get a lot of stuff done.
Down here, we have some Legionarios, the plan was to send these "up North" to the talented Andrew Taylor, to get him to slap some of his excellent paintyness onto them. Sadly, real life intervenes, and I have limited funds, so I shall have to add my own Paintyness to them, until my financial embarrassment passes, and I can employ Mr Taylor's talents on some other models.
Sometimes though, you get some completed models, and this motley crew will be joining the FAI/CNT force, once I get their basework squared away
From left to right, converted Anglian/Empress militiaman (headswap) Footsore/Musketeer Brigand, Anglian/Empress Militia, with a Crooked Dice Female head swap, and on the end, an Artisan Design partisan/resistance fighter. Just goes to show how a little application, and a careful trawl through various ranges, can add a lot of variety to your militia force.
For those of you how wish to engage in some head switching fun, I shall point you in the general direction of this, rather iffy, video presentation, which may, or may not help you in your endeavours.


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Happy Holidays!
My gift to you:
Welcome to the Family, A Sinners Christmas story
Man, I'm a cheap bastard. I even make you click a link.
If you're looking for a gift idea for me, this is number one on my Christmas list:
Do I know how to play it? Does knowing the riff for "Smoke on the Water" count?
I didn't think so.
I wish you a happy holidays and hope your 2010 was fabulous!


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Finding her way in divinity school
From a Communication & Media Studies degree to divinity school? Why not? asked Erin Guzman. While studying at Simpson, Erin was passionately involved with the Religious Life Community, and religion courses with Professors Jan Everhart, Mark Gammon, and Maeve Callan struck a chord that ended with matriculation to the Vanderbilt University Divinity School.
Thinking back to her time at Simpson, Erin focuses on the big picture things she learned. She worked for the Simpsonian as a sports writer and eventually became the layout editor. That position and her relationship with Communications professor Brian Steffen led to her job as Advertising Art Director in the Vanderbilt Student Media organization and doing public relations work for the Divinity School, but the lessons learned in the classroom pale in comparison to the life lessons learned. Erin explains, "I had a good time figuring out who I was at Simpson. I was really involved on campus but I wanted to explore different majors and career paths, and Simpson allowed me to do that. I'm still not sure where I'll be when I finish at Vanderbilt, but I'm discovering who I am, what I'm passionate about, and where I see my gifts being most useful and that's important to me."
Erin explained that the path after Divinity School is not always a position in a church. Some will pursue pastoral care working with specific groups, college students for example, a position which interests Erin right now. But others go into teaching, non-profit work or to dramatically different fields.
We look forward to seeing where Erin goes after she graduates next May and we know it will be with purpose and she will be making the world a better place.
Erin's always had a passion for ideas and for making a difference with her faith. She's a great example of what students can do when they combine their passion — in her case, religion — with the skills of journalism and new media. –Professor Brian Steffen
More information about the other students in Erin's class who matriculated at seminary or divinity schools.


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Wow! Time sure flies when you are having fun! Missionary work really is so much fun. Sometimes I dread leaving the house (ONLY because I seriously HATE not being able to speak Tagalog) but once we are working I chastise myself for thinking that, because it really is so much fun! :)It's weird because things that used to be normal seem weird now. Like I was doing my make-up the other day (which was for the first time since I left the MTC) and my eye literally freaked me out. Why? Because it was blue. Seriously. It's so weird to me when I look in the mirror because I do not expect to see anything like me anymore. Which explains all the weird/awkward stares I get. It's fun though. :)
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Issue No. 03 - March (2006 vol. 32)
pp: 176-192
DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/TSE.2006.28
Yuanyuan Zhou , IEEE
Recent studies have shown that large software suites contain significant amounts of replicated code. It is assumed that some of this replication is due to copy-and-paste activity and that a significant proportion of bugs in operating systems are due to copy-paste errors. Existing static code analyzers are either not scalable to large software suites or do not perform robustly where replicated code is modified with insertions and deletions. Furthermore, the existing tools do not detect copy-paste related bugs. In this paper, we propose a tool, CP-Miner, that uses data mining techniques to efficiently identify copy-pasted code in large software suites and detects copy-paste bugs. Specifically, it takes less than 20 minutes for CP-Miner to identify 190,000 copy-pasted segments in Linux and 150,000 in FreeBSD. Moreover, CP-Miner has detected many new bugs in popular operating systems, 49 in Linux and 31 in FreeBSD, most of which have since been confirmed by the corresponding developers and have been rectified in the following releases. In addition, we have found some interesting characteristics of copy-paste in operating system code. Specifically, we analyze the distribution of copy-pasted code by size (number lines of code), granularity (basic blocks and functions), and modification within copy-pasted code. We also analyze copy-paste across different modules and various software versions.
Software analysis, code reuse, code duplication, debugging aids, data mining.
Z. Li, S. Myagmar, S. Lu and Y. Zhou, "CP-Miner: Finding Copy-Paste and Related Bugs in Large-Scale Software Code," in IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, vol. 32, no. , pp. 176-192, 2006.


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I had a quick conversation with a grocery-store cashier yesterday that stuck with me for a while. He overheard Sarah and I talking about some technical stuff that piqued his interest and it came out that I was a software developer. He seemed pretty interested in that and asked me what kinds of projects I write. I mentioned that most recently I had written software for a museum installation and that for my full time job I work at a software company where I write software for doctor's offices.
His response was what stuck with me. He mentioned how it was nice for me to have some interesting side-projects to fill in the gaps I that must have from my boring day job. I didn't get into this with him due to the brevity of our conversation but I think his response is indicative of a very commonly held misconception about software development.
The irony of it is that if we're just considering the amount of rewarding technical challenges and interesting design decisions, his notions about the two projects are pretty much the exact opposite of reality. As fun an interesting as the museum installation, Round, has been for me, it's really not all that technically interesting. I'm not going to say it was easy for me but most of the reason that it was challenging was for two major issues. The first being that I had to learn a lot of new things as a result of being the only technical person on the project. Secondly I had relatively very little time to cram in all the work since I have another job.
On the other hand when it came to system design decisions, algorithms, abstraction decisions, code organization, or any of the important things we learn in a computer science degree, the decisions on Round were pretty straight forward. This comes in direct contrast to my day job, which I am very happy to say, provides very challenging and interesting problems.
Currently I work on a contract modeling system that enables doctors to analyze the contracts that they have with health-care insurance companies, cross reference them with their billing history, and figure out if they are being underpaid. I'm sure for anyone that is not a computer scientist this sounds incredibly boring. It's actually very fitting that it would considering the nature of the computing world. We invented computers specifically to do our boring work for us. It seems obvious that the work they do would sound boring. It's rare for a computer to get to spend it's CPU cycles on something fun an exciting like playing Chess. Such computers should consider themselves very lucky.
The challenges involved with the contract modeling project range from designing fast algorithms for cross referencing with billing history, creative mechanisms for caching previously computed values when the user will not be slowed down by the computation, and most importantly, the design of a sufficiently expressive language and interface for modeling the contracts that will not destroy the performance of the aforementioned algorithms. The work involves a lot of engineering and creativity as well as a lot of collaboration with other developers and non-developers alike.
Now don't get me wrong, writing Round was very interesting for me. I had total design control over the project, which is always nice and I had some creative input on the user interface and audio. I also learned new technologies which were really fun to use but really the allure to this project was that the result was fun. I was making art and helping my friend see his own art career come to fruition. It was (in direct contrast to my day job) something that my friends could go see and say "Wow, Mike, this project is really cool." It's a project that I personally enjoy using a lot.
Since none of my friends, save Todd, are doctors I don't really get that from my work. Actually I myself have no use for the software that I write at work, but that's not important. It's fascinating and it's solving a real-world problem. The state of health care in the United States, in my opinion, is on the verge of a logistical crisis, and has been for years. The company that I work for, AthenaHealth, is working to fix what it can with really good technology.
It does feel good to be working to solve a problem that effects us all on a political level and it's true that if a company's goals were too far off or even opposed to my own, I would not do the work. But I honestly, feeling good about the cause is mostly an ancillary benefit. For me, it's all about the technical challenge, not the result. I think most programmers would agree with me here. It just goes to show that you really can't conflate how interesting a software project is with how exciting the result is.
Monday, April 21, 2008
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Musings on my experiences as a pediatric social worker. You can also read about my time as a hospice social worker and child/teen bereavement specialist.
(Patient names and identifying information have been changed- no need to report me to HIPAA!)
(Patient names and identifying information have been changed- no need to report me to HIPAA!)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Break Time
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Personal pet therapy
Then I saw her:
Petland employees are quite brilliant. Before we could say we were just looking, the employee scuttled to the cage and lifted out my little Shiba, bringing her over to a play area. This puppy quickly captured my heart with her playful spirit and incredibly soft fur. My hospice patients have the option for pet therapy but I think we can all benefit from a little one-on-one time with a dog or cat. We just relate a little differently with furry critters somehow. It was good to play and laugh and cuddle this sweet puppy. Of course, Petland employees would come back to check on us and then ask, So are you going to take her home today? Or what questions do you have about taking or home? What can we do to encourage you to take her home today? They are persistent! I just wanted to play in peace. Instead, we got the Big Presentation about all that is included in the cost (food, free spay, crate, chew toy!) and, more importantly, how we will have this beautiful dog in our lives and be loyal Petland shoppers for life. All for the grand total of $1395. At least twice what I was guessing! Still, as my little Sheba the Shiba (as I liked to call her) scampered in my lap, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could budget it in. Every time Linda and I said we'd have to think about it, the employee would say they'd leave us for a few minutes, with hopes those extra minutes would be enough for us to change our minds. Of course, outside of my budget, my apartment does not allow dogs. And there's that whole "not being home during the work day" aspect. I briefly considered pleading Sheba's case with my parents but I'm not sure what Tucker and Buzz would think about a new animal in their home. Alas, I had to say goodbye to my sweet, spunky puppy. At least I have a new favorite breed! And there's a rescue group too so maybe I can get a dog and do a good deed at the same time someday...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Political Food for Thought
Jim Wallis looks at common ground regarding each candidate's take on abortion during the debate last night. Read the whole article and join the conversation on his blog. I hope we can continue in this positive direction.
Joe the Plumber responds. I personally don't have a problem with a 3% tax increase on those making more than $250,000 but that might be easy for me to say since I will never make that much money! Yes, most people have earned their money (although what about the millionaires that made their money off of others' misfortunes?) but I still feel we have an obligation to help the least of us. Just imagine if the candidates had been talking about Leigh the Social Worker!
Finally, don't forget to FactCheck the debate. I love this website!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Cross it off the list!
The hospice team with Jim pre-jump


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- Deloitte Poland 2016 3D Printing Market Outlook, commissioned by Zortrax, indicates desktop printers are closing the gap on industrial-level performance.
- Desktop 3D printers are driving AM to reach a much wider group of users than before.
- Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) will fuel the growth of the desktop segment both in the near future and in the long-term.
A new Deloitte Poland report details a sharp spike in the desktop segment of the 3D printing industry – and it predicts an exponential increase in the growth of the global 3D printing market from an estimated $4.8 billion in 2015 to more than $20 billion in 2020, based on review of available forecasts.
The report includes a thorough description of the prevalent technologies, statistics, growth projections and an overview of many of the major players in the industry. According to the report, desktop printers represented 95% of all 3D printers sold in 2015 after being a virtually non-existent segment of the industry before 2011.
In terms of sales revenues, the desktop segment generating $ 293 million represents a small share of the overall AM market – although a small segment, however, the desktop segment posted an impressive annual revenue growth of 62% in 2015 – said Mark Cotteleer, Research Director, Deloitte Services LP
The report also indicates modern desktop printers are getting much closer to the quality and features of the industrial segment. A high rate of innovation and race for patents translates to increased printing speeds and the availability of materials. This makes AM a technology suitable to new applications in more sectors.
While desktop 3D printers were earlier used by hobbyists or for limited use in the education sector, these printers are increasingly finding applications in diverse industries such as engineering, product design, art, jewelry, dentistry, and consumer products – said Cotteleer.
FFF, Stereolitography and Material Jetting are the most common technologies in industrial settings. The prevalence of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is fueling the growth of the desktop segment because it excels in areas that are most important for wide adoption including ease of use and cost effectiveness. Forecasts predict FFF to be the dominant technology, expected to account for 97.5% of all 3D printers (including also nonindustrial users) by 2019 in terms of shipments.
United States remains the major purchasing region, followed by Western Europe, Japan, China. The report also indicates possible changes in the geographical distribution
While the major AM vendors struggled in 2015, smaller manufacturers like the Polish Zortrax strengthened their position, sales volume and adoption in the desktop segment.
With more companies exploring new and exciting ways to utilize the technology, we are sure to see success stories surrounding the use of 3D printers spread. The high quality offered by desktop printers, combined with their affordability, is opening new opportunities for business owners – said Bartłomiej Cymer, Zortrax Marketing Director.


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The Spirit of a Writer8
The Spirit of A Writer
I am only 26.
I repeat this fact to myself all of the time. But It never helps. I still feel like life is passing me by and I am not even near where I want to be.
What I want to be is a writer. I'm editing my first book. I've submitted short stories. I read educational books about writing. I do everything that most real writers do. But, when someone asks me about my life plan, I tell them: "I want to be a writer." And every time I do this I wonder why didn't I say I am a writer?
To be honest I don't know. It just never comes out that way. Want to, not am, is the battle I fight with myself and the world daily.
So what is the difference between being a writer and wanting to be a writer? I think it depends on your definition. I have met people who have never had a single thing published yet brightly declare themselves a writer while others, who have had entire books published, decline to accept the coveted title.
To me, being a writer means that writing is my biggest responsibility. Not my job in a boutique. Not my second job as a social media manager. Not my third job as the "COO" of my husband's start-up company. When writing is the only professional obligation that holds me, I will call myself a writer. When I can sit and write for hours without feeling guilty that I am not doing something else, I will be a writer.
But I don't want this to be what it means. Not to me anyways.
I want to redefine my definition of 'writer'. I want to say- and believe -that a writer is someone who sees a story in every interaction, every song and every moment of beauty they come across. They are people who write because they have to. Because they can't help themselves. They scribble ideas on napkins and bits of envelopes. They have lists of things that inspire them. They write because it is who they are. It is how they express themselves. It is how they see the world.
The desire to write is visceral. If you are truly a writer it comes from within and spills out. A writer shouldn't be defined as someone who is published, paid or prolific. A writer should be defined by their visceral need to write. That built in need is what I call 'the spirit of a writer' and only the presence of that unique spirit should determine if someone can call themselves a writer or not.
So, from now on, I am a writer. When someone asks me what I do I will tell them I write; I am a writer and always will be. That the bits of paper that fall from my pockets every time a change my pants are more important than any check I have ever received. That whenever I hear a love song I think of writing and what it means to me. That I have the spirit of a writer and as such, I write.


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With Sidney Crosby's return imminent, the discussion is shifting to much more important things like, What songs will they play at CONSOL to ruin some of the standing ovations he will get? When will Jeremy Roenick advocate that someone should punch him in the head? Will we ever stop saying the 2010-11 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins* should always have an asterisk?
(Something by My Chemical Romance, April 4th, No)
But the most important question, other than Crosby's health, is who he should play with. There is great consternation about breaking up the Neal-Malkin-Kunitz line, and there are suggestions that Jordan Staal should move up to Sid's wing.
Our position on this is as clear as it is noncommittal: Nothing should be set in stone. If you go into a playoff series against Laviolette's Flyers or Tortorella's Rangers with a mentality of, "these are our lines, we're not changing them, do what you can to try to stop it," chances are they will figure something out by Game 2. You have to be flexible, you have to be unpredictable.
But above all, you have to maximize the return on your players, and that's why steadfast refusal to break up Geno's line, or a plan to consolidate Staal and Crosby just doesn't make sense. A healthy Pens' lineup has an embarrassment of riches, so long as it's used properly. Here are 4 reasons why the Pens should consider breaking up the Malkin line and leaving Jordan Staal alone, along with our proposed lines at the end.
4. The real difference maker is James Neal.
With all due respect to Chris "Hands" Kunitz, the real magic of the Pens' top line is the chemistry between Malkin and Neal. Kunitz is as solid of a winger as there is, and gets more out of his skill set than almost any player in the league. But he is not having some breakout career year. He's on pace for 57 points, less than the 60 points he had in Anaheim in '06-'07 and about the same as the 55 points he was on pace for last year before Sid got hurt.
|But he's just so handsy...
(As Dejan Kovacevic pointed out in Tuesday's Trib, Neal's scoring pace is slowing -- 3 goals in 16 games. Kovacevic is a proponent of the carve-it-in-stone approach for Malkin's current line, but 3 goals in 16 games is exactly why you don't want to be inflexible).
Much more after the jump...
3. Kunitz-Crosby is what chemistry is all about
Before the Pens traded for Hands in 2009, all you heard was "winger for Sid." You still hear it, now that James Neal appears to be the "winger for Geno," but here's what Sid has done since the Pens have acquired Kunitz: 15 goals in 24 playoff games in '09, 51 goals in '09-'10, and a 64 goal pace in '10-'11 pre-concussion. So what if the "winger for Sid" has turned out to be a guy who helps Sid score 60 goals instead of a guy who Sid can set up to score 40? The bottom line is the same: problem solved.
|Good chemistry.
2. Moving Staal to Sid's wing helps no one
Jordan Staal is a center. A 6'4" pterodactyl who will politely put his shoulder into you, move you aside, and take the puck directly to the net. He will also clear you out from in front of Fleury, eat up space deep in the Pens' zone, and otherwise generally dominate the entire middle of the ice. He's not a winger.
But let's say you experiment with Staal on the wing, and the best-case scenario happens -- he has great chemistry with Sid. This doesn't really give the Pens anything that they don't already have. Instead, it would just consolidate it in on place, and leave the rest of the team worse off.
We know what Crosby is capable of in a best-case scenario -- a 65 goal pace. He did it in 2010 without Jordan Staal on his wing. We don't know what Staal's best-case scenario is, but this year he is playing at a 38 goal pace, and he's doing it with guys like Dupuis, Sullivan, Cooke, Kennedy, etc. We are as big of Staal fans as there are -- he's manhandling The Onus, after all -- but to think he is capable of scoring at significantly better than a 38 goal pace is to dream too big.
So if moving Staal to Sid's wing: a) wouldn't help Crosby do anything he hasn't already proven he is capable of doing without Staal; b) wouldn't result in Staal significantly increasing his scoring over anything he is already producing now; and c) would leave the Pens with Joe Vitale or Dustin Jeffrey centering a line for 12 minutes a night, why do it?
|Google tells me this is a picture of Joe Vitale.
Neal-Malkin-SullivanLike everything, however, that shouldn't be carved in stone. The main concern with this approach shows why it is such a luxury -- how do you get Staal 20+ minutes a night? Enter Bylsma. Play him on the PP, play him with Sid and/or Geno at the end of periods and after penalty kills, play Sid and Geno together when matchups dictate. But whatever you do, don't carve it in stone.
1. Don't forget who is walking through that door
The Pens aren't getting back an ordinary player. They're getting back the best player in the world, their captain and a guy who, by all indications, is a great teammate. He's not going to disrupt team chemistry by taking away someone's ice time and he's not going to be perceived as a diva if he wants to play with wingers who can keep up with him.
The Neal-Malkin-Kunitz line has seemed untouchable at times this season because of how heavily the Pens have relied on it. But when Sid is back, the Pens won't have to rely on that line to bail them out game after game. And if you make the subtle change of moving Kunitz to Sid's wing, it's not like Geno is going to fall apart. The guy won the Conn Smythe trophy with Ruslan Fedetenko and Max Talbot as his wingers. He'll manage fine with Sullivan and Neal.
If Sid stays healthy, the Pens are like a billionaire deciding which luxury car he wants to bring with him on the 200-foot yacht to the Maldives. But in deciding, there is one thing they shouldn't forget.
Sid is a Ferrari. You don't fill him up with 87 Unleaded.


text: Hi i wonder if someone can help me? I'm running a G25 wheel with ClubSport pedals and Frex sequential shifter and i'm trying to get both Game Stock Car and Simraceway to recognize both but they wont. I previously had this prob with pCars but found that the Frex was the problem and so disconnected it from my pc and was able to get my CSP's recognized. So far i haven't been able to get pCars to recognize the Frex but i can do without it for the moment and just use the paddles on the wheel. So armed with this info, when i installed Simraceway & Game Stock Car i made sure the Frex wasn't connected to my pc, but for some reason neither game will recognize my pedals. When i click on "throttle" in order to assign my pedal its just assigns "joystickbutton12" ( whatever that is ) and if i go to assign the brake it says "joystickbutton12 being used. do you wish to overwrite?" if i overwrite, it naturally unassigns the throttle. Same deal with clutch. Any body had a similar prob or can someone help me out?


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Nina Milne of the #3Amigas is back today, at the Pink Heart Society, as she talks about reading and exciting new news.
Last time we 'spoke' I was waiting….
So…drumroll please…..
I got GOOD NEWS! My third book for Harlequin and my first for the Romance line will come out in December and is entitled 'Christmas Kisses with the Boss' So I know good weather has finally sporadically arrived here in the UK but I am thinking of snow!
I am over the moon – for the first time since the news of the demise of KISS/ Modern Tempted I have drawn a cautious breath and feel like a REAL Harlequin Author.
But once the celebrations were over it dawned on me that being a REAL Harlequin author means I have to write another book. GULP.
So the first thing I need to do is…..decide what I am going to read whilst I battle with the whole 0-50k process.
I cannot read any new-to-me books whilst I am writing. Because I have procrastination/ will-power problems! I definitely can't read any contemporary romance whilst writing because it gives me confidence issues – everyone else just seems so much better than me.
So whilst I write I re-read.
I re-read and re-read Georgette Heyer (and I know many of you understand and share my Heyer love)
The amazing diversity of both hero and heroine means I can read them one after another in any order and lose myself for a little while in a different world peopled with characters who feel like real live people to me.
This is maybe why my other go-to-re-read author is Terry Pratchett (an amazing writer whose death was a loss to so many). He too created, in his case, a fictional world that I totally lose myself in. His books make me laugh and yet have an underlying message within them and somehow again I can re-read and re-read them.
But if I am going to write lots and lots of books for Romance then I need some more go-to-re-read authors. … so I would love some recommendations
Does anyone have a series or an author that they reread again and again? Or just a series or author that they love? If so PLEASE let me know...
1. Never Mix Business and Pleasure
2. One Night Only
3. Never Look Back
Imogen Lorrimer knows that her temporary boss is completely wrong for her – so why does he insist on appearing in her dreams… naked? Perhaps it's time for Imo to try out his infamous dating rules herself… ?
One business trip to Paris later and they can kiss goodbye to Rule One. Then Imo agrees to be Joe's plus-one at a wedding… Sticking to Rule Two and Rule Three is hard enough already – on the sun-drenched shores of the Algarve it's going to be impossible!Nina Milne lives in Sussex, England with her husband and three children. Prior to becoming an author, she worked as an accountant and a recruitment consultant. To find out more you can follow her on Facebook andTwitter.


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Mr. Sripathi Sooriyarachchi's death exactly on the one year anniversary of the stripping of his ministerial portfolio by the 'dictator president' Mahinda Rajapakse is raising serious questions among the intelligent Colombo population.
This is the prevailing theory of what really happened.
Special undercover operatives of the 'dictator president' had attached a sophisticated hostile device to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle in which the late Mr. Sripath Suriyaarachchi (MP) was traveling.
The device was set to disable the breaks and steer the vehicle exactly by 45 degrees when it went over 140km/h and was passing through a suitable stretch of road with an abundance of sturdy trees on the side of the road.
To make sure they hit a sturdy enough tree, they had used state of the art GPS tracking as an additional input to the sophisticated trigger mechanism.
The offending device was set to self destruct (Mission Impossible style) upon impact so that there is no incriminating evidence.
The execution of the assassination was so successful and innovative that it is rumored the CIA is looking for sub-contracting the Rajapakse government on their own top secret projects.
Motivation for this post came after reading the comments for this item in the Daily Mirror website, while the inspiration of the writing style came from the hilariously informative website TamilNet.tv


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Friday, November 7, 2014
Friday Business
14 comments:
I can understand how the Moroccans feel, being from Australia. Over here, even our unemployed people have all the money they need. I have a friend who's barely worked a day in his life that just bought a 60-inch smart TV.ReplyDelete
Re: Have you had outside work to prepare for the coming season?ReplyDelete
Around here? Always. LOL.
We're still in the 60s but it'll get cooler next month. It's nearly time to harvest what's left in the garden and put it to bed.
Like Michael above, I know a lot of people who are like that here.ReplyDelete
Bring on the cold weather!
Love the Picasso quote!ReplyDelete
We're looking forward to the cool weather here - already had some and want more. :)
I love Cappuccinos!ReplyDelete
Did you get the dragon? I emailed it last Sunday.
Nothing like a new view on life to make one appreciate their own. Used to live on a hundred acres or so, so i know all about yard work, yuck lolReplyDelete
Yes, isn't keeping in touch with our children vital! Our youngest is in UK for one year. Thank goodness for FaceTime. Also, we spend our winters in Bucerias, and while the weather is much much better, I do miss the things I take for granted in small town Canada.ReplyDelete
I think that old American work ethic is why I've had such a hard time adjusting to being a stay at home mom. I placed all my worth in myself as an employee. Hard to know what to do after that. I always find it interesting to hear how other countries see us. Though it's not often flattering. Good luck to your daughter! What a cool place to get to work.ReplyDelete
The weather has certainly been crazy. For me, it still gets to about 85 degrees.ReplyDelete
::blushes:: You know I'm glad to help, Sue!ReplyDelete
I'm so thankful for Skype. I use it every weekend to talk to my parent in Montana.
And I loved the Tolkien for your daughter!
The yard work like you describe is some of the best physical labor a body can do. Not much to do in my piddly little L.A. yard--er, patio.ReplyDelete
Almost had cappuccino today--not exactly, but it was close I guess.
Wrote By Rote
Hi Susan - your daughter will be learning loads living abroad, especially in an African country with its different norms and traditions - living abroad changed my life and thought processes ...ReplyDelete
Two years ago we had really cold weather ... not so bad this year ... it's frosty up north.
Love the quotes ... and enjoy those Skype times - and being out in the garden getting things ready for the winter season .. cheers Hilary
We just did a lot of yard work and winterizing this weekend. Squirrels and birds have been very busy lately. The birds must have a little frost on their brains as they've been bonking into our front big window a lot! Have a wonderful week. :)ReplyDelete
I think travelling and living abroad are the best forms of education-- you're justly proud of your daughter.ReplyDelete
I was too busy with life and health problems the last few weeks and am now slowly wading back into blogging.


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It combines my love of science with my newer love of the magical arts! Also, it sounds kinda nifty too.
If you go there now (as of this posting) it will probably just be a parking page, but eventually I should have a wordpress blog up and running. I will probably just leave all these articles over here so they don't lose their value and break links, but eventually you'll see a big "go here instead" link on the top post of this blog.
Thanks to all my readers, whoever you are, and I hope you'll follow me over to the new blog as soon as it's ready to rock and roll!


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Poetry lovers in Detroit and the metro area, here's a heads-up for you!
A friend of mine, Alicia, got accepted to go to a writers' seminar in Prague this summer. She has a partial scholarship and has been working hard to save up and gather the rest of the money she needs to make the trip a reality. So, she will be doing a poetry reading in Detroit's very own Spanish tapas restaurant, La Feria, on June 25th.
If you can't make it out to the event, but would still like to support this local talent, you can make a donation online here:
You can donate anonymously and any amount helps, even if it's just as much as it costs to get a tall latté at Starbucks.


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Honestly how many times have you expected/anticipated an appliance would break? Do you really think about your appliances that much? I hope not. C'mon wondering about Miley Cyrus's next dance craze might be more productive than pondering when your dishwasher will seize up. (actually now I'm wondering if Miley has ever operated a dishwasher)
Thus the dryer (fill in any appliance or car part) will break when you least expect it. I'm not suggesting a little preventative maintenance is a waste of time. Tires looking worn? Get them replaced before this happens to you:
But what preventative maintenance can you do for your dryer? We have cleaned the vent occasionally.
We had a bit of trouble with this not-very-old dryer before. It's like the dryer is entering its terrible twos phase. Months ago, it didn't want to heat. I found a thermal cut-off sensor that tested bad. I just searched my blog a bit and I guess I didn't post about that fix. Lucky you.
|the beat of a different drum
The dryer would barely start running before it shut down. If you leaned close to it, you could smell a hint of burnt rubber. (a new life as a bad air freshener?)
I figured that taking it apart couldn't hurt (actually I did cut myself on the sharp metal edges inside) so I unplugged it and opened my tool box.
|dryer guts
The motor was making an odd clicking noise even when you turned it slowing by hand (oh I did mention that the power plug was pulled). I also had noticed a small spring lying on the bottom panel. That seemed odd. Looking inside the motor as it turned, I solved the mystery. I found the smoking gun (always liked that expression but seldom get to use it. Maybe I shouldn't have this time either?). The small spring came from inside the motor. It had broken loose and as springs do when they get the chance, sprang for it.
|the usual suspect - a recognizable motor
I bought a replacement spring for 89 cents, secured it inside the motor. Then I started the hard part of reassembling the whole thing (much easier to take apart). It the process I cut my hand twice and then remembered a pair of work gloves I had. Tip - get the work gloves out with your tools. 89 cents and a bit of blood - not bad.
|the guilty spring that almost escaped


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Friday, April 29, 2011
Happy Birthday, Mister!
Good Morning Friends!
Yay! The weekend is here! After a terrible weather week here in our area, I am looking forward to some calm Spring weather this weekend! Beautiful today with sunshine and a cool breeze! Even the animals seem calmer and happier!
I had been asked to create some masculine birthday cards. Today I would like to share one of them with you. I tend to keep masculine cards simpler but with an extra touch or two.
This project started with a My Mind's Eye card base. This particular base put me in the mind of a man's vest. Keeping it simple, I rounded the outside corners and sponged the outside edge with Really Rust craft ink. The pocket watch is stamped in the same ink and outlined with gold metallic pen. The "hands" on the watch are tool brads. I used a Hero Arts stamp for the greeting and used the Cuttlebug and Labels Four die to cut it out. I also used the gold pen around this layer. The sentiment inside was computer generated. I thought about adding more embellishments but decided I liked the clean look for an older gentleman's card.
I hope your week has gone well! Are you ready for a new month and Mother's Day? I sure am! April has been hectic to say the least! Spring really came in like a lion for us this year! Now I am ready for some "lamb" days!
Thank you for stopping by today! Your visits always bring a smile and leave me with a happy heart! Please come back again soon!
Blessings to you,
Monday, April 25, 2011
Blog Blessing from Susan
Hello Friends!
I am feeling pretty spiffy right now! A new friend and now blogging buddy, has blessed me with a blog award! Thank you, Susan! Be sure to check out Susan's blog, Cricut and Grasshopper! She has wonderful cards, layouts, tips and projects on her blog!
There are a few goodies that come along with this award.
The rules for the Stylish Blogger Award are:
1. Thank the person who gave the award, and link back to their blog.
2. Share 8 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award to 8 individuals.
4. Leave a comment so they can pass on the recognition
I have no problem with #1, 3, and 4. It's that #2 that gives me pause. Oh, I can share 8 things; but, I am afraid they aren't anything news worthy...lol! So, in the spirit of the award....
1. I am Southern born and love it! If I can't remember someone's name, it's ok! You are all "Honey" and "Sweetie" to us anyway!
2. When I am not in the craft room, I am in the kitchen. Cooking is my passion!
3. My pet peeve is lack of manners! It takes so little to be respectful and nice to people.
4. I am one of seven generations to live in "the ol' home place". Yep, I live in a house that's over a hundred years old! The windows rattle, the floors all slope (in different directions) and some of the window sills are a foot deep where the windows were cut out of the logs!
5. I have worked in many and varied fields, but my favorite is "professional volunteer"!
6. I would love to own and operate my own tea room!
7. I am a tool junkie!
8. God is most important in my life! Only with His love and grace can I do all other things!
Now, to pass this along to eight other friends! It's hard to narrow down the list. So many of my blogging friends qualify for this award!
1. Mary Griffiths - http://mystampinhide-away.blogspot.com/
2. Peggy Marsh -http://thewiredangel.blogspot.com/
3. Maria Matter-http://joyfulstamper.blogspot.com/
4. Karen Howe Murray-http://www.papercraftmemories.com/
5. Gina Flowers Lindsay-http://ginasmakingsandmusings.blogspot.com
6. Carrie Clovis Lipovich-http://stampsscrapsandscissors.blogspot.com/
7. Chris Dickinson-http://www.chrissyd723.blogspot.com/
8. Sue Walsh-http://a-consuming-passion.blogspot.com/
These ladies all have awesome blogs and amazing talent! Now, Ladies, don't hate me for sending you this award! You deserve it and I am looking forward to reading about you!! And, yes, I understand payback is the dickens...lol!
I want to thank Susan again for including me in this award! She sure knows how to make a girl feel special!
Thanks to all of you for stopping by! Always a treat to have company! Hope everyone has a great week filled with many blessings!
Blessings to you,
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Design DIVAS OBG Blog Hop
Hello and Welcome to the Facebook Design DIVAS OBG Blog Hop!
The DIVAS are an eclectic group of ladies who love to fellowship and craft. We have this blog hop the third Wednesday of each month. We hope you will join us today and come back in the future to share in our fun and inspiration!
The theme for the hop is Oldies but Goodies! Our challenge is to use materials that are at least six months old and, more than likely, sadly neglected over time.
This is your first stop on the hop today and my card meets the criteria for the challenge from start to finish! I know sympathy cards are not ones we like to make necessarily, but they are needed for those we want to share our love and sympathy with.
I started with a white card base and layered patterned paper on the front. This paper has a beautiful floral pattern and I used a gold pen to outline and raise the flowers. I used a scalloped edge punch for the sides and distressed all the edges. The sentiment is stamped on parchment paper and cut with the Spellbinders long rectangle die. I added the birds in flight as an extra touch. This card is a little more subtle than I usually make, but I thought this paper was perfect for a sympathy card.
Your next stop on the hop is Melissa Cash. Please be sure to stop by and leave her some love!
Thanks so much for your visit today and we look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings to you,
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Thomas L. "Tom" Blythe, 67, of North Little Rock, died Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013.
He was born in Conway, Sept. 12, 1946 to Lindon & Lois Blythe.
He was preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Lynette.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Carol; sons, Buck Blythe and wife, Vanessa, and Bryan Blythe, all of Cabot; granddaughters, Ashtyn and Brittani Blythe; sisters, Karen Hutchens and husband Jim and Donna Clawson and husband Ed, all of Conway; several nieces and nephews; and many wonderful friends.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, Dec. 17; interment followed at Rest Hills.
Memorial donations may be made to Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
Sign the online guest book at www.SmithFamilyCares.com.


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Salsa day today....more salsa tomorrow. I'm pooped.
Want a Cracker?
2 weeks ago
I bet it's good. Homemade is always better. It's funny, Hannah and her husband made salsa yesterday, too.
I made salsa yesterday, too. And, lots of other goodies, too. I was inspired to try jalapeno jelly. My hands are totally swollen - should have worn gloves. ;)ReplyDelete
you rock!
i hope someday to have a beautiful garden to make beauitfully delicious things like you.
but for now i just have to stick to jam. which isn't so bad i suppose!
I can never get enough salsa...and yours looks delicious!ReplyDelete


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Senators Clash Over Telco Immunity in Spy Bill
- Senators Clash Over Telco Immunity in Spy Bill
- What Does Congress Know?
Senators widely attacked the administration Tuesday for its involvement in a warrantless wiretap program, but they have yet to reach a consensus on how a controversial spy bill should handle telephone companies that provided the White House with customer information despite the lack of court approval.
"Granting retroactive immunity will undermine any new laws that we pass regarding government surveillance," Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who serves as chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, said during a floor debate. "Doesn't it send a terrible message to give them a get out of jail free card for allegedly ignoring the law in the past?"
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., was not convinced. "The bill before us makes clear that Congress expects compliance with the law," he said.
At issue is a warrantless surveillance program that helped the government more easily eavesdrop on suspected terrorists. Telecommunications companies cooperated with the White House, and allowed the National Security Agency access to their networks without any court intervention.
Congress is now trying to figure out how to deal with those phone companies via the re-authorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Should they be granted immunity because they acted under the direction of the administration or should they face prosecution?
In February, the Senate passed a bill that would provide retroactive immunity, but the House later passed its own version of the bill that stripped the immunity provision. After much back and forth, the House passed another bill that provides immunity for the telecom companies provided they can prove they acted under the direction of the White House. The Senate is now taking up that bill, but many senators are concerned that providing immunity sends the wrong message.
Under the current bill, the federal district court will evaluate whether the companies acted under the direction of the administration.
"We already know that; this is already public information," Feingold argued. "The court's decision would actually be pre-determined. Regardless of how much information the court is permitted to review [it] will essentially be required to grant immunity."
"The bill does not provide those companies with a free pass," Rockefeller argued. "The court can review court orders, and statutory directives authorizing the providers' cooperation. The court may also review the highly classified documents provided to the companies indicating that the president had authorized the program and it had determined to be lawful."
Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, pointed to a July 2 decision from Judge Vaughn Walker, the chief judge for the Northern District of California, which said that the warrantless wiretap program was unconstitutional.
"What do you think the likelihood is that the members of the Senate have had or could have an adequate opportunity to review the 590-page opinion with all of its detailed ramifications?" Specter asked. next: What Does Congress Know?


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The Lighter Side: Weighty crises: Cats with fur, and those with deep pockets
By Abe On September 24, 2013 · 3 Comments
Reacting to a Harper's Index report that 58 pct. of the cats in America are overweight (Honest!), Republican leaders are urging their plump elected officials to avoid contact with their fat-cat contributors at fancy eateries until the potential image crises blows over. Explained one hefty county chairman, "It won't look right if we are seen stuffing ourselves at the better restaurants with our big contributors while we are at the same time cutting food stamps."
Yeah. There's several answers to that one. Something to really really ponder about.
Could this possibly be a rare republican epiphany about real life?
Yes, it's all about "the image" for Christian Republicans….


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I had an early day today, I woke up at 3am to watch Formula 1 with Michael. I used to watch it as kid and remember it being really looong and only watching the beginning and end but now I've started to really get into it again since Michael follows it pretty religiously. It's funny it doesn't seem to take forever like I remember.
This week co and I have started our new series of musically inspired embroidered type. We're having fun with watercolours designing the type and figuring out colour schemes before getting into the embroidery. Co finally cracked open the watercolour set she bought at Tokyu Hands when we visited Japan last november. Meanwhile I'm still using pencils and have a feeling i'll be switching over soon, i'm jealous of the colours she's getting. These are the threads I picked out for my next canvas, a lot of aqua greens and purples.
Also i'm very excited that my mini orchid is finally sprouting some new life. I got it last November and I was worried it was slowly dying because nothing was happening. But now it looks like there are 2 new shoots coming out of the old flower stem.


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Well I dont know about anyone else, but on the 3rd day of the summer holidays I already feel exhausted. I love my boys to bits but they are so full of life and energy its hard to keep up!!!
On the 9th of august I will be teaching a class to the Barn Crafters, Droitwich Crop.
I have been busily working on a mini book that folds out to make two 12x12 layouts, with a travel theme.
If you are taking this class here is some info on it.
This mini album folds out to make two 12x12 layouts. Mine is a travel journal, somewhere to put all my memories and memoriabelia from my trip to Rome last year. I would like you to gather together photos, maps and receipts (if any of you are like me you will have a bag full of leaflets and fliers too). If possible I would really like to to bring some maps of a place you have visited so we can pinpoint these in our mini books. I used free ones that were available to all tourists. I have even used boarding passes from the aeroplane in my album.
Photo Requirements
The space in this mini book makes using regular 6x4 photos difficult as there are many score lines.
I have used twelve 3x2 photos (but could easily fit more. landscape ones are best)
I have also used 20 ish index print photos
I have also used two 4x 5.5 ins photos (odd size I know think they were from snapfish) but you could use regular 4x6 and trim them down.
What you need to bring for this class
White acrylic paint and paintbrush (I will bring my own incase anyone needs some)
Red, brown and yellow ink pads (again I will bring my own incase anyone needs some)
Double sided tape
regular adhesive
Foam pads
Paper trimmer
paper scorer
Craft knife
The kits will contain
5 sheets Cosmo cricket 'Sunshine' range patterned papers
2 chipboard covers
Cosmo cricket chipboard alphabet
1 sheet white cardstock
Red lace
Brown ribbon
Teal ribbon
Text paper
If I think of anything else I will let you know
If you have any questions please e-mail me
July kits still available on my shop blog
Anyway I need to get back to my train track building boys:)
Have a good day
Circle Swimsuit Cover-Up DIY!
1 day ago


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Hotel Yatri
Situated in Gandhinagar Hotel Yatri is a pocket friendly establishment that is suitable for a fun-filled family stay as well. Located at a distance of 0.5 kilometer from Gandhi Mandir and 1 kilometer from HDFC bank, this two floored hotel comprises of 12 well-maintained rooms and offers facilities like a parking space and a 24 hour front desk facility. A well trained is also present for a 24 hour service.
Check-in time : 12:00 NOON
Check-out time : 12:00 NOON


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Fine. I'll do a Harry Potter post.
In about a week—at 7p.m. EDT Friday, October 19, to be precise—I'll be in New York City to spend some quality 2000-on-1 time with the one and only J. K. Rowling. Apparently this is the first time she has toured the US since 2000; the stint in NYC will be the only not-for-just-kids appearence on her jam-packed four stop tour. Now, I don't particularly consider myself a Harry Potter "fan" ... you may have noticed the lack of zomghp7!!!$!!%!!!! posts here back in July. I do, however, enjoy the books (even if I don't actually own all seven yet—I'm holding out for a boxed set of paperback copies of the UK adult version). They are enjoyable to read, and the world Rowling has created is simultaneously entertaining and interesting. And, yes, I picked my copy of the Deathly Hallows up at midnight the night of July 20, and had it read by dinnertime that night.
Interjection: Just now, as I was writing this post, a friend messaged me and started talking about the band "Draco and the Malfoys," who are the foil to "Harry and the Potters." I am now disturbed.
So the reason I am bringing all of this up is that I need help. See, we've been told that there will probably be some sort of question-and-answer session at the event, but everything I can possibly think of wanting to know that could be gleaned from a one-question-one-answer situation is along the lines of, "So if the Potters were all alone the night that James and Lily died, the how did Dumbledore hear about it before everyone else in order to send Hagrid over there, and how come it took so long for Hagrid to arrive with Harry if he was one of the first ones to know?" This kind of technical nitpicking is right out for this particular venue, but I haven't got any better ideas.
So: if you could ask J. K. Rowling one question, what would it be?
Update (10/16/07): It's been pointed out to me that Rowling is a rich person. Wouldn't she like to donate money to astronomy like all of the other cool rich people?
Update (10/17/07): We just submitted this question to the website:
You've been writing this series for 17 years. How difficult was it to keep the style consistent over all that time, even when you as a writer surely must have evolved considerably?


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Yohji Yamamoto is the greatest designer alive. There, I said it. He's made me love red, for goodness sake (I already loved royal blue, thanks to my elementary alma mater). And his collections result in the most photo-heavy posts on kOs. I just can't help myself - the pictures speak for themselves. Sigh.
(Photos via Style.com)
*Please note that I hope the latter two contributors to the semi-annual YOHJ JUN VIV posts will keep up their end of the deal so I can provide Parts 2 and 3, but there are no guarantees.


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Dienstag, 1. Februar 2011
So my fuck buddy wants to break up with me because I don't like her as much as she likes me. Of course this is probably the most common thing that happens in this kind of relationship. Annoying part is that it's untrue, I really like her. Alas, I will keep trying to convince her.
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I have been tardy in writing lately, although so much has been going on, certainly in the US, but also in Germany, the country of my birth. Here is a review of a book I finished reading last week.
For years, I have been looking for a book on the history of American Islam, especially after I had started teaching in South Carolina where up to a third of all slaves deported before 1800 came from an Islamicate environment. I became fascinated by the ways in which Islam changed as it arrived on the shores of the US.
I wanted a book that did not just tell the story of Islam but considered the specifically American setting. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri's History of Islam in America does precisely that. While also telling the often moving stories of individuals, the book considers the broader context of the American religious experience. Its sweep is impossibly broad—from the 16th century to 2006, and it cuts corners by necessity. I would for instance have loved to hear more about contemporary strategies of adaptation, or about the music scene, movies or theater plays (if there's stand-up comedy, there must be theater) , or more about gay Muslims. I would have appreciated to hear the author's outlook for the future but GhaneaBassiri is too careful for that. Immensely readable, this book satisfies the discerning reader and should become a classic.
Look here for an article by the author on "Is Religious Freedom a Casualty at Ground Zero?"over at Religion Dispatches.
To quote briefly "Regardless of how one views the decision, the controversy surrounding the project is a reminder of the fact that while religious pluralism was a founding ideal of the United States implicit in the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom, Americans historically have edged toward it kicking and screaming."
Indeed. But so far, they have come through, so let's hope for the best.


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Oh, and that's not all—the tax cut would also add to the deficit. Cut taxes on the wealthy to explode the debt. Republinomics, perfected."
This plan would actually raise taxes on people earning less than $40,000 a year, while giving an $82,000 tax cut to the top 1% and a $462,000 tax cut to the top 0.1%. Under Republican rules, it is an act of class war to raise taxes on the rich to lower taxes on the rest of us, but raising taxes on us to lower taxes on the rich is just fine.
As in the two previous plans put forth by would-be Republican presidential candidates (that would be Herman Cain's and Rick Perry's plans) the lying rhetoric about reducing taxes is a lie: the vast majority of Americans would see their taxes go up or at best remain essentially the same, while the only group getting a big present would be the very wealthy. And of course, in with the package would be a substantial increase in the Federal budget deficit, allowing Republicans to come back in a year or two with their screaming mantra demanding that ordinary Americans give up even more to support the rich.
It is stunning that Republicans have been able to run this game for a hundred years, causing two depressions, and yet our vaunted "free press" can't be bothered to report the truth on the single source of our economic malaise.


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Saturday, October 22, 2016
October 23, Proper 25, Prayer and Action #6: Two in the Temple
Joel 2:23-32, Psalm 65, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee and the tax collector, the tax collector also called the publican. The one is a patriot and the other a traitor.
The Pharisee desires the Kingdom of God, quite literally, politically, and to keep himself clean and pure and qualified for the Kingdom of God when it comes is the purpose of his rules and his disciplines.
But the publican is against the Kingdom of God. He collaborates with the Romans, he's a traitor and a dirty thief. We are prejudiced against the Pharisees, but the publican would not have been your friend.
Jesus puts this in the temple in Jerusalem. Here the prayers of Israel were offered every day. The prayers were centered on the daily sacrifices, a lamb sacrificed every dawn and another every afternoon, to atone for the sins of Israel. When the sins of Israel were covered by the blood of the lamb, then they could make their prayers to God. The Levites lit the incense, and as the fragrant smoke rose up, the prayers rose up, the Levites at the altar interceding for the nation, and the individuals in attendance praying their personal supplications and intercessions.
Also praying is this Pharisee. He's not interceding or supplicating, he's lifting his hands in thanksgiving. He's off to the side so he won't get touched by anyone unclean, but he's not a bad guy. He knows he is righteous. He fasts twice as often as he needs to and tithes more than he has too. We'd like him as a member of Old First, even if we're irritated by his self-confidence.
Also praying is that Publican, but off in the back, and unwelcome here. He's a bad man. Maybe he's the guy who was ripping off the poor widow in the parable last week! He knows he's bad. He's praying with his head down, and beating his breast. And his prayer, if I translate it literally, is this: "O God, let the atonement be to me, the sinner." He knows he's guilty, and that he has no right to talk to God apart from that bloody sacrifice which is offered to cover his sins.
Well, that sacrifice is for him. That poor Pharisee, he got no benefit from that sacrifice, he assumed he didn't need it. He might as well have stayed home, or praised God out in Nature, apart from any nasty people!
So then, which of these two went home qualified to be in the Kingdom of God? The publican, not because of himself, but because of the Kingdom of God. It's not that the publican perversely earned his justification by his humility, it's not about the publican at all, it's about what God is like and what God makes God's kingdom like, already now, already now for the publican. The Kingdom of God is not what you keep yourself clean for, it's the Kingdom of God that declares the unclean clean, the Kingdom of God is God's power in the world to make the unrighteous righteous, out of sheer grace, especially those who religion says don't deserve it.
That's why the Lord Jesus does not tell us that the publican went home and changed his life. We'd like it if he did, and he should, but that would confuse the point. That would suggest again that the Kingdom of God has to be proven by us, by our making it worthwhile. But the Kingdom of God is proven only by our need of it. If you don't think you need it, you don't get it. If you don't think you need it, then all you get from it is judgement. It always is the great surprise.
Let me now turn to the epistle, the second letter to Timothy. St. Paul is boasting like a Pharisee! "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race," I'm not a loser, I'm a winner (hint hint), "I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day." Well, St. Paul, good for you.
Of course he's got prison chains on him while he writes this, so he's allowed to sound like this. And he does not exalt himself by degrading others. He does admit that other people did him wrong, that they did not support him, that they deserted him, but he asks that it not be counted against them. He wants grace for them too. He forgives them. He has to keep on forgiving them in his own mind, no doubt, because in his prison cell he's reminded of their desertion every day again.
Look, he has to practice forgiveness every day, and he has to do that in order to practice thanksgiving every day. There's a direct relationship between how thankful you can be and how much you have practiced forgiveness, both extending it and accepting it.
That's a take home for today. You have a direct relationship in your life between your practice of forgiveness, both given and received, and your practice of thanksgiving. Grace makes for gratitude and gratitude makes for grace.
I want to go now to the Psalm. It's one of my favorites, Psalm 65. (I wish you knew the marvelous tune for it.) The Psalm imagines a great song of thanksgiving that rises from the depths, and not just from the depths of human experience, but also from the world of nature, from the earth itself, the landscape, the soil and the pastures and the hills. (I heard the meadows singing, each to each.) Thanksgiving is not only what people do, but what all nature does, even in the roaring of the seas and in the clamor of the peoples, the whole creation rejoices in the gift of its very existence, giving thanks to God.
So the thanksgiving that we are talking about is not an instant messaging, as in mentioning what you feel good about today. We're talking about long, slow, patient, persistent thanksgiving, night and day, year after year. Like what comes up from nature, the slow thanksgiving that rises from the soil, when the farmer comes through with a plow and opens up the furrows to the air and the sun and softened with showers and bearing life and giving growth.
The Psalm envisions the tracks of God's wagon-wheels cutting through the surface of the earth, and in the cuts of the wagon tracks the richness rises up. These wagon tracks and the furrows of the farmers plow are the images of the prayers of repentance in verse 3 of the Psalm. The images of the Psalm suggest that it's the cutting and plowing of repentance and forgiveness that allows for the new life of thanksgiving rising up. Or better, the plowing is the repentance, and the harvest is the thanksgiving, and in between we daily open up our lives in prayer and actions every day.
I want to say here that when we talk about good works and Christian action, it's sometimes in our special witness to social change, but it's mostly how you act within your daily jobs, both at work and at home, how you deal with your boss, and with those who report to you, how you address your work, with constantly ambiguous ethical decisions. That's where you practice justice and your social action, from 9 to 5 and on the train and at home, that you let the Kingdom of God into your life, working from the forgiveness of sins always beneath you towards the world's thanksgiving always around you.
When the Lord Jesus says that all who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted, this is both a judgment and a comfort. It means that your prayers and your actions are both humbled and exalted. Your prayers may be humble in how you say them, but they are exalted in the ears of God. Your good works and your actions for mercy and justice in the world may be humble in ordinary estimation and even hidden from the praise of other Christians, but they are magnified in the sight of God and exalted in the love of God.
Copyright © 2016 by Daniel Meeter, all rights reserved.
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$2million is a lot of money to pay for a story – probably a world record. So who would be willing to pay that amount of money for a story and what is their motive?
Earlier this year, it was revealed in a court case that a British-based blogger tried to take out a democratically-elected Prime Minister. Court documents revealed that the blogger was willing to pay $2million for information contained in stolen files supposedly supporting allegations against the leader.
Obviously, the blogger doesn't have $2million. She had teamed up with a local businessman – chairman of a media group. Nevertheless, $2million is a lot of money to pay for a story – probably a world record. They are told the information is stored on some computer files, but amazingly, they offer the money without actually ever having seen the information.
A 3rd character enters the story, a local businessman, billionaire, who had the willing and the motives to pay those $2million. The billionaire built his business empire into a virtual monopoly under previous leaders of the country.
But under the new PM, his business has been steadily losing money. He has been hit by losing out to contracts awarded to a state owned investment fund created by the new PM. This state owned investment fund is referred to in the stolen documents for which the blogger and media owner offered to pay $2million. The businessman publicly indicated the new PM's politics as the cause of his financial loss.
In the following days, you can follow an in-depth investigation, revealing the motives behind the possibly the world's most expensive news story.


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Seeing Red (Hardcover)
Sandra Brown
Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
New York Times
bestselling author Sandra Brown delivers nonstop suspense and supercharged sexual tension in a thriller about tainted heroism and vengeance without mercy.
Kerra Bailey is a TV journalist hot on the trail of a story guaranteed to skyrocket her career to new heights. Twenty-five years ago, Major Franklin Trapper became a national icon when he was photographed leading a handful of survivors to safety after the bombing of a Dallas hotel. For years, he gave frequent speeches and interviews but then suddenly dropped out of the public eye, shunning all media. Now Kerra is willing to use any means necessary to get an exclusive with the Major--even if she has to secure an introduction from his estranged son, former ATF agent John Trapper.
Still seething over his break with both the ATF and his father, Trapper wants no association with the bombing or the Major. Yet Kerra's hints that there's more to the story rouse Trapper's interest despite himself. And when the interview goes catastrophically awry--with unknown assailants targeting not only the Major, but also Kerra--Trapper realizes he needs her under wraps if he's going to track down the gunmen . . . and finally discover who was responsible for the Dallas bombing.
Kerra is wary of a man so charming one moment and dangerous the next, and she knows Trapper is withholding evidence from his ATF investigation into the bombing. But having no one else to trust and enemies lurking closer than they know, Kerra and Trapper join forces to expose a sinuous network of lies and conspiracy--and uncover who would want a national hero dead.
About the Author
Sandra Brown is the author of sixty-nine New York Times bestsellers. There are over eighty million copies of her books in print worldwide, and her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. She lives in Texas. For more information you can visit www.SandraBrown.net.
Product Details
Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date:
August 15th, 2017
Romance - Contemporary
Thrillers - Suspense
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