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Keep the Holidays Merry & Bright - Beware of These Sneaky Seasonal Phishing Scams
- by Brittany Day
Phishing attacks are in hyperdrive this holiday season. Cybercriminals know that users are distracted and stressed by holiday shopping and preparations - and are taking advantage of this hectic time to lure employees into unknowingly giving up sensitive credentials which can be used to gain access to confidential business information. Although phishing attacks spike during this festive time each year, holiday phishing risk has been heightened due to the recent increase in remote workers, the proliferation of inherently vulnerable and frequently misconfigured cloud platforms and widespread anxiety surrounding the pandemic.
A successful attack is guaranteed to put a damper on your company's holiday cheer with severe consequences including financial loss, data theft, reputation damage and significant downtime or worse - permanent business closure. To help keep your holiday season merry, bright, productive and successful, we'll examine some of the most notorious and dangerous holiday phishing scams, and offer expert advice for staying safe in this season of increased digital risk.
A Quick Review: What is Phishing?
Phishing is a scam in which a malicious actor masquerades as a reputable individual or organization with the aim of tricking targets into unknowingly giving up sensitive information. In an email-borne phishing attack, a threat actor sends fraudulent, deceptive emails from a spoofed or compromised account that are crafted to steal sensitive data or infect victims' systems with malware.
Phishing has been a favorite attack method among cyber criminals for decades and is currently the number once cyber threat businesses face, accounting for over 90% of all cyberattacks. While phishing emails have traditionally relied on malicious URLs or attachments, modern attacks have evolved to become highly sophisticated, targeted and difficult to detect, often leveraging advanced social engineering techniques to manipulate psychology and stealthy fileless tactics to evade detection.Recently, there has been a resurgence in phishing attacks due to the proliferation of popular cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to accommodate remote workers' communication and collaboration needs. Phishers have experienced great success targeting cloud email users, as they have direct access to all users within an organization and the uniformity of cloud platforms provides the ideal environment to test their malicious tactics and then conveniently reuse the same campaign on thousands of different accounts. Credential phishing is ubiquitous in Microsoft 365 and, despite built-in security defenses, Osterman Research reports that 40% of Microsoft 365 users have experienced credential theft.
Top Four Holiday Phishing Scams to Be On The Lookout For
Phishing is a persistent, year-round threat; however, it is of heightened importance that users are on the lookout for phishing attempts during the 2020 holiday season. Here are the four most common phishing scams to beware of this December:
Fraudulent Shipping Notifications
Phishing emails that impersonate shipping notifications are more problematic than ever, as most people now do the majority of their shopping online due to pandemic. As a result of this trend, cyber criminals are now more likely to reach into your inbox with a phishing email disguised as a shipping notification. These malicious emails either contain links to fraudulent websites that harvest credentials or malicious attachments designed to capture keystrokes, install ransomware, or steal sensitive data that can be monetized for personal gain.
Gift Card and Coupon Scams
Along with shipping notification scams, phishers are exploiting the dominance of online shopping this holiday season to steal money and personal information in scams that leverage fraudulent coupons and gift cards. These scams create a sense of urgency by offering a great deal on a popular product for a limited time. Attackers ask for payment through gift cards, directing users to a fraudulent landing page that steals credentials which can be used to make multiple transactions.
Travel scams
Many of us have had a tough year, and could use a safe and relaxing vacation. If you've booked a trip online, you are at risk of being targeted by phishers in a travel scam. In many travel scams, a threat actor sends a fraudulent notification email, informing the target that his or her trip has been cancelled due to the pandemic and asking the recipient to fill out a form in order to claim a refund. This form captures personal information which can be used to steal money and launch further attacks. Other travel scams impersonate airlines, offering free tickets if a user either forwards a link secretly leading to a phishing site or shares the malicious link on social media.
Charity fraud
Charity fraud involves deceiving victims into believing that they are making donations to legitimate charities, and has become increasingly prevalent due to a widespread eagerness to contribute to pandemic research and relief efforts. In charity fraud scams, attackers pose as a charity organization and send phishing emails asking for donations to a charity that doesn't exist.
Tips & Advice for Avoiding Holiday Phishing Scams
Awareness and preparation are critical in preventing phishing attacks this holiday season. Here are our top tips for recognizing and avoiding phishing attacks:
- Do not open emails from suspicious email addresses, such as ecommerce emails with generic domains.
- Do not click links leading to external pages. Shipping details should be provided in the email body.
- Confirm the legitimacy of a charity before you consider making a donation.
- Beware of emails that convey a sense of urgency, or offer good deals on popular items.
- Avoid sharing personal information online with someone you don't know or trust.
- Be on the lookout for spelling and/or grammatical errors, as well as vague greetings and/or signatures. These are all common signs of phishing.
- Educate employees on phishing and other email threats.
- Critically Important: Implement a layered supplementary email security solution - preferably accompanied by managed services - that provides real-time malicious URL protection and impersonation protection. An effective solution should also implement layered email authentication protocols such as SPF, DMARC, DKIM to protect against spoofing and sender fraud. Human behavior is ultimately unpredictable and modern phishing attacks are so sophisticated and deceptive that even the most security-aware users can fall for a scam. Thus, it is crucial to have a solution in place that prevents all malicious mail from being delivered - creating a safeguarded environment around the user and mitigating the risk of human error.
Key Takeaways
The holiday season coupled with pandemic has resulted in greater phishing risk than ever this December. A phishing attack can have devastating consequences for any organization, and can have a profound negative effect on business success. According to Verizon, data breach that occur as a result of phishing cost an average of $3.9 million for businesses.
Modern phishing attacks are highly sophisticated, targeted and evasive, but can be prevented with a combination of cybersecurity awareness, smart online behavior and the implementation of a comprehensive, effective email security solution.
Email security is a gift that keeps on giving in terms of safety, success and peace of mind. Let your heart be light this holiday season and heading into 2021 - Learn how to secure email against phishing attacks with reliable, fully-managed supplementary defenses.>
Must Read Blog Posts
- Demystifying Phishing Attacks: How to Protect Yourself in 2023
- What You Need to Know to Shield Your Business from Ransomware
- Shortcomings of Endpoint Security in Securing Business Email
- Microsoft 365 Email Security Limitations You Should Know in 2023
- Email Virus - Complete Guide to Email Viruses & Best Practices
- How Phishing Emails Bypass Microsoft 365 Default Security
Phishing Is Evolving
Are Your Current Email Defenses Falling Behind?
Latest Blog Articles
- How To Spot A DocuSign Scam Email
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- Why Do Over 90% of Cyberattacks Begin with an Email?
- FBI: The 2020 Presidential Election Is Under Attack by Email Scammers
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- What Is a Cyberattack?
- Cyber Risk Is On the Rise: How To Ensure Preparedness
- How to Protect Sensitive Data & Maintain Client Trust in Financial Services Industry
- Revolutionizing Email Security: The Evolution of EnGarde Secure Linux to EnGarde Cloud Email Security
- Open Source Utilization in Email Security Demystified


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- Limited Edition Prints
- >
- Large 50cm x 50cm Limited Edition Prints
- >
- Zodiac: Metatron's Cube
Zodiac: Metatron's Cube
This was a very powerful piece to create and came through very quickly. Bar having the initial intention to work within the sacred geometry of Metatron's Cube, the star tetrahedon then emerged as did the twelve Zodiac circles.
Metatron's Cube is birthed from the Flower of Life pattern. From this initial pattern, thirteen circles are pulled out. Thirteen represents the thirteen moons of the year, the feminine. There are thirteen weeks in a season and so on. You then join the centre of each of these circles with the the centre of all the others by drawing straight lines, representing the masculine energy as you can see in the drawing above. These energies are not gender specific, but are contained with in all of us and ideally should be in balance as much as possible.
From the completed Metatron's Cube it is then possible to pull through the five Platonic Solids: tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron or icosahedron. These solids describe and symbolize the five elements or states of matter of earth, water, fire, air and aether/spirit.
- Earth = cube
- Air = octahedron
- Water = icosahedron
- Fire = tetrahedron
- Aether = dodecahedron
These shapes regularly occur in nature and ancient cultures and peoples often built their monuments or sites of worship, with these shapes.
This is a powerful geometry to meditate upon!
The print measures 12 " x 12" (30cm x 30cm) and comes beautifully mounted (16" x 16")
The larger size measures 20" x 20" (50cm x 50cm) Limited Edition Prints come rolled safely in a presentation tube

subset: commoncrawl


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Oh wow, we've actually gotten to 200 episodes of #BaduyPride! And I suppose our rather serious topic of teaching, mentoring, and apprenticing was a meaty enough subject to tackle for this episode. Coincidentally Tobie had just given a talk today related to his field and so we were really in that right mindset to talk about this sort of thing.
Special thanks again to Mitch for helping us put together an official intro video for the show! It just took us 200 episodes to get around to creating one, but it's better late than never! Baduy Pride continues to be not just something we enjoy doing, but a live stream experience that we enjoy sharing with friends and other viewers who are bound to become friends as well. Thanks for staying with us throughout the run of this show (and this pandemic).
This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by Kenny! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.


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Marc Lewis' Christmas ad rankings: Cadbury's 'Secret Santa' oozes persuasion and charm
The festive season is almost upon us – which means it's time for advertisers to up their budgets and start producing shiny snow-covered campaigns again. This Christmas Marc Lewis, the highly-revered creative mind who leads the School of Communications Arts London, will review (in his opinion) the merits of some of the biggest brands' seasonal spots with a creative eye, separating the Christmas crackers from the turkeys.
This is a commercial using the powers of persuasion with charm and intelligence
We teach our students that their portfolios will pop and shine when they can demonstrate an ability to make products in commoditised categories – such as chocolate or cheese – stand out from the crowd.
VCCP achieves this brilliantly for Cadbury chocolate, introducing just the right level of cheese.
Cadbury's Christmas commercial gets us thinking about 'Secret Santa' (I WANT THAT MASK) and the ritual of gifting in schools (TAKE NOTE, STUDENTS OF SCA) and offices around the country.
It does a brilliant job of bringing the range of Cadbury products into the film, without it ever looking clumysy or clunky.
This is a commercial using the powers of persuasion with charm and intelligence.
Am I going to show Secret Santa as a case study in film making?
Will it win at Cannes?
Will it shift product?
Enough to rot the teeth of a million children.
Score out of 5?
Keep up with The Drum's 2018 Christmas coverage here.


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Nassagaweya Presbyterian Church & Cemetery
SW Lot 16, Concession 4, Nassagaweya Township.
3097 15th Sideroad, East of Guelph Line.
History: The first Nassagaweya Presbyterian church, a frame building in Haltonville, was erected in 1839. The old records are missing, but a society was organized some years before that at Knowles School House on Hutcheon's Hill in June 1836, when John Bell, John McAlpine and John McKinnon were appointed the first elders of the Presbyterian Church in Nassagaweya by the Rev. D. McMillan. They had no minister stationed here but were occasionally supplied by ministers from adjoining stations, amongst whom were the following: Meldrum, Wardrobe, Barrie, Ferguson and Rintoul, and also students from college.
The earliest record found is as follows: At Nassagaweya, the seventeenth day of May 1839, on which day the session of the Presbyterian Church met, after sermons in English and Gaelic by the Rev. Peter Ferguson and Rev. William Rintoul was constituted with prayer. Preparatory to the dispensation of the Lord's Supper, the following persons were examined and admitted to church membership – Mary, wife of John King; Margaret, wife of Samuel Taylor; and Ann, wife of Archibald Campbell.
In 1861 a stone church was built to replace the frame one. Church membership in 1854 was 45 persons. This increased in numbers until 1869 when the congregation at Campbellville was organized, at which time 58 members left the Nassagaweya congregation and went to Campbellville. In 1889 the communion roll contained 204 names. [Abridged from "Early History of Nassagaweya" by J. Norrish, printed 16 Sep 1889]
Norrish also states about Haltonville: "This place is and always has been called Sodom. I suppose some person called it that at first for mischief, the residents call it the bigger name [Haltonville] but it don't stick worth a straw." The rival community of Moffat was called Gomorrah.
This stone church was recognized as a Heritage Building in 2004.
The cemetery was established in 1866. There are no known cemetery records.
Transcriptions of this cemetery are available on-line by credit card from the O.G.S. web site – click here for price/order.


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Julian Whitaker, MD
EDTA chelation can be administered by intravenous infusions, oral supplements, and rectal suppositories.
EDTA chelation can be administered by intravenous infusions, oral supplements, and rectal suppositories.
Richard, hospitalized with severe chest pain, was told that if he didn't have bypass surgery he would die. He left the hospital against medical advice. Six years later, he remains pain-free on no medications.
Fifteen years ago, Jerome, who was plagued by a nonhealing diabetic ulcer, checked himself out of the hospital hours before a leg amputation. Today, he is walking around on his own two feet.
What Robert and Jerome have in common is their trip to my clinic to undergo a course of chelation treatments.
What is Chelation?
EDTA chelation is an approved therapy for lead poisoning; however, it's most popular–and controversial–use is for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Chelation comes from the Greek word chele, meaning claw of a crab or lobster. This is an apt term, as EDTA and other chelating agents grab onto heavy metals and remove them from the body.
In the 1950s physicians noticed unexpected improvements in angina and atherosclerotic leg pain in their patients undergoing chelation. This discovery led to great enthusiasm for EDTA chelation as a treatment for cardiovascular disease. Yet despite excellent clinical outcomes, cardiologists abandoned it in favour of drugs and surgical procedures.
EDTA chelation never went away, and it remains to this day an effective alternative treatment for a wide range of conditions.
The Heavy Burden of Heavy Metals
There is some dispute as to why chelation is so broadly beneficial. EDTA is an exceptionally potent antioxidant that reduces free-radical damage to the blood vessels. It also removes calcium from arterial plaque, reducing blockages and increasing circulation. But its most potent mechanism may be its ability to lower the body's heavy metal burden.
New findings suggest that lead is toxic at much lower levels than previously believed. Even minute amounts have been linked with neurological deficits, elevated blood pressure, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, and increased risk of death–and lead is only the tip of the iceberg. Overload of iron, cadmium, and other heavy metals compound the problem. (Mercury is another toxin, but it requires different chelating agents.)
Get the Lead Out
This brings us back full circle to the most effective method of removing these toxins from the body. EDTA chelation can be administered by intravenous (IV) infusions, oral supplements, and rectal suppositories.
Of the three, IV chelation yields the most dramatic results. IV chelation is administered by slow infusion in a physician's office. It is safe and well tolerated, although patients with kidney disease should be monitored carefully.
If IV EDTA is not available to you, or to maintain benefits after an IV course, look into rectal or oral chelation. Rectal absorption of EDTA is quite good, and suppositories are less expensive (about a third the cost of IV chelation). Although it is available over the counter, I would recommend that, because it is so well absorbed, EDTA suppositories be used under the care of a physician.
Much less expensive is oral EDTA, which is often combined with garlic, IP-6, and/or other oral chelators. Concerns have been raised that oral EDTA robs the body of essential minerals, but the research does not bear this out. It is generally safe and well tolerated. About 5 percent of EDTA taken orally is absorbed, so its effects are relatively weak.
Anything you can do to rid your body of toxic metals is a step in the right direction. Robert and Jerome–just two of the many patients who have experienced dramatic results following chelation treatment at my clinic–would heartily agree.


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ArtsBoston is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the arts.
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These books are essential reading for white individuals to understand how unpacking the meaning of whiteness can help fight racism.
Challenge yourself to learn more about the history of slavery by picking up one or more of these revelatory books. Each uncovers facts and true stories that are often overlooked or left out of educational narratives.
Elena Morris


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Fifth Arizona state lawmaker infected with coronavirus
PHOENIX (AP) - Another member of the Arizona Legislature has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Rep. Arlando Teller of Chinle announced Nov. 19 that he has tested positive for the virus and is isolating and recovering at his home on the Navajo Nation.
The Democrat was elected to a second term in the Arizona House earlier this month.
He is the fifth member of the Legislature to announce they had the disease since the outbreak hit the state early this year. The most serious case involved Rep. Lorenzo Sierra, who spent several days on a ventilator after becoming ill in October. He has now recovered.
Rep. Raquel Teran also became ill in October, while Sen. Lupe Contreras and Rep. JoAnne Osborne revealed their infections earlier in the year. Sierra, Contreras and Teran are Democrats and Osborne is a Republican.
More than 190 state lawmakers nationwide have tested positive for the disease and four have died, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers
Teller said in a statement that he learned he tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday after experiencing mild symptoms.
He said he's been taking precautions to avoid becoming infected as the virus raged across the Navajo Nation but is unsure how he caught what he called a "very contagious, very real" virus.
"I urge Arizonans to take all precautions — wear a mask at all times while out, keep physical distance, and stay at home if you can," his statement said.
Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms with the coronavirus, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Arizona COVID-19 resources, FAQ: azdhs.gov/coronavirus
Continuing Coverage
FOX 10 is working to keep you up to date with local and national developments on COVID-19. Every weekday on FOX News Now, our live coverage begins at 7 a.m. MST reporting the latest news, prevention tips and treatment information.
You can watch live in your FOX 10 News app or on the FOX 10 Facebook page.
You can also get the latest coronavirus news from around the country at coronavirusnow.com.


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Join the EEB Interdisciplinary Research Program at Texas A&M University. It is a good networking opportunity as many of us work in different departments at Texas A&M, and came from many different PhD granting institutions. Thus, we are an interesting and knowledgeable group of people.
We gather informally for lunches or dinners in order to decompress, talk about research, the job market, share advice on job talks and the interview process, help each other with grants, trouble-shoot software and statistical analyses, share research equipment on campus, etc.
If you are interested in joining, please take the following 3 steps:
- Request to join the EEB listserv (see instructions in the right sidebar).
- Go to the EEB postdoc roster and email the pertinent information to any EEB executive committee member.
- Join our Facebook group.


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Resonac Graphite Americas - The Power of Graphite Booth 2357
Resonac is one the world's largest suppliers of graphite electrodes. With production facilities strategically situated across the globe, Resonac can efficiently deliver high-quality graphite electrodes to electric steelmakers worldwide. Located in In Ridgeville, S.C., USA, Resonac Graphite America operates as the largest and most environmentally friendly UHP electrode plant in the Americas. We harness the power and capacity of a global corporation to offer a full complement of graphite electrode sizes and provide value-added technical support and solution-based services. As your regional partner, Resonac Graphite Americas is strategically positioned to meet the challenges of an evolving market and work towards a more sustainable future.
If you have questions please contact firstname.lastname@example.com or (724) 814-3000 ext. 2


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When it gets cool outside I tend to gravitate towards warm foods and drinks. I know how healthy daikon radishes are for my health, and I find new and exciting ways to include them in my life. In this recipe I explored the combination of roasted root vegetables such as carrots and daikon radish for breakfast mixed with des herbes fines. For a healthier option steam the root vegetables instead of roasting them. Aim to have the same amount of radish and carrots for the best flavor balance. It turned out to be delicious with the bitter radish and the sweet carrot. It is a busy time of year, and I eating root vegetables helps me to feel grounded energetically. Learn more about root vegetables here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf061838u
Roasted Roots
1-2 cups daikon radish, sliced on the angle approximately the same size
1-2 cups fresh from the farm carrots
1t coconut oil
1-2t herbes fines
1/4 cup homemade coconut yogurt or coconut cream (optional)
Sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400F. If your root vegetables are organic, keep the skins on and slice the vegetables on an angle working to get all of the slices to be about the same size. Place vegetables and oil in a heavy, oven proof skillet. Roast until tender, 35-40 minutes. Alternately, place vegetables in a steamer basket and steam until tender. Once vegetables are tender, place in a bowl and top with herbes and sea salt. Pour over the cream or yogurt (if using) and serve warm.


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What firewall features will best protect a LAN from Internet hack attacks and malware?
In the case of a small network, the necessary firewall doesn't need to be anything complicated. Network security expert Mike Chapple reviews the key features of the network device.
We are running an extranet, and our small LAN is connected to the main server via a VPN connection. I would like to install a firewall (hardware/software) to protect our LAN from Internet hacking attempts, as well as other viruses and other malware. What criteria should I use when buying a firewall for this type of environment?
You should always use a firewall to protect any connection to the Internet. In the case of a small network, you probably don't need anything complicated. Here are a few simple ideas you can follow:
- Look for a firewall that provides stateful inspection. Most have this capability. Representative of an advanced firewall architecture, it keeps track of communication packets and ensures that you can easily allow return traffic corresponding to your outbound requests. Only incoming packets that constitute a proper response are allowed through the firewall.
- Consider if you need content filtering. Do you want to take measures to protect users on the network from accidentally (or intentionally!) browsing websites that contain malicious or offensive content? Some firewalls offer content-filtering capabilities.
- How long can you be down? If the firewall fails, what's your backup plan? More expensive firewalls have high-availability configurations that allow the use of two devices. If the primary one fails, the secondary firewall automatically takes over. For those making do with a less expensive product, consider purchasing a second device that can be kept on the shelf for use in the event of a failure.
More information:
- Firewall management is critical in today's regulatory climate, and companies looking to streamline firewall management will look to tools from several vendors. (Login required)
- Get the latest news and expert advice on network firewalls.
Dig Deeper on Network security
Related Q&A from Mike Chapple
Stateful vs. stateless firewalls: Understanding the differences
Examine the important differences between stateful and stateless firewalls, and learn when each type of firewall should be used in an enterprise ... Continue Reading
Wired vs. wireless network security: Best practices
Explore the differences between wired and wireless network security, and read up on best practices to ensure security with or without wires. Continue Reading
The difference between AES and DES encryption
Choosing to encrypt confidential data with AES or DES encryption is an important cybersecurity matter. Learn about the important differences between ... Continue Reading


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Believe In Local Music Raglan
$ 30.00
Product Details
From Ohio to the far reaches of the Earth, local music is the heartbeat of our collective experience. Believe in one another. Believe In Local Music.
• Black Unisex 3/4 Sleeve Raglan
• Ultra-soft Cotton/Poly Blend (American Apparel)
• Soft-hand screen print
• Design & Print by the Artist
• Made in Ohio, U.S.A.


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Home » Posts tagged 'sound'
Tag Archives: sound
Pages of Sound
Often we visualize the imaginary settings and scenes from the pages of a story. This leads writers to focus on what they see when they write. Yet, we use all our senses to perceive that imaginary space. This week we played with sound.
Sonar creates an acoustical image. The challenge to writers was to explore creating a flash fiction by sound. Prepare to hear something different this week.
The following is based on the August 3, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) use sound to create a story.
Sounds Surround Us by Norah Colvin
The deadline looms and I wonder how to extract a 99-word story from my unwilling brain. Contemplation, false starts, abandoned ideas: the well is dry. But listen! Outside, the day fades. Birds serenade folk hurrying homewards and signal the changing shifts. Soon they'll sleep and the night time chorus will begin. Inside, the computer hums patiently, waiting to tap out the words. In the kitchen, doors creak: pantry then fridge. Vegetables are scraped and rinsed. Water bubbles on the stove. What joy! Yes, I get to eat tonight; but my, how the gift of hearing enriches my world. Gratitude.
A Mother's Journey by KittyVerses
The first cry of my daughter announcing her entry on earth, it was music to my ears.Often wondering, why is it a cry that we arrive with, why not a smile? Over the years, I've come to realize that it's only with the cherished ones we drop our shield and cry.
Much like,
At the foot of the waterfalls, by her side, this was another sound I wasn't going to forget. As the water announced her entry to the world, heralding goodness, prosperity, luck, much like my daughter who despite her tantrums, disagreements, conflicts during her growing up years, stood by me and banked upon me during the good and tough times.
Sunrise Flash by Liz Husebye Hartmann
He stands on the bank where forest parts to sunrise on the rich strip of green, and lowers his muzzle to feed. Thick grass pops between his rotating jaws, snapping as he tears into clumps of equally satisfying roots.
He sneezes, shakes his antlers, and freezes at the whisper of small feet on the low cliff, opposite.
Alert, he steps back into shadow.
She sees him and laughs as water over shallows.
He nods, unconcerned, as she sheds her nightshirt and plashes into deeper water. Skin twinkles and turns, and flipping her tailfin, she's gone.
He nuzzles the grass.
Forest Bathing by Jules Paige
Most suburbs have cookie cutter houses and some
neighborhoods are lined with concrete sidewalks, that for a
time were required by law. They reside in between areas
where the yards go right to the streets' paved edge. Which
were at one time disconnected from other areas by remaining
Those houses with old growth trees nestled in hillsides where
fox, deer and pheasant still hide… that is where you can hear
the past meeting the future. Little pockets of Shinrin-yoku await.
Insects buzz, woodpeckers tap out Morse Code. and early
risers climb with dreamsand still stuck in their eyes…
Million-dollar Violin by Anne Goodwin
The sound was sublime, more mystical than any music. But Lea wasn't satisfied. Replacing the instrument on its stand she tucked another under her chin. Serenity swept through her father's body as she slid the bow across the strings. But still not good enough for Lea. He cringed when she picked up the one with the million-dollar price-tag. But the tone! The resonance! The joy that entered through his ears, echoed in his head to be transported by his arteries to his toes. He'd do anything to get it for her. Even give the devil his soul.
Sound by Michael at Afterwards
Each night it starts with a scratch scratch scratch on my window. I close my eyes and hope this it is just branches blowing against my window, but it never is.
From the forest into my room they creep, scuttling across the ceiling, shrouded in darkness. Skull less eyes glow red, foul hissing breath on my skin as they envelop me. I lie frozen and unable to scream as their claws caress me, hungry tongues snaking out to feast on my fear.
With a full belly they return to the night and I am free to scream, too late.
Failed Investigation by Mick E Talbot
Buzz, the buzzer buzzed!
Under the spell of the questionnaire or so we thought, but it jumped, grabbing her by the throat, blood spurted everywhere.
Zapped by a taser, no affect?
Zapped again, still standing, and now the questionnaire was decapitated.
Twice, with no effect. panic ensued
Once should of put it down
Beaten, security called for help, armed guards arrived within seconds.
Agonisingly the alien submitted, it was then manually restrained..
Next, in anticipation of further trouble it was restrained. with three sets of handcuffs.
Grinning, nodded its head ten times, looked up, then disappeared with a bang!
The Chimes by Allison Maruska
A familiar chord greets me as I step onto the curb. Amazing those old wind chimes carry this far. As the Uber drives away, I stare at my childhood home. Its color has faded in the past twenty years.
But that E-chord still sounds, not as cleanly but definitely as present. I follow it across the dead grass, through the rusty metal gate, and into the back yard.
She sits on the porch, the chimes ringing above her despite the still air.
Her focus centers on me, and a chill shoots through my body.
"I knew you'd come back."
The New Bell by Michael
Bang, crash, push, heave, ugh!
"You got it yet?"
It grated as they pushed it further. The grinding rang in their ears.
"A little further?"
"Do we have to?"
"Stop whinging, now grow a pair and push."
Breathing heavily, they huffed and puffed, then huffed some more.
One looked at the other, sighed deeply and then took purposefully hold.
Gradually they made progress. It moved begrudgingly, inching forward resisting their every breath consuming effort.
With a resounding squeal of metal on metal, they moved it into place.
The new shiny bell swung gracefully. It would ring out anew.
Flash Fiction by Pete Fanning
My dad's eyes flashed silver when he got into a bottle. His lungs darkened, his voice bellowed, and Mom would whisk me off to bed amidst the building gusts.
In my bed I could still smell the sourness in his skin, his blood charged with ozone and bourbon. I counted the seconds between flickers of light beneath my door and thundering steps. I'd curl into a ball, flinching at every sudden bang.
Sometimes it passed. A heavy downpour would turn to snores. Other times it thrashed about, uprooted and blowing a gale, heaving against the house through the night.
The Protector by Pensitivity
Someone had broken in.
Drawers were ransacked, papers shuffled and ruffled, heavier objects thrown to the floor.
Footsteps were muted but still audible on the carpet.
Wardrobes were violated, the swish of clothes on hangers disturbed the silence.
They were searching.
She trembled in her bed. Not for her to make a sound and announce her presence.
She'd been kicked by intruders before.
Angry barking rocketed through the stillness.
Sticky fingers stopped mid poke, the unwelcome guest backed into a corner by a snarling beast.
The German Shepherd guarded his patch and waited. The poodle went back to sleep.
Sound by FloridaBorne
I awake on a moonless night, eyes open, trying to make sense of the darkness. I close them again and, for some inexplicable reason, this helps.
My dogs have their favorite places to sleep. White dog, tight against my body, whines when I move. Dingo, who likes to sleep against the bathroom door, snores peacefully. I take exactly 9 steps toward the sound, stopping just short of Dingo's snout. His hot breath bathes my feet, as he continues to snore. Turning the door knob startles him. My bladder reacts when he yelps.
I hate cleaning pee off the floor.
Crinkling by Kerry E.B. Black
Crinkling, like anxious mice in an autumn woodland, woke Wendy from a sound sleep. She wrinkled her nose around a musty smell. The insidious crinkling crept deeper. She lit a bedside flashlight and shone it on the ground. She gasped. "No." Water crept into her room, surrounding her as though she were Thumbellina asleep on a lilypad. Her feet splashed on sopping carpet as she rushed to gather the most valuable of her belongings. Tears splashed into the rising tide. The water rose above her ankles, collecting items to ruin, crinkling like a voracious wolf gnawing an ancient bone.
Buzz to Bang by Irene Waters
"Ugh! Tinnitus. Today it's thrumming rather than clanging.
"I've got buzzing reverberating also." Sheila cocked her head. " It's in the garage."
The hum intensifed as Peter entered the garage. "Hell! There's a swarm of bees in here."
"Smoke subdues bees. Use the fireworks."
"Great idea." Choosing Mad Monster, Peter placed it under the honey comb. The scrape of the match igniting was quickly followed by a whizz then loud booming explosions. Bam! Boom!
Unexpected whizzing and banging as the other fireworks ignited. Crackling fire engulfed the garage. In the distance a welcome nee-naw, nee-naw.
"Preferred the hum" Sheila whispered.
Wildfire by Kate Spencer
An eerie silence descended upon the acrid night air. Lori's eyes burned as she stood on the porch staring at the crest of the distant hill, her heart pounding. Waiting.
And then it was there. Two hundred foot flames shooting into the sky over the summit followed by a roar like a fast approaching freight train.
"Rob, it's time," she yelled.
Rob appeared with a half-eaten sandwich in his hands. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I'll start hosing down the house. Go. The guys are expecting you."
"Love ya," he whispered before racing off to do battle with the advancing wildfire.
A Grating Sound (from Miracle of Ducks) by Charli Mills
Gears ground when the all-terrain vehicle powered up the slope. Danni heard Evelyn shout, "Giddy-up, Mule! Haw! Haw!" The revving engine faded, and a drone of voices washed over Danni like white noise. She studied the sonar graphs, puzzling over the dark features buried four feet below the Kansas clay. Trowels scraped, volunteers called to one another and the porta-potty door slammed intermittently. Danni focused. The active noises blurred.
"I'm a gardener!" A high-pitched voice like nails on a chalkboard.
Danni grit her teeth hard enough to hear enamel chip. A child. Who brought a child to her dig?
Offerings by D. Avery
The curtain snaps against the breeze in the open window. Triumphant flapping and clucking of Hope's favorite hen heralds its daily escape.
She listens to comfortable thuds and thumps as he prepares breakfast. Brewing coffee rumbles a baseline to the robins' chirping. The last stair-tread squeaks as Hope joins her father. Both quiet and reserved, in the mornings together they are quite talkative, sharing observations from the farm or surrounding woods, their voices rolling soft like the round-rocked brook.
Unconsciously they interpret morning sighs. They bring her coffee, their tentative daily offering, worry they might rouse her to flight.
Jack Pine Wings by Ann Edall-Robson
The wind in their faces, the full moon above. Always upwind of the unsuspecting herd feeding in the quiet, illuminated darkness at the meadow's edge. Spooked to a dead run by the young men moving ever closer. The fleeing sound of pounding hooves, branches snapping, voices yelling. Escaping the open to the trusted sanctuary of the trees, only to face barriers built by those pushing from behind.
Jack Pine pole wings guide them into the funnel opening of the corral. Held in the stronghold, wild-eyed, snorting, blowing. Squeals of defiance fight the ropes settling around sweating, heaving necks.
Jubilee Night by Bill Engleson
Some might think it sounds like a drunken grizzly scratching a chalkboard.
In the cities night air, the grizzled old academic, twitching in his fuming sadness, hears the piercing refrain from Marie's Wedding seeping through the raccoon infested briar that separates his Edwardian from the Collectives.
"Damn hippies," he mutters, tips his flagon, and swallows his sour brew.
But the beauty of the pipes, a surprize this Saturday Eve, intrigues him.
He rises and is drawn to the window that overlooks the neighbours lawn, replete with a hundred celebrators.
"Damn fine tune for the bagpipes," he allows. "Damn fine tune."
My Spouse by Reena Saxena
He tiptoes to come close, and deliver a surprise. He grunts to express disinterest or disappointment. He slurps with a look of satisfaction, on the dining table.
He hammers and nails, to fix things around the house, even if it disturbs my writing. The whirr of the car engine reflects his mood for the day. He belts out a romantic number while driving, in his not-so-melodious voice. I prefer the radio instead.
His voice softens, almost breaking down, on hearing that his father is now terminal.
I know my spouse, more through the sounds he makes, than other expressions.
Dinner Date by C. Jai Ferry
He pressed the oversized lid onto the sizzling wok with a metallic burst of frustration. His phone vibrated in his pocket, producing another insistent ding-ding-ding. She was sick, wasn't coming in. The power washer whooshed to life, a sink full of silverware rattling under the steaming water. The sound made his teeth ache. He stepped into the hallway, where gentle guitar strings embraced him from strategically placed speakers. He dialed her number. Straight to voicemail. Beep. He hung up. He contemplated calling back. Rhythmic chopping against a thick cutting board interrupted his thoughts. He'd fire her after dinner service.
Quiet Sunday Morning by Deborah Lee
It powers in with a rush and a roar, surrounding the building in seconds. Becca staggers to her feet, careens from room to room, arms wrapped around her head. The entire apartment throbs. War. It can only be war. China? North Korea? Plenty of choices these days.
Finally the thwapping fades.
Panic says it's war; logic says just another damned tourist helicopter. Her single crystal wineglass, the one she hid from Richard's sister to ruin the bar set, is the casualty this time. Vibrated itself right off the counter. Becca swigs from the bottle until her heart finally slows.
Lock the Bathroom Door by Susan Zutautas
Meg was having a nicotine fit and needed a smoke. Her parents were home so she went into the bathroom.
Sitting on the toilet taking that first drag, she felt instant relief.
She heard a tap, tap on the bathroom door and panic set in. "I'll just be a minute", she said.
Quickly she put her hand behind her and was about to drop it into the toilet when her mother walked in to comb her hair.
If I drop it she'll hear the sizzle of the smoke hitting the water.
Seeming like forever her mother finally left. Reprieve.
Sound Track by D. Avery
"I love it here."
"Yeah, Kid, what do love about it?"
"Well, until you showed up jest now, flappin' yer pie-hole, I was jest lovin' the sounds. Listen. Hear that? Far off ya can already hear the clopping footsteps of some rider bringin' one in. Soon ya'll be hearin' the easy lowing of the new herd in the corral. And from up by the bunkhouse friendly laughin' and talkin'. And, ya hear that? Best sound of all. Bangin' pots and pans, ringin' out with the promise of vittles. Shorty's fixin' to cook. Cookin' up somethin' special."
"I hear that!"
New Sign by D. Avery
"What'sa matter Kid?"
"Look at Shorty's new sign over the gate. Use'ta jest say Carrot Ranch. Now it also says 'literary community'."
"Well? Is it a ranch or a literary community?"
"Cain't it be both Kid?"
"I jest wanna ride the range, wrangle some words now an' agin."
"But ya generally begin an' end here at the ranch. Where they's other wranglers; an' readers… you know, a community."
"I ain't the communal type. I'm free range."
"Ah, Kid, come on in outta the cold. There's bacon cookin'."
"This community has bacon?!"
"And raw carrots."
"For me?"
"For all."
August 3: Flash Fiction Challenge
Science. It's what brought my eldest and her spouse to the Keweenaw, where Michigan Tech has been a public research university since 1885. She's now Director of Research News, writing and directing science stories for several academic publications, including the university's research blog, Unscripted.
While I've had rocks on the brain since arriving — a common Keweenaw affliction — I've been pondering the relationship between arts and science. As a literary artist, science fuels my imagination. Yet science relies as much on creativity as it does data. As a geoscientist and dancer, my daughter understands this dynamic and writes about the intention of Unscripted:
"…This is a place where metaphor and methodology meet. Where curiosity inspires conversation, art, and science. We write the research you can't find on news wires, capture science in action, and speak frankly about the work we do. Often succinct, we're not afraid of an in-depth exploration either. Yeah, Unscripted is a university research blog—and then some."
Metaphor and methodology. It's like finding a mineral in its matrix with a spectacular inclusion at the juncture. As writers, we work to balance what drives our rawest ideas with the structure of craft. And like scientists we don't go at this alone. We share research, theories and ideas. We encourage that curiosity to drive both art and science.
Tonight, I'm in a weather warp. Rain pummels my umbrella and I'm chilled in a sweater. Half-way up the hill I realize the "path" we chose is actually a broad rain gutter. At the top of the hill we're greeted at the door with amusement and the comment, "Not from here, hey?"
(Note: "hey?" is an inflection not a question, a Keweenaw colloquialism.)
"Hey! No, we just relocated."
"You'll like it here, hey?"
We already do. The stress of the past year fades each new day, even though we face medical mountains and home hurdles. We have a safe pad at the home of Michigan Tech's News Director and her Park Ranger/Bubbler/Baker/Solar Man. We're exploring options to use the RV to get homed, setting up VA appointments and growing the Ranch. You might have noticed the banners for Carrot Ranch changed here, on Facebook and Twitter. That's part of the growth that has been delayed by a year of wandering on wheels.
Branding is both art and science. The art appeal is subjective — it always is, so don't take it personally if someone likes or dislikes your art, it's not a true measurement. However, I like the art and what it conveys: we are a literary community. Ann Rauvola, my long-time friend, colleague and CR designer uses her skills, her scientific knowledge of color and collage to create the art. I'll let you in on a design secret — the banner is a fusion of three photos. But the shot of the bird and horse? Hey! That one lucky shot from an afternoon of photographing the interplay between blackbirds and Elmira Pond ponies.
A science part of branding is consistency. The change was meant to be subtle, and yet I didn't do it until I could upgrade all three banners. This is in preparation for a launch of Patreon in preparation for a launch of an annual rodeo in preparation for a launch of the first CR anthology in preparation for work on the next. Whew! Timing is everything and a misstep, or a house loss, can really throw a monkey wrench in the workings. It's why I'm grateful to have this Keweenaw stability to actualize the literary community vision.
Why, you might ask? That's a legitimate question.
My process is both art and science. The latter coming in the form of research — historical or natural. The art flows from the writing. Like the Unscripted researchers, I want that conversation and connectivity. Art and science is best shared, and we do learn from and inspire one another. As a platform for my writing I can be the lone cowpoke or a lead buckaroo. A community of writers is dynamic, and together we make a bigger footprint in the writing world. My long projects are, well, long so collaborative short projects keep me going. I hope you find something here, too that gives you purpose in being here.
At the heart of the community is taking time each week to interact, play and think. You all make me think. And I like thinking.
Which is why I walked up a rain gutter to listen to a scientist speak on the world-class mineral collection at Michigan Tech for a program called Science on Tap — a pub crawl with scientists. Four more blocks in the rain and we arrive to hear a second presentation on the shipwrecks of Lake Superior and here's where science bent my brain. First, an oceanographer stands before us declaring the Great Lakes "inland seas." He explains ocean currents and government funding; how he has to explain science to a current administration not keen on it.
Then, he tell us we can see with our ears.
I'm all ears. Show me…And he does. Through a series of slides he shows us photos taken at sunset, elongating shadows. He points out optical illusions, and how to see beyond. Then he shows us slides of Lake Superior where it's so deep it's always dark in her ice water mansion where thousands of ships have wrecked. You can't see those depths with a camera, but with sonar you can create a picture of light and shadow. Sound makes an acoustic image of many historic wrecks on the lake (cue Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of Edmunds Fitzgerald).
"Superior, they say, never gives up her dead…" And it's estimated that more than 30,000 lives have been lost in this lake. This is why the scientists do not sound map more recent wrecks like the Edmunds Fitzgerald — not only is it an iron ore ship busted in half on the deep floor of Lake Superior, it's also the grave of 29 men with family who yet live. In our collective psyche, we all think of Lightfoot's song in this region, the scientist even admits to owning the musician's collection of albums. Where science doesn't go out of respect for the recent dead, our imaginations do. Art and science help each other to see.
Scientists have sent down dive teams on other wrecks they've discovered through the sight of sonar. In 1895, divers identified one of the wrecks as a coal ship struck and sunk by a steamer in thick fog. Four crew died in that wreck and the legs of one can still be seen poking out from spilled coal of the shattered hull. During WWI, the French worked on secret mine-sweepers in Thunder Bay (Lake Superior on the Canadian side). Two ships were lost in a November blizzard on Lake Superior without any clue of where. Two captains and 76 men disappeared. The search with sonar continues.
As writers we create images with words to tell these stories, to show these stories. Sound is often a sense overlooked in the craft of creating that image. It's intriguing to think of how sound can map an action, character, tone or scene. Can we use sonar, sound navigation, to make a flash fiction? It might be difficult, but the art and science is there to push us to try.
August 3, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) use sound to create a story. Just as you might "see" a scene unfold, think about how it might sound. Even one sound to set the tone is okay. Go where you hear the prompt lead. Feel free to experiment.
Respond by August 8, 2017 to be included in the compilation (published August 9). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
A Grating Sound (from Miracle of Ducks) by Charli Mills
Gears ground when the all-terrain vehicle powered up the slope. Danni heard Evelyn shout, "Giddy-up, Mule! Haw! Haw!" The revving engine faded, and a drone of voices washed over Danni like white noise. She studied the sonar graphs, puzzling over the dark features buried four feet below the Kansas clay. Trowels scraped, volunteers called to one another and the porta-potty door slammed intermittently. Danni focused. The active noises blurred.
"I'm a gardener!" A high-pitched voice like nails on a chalkboard.
Danni grit her teeth hard enough to hear enamel chip. A child. Who brought a child to her dig?
August 3: Flash Fiction Challenge
In the pre-dawn light I hear the Hub mumble, "radial engines." I awaken to hear a roar overhead and wonder what it was like to experience the sound of radial engines in the sky during WWII. Both historians, but he thinks of the engines and I think of the experiences. Our eldest daughter is named for two radial engines, not that I was aware at the time of naming. However, as a writer, I can easily get hung up on sound. How does one describe the "roar" of a radial engine versus the roar of a lion or a firestorm?
A DC-10 is now stationed at Grant County International Airport because the fire season has blown up in central Washington, Idaho and western Montana. It's a seasonal reality, one that has greater impact in modern times due to human populations near and within forests. The airport skirts the town of Moses Lake, Washington where I currently live un-homed in a camp trailer. The Hub works on Boeing 777s and 737s for unnamed executives retro-fitting commercial liners into personal pleasure jets and casinos. Next door to the hanger where he turns wrenches on jet engines, the old radial planes gather as bombers to dump borate on wildland fires.This particular airport once trained B52 Bomber pilots and has a 13,500 foot runway. Thus home to a variety of mega-planes, old and new.
Does sound matter to so silent an activity as writing?
Yes, because writers build a believable world for readers by using tangible details from which to suspend their story. Sound is vital to construction. However, similar to learning styles, typically a writer will construct with a dominate sense (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch). I know that I'm a visual writer. I can create scenes that readers can "see." Yet I also know I tend to forget some of the other senses. I'm a visual learner and sometimes a kinesthetic one. Sound is actually difficult for me to capture and describe. Therefore I often challenge myself on the spot to describe a sound or push past a cliche like "the radial engines roared."
What do I notice? The sound is distinct and it builds as it gets closer. It has a feel to it, like a vibrational rumble. It's a landslide in heaven, a detonation overhead, a passing combustion. Roar is also an onomatopoeia; a word that sounds like what it describes. If I try to replicate the sound (and keep in mind my auditory senses are my weakest), I might use bruuummm. At 4 a.m. a DC-10 shook the trailer and bruuummmed overhead to wake us up, knowing fires yet blazed. I'll keep working on it.
Last week, I was delighted to spot an onomatopoeia in Larry LaForge's flash fiction Home Office. I couldn't help but notice the last line immediately: SWOOOOOOOOOOSH. Anticipating the character Ed's affinity for sports, I expected the ending referred to a ball in a net. Ah, but Larry had a different sound in mind and it worked well to reveal where Ed's home office resides. Swoosh is a fun word that tries to replicate the sound of rushing air…or water.
Then I received an email from one of our Rough Writers who had an interesting dilemma related to sound. Jean Lombardo has been cracking away at a client memoir and needed a meaning check. She had a scene peppered with cuss words and had replaced the strong language with soundalike words, including effing. She also had a clever replacement for an offensive phrase and if she joins in with her passage, I'll let her share it with you (warning: it's very Chaucerian, as in the Nun's Priest's Tale). And speaking of Chaucer, he used a fun onomatopoeia in that chapter from the Canterbury Tales: whoopee!
Can we cuss in our writing? The answer depends upon who is the intended audience for reading. Young ears, easily offended sensibilities or fundamentalists will avoid raw language. It's why we have ratings for movies. Editors and clients might direct a writer one way or the other and publishers will have a keen sense for what will be acceptable to their market audience. If you are an indie writer, you might want to beta test both ways. Jeanne's sampling all agreed the cussing needed to be raw to sound real.
Among the writers who join us at Carrot Ranch are poets and musicians. I admire the ear for sound such writers have, for balance upon the page they achieve for the silent words spoken in readers' heads. When I was attending open mic nights in Sandpoint, I'd read from the Carrot Ranch compilations and discover how rich and rhythmic many of the 99-word stories sound aloud. Even when writing longer pieces, it's a good practice to read one's writing aloud. Many readers today are in truth, listeners. An entire industry within book publishing is audio-books.
Sound is relevant. Even the absence of sound has meaning. One of my favorite Simon and Garfunkle songs was recently remade by a hard rocker, Sound of Silence:
…People writing songs that voices never share…
…Take my words that I might teach you…
…Whispered in the sound of silence…
Writers, we can paint a soundscape of color and orchestrate stories with our mere arrangement of words. When you are writing, pay attention to all the senses and include sound. When you are revising, read aloud to shape the sound of your story. And decide to cuss explicit or use soundalikes.
Yes, you know where this is headed. First, a nod to those pilots flying the borate bombers. I hear you hard at work. The photo for our prompt this week is credited to Port of Moses Lake and is from the 2014 fire season and you can almost hear the roar of the DC-10 radials as it drops fire retardant. I know how dangerous the fires can be; history and modern reporting tell similar tales of fire's unpredictable nature. The history book I picked up in Wallace, Idaho while camped on the Coeur D'Alene River is one I imagine my character Danni would read. And it recounts a horrific firestorm on August 4, 1931:
"The fire was burning practically everything from the bridge down to Brett Creek on an old burn that was full of fireweed and fallen timber. That hillside threw so much heat you couldn't face it for more than half a minute at a time…The fire exploded in the mouth of Cinnamon draw and took off like goin' up a chimney. Birds and game under it didn't have a chance. It throwed up a great wave of flame…Then she boomed up and down and she throwed big waves up the drainage one after the other…The roar of the flames and the gale from the draft sucked in by the flames made a scream and that along with the sounds of smashing timber — Hell! — I couldn't hear nothin'. I got off the horse and stood right along the fire chief and yelled in his ear and all I could see was his lips movin'…That whole Cinnamon Creek drainage went out in 8 minutes. The whole damn works. 8 minutes! 15 square miles. 8 minutes took the fire to Pond Creek and the divide…Night time it looked like a great city, spread over the mountains."
That's where we camped for three weeks, just below that drainage in northern Idaho. Now a similar blow up has occurred across the border in western Montana near Hamilton where the Hub's great-great grandparents are buried. It's called the Roaring Lion Fire and if you watch the time lapse sequence below, you will see what a roaring fire looks like. And we are now camped near the airport that launches the bombers to fight fires. It seems, there is always a connection to be found.
This amazing time lapse video of the Roaring Lion Fire is the creation of Montana photographer, Gary Schild.
August 3, 2016 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes the sense of sound. It can be an onomatopoeia, a swearing session with sound alike substitutes, lyrical prose or a description of a sound. Go where you hear the prompt calling.
Respond by August 9, 2016 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
War Zone by Charli Mills (from Miracle of Ducks)
Danni sloshed her peach margarita the night they set off the M-80s.
When the AR-15s blasted a volley into the darkness, Ike ordered Danni to the tent and dashed down the rutted dirt road, favoring his wounded knee. She complied only to dry her hand and restore the splash of peach spirits over limeade. It was the best part of the drink and she wasn't going to let idiots lighting off fireworks on the far end of the campground disrupt a good nightcap. Ike would soon realize the sounds of war he heard were celebrations of a free nation.
Silent Night on the Prairie by Charli Mills (from Rock Creek)
Cicadas trilled from the honey locust trees and coyotes yipped in the distance, their song drifting further away. Sarah missed the sound of rushing creek water that used to lull all sounds at night. Here, on this vast stretch of prairie, it was so quiet she could hear critters tip-toe in the dark.
She sat up in bed. Horse hooves? By the time Sarah was certain, she heard men shouting from the camp at Rock Creek. Commotion. Low voices. None nearing her cabin, though. Should she dress? She hesitated. More horses, this time heading east. Then silence. And cicadas.
Sounds of Harbingers
Sound is the element writers explored this week, using it to announce some sort of change to the story. Sometimes it is the absence of sound that speaks loudest. Creativity is limitless, as are the types of sounds that writers use as harbingers.
The following stories are based on the August 27, 2014 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) use sound to announce some sort of change. Enjoy reading the results!
Jackpot by Larry LaForge
Amidst the constant ding, ding, ding a deafening sound suddenly blasts: whoop, whoop, whoop.
Eddie knows immediately things will never be the same.
Despite the commotion, Eddie's mind drifts back. "Here's a dollar," his pal Jack had said last week. "Give the slots a shot for me in Vegas. I totally trust you, man."
All eyes in the casino are on the flashing dollar slot machine showing a million dollar payout. Cheers erupt. Before the play Eddie had mumbled, "This one is yours, Jackie boy."
Eddie ponders his dilemma as the casino settles back to normal.
Ding, ding, ding.
The 100-word version of this story is posted at larrylaforge100words on Flash Fiction Magazine.
Rivals by Pete
The casual evening sun roamed the horizon, and just over the volley of drums and clashing of cymbals, the sinuous thread of horns cut through the thick of August as the marching band prepared for the season opener on Friday. Ridgeton's two high schools, Stonewall and Fairmont, kicked off each year at City Stadium, and this year's clash carried the additional weight of mending the divide that had captured the town. The heat wouldn't relinquish its reins for another month. The wounds would take a lifetime to heal. But for now, the sounds of rivalry echoed throughout the streets.
American Road Trip by Sherri Matthews
Annie turned towards the rumble of the V8 engine as she watched the low-rider inch slowly towards her where she stood in the street.
"Whose that?" she asked, raising a hand to her eyes against the blinding headlights.
"Don't look at them!" Ken hissed.
"But…I was only…."
"Turn away, now…!"
Annie froze as Ken took a swig from his beer bottle in a failed attempt to look cool.
At last the gang drove off deep into the LA night while Annie heard the distant whines of a police siren.
This wasn't the American road trip she had bargained for.
For Those Who Have Ears to Hear by Tally Pendragon
The roads were still good, if lacking their former glory. A man appeared, out of nowhere, carrying a staff and smiling. "I believe this is yours," he said, and put it into Merlin's hands. In the silence Merlin could hear the slithering. As it grew closer, his mind expanded, until restored silence brought a bright flash. With his consciousness so newly awakened he was not surprised to see that a green and purple dragon had wound itself around the staff, its head resting on top and it's wings folding themselves neatly into the gaps. Now his purpose was clear.
Openings by Geoff Le Pard
'Leave me ALONE!'
The door bulged as it slammed shut. Mary's daughter's muffled sobs were replaced by Carly Simon.
'What's up?" Mary flinched when she felt her husband's hand.
'She hates me.'
Paul listened. 'She's got your taste in music.'
'It's not funny.'
'Why would she hate you?'
Mary didn't answer. She pressed against the wood. 'What was that?'
'I didn't hear anything.'
When Mary opened the door, the room was empty, the window open. 'See?'
'But where's she gone? What's going on?'
'Bloody Rupert, that's where.'
Paul hesitated. 'Oh for god's sake. This has to end, Mary. Now.'
Silence is Not Golden by Sarah Unsicker
Tears blend with my own. I hold the squirming child in my arms while I tread an endless circle around the room, alone, and afraid.
We lie down together. I fall asleep to the sound of her sobs.
The room is gray in the twilight when I wake up. There is an eerie silence as she lays still next to me.
Seconds feel like hours as I unwrap the sheet from her head. I bring her limp body to my chest to give her my breath, my warmth, my heart.
Never have I been so happy for her tears.
Making Change by Chris Magnuson
It rained last night. The ground is wet. The sky is dark blue to the south; storm clouds looking wicked. I look to the north. The sky is a lighter blue with fluffy clouds dotted across it. The breeze is soft, then strong. The sun is warm on my arms, back and legs. I start in on one end. I grab hold of a weed and pull. With each pull I hear, "schlep…..schlep… The sound is of weeds resisting their removal. I keep pulling. "Schlep…schlep. I check the sky occasionally. Schlep….schlep. Ah, finally I have a weed free garden.
Castles in the Ground by Sarah Brentyn
Ella fished her pink plastic shovel out of its hiding place next to the boiler. She scraped it against concrete, pretending the floor was sand. A cardboard box full of yellowed newspapers and mouse droppings became her beach pail. She hummed and built a castle, her little hands shaping tall towers. The basement was dark and cramped but she imagined sunshine and sky.
The click of the lock startled Ella. She froze, hand poised in mid-air, heart beating like a caged hummingbird. A creak from the first stair roused her. She scrambled to hide the shovel for next time.
The Crows by Irene Waters
"Look at those crows circling." Marcia said "Gives me the creeps knowing someone's going to die tonight. Like vultures waiting to take the soul to another place."
"Don't be stupid. That's just an old wives tale." Peter's exasperation was apparent. "Just because they're circling doesn't mean anyone's going to die." They walked on in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
Crrrrrack! Peter looked up at the noise to see the branch falling rapidly toward him.
Boom! The ground shook from the force of the impact. Marcia shook her head as she looked at Peter's lifeless eyes. "Old wives tale huh?"
Through the Floor by Susan Zutautas
Steamy hot water beat down against my sore and weary body. It had been a long frustrating day but the shower was massaging it all away.
Humming Thunder Road, and starting to feel rejuvenated, I reached down for the soap and heard crackling and splitting noises that were very loud.
When I came to Al was kneeling beside me repeating over and over, "wake up."
"Why am I in the basement?"
"You were taking a shower and the tub fell through the floor. Try not to move too much, an ambulance is on its way.
"Seriously, oh my God!!!"
Sound Flash Memoir #1 by Norah Colvin
Awakened suddenly, I didn't dare breathe. The sound was unrecognizable: guttural, movie theatre loud in surround sound. I sat up. The sound continued. I wasn't dreaming. I nudged Bob. No response. Gripped with fear but needing to know, I tiptoed to the window and peeked through the curtain slit. I expected to see The Creature from the Black Lagoon. There was nothing. Now it came from the front, inside the house? My son! I tore down the hall. He slept peacefully! Back to the bedroom. Bob awoke. "Did you hear that?" he asked, wide eyes staring . . .
Flight From North Carolina by Charli Mills
Coins clinked in Cob's burly hand as he jingled the liberty dollars Dryer paid for the two horses. Sarah couldn't see how many. What mattered was boarding the Johnson City train before any Wataugans tracked their midnight ride. Waiting in line at the busy depot, Cob leaned against the wall watching folks like he was at a Sunday picnic.
"You keep fussing your bonnet, Rosebud, everyone on this platform's going to think you're fugitive."
Sarah put her hands down and glared at the black locomotive. The whistle screeched and Sarah grabbed Cob's arm. "We've gotta get on that train."
Harbinger Flash by Anne Goodwin
Though the hoot of the train brought relief, she maintained a mask of indifference as it loomed into view clouded with steam. The weight of the crystal radio had all but wrenched her arm from its socket but she held the case as if it contained nothing more than some lacy lingerie and a freshly starched blouse. Five minutes, ten at most, and she'd be safe.
The thud of jackboots on paving rose above the hiss of brakes. A carriage door swung open. Before she could reach it, the soldier raised his rifle and roared down the platform: "Halt!"
Sound Flash Memoir #2 by Norah Colvin
The boat tossed mercilessly. I battled to contain my insides while all around were losing theirs into little paper bags offered unceremoniously to obliging staff.
Finally, just before landfall, I joined in. Then it was over – for me. Bob's queasiness laid him up for the night; but I went to tea.
The path back to the cabin was unlit but for a splash of moonlight. Suddenly horrific wailing assaulted my ears. Was Bob being murdered? I hurried back. He was fine, but the eerie sound unsettled us far into the night.
In the morning we laughed: mutton birds nesting!
Flash Fiction Challenge by Laura Burke
"Ice accumulation will be like the killer storm of 1988." The weatherman droned on, endless coverage in the background. "As temperatures drop, snapping limbs will sound like gunshots."
Cabin Fever. It's a thing. Time for bed.
Midnight. So far, no tree limb gunfire. I imagined limbs on power lines, electricity gone, frozen pipes, roof damage.
The covers wiggled. My dog squirmed, stretching her frame against the curve of my hip, burrowing her nose under blankets. She stilled. Except for her snoring.
Gentle white noise filled the room, rhythmic and seductive. The outdoors melted away. My mind stilled. Sleep, finally.
New prompt on Wednesday. All writers welcome!
August 27: Flash Fiction Challenge
Summer's heat has dissipated. Windows are wide open and a soft breeze flutters at the screens as gently as a silent butterfly. Logging trucks and late summer campers whir past the house like a rushing stream over rocks. Northbound trains clank to a halt to let the southbound ones trundle by on steel wheels. The windows are usually closed during the heat of the day, so these usually distant noises seem amplified.
Then nothing. Silence. A chickadee calls bright and clear. It sounds like he's whistling, "Here, kitty…here, kitty." In between highway traffic and trains natural sounds carry. In the distance I can hear horses stomping as they mow grass and a crow caws from a tall pine. Occasionally geese honk overhead.
This morning, I saw the first flock of geese headed south. Change is coming.
We get into these rhythms and somehow we think the dance of life is always the same two-step. Change is hard for people. I remember what a huge deal it was to introduce changes in the workplace. Some employees would panic; some customers would grumble; everyone groaned in one way or another just because we changed a process that would make improvements. People liked the improvements. They didn't like having to go through the change.
Life has taught me that change is required to get to the next step of the journey. I think of pioneers and how they had to overcome that fear of change in order to take the journey that led to new places, adventures, opportunities and even hardships. Some learned that the vibrancy of life existed on the cusp of change and sought to journey more than most.
Those would be your Wild Bill Hickoks of the world. The one I'm studying left home early to drive mules; drove freight wagons across the frontier; scouted for the Union Army; led wagon trains and cavalry. Rarely did Hickok stay long in one place. And maybe that's what draws us to such people–we are fascinated that they can go through such changes that would send most of us to hide under the bed just so we could stay home.
In my own life I've felt like a trailblazer, willing to journey. In some ways it paid off like finding a gold nugget and in other ways it led to disaster like losing a crop to locust. But that's life and like it or not, the changes come and find us even if we don't seek them out.
You can hear change coming. A harbinger–a messenger announcing the change like a honking Canada goose winging south in the evening sky. Even the open windows right now have me tingling for changes to come–I need to gather wood and prepare for the shortening of days. It's time to pick huckleberries and put up the last of the summer peaches. Deep within I'm both excited and unsettled for the change.
Sound is often overlooked in writing. We can create images from any and all senses, but of course, we find visual images most natural when writing. This week we are going to explore sound in our flash fiction. Specifically, the sound of a harbinger; something that announces what is to come. It could be expected–the pounding of horse hooves upon hard sod announces the arrival of the next Pony Express rider. Or it could be unexpected–a strange hooting that is heard before a band of Pawnee arrive at the cabin door.
My examples are western, but you can write any ol' genre you wish. I took a dive into this "idea" of Wild Bill Hickok, Cob McCandless and Sarah Shull. While exploring for stories through flash fiction, they hog-tied me, threw over the back of a horse and now I have to write my way out of this adventure. I've decided to accept the challenge. Writing weekly flash has become an interesting way for me to digest the research I'm doing. In October I'm visiting the Hub's sister (she's more like my sister) and she only lives a few hours away from Rock Creek.
It's as if that chickadee is calling to me. A new adventure is just beyond the horizon if I dare step out to meet it. Hickok, Cob and Sarah–I will meet you at Rock Creek this autumn!
August 27, 2014 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) use sound to announce some sort of change. It could be at the beginning of the story–a lonely bar keep on a quiet road hears the rumble of motorcycles and anticipates customers. That could be good news or bad…Or you could tell a story that unfolds as expected until a character hears something–like a bride getting ready upstairs at the church who hears a shattering below followed by the shouts of her groom, "I'm outta here!" Sound can trumpet, clang or whisper. It can foreshadow or be the twist.
Respond by noon (PST) Tuesday, September 2 to be included in the compilation.
Flight From North Carolina by Charli Mills
Coins clinked in Cob's burly hand as he jingled the liberty dollars Dryer paid for the two horses. Sarah couldn't see how many. What mattered was boarding the Johnson City train before any Wataugans tracked their midnight ride. Waiting in line at the busy depot, Cob leaned against the wall watching folks like he was at a Sunday picnic.
"You keep fussing your bonnet, Rosebud, everyone on this platform's going to think you're fugitive."
Sarah put her hands down and glared at the black locomotive. The whistle screeched and Sarah grabbed Cob's arm. "We've gotta get on that train."
Rules of Play:
- New Flash Fiction challenge issued at Carrot Ranch each Wednesday by noon (PST).
- Response is to be 99 words. Exactly. No more. No less.
- Response is to include the challenge prompt of the week.
- Post your response on your blog before the following Tuesday by noon (PST) and share your link in the comments section of the challenge that you are responding to.
- If you don't have a blog or you don't want to post your flash fiction response on your blog, you may post your response in the comments of the current challenge post.
- Keep it is business-rated if you do post it here, meaning don't post anything directly on my blog that you wouldn't want your boss to read.
- Create community among writers: read and comment as your time permits, keeping it fun-spirited.
- Each Tuesday I will post a compilation of the responses for readers.
- You can also follow on Carrot Ranch Communications by "liking" the Facebook page.
- First-time comments are filtered by Word Press and not posted immediately. I'll find it (it goes to my email) and make sure it gets posted! After you have commented once, the filter will recognize you for future commenting. Sorry for that inconvenience, but I do get frequent and strange SPAM comments, thus I filter.


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What's The Greatest Opening Line In Hip-Hop History? Here Are 50 (Video)
Hip-Hop is built on debates. Who is the greatest MC of all-time? What's the best album? What's the best song? The arguments are endless and often simultaneously the source of great entertainment and great agita. There have been several lists that aim to settle these matters, and The Peak has released one of the more clever ones in quite some time.
Rather than focus on entire albums or even songs, they've asked the question "What's the greatest opening line in Hip-Hop History?" In addition to listing out their picks, they have compiled two videos that actually showcase 50 of the best opening lines ever uttered in Rap music.
Numbers 50 – 26
Numbers 25 – 1
Whether or not you agree with the selection or order, the care and attention paid to both is clear. The picks are highly varied ranging from A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast to Eric B. & Rakim and Public Enemy. Even artists as recent as Drake are considered.
Finding The GOAT: Who Is the Greatest MC Of All-Time & Why Do We Care? (Video)
What do you think is the greatest opening line in Hip-Hop history?


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NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Andy Seymour as their new Clinical Chair from 1 May following a recruitment process.
Andy is a partner at Heathville Medical Practice in Gloucester and has been for over 23 years. He is also current Deputy Chair of the CCG and has substantial experience as a clinical leader.
As well as his role in leading a number of clinical programmes for the CCG, he is a former Chairman of the LMC in Gloucestershire and a former lead forensic medical examiner for the county.
Clinical Chair designate of NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Andy Seymour said:
"This is a challenging time for the whole health and social care community. We recognise that we need to place greater emphasis on prevention, make the most of the Gloucestershire pound and ensure that services and community support are organised in a way that can respond to a growing population with more complex needs.
We are fortunate in Gloucestershire to have excellent partnerships in place – at county and locality level. These working relationships are going to be increasingly vital as we seek to develop strong networks of support at community level and access to good quality, joined up care when needed.
At the same time, we cannot ignore the NHS workforce challenge. We need to be doing everything possible at a local level to promote Gloucestershire as a great place to live and work and wherever possible, find local solutions to manage the pressures and the demand on services."
Andy also paid tribute to his predecessor as Chair, Dr Helen Miller who steps down at the end of April. He said:
"Helen has been a committed Clinical Chair who has left a very positive mark and has contributed much to the organisation's development and partnership working.
Helen has, and continues to be, a strong advocate for the patient. Her primary interest has always been in how patient care can be improved and I know this will continue to be her main motivation and guiding principle in her work in general practice. "
Welcoming Andy's appointment, Accountable Officer, Mary Hutton said:
"Andy has substantial front line experience as a practising GP, but is also a trusted and respected clinical leader, from his previous county roles, within the CCG and across the local health and social care community.
I congratulate Andy on his appointment and look forward to working with him and our health and care partners as we face the challenges and opportunities of the future."


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How to Unlock Contact Details
Get Access to Candidates' Contact Details
If you'd seen candidates' profiles on teach.fm, you might have asked yourself - "how can I view contact details of this teacher?"
You've probably noticed that contact information is not available right from the beginning. We are trying to avoid spam and make sure every contact is based on mutual interest and leads to an interview.
It's very simple. Just click the "Invite for interview" button.
The candidate will receive an email notification regarding your invite, and can decide whether they want to get in touch and interview with your company.
When candidate accepts your application, their contact details are immediately revealed to you so you can get in touch using email or your preferred messengers.
Follow our step-by-step guide and invite more teachers.


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Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
by Marilyn Nutter | Mar 24, 2020 | 0 comments
by Marilyn Nutter | Mar 24, 2020 | 0 comments
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"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
~Psalm 16:11
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The Commission's work in prisons
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP)
The Commission has been invited to join prison inspectors on a selected number of Scottish prisons as part of a trial scheme, and is providing in-depth human rights knowledge to inspectors.
Independent Monitoring of Prisons
Independent monitors are essential in helping to ensure that prisoners' human rights are upheld and that life in prison contributes to their rehabilitation. They are volunteers, and provide feedback on the treatment and conditions for prisoners, including conducting investigations. The service is subject to regular review through an Advisory Group, which includes representation from the Scottish Human Rights Commission, alongside other agencies and civil society organisations. Dr Alan Mitchell, a former Chair and Commissioner at SHRC, is the independent Chair of the Advisory Group.
Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody
The Commission co-chaired this independent review with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland and the charity Families Outside. It was published in November 2021 following two years of research, analysis and engagement with families affected by deaths in custody, as well as prison and NHS staff. Read the key recommendations or see the full report on the HMIPS website.
Find out more about our work in prisons.
Prison Inspection
The Commission has been working with Her Majesty's Inspector for Prisons in Scotland (HMIPS) to support a human rights based approach to the inspection of prisons. We provide advice in relation to the inspection standards and have been assisting HMIPS to undertake inspections to ensure that the human rights of prisoners are being respected. In 2018 HMIPS launched a new set of inspection standards with human rights embedded throughout, which the Commisson welcomed.
The Commission is routinely involved in the inspection of Scotland's prison estate, past monitoring reports can be found on the HMIPS website.
National Preventive Mechanism
People in detention are particularly vulnerable, so the international human rights framework requires States to set up national level bodies that can support efforts to prevent their ill treatment. The Commission is one of 21 members of the United Kingdom's National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) which was established in March 2009 as part of the UK's commitment under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).
The NPM's role is to:
- regularly examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in all places of detention under the UK's jurisdiction and control;
- make recommendations to relevant authorities with the aim of improving the treatment and conditions of persons deprived of their liberty;
- submit proposals and observations on existing or draft legislation
The UK NPM receives technical assistance from the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) and the UK government must account for the NPM's ability to perform its functions to the SPT and other United Nations bodies.
The Commission was elected Chair of the Scottish sub-group and a member of the UK NPM Steering Group in March 2020.
All annual reports from the NPM can be read at their website.
In December 2020, the NPM published the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture's report to the NPM and the NPM's response to the report.
The Scottish Sub-group
The Scottish NPM sub-group was established on 6 October 2014 and represents the interests of Scottish members of the UK NPM. In March 2020, the Commission was appointed as Chair of the Scottish Sub-group.
The sub-group meets at least twice a year and is coordinated by the Commission. The current members of the sub-group are:
- Scottish Human Rights Commission (Chair)
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland
- The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
- Care Inspectorate
- Independent Custody Visitors Scotland
- HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland
Meetings are also attended by the UK NPM coordinator.


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The Lord Mayor of Cork has officially reopened Elizabeth Fort to the public after it was closed due to the public health crisis.
Cllr Joe Kavanagh reopened the tourists attraction who are ready to welcome back visitors for the first time in months.
The 17th century fort is one of the city's hidden gems that was originally built as a defensive fortification and has played a major role in the military and social history of Cork.
The fort also served as a convict depot for prisoners awaiting transportation to Australia and most recently a Garda barracks.
You can explore the fort free of charge and enjoy the views of the city before visiting the exhibition which tells the story of the fort and the surrounding area.
Elizabeth Fort has been approved by Fáilte Ireland as eligible to sign up to the COVID-19 Safety Charter, demonstrating that the fort is operating in line with current Government public health advice and with safety and cleaning protocols in place.
Lord Mayor Cllr Joe Kavanagh said "I'm delighted to help re-open one of Cork City's favourite medieval attractions! Last year, Elizabeth Fort was on many people's 'must-see' lists and welcomed 70,000 people through its medieval walls.
"With "staycations" very much the order of the day, I'd like to encourage you all to (re)discover Elizabeth Fort."


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Victoreen Model 287 Minometer (ca. 1940s)
This is a Model 287 "Minometer" (serial number 816) charger-reader manufactured by the Victoreen Instrument Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Quoting a 1947 product description "The minometer has been designed to measure stray radiation as well as extremely small X-ray and gamma ray quantities. The instrument consists essentially of a string electrometer and a small ionization chamber designed in the shape of a fountain pen for carrying in the coat pocket. The value of the ionization chamber, as well as the scale supplied with the instrument, is 0.2 r which is twice the accepted quantity estimated for a daily tolerance dose."
The photo to the right shows the Minometer with an indirect reading pocket chamber positioned for charging or reading.
The exposure (in mR) was determined by measuring the decrease in charge in the condenser chamber as a result of the radiation exposure. The condenser chambers that the Minometer charged and read were used for personnel monitoring. Because the exposure could not be determined without the Minometer, the chambers were referred to as indirect reading pocket dosimeters.
The Minometer appears to have been developed sometime in the late 1930s while the example on display probably dates from the late 1940s.
There are two possible reasons that the scale read 0-200mR. The first is that this would place the daily tolerance dose of 100 mR in the middle of the scale. The other possible reason is that making the chamber any more sensitive would require increasing the size of the chamber to the point where it would not conveniently fit in a pocket.
The photograph to the right shows the identification plate on the end of the Minometer's base and an indirect reading pocket chamber with the protective cap for the charging contact removed.
Case: 8" long x 4" wide x 6" high
Weight: 6 pounds
Power: 110 volt 60 cycle
Donated by the Victoreen Instrument Company courtesy of John Pobicki.
- Atomic Energy Commission Radiation Instrument Catalog No. 2, 1950, Page AE-2A.
- Product description, Nucleonics November 1947, Page 77.
- Davis, DM, Gupton, ED, and Hart, JC. Applied Health Physics Radiation Survey Instrumentation, ORNL-332 (rev), Jan. 1, 1954.


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How to Set up Product Designer in WooCommerce
You will need a WooCommerce Product Designer if you are an online graphic designer who wants to start a website where clients may modify t-shirts or other designs. It will instantly boost your website and bring in new clients. Another issue is that it can be difficult to obtain your client's specs. They can give any detail they require thanks to the product designer. It would also be beneficial to you in terms of saving time.
In this article, I will show you How to set up product designer in WooCommerce to upgrade your online store ultimately!
Benefits of Product designer in WooCommerce
Your consumers may design and personalize a product to match their needs with Product Designer for WooCommerce, which will increase customer happiness and income on your site. Below are some advantages of setting up product designer in WooCommerce.
- Enhance the customer experience
- Increase the amount of money that comes into the site
- Attract New Clients
- Page of the Designer
- Design can be saved
- Bases for Ready-to-Use Products
- Customize the Edit Zone
- It Is Possible To Save Designs
How Product designer in WooCommerce works
Customize Product Button on Single Product Page: The user will be redirected to the Product Designer page after clicking the Customize Product button.
Designer Page: The user can design their product on this page by adding the following elements: Images, Clip art, Text, Shapes. By pressing the Save Design button, users can save their designs to their accounts.
Save Design: After the user has finished customizing the product, they may add it to their cart and go to checkout. The user will be able to download the design from the Thank You page and My Account page once the purchase is complete.
Download Design Link on Thank You Page
How to set up product designer in WooCommerce
Step 1: Plugins installation
From your WooCommerce Personal Account, download Product Designer extension, you will get the product-designer-for-woocommerce.zip file.
Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New, then upload the plugin file you downloaded using Choose File.
Install and activate the extension right now.
Step 2: Product designer configuration
1. General
Enable Product Customization if you want your users to customize products before they buy them.
Please select the page where you wish to load the product designer from the Product Designer Page option.
A logo can be upload for the product designer page in the Product Designer Page Logo option.
You can change the Product Designer Page Title under the Product Designer Page Title option.
The site's Shop page will be set by default under the Shop URL option. You can adjust the URL to suit your needs.
The Product Designer Page Favicon option allows you to add a favicon to the Product Designer page.
The Footer Information for Designer Page option allows you to change the Designer Page's footer content.
By setting the Hide Product Customisation on Mobile option, you can block product customization on mobile devices.
2. Display settings
In the Modify Button Caption option, you can change the label for the customize product button.
Enable the Display Personalize Button on Single Product Pages option if you want the customize button to appear on single product pages.
The Customize button will appear next to the Add to Cart button by default. Customize the Single Product Page Customize Button Position if you want the Customize button to appear in a different location.
Enable the Display Customize Button on Shop and Category Pages option if you want the customize button to appear on Shop and Category Pages.
On the Shop and Category Pages, the Customize button will appear next to the Add to Cart button by default. Customizing the Shop and Category Position will allow you to display the Customize button in a new spot.
Enabling the Product Customization Info on Cart Page option allows you to provide a glimpse of the customized product in the cart.
Set the value to Show in Product Customization Info in My Account Page option if you want a preview of the purchased product to appear in the My Account Page.
You can change the Width and Height of the Customized Product Preview under the Cart Page Thumbnail Width and Height option.
By adding an additional CSS class to the Customize button, you can change its appearance. In the Customize Button Additional Class option, you can add the CSS Class.
3. Image settings
Setting the value to Yes in the Force Users to log in before they can Upload Images to Designer option will force your users to check in to the site before uploading an image.
There will be no restrictions on the image types that can be submitted by default. If you want to limit the sorts of images that can be uploaded, enter the acceptable file formats in the following formats: jpeg, png, jpg.
There is no limit on the size of the image that can be submitted by default. You can limit the size of the image you upload by entering the Min and Max Dimensions options in the Min Dimensions and Max Dimensions settings.
When users use a picture to build a product, they will not be charged a price by default. Set the fee for image upload in the Fee for Image Upload option if you wish to charge a fee.
4. Text settings
Setting the value to Yes in the Charge a Fee option will allow you to charge a fee for inserting text.
Enter the minimum character count for which the user will be charged a price in the Number of Characters area.
Enter the Fee Amount in the Fee field.
4 Best WooCommerce Product Designer Plugins
1. WooCommerce Custom Product Designer
The plugin WooCommerce Custom Product Designer includes a robust product designer tool that is responsive and vector-based. Users can resize, reposition, change area design, use short layers of product photos, and so on by dragging and dropping.
The admin section of this plugin contains numerous configuration options, including price settings, print configuration, language management, vector output SVG, and so on.
- Create whatever product you want
- Any printing method is supported
- Create goods with the SVG vector file
- A professional design library is included
- Designers can make designs and sell things
Price: $50
2. WooCommerce Multi-Step Product Designer
Using this plugin, customers may personalize any goods, including gift boxes, product bundles, perfumes, apparel, gift cards, mugs, and more. The plugin WooCommerce Multi-Step Product Designer includes a powerful product designer tool that allows you and your customers to create multi-layer product designs.
The design layers can be an image, a text area, or an uploaded picture, and the plugin has a lot of customizing options. Rotatable, resizable, and draggable design layers
- Designer of multi-step forms
- Product design with multiple layers
- Organize a variety of forms, steps, and items
- In multiple steps, create an endless number of elements
- Allow your consumers to create whatever type of product they want
Price: 28$
3. WooCommerce Online Product Designer
Another excellent product designer plugin is WooCommerce Online Product Designer. Customers can customize any product on your WooCommerce store using this plugin. There are several design alternatives, as well as powerful design tools and customization options.
The plugin allows your customers to effortlessly submit photographs to the product designer tool and customize it to their liking using a variety of design options and customization tools.
- A variety of languages are supported
- It includes an HTML5 online designer
- From the admin panel, you can make whatever changes you want
- From the front end, you may create as many designs as you want
- Allow you to upload an unlimited number of clipart images
- SVG, pdf, pictures, and DPI images are among the design output options
Price: $33
4. Simple Product Design for WooCommerce
Simple Product Design for WooCommerce is a powerful, easy-to-use, and adaptable WooCommerce product designer plugin. The plugin allows your customers to build goods according to your ideas with loads of versatile design and customization possibilities.
The plugin allows consumers to design products and then add them to their shopping carts; all design information is instantly included in the order, allowing you to process it fast.
- Lightweight and adaptable
- Simple and comprehensive
- It has completely configurable design possibilities
- Product design tools and solutions that are robust
- Calculator for cart/order prices
Price: $29
Product Designer will enhance your website's traffic and bring in new customers right away. Another issue is that obtaining your client's specifications can be challenging. Thanks to the product designer, they may provide any information they require. It would also benefit you in terms of time savings.
I hope you will find this topic about How to set up product designer in WooCommerce fundamental!