text:
Maryland, like the rest of the country, is aging.
The state's 65-and-over population increased by more than 18 percent in the past 10 years to 707,642, according to the U.S. census. This group will only grow as baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1965 — turn grayer.
One of the most vocal advocates for older Americans is the AARP, which represents members who are 50 and older. While Social Security and Medicare have remained priorities for the organization, in Maryland it also focuses on more local issues such as lower electricity rates and reliability standards for utilities.
The Baltimore Sun recently spoke with AARP Maryland state director Hank Greenberg about his chapter's work.
What are some pressing issues facing older Marylanders?
Among the top issues we're very concerned about are long-term care, utilities, retirement security and hunger, and that's not the entire list of issues.
Let's go through the list: What makes long-term care a priority?
AARP did a survey very recently in which it noted that when it comes to long-term care and funding for home- and community-based services, most Marylanders and most Americans who are over 50 want to be able to remain in their own homes as long as they can. That's the No. 1 issue.
It turns out … Maryland is ranked 45th out of 50 states, meaning that we are fifth from the worst in funding. The amount of funding that goes to home- and community-based services in comparison to institutionalized care like nursing homes is very, very low.
Clearly, aging in place is what most people prefer. That's an issue important not only for people who are older, but we are hearing a lot from people who are in their 50s … who have parents who are aging.
When you talk about funding for home- and community-based services, what do you mean exactly?
We're talking about the level of funding that the state provides for older Americans under the [Medicaid] Older Adults Waiver, which provides assistance to help older adults continue to live in their homes with specific health care and respite care services.
Currently, there are 20,000 Marylanders on the waiting list for such services.
When you think about the fact that it costs about half as much to have the same level of care at home as they would in an institution, it makes sense economically and it's what the people want.
Why are utility issues important for older Maryland residents?
Two things that people really care about are high [electricity] costs and reliability — the fact that it takes so long to restore electricity after outages. We know outages are inevitable, but the question is how well are utilities responding to it on two particular levels.
Are they giving customers timely and accurate information? That's a concern to us because we're hearing about it from our members. They're not getting information, [or when they get it] it's not accurate.
And then the second thing we're concerned about is … standards. We want to strengthen the standards that [utilities] must adhere to and make sure if they don't adhere to them, any fines … don't come from the pockets of ratepayers but come from the pockets of the companies and shareholders.
We want to see transparency with respect to information and accountability with respect to their performance.
What are the concerns of older Americans when it comes to retirement security, especially after the Great Recession?
The No. 1 priority we had in the last few months was to make sure there were no cuts to Social Security or to Medicare as part of the deficit-reduction act of Congress. Because Medicare and Social Security are cornerstones of retirement security, it's really important that we make it very clear that [cutting them is] not how you reduce the deficit.
People might not assume that hunger is a top priority for older Americans. What are you seeing?
In fact, it's one of the things that people are surprised about when they hear it's an issue that's on the AARP agenda: combating hunger among older Americans.
Older Americans are becoming a larger and larger percentage of the people who are facing hunger every day in this country. That's a rather amazing fact.
There are nationwide 9 million older Americans who are at risk of hunger, who are forced to skip meals or buy low-quality food.
We're trying to work with partners who are very involved with this, like the Maryland Hunger Solutions. And we're working with them and others, including the Maryland Food Access and Nutrition Network, to increase funding and also to make sure we increase enrollments to [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps].
Why are we seeing an increase?
I think it's fair to say that the economy now has had a very negative effect on everyone, including older Marylanders.
People who are older have had a difficult time making ends meet, and people in their 50s had a very high unemployment rate in the last couple of years. … People lost equity in their homes, lost their savings and they're facing some terrific challenges. And at the same time, their costs have increased, whether it's for utilities or other costs.
Why should everyone care about issues affecting older Americans?
First of all, what we do we do for all people.
When it comes to older folks, they have worked their entire lives and paid into … Social Security and Medicare with an expectation and promise. That should be honored.
When it comes to people in the sandwich generation — people who are in their 50s [who are squeezed between aging parents and kids] — they're being hit because of high unemployment. A lot of work needs to be done with older workers, and one of our first projects will be to facilitate a conference to engage human resources officials on the value of older workers.
Folks who are in their midlife are in many cases facing pressures of family, [from] both their parents and their kids. … [They are] navigating what is a difficult time right now.
One of the things we're looking to do is to be a resource for anyone who's looking to figure out what's next. What can we do to help fulfill people's aspirations?
See more business leaders interviewed by The Baltimore Sun


text:
The 2-year-old daughter of a Cottage Avenue woman was taken into state custody early Monday morning after her mother was charged with her second offense of drunk driving.
Gabrielle Moreau, 22, 8 Cottage Ave., was arraigned in Westboro District Court Monday.
She is charged with drunken driving (second offense), child endangerment while driving drunk, a marked lanes violation and negligent driving.
Her case was continued to Jan. 3. According to court documents, Ms. Moreau's prior OUI charge was continued without a finding in Worcester District Court on May 7, 2009.
A state police trooper reported first encountering Ms. Moreau shortly before midnight after responding to a call about a motor vehicle with no lights on being off the roadway on Interstate 290.
When the trooper arrived, he found the vehicle up an embankment prior to Exit 25A.
The trooper said a strong odor of liquor was coming from Ms. Moreau's breath. A glass Bud Light bottle was in plain view at the foot of the toddler's car seat. Ms. Moreau refused a breath test, according to police.
She was treated and released from UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. The state Department of Children and Families was called to take the child into custody.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I spent about 2-3 months thinking of this problem, but never really sat down with a pen and paper. I tried it on excel, as thats how i normally work. But after your note, i went back to basics, started writing on paper....and put algebra to good use! it took less than 10 mins to sove the issue. So back to basics should be my new year resolution i guess!! Thanks once again!]]>
You are quite welcome! I'm glad you got it worked out. To work algebra word problems I usually
start by guessing at the answer. Then in working to see if it's the right guess I keep track step by
step as to how I determine whether it is correct or not. There is usually a step where something is
supposed to equal something else. If it does then the guess was correct. If not then putting a
brand x generic guess where the original numeric guess was and going through the same steps,
the equation to be solved shows up where the "they were not equal" occurred.
There are several advantages to this approach. 1) Anyone can make a guess and so can get
started on working the problem. 2) The guess doesn't usually even have to be reasonable.
3) After the guess, there is no information left out so one can reason through the problem in
the manner they are used to dealing with this type of problem. 4) If one can't determine whether
or not the guess is correct they they probably don't understand the background material or the
problem is not well stated. 5) If one does determine that the guess is correct then they have
the answer. 6) If the guess is incorrect then they are very close to having the equation to be
solved (equality involving the generic guess x following steps for guesses) . 7) Sometimes
after finding that a guess is wrong it is easy to adjust the guess to get the right answer.
The main advantage is probably that one is able to work out the steps in the "usual" manner
instead of having to work in a strange direction dictated by the "missing part" being looked for.
The "usual" manner leads to the equation to be solved. Then solving the equation is straight
forward which alleviates one from having to work through the problem from a "strange"
This approach was "driven home" to me when I ran across a "heads of lettuce" problem in an
algebra book. I had never seen anything like it before and so had no "standard approach" to
work with. So I took a guess, worked through it (it was a wrong guess) and tried several
revised guesses. They didn't work either, but I knew I was reasoning through the problem
correctly. So putting the "generic" guess x in instead of the specific guesses and going through
the SAME steps, the equation to be solved popped up. Solving it was a breeze. That made me
acutely aware of the method mentioned.
An in case you wonder whether guessing is a "valid" approach in mathematics, just know that
there are many places in mathematics that the "official" technique for solving (differential
equations, for example) is to "guess and correct, estimate and revise" or whatever they may
wish to call it. It is probably the most common way that human beings learn things. We guess
and if it doesn't work we guess and try again. We learned to crawl, walk, ride a bike, drive a car,
etc. by this approach. Much of mathematics is obtained by observing patterns and then guessing
what equation for formula "fits" the patterns.
Well, I didn't intend to write a book here. I get a bit verbose at times. But I hope this will be of
help to you.
Have a super day today!]]>
Thanks a ton! Algebra it is
Although i needed to work on it a bit differently, i used algebra as you suggested, and I have found the answer!
Thanks again]]>
Let C=Cost, M=Margin, DC=Dealer Commission, SC=Salesman Commission, T=Tax.
From your simple math calculation of 116.5 I see that you are calculating the DC, SC and T on
the total C+M, which we can call A; that is, let A=C+M=100.
Let R be the Dealer Commission RATE (which is given as 10%).
Your "working backwards" appears to involve only the DC and the total 116.5 and LEAVES OUT
the SC and the T.
The complete equation from your simple math is
(C+M) + SC + DC + T = total = 116.5 which is
Then working backwards (solving for R given the total 116.5) replacing DC by R*A we obtain
But this R*A+106.5 is the total 116.5; that is, R*A+106.5=116.5 so R*A = 10.
Thus R*A = R*100 = 10 yields R=10/100 = .10 = 10%
( .10A = 10 yields A = 100 which checks.)
This is one advantage of using algebra. Give the unknown a name (here R) and write the equation
from the "simple math" approach. Then solve for the unknown. This allows us to get the
necessary equation reasoning from our "simple math" approach.
Have a very blessed day and New Year!]]>
By simple math, this is 100+2+4.5+10=116.5 USD. But when you work backwards, 10% included in 116.5 is 116.5-(116.5*100/110)=10.59, and not 10. so when i pay the document charges + both commissions i am paying out more than i calculated, which eats into my margin.
Whats the error i am making in my calculation, and is what is the right way to do it. I understand its becasue i am adding up 3 percentages, and then back calulating for each percentage from the total...pls help.]]>


text:
The Scar
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Series: The Scar, Book 1
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 02-28-12
- Language: English
- Publisher: Audible Studios
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $29.95
Publisher's Summary
Reaching far beyond sword and sorcery, The Scar is a story of two people torn by disaster, their descent into despair, and their re-emergence through love and courage.
Sergey and Marina Dyachenko mix dramatic scenes with romance, action and wit, in a style both direct and lyrical. Written with a sure artistic hand, The Scar is the story of a man driven by his own feverish demons to find redemption and the woman who just might save him. Egert is a brash, confident member of the elite guards and an egotistical philanderer. But after he kills an innocent student in a duel, a mysterious man known as "The Wanderer" challenges Egert and slashes his face with his sword, leaving Egert with a scar that comes to symbolize his cowardice. Unable to end his suffering by his own hand, Egert embarks on an odyssey to undo the curse and the horrible damage he has caused, which can only be repaired by a painful journey down a long and harrowing path.
Plotted with the sureness of Robin Hobb and colored with the haunting and ominous imagination of Michael Moorcock, The Scar tells a story that cannot be forgotten.
Critic Reviews
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
5 Stars288
4 Stars323
3 Stars181
2 Stars88
1 Stars45
5 Stars349
4 Stars294
3 Stars122
2 Stars35
1 Stars19
5 Stars267
4 Stars264
3 Stars151
2 Stars96
1 Stars40
- Robert
- Yamhill, OR, United States
- 08-13-12
Highly, highly, Highly Recommended
This was one extraordinary book, one that I could not stop reading / listening to.
While this husband and wife team have been writing and receiving awards for books since 1994, their works are, for the most part, in the Ukrainian and Russian languages. Written in 1997, The Scar is apparently the first to be translated into English and has only come to Western shores this year. While this is the middle book of a trilogy, unlike other trilogies, this installment stands quite well on its own though I hope that the remaining installments become available in English. I cannot wait to read them. These are masterful writers.
While not one for spoilers, I will only say that this is a book of the fantasy genre that, while there is sorcery and sword-fighting, none of it is gratuitous. While there is a great deal about love, there is not too much romance. For my liking, all of these were good attributes. The book is about great courage and great cowardice, self-discovery and redemption. This is a wonderfully rich and vivid story about our humanity, our psychology and the nature of both. For me, perhaps the most powerful aspect of the book had to do with the power of forgiveness. This is story-telling at its best.
When beginning to listen to this book, I was already engaged (but not engrossed) in listening to one and reading another literary work of fiction. I was becoming drained by the complexity and work that I had to put into both. The Scar's simplicity allowed me to just relax and enjoy one of the more remarkable books I have read/listened to. While simple in its parable-, morality play-like nature, it still had the depth and richness of quintessential Russian literature. The characters are richly and completely drawn. The plot is riveting, surprising and unpredictable to the end. The prose, perhaps owing to the translation by Elinor Huntington, is engrossing, lyrical and poetically beautiful.
The narration by Jonathan Davis did justice to the book. Sometimes narrators are so good that they draw one's focus away from the book and toward the performer. For the most part, that was not the case with this selection. The narrator disappeared and the book revealed itself in all of its beauty. I will say this, though, there are passages in which the narrator's voice became possibly a bit too stentorian. That was a distraction for me but the passages were few and far between. I think that it was a personal thing and I will not dock him for it. He did a superb job.
Rating this book is difficult for me. Thinking out loud, I would like to give it 5 stars but I gave that number to The Brothers Karamazov. 4 stars might suggest that the book was less than stellar. I would like to rate it within the context of the rest of the trilogy because of some unmentioned comments but two-thirds of that are unavailable. So, in the interest of enticing you to rather than dissuading you from reading this masterpiece, my fine reader of reviews, 5 Stars it is. You will not be disappointed.
93 of 97 people found this review helpful
- Amber
- Houston, TX, United States
- 09-10-12
Beautifully translated & narrated!
Download this book for the sheer beauty of listening to it-- it's such an aesthetic pleasure the story hardly matters. I suspect Jonathan Davis could narrate a dishwasher assembly manual and make it enthralling. Davis's exposition is like a gently flowing sylvan stream beckoning the listener to explore its charming bends. On the other hand, listening to his dialog is more like listening to a dramatic reading of a play than a book, the voices of the characters are so distinct and read with such drama. After listening to this book, I checked out samples of some of his other narrations and found them good, but not nearly as entrancing as the voice he takes on for this book. More, please! The only downside is that his dialog is SO dramatic it often goes from a shout to a murmur, sometimes quite quickly. While the performance is wonderful, the extreme volume changes can create a logistical headache. Some of the quieter conversations, particularly involving female characters, required me to dial the volume way up.
I also think I have literally never read a book translated from another language that flows so beautifully and has such a lovely and natural style of prose. Translator Elinor Huntington did a wonderful job, and I expect she took some significant translational liberties with the text to ensure that flow. The language and phrasing is an interesting blend of modern and archaic, but always apt and never stilted. I don't speak or read a word of Russian, but I'd give an eyetooth to know how much of the credit for this lyrical beauty should go the Dyachenkos and how much Huntington imposed.
Oh yes, you want to know if the story is any good. It's... fine. It's a simple, almost fable-like archaic tale of courage, cowardice, and redemption that is a perfect vehicle for Huntington's wonderful translation and Davis's marvelous narration. I felt the biggest weakness was that the main character, Egert Soll, is not particularly likeable at any point during the story, He goes from being an arrogant jackass to a sniveling self-loathing worm, and it is never easy to feel much sympathy for him or understand how the female lead could fall for him, particularly given their history. Despite this, I was reasonably engaged by the story until the very end, when I felt the final denouement was fundamentally unsatisfying.
The Bottom Line: Proof that an "okay" story, perfectly told, becomes something much more than just okay.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
- Aaron
- pocatello, ID, United States
- 03-01-12
top 10
I have been searching for a decent book since the king killer chronicles and i would put this book up there with those. well written.
30 of 32 people found this review helpful
- Holly Butterfly
- San Jose, CA USA
- 05-08-12
Put the effort in, you'll get rewarded
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The most interesting aspect of the story is how Edgart deals with his curse and how he overcomes it.
The least interesting is the authors' long winded way of storytelling. Sometimes it seemed like it took forever for something interesting or relevant to happen. All of the action happens in the last quarter of the book.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scenes are when Edgart has a swordfight/confrontation with the "Stranger" and the last few chapters of the book. Edgart's transformation or recovery from his scar is timed well.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This book was hard to listen to all in one sitting. I took breaks, reread some of the reviews, and stuck with it to the end. Many people said that it gets better as the story evolves.
Any additional comments?
The narrator Jonathan Davis was fabulous. He was the reason I stuck with the story, instead of abandoning it. His style of narration made me feel like I was sitting around a campfire listening to the tribal elder or tribal storyteller weave a tale passed down through generations.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
- Ryan
- Somerville, MA, United States
- 03-22-13
Crime and punishment
Several people whose opinions I respect gave this novel high marks, and I agree with them. The Scar was originally written by Ukrainian authors in the 1990s, and has a folkloric, parable-like character that makes for a somewhat different reading experience from typical American or British fantasy.
Its protagonist is a young, swaggering nobleman named Egert, who's quite skilled with a sword and at seducing the wives of other men, but has little real respect for anyone. After making a bullying pass at the beautiful fiancee of a student, he ends up in duel with the student, and kills the young man, who isn't a very capable fighter. This attracts the attention of a mysterious traveler, who curses Egert with the affliction most shameful to him: cowardice.
At first, Egert's reduction to a terrified, contemptible wretch seems like his just deserts, but slowly the authors get us to pity, then empathize with him. Driven out of his hometown, he discovers a crushing human truth: that everyone has problems, and that his are of no great concern to the world. Ironically, the only place that welcomes him is the university he once disdained, where a kind professor and a few friendly students take him under their wing. But, troubles remain: he must once again face Toria, the fiancee of the student he killed, and a mysterious cult that has its own designs on him. Meanwhile, the curse of cowardice keeps its claws in him, its cure seemingly requiring that he find the one who bestowed it.
The Dyachenkos' level of artistry is impressive. Even in translation, the writing, imagery, and metaphor have a timeless, lyrical quality that make the world breath with familiarity and meaning. The central characters struggle with their inner conflicts in a way that's complex and has thematic depth. As with other (translated) Russian-sphere novels I've read, there seems to be some implicit commentary on the human condition, though I lack the cultural insight to grasp the full perspective.
The world-building is a little basic compared to other fantasy, but the universe that the Dyachenkos create has enough colorful bits that I'd be glad to visit again (apparently, they've set other books in it). I enjoyed the dramatic conclusion, which offers a chance at redemption to Egert, though not without cost to him, Toria, and other characters, and left me contemplating the differences between simple fear and true moral cowardice. I thought there were also good questions about how bad experiences, even deeply regrettable ones, can lead to purpose that might not have been found otherwise.
While The Scar isn't quite complex enough to break out of its fairy-tale-for-grownups mold, it's very good, and I'd recommend it to fans of Patrick Rothfuss, Gene Wolfe, and Paolo Bacigalupi's The Alchemist. I should also mention that I've gotten to be a fan of audiobook narrator Jonathan Davis, who has read for several of the aforementioned authors, and has a languid, almost hypnotic, yet expressive voice that I consider an excellent fit for fantasy-that-gets-you-to-think. In fact, I have a hard time separating his performance from several books I've enjoyed in the recent past.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
- Jacobus
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- 03-16-12
Its beauty lies in its simplicity
In my opinion ???The Scar??? is a beautiful gripping fairy tale. It has a simple storyline with very subtle twists at exactly the right places. The themes of love and hate, valour and cowardice, curses and blessings, vengeance and forgiveness, integrity and falsehood is woven in an integrate pattern of beautiful storytelling.
I enjoyed how Sergey Dyachenko and Marina Dyachenko used metaphors and similes to describe the life experiences of the main character Egert. I caught myself every now and then thinking, ???This description or that way of saying something is spot on.??? I couldn???t help myself to rewind to listen again to some of the ???ear candy??? in this book.
The story is woven around a man called Egert. The tremendous development that Egart undergoes through the story kept me spellbound for hours. It felt very authentic. I liked the fact that the authors didn???t rush to resolve tensions in the story. Instead, the story builds up to grant finale that satisfy the listener. It makes you hope that there will be a sequel to this book.
Where books in the English world tend to have more complicated plots, ???The Scar???s??? beauty lies in its simplicity. It???s an unpolluted minimalistic gem.
I am pleasantly surprised on how well Jonathan Davis narrated the book. I???ve listened to him narrating a Political Science book previously. It would have said that it is the same person. Here he comes to right.
This book comes highly recommended! If you are looking for good storytelling, a gripping story with subtle twists, don???t hesitate to buy ???The Scar.??? Be warned, you might not want to stop listening until you???ve finished the story.
24 of 26 people found this review helpful
- Ohtochooseaname
- SAN JOSE, CA, United States
- 04-26-12
A fantastic of the struggle for redemption
Where does The Scar rank among all the audiobooks you've listened to so far?
I would rank it as an 8 out of 10: it was not as entertaining as some books, but its deeper points really struck home. It is not exactly a light read, and many of the scenes were difficult to listen to because of the heartrending situations. I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in a story dealing with concepts of morality as opposed to just an entertaining page turner.
Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?
Jonathan Davis really brings to life the emotions of Egert: his pride, exhuberance, anguish, and hopelessness as the scene requires. He does an excellent job over the full range required, and adds a significant depth to the scenes.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This book was not as difficult as some to put down simply because there were some significant lulls in the story. It isn't all action like the more entertaining page-turners, however, that doesn't detract from the true quality of the story.
19 of 21 people found this review helpful
- Donald Jodon
- Pittsburgh
- 05-01-12
Ukranian Fantasy at it's finest...
What did you love best about The Scar?
The novel is ver distinct in it's approach to tell a modern fantasy tale. The authors' approach is psychological in nature and adds a lot to the suspense of the book. The entire read has a foreboding feel that things will not end well. I'm not saying that it doesn't end well, the authors just do a great job of creating a real sense of peril for our protagonist. Also, I like that we dislike (or possibly even loathe, depending on the reader) the protagonist. Egert is brash, egotisitcal, and dispassionate. So why read about him? At first this may be a problem for some readers, but the cockiness of Egert is the reason that his fall from grace is so very powerful. We learn to feel real sympathy for him and along the way even like the guy. That is the work of a true story teller. So, if you're preparing to read this, prepare ot be manipulated...and love every minute of it.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Although the main Character, Egert is not my favorite character. I really like Toria. She is a strong female lead and not a stereotype, who is passionate. The hatred she holds for Egert when he arrives at the college is true and we (the reader) are pulled into her compassion when she actually forgives him. I also liked the Wanderer, but that is merely for the attraction I have for powerful, mysterious people in Fantasy fiction. (call it a short coming if you will...)
Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?
Jonathan Davis does a decent job. His job is made hard because of the text. You see, since this was originally written in Russian, the prose is different. There is much more telling here than there would be in any American book. This is the ONLY hiccup I had while listening. We are TOLD that Egert doesn't fear death. We are told a lot of things at times which almost makes it feel like an exposition, at least at first. I attribute this to the translation. (I typically don't enjoy translated books) The translator in this case, however, did a REMARKABLE job in maintaining the almost poetic prose. Still the odd way of telling the story does get in the way of the narration at times. But as the book progresses, the story is told so well that it all fades into the background. At first, however, you will definitely notice this exposition feel of which I'm referring. Still the narrator handles the book well.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Come on this isn't fair question... If I say "YES" then the male reader disregard the book as melodrama. If I say "NO" then I'm implying that the emotions the author strived for are missing. I will be honest, then. No, I did not have an extreme reaction. I don't remember chuckling at any point, but it is possible I'm not remembering. I definitely did not cry, but the list of books that actually made me cry is VERY short indeed. (I could name them, but I won't) THe story does a good job of relaying emotion, regardless of my reaction.
Any additional comments?
I really hesitated picking this up because of the fact that it was a translated piece of fiction. I rarely enjoy such books. For example, Battle Royale is supposed to be an awesome read, but I couldn't get into it due to the prose. (I tried reading it not listening to it) The wording just pulled me out of the fiction.
BUT, this is NOT the case here. THis book reads/listens well due to the skill of both the original authors as well as the translator. I couldn't believe some of the beautiful prose that was left in tact after translation. Still, there is a hiccup, especially at the begining when the narration feels more like expositions. (there is another rough section about 3/4 of the way through after a major plot point is reached, but it is over soon enough) I mention this here to explain my 4 star rating instead of 5. I also mention it becasue I want to let listeners know that the read gets better after a shakey start. I use the term shakey very loosely here to explain that the prose isn't perfect at first.
Overall, a GREAT read. I am very happy that I read it. So happy that I went out downloaded the only other translated piece of fiction that I could find from these authors (called the Burnt Tower and available on the Kindle for free last time I checked). Enjoy this!
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
- tazzer
- 08-15-12
a different twist
Would you listen to The Scar again? Why?
I would listen again if only to hear the narrator. You can get lost in the story with his talent.
The story reads like an adult fable and fantasy adventure.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Scar?
Egerts dual with Dynar(?). after which you can't decide if you are disgusted with him, pity him or are sympathetic to his story.
What about Jonathan Davis's performance did you like?
he can really paint a picture of characters and situations with his inflections. he draws you into the story as if you were an eyewitness to the events.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Just kept me listening, and entertained.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
- Anonymous User
- 03-21-12
a truly outstanding novel. a notable performance
The story and the reader are outstanding. this is a story that has true meaning in todays world
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
- Steve
- 07-20-12
An unusual and compelling fantasy
This is a very well told and extremely well read story about overcoming fear, a parable about the terrors we all face and the consequences of giving in to them.
While retaining many of the common fantasy tropes, the story avoids cliche and gives it's characters real inner lives. I enjoyed this from beginning to end, rarely less than engrossed.
I hope there are more books available from these excellent authors.
- C.J.R Flanagan
- 02-03-14
Among The Best!
One of the ultimate goals for me in reading a novel is to be encouraged to think and reflect on various themes or occurrences and the messages behind these, and how they translate to real life circumstances. A standout element of The Scar is the story's realistic portrayal of human interaction and morality, in that there are very few (if any) of the "black and white" dichotomies often used in many stories, particularly in the fantasy genre.
The writers of The Scar have done a fantastic job of presenting this story in such a way that the reader's own prejudices and experiences will have a profound effect on the way he/she views the dynamic between the characters, as opposed to forcing the reader to distinguish between "the good guys and the bad guys" as is most often seen.
While reading through sequence of the protagonists fatal duel with the student for example, I was torn between disgust at his unnecessary killing of a less than equal opponent, and sympathy for the obligations bestowed upon him by his status, ego and temper which had, in a way, forced his hand. One question raised within the reader is whether it is the deed itself or the intention behind it which takes moral precedence, and whether or not he deserved the horrible punishment thrust upon him by the enigmatic Wanderer.
Johnathan Davis also does a fantastic job in narrating this story. His narration makes it very easy to loose oneself in the characters, events and imagery without any attention at all being drawn to the fact that the story is being read to them through an electronic device.
The Scar ranks among my personal all time favorites in any genre. I'm very much looking forward to reading the other two books in the series once they are translated and published in English.


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Smaller Van Platform Gaining Strength in U.S.
February 27, 2013 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Smaller Van Platform Gaining Strength in U.S.
With the recent debut of the new Ram ProMaster, much of the focus in the van market has been on the full-size models and their studio apartment-sized cargo areas. But, according to a report by Truck Trend, not all businesses have the need for that much cargo capacity. Many have needs that are greater than the typical small or midsize SUV, but not as big as a full-size van. Fortunately, there are several on the market that meet those hauling needs.
The standard-bearer for the small hauler class in the U.S. is the Ford Transit Connect, and with a full top-to-bottom redesign coming for the 2014 model year, Ford shows no intentions of relinquishing that position. The Blue Oval is not alone in the segment, however — Nissan just unveiled the U.S.-spec NV200 compact van in Chicago, which closely matches the Ford's dimensions and capacities in a more affordable, more basic package.
More intriguing in this market is Ram. Currently, Chrysler's truck brand sells the Ram C/V, essentially a gutted Dodge Grand Caravan. With its brawny 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, the C/V will likely be the choice of leadfooted delivery boys, but because it's an adaptation of an existing passenger model rather than a clean-sheet design optimized for commercial duty, it's a bit of a compromise. But those looking for a more economical and optimized vehicle from Ram may not have to wait much longer.
Much like the ProMaster is an Americanized Fiat Ducato, Chrysler has already confirmed that the smaller Fiat Doblo will be making its way across the Atlantic soon as well. Although not confirmed, some reports say the name has already been picked: ProMaster City. As with the ProMaster, there will probably be some detail changes in the Doblo's configurations, options, and powertrains in its transition to Ram-hood, but put a cross-hatch grille on it you'll get a good idea of what you'll see probably less than a year from now.
To read the entire article, including a breakdown on specifications, click here.


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Woman's body found in Merrimack River in ManchesterBy Michael Cousineau, New Hampshire Union Leader
April 06. 2013 12:18PM
MANCHESTER - A passerby discovered a body of a woman in the Merrimack River on Saturday morning, police said.
'It appears someone had discovered a body partially submerged in the Merrimack River by Jillian's,' Lt. James Soucy said.
Detectives are investigating the discovery in the Millyard around 6:55 a.m.
The state Attorney General's Office hadn't been called in by mid-morning, he said.
The body was taken to the state medical examiner's office in Concord for an autopsy, Soucy said.
Michael O'Brien, who works for O'Brien's Outdoor Services in Bedford, said he showed up around 7 a.m. to do landscaping work and saw police cruisers, a fire truck and an ambulance.
'We were told not to go back there' near the Granite Street Bridge, he said.
After hearing someone found a body, O'Brien said, 'Obviously, that's a shocker.'
Last year, he said his boss found someone badly beaten up in the same general area.
'I guess it's not that unusual for things like that to occur down there,' he said.
On Thursday afternoon, a passerby in Nashua spotted a body found partially submerged in the Nashua River. Police haven't released the man's name but said it could be that of a 43-year-old man reported missing in February.


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Mass. fugitive arrested in Manchester
January 29. 2014 9:24AM
Adam Montgomery, 24, of 176 Hall St., was wanted as a fugitive on a warrant issued by the Middlesex County Superior Court in Massachusetts on the assault and battery charge.
The U.S. Marshals Service located Montgomery and asked Manchester police for assistance in arresting him.
Once he was in custody, Montgomery was taken to the Elliot Hospital for treatment of pre-existing wounds, according to Manchester police.
He was then brought to the Manchester Police Department where he was booked and later transported to the Valley Street jail. He was arraigned Wednesday morning in 9th Circuit Court, Manchester District Division, where he waived extradition and will be returned to Massachusetts.


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MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (AP) — Mammoth Cave National Park says tests have confirmed that a bat from one of the park's caves had white-nose syndrome, a disease that has killed millions of bats in eastern North America.
Park Superintendent Sarah Craighead says the northern long-eared bat was found in Long Cave and euthanized two weeks ago. The undeveloped cave is not connected to Mammoth Cave and hasn't been open to visitors for more than 80 years. Tours of Mammoth Cave will continue.
The park said Wednesday that bats there tested negative for white-nose syndrome the last four years. The disease has killed more than 5.5 million cave-dwelling bats in the eastern third of North America as it spread south and west.
Love Cave is 1.3 miles long and is the park's largest bat roost-cave, housing endangered Indiana bats and gray bats, along with other nonthreatened species.


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March 26, 2009 Sean Penn, Jim Carrey and Benicio Del Toro Three Stooges? Sean Penn's down for Larry Fine. Negotiations continue apace, and with various hammers, grinders and eye-pokings, to add Jim Carrey (plus 40 pounds) as Jerome "Curly" Howard and Benicio Del Toro as Moe Howard. Click here for the whole story
Copyright © 2018, Sun Sentinel


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Kishi Bashi, my favorite new artist of the year, now has a holiday song. It's such a great way to bring us back around to a musician I first discovered while sifting through 1,300 songs for the South by Southwest music festival back at the beginning of the year. We all ended up falling in love with his music. And judging from all the comments on a recent post about the timing of holiday music, I think we're safe to premiere this song Kishi Bashi wrote especially for the holidays called "It's Christmas, But It's Not White Here In Our Town."
In an email, K Ishibashi tells us he thinks of holiday music as a way to get him through the frosty days of winter.
From Kishi Bashi:
"I always love the winter holidays and the joyful spirit that it brings to what I always considered to be the worst season of the year. Classic Christmas songs like those sung by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra almost seem magical to me when I hear them. How could you get through a brutal winter without songs like these? I wrote this one for a good friend and Kickstarter backer down in Florida who I thought might miss the snowy Christmases we used to enjoy when we lived in Brooklyn together."
Kishi Bashi is releasing "It's Christmas, But It's Not White Here In Our Town" as a snowflake-shaped flexi-disc, with all proceeds going to a charity called Ear Candy, an organization that donates used instruments to kids.


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CHICAGO (AP) — Is Nestle a Swiss stock?
Of course it is, if you look at the traditional measures. The company is based in Switzerland, and its stock trades in Swiss francs. But Nestle candy, baby food and other products are on grocery-store shelves throughout the world, from Algeria to Zambia. Switzerland provides just a sliver of Nestle's revenue: More came last year from the Americas or from Asia than from Europe overall.
That's the message several mutual fund managers stressed at the Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago this week: It's more important where a company does its business than where it's based, and the line is blurring between U.S. and different types of foreign stocks.
"I'm paying less attention to the domicile or the country it's listed in" when considering stocks, said Harry Hartford, co-manager at the Causeway International Value fund. "We're more likely to be looking at companies in specific industries."
Collectively European stocks, for example, generate more than half of their revenue outside Europe, said Robert Lovelace, who helps run the American Funds New World fund. That means investors may not be getting what they think they're getting when they buy a European stock fund.
With Japanese stocks, Lovelace said the most well-run companies tend to be those that compete globally, such as automakers or electronics companies. Those that focus on just the Japanese market tend to be less efficient. So even though the statistics may show that his funds own Japanese stocks, "that is very different than me deciding I'm very excited about the Japanese economy," he said. "In fact, the Japanese economy has very little to do with it."
To be sure, bond fund managers don't see it the same way. "In the bond world, nationalism still matters," said David Rolley, who co-manages the Loomis Sayles Global Bond fund. "When you're lending money, you're lending money to the government of Japan. It is not as multinational as the equity market is."
Among other ideas discussed at the Morningstar conference:
Bill Gross, who runs the world's largest bond fund, talked about how investors should be preparing for a "new neutral." Most investors expect the Federal Reserve to begin hiking short-term interest rates soon from their record low, the first in what is forecast to be many increases.
Such moves could hurt bond and stock prices, but the manager of the PIMCO Total Return fund talked about how the central bank may hit the pause button on hiking the federal funds rate earlier than many investors expect. In the "new neutral," Gross said interest rates and economic growth will be lower than what investors became accustomed to in prior cycles.
If the federal funds rate does indeed remain low, "then asset prices are less bubbly," Gross said. Stocks can continue to trade at similar levels relative to their earnings as they do today, even though some investors say they're looking expensive compared with history. Stocks could offer annual returns of 4 percent to 5 percent, while bonds could have 3 to 4 percent returns.
Yields are low across the bond market, and several managers said there aren't many attractive buying opportunities. Interest rates may be set to rise due to a drop-off in stimulus from the Federal Reserve and a strengthening economy, which could knock down bond prices. That means managers of funds who can invest in even the most exotic bond options are hiding out in cash in hopes of avoiding losses.
William Eigen, for example, has about 60 percent of his JPMorgan Strategic Income Opportunities fund in cash, roughly double what it was a year ago. "I pretty much like nothing," he said. "This market is like a coiled spring, waiting to go one way."
A year ago, Eigen was more optimistic about high-yield bonds, which are issued by companies with poor credit ratings and offer higher yields than investment-grade options. But the amount of extra yield that they offer over Treasurys has since shrunk, making them less attractive.
Mark Egan also runs a bond fund that has wide latitude in what it can own. His Scout Unconstrained Bond fund can invest in foreign currencies, high-yield bonds and bonds that can convert into stock, for example. "We find a world today where -- despite that we can do almost anything -- we do almost nothing," he said. He has pulled back from high-yield bonds and other areas that he expects may soon be hurt.
Although the developed world has been stuck in terms of pushing through economic reforms, the developing world is progressing, said Justin Leverenz, who runs the Oppenheimer Developing Markets fund.
Worries have been rising about slowing economic growth in China, but Leverenz said he is optimistic growth will continue. He sees big opportunities particularly in Chinese online-video companies given the size of the country's market.
As a group, emerging-market stocks look cheaper than those from developed markets based on their earnings. "But then you have to look at what you're getting for that price," said David Herro of the Oakmark International fund.
The cheapest stocks are natural-resource companies that are under heavy influence from their respective governments or banks with weak assets. Herro said he prefers to benefit from the rising living standards of people in emerging markets by investing in brands that appeal to them, such as BMW.


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NANO Prep Tips Lola-Style
Hello Friends,
So, today I thought I'd share how I prepare for NANOWRIMO.
Even if you aren't participating in Nano, some of these tips may still be helpful for you in carving out the sacred daily writing time we all need more of, especially when we have busy families and jobs and such.
I won't talk outlining-type prep work (because, HAHAHA! *wipes eyes*), but if you do want info on how-to-plot-for-Nano may I suggest the blog of the lovely Alexandra Sokoloff. In fact, she's been doing a series specifically on nano-prep-outining, but her entire blog is filled with plotting and structure tips.
My tips are also useful for when you are on deadline.
Before I commence with my tips, the most important thing to Nano-success, to ALL writing success, is COMMITMENT.
Okay, let's get on with it. Gird yourself...
7. Preemptively CLEAN YOUR HOUSE and do ALL LAUNDRY like a mad person. START NOW.
Then every few days during Nov. try to zip through and whirl-wind clean the hot spots (kitchen, toilets, quick vacuum). If you live with someone, try to enlist their help to do more than their share and you'll make it up to them another month.
DO NOT HAVE/ALLOW ANYONE OVER in November. You won't have time to entertain them and likely the house will not be up to company standards.
Which leads me to...
It's a wonderful day to spend with your family and friends you've been neglecting, so spend the day relaxing with them.
(And then get RIGHT BACK on track the next day! Make sure you family understands that Thanksgiving was a one-day hiatus and now you still have to finish out your month of hardcore writing. They can have lots of time with you in December.)
54 comments:
- Len Lambert said...
10,088 frozen pizzas, LOL, I love that, Lola! I still have not decided if I'm going to join NaNo or not, geez. I think I'm too scared to fail! All the best to you on your NaNo piece! :)
- October 26, 2011 at 3:01 PM
- Dan said...
Instead of posting my own list, I think I'll just refer people to yours since you've summed up everything nicely.
- October 26, 2011 at 3:10 PM
- Susan Oloier said...
Love it!!! I am doing NaNo this year and have done it once before. You are right on with all of your tips. For me, the most important is getting in the extra word count for days like Thanksgiving. I am off to check out Alexandra's site as I am a big plotter.
- October 26, 2011 at 3:20 PM
- Christine Rains said...
Great tips! I'm doing a big clean this weekend. Hopefully that will last through the month!
- October 26, 2011 at 3:22 PM
- M.J. Fifield said...
I am doing NaNo. To prepare, I have bought enough halloween candy to last me through the worst zombie apocalypse. I figure that'll be enough to get me through the first week...
Love the tips. They are all so very true.
- October 26, 2011 at 3:24 PM
- Laura Marcella said...
Awesome tips, Lola! I also write 2,000 words a day; it's a great cushion for those days when life gets in the way. Lucky for me my husband is super excited two new video games just came out for XBox 360 (something like battlefield or duty calls or mumbo jumbo, haha) so he'll be totally fine and won't feel neglected throughout NaNo. I'm happy about that too! Perfect timing, video game gods!
- October 26, 2011 at 3:35 PM
- Karen Strong said...
Good luck with Nano! I don't think I'm gonna do it this year, but I'll cheer you on. :)
- October 26, 2011 at 3:36 PM
- Juliemybird said...
Thanks for the tips, Lola. I'm doing NaNo for the first time this year (while rehearsing for a play, because I am insane), and I need all the help I can get. :)
- October 26, 2011 at 3:38 PM
- Alex J. Cavanaugh said...
Agree with getting family on board! They need to know why they won't see you for a month.
- October 26, 2011 at 3:48 PM
- Tere Kirkland said...
I'm cheating NaNo this year. Need to add another 50K to my wip, but since things should be pretty quiet in the blogosphere, I figure it's a great time to write like a maniac with fewer distractions.
LOL about Thanksgiving. I should have just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this year instead. ;)
- October 26, 2011 at 4:11 PM
- Nicole Zoltack said...
I can't wait for November! I love Nano.
But yeah... this is also the first time we're hosting Thanksgiving. What the heck was I thinking??? Clearly I wasn't!
- October 26, 2011 at 4:33 PM
- Cheyanne said...
This is the most excellent NaNo post I've seen this year!!
However.. are you sure you have enough frozen pizzas?
- October 26, 2011 at 4:44 PM
- Jon Paul said...
Finger exercises.
No. Really! :D (I cannot wait!)
- October 26, 2011 at 5:04 PM
- Old Kitty said...
Beautiful Ms Lola! Thank you for your wise and wonderful words!!! May the Nano battle commence! You are taking no prisoners and glorious victory is your only outcome! Hoooorah!
GOOD LUCK with your Nano writing - enjoy and you GO GIRL!!!! Take care
- October 26, 2011 at 5:16 PM
- Meredith said...
I'm not doing NaNo, but I may follow this list anyway! Sounds like such a good plan. Thanks, Lola! Good luck!
- October 26, 2011 at 5:32 PM
- Kelly Polark said...
Excellent tips.
Except I'm probably hosting Thanksgiving and I have to bathe regularly for my job, and my hubby is gone during the week. :( I'll manage somehow!!! :)
I'm going to link to this post in my next nano blog post!
- October 26, 2011 at 5:48 PM
- Natalie Aguirre said...
I'm not doing Nano but will use your tips to be productive. Love Alexandra's blog BTW.
- October 26, 2011 at 5:59 PM
- Anita said...
I knew there'd be food on your tip list. And I've done that Madonna thing 200 times, just for fun! :)
- October 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM
- The Golden Eagle said...
Alexandra Sokiloff has some excellent outlining posts!
Great tips. I didn't do nearly as much cooking last year as I do now, so I'll probably have to follow suit when it comes to #1, at least to an extent. :P
- October 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM
- Liza said...
No NaNo for me. I just cheer on the rest of you and work on my own (more modest) goals. I had fun reading this though! Thanks and good luck!
- October 26, 2011 at 6:39 PM
- Linda G. said...
You sound like a woman prepared! I will be cheering you on from the sidelines. :)
- October 26, 2011 at 6:52 PM
- A.J. Mullarky said...
All good tips. Love the hygiene pic.
- October 26, 2011 at 6:53 PM
- Jessica Love said...
Great tips! Let's do this!
- October 26, 2011 at 8:24 PM
- Sarah said...
For some reason, I find this terrifying. Seriously, my pulse just sped up! I have no plans to NaNo it, nor have I ever, but I wish you the best of luck. :)
- October 26, 2011 at 9:07 PM
- Miranda Hardy said...
Love these tips, of course the frozen pizza count probably won't fit in my freezer.
I'll be joining you for NaNo. Should be a blast.
- October 26, 2011 at 9:22 PM
- Angel said...
This is a GREAT post! Thanks!
- October 26, 2011 at 11:27 PM
- julie fedderson said...
You crack me up! Definitely #5. I'm not doing NaNoWriMo, but to steal someone's else's brilliance I read somewhere, NaNoRevMo, where I revise the WIP. Good luck to you on meeting your goals.
- October 26, 2011 at 11:33 PM
- Lindsay N. Currie said...
LOL hilarious. Great tips Lola. I've never participated in NaNo before, but it sounds awesome and I'm sure one of these days I'll do it:)
- October 27, 2011 at 7:28 AM
- Jemi Fraser said...
I love NaNo. I shouldn't be doing it this year, as I'm trying to finish up another story, but I know I'll be sucked in anyway! :)
- October 27, 2011 at 7:33 AM
- Anonymous said...
Wonderful tips! This is my first year doing NaNo so I will definitely need all the suggestions and advice I can get. Thanks for sharing! :)
- October 27, 2011 at 7:38 AM
- Tasha Seegmiller said...
I laughed and laughed through this. Then I took mental notes, figured out how to get some of these things done in the next five days and with share with my students doing the YWP program.
Thanks for the follow - returning in kind :)
- October 27, 2011 at 10:31 AM
- cherie said...
Awesome tips! So funny with hints of truth. Can't wait to get started with NaNo. I'll definitely buddy you. :)
- October 27, 2011 at 2:15 PM
- Jess said...
You're going to think I'm crazy, but all these tips about how to prep/keep calm for NaNo make me wish that I WAS doing NaNo. I got excited reading this post, then I remembered, "You're not doing it, because you're a weenie." That tip about not hosting Thanksgiving? So true! That holiday always takes more planning than you think it will. Boo on me for not participating in NaNo this year...hmm...maybe I'll give it a try after all. I've been looking for an excuse to stock my freezer with frozen pizza :)
- October 27, 2011 at 3:22 PM
- Jenny Phresh said...
Fabulous tips! I'm a little scared, now. I can see myself staggering about with unkempt hair and blackened teeth.
- October 27, 2011 at 7:54 PM
- Vicki Rocho said...
This has been the most comprehensive (and practical) list I've seen yet. Love it!
- October 27, 2011 at 8:08 PM
- Neurotic Workaholic said...
I'm not doing Nanowrimo just because November is an especially busy month during the school year, but I wish I could. On the other hand, I love your advice. I think it's helpful to grad students like me as well, especially when we're trying to figure out how to get our dissertations done and finally escape grad school.
- October 28, 2011 at 2:05 AM
- LTM said...
BAH!!! Lola, you are too hilarious w/the Madonna image at hygiene. Ew. And I do think a huge grocery trip and having the fam onboard would be vital. GOOD LUCK next month! cheers~
- October 28, 2011 at 11:30 AM
- Shelley Sly said...
Hahaha! I love this! I'm not doing NaNo (I will, some year, but this isn't the year), but this was just too funny!
Sounds like you know what you're doing and you're all ready to go. Wish you the best this November! Get those words down, girl!
- October 28, 2011 at 4:20 PM
- Krista said...
I have given you an award on my blog.
- October 29, 2011 at 3:53 PM
- Jessica Lindsay said...
Hello! We bumped into each other through Jennie Bailey's blog last fall. I'm gearing up for another NaNo, too, and I'm so glad to read these practical tips. My plans were just to jump in and hold my breath. This is better! This is much better--to plan for 2000 words a day, allowing a day for errands. To honestly allow for some building of dust and collecting of laundry piles. It will all be worth it to have the draft done in a month. Good luck to you! And thanks again for the advice!
- October 29, 2011 at 5:02 PM
- bridget said...
I get the impression you like pizza! Loved this post.
- October 30, 2011 at 12:24 AM
- Anonymous said...
Great post. Lots of wonderful tips. I'm also doing NaNoWriMo. I went shopping yesterday, so my freezer is well stocked. I'll have to go out to pick up some things once or twice during the month, but not until my writing is done for the day.
Please stop by my blog to pick up your blogger awards. Have a great day!
- October 31, 2011 at 11:15 AM
- Sarah Ahiers (Falen) said...
I'm lucky enough that i can get most of my NaNo writing done during the work day, so really, not much of my day to day schedule changes.
BUT. And this is a big But. (tee hee. Big but) we are hosting a baby shower for a co-worker of Twin's (both she and her husband are pubbed authors. Time to rub some elbows!) next week. So i know i have to try and get ahead as much as possible as fast as possible. Because combine that with thanksgiving and my mom's b-day and it's going to be the toughtest NaNo evah!
Less than 12 hours!!
- October 31, 2011 at 3:44 PM
- j. littlejohn said...
check. check. check...... check
- October 31, 2011 at 4:47 PM
- Portia said...
Great tips! I'm definitely not doing Thanksgiving this year. The banking words is a good idea too--you never know when a day is gonna blow up!
Happy NaNoWriMo eve!
- October 31, 2011 at 11:18 PM
- Susan Fields said...
Excellent tips, Lola! That last one about backing up your work every single day is sooo important and something I regularly forget to do. Thanks for the reminder and GOOD LUCK!
- November 1, 2011 at 8:09 AM
- Harvee said...
I'm not doing NaNo but if I were, I'd follow your tips. Instead I'm reading Murakami's 1Q84 on Kindle and would you believe it, his novel includes stuff that writers could use on writing, editing, etc.
- November 1, 2011 at 10:30 AM
- Chris Phillips said...
amazing tips. Like hearing about taking care of house chores so they don't interrupt.
- November 2, 2011 at 12:35 PM
- Ainsley Shay said...
Great post!!! I'll be doing a few of your suggestions!
- November 2, 2011 at 9:43 PM
- Christa said...
This post wins in many, many ways, but primarily for the Desperately Seeking Susan picture. I frickin' love you. Good luck with NaNo.
- November 3, 2011 at 8:41 AM
- Angela Ackerman said...
Sounds like great advice--you can't help but succeed (especially if you don't host Thanksgiving!)
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
- November 3, 2011 at 8:43 PM
- Lydia Kang said...
Yep, if I was doing NaNo that's how I would do it! I'd also make a gigantic barrel of ready made snacks and just point the kids towards it at mealtimes, LOL!
Thanks soooooo much for the congrats, by the way! ;)
- November 3, 2011 at 8:48 PM
- Alexis Bass Writes said...
Brilliant. Good advice. Especially the part about not host Thanksgiving. Also, love the spin about how bad hygiene can be a writing-positive. :)
- November 4, 2011 at 1:22 AM
- Matthew MacNish said...
I don't do NaNo, because if I stocked up on my writing beverage of choice (Scotch Whiskey) I'd be passed out by noon.
- November 4, 2011 at 12:48 PM
About Me
- Lola Sharp
- My name is Lola. (I'm not a showgirl) Yes, L-O-L-A Lola. It's the least of my worries. Let's move on, shall we? This blog is mostly about my misadventures on the journey to publication and beyond. My passion for lush prose, quirky characters, art, music, literature, performing arts and anything creative will be a major theme here. This journey of mine will not always be pretty. Much like rubbernecking a train wreck, I know sometimes you just can't help but look at the carnage that is often my life. So strap on your neck brace, helmet and 5-point harness and come along for the ride! Licentia poetica.
Blog Archive
- ▼ October (3)
- ► 2010 (96)


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Man of action, questionable results
Upper Canada, Canada West and Ontario — different names for the same place. It was built by a wide range of characters: surveyors, soldiers, politicians, miners, entrepreneurs, scrappers and showmen.
Arthur Rankin was all of those.
The Montreal Gazette pretty much nailed Rankin with this description: "There are not many men in Canada better known for his somewhat Quixotic eccentricities than Arthur Rankin."
In 1831, when he was 15, Rankin ran away from his family to become a cabin boy. He was away for four years.
Two years after his return, he qualified as a surveyor.
He moved to Windsor and then Toronto, after a duel. There he joined the militia and became an ensign in 1837, the year of the Upper Canada Rebellion.
He transferred to the Essex Militia in an effort to see action in the rebellion and when the rebel Patriots attacked Windsor in December of 1838, he led the counter-attack that captured the Patriot standard.
In 1843 Rankin headed to England and created a travelling "wild west" show featuring Ojibwa. It performed for Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.
A year later he sold the act and returned to Ontario. Rankin was granted a mining location in the vicinity of Michipicoten on Lake Superior. He also worked with his brother, Charles, who was surveying land for the government around Owen Sound. Rankin, Arthur, not Charles, discovered copper on the north shore of Lake Huron. This became Bruce Mines, which he sold for more than $3 million in 1847.
By 1849, he was back in Essex, rich and raring to go — into politics.
His first attempts were not successful, but eventually he represented his home riding of Essex.
As it turned out, Rankin was not a great politician. He often slid into name-calling, including a match with John A. Macdonald, then the Attorney General of Upper Canada. He annoyed the future prime minister so much, Macdonald mused about whether a duel was required. It didn't seem to matter that they were both in the same party (Tories).
Not surprisingly, Rankin had a reputation as a maverick.
A railway scandal led to his defeat in Essex in 1857.
He went back to mining and found more productive sites in the Superior and Huron area.
He tried politics again in 1861. But before he could sit in his newly won seat, the American Civil War broke out and Rankin couldn't resist. He volunteered to raise a lancer regiment. He talked to president Abraham Lincoln and was given an American warrant to raise a regiment with Rankin as colonel.
Until 1856 Rankin had been the local militia colonel and was now a newly elected member of the government. That fall, Rankin was arrested for breaching the Foreign Enlistment Act. He never went to trial but he was forced to resign his American commission. The regiment was disbanded the next year, never seeing action.
Rankin's election victory was also voided, but he was re-elected in 1863 – by two votes.
But he would not be in the legislature for Confederation, despite being an ardent supporter of a united Canada, as he lost the next election.
Still, he remained a major force in the area for many decades.
He died in Windsor in 1893.
Tom Villemaire is a writer based in Toronto and the Bruce Peninsula. firstname.lastname@example.com


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13th Annual Mini-Golf Classic - 6/8/10
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller played on a different kind of turf as he hosted the 13th Annual Mini-Golf Classic at Robert Morris University's Island Sports Center. The outing of 100 people was a hole in one, successfully raising $20,525 for Project Bundle-Up, a non-profit organization that provides more than 7,500 children and elderly warm winter outerwear every year. "Everyone just looked like they were having a good time," says Melissa Fereday, Director of Project Bundle-Up. Teams received custom apparel, had their photo taken with Miller, and each member of the winning team received a professional plaque commemorating the victory. "Heath has been great for the event," says Fereday. "He's a genuinely nice guy — and a good putter!"Read More
Photography by Megan Wylie
Photography by Megan Wylie


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The Remote Area Medical (RAM) returns this weekend for its 14th year to the Wise County Fairgrounds to provide free dental, medical and vision care to rural communities. Last year, nearly 2,400 patients visited during the three-day event. This year's event is expected to serve more patients over its three-day event. Volunteers begin seeing patients …
Tag Archive: RAM
Jul 17 2013
Nation's Largest RAM Clinic Returns to Region
Permanent link to this article: http://www.virginiastar.net/2013/07/nations-largest-ram-clinic-returns-to-region/


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Look around the next time you're in a kid-crowded mall or schoolyard. Technology is everywhere: a laptop balanced on the spindly knees of a 10-year-old, a cell phone nestled in the pocket of a second-grader's hoodie. Depending on your parenting style, these sights might make you ask yourself "Are these kids really ready for all these gadgets?" or you may think "Maybe I should get my kid to do that."
Exactly when to introduce your children to different types of technology has become an essential question of digital-age parenting, so we consulted a group of experts from both the medical and the tech worlds in search of advice. They tend to agree that, because kids develop at varying rates, you can't pin the answers to a specific age. But there are some key traits that may signal when they're ready to start living a wired existence -- and some products especially designed to ease them in.
Our Experts:
- Allison Druin, Ph.D., director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland
- Michael Osit, Ed.D., psychologist and author of Generation Text
- Andy Petroski, director of learning technologies at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
- Michael Rich, M.D., director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston
- Karin Vander Ploeg Booth, M.D., developmental and behavioral pediatrician at the University of Chicago Medical Center
Digital Camera
Feel free to gift a camera to even the teeniest of artistes. That's because it's a gadget without content of its own. "Nothing offensive is going to accidentally pop up," says Karin Vander Ploeg Booth, M.D. But if anything inappropriate does result, it'll probably be your kid's work. So keep the USB cable tucked away. If she wants to put photos online, you'll be there to ooh and aah -- and, if necessary, ugh! -- over each one.
Click n' Create, by LeapFrog: Stunningly lightweight, with an easy-grip plastic casing that will keep it safe when it inevitably slips out of little hands. Plus, it talks. Video-editing software allows kids to be creative with pics they've uploaded to the family computer. $50, Ages 4 to 8
Kidizoom, by VTech: A bit bulky, but definitely sturdy. Fun, goofy editing software lets you trick out your photos right on the camera. And it records surprisingly awesome video. $60, Ages 5 to 9
LEGO Digital Camera: Terrific picture quality, especially for a camera made of little toy blocks. Five buttons take care of everything. This is a wonderful, simple camera for kids who just want to take good photos. $60, Ages 6 to 12
U-Turn Digital Camera: Finally, kids can do what they've always really wanted to: take shots of themselves. The lens pivots 180 degrees to the same side as the LCD screen, for perfect self-portraits. Great quality, too. $50, Ages 7 to 14
Simply owning a computer won't hurt the smallest babe, but spending unlimited hours on it, surfing unsupervised, or e-meeting strangers might. "When you type in 'Cinderella,' it's not always Disney that's going to come up," points out Dr. Vander Ploeg Booth. Whether your kid is 6 or 16, before you buy, be sure you have the time to oversee her use -- something a good set of parental controls can help you with.
Disney Netpal, by ASUS: Kids get a neat, customizable Disney desktop and browser; parents get complete control over the computer. In order for any program to be used, any website to be visited, any address to be e-mailed, the administrator (i.e., Mom or Dad) has to white-list it. The whole experience looks so cool that young kids are unlikely to be deterred by parental censorship. $350, Ages 5 to 12
HP Mini 210: A triple-divided home page makes navigation super simple, allowing easy access to your three basic computing food groups: web, e-mail, and media. $280, Ages 10 and up
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3: Pleasantly lightweight, with the kind of funky cover pattern that makes tweens squeal with delight. A "quick start" feature allows access to files, pics, and games without having to wait through that boring boot-up. Multiple users can log in with face-recognition software. $359, Ages 8 and up
Toshiba NB 300: This grown-up-looking netbook makes parental snooping a cinch. Toshiba's Reel Time software gives you a history of every website and file your kid has been peeking at. $400, Ages 8 and up
Video Game Systems
As with laptops, this choice is all about the content: Whatever game console you're considering, what will matter most is each game's appropriateness. Guide yourself by how your kid is handling TV. "If he watches Pokémon or Power Rangers and doesn't transfer those aggressive behaviors and messages into real life, he might be ready for a game system," says Michael Osit, Ed.D. Meanwhile, when it comes to educational game systems, like those from LeapFrog and VTech, trust the age ranges printed on the packages. "These are not ages to be beaten," says Michael Rich, M.D. "Those are the guidelines as to when your child can most effectively learn from that specific software."
Nintendo DS Lite: One thing you can be sure of with this uber-popular handheld system: With games aimed at everybody between preschool and the AARP, your kids won't outgrow it. And it's got those easy-to-handle touch-screen controls. $130, Ages 5 and up
Nintendo Wii: It may not be a system made explicitly for young kids, but of all the major game consoles, this is the one that the youngest audiences glom on to. The motion controls are easy to pick up and learn, and the library of E-rated games is larger than anywhere else. $200, Ages 5 and up
V.Smile Motion, by VTech: The graphics may be old-school, but the motion controls on these learning games are definitely next-gen. How much easier could it be than to steer a race car simply by tilting the controller in the direction you want the vehicle to move? $60, Ages 3 to 7
MP3 Players
First things first: Stay away from earbuds, which send sound directly into the middle ear, raising the risk of hearing damage. "Volume is a major problem with kids," says Dr. Vander Ploeg Booth. "At least with headphones, the sound isn't directly impacting the eardrum." To become the proud owner of her own MP3 player, your kid should be the sort who'll reliably keep the volume below 80 to 85
decibels (usually about half the loudest possible). Another issue: If you have to manage her time for her, she's not ready. "Creating playlists can be as much a part of a young person's identity as anything else," says Dr. Rich, "but they're a time suck." And children who have a tendency to zone out in front of a TV (or even a book) can be twice as difficult to engage if they're lost in a Zune zone.
Disney Mix Stick Lights: Software connects you to Disney Mix Central, a sort of Mouse-sanctioned iTunes where kids can set up playlists and download new music (you can add songs from any other MP3 source as well). Lights on the player flicker and flash to the beat of whatever song she's playing. $40, Ages 6 to 12
Hello Kitty MP3 Player: A simple player with room for plenty of music and an easy-to-use interface. But the real highlight is changeable faceplates for customized style. $30, Ages 6 to 10
Ribbit, by Nextar: Up to a thousand songs on something pocket-size -- and cute to boot. Volume and song selection are controlled by turning the frog's buggy eyes. $10, Ages 5 to 10
Cell Phones
The kids-and-tech think tank Common Sense Media supports giving children cell phones once they're old enough to go places by themselves. (A Nielsen poll showed most kids who get them are 9 or 10.) The other important factor when you make the call for your kid: impulse control. Clearly, you can -- and might want to -- limit text or photo-sending capabilities if you're not sure these will be used responsibly.
glowPhone, by Firefly Mobile: Evolving from its original incarnation as the kid phone that only calls Mom, the glowPhone can store 50 numbers and receive texts (but no sending). In addition to its hefty parental controls, you can also buy into limited-calling plans that can teach kids a good lesson in budgeting. Phones from $50; service plans from $5 a month Ages 8 to 18
Jitterbug: Okay, the Jitterbug was developed as a phone for seniors, but its simplified, icon-free menu and oversize buttons can make it a good pick for kids as well. "Those big-button phones could be awesome for five-year-olds," says Allison Druin, Ph.D., "even if the older adults they're made for wouldn't be too happy to hear me say that." Phones from $150; service plans from $15 a month Ages 8 to 12 (or 55 and up)
Kajeet: This kid-centric phone service wipes away a lot of the worry factor for parents by putting them in charge of almost everything. From your PC, you can set blackout times when the phone simply won't work, block certain numbers, designate contacts as text-able or not, and even activate a GPS locator built into the phone. Tweens and teens may bristle at the lack of privacy, but they'll be happy to have a sweetly equipped phone, like the LG Rumor with a full qwerty keyboard and built-in camera. Phones from $25 (though the Rumor is $200); service plans from $5 a month Ages 8 to 18
Christopher Healy is the author of Pop Culture: The Sane Man's Guide to the Insane World of New Fatherhood.


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If you're talking about "True Blood," it's the inevitable question that arises — Team Bill or Team Eric? The vampires duel for the affections of telepathic cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) on the HBO series adapted from Charlaine Harris' bestselling novels, and each has his loyal core of supporters. But Stephen Moyer, who plays Southern gentleman vampire Bill Compton and is married to Paquin, insists that, off screen, there's no animosity between Alexander Skarsgard, the towering Swedish actor who portrays Viking Eric Northman, and himself. In fact, he believes that the romance that might be brewing between the two blonds could inject new life into the already vibrant show, which returns for its fourth season June 26. Moyer recently spoke to Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre about the appeal of the Alan Ball-created series and the enduring appeal of all things vampire — even "Twilight" — hinting, too, about what audiences might expect from Bill in the coming weeks.
GM: Are you surprised at the way the series has become something of a phenomenon?
SM: When I got on board, I knew that it had the possibility of being that. If you asked anyone who read that pilot, they would have said the same thing — that it had the possibility of becoming that. I am not surprised. I certainly didn't realize that the episodes were going to finish the way they did when I first started, which was that kind of we end on a climax, this kind of thriller aspect. It finishes with this crazy ending that is actually solved in the cold open of the next episode. So what it makes you do, OK, certainly when you're watching it on DVD, you go, I'll just watch the cold open of the next episode, just to find out what happened and then I'll stop. It's like crack. Three episodes later you're like, Oh my God. It's 3 o'clock in the morning. That seems to be a consensus.
GM: So you're saying you've tricked people into loving the show?
SM: You completely trick people into buying your drug. That's what we're about. We're selling drugs.
GM: What do you think it is about the series that people really respond to?
SM: Sex, drugs, all the rock and roll you could possibly hope for. Blood, comedy. Suspense, thriller. There's so much. There's all the deep metaphor underneath. You can either see that or not. We don't care. We're going to get you to watch it anyway. It's always amazing me, some people go, Oh my God, I didn't realize that so and so dying meant this. You might not have even thought of what that metaphor was. It's very strange that we have this power that we have where people watch our show to escape, pure escapist drama, of course, but also they do like to see what's going on underneath. They like just the pure comedy of it, the chewing-gum-ness of it. One of my favorite quotes is that television is chewing gum for the eyes — ours is like chewing gum with acid in it. I know what it is, but I can't quantify it. I can't tell you what it is we do, but I know that if I were creating a show, I'd want to watch something that has some jokes in it, something that's sexy, something's that a complete diversion from my life that makes me think about my life a little bit. The framework of a vampire show does that, especially if it's grounded in truth. I think what we do very, very well is do fantastical crazy, but it's grounded in truth. When it comes to other shows, what I liked about "The Walking Dead," the pilot, is that there you are looking at Atlanta and it's gone. And you kind of believed it for a second. I thought they did that brilliantly that episode.
I think that our show is a way for Alan [Ball] to talk about what is right or wrong with society by using a framework that people don't think he's bashing it over their heads. So, therefore, yeah, it's a vampire show, but we all know that that's not strictly what it is really. I remember the first two seasons going, it's not a vampire show. It is a not a vampire show — whenever people went, oh, are you the guy in the vampire show? I'd go, well, yeah, but we really don't think of it as a vampire show, and I still don't. But for the sake of doing these pieces, I'm prepared to say that it is. It's a show with vampires in it.
GM: Is that what drew you to the series? Its grander ambitions within a genre framework?
SM: Absolutely. I remember watching the pilot and just going, this is hilarious. I'd seen the dark humor within it. What I hadn't seen was the laugh-out-loud humor. That surprised me. It had the sexiness, it had the otherness. I'm not really a genre fan, [but] when you watch it, you tap into a side of yourself which is completely fantastical and different. That's that kind of sci-fi element, which is a kid sitting down in front of a piece of paper and instead of drawing … the swingset and the slide in front of them, they draw a spaceship. That is genre right there. It's letting your brain go to a different place than the obvious. I love that about it.
Another thing that's amazing that has been very surprising, and I suppose this happens in all long-running series, in Season 1, I didn't know that I was a nightclub pianist in the 1930s. In Season 2, I was a nightclub pianist in the 1930s. And so what happens is you learn things about your character from the past that will inform how you play the present, which you don't know when you sign on. That is fascinating especially when I'm playing a 170 year old. There are so many different periods of history that we can go back to that will inform how we move on from here. Obviously, we can't change what we've already shot, but certainly it will inform the decisions I make from now on. As an actor, that is something that I just didn't even perceive of knowing. That's so much fun.
GM: What do you make of the current vampire craze? It really shows no sign of abating.
SM: It doesn't seem to be abating. It's one of those unanswerable questions because when you think it's one thing, it turns out to be another. … I think in the teen world, there's a beautiful romance about that stuff. I believe this year the Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart characters [in the "Twilight" saga] have a baby. It's this perfect romance, this perfect ideal. Ours isn't quite as fluffy as that … our characters and the way that Alan works is, as soon as a character has a semblance of happiness, he digs a hole for them to drive into.
GM: With that in mind, what can you tell us about what's in store for Bill in Season 4? He doesn't figure too prominently in "Dead to the World," the novel this season is loosely drawn from.
SM: Because Bill and Sookie went their separate ways at the end of last season, he's sort of found himself in a situation where he's had to do something else. The only thing he's got left in his life ultimately is the fact that he's a vampire and Jessica, who's his sort-of progeny. There's a really beautiful scene at the end of Episode 9 or something last year where he realizes that she won't go away; he tries to release her, but she's not going away. Conversely, he realizes that he's got something to live for, which is quite a beautiful motif in a way. As much as you may want everything to go away, sometimes they won't. It's not going to be as simple as that. He's got a lot of other stuff going on this year that, ultimately, he's trying to be a better person. He's realized that he's made some mistakes, and he's gone in a different direction.
GM: What's your take on the potential Sookie-Eric romance that seems to be brewing this year? Do you and Alexander Skarsgard have a friendly set rivalry?
SM: I'm sure you'd love me to tell you that we loathe each other and we fight every day, but if you came to the set, you'd just see us having lunch, laughing, the three of us. There's not really a story there. But we are interested in how the show works, and we are very much into helping the show move along. I went up to him at the beginning of the season, and I just went, look, I want you to do your job to the absolute best of your ability, and I will not be around when you have to do that stuff. I don't want you to feel like you're looking over your shoulder and there's me at the monitor going, get your hands off her! It's absolutely not how we roll. Me and him are mates. I think it's great for the show, I think the fans who have been waiting for that stuff to happen will be very pleased with the way it plays out. But as I said earlier, it doesn't always go necessarily the way you want it to. That's what's great about the show.
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Oakland/Alameda County TGA
The Alameda County Office of AIDS Administration's (OAA) mission is to: reduce the rates of new HIV infections; increase the number of county residents who know their HIV status earlier through HIV testing; and link individuals who are positive into care. OAA collaborates with community members and organizations to coordinate the Alameda County Public Health Department's delivery of HIV/AIDS health services throughout the 17 cities which make up Alameda County.
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Pedigree-Draw 6 is a Macintosh OS X application that provides for creation, editing and drawing of pedigrees, or family trees, of human or non-human extended family lineages. It was developed originally for use in analyzing population data gathered for biomedical and genetic research. Although not designed as a genealogical database per se, the program can be used to collect and edit biographical data found in the course of family history research, as well as pictures of family members, and display or print those data in hierarchical diagrams suitable for publication. Output may also be saved in Portable Document Format (PDF) for distribution via the Internet, or posting on web-sites.A 15 day Trial License may be requested by e-mail. Jurek Software - Pedigree-Draw. Jurek Software Cottage Grove WI. Copyright 2005Visualisation - Drawing - Pedigree - Genealogy - Ancestors - Genogram - Family Tree - Pedigree Draw - Pedigree-Draw - Population - Kinship - Kindred - Progeny - Genetic Counseling - Genetics - Transgenic - Linkage - Heredity - Mendel - Darwin
Platform: Macintosh
MoonDock is a small utility application designed to run in your system dock and display upto-date images of the Moon's phase. It also enables you to look at Moon phase information for specific dates and times (2001-2015).
DateJun 25, 2011
AuthorGary Martin
CategoryDesktop Utilities
EarthGlobe is a real-time, OpenGL rendered globe. Designed as a sister application to MoonDock - it provides a lightweight view of the Earth day-light/seasonal cycles and takes up few system resources so it can be left running on your desktop.
DateJan 27, 2011
AuthorGary C. Martin
AC3D is used to create 3D models for games; virtual-reality/simulation software; scientific, medical, and general-data visualizations; high-resolution 3D renderings and rapid prototyping of 3D designs.
DateJun 5, 2011
AuthorInivis Limited
Provides over 850 of NAG s numerical algorithms for a broad range of mathematical and statistical areas.
DateMay 12, 2011
AuthorNumerical Algorithms Group
Size:19.6 MB
Platformsu, Mac OS X 10.1 or later PowerPC G4 processor or higher Gnu C Compiler
CategoryDevelopment Editors
The NAG Fortran 77 Library provides over 1,280 of NAG s callable routines for a broad range of mathematical and statistical areas.
DateJun 20, 2011
AuthorNumerical Algorithms Group
Size:18.0 MB
PlatformMac OS X 10.2.4 or later PowerPC G4 processor or higher
CategoryDevelopment Editors
- 1CopyPaste7380
- 2Qucs7025
- 3DiskExpress Pro6992
- 4Open Dicom Viewer6444
- 5Smart Scroll4410
- 6Mail Convert4222
- 7ListStar4107
- 8The Noo3958
- 9Playmaker Football3823
- 10GraphPad Prism3253
- 11Daylight Savings Time3045
- 12AeroCard Universal2903
- 13Address Office2859
- 14Atomic Mac2723
- 15Mt. Everything2372
- 1Lodgit Desk Hotel Software for Mac102
- 2Recovery Explorer Professional - MacOS84
- 3VyprVPN for Mac188
- 4Allavsoft for Mac64
- 5DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac26
- 6Android Sync Mac112
- 7NoteBurner iTunes DRM Audio Converter for Mac21
- 8Sidify Apple Music Converter for Mac120
- 9iMyFone TunesMate for Mac2
- 10WidsMob HDR Plus3
- 11NetSpot334
- 12Check Writer III Plus macOS259
- 13SyncMate439
- 14Check PrintR Plus macOS314
- 15Any Video Converter Ultimate for Mac291


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NEW YORK — Verizon will own its wireless business outright after agreeing to a $130 billion deal to buy the 45 percent stake of Verizon Wireless owned by British cellphone company Vodafone.
The deal announced Monday would give Vodafone PLC additional cash to pursue its expansion ambitions in Europe. It would also give Verizon Communications Inc. the opportunity to boost its quarterly earnings, as it would no longer have to share a portion of Verizon Wireless' proceeds with Vodafone.
The change isn't expected to have much of an effect on Verizon consumers or on its operations. Vodafone had little influence on Verizon Wireless' operations.
Verizon has had a long-standing interest in buying out its partner, but the two companies couldn't agree on a price until now.


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Old barns can be hazardous.
This time of the year, many of the old barns along the rural roads of western Kentucky are put to use. They are tobacco barns, constructed with "tiers" (horizontal braces) that support the tobacco-laden sticks.
I shuddered when I saw the barn above loaded with tobacco to its very top. The old barn isn't in very good shape. Its board siding is springing loose and curling up and it's got some kind of problem with its roof (left side.) I hope they checked to see if the timbers of the barn were still solid before they started filling the barn.
I know a fellow who was on the top tier of a barn, laying out the sticks of tobacco as they were handed up to him. The tier broke and he fell to the barn floor, breaking his leg terribly. He is a big guy and he probably shouldn't have been up there, but it does illustrate how dangerous an old barn can be.


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One of three men charged with murder in the 1994 disappearance of Kevin Harkins is asking that the charge against him be dismissed.
Elias Samia, 46, of 78 Arlington St., and two co-defendants, Matteo Trotto and John R. Fredette, were indicted last year on murder charges in what prosecutors say was the Feb. 15, 1994, shooting death of the 36-year-old Mr. Harkins, whose body has never been found.
The prosecution�s theory in the case is that Mr. Harkins was killed after failing to follow through on a promise to perjure himself in court on Mr. Fredette�s behalf.
Mr. Samia�s lawyer, Joan M. Fund, filed a motion last month in Worcester Superior Court asking that the charge against her client be tossed out.
Ms. Fund alleges that the murder charge against Mr. Samia should be dismissed because the integrity of the grand jury proceeding was impaired by the presentation of unfair, misleading, inflammatory and false evidence, coupled with the withholding of evidence that would have undermined the credibility of certain prosecution witnesses.
She further alleges that the evidence given to the grand jurors was insufficient, as a matter of law, to sustain the indictment. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for March 26.
In his written opposition to the motion, Assistant District Attorney Daniel J. Bennett said the evidence offered to the grand jury was �more than sufficient� to support the murder charge against Mr. Samia and that no evidence was improperly presented or withheld from the grand jurors� consideration.
Prosecutors contend Mr. Harkins was shot to death in a car belonging to Mr. Samia after being called out of Suney�s Pub on Chandler Street by Mr. Trotto shortly before midnight on Feb. 15, 1994. They say he was killed two days after declining an offer of money and drugs to hinder or terminate a drug case against Mr. Fredette by lying under oath in court.
Mr. Fredette, 49, of Saco, Maine, pleaded guilty to the drug charges and was sentenced to 4 to 6 years in prison. He was given four days to report to prison.
Mr. Trotto, 46, is serving a prison sentence of 23 to 26 years after being convicted in 1999 of cocaine trafficking and other drug and weapons charges.
The prosecution alleges Mr. Harkins was shot in the back of the head while in Mr. Samia�s car with Mr. Samia, Mr. Fredette and Mr. Trotto. Later, after Mr. Trotto had been dropped off, Millbury police stopped the car and saw blood in the vehicle and on Mr. Samia and Mr. Fredette, according to prosecutors.
The men said they had been in fights at separate bars, but investigators later learned there had been no fights reported at either establishment, according to Mr. Bennett.
In his written opposition to the motion to dismiss, Mr. Bennett said evidence was presented to the grand jury that Mr. Samia disposed of the car and canceled its registration the next day and that auto parts consistent with the vehicle, a 1985 Chevrolet Impala, were later recovered from a Worcester pond.
Evidence was also presented to the grand jury that Mr. Samia was present with Mr. Fredette when Mr. Fredette stated that Mr. Harkins had been shot in the back of the head and that Mr. Samia said he was upset because he had been covered in Mr. Harkins� blood, according to Mr. Bennett.
All three suspects have pleaded not guilty. Mr. Samia remains in custody without bail.
Mr. Harkins was declared dead in 2008 in Worcester Probate and Family Court.


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Tubal Ligation Metal Implant
C025/5334 Rights Managed
530 pixels on longest edge, unwatermarked
Request/Download high-res file
Uncompressed file size: 55.0MB
Downloadable file size: 3.4MB
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Credit: SCIENCE PICTURE CO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Release details: Model release not required. Property release not required.
Keywords: 3d model, 3d visualization, anatomical, artwork, biomedical illustration, birth control, black background, cross section, digitally generated image, fallopian tube, female, female reproductive system, front view, human anatomy, human representation, illustration, metal implant, metallic, mid section, process, scar tissue, sterilization, transition, transparent, tubal ligation, tubectomy, uterus
Licence fees: A licence fee will be charged for any media (low or high resolution) used in your project.


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Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - Rado and Martin - FULL CONTACT
Latest Sets at MaleFeet4U.com
Our previews from malefeet4u.com today are two great looking guys, Lukas Vystrik and Patrik Aron. You can see their full shoots at www.malefeet4u.com.
If you haven't recently checked out the foot site, now is a good time to do so, Franky as completely redesigned it.
Also, thanks for the photo and video suggestions for foot fetish shoots. Please keep them coming by writing firstname.lastname@example.com
|Patrik Aron
Open Patrik Aron MaleFeet4U.com Set
More about Patrik Aron - MaleFeet4U.com ...
|Lukas Vystrik
Open Lukas Vystrik MaleFeet4U.com Set
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The End of William Higgins Newsletter


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This project has been completed. No further updates to this project page will be made.
September 15, 2014
This project has been completed. This fall, landscapers will be on site to install plantings.
September 8, 2014
This week, crews are on site to complete the punch list item associated with the project.
August 25, 2014
Last week, crews completed the line striping of Fawcett Street from end to end. Over the next few weeks, crews will begin the landscaping phase of this project. This phase of the operation will cause minimal impact on area business/residents.
August 18, 2014
This week, crews will continue to perform punch list items to complete the project. On Thursday, August 21, the City's contractor is tentatively scheduled to line stripe. Fawcett Street from Concord Avenue to Smith Place. The line striping will take place during evening hours.
The reconstruction of Fawcett Street between Concord Avenue and Smith Place will include: * New sidewalks and pedestrian ramps along the entire length of Fawcett Street to improve pedestrian mobility and safety. * New street paving. * Elements to enhance the visual character of Fawcett St and to improve the quality of the water discharged to the Alewife Brook. * New street trees. * Landscaped areas, including bio-retention areas. * Pervious asphalt. * Improvements to the drainage and sanitary sewer systems and a new 12" water main.
Cambridge Dept. of Public Works147 Hampshire StreetCambridge, MA 02139
Cambridge citizen requests, now online & on the go! Report issues here.
Have a question?Find the answer in our extensiveFrequently Asked Questions
147 Hampshire StCambridge
02139Phone:617.349.4800TDD:617.499.9924Email Us
Monday: 8:30am-8:00pm
Tuesday-Thursday: 8:30am-5:00pm
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24 Hour emergency 617.349.4860
Tuesday & Thursday: 4:00pm-7:30pm Saturday: 9:00am-4:00pm
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