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The Idea of Perfection: Readers' Notes
Thematic Summary:
The Idea of Perfection is set in Karakarook, a little country town dying on its feet. The people of Karakarook are divided on a heritage issue: the old Bent Bridge. Floods have pushed this bridge into a question-mark shape: "it had chosen to bend rather than break" (p.62), and some of the townspeople think it should be pulled down. Others think it will bring much-needed tourist dollars to the town.
Douglas Cheeseman is an engineer sent to demolish the Bent Bridge and replace it with a concrete one. Harley Savage is in Karakarook to advise the local heritage committee about a museum they plan to establish. From the first page, Harley and Douglas are on a collision course.
Both of them are haunted by the idea of perfection - they're painfully aware of their own inadequacies, and this creates seemingly insuperable obstacles to developing relationships with other people. In the course of their month in Karakarook, both of them undergo profound changes. They come to terms with their own inadequacies and faults, as Harley comes to see: "She was only that most ordinary of criminals, a human being" (p. 353). Having forgiven themselves, they can also forgive each other, and come together at last.
Set against this story of accepting imperfection is the sub-plot of Felicity Porcelline, the bank manager's wife. Felicity would rather be dead than not be perfect. She's determined, for example, not to allow her face to develop the slightest suspicion of wrinkles, and carefully rations the number of times she smiles each day. "Smiling did such immense damage" (p.111). But the more fiercely she tries to control the world around her, the more chaos erupts and threatens to destroy her.
"How do people get on?" is what impels Douglas out into the streets at night to peer into people's windows, and it's a question all the characters ask as they consider the baggage of their pasts. Harley carries with her the accusing fact of her third husband's horrific suicide. When that happened, it confirmed her in the self-doubt that was born in her as a child, when she was the dud of her high-achieving artistic family. Harley feels, deeply, that she's no good - worse, that she's dangerous. The closer people want to get to her, the more she needs to push them away: "Being adored was something she had come to mistrust." Over the years she's developed an abrupt, abrasive manner, a woman "whose eye-teeth looked like fangs".
But she's capable of love - that's proved by her relationship with her three sons. "Children adored you, but in their case it was not a test. There was no need to get anxious about no being perfect. No matter how unlovable a mother you were, they still loved you. She had not had any choice but to love them too. She did not need them to ber perfect." (p.42)
Douglas' life has always been overshadowed by the fact that his father was a famous war hero, killed in action before Douglas was born. His dead father, perfect in the way that only the dead can be, is a permanent reproach. Douglas "was not stupid, but he knew his face often looked stupid". His ears stick out, his nose is a big sunburned beak, and he can never find the right words. Cruellest twist of all, he's that laughable creature, an engineer who suffers from vertigo, condemned to a lifetime of small jobs that are close to the ground.
Douglas has been told, especially by his ex-wife, that he was "no good with people". His idea of himself has been eaten away until now, in his fifties, "Sometimes he felt the urge to apologise simply for existing (p.48). He sees the strength in Harley as well as the weakness, and loves her for both: "She was flesh and bone together, bending without breaking. It was what he loved about her." (p.334). It takes a moment of crisis for him to discover a strength in himself that allows him to get close to her.
Felicity knows no way of getting on with other people except with the surface of herself. With her long-suffering husband Hugh, she's cordial enough. She even allows him two smiles per day. Her little boy is just another thing in her life that has to be perfect, so she tries to mould him into the shape she wants. She's obsessive about housework, and spends a lot of time worrying about getting wrinkles (the problem is, worrying about wrinkles gives you more wrinkles).
Finally, the lid of perfection that she's tamped down on herself breaks open and she embarks, catastrophically, on an affair with the butcher. It's nothing as deep as love, it's simple lust: nothing more than skin, rubbing up against another skin. The affair with Alfred Chang is just one more in what seems to be a long line of what she euphemistically thinks of as "little awkwardnesses". Felicity is clearly on a path to disaster.
As well as the humans, fretting in their different ways about their lack of perfection, there's a dog that attaches itself to Harley as soon as she arrives in Karakarook. The dog isn't troubled by ideas of perfection. Like a mute guardian angel, it attaches itself to Harley and doesn't let go, in spite of her discouragement. Finally, painfully, she comes to accept what the dog, like Douglas, is offering: the gift of uncritical love.
"How do people get on?" There is one couple in the book that understands this from the very beginning. Henry Henderson - known to everyone as "Chook" - is all in favour of knocking down the Bent Bridge. His wife Coralie, however, is the driving force behind the Heritage Committee, determined to save the bridge. But their public conflict has nothing to do with the private reality, which is that Chook and Coralie know how to love each other in a way that goes beyond disagreement.
The Idea of Perfection is a book of opposites and paradoxes. The Bent Bridge itself is one such paradox: it's been damaged, and badly. But, paradoxically, "the damage was the very thing that made it strong" (p.62). The patchworks that Harley makes is another: they're made of scraps, left-overs, rejects of fabric, and yet when they're put together they make a thing of beauty. In the same way, the Heritage Museum isn't full of silver teapots and lace christening robes, but the ordinary, workaday things that people have improvised out of poverty - those are the things that are now priceless. Another kind of paradox is provided by the concrete that Douglas loves so much. It's a despised material, so ordinary no-one gives it a second glance - just like Douglas, in fact. But the way he sees it, concrete is the most miraculous of materials: a fluid medium that simply takes up the shape provided for it rather than imposing its own, and in the end, concrete is the key to his ingenious plan for saving the Bent Bridge.
A quote from Leonardo da Vinci provides the epigraph for this book: "An arch is two weaknesses which together make a strength." Leonardo was talking about bridges, but The Idea of Perfection takes the idea and plays with all its possibilities. Human beings are weak, but together in a relationship, they can provide a strength for each other. Each can be the equal and opposite force the other needs. It's a matter of working with weaknesses rather than against them.
Kate Grenville's other books take as their theme the obstacles that come between men and women and prevent them understanding each other. In the past, she's explored some of the darkest places of the human heart. In this book, she's found a way of marrying the "light" and the "dark" so that they make a harmonious whole. Conflict, the working of opposites against each other, isn't denied, but transformed into something positive, something more like a conversation.
Like one of Harley's patchworks, The Idea of Perfection is a richly-patterned whole made up of many small and intricately-crafted details. In the foreground, the main characters make their journies of discovery, in among the complex lives of a vivid cast of minor characters. Behind them all is the landscape: Karakarook, a little country town brought to life in a wealth of precisely-observed details, and the countryside around it, drawn as sharply as a photograph - and arching over it all, that big, generous, forgiving country sky.
Discussion Starters:
Is The Idea of Perfection a good title for this book? Or would you give it a different title?
Did the epigraph - "An arch is two weaknesses that together make a strength" - add anything to your understanding of the book as you were reading it?
Do you agree with Jane Sullivan (see "reviews" on this site) that The Idea of Perfection is a "comic tale?" Or does it verge on tragedy?
The book shows two people undergoing a transformation - Harley into someone who can accept love, Douglas into someone who's brave enough to offer it. Did you find it convincing that two people can have such a radical change of heart?
Do you agree with Peter Craven that a country town like Karakarook is "a natural setting for quiet moral drama and the celebration of the action of human goodness?" Or is the view of the country town put forward in this book a rather idealised one?
Kate Grenville may not have intended to be patronising towards country people, but do you think she is?
Do you agree with the reviewer who says that "there is not a trace of sentimentality" in The Idea of Perfection?
Like Harley, do you find yourself thinking differently about concrete after reading the book?
Does this book take up a position on the heritage-versus-development debate?
Several reviewers have mentioned Grenville's use of italics. Why do you think she uses them the way she does in this book, and does it work?
Do people really talk the way they do in this book?
Although The Idea of Perfection is written in the third person, each chapter takes the point of view of one of the main characters. Do you find this an effective device, or do you think it weakens the story?
Apart from its humour, what purpose is served by the sub-plot of Felicity? How would the book be different without the sub-plot?
What futures would you write for Felicity and Hugh?
Is Felicity a racist?
Who started the fire at the back of Freddy Chang's shop?
17. Do you think The Idea of Perfection would make a good film?
"Out of the Dark": by Jane Sullivan, The Age
Kate Grenville's new novel is called The Idea of Perfection, but when she started work on it she had no thoughts of perfection, and just two ideas: bridges and patchwork. There were going to be two characters who were each attached to one of these things. And the story was going to be warm, optimistic, funny.
It had to be. Grenville's previous novel Dark Places, which took her 10 years to complete, was a journey inside the mind of Albion Gidley Singer, a man who raped his own daughter. "In my mind I went through the darkest place one can write about, and I kind of got out the other side," she says. "And this is what I came out with: how dark and light can live together."
As she says, it's radically different from anything she's done before. Her high reputation rests in particular on two prizewinning and much-acclaimed books, Lilian's Story and Dark Places, companion tales of daughter and father. Though they can both be funny, they chart essentially grim and harrowing territory. Critic Peter Craven called Grenville "a practitioner of the art of Australian Gothic."
The Idea of Perfection is about as Gothic as a lamington. It's a comic tale of Douglas and Harley, a man and a woman from the big city, coming together awkwardly, bashfully, with many misunderstandings, in Karakarook, a small Australian country town. Real heartwarming Aw shucks Sentimental Bloke territory, readymade for a movie or a TV series (it's no surprise to learn she's now writing a screenplay). The publisher even had the idea of blurbing it as "Ballykissangel on the page".
"It seemed a good idea at the time," says Grenville of the Ballykissangel line, with as near a thing to a grimace as you can detect down a phone line from her home in Sydney. "The thing they were picking up on was the microcosm of the tiny community."
In fact, The Idea of Perfection - like Tim Winton's Cloudstreet - is one of those books that totally transcends the almost corny folksiness of its elements. The theme of being perfect - two characters who try and expect to fail, and a disturbingly fractured third character who tries too hard - seems as if it was always there, fully understood, in Grenville's mind. But for a long time, the idea of literary perfection frightened her away from writing at all.
When she teaches creative writing, she tells her students that the greatest problem beginning writers have is that they want everything to look exactly right straight away. She found that out the hard way. Studying English Literature at Sydney University gave her "a bit of an inferiority complex that I was not Henry James, or Virginia Woolf, and I didn't see how I could be. Nobody said, 'Why don't you go and read Virginia's first book?' It's okay, but it's no work of genius. That would have helped me."
Instead, Grenville was so put off writing that she went into the film industry, and indulged her "obsessive compulsive anal retentive part" by fiddling around with film editing. She only found the confidence to write when living overseas, particularly when she did a Master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Colorado.
She returned to Australia in 1983 with an unfinished novel that became Lilian's Story, one of the most admired winners of the Vogel/Australian awards. As Craven put it, "Kate Grenville hit the literary scene with a greater portent of literary genius than any writer in our recent history".
She's not a perfectionists, she insists. She's really quite sloppy: she doesn't identify with Felicity, her immaculately groomed mum at the school gates, but with the other mums, the ones with the drooping bra straps that make Felicity shudder. She says she writes to try to understand: "It becomes like an itch, you have to go on, scratching away." While the latest book was not quite a Dark Places - style marathon, it still took a lot of scratching: about five years ( she writes while her children are at school ) and more than 20 drafts. "I had to explore a lot of dead ends," she says.
Grenville's fictional Karakarook ("Gateway to the foothills!" says the sign in the Cobwebbe Crafte Shoppe, with a long wobbly dribble sliding down from the exclamation mark) is a composite of places she and her husband, the cartoonist Bruce Petty, and their two children have visited in the school holidays. "I look at a country town with the pleasure and excitement of it being exotic and foreign" she says. "I've found myself taking notes of the lovely things I noticed. And often a sad feeling, that a very good and valuable part of Australian culture is dying on its feet."
Was there a danger that the big-city writer might sound patronising? "Yes, the last thing I wanted to do was to be a city smart alec at the expense of country folk. I wanted to capture their wonderful quirky distinctiveness. They have a very healthy indifference to matching up to any kind of stereotype. At all times it's the city newcomers who make complete fools of themselves in the country - they're chased by cows, they don't know how to get through fences . . . "
One of the funniest and saddest elements in the book is the way Harley and Douglas constantly castigate themselves inwardly for their failure to make the proper connections. It's fiendishly infectious. The reader, too, curls up in self-conscious ball: why did I do that silly laugh, why did I say that, why didn't I make eye contact . . . . "Everybody has that morning-after feeling . . . we have this idea in our heads that we have to be perfect," Grenville says. "But Harley and Douglas have their epiphany: not only that they don't have to be perfect, but that it might be better not to be perfect."
The moment when this theme became clear to Grenville was when she discovered a quote from Leonardo da Vinci: "An arch is two weaknesses which together make a strength". That, she says, is the story of human relationships.
But creating the novel was nothing like so clear and straightforward. Grenville has long been fascinated by the process of writing fiction, how a shape can slowly emerge from muddle of seemingly unconnected impressions. She offers practical help through the middle for aspiring writers in her manual, The Writing Book, and has charted the progress of other writers in the book she wrote with Sue Woolfe, Making Stories: How Ten Australian Novels Were Written. Now she's thinking of writing up her own memoir of how The Idea of Perfection came into being.
Talking about this development to a literature and psychiatry conference, she once said: "A novel isn't an object presented to a writer in one huge revelation. It's just the end result of a long tortuous process. That process, rather than the end-product, is in many way where the book is really alive."
One of the first things she did for this novel was to find out about engineering and building bridges, even though she didn't yet know why it would be important. "I began by feeling I was a trespasser. That apartheid between the arts and the sciences is a very powerful thing. But once I started talking to engineers, what I realised was that building a bridge and building a novel are exactly the same thing. I said to one, what's the best thing about being an engineer? He said , having a new problem to solve every day.
"So it gave me enormous pleasure to stride into the engineering library at the University and take out books. I can't understand any of the maths of it, I wouldn't walk over a bridge I'd built, but I see the basics."
The patchwork idea came when she was talking to another mother while waiting for her children at school. "She was telling me about a quilter who was an engineer . . . putting shapes together in a structural way. One thing led to another. Once on to a track, everything I found out about quilts and patchwork fitted into using the imperfect." She even made a few quilts herself. "I love that moment when you put two fabrics together and something happens which one alone can't do. But I'm a rather careless person. I don't have the patience to do it properly."
For previous fiction, Grenville had used words and music to put herself into the mood and voice of the book: she read Darwin to get Albion Gidley Singer's voice, Shakespeare and Jane Austen's letters for Lilian. With The Idea of Perfection, it was photographs. "I covered the wall of my study with snapshots I took of old timber bridges, cows, hills, textures of wood on an old fence posts. I stared and stared at these little snapshots, putting myself back there to hear the sounds and smell the smell and feel that dry dusty air."
She fell in love with the Australian countryside, she said, but there's not a trace of sentimentality in the writing: "I can't bear that kind of gushy purple prose, full of adjectives."
Future projects include a creative writing manual for high-school students and a possible novel about an ancestor who was reputed to have murdered his wife by pushing her downstairs. All to be accomplished by a formidably sharp and precise mind that also cultivates the dreamy woolliness of creation, and still uses tricks to overcome the crippling urge to be perfect.
"I write by hand." Grenville says, "to encourage myself to think that nobody is going to read it. So it doesn't matter how bad it is."
"Nobody's Perfect": Angela Bennie, Sydney Morning Herald
"To be alone, secretive, a presser of my palm to glass panes, looking out at life": this is an image of women that recurs in Kate Grenville's work, a sad quatrain to the female state: and it is an image of woman that lies like an archaeological trace beneath so many of her stories' surfaces.
It is a surprising image, in many ways, for Grenville, who in life appears so open and outreaching in her relationship to the world. No pressing of the palms for her, but an open-hearted embrace would seem to be the Grenville trope for life.
Yet her stories focus on women peering out at the world - more often than not at men, but equally, at choice - from behind glass panes, if not literally then psychologically or metaphorically: and it is her Joan in Joan Makes History - the writing of history from a woman's point of view she was commissioned in 1988 to do as a Bicentenary project - who actually spells out the condition. As Grenville writes her, Joan as Everywoman emerges as both an outsider in history and an insider locked away in the fabric of history; though active, rarely acknowledged, written to the margins.
Grenville first came to wide critical attention with Lilian's Story in 1984, when it won the Vogel Australian Award for best unpublished novel (it was published the next year, to much acclaim), a story about an outside/insider based on the estranged, eccentric, bizarre life of Bee Miles.
The year before, her short-story collection, Bearded Ladies, was published - and another unpublished novel, Dreamhouse, about the removed, isolated nature of a couple's marriage, was the runner-up for that year's Vogel prize.
Dreamhouse went on to be published in 1986: and Grenville's place as a writer interested in oddities, eccentricities of personality, internal subjective states at odds with the external appearances, was established.
She was not to write another novel for 10 years. And when that novel did appear, it brought with it a shock. Dark Places was a troubling, uneven, irregular retelling of Lilian's story, but this time it was the story from inside the mind of Lilian's molester and rapist, her father, Albion Gidley Singer.
In this dark place it was now the male sensibility she was reaching for, but a predatory one, which, if it did indeed look through any glass, it was through it darkly, and with arrogance.
The book, though the reading of it was a disturbing experience for many, was shortlisted for the 1995 Miles Franklin Award (in one of those strange ironies, it was pipped at the post by a novel that indeed had come from a dark place, Helen Demidenko's The Hand that Signed the Paper) and it won that year's Victorian Premier's Literary Award.
But Grenville's surprise return journey to Lilian's Story of 10 years before is significant in terms of what was happening to her as a writer.
Where she had begun with the female gaze through the window-pane, she was now just as preoccupied with what was on the other side of the glass, looking in onto and affecting that consciousness. She realised there were two figures in the Grenville frame - polarised, isolated, separate, positioned on either side of the glass - but, nevertheless, two.
The Idea of Perfection, which hits the bookshops next week, is Grenville's latest novel. It follows swiftly on the heels of Dark Places, as if on wings. It is a love story.
"One day I came across a quote of Leonardo da Vinci's which set the hairs of the back of my neck on end," says Grenville. "He says: an arch is two weaknesses which together make a strength.
"I had been interested in bridges. I am interested in women painters and I was fascinated that a lot of them - Grace Cossington Smith is perhaps the most well-known, but there were many others, Dorrit Black, Jessie Traill - who often used unfinished bridges as their subject matter, especially the Harbour Bridge when it was under construction.
"I was interested in why women should be interested in this image - why were they using this . . . I was thinking of writing something about this. And then I came across the quote from da Vinci . . . I suddenly saw it is a description of a relationship. If you were perfect, you wouldn't need one, you couldn't love. But it is because of our weaknesses that we are able to; when you put the weaknesses up against each other, the stresses and strains are their strength. What this means is that the more the two parts of the arch lean against each other, the stronger it is. I suddenly knew I had a book. I suddenly knew I had a love story."
The Idea of Perfection tells the story of two ungainly, awkward people, Harley Savage and Douglas Cheeseman, who collide together through chance, and who gradually overcome their differences and learn to love.
"I deliberately made the two characters imperfect and all too aware of their imperfections, haunted by them, in fact. And what they come to realise is that their imperfections are what gives the relationship, the love that grows between them, its strength."
What is interesting in this new development for Grenville - "yes, it's the first love story I have written, and, oh, the joy of it, the pleasure of it, to write about love after all that darkness" - is that it could not have happened without that journey she took back into the darkness.
"Perhaps some will say it is a reaction to Dark Places. But . . . I see it as part of a process. I had to look into the dark, and having looked at the dark, now I want to find out how to incorporate the light with it.
"So one of the juxtaposition I play with in this book is light and dark . . . Now I am interested in balancing the two.
"It is now a marvellous thing to be able to handle two people who come together. Up to now, I have always been conscious of what drives men and women apart. For me, this book is just the next logical step in my writing."
Yet what is also interesting about Grenville's writing process is that it is the principle of illogicality that governs it.
"It is like quilting," she says. "It is a question of putting together things which don't necessarily, on the face of it, have any overt relationship, or value, but something happens when you put it all together.
"I am always writing these fragments of ideas down: they fill my notebooks. When I begin to write the book I write them down on pieces of paper, those Post-it notes, and stick them up on the window and move them around and around into patterns and rearrange them until I feel they fit together. Then something extraordinary happens.
"The plot and the structure of the book grow into a whole. I allow my unconscious to play with the pieces and, putting the fragments up on the window like that, allowing the material to behave in its own way, the whole emerges."
It is a powerful image of the writer she gives - standing at her window pane, moving her fragments around into patterns with her hands - perhaps her reflection is looking back at her on the glass - while the story, the world outside its backdrop, slowly crystallises before her into structure and form.
"Because in a way, the material is buried there in you," she says. "Unconsciously you have chosen this subject all the way along the line, right from the beginning. You just have to allow the process to work itself out and that becomes the structure. That becomes the writing. Then you have your book."


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On Deck: LCD Soundsystem x Holy Ghost!, Sleigh Bells, Eminem, The Books
LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost! Remix)
To gather some more steam around their upcoming EP, Holy Ghost! have remixed DFA head-honchos and flagship artist, LCD Soundsystem. (read more to listen)
Sleigh Bells - Tell Em
To borrow a phrase, this is not a first single, this is assault with a deadly weapon. Sleigh Bells' "Tell 'Em," the first taste of their upcoming M.I.A.-sanctioned first LP, Treats, is loud and proud and sounds like it'll bash your face in if you look at it the wrong way. The way Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" would sound after an all nighter with WAVVES. Download MP3 here. (read more to listen)
Eminem - Despicable (Drake Overdub)
Eminem grabs Drake's "Over" by the neck and makes it his bitch. (read more to listen and download)
The Books - Beautiful People
It's been nearly 5 years since their last record, but the Books are back with "Beautiful People". Download MP3 Here. (read more to listen)

subset: commoncrawl


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When Does the Statute of Limitations Clock Start?
The statute of limitations on a debt is the amount of time the debt is legally enforceable, or rather, the amount of time the creditor can use the court to force you to pay a debt. If you're sued for a past due debt, your attorney can use the expired statute of limitations as a defense to avoid a judgment against you. Knowing when the clock on the statute of limitations starts will help you calculate whether the statute of limitations has expired and help you decide whether to pay off an old debt or leave it alone.
The specific statute of limitations for your debt is based on the type of debt you have - e.g. credit card or loan - and the state where you live or the state the debt was incurred.
When Does the Statute of Limitations Clock Start?
The statute of limitations "clock" starts ticking on the date of last activity on your account. Typically this is the date you last made payment, but it can also be the date you last used the account, made a promise to pay, entered a payment agreement, or even acknowledged liability for the debt.
Figuring Out the Statute for Your Debt
Often, you can check your credit report for the last date of activity to figure out when the statute of limitations clock started. That's only if the last activity is a payment or charge to your account - activity that's reported to the credit bureaus and you've had no other activity on the account. Verbal activity, like a payment arrangement or acknowledgment of the debt, is not reported to the credit bureaus, so only your notes or records (if you've kept them) can help you know for certain when the last activity was on the account.
You can ask the creditor or collector for the last date of activity on the account. While they're not required to give you an answer, they must answer truthfully if they decide to give you an answer. If you have doubts about the timing of the statute of limitations for your debt, contact an attorney, especially if a debt collector is threatening to sue you or has already filed a lawsuit against you.
Statute of Limitations vs. Credit Reporting Time Limit
The statute of limitations is often confused with the credit reporting time limit, which is seven years for most accounts. The credit reporting time limit is always based on the date of the last missed payment on the account. Your credit report will include the date of the missed payment for credit reporting purposes.
The statute of limitations can still be in effect even if the credit reporting time limit has passed. In some states, the statute of limitations is more than seven years. Or, you may have restarted the statute of limitations by taking an action, like making a payment arrangement, that's not recorded on your credit report.


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So, for this 8th edition, and before turning 52 in a few weeks, I had hefty goals:
- Chikara was in, so I wasn't aiming for the win but for 2nd place (which has been the case for 5 out of 7 runs so far),
- and my age group win (40 points).
- I wanted to at least run faster than last year to set a new age group course record for 10 bonus points (3:21:58)
- But more importantly I wanted to set that new M50-54 American record which has been resisting for close to 34 years! (3:19:33 John L Sullivan (53) in Washington, DC on 1982-Mar-13)
- I thought I could even improve my PR, set on that course in 2012 at 3:19:09 (thanks to Victor's friendly emulation and competition).
With all the speed work I put in my training in January, all that looked doable, right? Based on who was registered on the web site. But, wait, look at what is written on the right tent in this picture: Race Day Registration...
Well, all week I wondered if Rich Hanna would get in on race day and, sure enough, when I arrived to the start line after our early carpool with Pierre-Yves, I saw Rich who confirmed he had just gotten in the 50K and shooting for the record. Rich is such a nice athlete, he even offered that we run together at 6:20 min/mile pace (the record corresponding to 6:25), but Rich is obviously a much faster runner than I am. For instance, Rich ran that course in 3:13 2 years ago (we were both 49), and has already broken 3:30 at Way Too Cool (he set our M50-59 age group record to a blazing 3:41 last year). Rich is particularly amazing because his specialty is cross-country but he is able to keep that same super fast cadence for 31 miles!
With this news, I must admit that I was devastated. Of course, very happy for Rich that he had finally the perfect opportunity to break this long-lasting record with the ideal weather and a course in pristine conditions, plus the official USATF label and course certification in place this year (as opposed to last year). Not to forget the chip timing handle by Rich's own company as a matter of fact (Capital Road Racing Management).
But, his participation meant that I had lost 4 of my 5 goals, so I was left with pushing hard enough to break 3:19 and PR, without the rest of the motivational goals. With his usual optimistic, Pierre-Yves tried to lift my spirit up, but he didn't know Rich, and there was no way Rich would miss this opportunity. Besides, he is so much faster and has run this course in times way under the targeted record, so it seemed like a done deal. I knew that I had a very little window of opportunity last year at the 50K Road Nationals and it made my sub 2-minute miss even more bitter.
During all this melodrama on my end, we still managed to see the start of the 50-mile at 7:30 am, our 50K starting one hour later. As usual, it was a small group, the event not being part of our Grand Prix. Karl Schnaitter took the control right away with a clear intention to run a fast 50-mile today.
Temperature was around 45F and forecasted to reach 65F in the afternoon, perfect conditions! And beautiful views of a much healthier American River than the past years.
Conversely, on the 50K, our group was close to 100 participants! Right off the bat, Chikara took off at 6:10 pace. Rich and I ran the first 3 miles together starting at a more conservative (everything being relative...) pace. Our first mile turned out to be slow actually at 6:26, in the first mile of of the out and back. Rich was trying to entertain some conversation but I told him I wouldn't hold a 6:20 min/mile pace if I had to talk... Our second mile, coming back to the start, clocked a blazing 6:04, with the excitement of crossing the rest of the pack and the course being slightly downhill. By the third mile we were at a 6:15 average pace with Chikara disappearing quickly ahead and Rich showing no intention to slow down and honor his initial proposal of running together at 6:20. Needless to say, that was too fast for me and I did slow down but barely losing 1 second on the average pace, closing the first 4.86-mile lap in 30'30" (6:17 pace) which was 30" faster than what was needed for breaking the record.
I ran the second lap in 30'45", loosing some ground on Rich but still pretty close. At the end of the third lap, I made a 12-second stop to change GU2O bottles and drink a Vespa so my lap got to 30:54. Without that stop I was still running at 6:17 and my legs started to notice and complain. A few signs of cramps got me to slow down a bit and double up on the S!Caps. 4th lap ended up at 31'10", there weren't much room for margin and, this time, between me slowing down and all the other 30K and half marathon runners on the course, I lost sight of Rich. As well as much hope to catch-up eventually. As mentioned above, my only remaining motivation was to PR and, at this time, I actually thought my PR was 3:19:42 (instead of the 3:19:09 listed above for 2012).
Between the few cramps, the fatigue and the motivation erosion, my 5th lap turned out to be an abysmal 32'27", ouch! That meant that I had to run the last lap at an average pace of 6:30. With cramps... I threw my bottles to the side of the course, near my car, to get my arms free and give it all. I managed to accelerate for a few hundred yards and Strava gives my miles 27 and 28 at 6:39 and 6:37. Not bad given the circumstances but quite not fast enough, except that my legs rebelled and punished me with more cramps. During my marathon years I learned to keep running with (painful) cramps, so I kept moving, albeit slower. I passed Pierre-Yves with more than 1/2 mile to go but only 4 minutes left to break my PR. Despite his encouragement, I couldn't run faster at that point, I was in the red zone at 6:47 min/mile and crossed the finish line in 3:20:55 (32'39" for the last lap). 1 minute and 18 seconds off this damned record...
I was so disappointed to have missed all my goals (5 out of 5!), I have to apologize to all for having been so grumpy after that finish. I know, how many 50-year old guys can run a 50K under 3:21? Or even break 3:30 on this distance at half this age? Couldn't I be just happy to take 3rd today behind two amazing champions? Having run a 2:47 marathon on the way? And getting a performance worth 96% on UltraSignup in spite of such competition? Oh, not to forget, being healthy and injury free... Indeed, many reasons to smile and be grateful for! Well, sorry, I still struggle at stopping pushing the envelope and keeping setting higher goals...
Chikara finished in 3:11:47 and Rich set a new M50-54 American record at 3:17:44, an improvement of 1'52". It was time that he gets the fame for this, he is such an accomplished distance runner in addition to being such a nice person dedicated to our sport.
Here is the informal and friendly Men 50K podium:
I took 4th in 2013, coming back from injury).
Speaking of records, Bev Anderson-Abbs also set an American record for the distance, F50-54. Here she is, flying to a 3:48:06 finish, a women win (yes, the 50-59 age group is a tough one at Jed Smith! ;-), and 6th overall. And, yes, she looks easy because the Canadian record she set last year was even faster than this one!
Exactly 2 hours later, our Grand Prix co-Chair, Bill Dodson, also met his goal, improving the M80-84 American record for 50K by 7 minutes at 5:48:09. Bill now owns the 50K, 50-mile and 100K records in his age group, and he has a few others at reach (what about less than 64 hours for 100 miles, Bill?)!
And Ray Sanchez cruised for 3rd Men, 4th Overall in 7:02:00.
Pierre-Yves returned to the competition with a 14th place overall and 4:02:56
Marc Klemencic 4:34:24
Joe Swenson 4:44:47 and his first win in his new M60-69 age group!
Stephen Strauss 6:19:33
And Kat, Powell allowing us to score in the mixed division, 6:45:02.
A few things I learned from my run today:
- There are some stars that you can't control, for instance what the competition will be and what they will be capable of, and that can certainly affect some of your goals.
- After the long tapering in December, and more business traveling in January with irregular training, I'm still 6 pounds over my ideal race weight, I need to seriously work on this.
- I drank my two bottles of GU2O (typically 20oz every 15 miles), but only one bottle of water which wasn't enough and explained some of the cramping.
- Vespa did very well again but, running in the red zone for so long (sub 6:20 pace), I should have taken one or two more Gu gels (I only took 3).
- Record hunting is a dangerous sport when you are not the fastest in your sport or even age group... ;-)
- And, more importantly, happiness is a state of mind, and like someone (anonymous) once said: "Happiness is not having what you want, it's wanting what you have."
Again, it was a beautiful day on the American River, it felt so good to see much more water flowing than the previous years. Yet, El Niño has been pretty mild so far, we need so much more water to catch-up. At least a sunny weekend made our runs much easier and the Super Bowl fans are very happy too!
Big thanks to the Buffalo Chips club for organizing this yearly event, ideal to kick start the ultra season on a fast foot. And Co-Race Directors, John Blue and Dennis Scott especially, plus all the volunteers along the course (course marshals) and at the aid stations (which I never stopped at during the race to save precious seconds...). We even had a couple of cyclists marshaling the course and making the event and records even more officials.


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The Lunchbox is a surprising little Indian film that doesn't have the glamour, colour, dancing and music of Bollywood. Instead it's quiet, understated and harks back to a tried and tested romantic format. It evokes such films as The Shop Around The Corner, You've Got Mail and at times, Lost In Translation.
It's also a fascinating insight into the 5,000 or so dabbawallahs of Mumbai. These are lunchbox delivery men who for more than 125 years have operated an efficient business supplying lunchboxes, called tiffin boxes, to the city's office workers and back every day. Without a computerized system and often illiterate it's claimed that only one in a million deliveries go astray. A fact which was a finding of a six month Harvard Business School study into the service.
Debutant writer/director Ritesh Batra serves up a film that focuses on the story of the one lunchbox that goes to the wrong person.
We are introduced to Ila, (Nimrat Kaur) firmly believing that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, as she lovingly puts all her soul into creating wonderful little dishes for her husband's (Nakul Vaid) lunch. He is unappreciative, more interested in his mobile phone, and it soon becomes apparent that her lunchboxes are being appreciated elsewhere.
They are in fact landing on the desk of sombre widower Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), who is just short of retirement after 35 years working for an insurance company. The wonderful feast in front of him compels him to write a letter of thanks which he returns with the lunchbox … and she writes back.
Bit by bit, we get a glimpse into each of their lives through their correspondence. It's touching and nostalgic. It reminds of the romance of a simple letter. In a digital age – who writes letters anymore?
The characters surrounding the main two lost souls complement them. Saajan has a protégé (Shaikh, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui), ready to take over once he retires. Shaikh is an exuberant puppy often rebuffed by Saajan's chagrin. But through time we learn that for all Shaikh's eternally optimistic demeanor he has his own form of loneliness and he becomes a loyal friend to Saajan.
Meanwhile Ila's support comes in the form of a character who we don't even see, as her only company on most days is someone called "Auntie" (Bharati Achrekar) who lives up upstairs. They converse by shouting to one another and passing food up and down in baskets from one floor to the other. The "Auntie" is caring for a sick husband and can't leave her home. It confirms the feelings of loneliness running through the film.
But for all the messages of loneliness and fractured relationships there is hope for a different path to a new and better life.
And in the words of Shaikh "My mother used to always say sometimes the wrong train will get you to the right station".
Quote from Saajan Fernandes, who has spent his working life standing in crammed public transport travelling to and from work every day …
Saajan Fernandes: "When my wife died, she got a horizontal burial cot … I tried to buy a burial cot for myself the other day, and what they offered me was a vertical one … I've spent my whole life standing in trains and buses …now I'll even have to stand when I'm dead!"
One day while traveling on public transport a younger man stands up and offers Saajan his seat. Saajan for once sits down. It's a simple gesture which affects him greatly as Saajan sees it as confirmation of his advancing years and fast approaching retirement.


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Children's Tableware Collection
The Re-Play Children's Tableware Collection offers everything you need to feed your children at home and on-the-go.
Our Crayon Box colorway includes:
Red, Orange, Yellow, Kelly Green, Navy Blue, and Amethyst
Our Sorbet colorway includes:
Bright Pink, Purple, Sky Blue, Aqua, Lime Green, and Yellow
Note: Our products are shipped direct to your home, to cut down on waste we do not include our standard retail packaging.
- Made from recycled milk jugs (HDPE recycled plastic) & recycled FDA approved polypropylene
- Made in the USA
- BPA, PVC, phthalates and surface coatings free
- Collection Includes: Six 7" Divided Plates: 7.375" by 7.375" by 1.25", Six 7" Plates: 7.375" by 7.375" by 1.25", Six 12 oz Bowls: 5.125" by 5.125" by 1.875", Six No-Spill Sippy Cups: 6.25" by 3.125" by 3.125", Six Straw Cup Lids + 6 Straws to be used interchangeably with No-Spill Cup Bases, Six 10 oz Drinking Cups: 4.75" by 3.25" by 3.25", Six Snack Pods with Six Storage Lids and One Travel Lid: 3" x 3" x 3.5", Six Utensil Pairs: 5.5" by 1.2"" by .25"
Use & Care
- Recommended age range: All Ages
- Dishwasher safe
- Microwave may cause staining
- Red Sauces and certain foods can stain plastic - we recommend washing with a grease cutting dish soap like Dawn IMMEDIATELY after use! Should you develop a tough stain, we recommend baking soda and vinegar and a good scrubbing tool with grit.


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Better harvests enabled North Korea to reduce its cereal imports to 340,000 tonnes last year from 800,000 tonnes five years ago, but moving food to the impoverished north may be a problem
BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – North Korea could, given the right conditions, become self-sufficient in cereals this year, after a sizable increase in harvests which has enabled it to reduce cereal imports by more than half from five years ago, a U.N. official said on Wednesday.
Hiroyuki Konuma, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) assistant director-general and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, also said the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) needed to increase output of protein-rich crops to fight malnutrition, particularly in the impoverished north.
"I think it's not a dream that DPRK can achieve self-sufficiency by the end of this year, if there are good weather conditions, timely provision of fertilizer, availability of quality seeds, availability of fuel for electricity, irrigation pumps, incentives to farmers," Konuma told reporters in Bangkok after a 12-day visit to North Korea.
He said that DPRK rice output grew 11 percent in 2013, while overall 2013 production of cereals - including rice, maize, wheat, soybeans – and potatoes rose by 4 percent.
"It is quite encouraging. This is mainly, according to our analysis, due to availability of fertilizers, expanded utilization of improved variety of rice seeds," Konuma said, adding that North Korea is using two new high-yield rice seeds, Pyongyang 49 and Pyongyang 52.
The increase has sharply reduced the country's reliance on cereal imports to meet its needs.
"In 2009/2010, it was about 800,000 tonnes imported requirement to meet the deficit, but last year to this year (2013/2014), the deficit has become much smaller - it was 340,000 tonnes," Konuma said.
A crop increase could be hindered by problems in the production and distribution of good quality seeds and fertilizer, he said. North Korea produces less than half the fertilizer it requires and imports most of the rest from China.
Despite improved cereal production, hunger and malnutrition remain widespread in the DPRK, particularly in the poor, mountainous north, though the situation is significantly better than five years ago.
North Korea has relied on food aid since the mid-1990s, when years of mismanagement of the farm sector and natural disasters resulted in famine that killed as many as a million people. Critics say Pyongyang spends most of its little hard currency on maintaining a million-strong army and developing nuclear weapons and missiles instead of feeding its millions of malnourished people.
According to the FAO's State of Food Insecurity report, an estimated 7.6 million North Koreans (31 percent of the population) were undernourished in the period 2011-13, down from 9.7 million (40 percent) in 2008-2010. The agency's March 2014 report on crop prospects and food said that 84 percent of households had "borderline or poor food consumption".
A key challenge will be to get food produced in the more productive south and west of the country to the north, Konuma said.
"How best can we make sure the food rations will be provided to poor people in those mountain areas? This is one of the most important areas the FAO and WFP joint food security mission will be following up closely and monitoring the situation," he said.
The FAO will also work with senior officials to increase vegetable, fruit and livestock production, to boost proteins, vitamins and minerals in the country's diet.
"One suggestion I made is to introduce backyard gardening and school gardening in the northern part of (North) Korea so that even in small yards, backyards of the house, people can grow small amounts of items, of fruits to supplement their diets," Konuma said. "Our diet is not only calories, but protein is also important, vitamins, minerals... DPRK has to move to diversify its production to livestock, fruit and vegetables."
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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flatfoot(redirected from spasmodic flatfoot)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia.
1. pl. flat·feet (-fēt′) A condition in which the arch of the foot is abnormally flattened down so that the entire sole makes contact with the ground.
2. pl. flat·foots
a. Informal A person with flat feet.
b. Slang A police officer.
intr.v. flat·foot·ed, flat·foot·ing, flat·foots
To walk in a flat-footed manner: "He flatfooted along, twirling his club" (James T. Farrell).
npl -foots or -feet
1. (Pathology) Also called: splayfoot a condition in which the entire sole of the foot is able to touch the ground because of flattening of the instep arch
2. (Law) a slang word (usually derogatory) for a policeman
flat•foot(ˈflætˌfʊt or, for 1, -ˈfʊt)
n., pl. -feet for 1, -foots for 2,3.
a. a condition in which the arch of the foot is flattened so that the entire sole rests upon the ground.
b. Also, flat′ foot′. a foot with such an arch.
2. Slang. a police officer; cop.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
|flatfoot - a policeman who patrols a given region
law officer, lawman, peace officer - an officer of the law
|flatfoot - a foot afflicted with a fallen arch; abnormally flattened and spread out
foot, human foot, pes - the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint; "his bare feet projected from his trousers"; "armored from head to foot"
flat·foot, flat-foot
n. pie plano.


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I will be the first to admit that not only am I absolutely awful at doing arts and crafts with my kids (I have a rare inability to draw a recognizable stick figure), but I hate it too (the mess! the drama! the stickiness!).
However, I am a big sucker for the fall holidays. I love Halloween. I love Thanksgiving. I love that you (not me, but you) can draw a turkey with nothing more clever than two hands. I'm also a big fan of reusing stuff that we buy, because it teaches my kids values and responsibility and junk like that. (Also, it's cheaper.)
So I have taken it upon myself to have my kids help me make decorations.
For our spiders below (which are soon to decorate our doorway), we took an egg carton, cut it up and painted the body and faces, added some pipe cleaner for antenna–which I kept calling antlers, much to Oliver's dismay–and legs. I used a meat thermometer to punch the holes into the cardboard to put the pipe cleaners through, as well as to make holes to tie some twine to.
Oliver was able to do most of the work himself–he put the pipe cleaner in and drew the face on his (the green one). Hazel didn't particularly want to try, so she just chose the colors for the things that she wanted, and I helped her put it together.


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Deva Renz Blog: I am running for Governor!
I am a candidate for Governor of California. I own a bar in Tustin California. I am a former party girl turned Republican. Running a bar keeps me close to the people. My days are crazy and so are my friends. A day in my life is never boring.Well, if it was a beauty contest...
She owns a bar too.
via [ Faces of the California Candidates ]


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More on:
The murder trial of Bo Xilai's wife Gu Kailai ended with a local Chinese court delivering a suspended death sentence for her killing of a British citizen Neil Heywood. While Gu only received a two-year reprieve for the execution, anybody with some knowledge of the operation of the Chinese officialdom knows that this is tantamount to life in prison. Provided "good behavior" during her imprisonment, Gu could be released after serving fewer than a dozen years. Gu was apparently satisfied with the verdict. It is ironic, of course, that she demonstrated no respect for the law by taking another person's life, but is now praising the court for showing "immense respect for the law, reality and life."
What does the Gu trial tell about the rule of law in China? It would be interesting to compare Gu Kailai's trial with the trial of the Gang of Four in 1980. On the positive side, Chinese society is becoming increasingly mature. Three decades ago Chinese people just wanted the four radical leaders to be executed as soon as possible and thought the government was too lenient toward the four "evildoers." By contrast, people today were concerned about whether Gu could receive a fair trial – indeed, supporters of Gu showed up outside the court questioning the trial process.
On the negative side, aware that the trial put a spotlight on China's political and legal systems, the central leaders hoped to use this opportunity to boost the regime's credibility and to showcase China's progress in the development of its legal system. But the trial ended up not only laying bare some major legal flaws it also showing the fundamental absence of social capital (i.e., trust in the government) in China. One scholar I recently spoke with noted that the government was unable to produce a good, convincing story out of Gu's conviction, and "a high school student could tell a lot of contradictions in the details of the trial." Some Chinese netizens even suspected that the defendant on trial was not Gu herself. Gu's mental status and Mr. Heywood's threats to Gu's son were used to justify a lenient sentence, but none of these "facts" could be verified independently.
Furthermore, just as the verdict and sentence of the Gang of Four was a political decision made by top leaders including Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun (another veteran party leader who allegedly convinced Deng not to execute Mao's widow Jiang Qing), the suspended death sentence for Gu Kailai was unlikely a decision made by the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in Anhui Province. It sends a strong signal that a political deal has been struck among the top leaders (who just finished their summer conference in Beidaihe) over Bo Xilai's political and personal fate. Gu probably got the message. In her statement to the court on August 9, Gu said she would "accept and calmly face any sentence" handed down by the court, which she expected would be a "fair and just court decision." No matter how dirty the political game behind the Bo-Gu scandal, the Chinese political culture is such that a party leader should not expose any intra-party conflicts and tensions to the outside world. A party leader who violates this rule, like Zhao Ziyang in 1989 Tiananmen protests, could become extremely vulnerable to attacks by political rivals – indeed, one of Zhao's major "mistakes" was "splitting the Party." As Bo's case threatens the legitimacy of the Party to rule, the need to maintain the Party Center's façade of solidarity and harmony may be so overwhelming that leaders are willing to set aside their difference to unite for a common cause.
When the scandal was initially reported in March, my first reaction was, "This is going to be big." The Gu trial is a climax of the drama, but it also testifies to a setback in China's rule-of-law building. Obviously, there is something seriously wrong with the Party but chances are that it may still be able to muddle through the crisis and claim business as usual in the upcoming 18th Party Congress.
More on:


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the guardian)
Third of coastline cannot be affordably protected, government climate change advisers say, with current plans 'not fit for purpose'
Damian CarringtonLast modified on Fri 26 Oct 2018 06.32 BST
Rising sea levels will claim homes, roads and fields around the coast of England, the government's official advisers have warned, and many people are unaware of the risks they face.
The new report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said existing government plans to "hold the line" in many places – building defences to keep shores in their current position – were unaffordable for a third of the country's coast. Instead, the CCC said, discussions about the "hard choices" needed must be started with communities that will have to move inland.
"There genuinely will be homes that it will not be possible to save," said Baroness Brown, chair of the CCC's adaptation committee. "The current approach is not fit for purpose. This report is really a wake-up call to the fact that we can't protect the whole English coast to today's standard."
She added: "We could see as much as a metre of sea level rise before the end of the century, so within the lifetime of today's children, and that has a major impact on coastal flooding and erosion." Prof Jim Hall, another member of the committee, said: "We are not prepared."
The regions affected include areas with soft, eroding shores in the south and east, as well as low-lying areas in East Anglia, Lincolnshire, parts of the south-west such as the Somerset Levels, and the coast between Liverpool and Blackpool in the north-west.
The entire coast of England is already covered by shoreline management plans, developed by the Environment Agency and local councils. These would cost £18-30bn to implement, but have no funding and no legal force. The CCC analysis found that, for more than 150km of coast, the plans to hold the line would cost more than the property and land that would be protected.


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Jody, thank you so much for letting me interview you! It is such a joy to follow your journey!
American writer here in the literary desert of New Zealand.... would LOVE to read The Preacher's Bride. Please, please, please!
What a great premise for a book! I always wondered about Elizabeth after reading a lovely quote in which she defended her husband. I'd love a chance to receive this book.
Awesome interview! I'm so excited to read this. :-)
Really great interview, I'd so love to read this book. The cover is lovely! Please add my name to the giveaway list. Thank you and congratulations on your book.
Great interview!! And Jody - I already knew you ate pie for breakfast. I've read some of your tweets and I'm always like, "Atta girl!" Because sometimes (shhhh!) I eat brownies for breakfast and once I even ate ice cream, and there's not even fruit in those!!
Jody I have a suggestion for your breakfast. Banquet has new microwaveable Fruit Pies. My favorite is Cherry-Berry Pie (with Oven baked taste. Microwave for 3 or 4 minutes and serve with cinimmon or maple syrup. For a snack serve with ice cream on top. Delicious!
Your book sounds like a great read.
I loved this interview! Great cover! I also love your sense of humor, Circus training?
My Hubby would agree with you and eating pie for breakfast...he also helps me out cleaning up any leftovers, so I can make more!!
Great cover and looks like a wonderful read!
Thank you for the chance!
Wow, Jody! Look at all your fans so early in the morning! Again, thank you so much for letting me ask you a few questions and graciously sharing your book! My prayer for you is that God will use you in your writing and give you success at every level! (((HUGS)))
I enjoyed reading Jody's path to publication and her daily writing routine. email@example.com
YAY, Jody! You certainly have an interviewing knack. How entertaining. I can't wait for The Preacher's Bride to come out.
Awesome, awesome interview! Well done, both of you.
This sounds like a good book. I love the time period.
Pie for breakfast...yum! Jody, I didn't realize you were from Midland. I have family that lives there. (cue the song, "It's a small world after all") :-)
What a fun interview!
Howdy everyone!!! Thanks so much for all of your words of encouragement this morning!! And it's SO good to know I'm not the only naughty breakfast eater! :-) The trick is getting in those sweets when the kids aren't around, right?
Loved Jody's sense of humor! I just may have to adopt her practice of sticking bananas in her ears to block out noise while writing! LOL! Intriguing premise for your debut novel too. Look forward to reading your debut novel, whether I win a copy here or not.
I would love to learn about the ways of the Puritans. Congrats on your debut novel! Please enter me. Thanks.
desertrose5173 at gmail dot com.
Hi Jody and Sherrinda! What a fun interview.
Please don't enter my name in the drawing. I was thrilled to find The Preacher's Bride in my local Christian bookstore this past Friday, rushed to get it before they closed, and am enjoying the story immensely. I only wish I weren't quite so busy getting ready for the ACFW conference because I'd like to drop everything and finish the book. As it is, I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. reading it last night/this morning and had to force myself to put it down. It's that good!
Sherrinda, as you said, Jody is an excellent writer. But I have to challenge you on your "out of my league" statement. As Jody shared in the interview, she's written many books over the years. That experience, coupled with her obvious talent, is what you're seeing in her current stories. I've read some of your work, and you have plenty of talent. You are just at a different place in your journey. I happen to recall that you placed first in the prestigious Touched by Love contest with your first story, which shows me you are indeed a gifted writer in your own right.
Great interview, Jody and Sherrinda! :) I confess that the part where Jody talks about the major rewrites and edits that editors ask writers to do scares me a little. But I still have a long way to go before I ever have to worry about that! ;)
I would love to be entered into the giveaway! Thank you!
This sounds like a very interesting book, I would love to read it.
seriousreader at live dot com
LOL, I love your voice in this interview, well done ladies! I loved it. :D
Jody, I was looking forward to your book, but am excited now! I wish you the greatest success with your story! Thanks for being here on the Alley today. :)
Oh Keli! I saw the picture of you with Jody's book! How fun!!!! I can't wait to get my hands on it! And I'm sure, like you, I will be up late reading away!
You are right about us being on different stages of the journey. Jody was sweet enough to offer to swap chapters and I totally jumped on that! I'm still plugging away, learning and hopefully growing in the craft.
I've been waiting to read this book for so long. I'm so excited for Jody!
Thanks for sharing this great interview!
carlagade [at]] gmail [dot] com
A great interview, Jody. This is it, girl! You're book is almost here. I can't wait.
I keep trying to win a copy because I can't WAIT to read this! Pick me! XD
Great Interview. I would love to win and read "The Preacher's Bride".
Thank you for the chance.
Great interview! I'm so happy about your book, Jody--congratulations. I'd love to read it--and if I don't win a copy, I know I'm going to go out and get it anyway :D
Looking forward to reading this book!!
I'm really enjoying seeing everyone here today!! You're enthusiasm is so catching! :-) Thanks for making my day!
I enjoyed the interview with Jody Hedlund.
Please enter my name into the drawing for "The Preacher's Bride". Thank you!
I'm a Preacher's Bride of nine years and would love to win a copy of The Preacher's Bride.
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
Great interview, I would like to read about this courageous woman.
P.S. Who could turn down pie for breakfast.
Jody, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts in a down-to-earth way. I think the number of comments above is not only indicative of people who are anxious to read your book, but writers who were touched with your responses.
Thanks Sherrinda for doing this interview:)
It was definitely my pleasure to do the interview, Mary!
Hey Jody...just curious...what is your favorite pie of choice for breakfast? Fruity ones or the occasional chocolate?
What a great interview,Sherrinda.
And Jody!!
Thanks for being here today.
LOVE the story - and the inspriation? Elizabeth Bunyan? Wow. But I guess such a passionate man (kind of like Jonathan Edwards and his wife Sarah) needs a very strong & determined woman to back him up.
So - how old are your kids? How do you manage the everyday chaos? ;-)
BTW - preacher's bride of 15 years. Sherrinda and I are kindred spirits ;-)
Yes, indeed! Pepper and I are very much kindred spirits.
Though I must say that I've missed you, Pep! With your new job and my crazy August, I feel so out of the loop! After conference, maybe things will settle down and we can start swapping chapters again, girl! I miss Eisley.
If I'm remembering right, Jody's husband used to be in ministry. Am I thinking clearly here, Jody?
would love to read jody's novel...thanks for the chance :)
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
Hahaha I eat pie for breakfast too, my favorite is definitely wild raspberry!
XOXO~ Renee
Count me in on the giveaway! I'd love a chance to win this book! Thanks!
Hi Sherrinda,
Thanks again for having me!! Was a very fun interview! But then again, around you, nothing's ever dull! :-)
And my pie of choice? Has to be fruit pie. Then it actually counts as a serving of fruit and I don't have to drink my OJ. ;-)
You're right about the ministry. I grew up a PK. And my hubby was a youth pastor for a number of years when we were first married.
Hi Pepper,
I loved being here! You guys have a wonderful blog! And my kiddos range in ages from 13 down to 4. My youngest is turning 5 very soon. *sob* My sweet little baby is growing up!
And as for the chaos? God's used it to teach me a LOT! I've learned a great deal about patience, tolerance, and self-sacrifice! And how to magically block out noise! ;-)
Just stumbled across this website and it's great! Just as good as this book looks - definitely one for my wishlist.
Oh Jody,
So GOOD to hear that from you. And I AMEN it too. My five range from 12 down to 3 1/2. TOTALLY understand chaos.
Just wondering if you manage it better than me. LOL
I'm always game to learn people's secrets
Sounds like a good book! Please enter me, thanks.
I really like the concept and sound of this book!! I have been hearing about it on other blogs and I really want to read it! :)
Please enter me!
This sounds like a great book. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for giving away a copy.
This sounds like a great story. I'd love to read it :)
I really want to read this!
Please enter me!
Ooh, I've been trying to get a copy of this everywhere!
Sign me up!
Looks like a really cool book. I would be honored to read your book, Jody!
Great interview! Can't wait to read this book! Please enter me!
Looks like a great book! Please enter me!
Ooh that book looks good! Please enter me!
Everyone, thanks so much for entering for a chance to win Jody's debut book! Winner will be announced Sunday!
I would love to win this book. shondaet at gmail dot com
What a fun interview, and this book sounds great!
~Lauri M
Hi Sherrinda & Jody -
Great interview! After all this time reading Jody's blog, I didn't know her book was based on John Bunyan's wife.
Please enter me in the giveaway.
susanjreinhardt AT gmail DOT com
Susan :)
Nice interview!
Please enter me in the giveaway as well.
pitchingpencils AT gmail DOT com
I love these kind of historical romances! Please enter me!!!
Thank You!!!!!!!
I'm sorry, but the contest is now closed. The winner was Carol Wong. Thank you for your interest in Jody Hudlund's book, The Preacher's Bride!


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Is Your Behavioural Change Strategy Working?
'How can I start getting my children to help out at home?'
Many parent ask me this question. My answer is simple - "It depends!"
Achieving a behavioural change in children is dependent on their age and stage of development, their temperament and attitude, and how set in their ways they are.
Let's look further at the above helping at home scenario. If the children are four years of age or younger then encouraging them to contribute to their family's well-being is relatively easy. Most children want to help at home in the early years so it is a matter of parents providing opportunities for them to help and also showing them how they can assist in positive ways. Helping out and independence are habit-forming so the message for parents is start early and hang in there. Young children can help set and clear away meal areas, clear away their toys and help make their beds. Don't get too fussed about the quality of their endeavours. They wear L-plates in the early years and the prime lesson for them is that they help their family and contribute to their own well-being.
Older children who may have done very little to help can be tough nuts to crack. How do you get a ten year old to help out if he or she has barely lifted a finger to assist in the previous decade? Basically, there are two methods parents can use to get some change in children when habits are entrenched. Either you try to achieve major change straight away or you work away at the margins to affect change.
A parent trying to promote independence in a child can go 'cold turkey' and insist that they get themselves up in the morning, make their own lunch, empty the dishwasher and do forth. This is a major change. Parents who take this approach frequently offer rewards such as pocket money or provision of special treats in exchange for help, however rewarders and bribers should be wary. Any parent offering rewards in exchange for help will need deep pockets as today's jellybeans soon becomes an electronic toy or something equally expensive. Besides they are teaching children to think 'what's in this for ME, rather than WE.' Such parents may be replacing one habit (dependence) with another (self-centredness). !!. I suggest that parental insistence that their children help backed up by sincere and genuine appreciation when they have done the right thing are strong motivators for most kids.
Alternatively, parents can work at the margins and get their children to help little by little. For instance, packing their own lunch may precede making it. Unpacking the cutlery may precede emptying the whole dishwasher. Cleaning ten toys away may precede cleaning the whole room if they have never done it before. Using this method the helping habits sneaks up on children and takes them by surprise.
Either approach is legitimate however sometimes when parents meet with resistance from children or change seems so overwhelming it is better to play around at the margins and go for small changes. We often use the same principle to put some order in our lives when everything seems chaotic. Sometimes just cleaning the clutter away in a bedroom or tidying a desk can help us feel in control and a little clearer when life seems totally disorganised.
Working away at the margins is a strategy many parents have used successfully when they want to get some behavioural change happening at home. Even if children seem totally out of control look for small areas where you achieve some change. Maybe start with them using better manners when they talk with you or insisting they sit at the meal table until everyone has finished. Often small successes bring monumental improvements. Positive change tends to have a snowball affect. Like a snowball rolling down a slope it gathers momentum and increases in size very rapidly.
So what is your usual change strategy? If you get overwhelmed and don't know where to start then try starting small and working away at the margins. Start where you know you can experience some success and the change will accelerate.
Michael Grose is a popular parenting educator and parent coach. He is the director of Parent Coaching Australia, the author of six books for parents and a popular presenter who speaks to audiences in Australian Singapore and the USA. For free courses and resources to help you raise happy kids and resilient teenagers visit http://www.parentingideas.com.au
Breastfeed a Toddler - Why?
Is your baby approaching his or her first birthday and you're considering weaning?The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that "breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired."If you and your baby are still enjoying the nursing experience, why not take a look at some of the advantages of nursing beyond that first year?1) Immunological BenefitsContrary to popular belief, mother's milk does not have an expiration date!Your baby continues to receive all the benefits of human milk for as long as he is nursing.
How To Develop Your Babys Brain
Have you ever wondered why toys for babies tend to have so many bells, whistles and lights? Or why they have so many different textures, and materials and colors? It's almost as if we want to provide young babies with a whole world of stimulation and we can't quite get it to them fast enough.Play gyms or activity gyms as they are sometimes called tend to be a firm favorite with babies from newborn up to about 12 months.
Helping Your Kid's Grow a Garden
Start some gardening traditions with your kids. Give them their own garden patch and a spot to dig.
If your child is being bullied - 20 top tips for parents
Keith is now in the fourth grade and he dislikes school.� For a fourthgrader, this does not sound right.
Twins - Double The Trouble Or Double The Pleasure? Both!
If You're Having Twins..
How A Home Water Filter Can Reduce Your Child's Risk Of Learning Disabilities
Lead is one of the most dangerous toxins a person can be exposed to in his lifetime. Besides damage from radioactive or nuclear chemicals, significant exposure to lead can cause some of the most severe and even fatal health effects possible.
Moms - Get More Energy Now
Let's be honest! When it comes to parenting, men expect their wives or partners to do the lion's share.There are signs that we're moving toward a more enlightened age in which ALL parents play their part.
So You Want to Adopt?
Many reasons will cause some people to feel the need to adopt a child.� Sometimes it is because they have exhausted every other means of having children.
ParentingYour Teenager: Dont Buy the I Dont Know and I Dont Care Attitude
"I don't know and I don't care."I've heard those words more than a few times in my office.
Does Your Child Need A Bedtime Routine? - Yes!
Do you struggle to get your child to bed at night? We sure did with our daughter. She would refuse to go to sleep in her bed and wanted to hang out with us until we were ready for bed and of course then she would want to sleep in Mama's and Daddy's bed.
The Ten Most Common Poisons Among Kids
For parents, keeping our kids safe is a constant top priority. But even with the best intentions it's possible to overlook some potentially harmful household poisons.
How To Teach Your Children Self-Reliance and Potential
Self-reliance and potential are two very important values that I'd highly recommend parents teach their children.Self-reliance refer to the acceptance of responsibility for and the consequence of one's own actions and performance.
Parenting Your Teenager: 7 Tips for Back to School Success
Blink. That's all we did, blink, and summer is ending and a new school year is beginning.
Toilet Terrors And Other Potty Training Fears
Potty training fears, often called toilet terrors, are common among toddlers and small children. Look at things from your child's perspective.
The Ten Things That Successful Parents Do
1. They are leaders as well as parents.
Back to School Care Packages!
I am crying tears of joy mixed with great sadness as my oldest daughter prepares for her freshman year of college at the University of Maryland in the fall. She has already told me I am to send care packages.
Educational Toys And Childrens Books - A Must For Optimal Childhood Development
The brightly colored plastic mobile dangles lazily overhead in the infant's crib. The baby coos as its tiny arms swing a rattle back and forth.
Nights by a Pinocchio Lamp
Sitting by her Pinocchio lamp, she smiled at me as her tiny shadow puppet danced on the bedroom wall. "A bunny!" she giggled with all the jubilance of a four-year old.
Breastfeeding, Its My Right
My name is Duncan and I'm 2 years old. I want to thank my Mommy and Daddy for choosing breastmilk as my only food for my first six months.
New Baby - Relax and Become a Yummy Mummy
Lets face it becoming a mum is a bit of a shock at first, to say the least. Sleepless nights and eventful days make it a struggle to get a shower and wash your hair in the morning, never mind applying make up and fiddling with volume brushes and hairdryers.
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Archive for September 18th, 2008
Grounded in the chaos
Posted September 18, 2008on:
One thing I've noticed this week is that I do feel more centered, more grounded. It was definitely a week that could have felt chaotic and out of control since I came back to a full week of instruction and desk shifts. There have been few moments when I haven't been multitasking. While I like being busy, this can often lead to exhaustion and feeling unsettled. Unwittingly, I set my alarm incorrectly last night and didn't have enough time to meditate this morning. And I can tell that I'm not as calm today because of it. This helps reinforce my commitment to the 2 hours a day minimum. Already, I'm thinking about how I can add another hour into my days.
Another thing that came out of my time at the retreat is a desire to start really improving my overall physical health. This means exercise. We have access to personal trainers here at LittleU and I'm looking into working with one. Hopefully this will make me more motivated. Often, being accountable to someone other than myself is a good motivator. I also plan to start doing Yoga. This will actually help me improve my ability to meditate.
On the work front, instruction is now in full swing. Between teaching, I've also had time to start doing some book/materials ordering. One area that I really want to grow this year is our selection of DVD's. To begin I'm using the AFI's Top 100 list. I had written a grant request for this purpose, but haven't heard anything yet. I'm also working on plans for the KS One Book. We'll be doing some discussion groups and other events. And I'm partnered with a very talented colleague in this project, so it's pretty exciting. Might even turn into a conference presentation at some point if things go well. Besides all that, I've also got two presentations to prepare for that are coming up in October and early November. So the fall will be productive and full.
Still, there is always time for knitting and football. I'm slowly working my way to finishing the second pair. I have about an inch of cuff left before I start turning the heel. As to football, we are playing one of our rivals this weekend, so I'll be staying in LittleUtown Friday night so I can go to the game on Saturday. Next weekend DH and I are heading of to HugeUtown for a book festival. I'll be working at it for a couple of hours in the morning. Then it's off to lunch at the local brew pub and shopping at the Yarn Barn. Fun!


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About the Journey Planner
The Merseytravel FREE journey planner is a tool to help individuals to plan their journeys to your organisation.
Many organisations have information on their websites to help existing and potential employees, customers and visitors to travel to their site. Websites often contain an address and postcode to assist people to plan their journey by car. Fewer websites have travel information that help people plan their journey if they are travelling by bus, train, cycling and walking.
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If your organisation has multiple sites the tool can be set up so people can choose which site they are travelling to.
To customise and download the FREE journey planning tool onto your website please click here.


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DOCTOR STRANGE Goes Solo In NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL with Barbiere & Rudy
Doctor Strange's life is about to get a lot weirder, as he's returning to the Himalayas where he learned the mystic arts to help some old friends with new ideas about magic. It all happens in June with the one-shot New Avengers Annual #1 by writer Frank Barbiere and artist Marco Rudy, telling an oversized solo story of the mystic Avenger and an enclave of techno-monks who have summoned something beyond their powers to control.
Barbiere comes to Marvel hot of the success of his creator-owned series Five Ghosts, and Rudy has been doing a string of stand-out, creative work on Swamp Thing, Avengers and the recent Marvel Knights: Spider-Man series. Rudy has said Doctor Strange is a character he's been wanting to tackle for years, and for this oversized one-shot the Toronto artist is doing the entire book in watercolors. Newsarama spoke with Barbiere about the story that draws Strange back to his birth as a sorcerer, the threats he faces, and working with Rudy.
Newsarama: Frank, what can you tell us about the story of New Avengers Annual #1?
Frank Barbiere: The story sees Dr. Strange coming out of the pages of New Avengers, having just sold his soul in a gambit for more power. I really love the building tension of Jonathan Hickman's approach to Strange, and with this annual we're able to show just what has changed with the good Doctor and get a little bit of insight to some moments from his past that have brought him to this point. Also, we get to see Dr. Strange unleashed and in a full-on battle which I feel readers haven't seen in quite some time.
Nrama: From what little I know of you from your creator-owned work like Five Ghosts, I wasn't surprised to learn your first Marvel work was with a Doctor Strange-centric story. Did you pitch for him, or was the idea of using him brought up to you by Marvel?
Barbiere: I was asked to pitch a story for the annual involving one of the Illuminati, and Strange is the one that really jumped out at me. As I said, I love where he is in the universe of New Avengers and had a really fun idea that tied into a lot of the current Avengers lore that Jonathan has done such a wonderful job of building. I personally have always found Strange to be a great character; he's of that wonderful Marvel stable where he is a heavily conflicted individual full of hubris. I think where he is right now really echoes so much of his character's roots, and that made him all the more fun to write.
Nrama: The Avengers team have a somewhat fluid roster from title to title and story to story; who's with Strange here?
Barbiere: This is a totally Strange focused issue!
Nrama: Strange Tales indeed!
Barbiere: I'm very glad to have Stephen all to myself for this and think it's a story that really gives you some insight into his character at this point in time.
Nrama: So Strange is on his own here with no Avengers for back-up, but the solicits say something about Himalayan techno-monks. Tell us about them, and their connection with Strange… and most importantly: friend or foe?
Barbiere: When I was planning out the issue I wanted a really fun backdrop for the story. With all that's been going on in New Avengers, I really wanted to carry over the tone and aesthetic so I thought why not twist the conventions of classic Strange (where he would confer with a lot of monks and arcana types) with a group of monks who have evolved with the times--who have modified themselves and their teachings to be very 21st century. They are old allies of Strange who have changed (as has he!) and they have been fooling around with dark sciences well outside their control.
Nrama: If they aren't the threat, who exactly is Strange and these Avengers facing?
Barbiere: As I mentioned, the techno monks have been tooling around in the same realms as the Avengers (as well as A.I.M.) and quickly have bit off more than they can chew. They've called in Strange as they know he has experience dealing with such problems…problems with impossible solutions!
Nrama: This will be your debut at Marvel – how'd you hook up with the House of Ideas?
Barbiere: Marvel editorial had seen my work on Five Ghosts and dropped me a line about pitching some ideas. It's immensely flattering, as I adore Marvel and am a huge fan of their current line. I was lucky enough that my New Avengers pitch got them excited and we were off to the races.
Nrama: Working with you on this story is comics veteran Marco Rudy – what's it like being paired up with him on this story?
Barbiere: Marco is an immense talent. I was floored when my editor, Jake Thomas, told me he was going to be handling art. From what I've already seen, this is going to be an issue comics fans are going to love. Marco is watercoloring the whole thing himself, and Strange is a personal favorite of his, so we've got something very special on our hands. I can't wait for fans to see it--it's jaw-dropping, and quite an honor to be involved with such an amazing talent on my part!


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Sew With Jo
Make a large dog bed for next to nothing!
US FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine's (CVM)
Sign up at this website for email alerts about recalls including
pet food, meds, and other important dog care news
Save Our Pets Food Banks
Humane Society of the United States
www.hsus.org/pets (click on Pets/Having Trouble Affording Your Pet?)
United Animal Nations
www.uan.org (click on Programs)
Pet Guardian Angels of America
Top Health Spot
(Click on pet health page)
(Type 'dog' in search box)
GoGo Shopper
Active Freebies
Hey It's Free!
All Dogs Gym and Inn
www.alldogsgym.com (click on Articles)
"It's Me Or The Dog" Animal Planet's
TV show with trainer Victoria Stilwell
SitStay.com www.sitstay.com (click on Training Articles)
"DogTown" Amazing National Geographic television program
Have a money saving tip of your own?
We'd love to include it!And if you just wanna woof at us to say hello . . .
and receive thisFREE report
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Read how this calming wraphelped my friends' dogs!


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A few months ago, I shared with you a cover for a project called Choose Me. I originally thought I would have published it by April 15. That was my deadline, but then life got in the way. Well, now I am getting closer to feeling like it will be ready soon. I've got the first part of it under control. I'm just making some minor tweaks to it. Part One of Choose Me is a novella set in Edinburgh. Part Two will be four short stories set in Philadelphia, Richmond, Rome and London. The stories still need a tiny bit of tweaking but tweaking short stories isn't nearly as daunting a task as tweaking a novel.
The common thread for the novella and the stories is people making choices. Choices about staying, choices about who they love and what they want. My new deadline is June 1. I think I'll have it ready by then.
Choose Me will be available as an ebook and a POD paperback. I'll keep you posted about the official launch date. It might be around Midsummer (June 21) since I will be in Italy the first two weeks of June.
That's it for now! It's bedtime for me.
Happy reading (and writing)!
Thanks to James at goonwrite.com for making such a beautiful cover for me!


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Insurance for Acupuncture
Fortunately, insurance companies are covering acupuncture in California more today than ever before. Many insurance plans cover acupuncture but rates and benefits vary. To find out if you have coverage under your plan, you can call your provider directly or complete and submit the pre-insurance form (once you book an appointment) and we can check for you.
We are on the Preferred Provider list and can provide In-Network services for United Health Care. This means that after a verification of your coverage, we can bill your insurance company directly for services rendered. With other insurance providers, you can pay for the treatment at the time of service and receive a receipt (called a Superbill) that you send to your insurance company for reimbursement. Or, if you prefer I can bill your insurance as an out of network provider.
If your insurance does not have an acupuncture benefit, you can still consider your payments as medical expenses that you may be able to write off on your taxes. If you have a health care spending account (HSA) or flex spending plan through your workplace, we accept that to cover the cost of treatment.
Rates for Payment at Time of Service
2020 Acupuncture Current Rates:
Initial Session (75-90 min) includes Intake, Complete Medical History, Acupuncture Treatment, and Herbal Prescription (if needed): $175
Follow up Acupuncture Treatment (60 min): $105
Packages of 10 treatments available for $950, or 5 treatments for $500
Herbal remedies are priced separately, and usually are between $15 and $25 for most formulas.
Payment Accepted
We accept Cash, Square Cash, Venmo, Checks, Credit Cards.
Transformational Whole Life Coaching is provided via phone or in-person. Coaching programs are designed individually for you, and are priced in 6-month and annual packages. Schedule an intro call and we can chat more and see if we're a fit to work together.
Coaching and Acupuncture Programs
I've created a unique and comprehensive healing program that includes Transformational Whole Life Leadership Coaching and Acupuncture, as well as massage and therapeutic movement practices. Please contact me for details on this exciting in depth offering for over-busy people looking to create Whole Life Mind-Body-Spirit Balance.


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Letterfolk Gift Card (Physical)
Give the gift of Letterfolk! If you're hoping to gift a Letterfolk letter board, but you aren't quite sure which one to get them, our gift cards have got you covered.
These physical gift cards are a nice, tangible expression of love and can be shipped to you or directly to your lucky recipient. If you'd like to include a gift message, just add a note in the text box after you've added the gift card to your shopping cart.
If you're short on time and need a gift card ASAP, we also offer digital gift cards that are sent immediately via email. You can order them right here.
In addition to offering standard gift card amounts in $25 increments, we also offer amounts that will cover both our most popular letter board models and US shipping price to ensure the recipient won't have to pay anything to get their favorite board.
- $75 covers all Poet models & domestic shipping
- $135 covers all Writer models & domestic shipping
- $255 covers all Wordsmith models & domestic shipping
- *Excluded in these totals are all White and other limited-run collections
There are no processing fees, but there is a small shipping fee.


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first MLive.com user to add photos or videos of Apria Healthcare
Apria Healthcare is located at 5111 W Us Highway 10, Ludington, MI. This business specializes in Home Health Care.
Apria Healthcare can be found at W Us Highway 10 4728. The following is offered: Doctors & Clinics. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Ludington there are 15 other Doctors & Clinics. An overview can be found here.
About apria healthcare incapria healthcare inc is a medical supplies facility at 4728 w us highway 10 in ludington, mi.


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Standard cabins
Christchurch TOP 10's Deluxe Standard cabins are budget accommodation options making use of shared showers, toilet and kitchen facilities. We have one and two room options plus the Lodge for larger groups.
These are our most affordable budget accommodation option, and perfect for backpackers, couples, families with children or larger groups from sports teams to school groups or extended families.


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A man filed a medical malpractice claim against his wife's doctor who allegedly failed to diagnose her with ovarian cancer when giving birth to their son. She died a year later. The man asserts the doctor missed a tumor on his wife's uterus that was visible on six different ultrasounds. The man has received a jury verdict awarding him $2.9 million for medical malpractice.
Read more about the failed diagnosis here.


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The Mink Bow Tie By Jaesyn Burke
Bow tie made of genuine Black mink and leather. The bow tie is adjustable, and has Black satin lining. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. NOTE: MATCH THIS BOW TIE WITH YOUR FAVORITE EYEWEAR, SOLD SEPARATELY, AS IN THE PICS. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COSTS VARIES DEPENDING UPON LOCATION. Please inquire within.


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NAACP Endorses Sin Tax, Citing Economic Benefits of Stadium Funding
In the NAACP's view, sin tax funding for the city's three professional sports stadiums has tangible economic benefits for city residents – including minorities and women.
Chapter president Reverend Hilton Smith, in announcing the organization's support, recounted a personal encounter at a recent Indians game. He and his grandson chatted up a young Glenville High School graduate working his way through college with a job at Progressive Field.
"He said that one day, once he graduates from Ohio State, he would like to come back to Cleveland and work, and help his community, and help the Glenville Tarblooders. And so we are pleased to see those kinds of things happening," Smith said.
Leaders from the three teams met with his organization recently, Smith said, and the NAACP made its priorities clear: jobs for ushers and popcorn salesmen, "but we also want jobs for professionals, in the accounting field, marketing, management."
Smith said the teams agreed to meet with his group quarterly to work on that goal and other issues.
Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley said the endorsement shows the sin tax isn't a tax on the poor by the wealthy, as some critics have portrayed it.
"It comes with it a certain stamp, that this is a just issue, that this is for everybody, that it's inclusive," he said.
Critics, including some Democratic candidates for Cuyahoga County Executive, argue the tax just subsidizes well-off people who attend stadium events, and offers little benefit to the rest of the community. Others say a ticket surcharge would be a fairer way to fund stadium upkeep.
Voters will decide the issue May 6.


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MOTD is a term used in UNIX-like system. It stands for "Message of the Day". Usually we encounter MOTD when login to a system locally or remotely through SSH.
Ubuntu has a pre-coded MOTD package, namely
landscape-common. I firstly met it when using DigitalOcean's machine. It's quite smart in which I can get multiple useful reports from.
Debian, however, is lacking of a similar program currently. No longer. Thanks to Nick Charlton and Dustin Kirkland, now we can add a set of MOTD in Debian system. I personally added two additional features to it.
- Let it show public IP address.
- Make it colorful.
Here are how it looks like:
You can install it by using the following code:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haodong/hdility/master/installMOTD.sh - | sh
Enjoy! :)


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Typhoon Mangkhut may intensify, poses potential threat to Taiwan: CWB
Taipei, Typhoon Mangkhut is likely to develop into a very powerful storm that will be closest to Taiwan this coming weekend, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Monday but could not yet forecast the exact path of the storm when it draws near.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, Mangkhut was located about 300 kilometers east-northeast of Guam or 2,940 kilometers east-southeast of Eluanbi on Taiwan's southernmost tip, traveling at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour in a westerly direction, the CWB said.
The typhoon was carrying maximum sustained winds of 144 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 180 kph and was seen likely to change to a northwesterly track and strengthen into a super typhoon over the next few days, according to the CWB.
Meanwhile, a tropical depression located southeast of Taiwan is moving west and is expected to pass through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines Monday and Tuesday, the CWB said, adding that the system may develop into a tropical storm.
Under the influence of the system and its periphery, the weather in Taiwan will be unstable Monday, with heavy rain or extremely heavy rain in the north and east of the country and on the Hengchun Peninsula in the south, the weather bureau said. It advised that eastern Taiwan, the outlying islands and areas north of Chiayi should be on the alert for strong wind gusts.
By Monday night, the rain will ease off in northern and northeastern Taiwan and move into Hualien, Taitung and the Hengchun Peninsula, the CWB said.
On Monday, daytime highs are forecast at 28-30 degrees Celsius in northern and eastern Taiwan and 30-32 degrees in other parts of the country, according to the CWB.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel