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The paperback of The Mother of All Christmases is coming out on November 15th – paperback, audio ebook. (It is also available that date in Australia and New Zealand.) And in bookshops and supermarkets all over the UK.
Please keep your eye on this page as dates and times may change. My new book will be available to buy (signed) at all of these events.
Wednesday 10th April – Hull and East Yorkshire Literary Lunch, Willerby Manor, Hull. 12- 3.45pm Tickets are £34 (with reductions for tables) and include a glass of wine on arrival, a three course meal and a reduction on book prices. I will be speaking along with crime writer Mark Billingham. Tickets are available from Browns Books, in store on or 01482 325413.
Wednesday 17th April – The Lamproom Theatre Barnsley – 7.30pm. There will be an evening with me being interviewed by the wonderful Jack Land-Noble, talking about books, new books, old books, all sorts of books, doing some readings, some poetry. It’s a fundraiser for the Barry Hines Statue and to help raise some cash to put in a NEW BAR at the theatre. There will be Barry Hines gifts to buy and also plenty of my books. Tickets (£15) are on sale by ringing the box office on 01226 200075 or via the website.
Monday 29th April – Linghams, The Wirral. 7pm – 8.30pm. Do come and join me in this beautiful bookshop for a merry evening of banter and books. Tickets are £11.26 – £16.25 (depending on if you want a book or not as well as admittance) and are available here.
Saturday 11th May – Principal Hotel, York. 12pm – approx 3pm. In aid of St Leonard’s Hospice, York. Tickets £30 and include a class lunch, welcome wine, coffee and me in a gorgeously gorgeous hotel setting. Details here.
Friday 24th May Deepings Literary Festival 4pm – the Boundary’s River Restaurant. Peterborough. Tickets £16 and include fish and chips! Details here.
Saturday 25th May – also part of of Deepings Literary Festival, Coronation Hall, Peterborough. 10am. Tickets £5. Details here.


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Being involved in a car accident can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. In addition to dealing with any injuries and damages, you may also face the prospect of increased insurance costs. Insurance premiums can rise significantly after an accident, but there are steps you can take to mitigate the impact on your wallet. Here are some tips for policyholders on reducing insurance costs after a car accident.
- Understand Your Policy: The first step is to familiarize yourself with your insurance policy. Review the coverage details, deductibles, and any exclusions that may apply. Understanding what your policy entails will help you make informed decisions regarding your coverage moving forward.
- Report the Accident Promptly: Notify your insurance company about the accident as soon as possible. Prompt reporting is essential for initiating the claims process and ensuring that you comply with the terms of your policy. Failing to report the accident promptly may result in a denial of coverage or higher premiums.
- Assess the Damage and Coverage: Evaluate the extent of the damage to your vehicle and determine whether it is worth filing a claim. If the cost of repairs is close to or less than your deductible, it may be more cost-effective to pay for the repairs out of pocket. Remember that filing multiple claims within a short period can lead to higher premiums.
- Consider Accident Forgiveness: If you have accident forgiveness coverage as part of your policy, it can help protect you from premium increases following your first accident. Accident forgiveness programs vary among insurance companies, so check with your provider to see if you qualify or if you can add this coverage to your policy.
- Take Defensive Driving Courses: Completing a defensive driving course can be beneficial for multiple reasons. Not only will it enhance your driving skills and make you a safer driver, but it can also qualify you for insurance discounts. Many insurance companies offer premium reductions for policyholders who voluntarily participate in these courses.
- Shop Around for Better Rates: After an accident, it’s a good idea to explore other insurance options. Get quotes from different insurance companies to see if you can find a more affordable policy that still meets your needs. Keep in mind that changing insurers may require you to pay any outstanding premiums with your current provider.
- Bundle Your Policies: Consider bundling your auto insurance with other policies, such as homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, with the same company. Many insurance providers offer significant discounts for bundling, which can help offset the potential increase in your auto insurance premium.
- Maintain a Good Driving Record: Moving forward, focus on maintaining a clean driving record. Obey traffic laws, avoid speeding, and be mindful of potential hazards on the road. By demonstrating responsible driving behavior, you can gradually reduce your insurance costs over time.
- Increase Your Deductible: If you have the financial means to do so, raising your deductible can lower your monthly premium. However, be prepared to pay a higher amount out of pocket in the event of an accident. Assess your budget and determine a deductible amount that you can comfortably afford.
- Review and Update Your Coverage Annually: Car insurance needs can change over time. Review your coverage annually and reassess your needs. If your vehicle is older and its value has significantly depreciated, you may consider dropping collision or comprehensive coverage to reduce costs.
Conclusion: Experiencing a car accident doesn’t have to result in exorbitant insurance costs. By following these tips, you can minimize the impact on your premiums and find ways to reduce insurance costs after an accident. Remember to stay proactive, understand your policy, explore options, and maintain safe driving habits. With careful consideration and informed choices, you can find a balance between adequate coverage and affordable premiums.

domain: finance


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Winner Joy Cowley Award 2012
Storylines 2014 Notable Picture Book
"In Alphabet Land, the A's planted Avocados, Apples and Apricots. The A's knew they were very important. They began the Alphabet." Everyone in Alphabet Land knows that A's, C's and P's are popular letters. But X's, Y's and Z's matter too - don't they? Join the rowdy alphabet squabble and find out. In Isaac Drought's delightful story, lowly letters learn to stand up to the loud and proud!

domain: library


Posted on: March 3, 2022, 08:01h.
Last updated on: March 3, 2022, 08:28h.
Korean boy group BTS is coming to Las Vegas. And the hysteria surrounding the arrival of the pop sensations resulted in each of the four planned concerts at Allegiant Stadium selling out before Ticketmaster could even open the sale to the general public.
Ticketmaster announced yesterday that the four BTS Las Vegas shows are sold out. Only members of BTS’ “Global Official Fanclub Army” were allowed to purchase tickets for the April 8, 9, 15, and 16 shows during the presale.
Due to overwhelming demand during today’s @BTS_BigHit BTS GLOBAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB ARMY MEMBERSHIP Presale, all tickets for the @AllegiantStadm shows have been purchased. All shows are now sold out. There will not be a General Verified Fan Presale or General Public Onsale.
— Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) March 3, 2022
BTS has one of the largest fan clubs in the world. An annual basic membership to the “Army” costs 25,000 KRW (US$21). For BTS fans who weren’t fortunate enough to secure tickets for the Allegiant stadium concerts, the coveted seats are already relisted for resale on third-party exchanges like StubHub.
As of this morning, the cheapest prices for the April 8 performance are $275 per ticket, plus taxes and fees. Field-level seats begin at $5,000.
Allegiant Stadium accommodates 65,000 people for Las Vegas Raiders games. The BTS setup with the stage at one end zone reduces the total capacity by around 25 percent, as seats behind the stage were never made available.
Few music acts could sell out four nights at Allegiant Stadium in such a swift manner. BTS’ arrival next month will pay off for the Las Vegas economy as a whole.
The roughly 200,000 seats sold by BTS represents only a fraction of the visitors who will arrive in Southern Nevada during the Friday-Saturday, back-to-back weekend engagements. Many BTS fans are underage, and will therefore be traveling with parents or chaperones.
Las Vegas casino hotel room rates have soared for the BTS weekends. A two-night stay April 8-10 at Wynn is advertised for $1,919, inclusive of taxes and fees. The Venetian/Palazzo runs $1,579, and Bellagio $1,574.
Even the casino resorts that are typically a bit kinder to the wallet are demanding steep rates. Luxor is asking $1,450 all-in for the two nights, Excalibur $1,257, Treasure Island $900, Rio $792, and Circus Circus $675.
Southwest, the largest airliner at Harry Reid International, has greatly increased airfare for dates surrounding the BTS shows. The airline’s “Wanna Get Away” tickets have almost entirely been blacked out.
A roundtrip direct flight from Baltimore to Las Vegas April 8 to April 10 will cost more than $1,600.
Pre-Sales Selling Out
BTS fans grabbing up the entire allotment of tickets for the shows is the latest in a growing trend surrounding Ticketmaster presales. Adele fans for her since-canned Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace sold out each of her 24 shows prior to Ticketmaster opening up the general public sale.
For those solely focused on profiting from the in-demand concerts, joining an artist’s fan club like BTS is well worth the investment.
Paying around $20 to become a BTS “Army” member and gain access to the Las Vegas tickets prior to the public is a no-brainer for scalpers. Ticketmaster limited each member to four presale tickets. But of course, scrupulous individuals can easily circumvent that supposed safeguard.


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1946 in sports describes the year's events in world sport. Although World War II had ended in 1945, a number of major sporting events were still precluded by planning difficulties, which the war had produced, the 1946 FIFA World Cup being perhaps the best known. However, the year is still notable as several sporting events resumed for the first time since the start of the war.
- NFL Championship: the Chicago Bears won 24–14 over the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds
- All-America Football Conference begins play. Cleveland Browns win the championship by beating New York Yankees 14–9.
- The San Francisco 49ers are established and the Cleveland Rams move to Los Angeles, becoming the first professional sports teams in California.
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish – college football national championship
- FIFA World Cup – not held due to World War II
- FA Cup – Derby County beat Charlton Athletic 4–1 after extra time.
- The Football League resumes playing for the 1946–47 season.
- No major football is held due to the Allied occupation of Germany.
- Victorian Football League
- South Australian National Football League
- Western Australian National Football League
- January 23 – Hall of Fame election – the writers' vote again fails to select an inductee, despite a newly revamped voting process. Voting again favors earlier candidates from the 1900s and 1910s, but none is able to gain 75% of the vote.
- Jackie Robinson plays for the Montreal Royals, the AAA affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American to play in organised baseball in the 20th century. Vincent "Manny" McIntyre from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada becomes the first Black Canadian to sign a professional baseball contract (with the Sherbrooke Canadians).
- April 23 – the Hall of Fame Committee clears the deadlock at the top of the writers' ballot by selecting 11 new inductees, primarily from the popular candidates of the 1900s and 1910s: Jesse Burkett, Frank Chance, Jack Chesbro, Johnny Evers, Clark Griffith, Tommy McCarthy, Joe McGinnity, Eddie Plank, Joe Tinker, Rube Waddell and Ed Walsh. Selections of 19th century players are largely postponed. It is decided that the writers will henceforth select only players retired within the more recent past, rather than from the entire 20th century.
- June 15 – when some ballplayers jump to the Mexican League, MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler mentions a lifetime suspension for them, but his penalty is later reduced (1949).
- July 14 – player–manager Lou Boudreau of Cleveland Indians hits four doubles and one home run, but Ted Williams wallops three HRs and drives in eight runs, as the Boston Red Sox top the Indians 11–10. In the Sox second–game win, the famous "Boudreau Shift" is born. Boudreau shifts all his players, except the third baseman and left fielder, to the right side of the diamond in an effort to stop Williams, who grounds out and walks twice while ignoring the shift.
- World Series – St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Boston Red Sox 4 games to 3.
- Negro World Series – Newark Eagles defeat the Kansas City Monarchs, 4 games to 3.
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional) first official game held on January 12.
- On June 6 the NBA is formed as the Basketball Association of America. As a second major professional league, it unlike the NBL attempts to operate primarily in larger arenas and in major cities.
- Boston Celtics, a major National Basketball Association club was founded in Massachusetts, United States.
- Continental Basketball Association formed as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League
- Fourth European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1946, is won by Czechoslovakia.
Slovenia (former part of Yugoslavia)
- 29 March: With the end of the war, Test cricket is played for the first time since August 1939, and Australia destroys New Zealand by an innings and 103 runs on a rain-affected pitch.
- Although first-class cricket was resumed after the lifting of bans on weekday sport in 1945–46, the Sheffield Shield was not awarded.
- Most runs – Sid Barnes 794 @ 88.22 (HS 200)
- Most wickets – George Tribe 40 @ 19.02 (BB 9–45)
- County Championship – won by Yorkshire
- Minor Counties Championship – won by Suffolk
- Most runs – Denis Compton 2,403 @ 61.61 (HS 235)
- Most wickets – Eric Hollies 184 @ 15.60 (BB 10–49)
- England defeat India one Test to nil with two draws
- not contested due to World War II
- won by Gino Bartali
- The World Figure Skating Championships were not held due to World War II.
- Masters Tournament – Herman Keiser
- U.S. Open – Lloyd Mangrum
- British Open – Sam Snead
- PGA Championship – Ben Hogan
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Russia
- Canada – King's Plate won by Kingarvie
- France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Caracalla
- Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Bright News
- English Triple Crown Races:
- United States Triple Crown Races:
The Boat Race
- Five Nations Championship series is not contested due to World War II
Speed Skating World Championships
- not contested due to World War II
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – John Bromwich (Australia) defeats Dinny Pails (Australia) 5–7, 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–2
- Australian Women's Singles Championship – Nancye Wynne Bolton (Australia) defeats Joyce Fitch (Australia) 6–4, 6–4
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Yvon Petra (France) defeats Geoff Brown (Australia) 6–2, 6–4, 7–9, 5–7, 6–4
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Pauline Betz Addie (USA) defeats Louise Brough Clapp (USA) 6–2, 6–4
- French Men's Singles Championship – Marcel Bernard (France) defeats Jaroslav Drobný (Czechoslovakia) 3–6, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
- French Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Osborne duPont (USA) defeats Pauline Betz Addie (USA) 1–6, 8–6, 7–5
- American Men's Singles Championship – Jack Kramer (USA) defeats Tom Brown (USA) 9–7, 6–3, 6–0
- American Women's Singles Championship – Pauline Betz Addie (USA) defeats Doris Hart (USA) 11–9, 6–3
a Although Torino's scudetto is considered official, because Serie B teams from southern Italy played it is not usually included in statistics.
b This is the first of only two instances where a team other than the "Big Three" has won the Primeira Liga.
- "Cycling-Tour de France list of winners". Eurosport UK. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- "Epsom Derby | History, Winners, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

domain: sports


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Writing a graphic novel looks fun, right? Right. And it’s a lot easier than writing traditional novels, right? Wrong.
Graphic novels hold a special place in the hearts of many writers, and it stands to reason that many are inspired to write their own as adults. They hold a kind of magic.
Think back to when you were a child, cracking open your first graphic novel from your school’s book fair or from the library. Perhaps you learned to read from it. At the time, it never really occurred to you that the graphic novel you held in your small hands had a creative team behind it, usually a writer, artist, colourist, letterer and editor. As far as you knew, your favourite graphic book sprung up fully formed from the ether.
Now, we know better.
Creating a graphic novel is a collaborative process. They have teams behind them, and among the most important of that team is the writer.
Perhaps you have a visual sense and a strong imagination, but little artistic ability, yet you’d still like to try your hand at writing a graphic novel yourself.
Then you’re in the “write” place! (Dad joke.)
In this article, you will learn what a graphic novel is, what the key elements or building blocks of one are, how to create a graphic novel, discover some of my favourite graphic novels (ie the best examples in the entire comics industry), and read some final tips and tricks to help you improve your graphic novel projects and comic strips.
Firstly, let’s look at what a graphic novel is.
What Is A Graphic Novel?
Before we get into the nuts and bolts, let me define what exactly I think a graphic novel is.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to quote Webster’s. There are some that differentiate a graphic novel as an original, squarebound or hardbound story in comic book form, from a trade paperback or collected edition, which is a reprinted edition of several comic books packaged together.
To me, though, if a comic or illustrated story is in book form rather than floppy form, and contains mainly sequential art, it’s a graphic novel.
A graphic novel as a longer-format comic book is not a genre, or type of story, but rather a medium, or a vessel for telling stories in sequential art form. Within that form, there are numerous types of stories that can be told inside a graphic novel.
When many people think of graphic novels they instantly imagine that a) they’re all for children, and that b) they are all superhero stories. That isn’t the case at all.
Like all types of books, graphic novels permit a writer to tell any type of story – the difference being that the complex characters and compelling storyline are expressed not just in words, but in pictures too.
So what types of graphic novels are out there?
Types Of Graphic Novels
Most of the industry divides graphic novels into three age groups:
- Middle grade (ages 8 to 12)
- Young adult (ages 12 to 18)
- Adult (18+).
Within those age groups, you can further subdivide by genre:
- True crime
- Slice of everyday life
- YA (ie teen stories)
- Science fiction and fantasy
- Mystery and suspense
In short, whatever stories you can find in a book you can find in a graphic novel – the only difference is, like a comic book, a graphic novel story will be accompanied by illustrations.
So what other types of illustrated stories can you find? The other two forms of illustrated stories are manga and comic books. Let’s look at them in more detail.
What Is Manga?
Manga, the Japanese word for comics, are graphic novels that originate in Japan and can fall under any of these genres just like Western graphic novels. Similarly, graphic novels that originate from South Korea are called manhwa, and so on.
How Do Comic Books Differ To Graphic Novels?
Although the graphic novel format is somewhat similar to that of manga comics, and they both involve comic book artists and a similar writing process, the main difference is that graphic novels are book length stories.
And, although manga, comics and graphic novels all use pictures to narrate a story, comics are usually serialised narratives that are published regularly (sometimes as part of a collection of other stories). The key characteristic of a graphic novel, on the other hand, is that it contains an entire story and reads like a full-length book. They are usually bound like a book too, and not floppy like a magazine.
What Are The Key Elements Of A Graphic Novel?
We’ve established what a graphic novel is (and how it differs from comic books, manga and other types of magazines and picture books).
So what elements are contained within the vast majority of graphic novels?
- Art and illustrations are drawn sequentially in order to tell a narrative story.
- Word balloons, which are round dialogue bubbles with tails that denote who is speaking and contain lettering. These balloons may look like a cloud to represent a thought or be jagged to represent shouting.
- Captions, or square boxes with lettering that describe a scene or provide internal monologue.
- Sound effects, or large stylised lettering that represents a written sound, or onomatopoeia.
But writing a graphic novel involves more than simply creating a graphic storyboard and filling in the blanks. Creative writing plays a vital role in telling a good story, with writers developing characters and plots before the illustrations are drawn.
Although the illustrators bring the stories to life, it’s the writers who brief the artists on character descriptions, and character development, they imagine the detailed backstories and build the world that the artist will eventually interpret. They also need to think about narrative that moves the story forward without using too many words (the less space you use up on the page with words, the better).
That’s a lot of collaboration and a lot of people working on one story idea. So, where do you start?
Here’s how writing a graphic novel as part of a creative team allows you to assemble all those pieces into a cohesive whole.
How To Create A Graphic Novel
All graphic novels, like everything in life, begin with an idea.
Your graphic story is about telling your readers something, usually in a standard storytelling three act structure (beginning, middle and end).
- Your characters and your world are introduced
- The characters want something
- Roadblocks are placed in their way
- They succeed or don’t succeed by the end
- They are changed by their personal journeys
A great story arc, inner conflict, good narrative, detailed world…all these things are important, as they would be in text based novels, the difference is you have to make that story fit into a comic book script format.
A Comic Book Script
Graphic novels are written in a method similar to, but distinct, from a screenplay. This is called a comic book script. Writers plot their stories via narration boxes.
There are numerous approaches to creating a comic book script. The comic book writer Fred Van Lente has the gold standard on his website available as a downloadable template; many of the best writers in the industry have followed or adapted this template for their own use.
A script goes page by page and describes for the artist, colourist and letterer exactly what is happening in order.
Scripts can be written in full-script form, which is broken down by panel with all captions and dialogue and is as specific as possible without doing the artist’s job for them.
Scripts can also be done plot-first, or “Marvel style,” which was common in the 1960s through the 1980s and is much less common today, though still in use. In this approach, a few paragraphs of plot are written out, with or without dialogue. The artist interprets this plot into a full-length story, and then the writer goes back and adds the dialogue.
Whichever approach is taken, after the art comes back, often a writer will rewrite the dialogue depending on how much space the artist has provided in the panels. Also, during the drawing process, the artist will sometimes add or delete panels from the script for better narrative flow, and rewriting dialogue to fit this new layout is key.
Sometimes, a writer will provide panel layouts for the artist, which refers to the order and size of panels within a page. The Thumb Book is a great method for sketching out specific layouts for an artist to follow.
The Creative Team
Other than writing a script, you’ll need to find additional members of your creative team in order to complete the graphic novel.
Don’t cut corners! Each member of the team is important and should be professional and treated so. As a writer, you are likely the originator of the graphic novel’s concept and may handle business affairs associated with it; however, it is best practice to be legal co-creators of the work with the artist, as the visual interpretation is just as important as the writing.
When seeking a publisher for a graphic novel, it’s not necessary that the entire graphic novel be completed upfront.
Instead, the creators will put together a submission package, which can include a summary of the work, a chapter-by-chapter outline, a list of characters, a sample script, biographies of the creative team, and several pages of completed sample art. Graphic novel creators can use this package and either seek a literary agent, who will submit to publishers on their behalf in exchange for a percentage of income, or submit to publishers directly.
Graphic novel creators can also self-publish, which involves paying to print, market and distribute the graphic novel themselves. Self-publishers may choose to only release the graphic novel digitally, or include a print edition also. Funds for self-publishing can be raised through crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or funded with personal money.
Graphic Novel Examples
To really understand this type of storytelling it’s important to read graphic novels – and lots of them! There are many graphic novels created by masters of the form that must be studied intensely by aspiring graphic novelists. Learn well from these examples, go forth and do likewise.
Here are just a few examples; there are many more not listed:
A Contract with God, by Will Eisner
Considered the first graphic novel, this masterwork from the creator of The Spirit involves poor Jewish residents of a New York City tenement.
The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
The story that birthed the grim-and-gritty era in superhero comics and offered a morally ambiguous, older Batman.
Daredevil: Born Again, by Miller and David Mazzucchelli
The other legendary work written by Miller and the best portrayal of Daredevil before or since.
Maus, by Art Spiegelman
A non-fiction, Pulitzer-prize biography of both the author and his father, a Holocaust survivor. In a twist, the characters are anthropomorphised animals.
A Map to the Sun, by Sloane Leong
A stellar recent graphic novel about the five players of a struggling girls’ basketball team, this work is known for its dazzling pastels.
The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman and various artists
A long-form work by the legendary fantasy writer working with some of the best artists in the business and about the Endless, a family of mythological beings.
Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman
This began as a webcomic, then a million-selling graphic novel series, then a TV show, about young gay love in a British high-school setting.
Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes
Possibly the most 90s story on this list, this story of two best friends and their dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship was turned into a movie.
All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Grant Morrison understands Superman more than almost anyone, and that’s never more apparent than in this standalone work featuring an idealised, optimistic version of the character.
Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
This famously deconstructionist series takes superheroes apart and puts them back together with a satirical, critical lens.
March, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
Possibly the best autobiographical comic ever written, about the late congressman John Lewis and his struggles for civil rights.
Check, Please!, by Ngozi Ukazu
An extremely endearing and funny story about a Canadian college hockey team and one of its stars, who is in love with another player and is really good at baking.
Chainsaw Man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto
One of many masterful manga, this is a deeply funny, violent and satirical story about a down-on-his luck loser who becomes a great demon fighter after fusing with his dog, complete with built-in chainsaw head.
Tips For Writing A Graphic Novel
When creating your first graphic novel, here are some things to keep in mind.
Study The Experts
Read some of the graphic novels above. Seek out their comic scripts online and study those, too. Try to see the structure behind the comics, including panels per page, the amount and flow of dialogue, and rising and falling action.
Nobody wants to read page after page of talking heads. When characters are talking, put something in their hands, have them pace around the room, show them making coffee at the same time.
Start Small And Go Big
You may have an epic, 12-volume series in your head set in a giant world, but focus on a few characters and a simple narrative told well within that world.
One good example in the film world: Mad Max Fury Road has extremely detailed world building behind it, but the movie revolves around a single chase scene and the characters being chased and doing the chasing. Boil your story down to its essence.
Keep It Real
You may have a childhood dream to write for Marvel or DC, but create graphic novels for their own sake. Write for yourself. Tell stories that are meaningful to you, not as a stepping stone to writing superheroes. Marvel or DC may come calling eventually, or they may not, but that should never be the end goal.
How To Find Inspiration
If you’re struggling to come up with the basic idea for your first graphic novel, carry around a pad of paper and a pen, or make use of the voice memo feature of your mobile. Experience the world around you and ideas will come to you.
Watching a movie in a theatre can trigger a new way to tell a similar story in your head without copying. Even watching a bad movie or reading a terrible novel can be inspiring, as it can spur you to want to make something better and put it out into the world as penance for something so bad daring to exist.
They say that every written work is really about the author, and that’s never more true than graphic novels.
Even when writing a biography of someone else, that graphic novel will still end up being highly personal. Don’t be afraid to put aspects of your own personality into the characters, even if there is no one character that’s exactly you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Format Of A Graphic Novel?
A graphic novel isn’t a genre but a format. They differ from text novels in that they use sequential artwork to help tell a complete story. Unlike comics and manga, they are normally a single story bound in a book format.
How Long Does It Take To Write A Graphic Novel?
Like any type of book, the writing process and creativity involved in writing a graphic novel can vary from creator to creator. Because it’s a collaborative process, the time to produce a graphic novel – from idea to printed copy – can take anything between one to three years.
How Many Pages Is A Graphic Novel?
Graphic novels tend to be longer than manga and comic books, with stories ranging from anywhere between forty-eight pages all the way to five hundred!
Now It’s Time To Create Your Own Graphic Novel
I hope you’ve been empowered by this article to go out and make a graphic novel of your own. You now know what a graphic novel is, what makes one work and how to go about writing a graphic novel. Plus you now have a reading list of some of the best examples in the business.
So download yourself a script template and turn your ideas into reality. Go and create that graphic novel that you’d always wished existed!
Jericho Writersis aglobal membership group for writers, providing everything you need to get published. Keep up with our news,membership offers, and updates bysigning up to our newsletter.For more writing articles, take a look at ourblog page.

domain: entertainment


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Corgis are an adorable breed of dog, known for their teddy bear appearance, particularly as puppies. There are two types of corgi, the Welsh Cardigan and the Pembroke. The Cardigan Corgi has a tail and the Pembroke does not.
The Pembroke Corgi is the one of the two that has most often been used as a herding dog. Despite his short stature, the beefy corgi has no fear of large herd animals such as cattle. He will do your herding work for you with sheer glee in his heart.
Corgis love to run and be active. Many people are surprised that this relatively short-legged dog, with a thick body could be Cowboy Corgi so physically active. That said, corgis make excellent herding dogs.
The Cowboy Corgi is a mix of the Pembroke Corgi and the Australian Cattle dog, which is not as short legged as a corgi but still on the smaller side, in height. Both breeds are meaty, sturdy dogs. The result of the mix is a dog that can have coloring of either breed and has the herding instincts of both dogs.
The Corgi has a tendency to be a clown and likes to have a good time, all the time. The Australian Cattle dog is known to be more serious, especially when it comes to herding and working. This breed is a little workaholic.
The Mix of Two Herding Breeds: The Cowboy Corgi
Typically, the Cowboy Corgi will have the color of the heeler with the size of the corgi. If the breed is the result of a pairing with a merle colored heeler, then it is most likely to take after the corgi in coloring. They will generally have very good personalities and be keen to work.
They have the drive and instinct of two herding breeds that causes them to excel in herding any type of animal, especially cattle.
Being a small dog, they are easy to keep and tag along with you everywhere as well. They don’t eat much, don’t take up a lot of space, fit nicely in the cab of a pickup truck when you are hauling your horses, and they are great personalities that are just a real treat to have around.
If you are wanting a companion dog that can also work, this is a fantastic little dog to have in your life. They’ll be your working partner and your friend.
Since both breeds in his genetics are highly intelligent, you’ll find that your cowboy corgi is exceptionally smart. He’s eager to please and very anxious to get to work too. This little dog is full to the brim with energy and has the tenacity to see any job through. In the end, he’s small enough to ride over your saddle on the way home, if he’s exhausted himself doing a hard day’s work.
While these are gorgeous little dogs, with lively personalities, they aren’t recommended for apartment life. As the name implies, they are for working. They are little cowboys and need to spend their time working. You’ll find that they are truly happiest when they are working and doing physical activity.
Corgis are sad and depressed when they aren’t physically active and the Australian Cattle Dog will find things to occupy himself that typically lead him into trouble. This may include tearing the paneling off your walls or pulling carpet up off the flooring.
Worn-out, physically exhausted cowboy corgis are happy dogs that will readily lay at your feet, enjoying the front porch or a spot by the campfire.
He will provide you with a warm snuggle anytime you like, protect you fiercely if the need should ever arise, and he is a fast learner. Teach him skills and tricks and he will absorb them as a sponge absorbs spills.
This hybrid mix is capable of learning hundreds, if not thousands, of words, tackling any obedience skills and would also make a fine flyball competition dog, or an agility competition dog. Flyball is a team sport with dogs that is taking the nation by storm and highly addictive when you’ve enjoyed seeing it.
When you compete it in, it is definitely something you’ll always want to do. Agility is a sport that exhibits a dog’s athleticism and is a solo sport for the most part. Agility also requires the handler to be in good physical condition as well.
Cowboy Corgi Nutrition – Fueling Him
Herding dogs are a working breed. They work very hard, racing back and forth on those short legs. They can run many miles in a day of work so it is important that you feed him good, nutritionally packed food that has enough protein to fuel him for endurance.
Here is a knowledge drop – carbs and protein are both fuels for the body. Carbs are the fuel that burns quickly, like paper. Proteins are slow burning fuels, like oak that will burn in the fireplace all night long. In order to have proper fuel at all times, both types of fuel are essential.
Protein should make up around 17% to 25% of your working dog’s diet. Fuel him with a good lean source of protein that will burn cleanly and efficiently. For most dogs, this is meat from a source such as beef, chicken, fish, or other fowl.
You can also feed a vegetarian diet to dogs as long as you use a protein rich source, such as lentils, black beans, or garbanzo beans. There are great dog foods on the market that you can choose from. Choose those with real ingredients, names that you can pronounce, with as few ingredients as possible.
Make sure that your dog is always getting a healthy source of vitamins and minerals and supplement if you feel it may be necessary.
The more a dog works, the more it may be a good idea to supplement his diet with something like CBD oil for dogs or omega oils from fish oil. CBD oil and fish oil are the two best sources for omega rich fatty acids that help reduce free radicals and maintain a healthy cardiovascular system for your dog.
Dogs don’t live a long life in comparison to humans. It’s important to try to give them as much nutritionally dense food as possible to keep them with us as long as we can. You also want their time on earth to be happy and pain-free so look into supplements like fish oil and CBD to help their joints and with pain as they age.
Supplement them well and feed them right. Get them plenty of exercise and you’ve achieved the perfect trifecta – maintaining mental health, physical health, and providing for their basic needs.
Training for the Herding Dog
It’s likely that you’ll train your working dog yourself if you’ve been running cattle for many years. If you aren’t familiar with training a dog though, and you have a new cowboy corgi, you should employ someone to help you right away. Don’t wait for your dog to get older.
Start training your puppy from day one, to do basic obedience skills such as ‘sit’ and ‘down’ so that when they are older, these are a piece of cake and you can work on harder skills.
Dogs love to learn and a young pups brain is growing and taking in information like a mainframe computer, constantly running algorithms and looking to make sense from input. Puppies can be worn-out to physical exhaustion simply from making them think.
A young pup will pass out after a round of learning new behaviors such as ‘stay’ and ‘wait’ and these will serve you very well into the future when you need him to listen to you on a cattle drive.
For working your dog on cattle, find a successful breeder/trainer of working dogs in your area and if can work with them or have them recommend a trainer to you, then you’ll be in a great position to get your herding cowboy corgi whipped into shape as quickly as possible.
Remember that this breed wants to work and they have a high desire to please. These little balls of energy will work all day long for you, just out of sheer joy of running and wishing to please you. To them, herding is a bit of a game. This is the most fun they’ll ever have in their whole life, doing what they were bred to do. It’s in their genes and they can’t wait to do it.
Young cowboy corgis will try to herd anything. Put them in a pen with ducks and watch them learn how to manipulate the ducks into moving in the direction they choose. They teach themselves in short order with very little intervention on your part.
You will want to teach them some directional signals and when to wait and follow your commands. It’s essential that they stay safe. The best way to keep them safe when they are working with cattle is to teach them and know they are rock solid on their commands.
The herding part comes pretty naturally, but controlling themselves and learning to think has to come from your skills and teaching. Luckily, these dogs are incredibly intelligent and they love to learn and work.
If You Aren’t Working These Dogs
You don’t have to be living on a working cattle ranch to keep a cowboy corgi, but you do want to have some property for him to play and roam upon. You’ll be able to keep him exercised with games of fetch – rare is the corgi that doesn’t want to play with a ball.
They do fine with other animals if they are socialized at a young age to them. As an adult, if a herding dog has not been properly socialized to other house pets then it is advisable to use much caution. Cats, for example, may be a bad idea with an adult cowboy corgi that has never been properly socialized.
It is possible to keep one that isn’t a working dog if you are an active person and live a lifestyle that is conducive to keeping such a dog.
If you are an avid runner, for example, one of these little guys will happily go for a run with you and they have great stamina. The Australian Cattle dog has more stamina than a Corgi does and they both have a lot of energy.
Getting them involved in dog park play, flyball clubs, being your running partner, and going to doggy daycare are all ways that you can manage having a cowboy corgi even if you aren’t a cowboy.
Teaching your pup how to do a lot of tricks is also a great way to stimulate his mind and keep him happy. Mentally wearing him out is just as important as physically wearing him out. These little guys are quick on the uptake, so teaching them new skills may be very challenging to you as well.
They make great obedience dogs, performing dogs, and even service dogs in the right situation. Herding dogs are very alert and watchful. This is a powerful attribute to have as a service dog for someone who possibly has a seizure disorder or a hearing impairment.
The cowboy corgi is a fantastic family dog as well. They love children and bond very strongly with their pack. They tend to be very good with children and somewhat protective as well. They tend to be fairly independent but enjoy cuddles and time with their human pack members, as a family.
These dogs enjoy going with you and participating in picnics and outings to the farmers market. If they can go on vacation with you, they’ll be very happy too.
The properly socialized cowboy corgi will greet other dogs with friendliness at dog parks and on leash. They will be accepting of people in public, allowing pats on the head and attention. In fact, they may enjoy showing off some tricks and obedience skills because they like people to know how smart they are.
Be sure to vet your cowboy corgi each year for shots and a general check-up. Don’t forget to worm him regularly too. It’s important to have regular maintenance when you are a busy, active little dog. Be sure to see to it that flea control is used each month.
Discus this with your veterinarian to ensure that you are using the best products. Herding dogs should not typically be given ivermectin products for wormings or flea medications. It is very dangerous and can cause seizures and death in some herding dogs.
Fleas lead to tapeworms and these can cause intestinal issues as well as causing them to lose nutrition from their food to parasites in their systems. Tapeworms can cause anemia, so can other types of parasites. Many types of bugs and worms that animals are susceptible to can cause issues that are minor to quite severe.
By having a routine of monthly pills or drops, you can avoid any issues with these types of things.
These tips, along with proper care and exercise will help to ensure that your cowboy corgi lives his longest life possible. Your family will be able to enjoy his spunky enthusiasm for anywhere from 10 to 16 years, with the average life expectancy being 13 years of age.

domain: pet


text:
Glyphsoate China Monthly Report 1208 (12 issues per year)
|Published: August, 2012
Price: US $6,912
The total export volume and value of glyphosate A.I. in H1 2012 has increased by 30.97% and 29.15 % respectively over H1 2011. Industrial concentration of Chinese glyphosate has increased further in H1 2012. The proportion of export volume and value of glyphosate A. I. produced by China’s top five glyphosate producers, namely Zhejiang Jinfanda, Zhejiang Wynca, Nantong Jiangshan, Sichuan Fuhua and Jiangsu Yangnong, has increased to 64% and 70% respectively in H1 2012, up 8% and 13% over the corresponding period of 2011. China has won a series of anti-dumping cases regarding glyphosate, which has shown the consolidated competitiveness of China’s glyphosate in overseas market and will encourage Chinese manufacturers’ business extension there. The Court of Justice of EU rejected the anti-dumping appeal against Zhejiang Wynca’s glyphosate accused by European Commission on 19 July, 2012, and Australian Customs and Border Protection Service terminated the anti-dumping investigation of glyphosate formulations produced by China’s glyphosate producers on 2 Aug., 2012. The supply of glyphosate is still tight, and some transaction price of glyphosate technical has broken through USD4,716/t. Will the price of glyphosate technical continue to rise? Will there be other obstacles for the sale of China’s glyphosate in the huge glyphosate market of EU? Will the termination of anti-dumping investigation by Australia enhance further the sale of glyphosate from China?
Zhejiang Wynca has finally won glyphosate anti-dumping lawsuit in EU since 2000, indicating that the obstacle of anti-dumping duty on glyphosate has been removed.
Anhui Huaxing will receive a cash investment of USD308.99 million from new shareholders, which will be used for two projects, namely the project of 300,000t/a ionic membrane caustic soda and project of distribution center of Anhui Linearfull, repayment of bank loan and supplement liquidity.
Nantong Jiangshan has achieved operating profit of USD0.61 million in H1 2012, which was the highest one in the past three years, due to the enhancement of profitability in glyphosate business.
Australia has terminated the anti-dumping investigation against China’s glyphosate formulations, which will promote further China’s glyphosate formulation export.
Hot money boosted China’s glyphosate price in the past few months of 2012, which may continue to increase the price of China’s glyphosate in the coming months.
China’s 18 public patent applications related to glyphosate in H1 2012 are overviewed.
Industrial concentration of Chinese glyphosate increases further in H1 2012, and China’s top five glyphosate producers’ proportion of export volume and value of glyphosate A. I. has increased to 64% and 70% respectively in H1 2012, up 8% and 13% H1 2011.
Glyphosate price surges in August 2012, resulting from the tight supply, promotion of hot money and
producers’ blind pricing strategy.
The total export volume and value of glyphosate A. I. in H1 2012 has increased by 30.97% and 29.15%
respectively over that in H1 2011.
Glyphosate export volume in June 2012 increases by 17.6% MoM, but the price remains stable.
Zhejiang Wynca finally wins glyphosate anti-dumping lawsuit in EU
Anhui Huaxing to receive a cash investment of USD308.99 million
Nantong Jiangshan turns loss into gain in H1 2012
Termination of Australia’s anti-dumping investigation to promote China’s glyphosate formulation export
Hot money boosts China’s glyphosate price
Overview of China’s public patent application related to glyphosate in H1 2012
Industrial concentration of Chinese glyphosate increases further in H1 2012
Glyphosate price surges in August 2012
Overview of glyphosate products export in H1 2012
Glyphosate technical export volume in June 2012 increases by 17.6% MoM
Zhejiang Wynca;Nantong Jiangshan;Anhui Huaxing;Sichaun Fuhua;Jiangsu Yangnong;Zhejiang Jinfanda;

domain: agronomy


text:
Renowned uprising Tanzanian recording artiste, Ibraah comes out with a new sizzling tune named, “Tunapendeza”. colliding with Harmonize.
Finally, Because of this, there is a good chance that if you listen to music, you only know the newest and most popular songs.
Listen To This stunning melody and download Below:
Do you find Six9ja useful? Click here to give us five stars rating!

domain: artistic


- THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES
- TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN (ISSN:18840485)
- vol.17, no.3, pp.404-411, 2019 (Released:2019-05-04)
Failure of the orbit insertion maneuver has a significant impact on the entire mission, for the trajectory of a spacecraft is largely deflected by swing-by. The risk can be reduced by targeting a point on the B-plane where the spacecraft reaches the free-return (FR) trajectory with the target body in the case of insertion failure. The backup orbit must also satisfy conditions suitable for the mission. We investigated the type of orbit insertion that is both robust to failure and reasonable for the mission requirements. We call this method FR ensured orbit insertion. Among various failure modes of the orbit insertion maneuver, we focus on the complete maneuver failure. The impact parameters on the B-plane to achieve the orbit insertion are formulated based on the geometry of velocity vectors at swing-by. The necessary deflection angle αFR at swing-by must be smaller than the possible maximum deflection angle αmax for the target body. When we introduce proper scaling factors, the relation of αmax and αFR is characterized by a single parameter λ. Using polar orbit insertion as an example, maps which show the reachability of FR trajectory after the insertion failure for each approaching condition are presented. The derived maps can be used as a tool to assess the applicability of the method in the mission design. Finally, as an application to practical mission design, we demonstrate the use of FR ensured orbit insertion in JAXA's MMX mission.


text:
Another Science is Settled Alert, as researchers at Newcastle University conclude that elevated temperatures in the Murray-Darling basin were a combination of natural factors:
Lead researcher Associate Professor Stewart Franks, from the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, said the findings were based on known principles of physics.
“Senior climate change researchers have claimed that higher temperatures lead to higher moisture evaporation and that this is why the Murray Darling Basin has experienced such a harsh drought,” Associate Professor Franks said.
“This is incorrect and ignores the known physics of evaporation.
“During drought, when soil moisture is low, less of the sun’s radiant energy goes into evaporation and more goes into the heating of the atmosphere which causes higher temperatures.
“Most importantly, the elevated air temperatures do not increase evaporation but are actually due to the lack of evaporation and this is a natural consequence of drought.
“Therefore any statement that the drought experienced in the Murray Darling Basin is a direct result of CO2 emissions is fundamentally flawed.”
Associate Professor Franks said the findings of the study highlighted the importance of getting the science right.
“A key concern is that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – which advises governments around the world – has used the Murray Darling Basin and incorrect science as an example of CO2 induced climate change.
Read it here.

domain: geography


Updated: July 03, 2020 08:49 PM
Created: June 30, 2020 04:40 PM
(WHEC) — While the pandemic has canceled many Fourth of July events, one tradition is still on: "Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest."
But you won't see the usual crowds on Coney Island.
Instead, Joey Chestnut will attempt to defend his title at a private location with safety precautions in place.
But you can still watch.
The contest will air live on ESPN Saturday at noon.
Copyright 2020 - WHEC-TV, LLC A Hubbard Broadcasting Company


Mr. Speaker, my time is short and I have many things to say about the bill and the motion to refer the bill to committee but I will take the opportunity to make three quick points.
I want to refer back to a statement made by the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations upon learning about the referral of the bill to a standing committee. He pleaded:
If members of the standing committee are genuinely interested in hearing about the vision, the hopes and the dreams of our people then they should hold hearings in all of our communities and listen to our people.
It is not surprising that aboriginal Canadians right across the country have been very alarmed at the manner in which this whole process has been conducted and how the legislation was brought forth. We know from the discussions earlier in question period about freedom of speech and freedom of the press being threatened, that they are not the first examples. It has been truly shocking to see the pressures brought to bear on the Assembly of First Nations by the massive withdrawal of funding, which has been a not very subtle attempt by the government to quash dissent and the kind of leadership that is very much wanted from first nations communities across the country.
The member for Winnipeg Centre, the NDP aboriginal affairs critic who spoke earlier, expressed his revulsion at the way in which the official opposition has in many ways egged the government on to introduce this repugnant legislation. I could not help but think that it was an irony that so much of the legislation was inspired by the mistaken notion that there was massive mishandling and mismanagement by the leadership of the first nations and band management across the country.
When we look at the facts, they are otherwise. Over 96% of the bands are operating without management problems. Only 4% are under third party management. We have to ask ourselves whether it is not the government that should be under third party management for the ways in which it has been mismanaging the nation's finances and flaunting the rules of ethical standards of conduct. We wonder about the double standard.
We will be supporting the motion to send the bill to committee because we support the widespread call from first nations people to be truly consulted. It would be naive of us to think that the standing committee would in good faith agree to that broad consultation, which is why the suggestion from my colleague from Winnipeg Centre is a very sound one, that an ex officio member from the first nations, who can play a part in the process and have direct input into the work of the committee, be added to the committee.
Le us make no mistake that we have a very big fight on our hands. I stand proudly and say that the New Democratic Party stands in solidarity with the first nations people when they ask for the dignity owed to them, of being full partners in charting the future governments of their first nations communities.
It is very worrisome when we hear the leadership of the first nations summing up the legislation as being nothing more than a dragging back to the worst aspects of the Indian Act. We need to get rid of it but we need to get rid of it with a positive vision of the dignity of our first nations people. Surely the first priority for the government and the people of Canada is to meet its obligations to the first nations people. If we cannot get that right then we do not deserve the reputation of a country that is concerned about justice, equality and peace.


text:
A gadget that helps me to drink more water is my Sodastream. It adds carbonation to beverages, even water. I used to spend a lot on carbonated bottled water, but now I can make it at home. I don’t feel guilty about drinking it because it’s just water.
You can also make your own soft drinks with Sodastream. They offer more than 25 regular, diet, energy and caffeine-free flavors of syrup (sold separately). Each 500 milliliter soda mix bottle makes the equivalent of 12 liters of soda (about 33 cans). The regular soda mixes contain no high fructose corn syrup, while the diet soda mixes contain no aspartame.

domain: food


text:
The future of brands in a rapidly changing consumer landscape
Like the landed gentry of the 19th century, who could live comfortably on the income from their land, today’s ‘dividend aristocrats’ have long enjoyed growing streams of income from their brands. And just as agricultural disruption led to an existential crisis for the landed gentry, so today’s ‘branded gentry’ are having to adapt to rapid changes in the consumer landscape being forged by the next generation.
At the side of the kitchen sink, where Fairy Liquid once had pride of place, you’re just as likely to find Tesco’s own brand, which many of today’s consumers probably reckon gets the job done just as well for less. Pots of Yoplait and Danone around the breakfast table may feature in the memories of older readers. But the scene is changing — now new entrants are challenging that favoured place, with the likes of Chobani in the US appealing to the desire for more natural and healthier foods through adept use of social media and well-placed free samples.
Companies are having to innovate and evolve in order to engage with the shifting attitudes — as well as the changing spending habits — of the younger generation. Compared with their predecessors, millennials are more likely to express a strong interest in social engagement, purpose and values. They also seem to be more cost conscious and value experiences over possessions, presenting both challenges and opportunities for traditional brands.
These emerging consumers may be seen to be less loyal to established brands than older generations, instead preferring new, smaller entrants. However, we are confident that many of today’s major consumer goods companies can survive and even thrive by recognising and adapting to the rapidly changing consumer landscape.
This is the first in a series of reports exploring some of the major challenges facing the next generation and their investment implications. These insights will inform our approach to managing portfolios to grow and protect wealth throughout our clients’ working lives and beyond. I hope you enjoy reading the report and look forward to continuing the conversation about the major forces shaping today’s investment environment.

domain: sociology


text:
According to one study that looked at 30 years worth of marriage data, you’re 75% more likely to get a divorce if you have a friend who is going through one. Perhaps even more startling: If a friend of a friend gets a divorce, your own odds of ending your marriage just bumped up 33%.
What’s the deeper, underlying reason for these “chain reaction” divorces?
Experts say that if your marriage is healthy and happy, a divorce in your social circle is no threat to your relationship. In fact, even if your marriage has had a few rocky spots, a divorce in your friend group can provide an opening for you and your spouse to communicate about issues that haven’t yet been addressed (just so that you don’t end up in your friend’s position).
However, if your marriage is strained, your friend’s divorce may prove to be a catalyst that spurs you into action – particularly if your friend seems to be relieved to be out of their relationship or happy to be single again.
In other words, if your reaction to your friend’s divorce makes you want to work harder on your marriage, you’re probably okay. If, however, you find yourself somewhat jealous that they’re regaining their freedom from an unhappy relationship, your own marriage may be toxic and in its final days.
Ultimately, if you are unhappy in your marriage, you don’t need any excuse to get a divorce. Life is too short to stay in a relationship that isn’t working. Find out more about what you need to do to go into the divorce process prepared.

domain: psychology


Hi Guys! Join me on my another adventure here in Singapore 🤗 This is my first vlog edited by yours truly!!! Pasado na ba ko? LOL Trying my best to upload more videos so let me know your thoughts Raqistas on what to do next :) Leave your comments and suggestions below 👇 Really love to hear from you! 😘
South by Southwest is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987 and has continued to grow in both scope and size every year
The Berlin Pride Celebration, usually known as CSD Berlin, is a parade and festival held in the second half of July each year in Berlin to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies. CSD stands for Christopher Street Day. Since 1979, the event has been held each year.
Amsterdam Pride or Amsterdam Gay Pride is a citywide gay-festival held annually at the center of Amsterdam during the first weekend of August. The festival attracts several hundred-thousand visitors each year and is one of the largest publicly held annual events in the Netherlands.
The official silly season shopping spree may start with Black Friday sales in the US (online for Aussies!) and continue up to the traditional post-Christmas Boxing Day sales, but the retail opportunities are far from over. In fact, the 2016 shopping festivals have only just begun.
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It takes place each January in Park City, Utah, Salt Lake City, and at the Sundance Resort, and is the largest independent film festival in the United States.
During July to August, Hong Kong conducts special events and stores have special sales for the festival. One can get quality products and prices. During this time, there will be more sales than usual. Many stores will be also open longer than usual. Major discounts will be made available. Customer service will also make available coupons for the sale...


Method for Optimizing Industrial Combustion Process Performance
Bob Sabin discusses a method for industrial combustion process (boiler, heaters, furnaces) optimization that stabilizes unit operations, reduces fuel costs, and minimizes emissions by taking a holistic approach and leveraging instrumentation and...
The Need for Connected Services
Clint Schneider explains how sites get expert recommendations on how and when to maintain their equipment.
Connected Services Analysts
Clint Schneider describes how sites receive their valve health analysis from a regional expert familiar with their operations.
Being a Connected Services Analyst
Zollie Kendrick reveals how sites benefit from the valve knowledge of analysts.
Analyzing Large Amounts of Data | Connected Services
Clint Schneider explains how complex data captured via device sensors can be analyzed to detect failure modes.
Emerson’s Valve Connected Services
Hear how sites are receiving immediate value from using Connected Services to remotely monitor their equipment. Presented by Terry Buzbee.
Condition Monitoring | Connected Services
Clint Schneider discusses how condition monitoring allows earlier identification of assets in need of maintenance.


Frederick Miller had a unique brewer’s yeast he truly believed could become a great beer. When he emigrated from Germany to Milwaukee, he brought $2,300 and that dream to the Plank Road Brewery. Miller bought it in 1855 and it still sits on the little hill, in the same location but surrounded by “The Miller Valley” and the Miller Brewery. As the 5th oldest operating brewery in the country, Miller remains one of the most recognized brands within the Molson Coors Beverage Company. In the last decade, Molson Coors continued the strong partnership with We Energies and Focus on Energy, demonstrating its commitment to energy efficiency and conservation. This partnership and the continuous energy efficiency improvements made every year at the Miller Brewery is why Focus on Energy is honored to present the Molson Coors Beverage Company with a 2022 Energy Efficiency Excellence Award.
“This facility truly is a shining example of what can be done,” Public Service Commission Chairperson Rebecca Valcq said. “When corporations take the time and make the financial investments into ensuring that their plants are the most efficient, and most cost effective they can be.”
Miller Brewery implemented more than 30 energy efficiency projects since 2012, reducing annual energy consumption by 7,300,000 kWh and 650,000 therms.
What does that mean to all of us?
Saving that much energy is equivalent to:
“Molson Coors earned nearly $500,000 in incentives by saving over 3,000,000 kWh and 385,000 therms of natural gas in 2021, alone,” Focus on Energy Advisor Richard Feustal said. “That’s nearly 1,000,000 more kWh and 70,000 therms more than Molson Coors saved in the preceding six years.”
The brewery's Energy Team and Facilities Engineering staff continue to tirelessly chip away at the simple Energy Efficiency opportunities: LED lighting upgrades, steam and compressed air leak and repair surveys, and variable speed controls for pumping and fan operations. Digging deeper into developing and implementing large and complex projects has brought this company to a higher level of energy efficiency performance. For example, the Miller Brewery has successfully implemented energy efficiency projects improving the performance of their ammonia refrigeration system, compressed air utilities, boiler plant, and recovering waste heat. Two major investments significantly impacted the brewery. First, the brewery installed a condensing stack economizer at their boiler plant.
“They were able to execute heat recovery projects where they are taking waste heat going out of the stack and put it back into the process,” We Energies Energy Engineer Jim Stebnicki said. “So instead of just wasting energy, letting it go, they turned that into money savings and conservation.”
This stack recovers heat from the boiler stack previously lost into the atmosphere returning this energy to the process heating loop. Secondly, new equipment was installed in the compressed air plant. Centrifugal compressors fitted with heat of compression (adsorption) dryers. This drying technology utilizes the thermal energy waste from the air compressors to power an adsorption dryer.
“When you look around at this historic campus, making improvements is no small feat, Miller Brewery Plant Manager Brad Long said. “We’ve achieved it through a couple of ways. One, through good goals. But two, our employee engagement. Our employees make it happen. They’re the ones that make these ideas come to life, make sure they are sustainable.”
Since 2017, Miller Brewery has participated in Focus on Energy's Strategic Management Program (SEM). The brewery has invested in a comprehensive network of energy submetering so they can better understand how their site consumes energy and verify the impact of production changes and implementation of energy conservation projects.
“This valley truly deserves the best and Molson Coors is the best,” Wisconsin State Senator LaTonya Johnson said. “They are an anchor for this community, an anchor for the city of Milwaukee. We are just so honored to have them here and this award proves without a shadow of a doubt that they are doing the responsible thing to the fullest.”


text:
Tom Allen Memorial Butterfly House
The butterfly house at Rotary Park has been donated to the park by the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife. The house makes it possible for native butterflies to be protected from predators as they transform from egg to beautiful butterfly. All four stages of their life cycle can be viewed in the butterfly house. It is not meant to be a zoo, however, and butterflies are released into the surrounding gardens as soon as eggs are laid and caterpillars are plentiful.
Not only are butterflies enjoyable to watch, they are an important part of the ecosystem. As they visit each flower looking for nectar, they pollinate them. They are part of the food chain because that is nature’s way. Because they are delicate creatures, they are often the first sign of problems in their environment. Fortunately, people love butterflies and are willing to work to save them. By doing so, other creatures in that habitat are also saved, which makes butterflies nature’s good will ambassadors.
Volunteers from Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife built the butterfly house and dedicated it to well known botanist Tom Allen with supplies donated by Home Depot. Many others have volunteered their time, plants, pots and other supplies; including Parks and Recreation, friends and neighbors of Rotary Park. Cape Coral’s Special Populations help maintain the gardens surrounding the house. The North American Butterfly Association has donated money to help maintain the butterfly house. In 2013, the house was expanded to its current size and a new aluminum structure was installed by Fabri-Tech a local pool cage installer.
The butterfly house is open for free tours on Monday, Friday, and Saturday at 10:30 AM. Knowledgeable volunteers are there to talk about our butterflies and help educate anyone who wishes to bring butterflies to their own yard and neighborhood.
For a virtual tour of Rotary Park and the Butterfly Garden, Click [HERE]
(Submitted by Kai Schulz)
To see photos of some of the Butterflies that can be seen in Cape Coral, click [Here]
To establish a butterfly garden in your own back yard visit the
and to learn what butterflies are found in Southwest Florida, visit the NABA local chapter

domain: biology


text:
Paccar Parts recently recognized dealers for exceptional parts performance at the Kenworth and Peterbilt annual dealer meetings.
Awards were presented for parts and service excellence and top TRP performance. These dealers achieved exceptional growth in parts business, outstanding rates of customer satisfaction, and illustrated expert knowledge and utilization of Paccar Parts technologies.
“Paccar Parts is thrilled to honor these dedicated dealerships,” said Laura Bloch, Paccar Parts general manager and Paccar vice president. “Their hard work has played a vital role in parts growth, service expansion, and customers achieving their business goals.”
She adds, “These dealers demonstrated tremendous overall growth and fleet support on top of providing excellent customer service.”
The 2022 Kenworth Parts and Service Dealer of the Year award was presented to CIT Trucks for the second year in a row. Not only did CIT once again demonstrate tremendous parts growth, but it also increased customer usage of the Online Parts Counter, reported significant expansion of the Paccar Parts’ Fleet Services Program, and reported a high percentage of PremierCare Gold-certified dealer locations.
The 2022 Peterbilt Parts Dealer of the Year was awarded to Peterbilt of Atlanta for the second year in a row. This dealer group once again reported excellent purchase, retail and TRP growth, as well as high call center satisfaction and fleet sales expansion. Peterbilt of Atlanta has demonstrated excellent e-commerce growth and volume along with an increase in the utilization of Paccar Parts’ Fleet Service program.
[RELATED: Kenworth announces 2022 dealer of the year]
The 2022 TRP All-Makes Dealer of the Year was awarded to Palmer Group for Kenworth and JX Truck Center for Peterbilt. Featuring two TRP stores, Palmer Group elevated TRP brand purchases and achieved exceptional e-commerce and Fleet Services sales growth. JX Truck Center dealer reported excellent call center satisfaction rates and strong TRP purchase and retail numbers.
In its debut year, the new e-commerce Dealer of the Year award was earned by The Larson Group, which also nabbed the top Peterbilt dealer award. Paccar Parts says the dealership advanced the Paccar Parts business by investing in new technologies, such as the Fleet Services program and the e-commerce platform
“Paccar Parts and Kenworth dealerships are united in our goal of achieving world-class parts availability and providing the highest level of service to keep customers on the road and profitable,” says Mark Santschi, Paccar Parts senior director of marketing. “Paccar Parts’ solid partnerships with the Peterbilt dealer network have resulted in exceptional growth and the ability to offer solutions that consistently exceed customer expectations.”

domain: economics


non ticking mattress
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PSA: Nov. 2 street closings
Due to a sewer repair project, the following streets will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017 from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m:
Park Street from 1st Street to 2nd Street
Park Street from 1st Street to West 2nd Street
The center two lanes of 1st Street from Paul Street to Park Street
Local traffic will be able to access their driveways.
Please contact City Hall at 515-465-2481 if you have any questions.


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PERTH SYMPHONIC CHORUS
JOIN the Perth Symphonic Chorus at the Perth Concert Hall for the Carnivale Spectacular, a rollicking afternoon of Latin rhythms, dance and song.
Under the direction of music director Margaret Pride, the chorus will be joined by a live band, vocal soloists and dancers.
The concert is in support of HeartKids, an organisation that assists families with children suffering from heart disease.
People have the opportunity to sing in the concert with no audition required.
The concert will be held at Perth Concert Hall on Saturday, February 4, from 3-5pm.
For singer bookings, visit www.trybooking.com/nzio and for audience bookings call 9231 9999 or visit perthconcerthall.com.au or ticketmaster.com.au.
For more information, email email@example.com or visit www.perthsymphonicchorus.com.au.


Berkner is Teacher of the Year
Each year at the start of the school year the Sleepy Eye Education Association announces their choice for Teacher of the Year. For many years SEEA President Mindy Berkner made the presentation. This year was different for two reasons. Berkner has passed the President torch to Kate Nelson, and this year Berkner is the Teacher of the Year. Berkner's years of teaching at Sleepy Eye High School and her dedication as SEEA President and as an excellent teacher were all mentioned when the awards was presented at the first teacher workshop day, Monday, Aug. 16.
Her nominator included these words: "Mindy's unending dedication to teaching makes her the best candidate for this award. She has touched the lives of countless students, teachers, administrators, EA union works, and more. Mindy offers the kind of teaching, support, and guidance that anyone would consider a successful career as a teacher. She deserves to be the teacher of the year, because she has been this many years over. I have been nothing but impressed with her quality of teaching and dedication she has for her career."


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Janelle Monáe and posthumanism – the cyborg.
American artist Janelle Monáe has been in the music scene for a relatively short time despite already carving out a niche for herself. Monáe already has her own team of creatives surrounding her in The Wondaland Arts Society based in Atlanta, and it was in 2007 when she released her first EP Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase).
Monáe introduced to us her own blend of futurism and created a universe in which she explores it, through a character and alter-ego named Cindi Mayweather, a cyborg in a dystopian future who represents the ‘new other’.
Inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Monáe literally dreamed about Cindi Mayweather after watching the film. Her love for science-fiction inspired her to continue to expand on the Cindi Mayweather universe with her début album titled Archandroid (released in 2010) and her latest album The Electric Lady (released in 2013) all in the perspective of the protagonist.
All of Monae’s work attempts to explore human identity by placing human civilization in the future. Understanding human interactions of race, sexuality, class and gender through the contemplations of a ‘female’ cyborg and in a future, that is in some ways not yet reached, is intriguing and thought-provoking.
With no past to speak of, as a cyborg who was created by man, Cindi Mayweather calls into question our modern ideas of self-identity; identity as image, where the ‘self’ is replaced by ‘identity’, and identity as a ‘collage of cultural scraps’. Identity becomes ‘cyborg-like’ – nomadic, a hybrid.
“I’m a cybergirl without a face a heart or a mind,
(a product of the man, I’m a product of the man),
I’m a saviour without a race (without a face).”
Janelle Monáe on ‘Violet Stars Happy Hunting’, from her debut EP ‘The Chase’
Monáe places the narrated future in an amoral light, a fear that posthumanism brings to many people. How do we maintain liberal-human values when the human advances through technology and science; and will this maintenance of human values be at the risk of creating new class divides? The human versus the cyborg is presented as the new class divide in Monáe’s universe with storylines such as Cindi Mayweather falling in love with a human and being hunted down because of its forbidden nature.
The rejection of the cyborg could be seen as another type of human modernist need to hold on to grand narratives. The cyborg is created by humans but rejected at the same time to maintain human superiority. This paradox is a great example of modernism’s grand narratives that continue to reassert themselves into postmodernist culture; Man as God.
Some could argue that human identity itself is a grand narrative, as in Baudrillard’s words, the fake becomes real. Our 21st century lives are already controlled by technology; the simulation of our lives online through Facebook to more obvious examples such as Second Life. Identity is fluid and cannot be defined by our reality, simulacra thwarts our ideas of representation and true historical knowledge.
Cindi Mayweather is the representation of the fears and intrigues of an exaggerated posthumanism. How civilization will cope with fast-paced technological progress whilst coming to grips with an identity, is a life-long struggle. (Bionic technology has already enhanced the lives of many humans from robotic limbs to electronic eyes). Monáe proposes no solution in her concepts but encourages empowerment and belief in equality. These forms of encouragement are meant to be transferable to present-day too, where racism and sexism is still highly prevalent. Humanity has a way to go until a cyborg-based world. But when the cyborgs do arise, and when bionic technology becomes more of the norm in prolonging human life, where does human identity sit?
Calvert, J. (2010). Janelle Monáe: A New Pioneer Of Afrofuturism . Available: http://thequietus.com/articles/04889-janelle-mon-e-the-archandroid-afrofuturism. Last accessed 10th Jan 2014.
Pareles, J. (2013). ‘What Would the Electric Lady Think?’. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/arts/music/janelle-monae-taps-her-inner-cyborg-on-the-electric-lady.html?_r=1&. Last accessed 10th Jan 2014.
Ward, G (2010). Understand Postmodernism. 3rd ed. London: Teach Yourself.


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Al-Qaeda gunmen on Monday launched spectacular attacks on two army posts in south Yemen, killing at least 22 soldiers, to avenge the death of a top militant in an air raid, a military official said.
Jihadists attacked the military posts outside the city of Zinjibar, which they have controlled since May last year, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Four officers were among those killed, he said.
The attacks came after Yemeni Al-Qaeda leader Fahd al-Quso, who was wanted in connection with the deadly 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, was killed in an air strike in eastern Yemen on Sunday.
“They attacked our positions in retaliation for the killing of Fahd al-Quso,” said a military official, adding that a total of 22 soldiers were killed in the attack.
He said the army had been anticipating Al-Qaeda retaliation for the killing of Quso, saying that an alert was sent out to all units to expect an attack by the “enemy” following Sunday’s air raid.
Some 25 other soldiers have not been accounted for, the military official said, adding that dozens of militants took part in the attack, some of whom arrived by sea.
A medic in Aden said that 11 soldiers were also wounded.
Another medic in the neighbouring town of Jaar, which is also controlled by Al-Qaeda, said 16 militants were killed in the gunfights around Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province, and their bodies were evacuated to Jaar.
Witnesses in Jaar said that Al-Qaeda fighters who returned from the raid paraded some 35 captured soldiers, while they brandished Al-Qaeda black flags and chanted “Allah is greatest.”
The October 2000 attack on US Navy destroyer the USS Cole in Yemen’s port of Aden killed 17 sailors and wounded 40 more.
Quso was killed when two missiles hit near his home in Rafadh, east of Ataq, the provincial capital of Shabwa province, a tribal chief said, adding that two of the suspect’s bodyguards were also killed in the raid.
Quso’s name figured on an FBI list of most wanted terrorists, along with a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.
Several military officials in Sanaa told AFP that air strikes like the one that targeted Quso are launched by US aircraft and coordinated by President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, and military and intelligence leaders.
Hadi, who succeeded veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh after he stepped down following a year of protests, has vowed since his election in February to intensify the war against Al-Qaeda.
“The war against terrorists has not started yet, and will not be over before we purge every province and village so that the displaced can return home peacefully,” Hadi warned last week.
The jihadists, who have renamed themselves the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law), control parts of southern and eastern Yemen where Sanaa’s authority is weak.
In another part of the restive Abyan province, Al-Qaeda fighters attacked the town of Loder during the night from three sides and clashed with troops and gunmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, an anti-Qaeda militia.
Four armed locals were wounded, a member of the committees said on Monday.
Al-Qaeda seized Loder, 150 kilometres (96 miles) northeast of Zinjibar, in August 2010, but the army eventually drove it out.

domain: news


THE EDITOR: Several days ago, I posted on my Facebook page the following note: “Quite honestly I do not consider the jokes about Minister Marlene McDonald to be funny.”
What followed was a steady flow of private messages from Facebook acquaintances, some of whom I had never interacted with before.
Some of them expressed surprise and perhaps shock at what they perceived to be an open display of affection towards the PNM by a UNC voice and an apparent show of sympathy for a bungling, fumbling and tumbling Government.
Others felt I was being overly generous to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who after four years still cannot get his Cabinet right.
And coming on the heels of my resignation from the Senate a couple months ago, others interpreted it as an act aimed at rejuvenating the aspirations of the “long awaited” and slumbering third political party.
None of those comments warranted response there and certainly not here.
But out of curiosity, I questioned what was wrong or offensive about my post. And all that I got was, “They used to laugh at we, they laugh at Kamla (Persad-Bissessar), Anand (Ramlogan) and Gerald (Ramdeen), so we must laugh at them.”
It was then that I came to the realisation that the civilised war that politics should be was not, in this land of pan, tassa and pelau. I wondered whether it was right to ridicule McDonald simply because she and others in the PNM were consummately adept at pouring political scorn upon a political ideology that I believe in.
I didn’t have to wonder for long however. I merely could not support the humiliation of McDonald through social media memes or otherwise, most of which sought to make a mockery of her physical appearance.
It was not within my political style to condone the contempt being heaped on the former minister simply because they did it to Persad-Bissessar.
We have an appetite in TT to promote derision and hate, a hunger to trust the political dagger into the opponent until there is a final breath and a proclivity to reach for the political jugular to bleed the opponent at all cost.
I am not being an advocate of “nice boy politics,” but surely we can speak the truth and be respectful at the same time. Political picong should never be replaced with political assassination. Power may corrupt but it should not be able to destroy absolutely our compassion.
When we laugh at McDonald we must question whether we are really laughing at ourselves, laughing at our children and laughing at our legacy.
Let it not be said that this matter is not cause for national concern. Surely it is. In fact, there is perhaps sufficient political justification here to force public opinion in a particular way and to urge Rowley to call an early election and to seek a fresh mandate.
Indeed, Rowley had on numerous occasions called for fresh elections when then PM Persad-Bissessar had exercised her prerogative to fire ministers under the PP government.
The UNC can now call on Rowley to explain his apparent inconsistency. The UNC can now call on Rowley to explain the political paradox that he appears to be. How that call is strategically made is entirely a matter for Persad-Bissessar and the UNC.
But in the meantime, winning political hearts should certainly not involve destroying human souls.


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I recently graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Besides a diploma, I will also be leaving UCSD with about $67,000 in student loan debt. That is not including interest.
Tuition and housing for a single year at UCSD cost about $30,000, conservatively. I attended community college for 2 years and lived at home in order to save money. Sadly, I do not qualify for financial aid and my parents are unable to pay for my collegiate education, meaning I had to find a way to fund my education. The loans I took out are from private banks, not the federal government which means two things: 1) I have a significantly higher interest rate, and 2) in the current Biden plan, my student loan debt would not be canceled.
Unfortunately, I am not an anomaly in the United States. The U.S. student debt has hit $1.67 trillion at the start of 2020 and will only increase.
The diagnosis of how student loans became classified as a crisis leads directly to the Great Recession. Most states during the recession made massive spending cuts to public universities, which in return caused the universities to raise tuition. Today, tuition continues to rise and state funding has not returned to its pre-recession numbers.
President Joe Biden campaigned on the promise of “canceling student debt”, however, he has no clear plans in place to cancel debt on a large scale. Biden has made statements calling on Congress to pass legislation and that he would be happy to sign legislation that offered relief.
I am in favor of any student loan cancelation but unless you address the source of the problem, no matter the amount you “forgive”, it won’t protect future freshmen from having to take out student loans to fund their schooling.
The obvious answer to the student loan crisis is: legislators need to return funding to public universities to its pre-recession numbers and adjust it for inflation. A step in the right direction would be to increase funding for community colleges and increase the number of grants from the federal government such as Pell Grants. However, this also needs to go hand and hand with universities lowering tuition prices.
Unfortunately, this seems like a lofty goal. With an increasingly polarized Congress, actually impactful legislation seems out of reach. Highlighting this struggle is a Twitter profile aptly named “Has Joe Biden Canceled Student Debt Yet?” where every day since the inauguration of President Biden they tweet out the simple word “no.” Today, similar to the day before, they tweeted out the word “no.”
Posted By Delaney Rogers
Posted Apr 12th, 2021