Engaging the Public
This is not a time for tinkering - it is a time for transformation.
Secretary-General Ban in remarks to high-level segment of the UN climate change conference, Lima, Peru, 09 Dec '14
- UN capacities ‘pushed to the limit’ in 2014, Ban says in year-end wrap-up
- Ebola: UN Secretary-General will visit West Africa to ‘show solidarity with those affected’
- Ban Ki-moon hails decision by US, Cuba to normalize relations
- Cooperation with Africa must occur at earliest signs of crisis, Ban tells Security Council


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Members: Emma Bunton, Mel B, and Geri Horner. Former Members: Victoria Beckham and Melanie C.
Ranked #75 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
The Spice Girls toured as a quintet for the last time in 2007. They cut the reunion tour short in 2008 due to family commitments. This was the first tour to feature the return of Geri Halliwell after she quit The Spice Girls in 1998. This would be the last tour to feature Victoria Beckham and Mel C.
Their costumes for Spice Girls World Tour were designed by Roberto Cavalli. (2007).
All five girls have Spice nicknames: Victoria Beckham is Posh Spice Mel B is Scary Spice Emma Bunton is Baby Spice Melanie C is Sporty Spice Geri Horner is Ginger Spice.
They were originally going to call themselves the Spicy Girls, until they discovered the existence of a pornographic website of the same name.
In 2012 The Spice Girls performed at the closing ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics. This would be the last time they'd perform as a quintet. This was the last Spice Girls concert to feature Victoria Beckham and Mel C.
In 2016 Emma Bunton, Mel B, and Geri Halliwell reunited as The Spice Girls for the 20th anniversary of "Wannabe" and they're working on new music. Former Spice Girls members Victoria Beckham and Mel C opted to not take part in the reunion to focus on their own careers.
In 2000 The Spice Girls released "Forever". This was the only time they released music as a quartet. They took a hiatus in 2000 after touring as a quartet to take on their solo careers.
In 1998 Geri Halliwell left The Spice Girls due to depression and differences with the band. The Spice Girls continued on as a quartet until 2000. In an interview they said they thought she had gastroenteritis.
In November 2016, The Spice Girls released their new song "Song For Her" on YouTube. This was the first Spice Girls song to not feature Victoria Beckham and Mel C.
Mentioned by Omar Muhammed in an interview.

domain: artistic


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Film Screening: Those Who Come, Will Hear
Curated by Griffin Art Projects’ Adjunct Curator, Dr. Karen Tam, join us for an online streaming of the first of two feature-length films around language.
Those Who Come, Will Hear (2017, dir. Simon Plouffe) proposes a unique meeting with the speakers of several Indigenous and Inuit languages of Quebec. The film starts with the discovery of these unsung tongues through listening to the daily life of those who still speak them today. Buttressed by an exploration and creation of archives, the film allows us to better understand the musicality of these languages and reveals the cultural and human importance of these venerable oral traditions by nourishing a collective reflection on the consequences of their disappearance.

domain: entertainment


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Tiffani Thiessen ‘Overwhelmed for All the Right Reasons’ with Daughter, Children’s Nursery Line
As a new mom to 4-month-old daughter Harper Renn, Tiffani Thiessen has started to adjust to the sleepless nights and never-ending feeding schedule — sort of.
“I’m overwhelmed, but for all the right reasons,” she says. Now if only she could get her baby girl to slow down a little.
“She rolled over really quickly, which kind of scared the crap out of me,” says Thiessen, 36. “She’s already been scooting for a couple of weeks now! I think she’s going to be an early walker, which frightens me.”
Then again, Harper has to keep up with her busy mom: In addition to her role on USA’s White Collar, Thiessen is also launching a new children’s collection, PetitNest, which includes furniture, bedding and wall art.
The actress partnered with HGTV Design Star finalist Lonni Paul to create the collection, which shies away from the traditional baby blue and pink color palettes.
“We wanted our fabrics to be a little more sophisticated and less child-like,” says Paul, herself a mom to 4-year-old twins Jett and Sophie.
Adds Thiessen: “We didn’t want the typical, cliché baby furniture. It was important to us to have a style that appeals to people who are very much into the design world.”
Meanwhile, Harper’s already showing she has clear opinions of her own. “She does not take a bottle,” says the star. “She’s full-on breastfed. She’s all Mommy. It’s challenging for sure, but it’s what’s best for her.”
As for regaining her pre-baby shape, “I was working out with a trainer in New York and trying to do all that, but I’m giving myself a break and not going crazy — because I can’t. I can’t do that,” says Thiessen.
“My priority is her right now — and PetitNest! I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’ve still got a little bit more to go, but I’ll get there. And I’m okay with that.”
— Michelle Tauber

domain: news


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It's good to travel with a buddy.
A buddy who's big and intimidating.
If you're doing this filmmaking thing right, you'll soon find yourself in some peculiar (i.e.: dangerous) situations.
You're going to want that buddy with you, just in case.
Recently I was confronted in the back of a trailer park by an extremely scary individual.
While crouched on the ground trying to film something, I felt a presence behind me.
I turn around a man lurched on a bike, over me, watching me.
"Watchu doin'?" he asked.
My spine was tingling with the instinct to run, but me being the populist I am, gave the guy a moment to speak... until I realized he was whacked out on drugs, was "offering" me his watch and bracelet, and wanted to escort me to the nearest ATM.
Once I noticed where we were, how we were surrounded by empty abandoned trailer homes, way off the road, and nobody was around to help nor hear me scream if anything happened - and that this was really built (like, prison built), had two tattooed tears on his face, and an oddly effeminate way of speaking - this is when I became genuinely terrified.
Something about that combination makes my spidey-senses ring.
So what I'd do?
Luckily, I was raised on the streets of Miami.
My survival instincts kicked in.
"Want to talk to me while we walk?" I said.
Junior, as he told me his name was, seemed confused but I just started to walk anyway, hoping for the best...
...and he rode along on his bike, telling me his story about how he hadn't eaten in a few days, persistent that I give him $15, not caring that I didn't have the money, getting aggressive, paranoid if I was filming him, insisting on taking me an ATM, refusing to take no for an answer.
I delayed the conversation as much as I could until we made it to the edge of the busy intersection (Biscayne Blvd).
I said good luck and he told me he can't eat luck.
He then proceeded to scoff at me, saying he knew I was going to play him like that, calling me this-name and that-name, spat at my feet, then sped away on his bike.
Do I have any proof that this encounter would have ended in a mugging or worse?
No, I don't.
However, the likelihood of something like this happening seemed high, and my gut was telling me to get out of there as quickly as possible.
The point of this story is to show you what kind of things could happen while you're out shooting. Who knows how else this situation could've unfolded.
Even then, I think I learned my lesson.
The next time I step foot into a dangerous situation, I'm bringing a lookout.

domain: literature


The White House: Through the Lens (1×60′) – Exclusive access documentary that follows President Barack Obama’s daily life over four months (October 09 – January 2010, including filming at the Oval office, Marine One and Air Force One. First Lady Michelle Obama will also feature.
Producer: National Geographic Television
TX: November 2010
Source: C21 http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=52319


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By Alma Lasers
We’re really proud of our hair removal lasers, especially the Soprano XLi hair removal laser. No other device delivers high average power while utilizing low fluency and high repetition rate to create a new standard in virtually painless laser hair reduction. This revolutionary 810 nm diode laser also gives practitioners the ability to treat all skin types.
The innovative SHR technology and sweeping delivery method, IN MOTION ™ has been compared to a soothing stone massage. Not every hair removal laser can make this claim. So obviously our pride in this hair removal laser is not unwarranted.
But what do the experts say about the Soprano XLi? What do your peers and colleagues think about the Soprano XLi? How does it stack up when compared to other hair removal lasers?
Dr. Martin Braun, Vancouver Laser Center, Vancouver BC, Canada, said, “I believe SHR is the first innovation in laser hair removal in the past 10 years. We are now able to treat all skin types safely, with less pain.”
Dr. Deborah Manjoney, Wisconsin Vein Center and MediSpa, Pewaukee, WI said, “…My patients tell me it is the only hair removal device that has ever worked for them…” Dr. Manjoney provided some additional information in a video recently. For your convenience, the video is below:

domain: medical


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Taco John’s has new Sauce-A-Lotta Enchiladas filled with chicken or beef and covered in red enchilada sauce, or white queso if that’s your thing. You can get a platter of two enchiladas with beans, rice and salad for $6 for a limited time. Taco John’s posted the deal on its website, and on Facebook.
Boss Burrito or Bowl
Taco John’s has a new Boss Chicken Burrito available for $6 for a limited time. Go low carb with a Boss Bowl version, too.
Come hungry – The Boss Burrito Boss comes with over a pound of cilantro-lime rice, black beans, and your choice of grilled chicken or seasoned beef. Taco John’s proclaimed its new Boss Burrito on its website homepage, and on its Facebook page.
More Fast Food Deals
Looking for other coupons and deals at your favorite fast food spots? Click here for our EatDrinkDeals Fast Food Coupons, Specials and Deals section!
More Restaurant Daily Deals
Daily deals for all days of the week can be found here:
- Monday Daily Deals
- Tuesday Daily Deals
- Wednesday Daily Deals
- Thursday Daily Deals
- Friday Daily Deals
- Saturday Daily Deals
- Sunday Daily Deals
For more daily and weekly restaurant specials like these, see: Restaurant Daily Deals
If you’re an AARP member, you can get every day discounts at Denny’s, McCormick & Schmick’s, Outback and more places. You can find all the details in our story, AARP Dining Discounts.
Also, many restaurant chains such as Bob Evans, Outback Steakhouse, Zoe’s Kitchen and more offer discounts to the active military and veterans. Here’s the EatDrinkDeals roundup, Restaurant Military and Veterans Discounts.

domain: food


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MUFG - Embracing innovation for change
The digital revolution has arrived - and woe to any company that is caught unprepared in its wake.
Financial institutions (FIs) worldwide are testing out cutting-edge technology to better interact with customers and provide more efficient and intuitive services. They are harnessing everything from big data to AI to better understand client behaviour and investing in digitalisation and new technology to make their operations faster, smoother and cheaper.
They have had to innovate quickly or lag behind changing consumer trends such as the rise of online and mobile banking. Worse, they risk being displaced by start-ups specialising in financial technology or “FinTech” and offering products and services traditionally offered by FIs.
First conceived in tech hubs like Silicon Valley but now present everywhere from Europe to China, such start-ups now amount to more than 12,000 worldwide, according to a recent estimate by McKinsey & Company. And such “digital attackers”, according to McKinsey in its global banking annual review in 2015, will pose a real threat, particularly in consumer and retail banking.
As Japan's foremost bank and a global financial leader, MUFG has long been a proponent of innovation; its latest five-year, medium-term business plan launched in 2015 hinged on the importance of evolution and reform in generating long-term, sustainable growth. A key plank of this plan is the deployment of an information and communications technology (ICT) strategy that fully embraces open innovation to deliver superior business solutions and customer service.
MUFG's innovation journey so far
One of the earliest and most notable milestones of MUFG's innovation efforts is Jibun Bank, a joint venture between Japanese telco KDDI and the financial group's banking arm, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU), in 2008, to capture the mobile phone generation. It is now one of the largest and most profitable mobile banks in Japan.
In 2014, MUFG opened its first innovation centre in Silicon Valley in San Francisco. Two years later, an office in New York was set up to incubate ideas and apprise the group of the latest trends. Plans are also underway for another innovation centre in Asia.
In May 2015, MUFG formed a dedicated Digital Innovation Division to spearhead and oversee innovation across the group. Under its auspices, the MUFG Innovation Lab was set up in Tokyo in Jan 2016. It was an autonomous unit tasked with experimenting with FinTech and innovative business solutions.
The demonstration day for the MUFG FinTech Accelerator Programme, wherein participating companies were invited to showcase ideas and new technologies that can drive the banking sector forward.
The financial group also joined the R3 consortium in Sep 2015. R3 is an international partnership comprising 42 major financial institutions aimed at improving financial services through blockchain technology.
Events aimed at engaging start-ups, such as the FinTech Challenge 2015, a “Bring your own Bank” hackathon in 2016 and the MUFG FinTech Accelerator programme in 2016, were organised, the latter of which is an incubation programme for companies with outstanding business ideas and technologies for the financial services sector.
Winning collaborations from the above include working with Zuu Online, an online business information portal to provide financial content on our MUFG website and Finatext, a mobile content development firm that has created a “Fundect” smartphone app that helps beginner investors select investment funds. We have also collaborated with start-ups from the accelerator programme on projects from investment seminars to reward programmes utilising blockchain.
MUFG has been an active proponent of incubation programmes that bring the best and brightest from the tech and start-up communities together to develop innovative business solutions. Pictured here is another one of these digital accelerator sessions held in Tokyo.
You have heard of Siri, but have you met MAI and MAIQ? They are MUFG virtual assistants that are part of a smartphone app dedicated to answering basic service questions.
MUFG's venture capital arm has also invested in promising start-ups such as WealthNavi, a Japanese firm that is developing a smartphone app encouraging Millennials to save and invest their spare change while making digital payments.
And in another first for MUFG, we introduced robots into the workforce with the pilot of the MUFG Nao robot in our branch offices in 2015 to interact with customers.
Other retail applications that we have rolled out include smartphone apps that answer basic service questions (“Mai - Virtual Agent”), is integrated with AI (Line Messenger app) and allows for the opening of customer accounts without stepping into a branch (MUFG Smart Account Opening App).
As for blockchain, the technology underpinning not just the bitcoin virtual currency but most efforts around FinTech, it is being actively tested by MUFG for its potential applications. In USA, we signed an agreement with blockchain startup Chain in 2016 that will see the two working on a Proof-Of-Concept (POC) around the exchange of promissory notes. We also invested in San Francisco-based Coinbase Global in July 2016 to further explore blockchain's financial applications, while in Japan, we are also participating in various blockchain projects to challenge the frontiers of financial infrastructure.
Taking innovation into the heart of Asia: supporting Singapore's Smart Nation aspirations
Our Asian Systems Office team giving the thumbs-up after hosting more than 120 visitors to the MUFG innovation centre at the Singapore FinTech Festival.
Makoto Shibata, Global Head of the Global Innovation Team and Principal Analyst of the Digital Innovation Division, sat with broadcast media to talk about MUFG's FinTech developments in the Asia Pacific and learnings for Singapore as its scales up its digital innovation efforts.
The opening of the Singapore FinTech Festival. The event drew over 11,000 visitors from around the world to explore the latest trends in innovation and digital technology in the financial services sector.
Singapore has long made known its ambitions of becoming a Smart Nation and is now ranked highly alongside cities like London, New York and Silicon Valley for its FinTech aspirations. And just as MUFG has set up offices in the likes of New York and Tokyo to encourage innovation, it is playing an active role in Singapore's digital journey; being the headquarters for our Asia Oceania operations, the country is an ideal location to test out FinTech's commercial applications for MUFG clients in the region.
In Aug 2016, BTMU announced a POC with Hitachi to digitalise cheque issuance in Singapore using blockchain. It is also working with IBM to test out the management of contracts using blockchain and will also be one of eight financial institutions participating in a pilot project using similar technology for interbank payments.
Our record for innovation has certainly been welcomed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which requested us for support to promote Singapore's plans at a FinTech Summit in Tokyo organised by Japan's Financial Services Authority and Nikkei in September. MUFG was also a key sponsor at the inaugural Singapore FinTech Festival in November, where it showcased its latest innovation initiatives to more than 11,000 delegates from around the world.
The bank is also actively involved in initiatives spearheaded by MAS and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) on areas from cyber security to online trade payments.
A rousing finale to the Singapore FinTech Festival, where participants were presented to a Taiko drum performance at the closing party. The traditional performance was sponsored by MUFG.
MUFG - embracing innovation for the future
In an interview with the Financial Times in September, Nobuyuki Hirano, President & Group CEO of MUFG, emphasised the importance of technology and innovation in transforming society and industry. Indeed, MUFG's embrace of innovation and the digital revolution may very well be the game changer that brings it closer to being world's most trusted financial group.
Senior executives from MUFG and Ravi Menon, Managing Director of Monetary Authority of Singapore (third from right) at the Singapore FinTech Festival.
December 28, 2016


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The other day, I was helping a friend move their parent’s stuff out of their 40+ years house. Twelve hours later, it seemed as though we hadn’t even dented their place. The next day, this forced me to reevaluate my own stuff throughout the rooms, closets, and crawl space. What am I holding on to that I don’t use anymore? And why am I still holding on to it? So I began to ruthlessly get rid of clothes, books, and knick-knacks that I don’t use, look at, or need.
Why do we hold on to unneeded stuff? I’m not just talking about physical stuff but emotional and psychological baggage in our lives such as anger, resentment, fear, regret, worry, pride, or jealousy. The consequences of holding on to these will eventually clutter our minds and occupy space in our emotional living room. It’s not easy getting rid of these destructive feelings because we’ve either grown accustomed to it, attached to it, or it’s too much work to get rid of. And we may even justify keeping our feelings. But at some point, we must honestly ask ourselves, ‘Why am I still holding on to this? Is it helpful, useful, or productive?’ If the answer’s no, get rid of it – it’s just weighing you down. For the sake of our wellbeing, peace of mind, and the health of our relationships, we must ruthlessly de-clutter our emotional baggage on a regular basis.
©2015 Susie Lee

domain: psychology


The current COVID-19 situation continues to amplify the difficulties around recruitment, first-year Old Collegians coach Ben van de Camp says.
After two interrupted Warrnambool and District league football seasons, van de Camp said "the unknown" of what lays ahead made potential recruits wary of commitment.
"It's a difficult process, there is a lot of caution in guys at the moment with what is going to happen in 2022," van de Campsaid.
"The last couple weeks probably hasn't helped that situation. Guys are thinking, 'are we going to have a season, is it going to be interrupted again, are we going to get to play finals?'
"The biggest challenge isn't the football side of things; it's building motivation, enthusiasm and a list to complement what we have got."
Old Collegians' retention of existing players went smoothly due to the earlier work of former coach Nick Sheehan and assistant coach Matt Dempsey, as well as club committee members.
With several talented 19 and 20 years old coming through the ranks, van de Camp said key position players, as well as experienced heads were needed to complement the team.
"We had a gap in our list of that 25 to 27 year old mark who maybe have 100 to 150 games of senior football under their belt," he said.
"And while we've got some players who fit that mould, like a Tim Lewis, we probably needed a few more around that bracket.
"There are a few we're close to (signing), we're just working through the finer details."
After a seventh place finish in 2021, van de Camp said the club would look to build into a top three team in the next few seasons.
"Initially our primary focus is to improve our football, and hopefully that starts to equate to wins. Then we'll work from there," he said.
Old Collegians will return to the training track on January 19.
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- Wednesday, March, 2, 2016
Long before the emergence of the United States and Italy as nations, close connections between our two peoples influenced political philosophy, architecture, culture, and more. Over time, these links grew in depth and breadth, friendships emerged, cultures intertwined, and many of these elements touched the nation’s capital, the White House, and the lives of American presidents.
To chronicle this extraordinary story and share newly discovered historical insights about these exceptional connections, the White House Historical Association, together with the Embassy of Italy and the National Italian American Foundation, is organizing a full-day symposium, culinary experience, and cultural event that celebrates a symbiotic relationship that has lasted for well over two centuries.The symposium will be held on March 2, 2016 at the Association’s historic property adjacent to the White House in Lafayette Square. Italy in the White House: A Conversation on Historical Perspectives,the first of a series of internationally themed symposia planned through 2018, will feature remarks by the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, followed by morning and afternoon presentations by experts in the field of U.S.-Italy history. Panelists will trace U.S. origins to classical antiquity and Italian philosophical thought; explore the Italian roots of White House architecture; and illustrate the impact of Italy and Italian culture on life in the Executive Mansion and Washington, D.C. A luncheon will feature culinary offerings inspired by menus from past state dinners for visiting Italian leaders. In addition, there will be an offering of arias and songs previously performed throughout White House history.

domain: history


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Link to an item in the news you’ve been thinking about lately, and write the op-ed you’d like to see published on the topic.
This is the news item: Hospital Death in Ireland Renews Fight Over Abortion http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/world/europe/hospital-death-in-ireland-renews-fight-over-abortion.html?ref=todayspaper
I don’t even know where to begin with this. It doesn’t take a die-hard fan of Grey’s Anatomy to know that if it comes down to a choice between saving the mother’s life or that of the child, the mother takes precedence; unless the mother herself orders the doctors to save her baby’s life at the cost of her own. In cases where both mother and child have an equal chance at life, it is understandable that there would need to be some decision-making about whose life to save first. The maddening thing in this case is that the child, the fetus, was actually in the process of being miscarried even as the doctors told the mother that there was nothing they could do…because there was a heartbeat.
If you ask me, the only ones who managed to avoid termination simply by virtue of having a heartbeat were the doctors themselves.
Aside from the details of this specific story, however, what emerges is the whole idea of absolute moral rules, and blind adherence to them despite the circumstances. As social contracts go, there is nothing more sacred than the rule that “thou shalt not kill”. Assumption being that the object of the killing is another human being. But even for such a rule, we have exceptions. Self defense is one such exception. Temporary insanity another. Are both grossly abused? Absolutely. But in the case of a woman and the life growing inside her, there is no way to fake that. No woman, no matter how smart or ingenious, can pretend that the child inside her is killing her. No doctor, no matter how smart or ingenious, can pretend that the child inside the woman is killing her. Yet, in the face of such glaring life-and-death evidence, to stick blindly to the rule that “This is a Catholic country” – there’s temporary insanity for you. Excuse me if I express the hitherto-misguided belief that it was a “developed” country. When did religion become a free pass for overriding common sense? As the woman’s husband said “How can you let a young woman go to save a baby who will die anyway?” If I may be permitted to rephrase, How can you let your universal humanity go to stick to some man-made notion labeled Catholicism?
Interestingly, even though the Supreme Court of Ireland had previously passed a ruling acknowledging the necessity of abortion in cases where the mother’s life was in danger, corresponding law to that effect had yet to be passed by the Irish government. Their neglect of this issue apparently puts them in a position to even be accused of violating the European Convention of Human Rights. They’ve been sleeping on the issue, that’s the bottom line. And now that a woman is dead as more or less a direct result of this foot-dragging, there’s been a new report on the whole issue. Great. Another report. Exactly what the world needs.
Stop. In the middle of all this word-slinging, there a dead woman. A woman who loved life, who loved kids, and by all appearances was poised for a life of abundance. She is gone and, with her, all possibilities of a future for her widow. In the face of this, all agonizing over what is right or wrong, what is the Catholic thing to do or isn’t, what the government has approved of or hasn’t, seem but hollow screeches.
And is it just me, or does the phrase “This is a Catholic country” – which is what doctors told the woman after she requested the procedure that would save her life – carry a certain undertone, a flavor, that only an immigrant would notice? Perhaps this is not fair. I should not assume that all the health care professionals on the case were white. The woman herself, an East Indian, was a dentist. Not the picture that pops to mind when you think of an Irish dentist, right? So, let’s give the benefit of the doubt to her doctors. Let’s believe that, when they told her they could not perform the abortion until the heartbeat of the fetus had fully stopped, that they truly believed that the delay would not endanger the mother’s life whatsoever. Still, there is a risk involved. And I cannot help but wonder if they would not have been a lot more hesitant to take such a risk – no matter how minute – if the woman had not been the sort to whom they felt they had to explain “This is a Catholic country.”
There is no answer. Only conjecture, and its wiser cousin: silence.

domain: sociology


Sol Stein penned his first story on telegram blanks, stolen from Western Union. “My father took them from Grand Central Station because we couldn’t afford paper in the depths of the Depression,” Stein said. His first poem was then published in a school paper when he was seven. “I wrote my first book when I was thirteen and it was published when I was fifteen,” he said. “When I went to see the publisher, he asked why my father didn’t come himself.”
More than two million copies of Stein’s novels have now been sold. Selected by major book clubs, they’re available in fourteen languages, including Finnish, Dutch, and Greek.
“If you bury yourself in a Sol Stein book while walking,” said The New York Times, “you’ll walk into a wall.”
Stein’s talents extend even further than his own writing, though. He also founded the published housing, Stein & Day, ranked by Writer’s Yearbook as the third best book publisher in 1985. His company published the works of the Shah of Iran, British Prime Minister Edward Heath, Steve Allen, F. Lee Bailey, and Desmond Morris. Another inspiring author published by Stein & Day is Christy Brown, a writer who only had the use of his little toe on his left foot. The award-winning movie, My Left Foot, recounts Brown’s life and his amazing accomplishments.
“If Brown could write, I can’t accept excuses like ‘I don’t have enough time’ or ‘I can’t make enough money writing,’” Stein said. “Those who have sex find time for it. Those who want to write badly enough find time for that, too. If anybody or anything can stop you from writing, you may not be a writer.”
You don’t have to travel the writing trail alone, though. Stein’s book, Stein on Writing, will guide you through the journey. His exercises coax out quality work, earning praise from writers and publishers everywhere. Five-time Pulitzer winner Elia Kazan, for example, had this to say: “My publisher Sol Stein was my producer, and my editor Sol Stein was my director. Sol saw what I didn’t think possible.”
Stein divides his writing guide into seven sections. The first, called “The Essentials,” entices you to plunge right in to construct an inviting first paragraph. Stein gives concrete examples of intriguing hooks and instructive examples of the yawners. He challenges you to “excite the reader’s curiosity, preferably about a character or a relationship.” Review your opening. “Does it convey an interesting personality or an action that we want to know more about? Can you make your first sentence more intriguing by introducing something unusual, something shocking perhaps, or something that will surprise the reader?”
Section Two starts with a chapter titled “Competing with God: Making Fascinating People.” In it, Stein gently but firmly turns you away from the cliched characterizing that lists every physical attribute on a person’s body. Instead, by choosing just the right physical and psychological characteristics, Stein helps you to create lasting characters. His explanation of character markers especially sparkles. “The first job of a novelist is to create memorable characters who are more interesting than many one meets in life,” Stein said. “Build a story around these characters, so readers will want to spend time with them.”
Stein on Writing then moves on to the clashing of swords: the plot. By teasing the conflict out of the rounded characters you’ve already created, Stein helps you to avoid unlikely plots. “Can you make it [the plot] surprising by setting up an action and then showing the opposite of what your reader is likely to expect?”
As Stein points out, “Beginning fiction writers sometimes hobble themselves with made up sounding stories. The way to avoid superficial fiction is the ‘secret photograph’ technique. Imagine a photo you wouldn’t want anyone else to see. The usual response is of a moment or event that means a great deal to you. Because of its latent emotional power, the moment contains a reservoir from which you can pull up valuable material that will impact the emotions of the reader.”
In the book, he suggests subtle ways to create suspense and tension, the marrow of good plotting. He offers a method for causing immediate conflicts, one used by the Playwrights Group of the Actors Studio. Stein jointly created this prestigious group with Tennessee Williams. He also insists on fresh dialogue that “begins or heightens an existing conflict . . . stimulates the reader’s curiosity . . . creates tension . . . or builds to a climax.”
Section Three of the book offers suggestions for both fiction and nonfiction writers. “The first job of a nonfiction writer is to convey information in a way that entertains as well as instructs,” Stein said. “That is why I emphasize the use of fictional techniques to enhance nonfiction.”
The chapter titles in this section sum up the contents well: “Amphetamines for Speeding Up Pace” and “Liposuctioning Flab” are just two of them. Section Four focuses strictly on nonfiction with a thought-provoking chapter called “Guts: The Decisive Ingredient.” The next section, “Literary Values in Fiction and Nonfiction,” emphasizes what Stein called particularity, a “detail that individualizes.” Instead of calling a smile fake, for example, Stein calls the smile an “implant.” Finally, the last two sections of the book provide revision techniques and places to head for additional help.
Stein on Writing is only the latest success in a long list of his professional accomplishments. The author of nine novels and two plays, Stein was also the originator and general editor of an early line of trade paperbacks. He co-founded the Mid-Century Book Society, a successful book club for the educated reader. He served as a consultant for various publishers and lectured on writing at several colleges, earning the Distinguished Instructor Award in 1992. He also created a sales promotion campaign that caused the Coca-Cola Botting Company of New York to run out of bottles for the first time in history.
He has appeared on the Today Show, the Tonight Show, the Larry King Show, the David Frost Program, and major interview shows in New York, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix, Hartford, Boston, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Stein is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, and Who’s Who in Entertainment. He also created an award-winning software program called WritePro that will guide you through the often-treacherous writing process. According to Stein, you can’t get writer’s block when using WritePro.
Steve Bass, president of the Pasadena IBM Users Group said the following in the Pasadena Star-News: “I don’t think I’m exaggerating if I tell you that WritePro is perfect for everyone who has to —or wants to—write. The program is easy to install. It’s automatic and friendly, including step-by-step lessons, each taking you further along the road to making dialogue come alive, creating expressive characters, devising and fleshing out plots, building beginnings that hook the reader and using the computer to do my absolute favorite, ‘flab editing.’ The program’s style is supportive and, with not much brain strain, offers results you can see almost immediately.”
Stein said he believes that instruction by computer is wonderful. “Those programs are designed to pass on the techniques developed by thousands of writers, so newcomers don’t have to lose years of life reinventing the wheel. I cherish letters from writers who attribute getting their first work published as a result of what they learned.” When he edited James Baldwin, Jack Higgins, Elia Kazan, and others, it had to be face to face. “Now,” he said, “through the advent of computers, I can settle in to guide a writer as he writes anywhere in the world.”
Stein believes it is the responsibility of each writer to the best job possible every time. “Top of the head writing and hackwork tends to destroy talent, the most valuable possession a writer has,” he said. “A writer is not responsible for the fate of Bosnia or the world, but writers seem to have had more lasting influence on what each generation passes on to the next than any other profession. That makes each writer, on a small scale, responsible for the culture inherited by our children.”
He is also convinced that books will continue to be a staple in our culture. “We can read them at our own pace any time and anywhere, and there are so many thousands to choose from.”
Stein is still adding to that number. He is writing his tenth novel, White Tribes, using the same characters as in The Magician, his novel that sold more than one million copies.
“I’m also writing a memoir called Passing for Normal,” he said. “And I just finished writing a computer program called WritePro for Business. Many businessmen and women are terrified of writing. Their letters, memos, and reports sound like forms instead of human communication. It’s exciting to see how the business beta testers are responding enthusiastically to a vehicle that enables them to write effective letters.”
Stein has seen many changes in the writing and publishing industries. “Book publishing has changed dramatically in my lifetime from a vocation for people who loved books to a business like the movies or any other business,” he said. “Yet I still meet young editors who thrive on finding and guiding a new work.”
His own daughter Elizabeth is just such an editor at Simon and Schuster. “I’m immensely proud of Elizabeth. She has worked on several fine books recently that have made page one of The New York Times Book Review and national bestseller lists,” said Stein. “Discovering or enhancing the work of talent is still a remarkable vocation.”


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I always love visiting local history attractions when I’m on trips throughout Michigan, but I rarely remember to check out the museums and sites in the metro Detroit area where I live. Sure, I’ve been to the big sites – The Henry Ford, the Detroit Historical Museum, etc., but I’ve never been to most of the smaller local history museums that dot the area. I’m try to remedy that, so last weekend I went to the Royal Oak Historical Society to see their current exhibit, Woodward Memories: Then and Now.
The museum is housed in the old Northwood Fire Station building. I was greeted by a docent who asked me to sign the guest book and explained a little about the current exhibit. The exhibit focuses on Woodward Ave., the main thoroughfare through Royal Oak and one of the five main main roads in Detroit (Woodward, Michigan, Grand River, Gratiot and Jefferson make up the five spokes in the hub-and-spoke design of Detroit laid down by Augustus Woodward in 1805). It passes through the suburb of Royal Oak a few miles north of the city.
The main part of the exhibit is set up geographically, with dotted lines representing Woodward Ave. down the center of the space and display boards set up along side, separated by the cross streets of Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen and Fourteen Mile Roads – along with misfit Normandy Rd. Historical photographs of local business are on the display boards corresponding to where they were located in the town. The docent told me to just cruise down Woodward to check it out. It is a really fun way of organizing and exhibit as it lets visitors feel like they are in the middle of town – literally!
On the outside edges of the exhibit are display cases of artifacts donated by various Royal Oak families and institutions. These dispays are organized thematically, including a case for items from local schools, girl and boy scout displays and one on local churches. This last display includes what I (and many others, according to the article next to it) found to be one of the most fascinating objects in the museum: an unburned cross from a KKK rally in front of the local Catholic Church.
The museum also features a small library, which contains many old yearbooks as well as books about the history of the area.
I really enjoyed this exhibit. It was nice to see learn the history of a community I don’t know that well, even though I live nearby. I really liked the geographical set up because it does an excellent job of connecting the visitor with the physical city. The exhibit would be especially enjoyable for Royal Oak natives, who would be able to appreciate the nostalgia factor better than I was. I’m sure many visitors have looked at pictures of old businesses along Woodward and imagined themselves standing in that same place, 20, 40, or even 60 years ago.
The Woodward Memories exhibit is up until the end of September. The historical society changes the exhibits often, so I’m interested to see what will come next. I’m sure I’ll be visiting again!
Sorry about the poor quality of the photographs – I recently discovered all three of the cameras my family owns are broken, so I am stuck with cell phone pictures until I can get one fixed!

domain: geography


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27 March 2017
Geneva Teams with Phelix Therapeutics and USAMRIID
Phelix Therapeutics is launching a collaboration with The Geneva Foundation and The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) for continued research of a treatment for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) via Phelix’s “novel viral fusion inhibitors for treating SARS/MERS coronaviruses”.
SARS and MERS are coronaviruses that can cause life-threatening gastrointestinal, respiratory, and neurological symptoms. Both have both been labeled as “likely to cause future epidemics” by the World Health Organization. However, there currently are no FDA-approved drugs available for treatment.
Geneva’s support of this program will continue the organization’s work in the field of infectious disease research, one of Geneva’s primary research areas. Geneva remains committed to offering our partners a superior level of service and expertise in our support and management of federally-funded research, conduct of Phase I-IV clinical trials, and event management capabilities.
PHELIX USAMRIID GENEVA PRESS RELEASE 3 27 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

domain: biology


International desk – An attempted missile launch by North Korea on Sunday failed, media reports said quoting officials in the US and South Korean defense.
The attempted launch occurred a day after the regime of Kim Jong Un showed off a bevy of new missiles and launchers at a large-scale military parade on its most important holiday, according to CNN.
A South Korean defense official said the action took place in Sinpo, a port city in eastern North Korea.
That was the site of a ballistic missile test earlier this month in which the projectile fell into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
The North Koreans use Sinpo shipyard for their submarine activity, and US satellites have observed increased activity there in April, a US official said at the time of the previous test.
South Korean and US intelligence officials are trying to determine what type of missile was used Sunday.
North Korea’s actions come as tensions on the Korean Peninsula have spiked to alarming levels.
The US Navy dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson strike group to the region last weekend, and Trump has been tweeting this week that if China can’t rein in North Korea’s nuclear program, the United States will.
The group brought ships that could shoot down missiles that North Korea has been testing.
“I think the (Trump) administration anticipated that a ballistic missile launch would occur, and I have to wonder whether they were prepared to use the ships that are with that carrier group to shoot down that missile” as long as the ships were positioned in the right spots, Bennett said.
The latest development comes as US Vice-President Mike Pence heads to the South Korean capital, Seoul, where he is expected to discuss the best way to deal with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes., according to BBC.
Mike Pence’s long-planned 10-day trip marks his first official visit to the region, where he is expected to reaffirm the US commitment to stand by its regional allies.
Pence is headed to Asia this weekend, with planned stops in Seoul; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Sydney.
Analysts had expected North Korea to conduct a nuclear missile test around the time of his visit, possibly on Saturday as the nation celebrated the 105th birthday of its founder — Kim II Sung, the late grandfather of North Korea’s current leader.
The status of the North Korean underground nuclear test program is unchanged, a senior US defense official told CNN, and a test could come at any time.
The reported failed test comes at a time of year when North Korea has previously tried to launch missiles.
Last year, Pyongyang attempted to launch a Musudan missile on April 15, an auspicious date on which millions celebrate Kim II Sung’s birthday.
That test also failed, as there was “no evidence the missile reached flight,” a US official told CNN.


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The group’s president, Nasser Boladai, says he hopes it can advance the goal of gaining representation for the District.
WASHINGTON – The nation’s capital has joined an international group of territories and separatist organizations whose members say they lack representation on the international stage.
The District of Columbia was deemed eligible for inclusion in the Unrepresented Nations and People’s Organization because its 660,000 residents don’t have representation in Congress. The District’s “Shadow” senator, Paul Strauss, made a presentation to the group at its meeting in Brussels last week.
The organization includes Tibet, Taiwan, Iranian Kurdistan, the Crimean Tatars among other groups that aren’t represented at the United Nations or in other international forums.
The District becomes the only territory from North America in the organization. The group’s president, Nasser Boladai, says he hopes it can advance the goal of gaining representation for the District.


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(Star Tribune) Lawyers filed suit Tuesday morning in St. Paul against a Catholic-run treatment facility that cared for an abusive priest who then was sent to a new parish where he allegedly targeted a 10-year-old boy for years of repeated abuse.
Jeff Anderson, the St. Paul attorney who filed the suit on behalf of “Doe 27,” said it is the first lawsuit under Minnesota’s new Child Victims Act to name St. Luke Institute as a defendant. The facility in Silver Spring, Md., has been a destination for the treatment of Minnesota Catholic monks and priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of children, other sexual misconduct and addiction. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville are also being sued in the case.
Coupled with a separate sexual abuse lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of a victim of another priest, the archdiocese has been sued at least 21 times since the Child Victims Act lifted the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse cases and gave past victims a three-year window to bring previously barred claims.
Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for St. Luke Institute, said she had not seen the lawsuit and had no immediate comment. The archdiocese could not be reached immediately for comment.
Sent to St. Luke in 1984
According to the latest complaint, the Rev. Francis Hoefgen, now 63, admitted to police in Cold Spring, Minn., that he sexually abused a 17-year-old boy while assigned to St. Boniface of Cold Spring in 1983. Then-Abbot Jerome Theisen, who was in charge of monks and priests from St. John’s Abbey, learned of the abuse in March 1984 and directed him to St. Luke’s, where he stayed for about six months.
In July 1985, Hoefgen was jointly assigned by the Benedictine Order at St. John’s and the Archdiocese in St. Paul to serve at St. Boniface in Hastings, which merged with Guardian Angels parish in 1987 to become St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The lawsuit alleges that St. Luke’s, St. John’s Abbey and the archdiocese concealed Hoefgen’s past sexual abuse and failed to warn parents in Hastings even though they were aware that child molesters have a high-rate of recidivism.
Patrick Wall, a former priest who now works in Anderson’s law firm, was assigned to replace Hoefgen in Hastings.
“Fran is the lion, these guys are the lion tamers, and they turned him loose on Hastings,” Wall said at the news conference Tuesday. “That’s the sad part. They knew.”
Hoefgen began abusing 10-year-old boy in the parish in 1989, the suit alleges. The abuse continued through 1992, when the boy turned 13.
“Children, including plaintiff, and their families were not told what the Order, the Archdiocese and St. Luke’s each knew or should have known — that Hoefgen had sexually molested children previously and that Hoefgen was a danger to them,” the lawsuit states.
Like other suits by Anderson, the latest one presses for the archdiocese to release the names of 33 priests in the archdiocese and 17 other clerics at the Abbey who have been credibly accused of sexually molesting children. In 2011 as part of a separate case, St. John’s temporarily released the names of the 17 credibly accused Benedictines, but Tuesday’s lawsuit alleges that the list was later removed from the St. John’s website and is no longer publicly available.
“As a result, children are at risk for being sexually molested,” Anderson wrote in his lawsuit.
Hoefgen’s admitted sexual abuse in Cold Spring was investigated by police, but did not result in criminal charges. It was not immediately clear if the alleged abuse in Hastings was ever reported to police.
Anderson released a document Tuesday showing that a psychiatrist wrote a letter on St. Luke Institute letterhead in March 1984 to the Cold Spring police chief. The psychiatrist and founding president of St. Luke Institute, the Rev. Michael Peterson, apologized for not consulting with police about his “strong recommendation” that Hoefgen immediately leave Minnesota for a psychiatric evaluation. The letter describes St. Luke’s as a facility that deals exclusively with clergy who have “chemical dependency problems as well as other psychological problems.”
“I would also appreciate it if you could inform me as to the status of formal charges against Father Hoefgen,” wrote Peterson, who is now deceased.
Another document released by Anderson shows that St. Cloud area Bishop John F. Kinney made an official visit to St. Luke Institute in May 2003 at the request of Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington. “We found the theological and spiritual principles underlying the programs of St. Luke Institute to be in complete harmony with the teaching of the church,” Kinney wrote.
In a separate lawsuit filed Monday in St. Paul, attorney Patrick Noaker of Minnetonka filed a childhood sexual abuse complaint on behalf of a man who now lives in Colorado. The suit accuses the late Rev. William Marks, who has been implicated in other abuse cases, of abuse that occurred when the man was 10 to 14 years old at St. John’s Catholic Church in Hector, Minn. The child was an altar boy and the priest allegedly abused him before and after mass. Marks was employed by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, along with the Diocese of New Ulm, from 1948 to 1979, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint said the archdiocese had knowledge of Marks’ misconduct but did not act on it.
Read Entire Article… Here
Suit says St. Luke clergy treatment center failed to protect victims
Tony Kennedy and Richard Meryhew
November 19, 2013 – 12:59 PM

domain: law


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30% OFF CLOSING SALE Vintage Moroccan Rug 3.5x11.5 Stunning Antique Boujaad Rug Enthralling Boujad, Pink Peach Rug, tribal rug
Artfully Curated Vintage Moroccan Rugs & Fine Zayania Rugs
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Very stunning antique moroccan rug.
Very thin short pile, such a huge unique vintage statement piece.
Thinner on some areas than other.
what a gem! a very very unique and super rare design pattern that one can never find anymore. not to mention the color palette on this authentic raw gem! gorgeous muted yellows orange and pinks. marvelous statement piece!
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~ Ms Zayania Assya
Our Do Good project: @BarefootFund
Moroccan Rug, Very Old Moroccan Rug, Vintage Azilal Rug.


Opal Lee walked from Fort Worth, Texas, to D.C. for years, advocating for Juneteenth to become a national holiday. She would walk 2.5 miles each day, symbolizing the time it took for the last slaves in the U.S. – in Galveston, Texas — to be freed after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Now Ms. Lee, who is 94, can rest her feet.
Recognized as a holiday in 47 states, Juneteenth this week became the newest federal holiday following a unanimous vote in the Senate and a 415-14 vote in the House. President Biden signed the bill on Thursday, making it official. In 2020, I was at the White House when then-President Trump laid the groundwork for a national Juneteenth holiday, and I am so happy it has finally come to fruition.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when people held as slaves in Texas finally learned the abhorrent practice had ended more than two years previously with the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation freed “all persons held as slaves” in the states that had rebelled against the Union, and Texas was one of them.
Juneteenth needed national recognition because on that day, not only were the captives freed, but the captors were as well. A nation that allows one or more groups of human beings to be held as slaves is a broken land, every citizen impacted by this grotesque practice. Juneteenth marks the day we began to heal.
Was ours a perfect union from that day forward? Obviously not. Racism’s tentacles were long and deep-rooted. My family’s own history is an example of the evil nature of racial hatred, and we are far from alone. Ms. Lee’s family home was destroyed by a mob of White supremacists. Black Americans don’t have to look far to see racism playing out in our everyday lives. As one nation under God, we need to keep working at it. We need to fix the here and now so the future is better.
What we can’t do is fix the past. No amount of statue-tumbling can change the history of our nation or our world. Insisting that schools teach impressionable children about “critical race theory” or “systemic racism” is the best way to make sure we never take a step forward, any of us. Forward is where we should be headed.
These days we like to separate ourselves into groups and proudly proclaim our victimhood. Yes, Blacks were victims of racism, and many still are. Yes, Native Americans were treated horribly. Many immigrant groups that came to our shores faced discrimination. We cannot change that, but we can look at how far we’ve come. A Black president. A Native American Cabinet secretary. Congress made up of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. This is progress, something we should celebrate.
By now everyone who knows me knows I believe there is only one race, the human race. That’s how we have to learn to see each other, as members of the same race, bound by the blood that courses through all of our veins. In this group, we also must see the unborn, whose lives are threatened by our government in ways they have never been before. Legislation currently in Congress would repeal every state and federal law aimed at protecting babies from abortion. I often say that no one is free until the babies in the womb are free.
I hope everyone in the country finds a reason to celebrate Juneteenth this year because it was a turning point for our nation. And let’s pray for a day in our not-too-distant future when babies in the womb can look forward to the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness offered to all Americans.
• Evangelist Alveda King is a pastoral associate of Priests for Life and leads its outreach Civil Rights for the Unborn. A niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., she has authored many books, including “King Rules” and “How Can the Dream Survive if We Murder the Children.” Connect with her at www.Facebook.com/CivilRightsForTheUnbornOfficial.
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The Senate has approved Robert Storch as the first presidentially-appointed inspector general for the National Security Agency.
He previously worked at the Justice Department‘s Office of the Inspector GeneralÂ in positions such as senior counsel to the IG and deputy IG,Â NSA said Dec. 22.
Storch also chaired the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Whistleblower Ombudsman Working Group and helped establish the Whistleblower Ombudsperson program.
His public-sector career has also included time as a federal prosecutor for the Northern District of New York, where he served as deputy criminal chief and counsel to the U.S. Attorney, as well as a DOJ resident legal adviser in Ukraine.
Nextgov reportedÂ that former President Barack Obama first nominated Storch for the NSA IG position in November last year, but the Senate failed to vote on his nomination before the elections took place.
The report said Storch was renominated by President Donald Trump in June.
NSA OIG monitors the agency’s compliance with law, regulation and policy; workforce management practices; and use of public resources.


- 23 Jun
During today’s post I will invite you to a musical (and, unfortunately, virtual) tour of the world. If you ever wondered what the world’s hottest places to experience contemporary music are, then here is your answer.
However, in case you expected Seattle, Ibiza or London, well… think again. Music is the kind of discipline where perpetual innovation and reciprocal influences are the key to success. Following the history of music, we can easily observe how different cities have served as artist playgrounds in different time periods: take Vienna, Liverpool or Seattle for example. For all the music lovers and wannabe musicians out there, here is a short list of the world’s trendiest music capitals:
United Kingdom travel deals
From the times when Manchester and Liverpool were UK’s leading music scenes, things have certainly evolved into some unexpected directions. Its fresh and energetic music scene has determined Bristol to be unofficially declared as Britain’s most musical city. The names of Bristol-based bands that have become more or less famous in the last decades could fill a whole encyclopedia. Among the city’s most famous contemporary bands, we might as well mention Portishead, Massive Attack, Roni Size and Kosheen.
St. Petersburg, Russia
Make it the white nights of June or the impossible long winter nights, just try to imagine how the citizens of St. Petersburg could ever survive in the absence of the city’s thriving cultural life? The answer is: they couldn’t have! St. Petersburg is the historic headquarters of the Russian avantgarde, home to the most creative and talented musicians.
From world renowned composers and orchestras to contemporary alternative bands that fill the city’s historic undergrounds with the most original tunes and riffs, here is the place to explore the best of Russian music. Remember that St Petersburg is also the birthplace of Russian jazz, so you’d better check out Khrapkoff Club, Street Live Club or Neo Jazz club.
As you would probably expect, there is nothing glamorous about the Dublin music scene. Due to the city’s impressive number of bars and pubs, attending a gig can be a very intimate experience. Some popular Dublin based bands are Brilliant Trees, City Folk, Dirty Jazz, The Frames and let us not forget the mega-popular U2.
Toronto’s blend of cultures and ethnicities could have only resulted in a prolific music scene. New indie bands are debuting every day in Toronto’s noisy clubs, not to mention the staggering number of music festivals: Music in the Orchard, Toronto Jazz Festival, Afrofest or the Sunday Serenades.
For those of you who are into experimental music and fusion genres, Tokyo music clubs will be true revelation. Tokyo’s underground music skyrocketed in the last two decades, pushing forward a considerable number of new and original artists. I’m sure that most of you are familiar with J-pop and J-rock, but what about some minimal acoustic, visual kei, psychedelic rock or acid jazz, all in the most authentic Japanese style?
You might also like


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These increases are linked to the failure of many children to vaccinate with the two required doses.
The increase in cases has been steadily increasing since 2017. An immunization rate of 95% in a population is needed and that it be maintained both nationally and regionally to control measles. However, coverage has only reached about 85% for more than ten years for the first dose. That of the second dose increases but barely exceeds 70%.
In 2019, nine countries gathered 73% of cases, often in vulnerable communities. “Unless we really take action quickly in the face of this growing gap in the countries identified as very threatened”, they will face more “epidemics” and “deaths”, explained to the press a responsible for the World Health Organization (WHO).
The number of cases relayed this year seems to be down, but restrictions linked to Covid have disrupted vaccination. Nearly 95 million in 26 countries may not be immunized.
According to the WHO official, the situation is particularly worrying in several African countries, but all regions are affected.
States whose response was already adequate have fared better in the face of the difficulties during the pandemic. “We know how to prevent measles epidemics and deaths,” said WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. According to him, this data must lead to more efforts to support countries and communities for immunizations.


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•Eta swears in Boms as Giadom’s replacement
By Adedayo Akinwale
There seems to be no end in sight in the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the factional acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, has written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise any governorship primary in Edo State.
Giadom, in the letter to INEC dated June 18, 2020, but submitted and acknowledged by the electoral body on Monday, stated that he had not authorised and constituted any committee for the Edo State governorship primary.
In the letter, which was copied to security agencies, Giadom said he had been informed that some persons had perfected the plan to conduct primary polls in Edo State under the purported chairmanship of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.
The letter read: “Reports reaching me is that some persons have perfected to conduct direct gubernatorial primaries for our great party in Edo State next week under the purported chairmanship of Governor Hope Uzodinma on Monday, June 22, 2020.
“Kindly note that as Acting National Chairman of our party, l did not authorize such a committee, neither have l inaugurated one. The earlier announced date for the primaries, that is June 22, 2020 has been postponed. You are therefore advised not to give any support to any such committee or to monitor any such primaries. A new date for the primaries would be communicated to you soonest. We regret the inconvenience this might cause your commission.
“A copy of this letter is being sent to the relevant law enforcement agencies, the Chairman of Edo State APC, Mr. Anslem Ojezua, for their information and necessary actions.”
Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has inaugurated Mr. Worgu Boms as its acting Deputy National Secretary.
Wogu was inaugurated at the national secretariat of the party on Monday by another acting factional National Chairman of the party, Mr. Hilliard Eta.
Boms was nominated from Rivers State to replace Giadom who is equally laying claims to the position of Acting National Chairman.
Administering the oath of office on Boms, Eta said he would carry out all functions of the Deputy National Secretary as provided by the constitution of the party.


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Falling for Rapunzel
Publication Date: December 2003
List Price: $15.99*
* Individual store prices may vary.
Enter your zip code below to find indies closest to you.
When the prince spies Rapunzel high in her tower, he's convinced she is the girl of his dreams. Of course he thinks he can save her the traditional way, but this is no traditional Rapunzel.
She throws down everything but what the princ asks for--including a surprise that makes all his dreams come true.
A hilarious fractured fairy tale with clever page-turns and vibrant, eclectic art that is perfect for funny Valentine's Day story hours.
Lydia Monks lives in Sheffield, England.
Pamela Duncan Edwards is the author of more than twenty books for children. Originally from England, Edwards is a former children s librarian who now lives in Virginia with her husband.
Karen McCombie has written many popular children's books. She lives in London, England.
Lydia Monks has illustrated many poetry and picture books for children. She lives in Sheffield, England.
"From the Trade Paperback edition."

domain: library


How to Do a Tire Rotation at Home
Tire rotation is a crucial part of getting the longest life possible out of your tires, as well as improving your tire traction—something you know is especially important on rainy days in Santa Cruz! Many Watsonville drivers choose to bring their vehicle to a nearby service center, but if you’ve got the right equipment and the desire to learn how to do a tire rotation, you can save money by doing the job yourself at home! If you think you might want to give it a shot, check out this guide from the staff at Santa Cruz Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram for how to rotate tires at home.
Why Tire Rotation is Necessary
All four tires tend to wear differently due to driving habits, your vehicle’s drivetrain, and other factors. Normal driving simply stresses the tires unevenly, too. For example, turning corners causes extra wear on the outer edges of the front tires. In addition, each tire will wear differently on its inside and outside edges. If you leave your tires in the same positions without rotating, your car will have less traction navigating Scotts Valley, and the uneven wear will be exacerbated. As a result, you’ll end up needing to replace the tires much sooner.
How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?
Based on whether your vehicle is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive, you’ll follow a different tire rotation schedule. As always, before setting out to rotate tires at home, we recommend you check your owner’s manual first to learn about any special requirements for your particular make and model.
- Front-Wheel Drive: Rotate FWD tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
- Rear-Wheel Drive: Rotate RWD tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
- All-Wheel Drive: Because all tires are actively engaged, they will wear more quickly. Experts recommend rotating AWD tires every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.
Once again, the question of FWD, RWD or AWD will impact how to do a tire rotation on your vehicle:
- FWD Tires:
- First move the front tires to the back, keeping them in the same left/right positions.
- Then move the rear tires to the front, this time switching their right/left positions.
- RWD Tires: For RWD vehicles, it’s the opposite.
- First move the back tires to the front, keeping their left/right positions.
- Then move the front tires to the rear, switching their left and right positions.
- AWD Tires: Rotate your AWD tires the same way as RWD tires.
How To Perform Your Tire Rotation
- Find a level work surface to rotate your tires safely.
- Engage the parking brake to keep your vehicle stable.
- Raise each corner of the car off the ground with your jack, and place the jack stands one at a time.
- Remove the hubcaps and loosen the lug nuts on all four wheels, but don’t take them all the way off. This step makes it much easier to unscrew the tires when the car is elevated.
- Use four jack stands or wood blocks to elevate the entire vehicle off the ground. Then use your jack to raise each corner of the car, and then install your jack stand. Consult your owner’s manual for the correct placement of the jack.
- Remove the lug nuts from all four tires and roll them to their new locations. Keep track of the lug nuts!
- Place your tires on the studs and hand-tighten them into their new spots.
- To lower the car, raise each corner up with your jack and remove the jack stands one at a time.
- When the car is back on the ground, tighten the lug nuts as much as you can by hand. It’s best to work the lug nuts diagonally from one to another in a star pattern to ensure even tightening. The brake rotor could begin to warp If the lug nuts aren’t tightened evenly.
- Use a torque wrench to finalize tightening lug nuts to spec. For most cars it is somewhere between 80–100 ft/lbs. For trucks, 90–140 ft/lbs.
- Put the hubcaps back on by replacing the lug nuts. Now is a good time to check tire pressure and add some if necessary.
Visit Santa Cruz Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram for Expert Advice on How to Do a Tire Rotation!
If you’d prefer to leave tire rotation in the hands of an expert, or you just want a few tips for getting it done yourself, stop by our Service Department. Our expert mechanics are happy to help you out and answer any questions you have about removing dents or keeping your Dodge Durango or Ram 3500 running perfectly. Get in touch to schedule service, and check out more car care guides on the Santa Cruz Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram blog, like how to reset your tire pressure. We hope to see you soon!


For more than 70 years, Bob Evans Farms has been delivering farm-fresh goodness — delicious, quick-to-table farm-fresh foods that are sold in grocery stores all over the country.
Today, we are proud to be the #1 selling refrigerated dinner sides, including many varieties of mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese. We’re also a leading producer and distributor of over 60 varieties of sausage and bacon products, and egg whites, frozen handheld breakfast items, and other convenience foods.
Our success is built on the basics: high-quality, farm-fresh, quick-to-table food, carefully made to meet the needs of today’s busy families. We do all the washing, peeling, seasoning and cooking, so you can enjoy extra mealtime with your family and spend less prep time in the kitchen.
Bob Evans Farms is constantly improving our sustainability and reducing our environmental impact at our manufacturing facilities, transportation center, and corporate campus. We partner with our suppliers to purchase products that are energy efficient, sustainably manufactured, and environmentally safe
Food Product Initiatives
- We are always reviewing environmentally friendly cartons, packaging materials, and master cases to increase the sustainability of the products (e.g., bio-degradable plastic, compostable packaging/trays, etc.).
- We are reducing packaging size and gauge where possible.
- Inedible organics are sold or donated for further use.
- Ammonia refrigeration compressor systems updated with variable speed drives reducing electric usage by 30%.
- High dispersion evaporative condenser spray nozzles improve ammonia condensation and lower electric usage.
- Direct-fired hot water heating systems drop natural gas usage 22%.
- Lighting systems updated with energy-efficient lights reducing electric usage by 30- 50%.
- Plant systems reuse rinse water.
- Special pallets are used to ship 80% of our products.
- Tractors use Alternative Power Units (APUs) to heat or cool trailers while stopped. These units are diesel-powered and use 80% less fuel than earlier units.
- Reduced tractor rear-end ratios 13% for improved fuel mileage.
- Fleet vehicles equipped with the Flex Fuel option.
Corporate Campus Initiatives
LEED Gold Facility – Key LEED Category Point Awards
- 20 – Energy and Atmosphere – Optimize Energy Performance, On-Site Renewable Energy
- 12 – Sustainable Sites – Low-Emitting/Fuel-Efficient Vehicles, Parking Capacity
- 11 – Indoor Environmental Quality – Daylight, Thermal Comfort, Increased Ventilation
- 8 – Water Efficiency – Water-Use Reduction, Water-Efficient Landscaping
- 6 – Innovation and Design Process – Energy Star Appliances, Green Cleaning
- 5 – Materials and Resources – Recycled Content, Regional Materials
- 4 – Regional Priority Credits
Waste Reduction and Reuse Programs
- Combined Recycling – Glass, Metal, Paper, Plastic
- Food Donations to Local Harvest Program
- Organic Waste Collection for Composting
Bob Evans Farms has always been committed to assuring the responsible care of animals that provide food products for our customers.
- Engage and work closely with three internationally respected animal well-being experts to serve on animal well-being advisory committee.
- Require all suppliers to submit their animal care and welfare policies to Bob Evans and their compliance with our animal care standards on an annual basis.
- Work with internationally renowned expert on animal stockyards to ensure humane handling in our facilities.
Bob Evans, the founder of our company, lived on the Bob Evans Farm in southeastern Ohio for nearly 20 years. He and his wife, Jewell, raised their six children in the large brick farmhouse known as the Homestead. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Homestead was where the Evans family opened The Sausage Shop in their front yard, which later became the first Bob Evans restaurant. The spirit of hospitality is deeply embedded in our company’s history.
Now that Bob Evans Farms product offerings have expanded, so has our network of farms around the country. By integrating wise farming techniques with the latest technology, this vertically integrated system allows us to better serve our customers by providing readily available, top-quality products. Our refrigerated storage allows us to monitor and maintain the freshness of our products so that every one that leaves our facility carries the finest flavor and texture that our customers have come to expect.


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Broadway In Detroit presents:
Christmas Wonderland Holiday Spectacular
Coming to Detroit’s Fisher Theatre December 12-17, 2017 | Tickets Available at BroadwayInDetroit.com
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR is quite simply one of the most delightful and enchanting Christmas shows ever, featuring glittering costumes, a dazzling cast and the highest kicking chorus girls this side of the North Pole.
Start Christmas in style as Santa and his merry helpers take you on an unforgettable nostalgic journey. Holiday favorite songs include: ‘White Christmas,’ ‘Winter Wonderland,’ ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ ‘Chestnuts Roasting,’ ‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Away in a Manger,’ ‘O Come All Ye Faithful,’ ‘Let it Snow,’ ‘Silent Night,’ ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’ ‘Deck The Halls,’ ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ ‘O Holy Night,’ and many more …
CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND is pure holiday magic—with enough fun and festive cheer to power all the Christmas lights in town!
For full show information and tickets, visit BroadwayInDetroit.com


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The first meal I ever cooked for my husband was so awful, I can’t believe we didn’t end up in the emergency room.
I honestly had no idea back then how to combine ingredients, how long to cook them for and worst of all, how much to serve. My lack of enthusiasm for cooking showed through in the final product.
I wasn’t trying to cook the most dismal meal just to get out of having to cook for someone. Honest. It just so happens that my husband enjoys cooking, is good at it and offered to cook from that day on.
Who was I to complain?
It would be another 15 years after that horrid meal, that I would find myself back in the kitchen. But this time, curiously flipping through our many cookbooks.
One day, I actually picked up the courage and made my first, edible meal for the family. And to my surprise, everyone loved it – including me!
From that day on, I discovered my new appreciation for cooking and baking. I don’t know what changed in me. Perhaps I matured. Perhaps I was motivated to learn something new. I don’t know.
Now I enjoy procrastibaking all the time. Not good for my deadlines but a great way to enjoy new recipes.
I marvel at those who can throw a dish together with leftovers. They know which flavours go together and can assemble a beautiful dish from their knowledge of food. I can’t do that. I openly admit it. No matter how many times I’ve cooked the same dish, I still rely on my trusty binder full of my favourite recipes to guide me through to the finished product.
Just because I’m not a recipe developer shouldn’t stop me from creating a Recipes section and share what I love and enjoy – cooking, baking and of course, eating!
So here is a collection of healthy, nutritious recipes from around the web. They are all plant-based and vegan and mostly all soy and gluten-free, require few ingredients and are easy-to-make in as little time as possible but packed with taste and nutrients. Plant-based diets are healthier for your body, the planet and do not harm any animals – the best kind. And if I can make them, you can too!

domain: hobby


- BY MAKES
APR Performance Body Kits
Featured Body Kits Products
APR Performance body kits are exterior accessories that can be installed to upgrade and revitalize a outward look. After years of usage, the exterior components on many vehicles begins to look old and, frankly, ugly. Any damage to a car’s paint or to the exterior components themselves can lower a automobile's value, making the use of body kits is just that much more important. A aerodynamic kits can change a vehicle look newer, without ever replacing any of the mechanics of the ride.
Some astonishing APR Performance bodykits upgrades come with replacements for several highly affected components, bumper covers and side skirts. These are the places of a car that are often damaged from daily driving, but they alone aren’t the only pieces that can be easily replaced. Other custom body parts can be used to upgrade a vehicle’s look, so APR Performance bodykits can sometimes be customized to a car owner’s specific requirement. For an improved look that takes off the old appearance created from years of driving, a high quality bodykits can serve you well.


+ 1-508-393-3495 email@example.com
At Epic Polymer Solutions, our success as a premier provider of extruded fluoropolymer monofilament is based in a culture of quality. Our entire staff is committed to delivering unsurpassed product consistency. To achieve a level of quality that can compete in the global market place requires the utilization of cutting edge manufacturing systems and a robust quality program. In 2018 we became ISO 9001:2015 certified.
Our facility is equipped with advanced high speed non-contact laser gauging systems that allows us to monitor and record every inch of insulated wire and filament we produce. The innovative systems utilize custom software that can measure multiple strands through a single gauge, allowing us to simultaneously chart outside diameter data and provide detailed statistical summary reports.
During the wire coating process, sophisticated sensors are used to collect data on wire as it enters the coating stream and after it’s been coated. With this we can obtain accurate capacitance data that can be logged and charted to quickly identify trends. This capability is augmented by the use of special Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Structural Return Loss (SRL) software, which gives us the ability to quickly troubleshoot and eliminate potential repetitive fluctuations that may cause signal loss in the final cables. In addition, spectrographs of the SRL are recorded live and saved with every spool to preserve the history of the product, verifying repeatability and consistency from spool to spool.
Being committed to quality also means being committed to customer service. To accommodate the unique and ever changing needs of our customers, we operate a fully equipped machine shop and employ a team of highly experienced design engineers. Supported by 3D CAD and flow analysis software, we can develop custom automation, including all programming in-house. With this ability we can quickly modify, retrofit, or build custom equipment and custom tooling for new products or challenging requirements.


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See the Solution Given by FG to Address Incessant Herder/Farmer Conflicts
The Federal Government on Monday flag-off the National Livestock Breed Improvement Programme, (NALBIP), as a move to curtail incessant herder/farmer conflicts and boost food production.
The flag-off of NALBIP was done by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Nanono, in Dawanau, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, Kano State as contained in a statement signed by the Director, Information, Theodore Ogaziechi.
Nanono explained that NALBIP is a comprehensive and sustainable mechanism put in place by his Ministry to address the transformation of the livestock value chain, and will improve the genetic makeup of the indigenous breeds in the livestock industry with a focus on dairy cows towards achieving increased milk and meat production.
He explained that “National Livestock Breed Improvement Programme, NALBIP, will improve the livelihood of the pastoral communities and other livestock farmers and support the Ministry in addressing challenges in the livestock value chain particularly, the incessant herder- crop farmers’ conflict.
“The programme is targeted at the evolution of hybrid filial generations of dairy cows and other livestock with improved productivity potential and in the overall genetic improvement to the national herd.
“At a better time due to threats poised on the nation’s security heightened by frequent conflicts, banditry and cattle rustling with resultant depletion of the national herd, creating fear and loss of sources of livelihood for Nigerians who depend on agriculture for their sustenance.”
READ ALSO: CBN Gives Award to Three Farmers
According to the minister, the programme will facilitate artificial insemination services through training and provision of essential tools and inputs to stakeholders.
He lamented the poor attention including investment in the nation’s livestock industry over the years despite the enormous potential in the industry.
“We have not achieved much to ensure an adequate supply of animal protein, means of livelihood, and increased income. Some of the key challenges like low level of investment, poor animal health services, poor access to market, poor fodder supply and livestock Management practices have continued to prevent the sector from reaching its full potential.
“Inadequate investments due largely to under-funding from public and private sectors, absence of enabling government policies, suboptimal functioning institutional settings and linkages and regulatory gaps have led to our inability to achieve sustainable transformation in the livestock value chains.This administration is poised to systematically address these challenges”, he added.
The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, who was represented by the Kano State Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Hon Murtala Sule Garo, in his goodwill message expressed appreciation for the choice of Kano State for the pilot scheme of the programme, stating that the state has the comparative advantage in terms of its livestock population and vast arable land.
He noted that the Breed improvement programme will upgrade the existing indigenous breeds and increase productivity, the governor assured the Minister that the state government will continue to support the federal government in all its intervention efforts in the state.
This News Post is Sponsored by HYBRID FEEDS FEEDTECH LIMITED
To Sponsor or Advertise through a News Post, contact Ola on 07082418202

domain: politics


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When it comes to sportsbooks, you can find a huge selection of sports events. There are numerous betting opportunities on NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, fantasy sports, and more. Many of these events are particularly popular for those interested in placing wagers. Here are some of the most popular sports in America, and which events will attract the most players and bettors.
Bovada sportsbook is one of the best places to place sports bets online. Its reputation is solid, based on its years of experience in the industry. In addition to offering competitive odds and a secure environment, Bovada offers a variety of payment methods.
DraftKings is a sportsbook with an impressive selection of games. Its menu of sports covers all major leagues, events, and niche sports. There is also an extensive A-Z listing of sports. Most games are offered at competitive odds.
If you’re looking to place sports wagers on a variety of sports, the FanDuel sportsbook may be the perfect choice for you. The sportsbook offers a wide range of betting options, including spreads, totals, props, and more. In addition, it features a cash-out feature, which lets customers cash out their wagers before they’ve been settled. You can also find out whether you’re eligible to cash out any wager by viewing the “My Bets” tab. Unlike other sportsbooks, FanDuel’s odds are consistently low and right at the lowest vig.
When it comes to sports betting, you cannot go wrong with EveryGame. Its website is both mobile and computer-friendly and it has many convenient features. The sign-up process is straightforward. You simply have to provide some basic personal details, including your age, username, and password. You should also have proof of residency to access the site.
PointsBet is one of the most trusted sportsbooks around. They process deposits quickly and send out winnings promptly. Plus, they are available to residents of 11 states and will soon expand to more states as online sports betting becomes more legal.
BetOnline is a reliable sportsbook that offers a number of features that make it a great choice for sports betting. First, the sportsbook protects its customers’ personal information. No one can use the information provided by customers without permission. Another feature that the sportsbook offers is the ability to create multiple accounts using the same internet connection. You can create as many accounts as you like but you can only have two per account.


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HydraX provides regulatory-compliant, enterprise-ready solutions to prepare institutional clients for the future of finance. We seek to bridge the transition to a tokenised capital markets ecosystem by offering asset-agnostic solutions which allow interoperability between traditional and digital assets. Our clients include exchanges, banks, brokerages, and other financial institutions.
We are currently embarking on a significant growth plan to expand our business, and are looking for a Web Developer to join our multinational and multicultural team of developers and stakeholders.
This is an opportunity to join an entrepreneurial team, focused on innovation and growth.
You will be responsible to build performant, scalable, highly available, fault tolerant trading products.

domain: finance


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Enjoy this exclusive essay from Steven S. Drachman, author of The Memoirs of Watt O’Hugh: Books 1 & 2: The Ghosts of Watt O’Hugh & Watt O’Hugh Underground, available now from Chickadee Prince Books.
Special – and equally exclusive – illustration by the author’s daughter, Julianne Chin-Drachman!
For the past few years, I’ve been writing a series of books about a gunslinger named Watt O’Hugh and his quixotic battle against a seemingly beautiful secessionist movement called Sidonia. But beyond the rip-snorting derring do, careful readers will catch an obsession with dragons, and an apparently sincere quasi-scientific insistence that they really existed.
This is the basic argument: All across the globe – in Israel, Asia and Europe – denizens of civilizations with no connection to one another, and thus no shared legends, reported dragon sightings. How could such a thing have happened if dragons weren’t real, a lost link between the dinosaurs and the birds, featherless flying reptiles, full of anger and love?
But there’s more to it than dispassionate science and history.
If dragons existed, then I take my name from an early band of ancestors, fearsome German/Jewish drachenmanner, or dragon-slayers.
But if dragons never existed, then, as my great-grandfather speculated in his autobiography, I take my name from an early bumbler who wandered from Greece to Galicia and tried to spend Greek coin (drachmas) at the local inn, causing much hilarity and an insulting nickname (Drachma-mann) that to this day my family has had to wear like a dunce cap.
I prefer the former theory, although I recognize that the latter is the more likely.
Otherwise – Drachma-mann! – I must hear the thousand-year-old taunts even now.
What the villains in my book – the Sidonian secessionists – offer their followers is mathematical certitude, a warm security blanket that strips of us our sloppy humanity and makes us slaves. We all have delusions about ourselves and the world and the way things should be, and Sidonians use them to trap us.
Is it indeed harmless to believe passionately in lies that make us happy?:
I might win the lottery; global warming is probably nothing; I was put on this planet for a purpose; there could be fairies in the garden; everything happens for a reason; I’m just a cog in the big corporate machine for which I work and therefore blameless for its murders and crimes; what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger; change is good; the boss respects me a lot; there is some sense to Life; there is Hope after all.
Foolish myth-making is a terrible sin, a kind of giving up, refusing to solve our problems and humanity’s problems, but casting loose our foolish myths is beyond human capacity, which is why disasters have befallen us, and why we are doomed.
Therefore, for all sorts of reasons, not least of them my empathy for that Greek man whose genes and social awkwardness I have inherited, who proclaimed himself an outsider when he showed a drachma at a Galician inn, whose first name is forgotten but who became a laughingstock forever, it makes me happy to believe instead that he never existed, and that dragons were real. One story is heroic, the other pathetic. I choose to believe the heroic one.
More about Watt O’Hugh:
The Memoirs of Watt O’Hugh trilogy by Steven S. Drachman is a Western/Science Fiction mash up that will take you on a magical trip through Wild West. The second in the series, WATT O’HUGH UNDERGROUND (May 2014, Chickadee Prince Press), will be released for the first time, along with a reissue of his debut, THE GHOSTS OF WATT O’HUGH, both featuring stunning covers by renowned illustrator Mark Matcho.
WATT O’HUGH UNDERGROUND is a rollicking tale of a man determined to avenge his lost love and do nothing less than rescue the emerging American frontier. His longtime adversaries are the fantastically menacing and mysterious Western settlers whose idea of manifest destiny is nothing less than the destruction of rugged individualism itself. From his first journey across space, time, and the American desert to the train robbery he engineers to save his country from its deadliest enemies, right through his showdown in a dystopian and darkly magical mountain metropolis, Watt O’Hugh is a new kind of American frontiersman. He is humorous but heroic, possessed of an ability to roam Time with ease and confront shape shifters with aplomb, and full of hard won and homespun wisdom as well as the capacity for love, romance, and awe. Even in those pages that follow the exploits of other characters—ranging from a Chinese poet sent to San Francisco on an inexplicable mission by the empress, to J.P. Morgan himself—the voice and spirit of Watt O’Hugh suffuse every word.
Harold Goldberg, author of All Your Base Are Belong to Us says the series is “A triumph of genre bending, a fine, literary mashup of cowboy adventure and science fiction magic.” The Boston Phoenix says “Drachman revives the genre.”
WATT O’HUGH UNDERGROUND is a smart and enjoyable romp where you savor every word and want to return to the first chapter the moment you reach the last page. Steven Drachman has created a unique American hero who will captivate readers of Westerns, lovers of fantasy, and everyone who wants to save the world.
CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW TO SEE THE FULL COVERS!


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Want to join the conversation?
$ACN General Update: With release of latest version of the ACN Mortgage Cadence, ACN has completed enhancements to all of its mortgage lending platforms to provide lenders with the required functionality to lend compliantly with TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule, which now, pending a final rule from the CFPB, goes into effect on Oct. 3, 2015.
$NFLX a monster move, going up. Expect making some money on Monday.
$AMD down more than 6% even after posting above consensus third quarter results.
$MCD stock rose more than 2% after it posted better than expected 3Q16 results, driven by global same-store sales growth. Meanwhile, earnings and revenue were lower than last year, hurt by refranchising efforts.
$RAI has received a $47 billion take over offer from British tobacco giant British American Tobacco! This is huge!


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Pack of 4 Length, 5.5 oz., These natural treats are grown, sun-ripened & harvested in the USA! Naturally good, they can be offered daily & are 100% edible. Free of artificial colors, flavors & preservatives.
Our Brown's Tropical Carnival Mini Corn-on-the-Cob with Husks Foraging Treats are grown, sun-ripened and harvested in the USA! Naturally good, they can be offered daily and are 100% edible. Free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Corn on the cob treats may be eaten directly off the cob and the husk can be used as shredding and nesting material. Alternatively, the ear corn may be popped after removal of husk. An all natural treat you can feel comfortable offering daily. A cage clip is included to place cob inside cage for easy access.

domain: pet


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Nearly 14 million (estimate) people in US are Physically Challenged. California, Texas, Florida & New York states are having more physically challenged people whereas Wyoming has the least (61K). Here is the report on various disbaility indicators and how they spread across United States.
The United States being the biggest economy in the world significantly influences the global economic situation. The US economy is comprehensively covered by data and statistics from multiple government and private sources. We selected the most significant and up-to-date ones and presented them in this cheat sheet.

domain: economics


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Ariana Grande Sings In A Super Funny Sketch On Nikki And Sara Live
OMG love this! Ariana Grande sang during a really funny sketch on “Nikki And Sara Live.” During the scene Ariana sings bad news to employees – even firing someone!
Then at the end Ariana shows off her fabulous vocal skills as she herself “quits.” Too funny!
Ariana got really emotional during an interview about her breakup from Jai Brooks. We hope she feels better soon!

domain: celebrity