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Indiansapidnews.com
Nearly 100 world leaders to speak at UN session on Covid-19
Nearly 100 world leaders and several dozen ministers are slated to speak at the UN General Assembly's special session starting Thursday on the response to Covid-19 and the best path to recovery from the pandemic which has claimed 1.5 million lives, shattered economies, and left tens of millions of people unemployed in countries rich and poor.
Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said when he took the reins of the 193-member world body in September that it would have been better to hold the high-level meeting in June. Nonetheless, he said Wednesday it "provides a historic moment for us to come together to beat Covid-19."
"With news of multiple vaccines on the cusp of approval, and with trillions of dollars flowing into global recovery efforts, the international community has a unique opportunity to do this right," he said. "The world is looking to the UN for leadership. This is a test for multilateralism."
When financial markets collapsed and the world faced its last great crisis in 2008, major powers worked together to restore the global economy, but the Covid-19 pandemic has been striking for the opposite response: no leader, no united action to stop the pandemic that has circled the globe.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to leaders of the Group of 20, the world's richest nations responsible for 80 percent of the global economy ahead of their summit in late March as Covid-19 was starting its killing spree urging that they adopt a "wartime" plan and cooperate on an international response to suppress the coronavirus. But there was no response.
The two-day special session will not be raising money to finance vaccine immunizations or taking any political action, and there will be no final declaration, just a summary document from Bozkir.
"The real point of this special is to galvanize concrete action to approach our response to Covid-19 in a multilateral and collective way," General Assembly spokesman Brenden Varma said Wednesday. He added that there are currently many responses to the pandemic, but what's needed now is to bring together all countries, UN actors, the private sector and vaccine developers.
Leaders and ministers from over 140 countries will deliver pre-recorded speeches on Thursday after an in-person opening in the General Assembly including speeches by Bozkir and Guterres.
Among the leaders slated to address the session are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and European Union chief Charles Michel. The United States will be represented by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
Friday's session will focus on three virtrual panels, the first on the UN's response to Covid-19 and the second on vaccines that will include representatives from producers BioNTech and Oxford University-AstraZeneca, and the World Health Organization's ACT-Accelerator which is working to get vaccines to the world's poorest people. The final panel is on recovery from Covid-19. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to participate in all three panels.
Canada's UN deputy ambassador Louise Blais, who organized the special session with Azerbaijan's Ambassador Yashar Aliev, said it will be the first time that the UN system is bringing key players together to focus on Cpvid-19′s "myriad impacts."
"Countries around the world are facing their own internal impacts, but it's important that the U.N. continue to advocate … that this crisis impacts us all and the solutions are global," she told The Associated Press in an interview. "So, we have to work together in order to ensure that all of us get out of this, because until everyone does, no one is really safe."
Blais said the session is "an important step" and will focus on implementing the three resolutions adopted by the General Assembly on Covid-19, especially the wide-ranging measure approved in September.
The special session "comes at a critical time," Blais noted, "because we now know that there are a number of vaccines that have proven to be effective."
"Now, all eyes are on the critical distribution of vaccines," she said, adding that this is expected to be a key them during the special session and it's one "where the world is expecting us to work together and make sure that we have an equitable distribution of vaccine globally."
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said secretary-general Guterres will be focusing on the need for all countries and people everywhere to have access to vaccines.
"The vaccine needs to be treated as a `global public good' and that will be the basis of the secretary-general's message" on Thursday, Dujarric said.
Posted in WorldTagged covid, General Assembly, un, V
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Stuart Margolin
JanuaryJan 31, 1940
JanuaryJan 31, 1940 (age 79)
First Name Stuart#37
79 Year Old Actor#45
Actor Born in Iowa#46
Played the role of Angel Martin on The Rockford Files and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for the role.
He made his screen debut on the The Gertrude Berg Show, and earned a regular role on Ensign O'Toole.
He became the fourth actor to win an Emmy Award twice for the same role.
His stepson, Max Martini was a popular actor, appearing in the film, Saving Private Ryan and several episodes of the series, 24.
He had a small role in the 2012 film, Arbitrage, starring Richard Gere.
Stuart Margolin Popularity
Stuart Margolin Is A Member Of
TV Actors
First Name Stuart
Stuart Margolin Fans Also Viewed
Actor Trivia Games
More January 31 Birthdays
Josh Richards
January 31 Birthdays
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Marble Blast Gold is an extended edition of the original Marble Blast game. It adds 28 new levels, making a total of 100 levels. Each level now also has gold standard set for the high score, so that the player can test his skills against the gold record. Owners of the original Marble Blast game can choose to buy an upgrade instead of purchasing the whole game again.


Do NOT run Ghost in a production type environment where you need Ghost to be stable. You should 100% assume that at some point in its development everything will blow up and all data will be lost.
This was written for Ghost version 0.2.0. Once Ghost is publicly available this may no longer be valid.
This manifest will setup your server to be ready to run Ghost behind a Nginx proxy and hide the /ghost subdirectory limiting it to only your IP. I decided to run Ghost from the nodejs users home directory (with all the files owned by the nodejs user – this is not managed by Puppet).
PS: Bonus points if you use forever.


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Oct. 12: Alabama 47, Texas A&M 28
Sports // Aggies
Sam Craft/Associated Press
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, left, talks to Alabama head coach Nick Saban before the start of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Alabama defensive back Xavier McKinney (15) waves off a coverage during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Alabama running back Najee Harris (22) is lifted into the air by Alabama offensive lineman Landon Dickerson (69) after scoring a touchdown against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M place kicker Seth Small (47) boots a field goal against Alabama during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) sprints to the end zone for a touchdown after 31 yard catch and run against Texas A&M during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)


text:
Proyecto "Precursor"
¿Qué es un proyecto Anillo?
Investigadores e Instituciones
Archivo de Prensa
Conferencias Precursoras
¿Qué es Interact?
Interact: Investigadores e Instituciones
Mapa de Estaciones
'Wobble' may precede some great earthquakes, study shows
by Laura Arenschield, The Ohio State University. Phys.org
Photograpy: Credit: CC0 Public Domain
The land masses of Japan shifted from east to west to east again in the months before the strongest earthquake in the country's recorded history, a 2011 magnitude-9 earthquake that killed more than 15,500 people, new research shows.
Those movements, what researchers are calling a "wobble," may have the potential to alert seismologists to greater risk of future large subduction-zone earthquakes. These destructive events occur where one of Earth's tectonic plates slides under another one. That underthrusting jams up or binds the earth, until the jam is finally torn or broken and an earthquake results.
The findings were published today (April 30) in the journal Nature.
"What happened in Japan was an enormous but very slow wobble—something never observed before," said Michael Bevis, a co-author of the paper and professor of earth sciences at The Ohio State University.
"But are all giant earthquakes preceded by wobbles of this kind? We don't know because we don't have enough data. This is one more thing to watch for when assessing seismic risk in subduction zones like those in Japan, Sumatra, the Andes and Alaska."
The wobble would have been imperceptible to people standing on the island, Bevis said, moving the equivalent of just a few millimeters per month over a period of five to seven months. But the movement was obvious in data recorded by more than 1,000 GPS stations distributed throughout Japan, in the months leading up to the March 11 Tohoku-oki earthquake.
The research team, which included scientists from Germany, Chile and the United States, analyzed that data and saw a reversing shift in the land—about 4 to 8 millimeters east, then to the west, then back to the east. Those movements were markedly different from the steady and cyclical shifts the Earth's land masses continuously make.
"The world is broken up into plates that are always moving in one way or another," Bevis said. "Movement is not unusual. It's this style of movement that's unusual."
Bevis said the wobble could indicate that in the months before the earthquake, the plate under the Philippine Sea began something called a "slow slip event," a relatively gentle and "silent" underthrusting of two adjacent oceanic plates beneath Japan, that eventually triggered a massive westward and downward lurch that drove the Pacific plate and slab under Japan, generating powerful seismic waves that shook the whole country.
That 2011 earthquake caused widespread damage throughout Japan. It permanently shifted large parts of Japan's main island, Honshu, several meters to the east. It launched tsunami waves more than 40 meters high. More than 450,000 people lost their homes. Several nuclear reactors melted down at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, sending a steady stream of toxic, radioactive materials into the atmosphere and forcing thousands nearby to flee their homes. It was the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Researchers who study earthquakes and plate tectonics try to pinpoint the approximate magnitude of the next large earthquakes and predict where and when they might occur. The "when" is much harder than the "where."
But it won't be possible to use the findings of this study to predict earthquakes in some subduction zones around the world because they don't have the GPS systems needed, said Jonathan Bedford, lead author of this study and a researcher at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences.
In 2011, Japan had one of the largest and most robust GPS monitoring systems in the world. That system provided ample data, and allowed the research team to identify the swing the land mass made in the months leading up to the earthquake.
Other countries, including Chile and Sumatra, which were hit by devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in 2010 and 2004, respectively, had much less-comprehensive systems at the time of those disasters.
The researchers analyzed similar data from the 2010 Chile earthquake, and found evidence of a similar wobble; Bedford said the data was "only just good enough to capture the signal."
"We really need to be monitoring all major subduction zones with high-density GPS networks as soon as possible," he said.
Previous Previous post: Descubren cambio en el movimiento de la superficie terrestre meses antes de terremotos de 2010 y 2011
Next Next post: Does accelerated subduction precede great earthquakes?
Conversaciones Precursoras 29 de septiembre 2021: "Erupciones: algunos precursores sísmicos volcánicos"
Investigadores de Precursor entregan claves para entender la secuencia de sismos en la península de Arauco
Conversaciones Precursoras 22 de septiembre 2021:"Influencia de variaciones reológicas en estimaciones de acoplamiento"
Conversaciones Precursoras 15 de septiembre 2021: "Nueva Institucionalidad Para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres en Chile"
Conversaciones Precursoras de septiembre: "Deformación tsunamigénica del fondo marino por deslizamiento somero en fallas de subducción"


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Rare political protest banners removed in Chinese capital
A police vehicle is parked near a bridge where social media videos earlier appeared to show smoke and protest banners in Beijing on Oct 13, 2022. (Photo: AP/Dake Kang)
13 Oct 2022 07:20PM (Updated: 13 Oct 2022 08:00PM)
BEIJING: Beijing authorities removed rare banners of political protest from an overpass in the Chinese capital, according to images circulated widely on social media on Thursday (Oct 13), just days before the start of a twice-in-a-decade Communist Party congress.
The banners bore several slogans, including a call for President Xi Jinping's ouster and an end to strict COVID-19 policies, according to numerous images and videos circulated on Twitter, which is blocked in China.
Smoke could be seen emanating from the roadway above where the banners were hung in Beijing's northwestern Haidian district, according to the images. Haidian is home to several prestigious universities.
The incident comes at a very sensitive time in the Chinese capital, with authorities on high alert in the run-up to the 20th congress of the ruling Communist Party, where Xi is expected to secure a third leadership term.
"Let us strike from schools and from work and remove the dictatorial traitor Xi Jinping," one of the slogans read.
It is highly unusual for Xi to be specifically named in protests in China, where residents use euphemisms and oblique phrasing and images in efforts to evade censorship.
"We don't want COVID-19 tests, we want to eat; we don't want lockdowns, we want to be free," another message on the red-lettered banners read.
China's zero-COVID policy, which has led to frequent lockdowns and caused heavy economic damage, has fuelled widespread frustration in Chinese cities.
Scorched pavement is seen on the side of a highway overpass near the site where social media videos earlier appeared to show smoke and protest banners in Beijing on Oct 13, 2022. (Photo: AP/Ng Han Guan)
POLICE PRESENCE
There was a noticeable police presence in the area on Thursday evening, with several police cars and officers standing watch at the thoroughfare where the banners had been hung. There were no traces of the banners or of fire.
Beijing police and the municipal government did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent to their official WeChat accounts.
Search terms related to the pictures and the protest topic yielded no results on China's heavily censored internet, although multiple indirect references could be found.
"There was a brave person in Beijing today," one user wrote, adding several thumbs up and roses of support.
Others showed support on the WeChat app by sharing links to a formerly little-known song called "Sitong Bridge" - the name of the Haidian bridge - by an artist called Biuya.
By early evening, the song was censored on various Chinese music apps.
Hu Xijin, the former editor of China's nationalistic Global Times tabloid and a high-profile commentator, tweeted on Thursday: "China is currently stable, especially its capital Beijing ... In Beijing there is no public dissatisfaction caused by epidemic control as in some other remote places in China."
Commentary: Xi Jinping has pursued national security and stability over growth – and it shows
When Chinese protesters came up against Xi's security machine
Source: Reuters/rj
China protest Xi Jinping Chinese Communist Party


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Q: Pagination on static Posts page I'm having an issue with pagination on the static blog page. Under Settings > Reading, "Posts page" is set to a static page. "Blog pages show at most" is set to 10 posts. The first ten posts show up fine, but the pagination doesn't work (returns a 404 for "Previous posts"-link).
I've searched for an answer to this problem, it seems to be fairly common and even mentioned in the WP Codex, although for static Front Page (as opposed to statics Posts page)(http://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Pagination_Parameters). However all the solutions (involving modyfying/filtering the default query) haven't been working for me, e.g:
$paged = (get_query_var('page')) ? get_query_var('page') : 1;
$args = array('post_type'=>'post','posts_per_page'=>10,'paged'=>$paged);
query_posts($args);

OR
function qm_blog_pagination( $query ) {
    if ( $query->is_home() && $query->is_main_query() ) {
        $paged = (get_query_var('page')) ? get_query_var('page') : 1;
        $query->set( 'paged', $paged );
    }
}
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'qm_blog_pagination' );

Any ideas? Would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Pim

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Toilet Signs Give The Scoop On Pee And Poop
By Melody Schreiber
World Toilet Day — that's today, Nov. 19 — is no joke. (Although clearly the German toilets pictured above have a sense of humor.)
This day in honor of the loo was created by Jack Sim, a Singapore entrepreneur who founded the in 2001. In 2013, it was declared an official U.N. day. The aim is to raise awareness about the need for more toilets. And there's a lot of need.
According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people "still do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines." That's 300 million fewer people than last year, but it still works out to about 1 in 4 people without any kind of toilet at all.
The U.N. is calling for "adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all" by the year 2030.
Martin Child / Getty Images
Toilet sign in Kyoto, Japan.
But just because you have a toilet doesn't mean that all is well.
Toilets can be a bit confusing for some folks. Perhaps you're used to a squat toilet, which usually involves planting your feet on either side and hovering over a toilet bowl that's set in to the ground. Or peeing into a drain or hole in the ground.
So you might not understand the ins and outs of a white porcelain throne with a built-in flusher.
That's where toilet signs come in.
The images may seem unusual to some — um, why is that guy standing on the toilet lid to do his business?
/ Caitlin Farley
Caitlin Farley
Caitlin Farley submitted this photo of a sign from Iceland after a toilet sign callout from NPR. Farley is a medical anthropologist who did her research in Indonesia, where standing over a squat toilet is common. "So I found this sign inside the toilet stall at the Strokkur Geysir in Iceland really interesting," Farley says.
But the signs perform an important function, says Hope Randall, a communications officer at PATH, a nonprofit focused on global health, including water and sanitation.
Signs can help communicate healthy and safe hygiene practices, she says.
"We need to break the poo taboo," Randall says. "Poop is not a sexy topic, so it's an inherent communications challenge."
So what is the best kind of sign to communicate how to use toilets?
"There can't really be one answer," Randall says. "Just like toilets, there's no one-size-fits-all message to motivate people to change behavior."
Doug Lansky has seen many such signs. He's the author of Signspotting, a series of books on funny warning and advice signs. Toilets are an especially popular topic.
Signs often encourage sitting instead of squatting, Lansky has found. But both he and Randall point out that research has indicated that our intestines may function better in a squatting position.
"Plus, it's more hygienic to squat," Lansky says. "Squatters think it's gross that we put our butts on the same seat that other people put their butts on."
Yokohama Sky Building wins for most interesting toilet manner sign pic.twitter.com/sjhteATyhR
— Pippa😷🧼🤲🏻 (@703pippa) November 9, 2019
Some signs advise against the practice of open defecation. According to UNICEF, the phrase refers to "the practice whereby people go out in fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water or other open spaces rather than using the toilet to defecate." This type of toileting puts people at risk of disease from the germs in human feces.
Marc Silver / NPR
A reminder in a Kenyan village that the bush is not a bathroom.
Signs also address the issue of gender — or in the tweet below, illustrate that all genders are welcome.
A changing sign for changing times .The Degenderator is an intervention on toilet signage. https://t.co/7ITLMpcG25 pic.twitter.com/BoDIf0ygH0
— Autodesk Fusion 360 (@adskFusion360) November 12, 2019
And then there are the signs that warn against multitasking with a toilet.
Amusing Thailand / Flickr
Hard to argue with that!
Melody Schreiber ( @m_scribe on Twitter) is a freelance journalist in Washington.
Melody Schreiber


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Moodle Love Letter #1: What's it Good For?
First in a series of love letters to Moodle.
Moodle makes me wanna dance.
Calculated Questions: You can put variables in your questions and Moodle will choose numbers for you, within the parameters you set.
Random Questions: Put a bunch of questions into a category then tell Moodle to choose any number at random.
Student Activity Logs: Little Johnny not spending enough (any?) time on homework and you need to prove it to Mom & Dad?
My school is a 1:1 laptop school. Every kid is issued a computer for use during their high school career.
Exam time — every kid has a different version of the exam, complete with different values in each problem.
That said, Moodle is entirely workable with less ubiquitous tech. I'd say that if your kids have a home computer with internet access and you can check out laptops or book a computer lab, what I share here will work for you.
Moodle is an open source Learning Management System (LMS). Most LMSes provide a gradebook, a place to upload assignments in pretty much any file format, an assessment engine, and discussion boards. Wikipedia has a list of LMSes, many of which I've never tried. The big names besides Moodle you probably have heard about are Blackboard, Schoology, and Edmodo.
Moodle is, however, super powerful. However, with great power comes great learning curves, so many of my own colleagues have been turned off by Moodle. I hope you'll get hooked with my three favorite features (calculated questions, random questions, and activity logs!), that you won't mind a learning curve.
You can get Moodle two main ways: 1) your district may have a Moodle server or 2) you can go rogue. I'm in the latter category — I went out and bought a domain, got some cheap web hosting, then installed Moodle. Dudes, this may sound all technical and difficult but was really no harder than clicking some buttons on web pages. Also, we're friends, right? I'll totally help you get up and running.
After trying several question database systems, most notably ExamView, I have decided Moodle has an amazing assessment engine. The calculated question is my favorite — and probably will be really useful for math and science teachers.
The point where I may say bye to a bunch of you.
No hard feelings if you want to check out ExamView.
Calculated questions are pretty awesome in Moodle but I have to implore the math teacher yous to check out ExamView — chances are it came with a textbook adopted at some time in recent memory. ExamView lets you set up something like a calculated question (they call 'em dynamic) in text OR graphically. David Cox (@dcox21) wrote a great post about ExamView Dynamic Questions. If you deal with graphs, you might like ExamView better. Oh, and ExamView lets you give online tests or print on dead trees.
Still with me? Learn a little more about calculated questions: creating calculated questions or creating calculated questions video.
Suppose you have a question bank of 50 equally interesting questions. Moodle lets you randomly pull questions for your test from that set. My final exam in physics is essentially unique to each student.
You'll discover that with well-designed question categories, you'll feel totally comfortable pulling 5 questions from here and 3 from there for your next test. My questions are broken down by major topic/standard then by difficulty.
Want to know if little Susie is slacking on her homework? Check out when she first viewed your assignment and how long she spent working on it.
As you might imagine, the activity logs are largely useful as a CYA device with parents. I like to make it clear to kids early on that I can see this information and they aren't kidding anyone if they slack off on work.
I write my solutions out on paper, take a picture, then attach as Moodle question feedback.
Ok, you read my little love letter — have I convinced you that Moodle is pretty awesome? Comment me up, people. Also, please make requests. After love letter #2 and aside from cruising reddit for animated gifs, I don't have a plan.
 I have HostBasic from Site5. It's $4.95 a month and provides enough power for several teachers to share a single domain. Get your whole department to chip in if you're going rogue!
It was only this past year that I mastered the Cloze question — it is so necessary for balancing chemical equations and B-C-A tables for stoichiometry. Oh happy day!
For next year, I've decided to take student post-lab write ups (questions/reflections/conclusions only) through Moodle. The data/procedure/graph will be checked off in their interactive notebook (not the main thing I want to assess). Also this saves me from collecting 28 large notebooks (5-star spiral quad ruled) multiplied by each section. We use the notebooks for *everything* (notes, worksheets, labs, warmups, quizzes). The digital assignments are much less daunting to look at.
Also, I too have used as "exhibit A" for other assignments when parents call. I love the ability to cut off late work so easily — and check for plaigiarism if my district will cough up for Crot or Turnitin. I've been trying to figure how to get my analog interactive notebook into Moodle — it needs an Evernote integration.
Other uses: have kids take photos for a visual glossary of concepts/terms (sort of an AAPT photo contest). Post whiteboard photos to a forum so kids have a record of the good, the bad and the ugly when reviewing (I have required kids to make responses to the posts in years past). Use the database activity for warm ups (projected on screen), a class notes log (not quite a blog).
Ooh — I haven't played with Cloze question types AND a chem colleague wants to use Moodle next fall. Can you share a few pictures or examples? I like your ideas for lab grading. I tried an online submission (kids wrote labs using Word) this year but found feedback-giving clunky. Will each part of your lab be a separate Moodle question? That might be easier to manage. Keep me posted on how it goes?
Can I submit pictures in replies? I can send an exported file (xml format) that your colleague could import which is probably the easiest way to go. I have about 60 balancing questions written already. I am working on the B-C-A tables (similar work but 4 times the boxes plus the math). This will be weeks in the making. For Modelers, I was going to put them on the AMTA site.
As an interim, this site has used Hot Potatoes software to create the same thing. While a tad easier to use and can be integrated within Moodle, I preferred to use the Moodle engine to keep better track of student usage and write my own questions to avoid quirks from other instructors/classes that would throw off my ducklings.
I'm okay with giving feedback on line although nothing beats bright orange ink asking what were you thinking?! at some particularly egregious comment.
I was planning on digital submissions for the conclusion part of the lab as an assignment rather than individual quiz questions but you've given me food for thought. I will have to be vigilant about checking off the data collection in class. As for Chemistry labs write ups are more directed (even in Modeling) than the Physics. One reason for using the online assignment rather than quiz questions is I really want to run them through a plagiarism checker.
Oh, keep in mind the "pretty" factor for Moodle can be changed *dramatically* using themes and course formats. I use the tabtopic format to stop the "scroll of death" needed to get to each section. If you are using a hosted Moodle, you may have to ask the admin to add third-party extensions.
I manage my own Moodle, so installing 3rd party extensions is no big. Thanks, I'll have to check out tabtopic — geez I'm such a Moodle noob that it's a little scary sometimes. Still, we gotta admit, Moodle will never be as simple or slick as something like Schoology or Edmodo.
My college is using Desire to Learn. I'm learning it, slowly. Maria Andersen loves Canvas, so I'm curious about comparisons between these two systems, and any others people love.
Funny you should mention Canvas. Whenever I say Moodle, a colleague says Canvas back. He really wants me to check it out. And I finally did, as a MOOC student earlier this year. Given that I'm partial to Moodle's assessment engine, a feature I never saw in Canvas because the MOOC simply didn't need it, it's tough to compare.
How are you liking Desire to Learn? I presume it's a paid tool and probably enterprise-wide, thus not available to individuals?
D2L (Desire to Learn) is enterprise class software like Blackboard. I had brief exposure to it as an instructor. I can't vouch for the assessment system as I didn't use it for that. To me it was more of a CMS. But, the university IT folks liked D2L and thought Moodle wasn't as good (but they didn't have to use either one). The variety of activities within Moodle are richer. It was designed with a collaboration/constructivist philosophy which to me sets it apart from other LMS/CMS's.
I don't know much about it yet. I'm putting materials in that I want to share with my students. I don't expect to sue any grading and testing options online. I've never used any online course management system before as a teacher, so even once I get used to it, I won't have much to compare it to. I don't know if it's available to individuals or not.
Hey Meg – great post! Another great feature that I didn't see mentioned (but maybe I missed it) is the ease with which moodle allows you to share your question banks and quizzes with other teachers. This is great if you are a teacher who likes to collaborate and is especially useful for those teachers who choose (or are required in some cases) to do common assessments.
Moodle is not that easy to handle, it will require time as well as understanding to make use of it. But once you know all that, it will me interesting to which you will love to hang around. Interaction, discussion everything will be there which will easy your job.
I too love the quiz features of Moodle, but my school is moving to Schoology (see my blog post http://canisiusphysics.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-kvetch.html). While I will give the new CMS a try, I am seriously looking at installing Moodle on an old desktop and making a classroom wireless network just use those features.
Oh no! Schoology doesn't have any features to speak of for quizzes. Unless you like straight up, static multiple choice questions. I totally ran Schoology as my primary class page with links out to our Moodle site.
A local install in your classroom is brilliant. You don't need the kids to access it outside of class? If you do, might I recommend Site5 hosting. Very inexpensive and one-click install for Moodle.
I would not rush to upgrade, best to wait till 2.6 reaches a higher fix release (2.6.3 for example) but its all coming!
Late to this party, Megan, but after discovering Schoology's discussion forums have no Rich Text Editor–my favorite feature of Moodle–I'm ready to consider self-hosting again.
This Site5….will it help with the techier backend things on cPanel? Setting chron jobs, deleting cache, etc? I had a trainwreck with that years ago when I last self-hosted. In short, how's their support?
Support is generally excellent. I usually use Live Chat to get mine and have about a 90% satisfactory resolution rate. The support crew seems quite knowledgable based on the random crap I've thrown at them.
Just did a one-click upgrade to Moodle 2.6 on my Site5 account. Smooth and error free, just the way upgrades should be. Go for Site5, you won't regret it!
I'm in week one with Site5, with a Moodle and WordPress install. Too early to tell how that relationship will end, but I am enjoying having Moodle again after so many years!
Thanks for the reply and happy new year!


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Top Iraqis to huddle again to end political impasse
From Jomana Karadsheh, CNN
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, pictured, has been jockeying for power with Ayad Allawi since the March 7 elections.
Monday's meeting takes place in the Kurdish region
No government has been chosen in months
The blocs want a power-sharing arrangement
Nuri al-Maliki
Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's top political leaders are expected to meet again Tuesday to try and break the more than eight-months' deadlock to form a government.
Tuesday's meeting in Baghdad Tuesday follows intensified talks behind closed doors a day earlier in the country's Kurdish north.
Described by some of the leaders as "historic," the meeting is the first such public gathering of the politicians including the two main rivals -- Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi -- since the March 7 elections.
In the March election, al-Maliki won 89 seats but lost to former Prime Minister Allawi's bloc, which received 91 seats. A 163-seat majority out of 325 seats is needed to form a government. The two leaders since have been jockeying for power.
Leading up to Monday's meeting, officials had said they were close to completing an agreement, but remarks made by a number of the leaders indicated that they have yet to address key sticking points that remain unresolved ahead of this week's parliament session.
Some of the issues included the main hurdles for government formation like agreeing on the allocation of the top posts like president, prime minister and parliament speaker and the distribution of powers.
Today's five most popular stories
Fine art from an iPhone? The best Instagram photos from 2014
After IVF shock, mom gives birth to two sets of identical twins
Inside North Korea: Water park, sacred birth site and some minders
10 top destinations to visit in 2015
What really scares terrorists


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Core Portfolios
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Vol10
Volatility less than 10%
Description of Volatility less than 10%
This portfolio has been optimized for achieving the highest possible return while limiting the historical volatility to 10% or less over the analyzed period with the involved assets. As a reference, the volatility limit of 10% is about two thirds of the volatility, or risk, of the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY).
As such it is a conservative Portfolio suited for risk adverse investors with moderate growth expectations.
Please note that this portfolio might use leveraged ETF and single stocks. Should these not be allowed in your retirement account please see our 401k and IRS compatible Conservative, Moderate, and Aggressive Risk Portfolios. Contact us for special requirements.
Methodology & Assets
This portfolio is constructed by our proprietary optimization alogrithm based on Modern Portfolio Theory pioneered by Nobel Laureate Harry Markowitz. Using historical returns, the algorithm finds the asset allocation that produced the highest return with volatility less than 10%.
While this portfolio provides an optimized asset allocation based on historical returns, your investment objectives, risk profile and personal experience are important factors when deciding on the best investment vehicle for yourself. You can also use the Portfolio Builder or Portfolio Optimizer to construct your own personalized portfolio.
Assets and weight constraints used in the optimizer process:
Bond ETF Rotation Strategy (BRS) (0% to 100%)
BUG Permanent Portfolio Strategy (BUG) (0% to 100%)
World Top 4 Strategy (WTOP4) (0% to 100%)
Global Sector Rotation Strategy (GSRS) (0% to 100%)
Global Market Rotation Strategy (GMRS) (0% to 100%)
Maximum Yield Strategy (MYRS) (0% to 100%)
NASDAQ 100 Strategy (NAS100) (0% to 100%)
Leveraged Gold-Currency Strategy (GLD-USD) (0% to 100%)
US Sector Rotation Strategy (USSECT) (0% to 100%)
Leveraged Universal Investment Strategy (UISx3) (0% to 100%)
US Market Strategy (USMarket) (0% to 100%)
Dow 30 Strategy (DOW30) (0% to 100%)
Universal Investment Strategy (UIS) (0% to 100%)
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Statistics of Volatility less than 10% (YTD)
More Metrics
What do these metrics mean? [Read More] [Hide]
TotalReturn:
'Total return is the amount of value an investor earns from a security over a specific period, typically one year, when all distributions are reinvested. Total return is expressed as a percentage of the amount invested. For example, a total return of 20% means the security increased by 20% of its original value due to a price increase, distribution of dividends (if a stock), coupons (if a bond) or capital gains (if a fund). Total return is a strong measure of an investment's overall performance.'
Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
Compared with the benchmark SPY (67.8%) in the period of the last 5 years, the total return of 128.8% of Volatility less than 10% is larger, thus better.
Looking at total return in of 52.3% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively higher, thus better in comparison to SPY (47.2%).
CAGR:
'The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a useful measure of growth over multiple time periods. It can be thought of as the growth rate that gets you from the initial investment value to the ending investment value if you assume that the investment has been compounding over the time period.'
Which means for our asset as example:
Looking at the annual return (CAGR) of 18% in the last 5 years of Volatility less than 10%, we see it is relatively greater, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (10.9%)
During the last 3 years, the annual return (CAGR) is 15.1%, which is higher, thus better than the value of 13.8% from the benchmark.
Volatility:
'Volatility is a statistical measure of the dispersion of returns for a given security or market index. Volatility can either be measured by using the standard deviation or variance between returns from that same security or market index. Commonly, the higher the volatility, the riskier the security. In the securities markets, volatility is often associated with big swings in either direction. For example, when the stock market rises and falls more than one percent over a sustained period of time, it is called a 'volatile' market.'
Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
The volatility over 5 years of Volatility less than 10% is 8.1%, which is lower, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (13.4%) in the same period.
During the last 3 years, the historical 30 days volatility is 7.6%, which is lower, thus better than the value of 12.3% from the benchmark.
DownVol:
'Downside risk is the financial risk associated with losses. That is, it is the risk of the actual return being below the expected return, or the uncertainty about the magnitude of that difference. Risk measures typically quantify the downside risk, whereas the standard deviation (an example of a deviation risk measure) measures both the upside and downside risk. Specifically, downside risk in our definition is the semi-deviation, that is the standard deviation of all negative returns.'
Compared with the benchmark SPY (14.7%) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside risk of 9% of Volatility less than 10% is lower, thus better.
During the last 3 years, the downside deviation is 8.7%, which is lower, thus better than the value of 13.9% from the benchmark.
Sharpe:
'The Sharpe ratio was developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, and is used to help investors understand the return of an investment compared to its risk. The ratio is the average return earned in excess of the risk-free rate per unit of volatility or total risk. Subtracting the risk-free rate from the mean return allows an investor to better isolate the profits associated with risk-taking activities. One intuition of this calculation is that a portfolio engaging in 'zero risk' investments, such as the purchase of U.S. Treasury bills (for which the expected return is the risk-free rate), has a Sharpe ratio of exactly zero. Generally, the greater the value of the Sharpe ratio, the more attractive the risk-adjusted return.'
Looking at the Sharpe Ratio of 1.92 in the last 5 years of Volatility less than 10%, we see it is relatively larger, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (0.63)
Looking at risk / return profile (Sharpe) in of 1.65 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively larger, thus better in comparison to SPY (0.92).
Sortino:
'The Sortino ratio improves upon the Sharpe ratio by isolating downside volatility from total volatility by dividing excess return by the downside deviation. The Sortino ratio is a variation of the Sharpe ratio that differentiates harmful volatility from total overall volatility by using the asset's standard deviation of negative asset returns, called downside deviation. The Sortino ratio takes the asset's return and subtracts the risk-free rate, and then divides that amount by the asset's downside deviation. The ratio was named after Frank A. Sortino.'
Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.57) in the period of the last 5 years, the excess return divided by the downside deviation of 1.72 of Volatility less than 10% is greater, thus better.
Looking at downside risk / excess return profile in of 1.45 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively greater, thus better in comparison to SPY (0.81).
Ulcer:
'The Ulcer Index is a technical indicator that measures downside risk, in terms of both the depth and duration of price declines. The index increases in value as the price moves farther away from a recent high and falls as the price rises to new highs. The indicator is usually calculated over a 14-day period, with the Ulcer Index showing the percentage drawdown a trader can expect from the high over that period. The greater the value of the Ulcer Index, the longer it takes for a stock to get back to the former high.'
The Downside risk index over 5 years of Volatility less than 10% is 1.63 , which is smaller, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (3.99 ) in the same period.
Compared with SPY (4.04 ) in the period of the last 3 years, the Ulcer Ratio of 1.68 is smaller, thus better.
MaxDD:
'A maximum drawdown is the maximum loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio, before a new peak is attained. Maximum Drawdown is an indicator of downside risk over a specified time period. It can be used both as a stand-alone measure or as an input into other metrics such as 'Return over Maximum Drawdown' and the Calmar Ratio. Maximum Drawdown is expressed in percentage terms.'
The maximum reduction from previous high over 5 years of Volatility less than 10% is -6.4 days, which is greater, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (-19.3 days) in the same period.
Compared with SPY (-19.3 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum DrawDown of -6.3 days is greater, thus better.
MaxDuration:
'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Max Drawdown Duration is the worst (the maximum/longest) amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs). Many assume Max DD Duration is the length of time between new highs during which the Max DD (magnitude) occurred. But that isn't always the case. The Max DD duration is the longest time between peaks, period. So it could be the time when the program also had its biggest peak to valley loss (and usually is, because the program needs a long time to recover from the largest loss), but it doesn't have to be'
Compared with the benchmark SPY (187 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the maximum days under water of 102 days of Volatility less than 10% is lower, thus better.
Compared with SPY (139 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum days under water of 102 days is lower, thus better.
AveDuration:
'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'
The average time in days below previous high water mark over 5 years of Volatility less than 10% is 19 days, which is lower, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (41 days) in the same period.
During the last 3 years, the average time in days below previous high water mark is 22 days, which is lower, thus better than the value of 36 days from the benchmark.
Performance of Volatility less than 10% (YTD)
Yearly Returns
Chart Allocations
Historical returns have been extended using synthetic data. [Show Details] [Hide Details]
Volatility less than 10% uses Premium Strategies
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Allocations of Volatility less than 10%
By Stock/ETF By Strategy
Investment Amount:
Returns of Volatility less than 10% (%)
"Year" returns in the table above are not equal to the sum of monthly returns due to compounding.
Performance results of Volatility less than 10% are hypothetical, do not account for slippage, fees or taxes, and are based on backtesting, which has many inherent limitations, some of which are described in our Terms of Use.
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Dwyane Wade will play in his final regular season home game on Tuesday night, as the Miami Heat host the Philadelphia 76ers at American Airlines Arena. The Heat enter tonight's contest one-game back of the eighth seeded Detroit Pistons with just two games remaining, so there's a real chance this could mark D-Wade's final game in Miami.
Ahead of tonight's matchup, Budweiser has unveiled a tear-jerking commercial in which Wade meets five people whose lives he has positively impacted. Each of the five take part in a "jersey-swap" with Wade, as they explain their emotional stories.
Those featured in the ad include: Wade's mother, a woman who lost her brother in the Parkland shooting, a woman whose college tuition was paid for by Wade, a young man from a poor neighborhood near Miami who was inspired by Wade, and a woman Wade took on a shopping spree after she lost her house to a fire.
In order to make the playoffs, the Heat will have to beat the Sixers on Tuesday night, defeat the Nets on Wednesday night, and get some help.
Miami needs the Pistons to lose both of their final two games to the Grizzlies and Knicks, and they also need the Hornets to lose one of their final two games against the Cavs and Magic.


The Isuzu D-Max range are now recognised as the most cost-effective pick-ups on the market with ultra-low insurance groups (8A to 12A), class-leading residual values and fuel economy (38.7 mpg combined), industry-leading fleet packages, all backed-up by the company's pioneering five-year / 125,000-mile warranty.
Following record sales of more than 5,500 units in 2014 (up 33.7% over 2013), registrations for the first eight months of this year up again by 27.7%, demonstrating the continuous growth of the reputation of the D-Max.
The Isuzu D-Max is available in three body styles – single, extended and double cab – with prices starting from £14,999 (CVOTR) for the entry-level single cab 4x2 rising to £25,999 (CVOTR) for the range-topping Isuzu Blade. The Isuzu D-Max is fitted with a super-efficient 2.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, producing 163 PS and 400 Nm of torque, is able to tow a class-leading 3.5-tonnes (braked) while still returning fuel economy of 38.7 mpg (combined), and is available with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.
For more information or to book call contact Mark Hayter on: 01642 256100. Test-drives can also be arranged at your place of work or home.


Newbie in tesla coils (and in electronics) here, I want to build a SSTC (not a DRSSTC - I want to keep it as simple as possible for now). I think I understand most of the circuits around here, but I have some questions before I start building.
I plan to start with a single MOSFET SSTC to keep things simple (later I'll build a half bridge, then full bridge).
I've seen this design from E-Schmok and I want to build something similar, but I want to be sure I understand the purpose of some components in this circuit.
* Can the power supply which powers the primary and MOSFET be a regulated switch mode power supply?
* What's the purpose of R13 and C23? Looks like a RC snubber?
* What's the purpose of D5 and D6? I guess it's to clamp the voltage to the MOSFET gate but 15v should be harmless for an IRFP540, so I'm wondering.
* Any reason to have 2 push-pull stages (Q5-Q6 and Q7-Q8)? Would a single one be enough?
* What's the purpose of C19 and C20?
I'm also a bit lost about the secondary design. I've seen different advices, sometimes contradictory. I've put some values in JavaTC and got a diameter, height and number of turns, but I don't want to make a secondary that won't produce sparks with my single transistor design. Is there a rule of thumb for secondary designs? How much does it depend on the power circuit?
The transistor I plan to use is a fcp20n60 (600V, 60A pulsed, RDSon=0.15) so not the best one out there, but I've got quite a few and I don't care if I blow them up.
The fcp20n60 is ok to use here.
Filip answered all your questions, so I just give a word on the secondary design.
For a SSTC the W:H ratios should be smaller because a SSTC needs a much higher coupling to produce a fair amount of sparks. 1:2 to 1:3 for a SSTC is the optimal in my experience.
Is the secondary in the link above able to produce good sparks in my use case?
For the primary, I think I'll just use some insulated copper wire from an extension (rated 30 amps or so). Ok as well?
The grounding: I'd like to just use the earth connection from an extension. I suppose it's ok as well?
Thanks, and I'll post photos when I have something working (which might take quite some more time...).


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10 Local Stories of the Week
Tornado damage in Richland off Highway 49. Photo by Trip Burns.
By Dustin Cardon Monday, May 5, 2014 6 a.m. CDT
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them:
In the waning days of the April 22 special-election runoff for Jackson mayor, third parties, surrogates and political-action committees took control of the political discourse and broadcast airwaves to become the strongest forces in the election, more than the two candidates in some ways.
Gerald Gibson wants to change the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS. He is the coordinator of community-based outreach and testing for My Brother's Keeper, a nonprofit designed to further the health and wellbeing of minority communities.
Until Whole Foods Market opened earlier this year, Rainbow Co-op was Jackson's only food store focused solely on organic and natural products.
Despite SB 2681's vagueness and uncertainty, or perhaps because of it, the Human Rights Campaign and others who opposed the bill are using the momentum and fears caused by 2681 to amp up the movement for LGBTQ rights in Mississippi.
Native Mississippian Lance Bass came out to the entertainment world after finding success with 'N Sync.
On Friday, April 25, the Mississippi Brain Drain Commission announced the official launch of its Fast Forward Mississippi outreach initiative at the annual conference of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi.
With Tony Yarber becoming Jackson's fourth mayor in a year's time, a special election will be required to fill his old Ward 6 seat.
This account was taken during the storm event that swept across Mississippi, Alabama and the southern U.S. on April 28.
At issue before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is a 2012 Mississippi law requiring any physician who does abortions at a clinic to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Jackson Women's Health Organization has been unable to obtain them.
A keystone of late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba's economic agenda, the Jackson Rising: New Economies Conference, which started Friday, was almost derailed this week when the city of Jackson pulled its support for key elements of the event, said one of the conference's organizers.
Remember: Check the JFP Events planner for everything to do in the Jackson metro area. You can also add your own events (or send them to [email protected])! See JFPEvents.com
Read staff and reader blog posts at jfp.ms/weblogs (yes, you can register on the site and start your own blog!)
Roberts Co. Purchasing McDade's, Junior League Jumble and Double Up Mississippi
MSU and USM Martin Luther King Day Events and Millsaps Humanities Award
Bobbie Wilson


I've modeled The State Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan for CNC mould production purposes by using Solidworks. Afterwards as a hobby work, I decided to convert the emblem as 8k PBR maps by using Substance Designer. All renders are generated by the textures assigned to 1 polygon surface.
As workflow, first, I've rendered the model with isometric camera in Modo to get Zdepth, AO, alpha and material ID channels. Then I used these maps to generate PBR shaders with substance designer. With the resulting maps I've rendered the model with marmoset viewer and finally with Octane Render.
I've also added the nurbs modeling steps and marmoset viewer realtime capture as videos.


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Volvo and Ericsson announce five-year connected vehicle cloud deal
By IoT News | 3rd December 2018 http://www.iottechnews.com/
Categories: Connected Vehicles, IoT,
Volvo Cars and Ericsson have announced the signing of a five-year connected vehicle deal. According to the deal, Ericsson will provide its Connected Vehicle Cloud platform to Volvo Cars that would further boost the automaker's digital vehicle services in more than 120 countries across the globe for the next five years.
The automaker aims to focus more on securing high-quality connected-vehicle services since digitalisation expands the need of software services. Through this deal Volvo Car owners will be able to enjoy the latest developments in connected car digital services like fleet management, automation, telematics, navigation and infotainment.
Modern day car buyers are increasingly differentiating their car buying decisions on the basis of digital services; hence there is always a need for a secured and reliable service provision infrastructure to deliver quality of service at scale.
Åsa Tamsons, head of business area technologies and new businesses, Ericsson, said: "Ericsson is providing a highly scalable and global platform for connected services to Volvo Cars. By removing complexity in areas such as data legislation and storage management, and improving services latency, our platform enhances the overall user experience of Volvo Cars' connected services."
Another automaker that is looking to boost its connected vehicle services is Volkswagen. The German-based firm announced its collaboration with Microsoft in October in order to create an automotive cloud. The move will help in merging well-known third-party applications to offer a smooth experience for drivers. Volkswagen will make use of its new cloud service to optimise the link between its vehicles, cloud-based platform, and customer-centric services for all brands, such as the "Volkswagen We" ecosystem. Along with that, it will also benefit the automaker in leveraging consistent mobility services across the entire portfolio.


Page 768 - Gallery Design of Interior Architecture | Provence Calanques Coffee Table With Glass Top. Cube End Table. Bathroom Vanity Ikea.
collection of galleries from Interior Architecture like Coffee Table With Glass Top. Cube End Table. Bathroom Vanity Ikea. and other designs you might like 24 Inch Vanities. Houzz Bathroom Vanities. Modern Pocket Doors. Edison Bulb Sconce. Mosaic Floor Tiles. Jenny Lind Bed. Sauder Lateral File Cabinet.


This year we will be running a 900 point 4 day weekend from August 1st- August 4th. we will be doing a race for life double Thursday, earned double Friday, warnicke double Saturday, and state qualifier triple on Sunday!!! Dont miss out on alot of points and some good racing at one of the toughest tracks there is!!!


Remarks: Under Construction. Under Construction Contract Date: 10/27/18 Listing Price amount for this Pending Sale includes Design and Structural Options The Ballast Point brings exciting architectural designs to a large two-story home with split courtyard garages. From the front entry way, or owner's entry from the 2-car garage, you enter into a formal foyer with staircase. The single car split garage connects to the extended foyer, which opens into the main living area. The incredible island kitchen and cafe overlook the large grand room with access to the covered lanai. The lower level further features a secluded guest suite, pocket office, large walk-in pantry, butler's pantry, and your choice of a formal dining room or den. Upstairs, the privately situated owner's retreat offers an over-sized walk-in closet and luxurious bathroom. Two secondary bedrooms, laundry room and bonus room complete the upper level.


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by Chuck and Heidi Thurston | April 11, 2014 · 1:55 pm
The Coroner Takes a Ride: Prologue
When I took the chief's job at the West Hepzibah Police Department – 21 years ago – I spent some time looking at town and road maps of the area to get the lay of the land, so to speak. I reasoned if there was a West Hepzibah there must be an east equivalent – maybe even a north and south. In fact, where in hell was Hepzibah proper?
Everett Hartsell set me straight. He was 62 then –20 years older than I at the time. He knew everything about everything – and everyone – it seemed to me. Amazingly, neither he, nor his wife Jane, was a gossip. He was the county coroner and had survived every election challenge for so long that he ran unopposed most of the time. Jane was a couple of years away from retirement as principle of the East Sykes middle school. Between them, I am sure they knew all of the town's betrayals and selfless loyalties – all deeds scandalous and laudable – but they kept their own counsel.
I latched onto Everett as a mentor almost immediately, to help me understand all things West Hepzibah. Margot and I became friends with Everett and Jane. They loved to play cards, and we occasionally went to their big house on Upper Linwood Avenue – they had better hosting facilities than we did at that time – for a few games of pitch. We mixed and matched our playing partners, had great conversations and learned a lot about our new hometown.
Everett and I would frequently meet at Nelly's downtown for coffee. I brought up the question of Hepzibah's whereabouts during one of these breaks. Everett laughed, then said, "Come with me."
He led me to his pickup truck outside, and we headed out of town. Up Main Street, left on Linwood Avenue, and then a couple of miles up the hill until Linwood turned into Foster Mountain Road – a two lane black top not particularly distinguishable for anything but a nice view of the Brushy Mountains to the east, and the ramp of the Blue Ridge to the north. In another two miles or so, the blacktop road narrowed. Maintenance was spotty. The shoulders were crumbled and potholes more frequent. We passed several mobile homes. They weren't arranged in the rows and columns of a conventional trailer park. Many were in small clan-like groupings that suggested family compounds. At some point we passed a sign that marked the entrance to North Carolina Game Lands, and a couple of miles beyond that, we came to a crossroads. Everett turned left onto the gravel road intersection, and parked his truck. "Here we are," he said.
The remains of an old gas station were on one side of the road. A Sinclair gasoline sign was hanging by one chain and swung in the light breeze. A pump island was still there, but the pumps were gone. Weeds grew up through cracked and broken paved sections around the station, and most of the windows were shattered or missing. The stone foundations of a half dozen other structures clustered around the crossroads. Over one of the larger ones, a lone chimney stood above the remains of whatever it warmed at one time. Cater-cornered from the gas station on the other side of the crossroads was an abandoned church – a framed derelict missing most of the windows and doors and much of the siding. A sign had been spared. It hung on the skeleton of the church next to the front steps. The primitive lettering 'Hepzibah Baptist Church' was faint, but still legible.
There were blackened spots dotting the landscape here and there. Some on bare ground; some on whatever paved sections still existed. They looked like the remains of old campfires, with dark ashes, and partially burnt sticks and pieces of scrap lumber. Bottles and cans were strewn everywhere and broken glass littered the area. I looked to Everett for an explanation. He told me the story:
Colonel Jonathan Foster got out of the Confederate Army toward the end of the Civil War. His own little piece of that army had dissolved around him somewhere in Virginia shortly before Appomattox. He and many of his men – yeoman farmers – were reluctant combatants. They knew well what North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance meant when he characterized the conflict as "a rich man's war, and a poor man's fight." Foster headed back to claim the plot of land in the North Carolina mountains that his family had owned for generations. He married Hepzibah Bennett – the daughter of a Charlotte businessman – to help him run it. They raised two sons.
He found a promising seam of granite and used it for the foundation of the large house he built – then decided to make a go of the quarry, and hired workers. He timbered the land and planted tobacco. A settlement grew around him and he opened a small store. A church was built, but the region was sparsely populated, poor, and poorly defined – as were many North Carolina counties at that time. Foster named his little outpost Hepzibah and lobbied for its designation as the county seat of Foster County. The state legislature didn't grant it.
His enclave gradually disbanded, even as his army of farmers had. The winters were harsh, the tobacco migrated to lower sections of the Piedmont and granite was found in Mount Airy.The road builders preferred the land below and to the west of him. A West Hepzibah began to grow and prosper. His wife, in what might have been a final indignity, moved away from her namesake town to a fine house in West Hepzibah and began efforts to improve the cultural climate there. Foster stubbornly clung to his mountain.
He set out one day to plead his case, yet again, to the legislature. His apparent intention was to ride to Morganton and make his way by rail to Raleigh. His horse returned the next day, but he did not. The remaining settlers, with an occasional reinforcement, clung to the site for a few more years as automobiles improved accessibility, but all eventually moved to more promising locations. The not-quite town became a collection of tumble-downs, furnishing fuel for the campfires of hunters and hikers. Locals scavenged the quarry for their own projects, until even that was too much trouble. Two boys drowned in the water that collected in the bottom of the quarry and a gate was put across the single road leading in. Hepzibah vanished from the maps.
Chuck Thurston
Tagged as abandoned towns, coroner, fiction, mountains, mystery, North Carolina, police chief
by Indigo Sea Press | July 8, 2013 · 2:05 pm
Interview with Deborah J Ledford, Author of Crescendo
What is your book about?
CRESCENDO is book three of my Steven Hawk/Inola Walela thriller series. Inola carries this book as the only female Native American cop of a small western North Carolina town, searching for a little boy no one but her believes is missing.
What inspired you to write this particular story?
I'm a former screenwriter so ideas and snippets of stories come to me visually. One of the most compelling scenes in CRESCENDO presented itself one morning, that of Inola, gun pointed at a woman standing next to a vehicle stopped at the shoulder of a highway, duffle bag tucked under her arm, the other hand clutching a handful of money, bills swirling in the air.
I pay attention when such a strong visual is presented and this scene became instrumental in piecing together the entire novel.
Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
I don't use an outline, but I do implement a chapter breakdown as I work. Essentially a one-paragraph wrap up of what happens in each chapter after it is written. For the chapters I don't quite have figured out, I leave those chapters on the breakdown blank and move down to the elements I know I want to implement. This may be merely a line of dialogue, or a climatic element I will flesh out later. The point is to keep going until I reach the end of the first draft. I also keep track of my word count output each day. I keep a yearly Planner that is only for my writing and publishing accomplishments. I find that when I keep track of how many words I've written this keeps me focused and helps me meet my goal. I do a word count after I've finished for the day and jot that accomplishment on the calendar.
Do you think writing this book changed your life? How so?
CRESCENDO puts Inola in the spotlight more than Hawk—although he is still a major player and Inola would be nothing without him in her life. During the course of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela thriller series the lead and even secondary characters have evolved to true members of my family. And while researching for the books I've had the opportunity to meet people I never would have had the opportunity to know. Like Inola, writing the series has given me a purpose and goal to present my very best work as a writer.
What are you working on right now?
I'm in pre-production mode to record and distribute the audiobook version of CRESCENDO and SNARE which will also benefit a Native American language and culture foundation.
What advice you would give to an aspiring author?
What every other published author recommends: butt in the chair, don't give up, polish, submit. Most of all, once you've submitted your manuscript to agents/publishers start another novel or short story. Rejections don't hurt as much when you're in love with another project.
Deborah J Ledford is the author of the Steven Hawk / Inola Walela suspense series, including: CRESCENDO, SNARE—The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist, and the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in the Mystery / Suspense category. The classical music-themed STACCATO is book one. She is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and her award-winning stories appear in numerous print publications as well as literary and mystery anthologies. Part Eastern Band Cherokee, Deborah spent her summers growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, the setting for her psychological suspense thriller novels and many of her short stories.
Click here to buy: Crescendo
Filed under books, Excerpts, fiction, writing
Tagged as Crescendo, Deborah J Ledford, Eastern Band Cherokee, indigo Sea Press, North Carolina, Steven Hawk/Inola Walela series, suspense
by Deborah J Ledford | April 5, 2013 · 2:00 am
The Importance of Locations by Deborah J Ledford
Okay, so keeping with the "Importance of" theme, let's discuss locations. How important are they to you as a reader? How about as a writer? For me, the main location for my Steven Hawk/Inola Walela has definitely become a main character.
I grew up spending my summers in a small town nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina. This is a place that remains close to my heart and senses. There are times when I awake in the middle of the night, replaying events long passed, the scent of "green" still nestled in my brain.
The summertime nights were humid during those cherished weeks every year, but that never bothered me as I chased fireflies, capturing them in the Mason jar my grandmother would provide from her stash under the sink.
The drives with my grandfather are gems I unfortunately only remember snippets of—sitting in the back seat of his huge Buick as he backed up the long drive to the two-lane, twisting highway that would lead us to the gas station/country store where he would buy me a paper sack full of Atomic FireBall jawbreakers. Even decades ago Kudzu vines hugged the trees and power poles, massive hulking monsters, disturbing yet fascinating.
The fog that would rarely completely lift hovered over the expanse and deep in the valleys when we reached a rise high enough to look down at the most enchanting, wondrous Great Smokies I will never release from my memories.
I go back from time to time to the real city of Bryson City, where Inola Walela, Steven Hawk and his family live in my books. My imaginary characters visit locations I still remember; essentially playing out the life I could only dream of. I suppose that's one of the best parts about being a novelist…the "what if" and "why not" of every story one can create.
Deborah J Ledford's latest novel of suspense, CRESCENDO, is book three of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela series. Other novels include, STACCATO, and SNARE, Finalist for The Hillerman Sky Award and the NM-AZ Book Awards. Deborah is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and her award-winning short stories appear in numerous print publications as well as literary and mystery anthologies. Part Eastern Band Cherokee, she spent her summers growing up in western North Carolina where her novels are set. Deborah invites you to visit her website.
Photograph Credits: Smoky Mountains Sunrise ©Dave Allen. Kudzu ©Felicity Green.
Filed under books, fiction, writing
Tagged as author, Deborah Ledford, dreams, Great Smoky Mountains, indigo Sea Press, kudzu, locations, memories, North Carolina, summer, summertime
by Deborah J Ledford | March 5, 2013 · 5:00 am
The Importance of Secondary Characters by Deborah J Ledford
Have you ever read a book and found the secondary characters more fascinating than the leading men or women? I must admit, the only reason I pick up a Patricia Cornwell book is to read about Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, and to see if Pete Marino is still kicking. And let me tell you, when two of my favorite mystery authors, Louise Penny and Craig Johnson don't feature their fantastic cast of secondary's, I get beyond angry and frustrated.
I've had a blast creating a supporting cast for CRESCENDO. Tried and true, rock and Hawk's right-hand man Deputy Kenneth Stiles can be found in book three of the series, as well as Mama and Annie, but I'm most excited about introducing Inola Walela's grandmother, Elisi to readers.
Elisi is full-blood Cherokee, lives on the North Carolina reservation, is a weaver, and knows her hard-headed but warm-hearted granddaughter even better than Hawk.
After a routine traffic stop involves a shooting, Inola is forced to watch from the sidelines as her colleagues investigate the case she's stuck in the middle of. As the only female Native American Bryson City, NC cop, she must always play her A game, but now her best efforts, training and capabilities are shunned.
On official leave from the force while her case is being investigated, Inola reluctantly allows Elisi to join her in the hunt for a young boy no one—not even Hawk—believes is missing. Their exploits include amusing banter, contentious friction about their past relationship, and conflict that ultimately brings them closer as Inola travels a journey where she vows: Redemption with a bullet.
I hope you enjoy the ride!
Tagged as author, characters, Deborah J Ledford, indigo Sea Press, mystery, North Carolina, suspense, thriller
by Indigo Sea Press | February 22, 2013 · 3:52 pm
Excerpt From "Crescendo" – by Deborah J Ledford
One murdered woman.
A missing child.
The diabolic father who will do anything to get his son back.
The female cop who risks everything to keep the boy safe.
CRESCENDO– Redemption with a bullet
As the only female Native American officer on the Bryson City, North Carolina police force, Inola Walela, must always play her A game. All bets are off when during a routine traffic stop the passenger insists her son has been kidnapped but is struck by a car before Inola can glean any hard facts. An altercation ensues and Inola's partner is felled by a bullet—possibly from her gun. On administrative leave, fraught with guilt for allegedly killing her partner, and obsessed with the possibility of a missing child out there somewhere, she defies the force and her fiancé, Sheriff Steven Hawk. Inola sets off on her own journey to find the missing boy.
Breath catching in her throat, Inola rose to her knees. She winced as more tires screeched. Metal scraping metal added to the cacophony of noise and confusion. "Jesus," she muttered, taking in the scene: the woman face down on the highway, arms and legs splayed, blonde hair covering her face.
"Inola!" Cody screamed.
She whirled to see her partner struggling with the driver. One handcuff was secured to the offender's wrist, but the other swayed loose. The two men battled for Cody's weapon.
A single gunshot split the air.
Inola jumped to her feet, drew her pistol, took a Weaver's stance and fired. The driver's mouth opened and closed as he uttered a deep guttural moan.
Inola ran, feeling as though she glided above the roadway. She kept her Glock trained on the driver. He shuddered. Gasped. His body went limp and dropped to a sitting position against the cruiser's bumper. She kicked Cody's gun from the driver's hand and holstered her weapon.
Hand to his neck, Cody grinned shakily and croaked, "Nice shot, partner." A trail of blood fell downward. Crimson puddled on the white line of the road. Cody emitted an odd gurgle and slid down the cruiser's grille to plop beside the driver.
It took a moment for Inola to realize the blood wasn't coming from the prisoner. Thick claret seeped through Cody's fingers, staining the neck of his uniform and T-shirt, dropping to his hands in his lap.
Fingers shaking, Inola fumbled for the mic on her shoulder. "Officer down! Officer down! This is unit five-one-eleven. Three down. I need three busses." She strangled a sob. Fury and terror took over all capacity of reasoning. "My partner's been shot! Officer eleven-seven-four is down. Please…please help me!"
She dropped to her knees and reached out to stanch the flow streaming from Cody's neck. "Hold on, partner. Medics are on the way."
"Gave…up," Cody stuttered. His eyes locked on Inola's and then he lowered his head.
She followed his gaze to something clenched in his hand. Cody waved a credit card-sized piece of plastic between his fingers.
"Gave…up…"
Inola's stomach lurched as she took the slick, sticky card. Cody coughed and frothy blood bubbled from his lips. She gathered her partner in her arms and rocked him. "No, Cody. Dammit, don't give up. Please! Please. Don't give up."
Hot wetness soaked the front of her uniform. She clamped a hand over his pulsating wound. His blood oozed between her fingers. Praying for the ambulance and backup to arrive, she glanced around. Her body convulsed as she took in the accident scene that resembled a disaster movie more than a real-life scenario. Cars were parked in a line along the exit ramp to her right. Gridlocked vehicles clogged each lane of traffic, stunned citizens stood a safe distance away. The ashen atmosphere muted every color as fat snowflakes fluttered from the sky.
The sound of footfalls alerted her that danger still loomed. She eased Cody to the ground, slid her Glock from its holster, pivoted toward shuffling steps.
A man approached, a woman's limp body draped in his arms, blonde hair streaming downward, the hem of her flowered dress skimming the pavement.
Inola assessed the situation—Cody, the lifeless driver, the woman, the stranger. She was about to yell out to put the woman down. Didn't he realize he had just tainted the scene by moving her? But the look of horror on his face stopped her protest.
"I didn't mean to hit her." He lowered to his knees and laid the woman at Inola's feet. "Please, can you help her? I think she's dying."
Inola eased her hand out and carefully swept aside the veil of hair. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the right side of the victim's head, flatter than it should be. She placed a shaking hand to the white as porcelain neck. No beat pulsated under her fingertips. "I'm sorry," she told the man.
His shoulders slumped as he mumbled a few words Inola could not decipher.
She wrenched away and hurried back to Cody, pulled him to her lap and resumed clutching his neck. Although the blood had slowed, it continued a thick path and she worried he would bleed out right there in her arms.
"Cody, open your eyes, partner. I need you to stay awake until the medics get here."
He didn't stir. Sirens wailed, growing louder with each beat of Inola's racing heart. Feeling every bystander's eyes on her, she settled her gaze on the only person who could possibly understand the magnitude of what had occurred—who, too, would suffer the consequences of this unforeseen catastrophe—the man who had also killed someone that day.
Deborah J Ledford's latest novel of suspense, CRESCENDO, is book three of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela series. Other novels include SNARE, Finalist for The Hillerman Sky Award and the NM-AZ Book Awards, and the classical-music themed STACCATO. Deborah is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and her award-winning short stories appear in numerous print publications as well as literary and mystery anthologies. Part Eastern Band Cherokee, she spent her summers growing up in western North Carolina where her novels are set.
by Deborah J Ledford | February 5, 2013 · 5:00 am
Introducing a New Leading Lady by Deborah J Ledford
February 19, 2013 Inola Walela takes center stage as the leading lady of my latest novel of suspense, CRESCENDO from Second Wind Publishing. Inola is no stranger to readers of my thriller series, but this is the first time Inola has carried an entire book.
For those of you new to the mystery series, Inola is Steven Hawk's love interest. We jump ahead one year from the previous book, SNARE. Hawk is now the sheriff of SwainCounty and Inola continues on as the only female Native American officer on the Bryson City, North Carolina police force, Inola Walela, must always play her A game. All bets are off when during a routine traffic stop the passenger insists her son has been kidnapped but is struck by a car before Inola can glean any hard facts. An altercation ensues and Inola's partner is felled by a bullet—possibly from her gun. On administrative leave, fraught with guilt for allegedly killing her partner, and obsessed with the possibility of a missing child out there somewhere, she defies the force and her fiancé, Sheriff Steven Hawk. Inola sets off on her own journey to find the missing boy.
The tagline for CRESCENDO is: Redemption with a Bullet
I knew from day one that Inola would be the lead character for this novel. Like me, she's part Eastern Band Cherokee and the entire location takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina where I spent my summers growing up.
No, Inola is nothing like me…but I am very proud to have her in my life, and to present her to you in my latest novel of suspense.
by Indigo Sea Press | January 15, 2013 · 12:48 am
Getting the Most Out of My . . . (sigh) Colon by Mike Simpson
If you didn't at least chuckle at the title of this post, you might want to skip over what comes next and not try to, uh, digest it.
So today at lunch a bunch of us went to a barbeque house, the kind where you order at the counter and they bring your food out to the table. When the server brought out my plate saw my face, she took a step back and said, "Honey, I saw your commercial on TV." All my friends erupted with laughter. It only got worse as the nice lady described how healthy I look in the commercial and how sorry she feels for all I've gone through. It's official. I have the most famous colon in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
I think I've written before about the diagnosis I received about eighteen months ago, of colon cancer. That diagnosis and the resulting treatment I received turned 2011 into "the year I'd most like to forget." What got me through that difficult time — in addition to the support of family and friends and looking forward to resuming my work as a publisher — was a bit of advice I was given in one of the many "helpful brochures" I received about coping with my changing condition: "try to keep a sense of humor." Well, when you're being subjected to lots of examinations and procedures that range from embarrassing to humiliating, it really is important to find something in it to laugh about. The great thing about my kind of cancer is that it lends itself readily to lots of jokes, puns, word play and general scatological snickering—no sh— . . . uh, fooling.
And it was that irreverent humor that made my GI doctor ask if I'd be willing to do a public service commercial about the importance of having a colonoscopy. The commercial was supposed to run in February and March of 2012, which is colon cancer awareness month. For some reason they kept running the commercials all through the spring and summer. My son-in-law called me last August and said, "Hey, Mike, I just saw you on the Olympics." That's one way to get there I guess.
Then last week I got a call from my five-year-old grandson who said excitedly, "Grampy, you're on the TV! Wait a minute." There was a fumbling of the phone and next I heard the voice of his three-year-old brother exclaim, "Grampy! We saw you on television. Goodbye!" Yep, my notorious commercial was running again. So far this year I've appeared on the AFC wildcard playoff, various news broadcasts and game shows. I'm guessing this is a lead in to cancer awareness month again and they're trying to get all they can out of my colon.
I always dreamed of being a celebrity, but not this way. Frankly, when it comes to my colon, I'm afraid I'm getting overexposed. You'd think I'd be flushed with pride, but this is beyond the scope of what I expected to reveal and little bit more than I think I can bare . . . uh, bear.
Getting to the bottom of this, I'd just like to say you all can help me out. If all of you, fifty years and older, will just go have a colonoscopy, they'll stop running the stupid commercial. Then I won't be so bitter about my end. –Mike Simpson
Filed under Humor, life, Mike Simpson
Tagged as colon, colon cancer, colonoscopy, famous colon, North Carolina
by Deborah J Ledford | January 5, 2013 · 3:00 am
Pre-Release Jitters by Deborah J Ledford
Okay, so the final steps for my next suspense novel, CRESCENDO, are at last being taken. All looks great for the February 19, 2013 release date. The cover turned better than I could ever have hoped, two very talented authors provided glowing blurbs for the back cover, the interior look is professional and pleasing to the eye. And after numerous read throughs of various versions my first readers, have given me their blessing…so why am I so nervous?
After all, this is Book Three of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela suspense series which takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. I should be over the jitters by now, right?
Well, two full years have passed since SNARE was released and the release phase feels a little new to me. There have been a lot of changes since December 21, 2010 yet I anticipate that nothing much truly changes. I'll still be doing my best to promote CRESCENDO at my personal page on Facebook, my STACCATO book page on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Goodreads.
In March I'll unveil the release at the Tucson Festival of Books and the Left Coast Crime conference, as well as numerous appearances around Arizona.
The CRESCENDO Pre-Order Page is now available on the Second Wind Publishing website. Stay tuned for Amazon, Nook and Smashwords details.
Lots of excitement going on over here as I type this. As well as butterflies, worry that I've forgotten something crucial, nervous nights without sleep as I anticipate the birth of my next baby.
I mentioned the cover earlier. This is a visual I've had in mind ever since I knew we would be continuing on with the hand theme for the front covers of the entire series. The fantastic photographer, Ted Stratton from Moving Pictures LLC, took the great photograph and the fantastic writer and former art director, Martin Roselius, did the layout.
The blurbs come from Jeffrey Siger and Darrell James, both I am honored to say are not only fantastic, talented authors, but also very good friends:
"I love Deborah Ledford. Every time I tried putting CRESCENDO down Ledford hooked me into reading 'just a few more chapters.' The action in this book is dangerous to sleep cycles." ~ Jeffrey Siger, author of The New York Times Book Review Pick for the Summer,Target: Tinos
"Deborah Ledford directs suspense like a highly skilled maestro, taking us on a thrill-ride that builds to a powerful, climactic conclusion." ~Darrell James, author of the award winning novel, Nazareth Child
Soon all of the hard work over many, many months will soon be over. I can't wait to receive my box of books from publisher Mike Simpson and his hard working Second Wind Publishing team.
I invite you to join me on the CRESCENDO journey which continues the 5th of every month here at the Second Wind blog.
Deborah J Ledford's most recent suspense novel SNARE, The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Finalist, is book two of her Deputy Hawk/Inola Walela thriller series. STACCATO, book one of the serial, is also available. Both novels are published by Second Wind Publishing. To find out more about Deborah, receive a Free Download of the first chapters of her novels, and to read a few previously published short stories, she invites you to visit her homepage at the Second Wind Publishing website and her personal website.
Tagged as author, books, Deborah J Ledford, fiction, indigo Sea Press, mystery, New Release, North Carolina, suspense
by Deborah J Ledford | December 5, 2012 · 6:00 am
The Next Big Thing: CRESCENDO
I've been invited to participate in the Next Big Thing blog series, in which authors get to describe what they are working on right now. I was invited to participate by my fellow Sister in Crime member, Donis Casey, who posted her own Next Big Thing last week at http://www.doniscasey.com/?p=690.
At the end of this blog you will see other writer friends of mine who will tell you about their Next Big Thing next week. Each of us will answer the same ten questions about our upcoming books or projects. Here they are:
What is your working title of your book?
CRESCENDO is book three of my Steven Hawk/Inola Walela trilogy, scheduled for release February 19, 2013.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Actually the first climactic scene came to me in a dream. A woman clutching a small duffel bag, her hand pulling out a fistful of money, wind whipping the bills into the air, her screaming, "Where is my son?" The visual kept haunting me until I figured out a way to work the scene into the main plot of the novel.
As with all of my novels and many short stories I've written: Psychological Suspense
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Angelina Jolie would be the dream Inola Walela. I've always envisioned Henry Simmons as Steven Hawk. Tantoo Cardinal would be fantastic as Inola's grandmother, Elisi…but Cher would be a blast!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Native American female cop risks everything to keep a boy safe.
The entire series is presented by Second Wind Publishing, an independent publisher just outside Winston-Salem, NM
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About one month. I do my best to write 2,000 words per day when I'm working through the first draft.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
This is always a difficult question as I strive to create books and stories that are truly original. I suppose Lisa Gardner's Gone.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
No real inspiration, except that I knew I wanted to feature a strong Native American woman. I enjoyed writing the Inola scenes with her grandmother most. Thinking I may write a novella or two featuring these two characters.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Along with this being a suspense novel, featuring the granddaughter/grandmother relationship, NA elements, probably the location of the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. It has been a pleasure sharing what I know and what I've discovered during my research of this breathtaking region of the nation.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to give you a little teaser about CRESCENDO. Here's a bit more of a synopsis: One murdered woman. A missing child. The diabolic father who will do anything to get his son back. The female cop who risks everything to keep the boy safe.
And now, here are the links to other excellent writers who will be telling you about their own Next Big Thing during the week of December 10th.
Fellow Second Wind Publishing author, Christine Husom – www.christinehusom.webs.com
Aaron Paul Lazar – http://aaronlazar.blogspot.com/
Connie Flynn – http://imaginationgonewild322.blogspot.com/
Clark Lohr – clarklohr.com
Deborah J Ledford's latest suspense novel SNARE, the New Mexico Book Award Finalist, and The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist, is book two of her Deputy Hawk/Inola Walela thriller series. STACCATO, book one of the serial, is also available. Both novels are published by Second Wind Publishing. To find out more about Deborah, receive a Free Download of the first chapters of her novels, and to read a few previously published short stories, she invites you to visit her homepage at the Second Wind Publishing website and her personal website.
Tagged as author, Deborah J Ledford, fiction, indigo Sea Press, mystery, North Carolina, The Next Big Thing
by Deborah J Ledford | November 5, 2012 · 6:00 am
CRESCENDO Cover Sneak Peek – by Deborah J Ledford
I am thrilled to announce that Book Three of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela series is scheduled for release February 19, 2013. Here's a sneak peek of the cover:
As with SNARE and STACCATO, CRESCENDO features the same law enforcement characters, however the novel is a standalone—this time with Inola Walela playing the lead roll. All of these novels are presented by Second Wind Publishing.
Big thanks to Eric Beetner for suggesting CRESCENDO as the title—absolutely perfect for the final book of the suspense series.
Looking forward to sharing more highlights about this upcoming suspense novel with you in the coming months.
So, what do you think? Thumbs up, or down, for the cover?
Tagged as author, books, Deborah J Ledford, indigo Sea Press, mystery, North Carolina, photo, suspense


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