text:
Infermedica raises $30 million Series B Funding from One Peak to expand AI-driven Medical Guidance Platform
Infermedica, a leading digital health company, specializing in AI-powered solutions for symptom analysis and patient triage, today announces a $30 million Series B funding round, led by One Peak, and supported by previous investors: Karma Ventures, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Heal Capital, and Inovo Venture Partners. The new investment – which follows a Series A funding round just over a year ago – brings the company's total funding to $44 million. The capital will be used to support Infermedica in tackling some of the biggest issues facing healthcare through further development of their Medical Guidance Platform (MGP) and adding new modules to cover the full primary care journey. Infermedica will also increase their global commercial presence and expand their international, remote-first team of industry and medical experts.
"We are incredibly excited to back the Infermedica team as we share their vision of making healthcare more accessible and affordable by automating primary care. We have been particularly impressed with Infermedica's clinical safety and accuracy, best-in-class user experience, ease of deployment, and customer service. We believe the company has all the ingredients in place to become the global standard for using AI to support patients and healthcare providers in all steps of the primary care journey and we look forward to supporting Infermedica in its next phase of explosive growth", affirms Humbert de Liedekerke, Managing Partner, One Peak.
By 2030, up to 5 billion people will be unable to access even basic healthcare, mainly due to provider shortages and burnout. Infermedica's mission is to ease the strain on global healthcare systems and make healthcare accessible, convenient and affordable by automating primary care. Infermedica's MGP is the first step to achieving this vision by supporting and streamlining the healthcare decision-making process, from symptom to outcome.
MGP leverages the same technology behind Infermedica's successful Symptom Checker tool, which has been used by over 10 million users globally, to triage patients to the right level of care. Infermedica plans to further develop the solution to enable seamless handover to providers, including EHR integration, as part of the intake process, as well as automating follow-ups to close the feedback loop. In the US alone, administrative simplification could reduce healthcare spending by over a quarter-trillion dollars ($265 billion) annually.
Founded in 2012 in Poland by Piotr Orzechowski (CEO), Infermedica's team grew by 80% in 2021 to 180 specialists – including physicians, data scientists, and engineers, and 2022 will see Infermedica on the trajectory to double their workforce yet again.
We're thrilled to partner with One Peak as the lead investor for this round. From the moment we met, we were very impressed with One Peak's open and honest approach and felt that we share very similar values. One Peak is a high value-add partner for us with extensive experience in scaling B2B companies. I'm also thankful to our existing investors for their continued support and participation in our Series B round. To date, we've spent over 60,000 hours of physicians' work building one of the world's most advanced medical knowledge bases of diseases, symptoms, and risk factors. We will deploy the new funds to execute our vision of making primary care more efficient and affordable by creating constantly improving AI technology for everyone on the planet.
Piotr Orzechowski, CEO and Co-Founder, Infermedica
With the development of their Medical Guidance Platform underway, Infermedica is proud to be continuing their growth story as part of the One Peak investment portfolio.
Tags: Digital Health, Press Release, Startup
LifeWorks acquires Breaking Free, a leading provider of digital substance use disorder treatment
Consumer health innovation – where passion and science meet


text:
> Home / Career Options / Master of Computer Application (MCA)
Master of Computer Application (MCA)
Colleges Offering Master of Computer Application (MCA) in India
Dr BC Roy Engineering College
Durgapur, West Bengal Approval from the AICTE, Government of India and Affiliated to the West Bengal University of Technology.
Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA)
Dr GR Damodaran College of Science
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Affiliated to Bharathiar University, Coimbatore and recognized by the University Grants Commission
Bhai Parmanand Institute of Business Studies
Delhi, Delhi ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Dibrugarh, Assam Accredited by NAAC with 'A' Grade
JSS Academy of Technical Education - Noida
Noida, Uttar Pradesh Affiliated to Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Technical University U.P, Lucknow
Rs. 1,42,347.00/- Per Year
Nadia, West Bengal NAAC 'A'Accredited Autonomous Institution, Affiliated by MAKAUT
Kanpur Institute of Technology
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh Accreditation NBA, AICTE approved
KCG College of Technology
Barrister Ranjit Mohanty League of Institution
Ankushpur, Odisha AICTE Approved, Affiliated to Biju Patnaik University of Technology
Bharat Institute of Technology
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & Affiliated to Mahamaya Technical University, Noida
Cambridge Institute of Technology
Bangalore, Karnataka Recognized By Govt. Of Karnataka an ISO 9001:2008 Certified
Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management
Sivasagar, Assam Recognised by UGC and member of Association of Indian Universities
Rs. 1,43,500/Total
Sambhram Academy of Management Studies
Bangalore, Karnataka ISO 9001:2000 certified, SAMS is accredited by NAAC, Affiliated to Banglore University.
Hindu Institute of Management
Sonepat, Haryana Approved by AICTE & Affiliated to DCRUST, Murthal
Heritage Institute of Technology
Kolkata, West Bengal Accredited with 'B++' Grade by NAAC wef 22/02/2017
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh ISO 9001:2000 certification
Rs. 60,000/- First Year
Dewan Institute of Management Studies
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh Approved by AICTE and Ministry of HRD
Dewan VS Institute of Engineering and Technology
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh Affiliated to APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University UP, Luckhnow
Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA) + Master of Computer Application (MCA)
Sardar Patel Institute of Technology
Mumbai, Maharashtra Affiliated to Mumbai University
Rs. 1,68,000/- First Year
Academy of Business and Engineering Sciences
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Approved by AICTE and Affiliated to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow
Bharathiar University - School of Distance Education
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Accredited by NAAC with 'A' Grade
Bharathidasan University Centre for Distance Education
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu
Asan Memorial Institute of Management
Chennai, Tamil Nadu Approved by AICTE & Affiliated to University of Madras
Aravali Institute of Technical Studies
Udaipur, Rajasthan Approved by AICTE, Govt. of India and Affiliated to Rajasthan Technical University, Kota (Raj.)
Previous 1234567 ... 25 Next

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Олексій Олексійович Гетьман ( 16 серпня 1975, Ворошиловград, УРСР) — український футболіст та тренер, виступав на позиціях захисника та півзахисника.

Життєпис
Вихованець ЛВУФК Луганська. Професіональну кар'єру починав в луганському «Динамо». З 1995 по 1998 роки грав за «Металург» (Маріуполь). У 1999 році перейшов у казахстанський «Синтез», де за підсумками сезону увійшов до списку 22 найкращих футболістів чемпіонату. На початку 2000 року виступав за «Машинобудівник» (Дружківка), після завершення сезону перейшов у російську «Жемчужину». У 2001 році виступав за «Ростсільмаш», дебютував у вищому дивізіоні 14 квітня в домашньому матчі 5-го туру проти «Спартака», замінивши на 61-й хвилині зустрічі Романа Адамова. У 2002 році виступав за ростовський СКА. Професіональну кар'єру завершив у 2004 році в луганській «Зорі». Після закінчення кар'єри працював тренером основної, дублюючої та молодіжної команди «Іллічівця».

Примітки

Посилання
 Візитна картка футболіста на офіційному сайті УПЛ

 Профіль гравця на сайті «Український футбол»
 Профіль гравця на сайті footbook.ru
 Профіль гравця  на сайті sportbox.ru
 Профіль гравця на офіційному сайті ФК «Тамбов»
 Профіль гравця на сайті shinnik.org
 Профіль тренера на сайті transfermarkt.com
Уродженці Луганська
Українські футболісти
Українські футбольні легіонери
Футбольні легіонери в Казахстані
Футбольні легіонери в Росії
Футболісти «Динамо» (Луганськ)
Футболісти «Маріуполя»
Футболісти «Ордабаси»
Футболісти «Машинобудівника» (Дружківка)
Футболісти «Жемчужини» (Сочі)
Футболісти «Ростова»
Футболісти СКА (Ростов-на-Дону)
Футболісти «Волгаря-Газпром»
Футболісти «Зорі» (Луганськ)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Did you think you were done with standards when you finished ISO 9000? Well, get ready for ISO 50001, the international standard for energy management. This standard is expected to achieve major, long-term increases in energy efficiency of 20% or more in industrial and commercial facilities.
In February 2008, ISO approved the establishment of a new project committee to develop the new ISO Management System Standard for Energy. The result, ISO 5000, will establish an international framework for industrial, commercial, or institutional facilities, or entire companies, to manage their energy, including procurement and use.
The standard will provide organizations and companies with technical and management strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve environmental performance. Corporations, supply chain partnerships, utilities, energy service companies, and others are expected to use ISO 50001 as a tool to reduce energy intensity and carbon emissions in their own facilities (as well as those belonging to their customers or suppliers) and for benchmarking.


When you arrive at Girona-Costa Brava Airport (GRO) in Girona (Gerona), the last thing you'll want to do is line up at several counters trying to compare prices on rental cars. Pre-booking with us can save you a huge amount of time and money. It will guarantee you a car, and you'll fly in and drive away without the hassle.


text:
FRESH, FAIR AND GOLDEN
Triple medal winner Debbie Meyer sparked the U.S. swimming team in a lustrous sweep that brushed away the Olympiad's shadows
Bob Ottum
Just when things looked darkest, when Mexico City was about ready to ask the world to kindly go away somewhere on the other side of the Rio Bravo, along came the second week, and sane and predictable things began to happen. The swimmers, who had already moved into their stadium, began to ply the water in earnest. Farther downtown there were gymnastics—especially women's gymnastics, the girlie show of sport. In other sections of the city other competitors were also doing things—sensible things that people could identify with, like boxing and stabbing at each other with foils. And there was basketball, an especially dandy sport, because everybody really knew who would win after all. Finally the week took on such a well-ordered look that one International Olympic Committeeman was stirred to say these Games were the cleanest in history, which indicates he must have spent most of his time going out for tacos.
Even though swimming in particular, and lesser sports in general, helped settle down the Olympics, it was hardly a well-ordered week by ordinary standards. It was suggested that the reason why many of those track and field athletes had limped out of the stadium after the first week was that large sums of money had been stuffed into their track shoes by track shoe manufacturers. One athlete, unidentified, tried to cash a $1,440 shoe-company check right at the Olympic Village, which must have left his shoe man shaking in his striped spikes. There was a hasty move to sweep much of this news under the Tartan track, but a full investigation had to be launched. By way of explanation, Bob Paul, in his almost insoluble job as press-relations man for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said, in two breaths, "Do not pay any attention to all these rumors," and, "We have a private investigator working on the case."
As if the shoe scandal, following the glove shindy, was not enough, a band of crusty officials decided to invalidate the bronze medal won by the Swedish modern pentathlon team. The culprit was a Swede who allegedly drank too many beers to steady his hand before the pistol shooting event. He managed to get his hand so steady, doctors said, that it was almost stiff. They found more than the minimum allowable amount of alcohol in his blood—and would Sweden please send back the medal? Well, the pentathlon shooters have always had a few belts to brace themselves, and the alcohol rule is indicative only of the depths of purity to which modern pentathlon has sunk. Back in the old days Russian Igor Novikov, who won a silver medal in Tokyo, occasionally got so rock-steady that he had to be carried to the shooting line, and at the 1963 world championships in Bern, Switzerland one competitor showed up sloshed, sang a few old drinking songs and waved his pistol at the crowd for special effect.
These were not the only troubles. The masseur of the Dutch cycling team was packed on a plane and sent home after unauthorized vitamins and medicines were found in his room and, presumably, in his athletes; Tom Evans, head coach of the U.S. freestyle wrestling squad, which picked up two silver medals, charged angrily that other nations were conspiring to throw certain matches; and five referees were withdrawn from the boxing ring because they "allowed contestants to take too much punishment."
As a final touch, officials got to worrying about maintaining a certain dignity in the closing ceremonies (in Tokyo one team marched in wearing suits, shirts, ties, coats, shoes and socks—and carrying their pants over their arms). The committee in charge revised the program, specifying blandly that each nation would be limited to just seven sober marchers, thus raising a howl from hundreds of athletes whose only reason for staying in town was to parade in that grand finale. Slews of people marched anyway.
But just as the whole thing seemed to be lurching out of control, the American swim kids, who do not compete in track shoes or shoot pistols, put the 1968 Olympiad back together again. For all those peripheral troubles, for all the talk of scandal, they made the Games more than worthwhile. "We are up to here in heroes and heroines," rasped that emotional wreck, Sherman Chavoor, the U.S. girls' team coach. "I mean, look at Debbie Meyer. Look at Mike Burton. Kids like this make America great. They are a dream team."
They were all of that. By Saturday night the dream swim team had swept five events, set four world and 17 Olympic records and had taken 58 medals—leaving 41 for the rest of the world to split up. From the start the swimmers had fought successive waves of stomach cramps and what 22-year-old Douglas Russell called The Altitude Monkey. "You get in that ol' pool, you start thinking about 7,349 feet—and suddenly that monkey jumps right in there on top of you," he said. They were also competing in what was by American standards a slow pool, with the water level just far enough below the gutters to create everything but whitecaps whenever swimmers competed. On the night of the storm-tossed men's 400-meter freestyle relay Ken Walsh climbed out of the water, looked at the pool and murmured, "It's murder in there. You make the turn and suddenly you're going bump, bump, bump over the waves. Almost enough to make you seasick." Still, the team had bumped its way through the course in 3:31.7, ahead of the Russians and Australians, for both world and Olympic records.
Then, of course, there were the performances of Debbie Meyer, who deserves a ticker-tape parade through her home town of Sacramento, Calif. Miss Meyer is 16, about to be beautiful, not old enough to wear makeup—well, maybe just a tiny hint of eyeshadow—with a businesslike tawny haircut and the posture of a coiled spring. "After this," she said last week, "I am going to go home and stuff myself."
Debbie won her event—and broke an Olympic record—every time she sprang into the pool and peeked over at her competitors from beneath her dripping bangs. On Sunday night she churned her way through the 400-meter freestyle in 4:31.8 and said, "I felt real easy all the way." On Tuesday she swam the 200-meter freestyle in 2:10.5 and shrugged, "I'll still swim one year more. Oh, well, maybe four." And on Thursday, after winning the 800-meter freestyle, she ran up to Coach Chavoor and hung her third gold medal around his neck. "Here," she said, "this one is for you." Then she thought it over for a while. "I'd like to swim in Munich in 1972," she said. "Of course, it depends on whether I make the team or not." Coach Chavoor simply gurgled.
Thus, through 33 events, did the swimmers and divers carry this stamp of marvelous purity. It was a sort of Gidget Goes Olympian quality that prevailed over all outside influences. Each night, as the events splashed on and the swimming stadium grew progressively more hysterical, there would be performances to make strong coaches wilt, highlights that left audiences weak. Claudia Kolb of Santa Clara, Calif., for one example, took two individual golds, setting two Olympic records in the 200- and 400-meter medleys, winning the latter from here to Guadalajara.
There were prices to pay: the terrible oxygen debt that swimming in Mexico City demanded, the drug test that often kept swimmers waiting for hours backstage, guarded by medical authorities waiting for them to calm down enough to provide a urine sample. "After each event," said Charlie Hickcox, who won three gold and one silver medal, "we would have to go and lie down on a cot in some little back room while a Mexican medical guy sprinkled sugar into our open mouths. It was supposed to make you bounce back quickly or something. But mostly he sprinkled sugar into our eyes."
Early in the week, after Hickcox had led an American sweep of the 200-meter individual medley, 19-year-old John Ferris, who had finished third, could not rally quickly enough for the award ceremonies, a rite upon which Olympic officials place great store, sugar or no sugar. Ferris wobbled as he marched around the pool toward the victory stand with Hickcox and teammate Greg Buckingham, clutching his stomach as he went. He tried manfully to stand at attention during The Star-Spangled Banner, but about the time they got to "bombs bursting in air" he leaned toward Hickcox, whispered, "Look out, here I go," and fainted. Hickcox patriotically held Ferris at semi-attention through the last few bars, then let him slump gently away.
Next night Doug Russell beat 18-year-old Mark Spitz in the 100-meter butterfly dropping that overscheduled, haunted, upset young man from his expected gold medal to a silver and out of the medley relay. And the night after that a marvelous young Mexican named Felipe Mu√±oz churned his way through 200 meters of furious breast-stroking to whip the most surprised Russian in the world, Vladimir Kosinsky, who had held the world record in the event. The triumph set off what must have been one of the loudest, happiest, most sustained ovations in Olympic history—it was Mexico's first swimming gold medal ever—and there was hardly a person in the house who would argue that Mu√±oz should not have been awarded Kosinsky's ears and tail for the kill.
The rest of the swimming belonged to California's Mike Burton, who moves with the power of a pocket battleship. On Wednesday night he set an Olympic record in the 400-meter freestyle, an event that is just a warmup for his specialty, which is swimming at fantastic, untiring speed for 1,500 meters. At the start of the Games Burton had gone over to watch the 10,000-meter run, an event that is not unlike swimming's 1,500 meters. "After four laps a guy dropped out," he said, "and it really scared me to see it."
He was kidding. Burton has never been scared in his life, and last Saturday night, in the climactic event of a watery week, he destroyed his top rival, Mexico's Guillermo Echeverría, who finished a stunned sixth. Burton won by almost 20 seconds, in 16:38.9, for another Olympic record. After the race he turned a pair of tired pink eyes on the press and said, "The thing to do is go out fast and hang on."
Even in defeat there was a touch of elegance about the swimmers. Don Schollander, hero of Tokyo four years ago, lost the 200-meter freestyle to the young Australian, Michael Wenden, who also won the 100 and who is described by his coach as "that basher." A few moments after the meet Schollander sat looking at his silver medal, with his mother sitting beside him, occasionally patting him on the knee. He said it was his last competitive swim. It was all over and he was glad. And what would he do now? He shrugged. "I am going to write a book," he said. "About my philosophy of swimming, what made me go. That sort of thing."
As the hot-sauce Olympics drew to an end, it was time for two other emotion-wreckers—the finals in basketball and boxing. In a spectacular copper-roofed Sports Palace out near the airport on the outskirts of town nightly crowds of up to 22,000 had watched the basketball eliminations come down to the inevitable pairing: the United States against somebody for a gold medal. It turned out to be Yugoslavia, a team that had beaten Russia 63-62, an event that was followed by a great deal of manly kissing and hugging, rolling around on the floor and general Slavic dramatics. On Friday night, although a stunning Czech dish, Vera Caslavska, was putting on a gold-medal gymnastic-show at the other end of Mexico City (she won four in all, to thunderous applause, even from her competitors, who tossed her triumphantly in the air), everybody else in town, it seemed, was jammed cheek to mustache into the Sports Palace to see the showdown—Hank Iba and his boys against Ranko Zeravica and his gang.
There was a lot at stake. The U.S. had never lost a game in Olympic basketball and had run up 74 consecutive victories. Further, the Americans had come into the Olympics haunted by the specter of players who were not there. For one reason or another that list of absentees included Lew Alcindor, Elvin Hayes and Westley Unseld. The American press insisted on calling the team ragtag or patchwork, labels that stung the players, all of whom can read quite well. And what many had overlooked was the fact that the gravel-voiced old (64) Iba was coaching at Oklahoma State about the same time Zeravica was born, and he somehow manages to pump his players up to roughly 100 pounds beyond their normal pressure.
Still, in the final confrontation, the U.S. team started slowly enough to scare everybody on the bench—especially Coach Iba, who kept yelling, "Cut that out!" It was obvious the players had closing-night jitters. Through the first half they had trouble holding as much as a three-point lead, while the Mexican spectators cheerfully whistled—which is booing in Mexico City, as in much of the world. When the half mercifully ended, at 32-29 for the U.S., Iba took his boys somewhere underneath the stands to talk about fundamentals.
"He just told us to forget about the first half," said Jo Jo White, the superb playmaker who in calmer times picks defenses apart for the University of Kansas. No team ever followed orders better. When the second half began, White and company started a fire-wagon, steal-the-ball offense that ran off 17 straight points while the Yugoslavs remained scoreless. The burst gave the U.S. a 49-29 lead, with White getting eight points and 19-year-old Spencer Haywood, who would like to be an actor but who is first destined to become a Bill Russell for a few years, getting another eight. After that, Iba played everybody except the team doctor, who was not feeling too well, and the usual visiting movie actor, who crowded onto the bench in a tight tuxedo. The game ended 65-50 U.S., and the most un-ragtag team of them all got gold medals all around while the Yugoslavs cut down the net for a souvenir.
It was easy enough to explain. "The Americans," said Coach Zeravica, "take in their hands the, uhhh, the activities. After that, with our morale coming down, it is difficult to do anything with these Americans."
Then came Saturday night on the town—boxing finals at Sunnyside Arena South, an Olympic venue whose main concession to the Games was to hang white sheets over the A Cerveza Màs Fina beer signs. All week long the fans had been building for the occasion, yelling "rateros!" (bandits) at the officials and showering coins, oranges and Mexican bric-a-brac into the ring. After one spirited fight a photographer jumped in and pounded the referee with his newspaper. Mexican fight fans, Olympics or no Olympics, take the show seriously.
The U.S. squad, with four lefthanders, was not, by Coach Pappy Gault's standards, as talented as the 1964 team that won only one gold medal (Joe Frazier's), but each man knew the complex international rules and all were determined to the point of dedication. None of the boxers left the Olympic Village for two weeks except to fight. They did not go for "that demonstration stuff," as Gault termed it, because they were proud to represent the United States. Of the 11 who started in the eliminations seven made it into the semifinals. Harlan Marbley, 25, a light flyweight from Washington, D.C.; James Wallington Jr., 24, a light welterweight from Philadelphia; John Baldwin, 19, a light middleweight from Detroit; and Alfred Jones, 22, a Detroit middleweight, came away from the semis a bit sadder (they lost their bouts) but still wearing bronze medals.
Featherweight Albert Robinson, 21, on leave from the U.S. Naval Air Station at Alameda, Calif., for a while came away with nothing at all—although he was, in his bout, walloping the frijoles out of Mexico's Antonio Roldan. Suddenly the blood came gushing from Roldan's forehead. Robinson had butted, the Russian referee said, although he made the call when Robinson was pounding merrily away on Roldan's head at arm's length. Robinson was disqualified, which cost him the gold and almost the silver. At first, that was denied him, as was the bronze. Fortunately, an appeal was upheld the next day and Robinson was decked in silver.
Lightweight Ronnie Harris, a 20-year-old Ohioan, won a gold medal and later noted that he had been both sick and scared but that he had prayed to God and that his faith had pulled him through. From ringside it looked like faith and good counterpunching, but no matter. The stage was now set for the heavyweight finale.
George Foreman, the lyrical 19-year-old 218-pounder from Houston, ruined Russia's balding 29-year-old Iones Chepulis with approximately 200 left jabs that caused Chepulis' nose to bleed quite a lot and eventually led to a halt in the second round. After the fight Foreman received a cluster of roses from someone at ringside and promptly presented the bouquet to the Russian—they matched his nose nicely—and then grabbed up a little U.S. flag from Pappy Gault and kissed it for the crowd.
It was, for all the touch of corn, a fitting tribute to a surprising U.S. Olympic team. In all sports, the Americans won 107 medals, 45 of them gold. The sailors won two gold medals, Bill Steinkraus won a gold in Grand Prix horse jumping and Gary Anderson, the rifle shot, won a gold. And in sports where Americans have never been strong—like gymnastics and cycling—while they did not score this time they gave plenty of evidence that in the next Olympiad they might just do that. The Mexican Olympics, like most of the ones before them, had their problems, but a lot of people found a lot of wonderful ways of overcoming them.
Pretty, young Russian gymnasts, overall team champions, saluted fans.
Basketball captain Mike Silliman battled Yugoslavia's Rajkovic (7) for the ball as the U.S. upset the pre-Olympic form chart and won easily.
American William Steinkraus, in his fourth Olympics, cleared all but one barrier cleanly to finally take a gold medal in Grand Prix jumping.
Early-morning shadows and Olympic rings bracketed the tandems. Russians (in red) led Italians on Velodrome track but lost race.
Puffed-up U.S. heavyweight lifter Joe Dube won a bronze medal.
Gleeful Leonid Zhabotinsky of Russia, however, grabbed the gold.
Agonized Mark Spitz of the U.S. lost in 100 butterfly specialty.
Surprised Australian Mike Wenden was patted after second win.
Czech platform winner Milena Duchkova spun and grimaced, Ann Peterson arched gracefully, then let her hair down on victory stand.
FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS


text:
DREAM THEATER To Enter The Studio "Around May," Says JORDAN RUDESS; Video
December 4, 2017, 3 years ago
news heavy metal dream theater jordan rudess
Jimmy Kay from Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Rudess spoke about his classical training as a child, his induction into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History, how he joined Dream Theater, their latest album The Astonishing, the departure of Mike Portnoy and the bands future plans.
When asked about the future plans for Dream Theater, and a possible new album, Rudess reveals: "We have been on the road for almost two years and now we are going to take a break and go to the studio and make a new album around May and see what happens."
Watch below:


ARTICULATING FRICTION HINGE FOR A MOUNTABLE LIGHTING DEVICE - STREAMLIGHT, INC.
A lighting device comprising an improved hinge assembly, and methods of assembly thereof, are disclosed.
a bracket assembly comprising a first leaf that is releasably attachable to the housing assembly and including a first knuckle, a second leaf that is releasably attachable to the mounting surface and including a second knuckle, and a hinge assembly that rotatably connects the first leaf to the second leaf about an axis of rotation, the hinge assembly comprising the first knuckle, the second knuckle, a pin routed between the first knuckle and the second knuckle along the axis of rotation, and a washer located between the first knuckle and the second knuckle, the washer being centered about the axis of rotation and having a center opening that at least partially surrounds the pin, the washer being comprised of a deformable material, the washer having an uncompressed width when not under pressure, wherein when the hinge assembly is assembled, a space is provided between the first knuckle and the second knuckle, the space having a width that is smaller than the uncompressed width of the washer, such that the washer is compressed within the space such that it supplies pressure against both of the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
2. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the pin does not provide any frictional force to the hinge assembly in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.
3. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the pin comprises a threaded fastener and a nut.
4. The lighting device of claim 2, wherein the pin comprises a threaded fastener and a nut.
5. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, wherein the center opening of the washer fully surrounds the pin.
6. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, wherein one of the first knuckle or the second knuckle comprises a main portion and a boss portion that extends outwardly from the main portion thereof towards the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the boss portion having an opening aligned along the axis of rotation that at least partially surrounds the pin, the center opening of the washer at least partially surrounding the boss portion.
7. The lighting device of claim 6, wherein the center opening of the washer has a diameter when the washer is not installed around the boss portion that is smaller than a diameter of the boss portion, such that the center opening must be enlarged to install the washer around the boss portion, and such that the washer supplies pressure to the boss portion when installed thereon to hold the washer firmly in place.
8. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, wherein the uncompressed width of the washer is between 5%-25% greater than the width of the space between the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
9. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, wherein the uncompressed width of the washer is between 10%-20% greater than the width of the space between the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
10. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, wherein the uncompressed width of the washer is approximately 15% greater than the width of the space between the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
11. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, further comprising a spacer located within an opening in the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the spacer having an opening therein through which the pin is routed along the axis of rotation.
12. The lighting device of claim 11, wherein the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle comprises a main portion and a boss portion that extends outwardly from the main portion thereof towards the knuckle including the spacer, the boss portion having an opening aligned along the axis of rotation that at least partially surrounds the pin, the center opening of the washer at least partially surrounding the boss portion.
13. The lighting device of any of claims 1-4, the hinge assembly comprising a third knuckle that is part of the first leaf or second leaf.
securing the pin in place to complete the hinge assembly such that the pin does not supply any frictional force to the hinge assembly in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising compressing a width of the washer between the first knuckle and the second knuckle by between 5-20%.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising compressing the width of the washer between the first knuckle and the second knuckle by between 10-15%.
placing the center opening of the washer such that it at least partially surrounds the boss portion.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of providing the center opening of the washer with a diameter when the washer is not installed around the boss portion that is smaller than a diameter of the boss portion, such that the center opening must be enlarged to install the washer around the boss portion, and such that the washer supplies pressure to the boss portion when installed thereon to hold the washer firmly in place.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of inserting a spacer within an opening in the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle not including the boss portion, the spacer having an opening therein through which the pin is routed along the axis of rotation.
20. The method of any of claims 14-16, further comprising the step of inserting a spacer within an opening in the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the spacer having an opening therein through which the pin is routed along the axis of rotation.
 The present invention relates to the field of mountable lighting devices, and more particularly a portable, mountable lighting device having an articulating friction hinge that permits the lighting device to be mounted and articulated according to the user's needs and desired position.
 Head-mountable lighting devices are well known in the art. These devices may be mounted to a helmet, hat, visor, or other mounting surface via a mounting clip, or around a user's head via the use of a headstrap. One such example is the Enduro Head-Mounted Flashlight, manufactured by Streamlight, Inc. of Eagleville, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., which is the applicant of the present application.
 Many known head-mountable and surface-mountable lighting devices include a ratcheting hinge that permits only a finite number of lighting device positions with respect to the mounting portion of the device. This is a potential hindrance to a user, since the user may not be able to achieve a desired position for the lighting device. In addition, many of these prior art hinges function to hold the lighting device in the desired position via pressure applied to the hinge by a fastener (e.g. , a nut and bolt combination). These prior art hinges will tend to work themselves loose over time and eventually fail.
 Accordingly, there is a need for an improved articulating friction hinge for a mountable lighting device that overcomes these and other drawbacks of the prior art devices.
 FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2, showing the hinge assembly of the lighting device in detail.
 Aspect 1 : A lighting device that is releasably mountable to a mounting surface, the lighting device comprising: a housing assembly comprising at least one light-emitting portion; and a bracket assembly comprising a first leaf that is releasably attachable to the housing assembly and including a first knuckle, a second leaf that is releasably attachable to the mounting surface and including a second knuckle, and a hinge assembly that rotatably connects the first leaf to the second leaf about an axis of rotation, the hinge assembly comprising the first knuckle, the second knuckle, a pin routed between the first knuckle and the second knuckle along the axis of rotation, and a washer located between the first knuckle and the second knuckle, the washer being centered about the axis of rotation and having a center opening that at least partially surrounds the pin, the washer being comprised of a deformable material, the washer having an uncompressed width when not under pressure, wherein when the hinge assembly is assembled, a space is provided between the first knuckle and the second knuckle, the space having a width that is smaller than the uncompressed width of the washer, such that the washer is compressed within the space such that it supplies pressure against both of the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
 Aspect 2: The lighting device of Aspect 1, wherein the pin does not provide any frictional force to the hinge assembly in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.
 Aspect 3: The lighting device of Aspect 1, wherein the pin comprises a threaded fastener and a nut.
 Aspect 4: The lighting device of Aspect 2, wherein the pin comprises a threaded fastener and a nut.
 Aspect 5: The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-4, wherein the center opening of the washer fully surrounds the pin.
 Aspect 6: The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-5, wherein one of the first knuckle or the second knuckle comprises a main portion and a boss portion that extends outwardly from the main portion thereof towards the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the boss portion having an opening aligned along the axis of rotation that at least partially surrounds the pin, the center opening of the washer at least partially surrounding the boss portion.
 Aspect 7: The lighting device of Aspect 6, wherein the center opening of the washer has a diameter when the washer is not installed around the boss portion that is smaller than a diameter of the boss portion, such that the center opening must be enlarged to install the washer around the boss portion, and such that the washer supplies pressure to the boss portion when installed thereon to hold the washer firmly in place.
 Aspect 8: The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-7, wherein the uncompressed width of the washer is between 5%-25% greater than the width of the space between the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
 Aspect 9: The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-7, wherein the uncompressed width of the washer is between 10%-20% greater than the width of the space between the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
 Aspect 10: The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-7, wherein the uncompressed width of the washer is approximately 15% greater than the width of the space between the first knuckle and the second knuckle.
 Aspect 11 : The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-10, further comprising a spacer located within an opening in the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the spacer having an opening therein through which the pin is routed along the axis of rotation.
 Aspect 12: The lighting device of Aspect 11, wherein the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle comprises a main portion and a boss portion that extends outwardly from the main portion thereof towards the knuckle including the spacer, the boss portion having an opening aligned along the axis of rotation that at least partially surrounds the pin, the center opening of the washer at least partially surrounding the boss portion.
 Aspect 13: The lighting device of any of Aspects 1-12, the hinge assembly comprising a third knuckle that is part of the first leaf or second leaf.
 Aspect 14: A method of assembling a hinge assembly of a bracket assembly for releasably mounting a housing assembly comprising at least one light-emitting portion to a mounting surface, the method comprising: placing a first side of a first knuckle of a first leaf that is releasably attachable to the housing assembly adjacent to a first side of a washer having a center opening, the washer being comprised of a deformable material, the washer having an uncompressed width when not under pressure; placing a first side of a second knuckle of a second leaf that is releasably attachable to the mounting surface adjacent to a second side of the washer such that the washer is compressed between the first knuckle and the second knuckle, the second side of the washer opposing the first side of the washer; inserting a pin through the first knuckle, the center opening of the washer, and the second knuckle about an axis of rotation of the hinge assembly; and securing the pin in place to complete the hinge assembly such that the pin does not supply any frictional force to the hinge assembly in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.
 Aspect 15: The method of Aspect 14, further comprising compressing a width of the washer between the first knuckle and the second knuckle by between 5-20%.
 Aspect 16: The method of Aspect 14, further comprising compressing the width of the washer between the first knuckle and the second knuckle by between 10-15%.
 Aspect 17: The method of any of Aspects 14-16, further comprising the steps of: providing one of the first knuckle or the second knuckle with a main portion and a boss portion that extends outwardly from the main portion thereof towards the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the boss portion having an opening aligned along the axis of rotation that at least partially surrounds the pin; and placing the center opening of the washer such that it at least partially surrounds the boss portion.
 Aspect 18: The method of Aspect 17, further comprising the step of providing the center opening of the washer with a diameter when the washer is not installed around the boss portion that is smaller than a diameter of the boss portion, such that the center opening must be enlarged to install the washer around the boss portion, and such that the washer supplies pressure to the boss portion when installed thereon to hold the washer firmly in place.
 Aspect 19: The method of either of Aspect 17 or Aspect 18, further comprising the step of inserting a spacer within an opening in the other of the first knuckle or the second knuckle not including the boss portion, the spacer having an opening therein through which the pin is routed along the axis of rotation.
 Aspect 20: The method of any of Aspects 14-19, further comprising the step of inserting a spacer within an opening in the first knuckle or the second knuckle, the spacer having an opening therein through which the pin is routed along the axis of rotation.
 The ensuing detailed description provides preferred exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the herein disclosed inventions. Rather, the ensuing detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the preferred exemplary embodiments in accordance with the herein disclosed invention. It is understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
 To aid in describing the invention, directional terms may be used in the specification and claims to describe portions of the present invention (intended to assist in describing and claiming the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. In addition, reference numerals that are introduced in the specification in association with a drawing figure may be repeated in one or more subsequent figures without additional description in the specification, in order to provide context for other features.
 Head-mountable or surface-mountable lighting devices are used in many applications where it is necessary or useful for a user to have their hands free, for example while walking, hiking, biking, or any other application in which additional light is desirable or necessary to accomplish the task and/or add to the safety of the user. Known mountable lighting devices have limited positionable freedom, and some include hinge joints that will fail over time due to the fastening pin working itself loose through repeated use. It is the desire of Applicant to disclose a mountable lighting device having an articulating friction hinge that is an improvement over those of known mountable lighting devices.
 Referring now generally to FIGS. 1-6, an embodiment of a lighting device 10 according to the present invention will be described in detail. In this embodiment, the device 10 comprises a housing assembly 12 which includes a housing 14, an on/off button 16 that is used to turn the device 10 on and off or cycle through modes thereof, a light-emitting portion 18 (i.e. , the lamp), and a charging port 20— which in this embodiment is a USB port— that is used to recharge the device 10. The functionality of the contents of the housing assembly 12 are outside the scope of the present specification and will not be described further.
 In this embodiment, the device 10 further comprises a bracket assembly 26, which is removably mountable to the housing assembly 12 via a pair of bracket assembly mounting portions 22a,22b, which in this embodiment are located at the rear side edges of the housing 14. The bracket assembly 26 comprises a housing attachment leaf 28 which is used to connect the bracket assembly 26 to the housing 14, a surface mounting leaf 40 which is used to attach the bracket assembly 26— and thus the device 10— to a desired surface (e.g. , the brim of a hat), and a hinge assembly 64 that rotatably attaches the housing attachment leaf 28 to the surface mounting leaf 40 about an axis of rotation 66 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
 As seen in FIG. 5, the housing attachment leaf 28 comprises a pair of housing attachment portions 30a,30b that are used to attach the housing attachment leaf 28 to the housing 14 of the device 10. The housing attachment portions 30a,30b each comprise a deformable portion (not labeled) that may be compressed and inserted within a respective one of the bracket assembly mounting portions 22a,22b. Once inserted within the bracket assembly mounting portions 22a,22b and uncompressed, the housing attachment portions 30a,30b are releasably retained within the bracket assembly mounting portions 22a,22b via the interaction of locking tabs 31a,31b of the housing attachment portions 30a,30b with corresponding slots 23a,23b located in the bracket assembly mounting portions 22a,22b. In an alternate configuration of the device 10 of the present invention, the bracket assembly 26 may be omitted entirely and the slots 23a,23b in the housing 14 may be used to mount a headstrap (not shown) directly to the housing assembly 12. This configuration may be used, for example, when it is unnecessary to provide the device 10 with rotational freedom, or when it is desirable to have the device 10 be located as close as possible to the user's head.
 As noted above, when the housing attachment leaf 28 is attached to the housing assembly 12, the surface mounting leaf 40 is rotatable about the axis of rotation 66 with respect to the housing assembly 12. The surface mounting leaf 40 comprises a first mounting portion 44 and a second mounting portion 46 that are attached together via a pair of deformable portions 47a,47b. The first mounting portion 44 and second mounting portion 46 are separated by a space 48, which has a fixed dimension when no pressure is acting on the second mounting portion 46. The dimension of the space 48 may be increased by inserting a mounting surface 2 having a dimension that is greater than the default dimension of the space 48 (see FIG. 4) between the first mounting portion 44 and second mounting portion 46. In this way, the inherent spring force provided by the deformable portions 47a,47b act on the second mounting portion 46 to clamp the surface mounting leaf 40 to the mounting surface 2. In this embodiment, the second mounting portion 46 of the surface mounting leaf 40 also comprises a pair of slots 42a, 42b, which may be used to attach a headstrap or other mounting strap to the bracket assembly 26. Thus, the device 10 is provided with a wide variety of possible mounting options for the convenience of the user.
 Once the bracket assembly 26 is affixed to a desired mounting surface (e.g. , a hat brim or a workpiece), the hinge assembly 64 of the present invention is specially designed to permit the user to rotate the attached housing assembly 12 about the axis of rotation 66 to any desired rotational position within the full rotational range of the hinge assembly 64, as will be discussed below in further detail. FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, show the housing assembly 12 in different rotational positions. Once the desired rotational position has been selected, the hinge assembly 64 will maintain the housing assembly 12 in the selected position until the user readjusts the rotational position. The hinge assembly 64 according to the present invention thus permits for greater adjustability freedom than the known prior art devices.
 The housing attachment leaf 28 further comprises a pair of cutouts 32a,32b and a knuckle 34 including an opening 35 and a side surface 38. The opening 35 in the knuckle 34 comprises an interior surface 36. The surface mounting leaf 40 further comprises a knuckle 50 and a knuckle 60. The knuckles 34,50,60 also form portions of the hinge assembly 64, as further described below. The cutouts 32a,32b in the housing attachment leaf 28 provide clearance for rotation of the knuckles 60,50, respectively, so that the hinge assembly 64 can properly rotate about the axis of rotation 66.
 The knuckle 50 comprises a side surface 54 and a boss portion 52, the boss portion 52 extending outwardly from the remainder of the knuckle 50. The boss portion 52 includes an exterior surface 53. The knuckle 50 further comprises an opening 56 having an interior surface 58. The knuckle 60 comprises an opening 61 having an interior surface 62. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the opening 61 of the knuckle 60 is in the shape of a female hex head, to accommodate the fixed placement of a nut 96 therein in a non-rotational configuration.
 The assembly method and functionality of the hinge assembly 64 will now be described in greater detail. In this embodiment, the hinge assembly 64 further comprises a washer 72, a bolt 84 which functions as the pin of the hinge assembly 64, a spacer 92, and a nut 96. In the present embodiment, the washer 72 is formed of rubber, although any suitably compressible material would suffice in alternate embodiments. The washer 72 has an uncompressed width 74 which is its width when not under pressure, an opening 76 having an interior surface 77, a first side surface 80, and a second side surface 82. The washer 72 is installed over the boss portion 52 of the knuckle 50, such that the interior surface 77 of the opening 76 in the washer 72 is placed in contact with the exterior surface 53 of the boss portion 52 and the second side surface 82 of the washer 72 is placed in contact with the side surface 54 of the knuckle 50. In this embodiment, the opening 76 in the washer 72 is appropriately sized such that it must be slightly spread to be installed onto the boss portion 52, and the washer 72 is thus held firmly on the boss portion 52 of the knuckle 50. In alternate embodiments, the opening 76 need not be so dimensioned so as to be firmly installed around the boss portion 52.
 The spacer 92 is placed within the opening 35 in the knuckle 34, such that an exterior surface 93 of the spacer 92 is in contact with the interior surface 36 of the opening 35. In this embodiment, the spacer 92 is plastic, but it should be understood that other suitable materials, e.g. , metals, nylon, or Delrin®, are also suitable. The spacer 92 further comprises an opening 94 having an interior surface 95. The nut 96, which comprises an exterior surface 98 and a threaded opening 99, is placed within the opening 61 in the knuckle 60, such that the exterior surface 98— which in this embodiment is a standard hexagonal cross-sectional shape— is placed in contact with the interior surface 62 of the opening 61 so that the nut 96 is not rotatable within the opening 61.
 In this embodiment, the bolt 84 comprises a head 86 and a shaft 88 including an unthreaded exterior surface 89 and a threaded portion 90 at the end of the shaft 88. The bolt is routed through the opening 56 in the knuckle 50— including through the boss portion 52 thereof, around which the washer 72 is installed— then through the opening 94 in the spacer 92, which has been installed within the opening 35 in the knuckle 34, and finally through the opening 61 in the knuckle 60 and into the threaded opening 99 of the nut 96, so that the threaded portion 90 of the shaft 88 of the bolt 84 is fixedly secured within the threaded opening 99 in the nut 96. As seen in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, once the bolt 84 is installed, the head 86 of the bolt 84 is retained exterior to the knuckle 50, and the unthreaded exterior surface 89 of the shaft 88 is within the hinge assembly 64 in a way that will not interfere with rotation of the surface mounting leaf 40 with respect to the housing attachment leaf 28.
 Referring back to FIG. 3, in which the washer 72 has been omitted from view, a space 68 between the knuckles 34,50 is shown, the space 68 having a width 69 when the hinge assembly 64 is assembled. In this embodiment, the width 69 of the space 68 is smaller than the uncompressed width 74 of the washer 72 (see FIG. 5). When the hinge assembly 64 is assembled, the first side surface 80 of the washer is placed in contact with the side surface 38 of the knuckle 34, and as noted above the second side surface 82 of the washer 72 is placed in contact with the side surface 54 of the knuckle 50. When the hinge assembly 64 is assembled, due to the compressible nature of the material chosen for the washer 72, the width of the washer 72 is reduced to less than its uncompressed width 74 to fit within the width 69 of the space 68 between the knuckles 34,50. Since the deformed material of the washer 72 wants to return to its uncompressed width 74 due to its inherent spring force, the washer 72 thus applies pressure outwardly against the side surface 38 of the knuckle 34 and the side surface 54 of the knuckle 50. In this embodiment, the bolt 84 and nut 96 function only to maintain the hinge assembly 64 in an assembled configuration, and are not relied on to supply friction to the hinge assembly 64. Stated another way, the washer 72 provides all of the pressure on the hinge assembly 64 necessary to maintain the housing attachment leaf 28 (and attached housing assembly 12) and the surface mounting leaf 40 in a desired rotational configuration with respect to another.
 In this embodiment, the uncompressed width 74 of the washer 72 is approximately 15% greater than the width 69 of the space 68 between the knuckles 34,50 into which it is located and compressed. In alternate embodiments, the uncompressed width of the washer may be between 10-20%, 5-25%, or 2.5-35% larger than the space into which it is fit within knuckles of opposing leaves of the hinge assembly. Said another way, in the embodiment shown in the Figures, the uncompressed width 74 of the washer 72 is reduced by approximately 13% such that the washer 72 fits within the space 68 between the knuckles 34,50. In alternate embodiments, the uncompressed width of the washer may be reduced by approximately 5-20%, or more preferably between 10-15%, such that the washer fits within the space between the knuckles.
 Although exemplary implementations of the herein described systems and methods have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many additional modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the herein described systems and methods. Accordingly, these and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the herein described systems and methods. The herein described systems and methods may be better defined by the following exemplary claims.


text:
Fiskum Confirmed on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission
Retired CFM co-founder and partner Dave Fiskum was confirmed today by the Oregon Senate for the 9-member Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Fiskum was nominated by Governor Brown. He will take his seat at the next OGEC meeting June 2.
In testimony at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Rules Committee, Fiskum said, "Ethics is a matter of personal commitment and behavior. It's who you are and what you do. Nothing more. Nothing less."
In his 15-year career working for state government, followed by 23 years as a state lobbyist, Fiskum was widely regarded inside and outside the Capitol for his integrity.
Dave Fiskum, pictured with many of his CFM colleagues, was roasted by friends and colleagues following his retirement. He had to be tricked into attending his own event by the promise of playing a round of golf with his buddies.
The OGEC was established in 1974 by a vote of the people in Oregon in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal that ultimately forced President Nixon to resign. The Commission enforces laws dealing with state government ethics and executive sessions, as well as oversees lobbyist registration and financial disclosure.
Members of the OGEC may not be registered as a lobbyist. Fiskum retired from an active role in CFM two years ago. He also is registered as an unaffiliated Oregon voter.
Fiskum graduated from Seattle Pacific University, began his career as a reporter for The Daily Astorian and worked in Washington, DC for former Oregon Congressman Les AuCoin. His state work included higher education, corrections, human services and economic development. Fiskum worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations.
As a state lobbyist for CFM clients, Fiskum handled health care, human services and port issues, among others. He also was the firm's Ways and Means go-to guy.
Fiskum and his wife, Nancy, live in Salem.
Tagged: Dave Fiskum Oregon Government Ethics Commission Kate Brown Senate confirmation ethics integrity CFM retired partner
Newer PostMartina Kostow: A Fixture in Napa's Food Scene
Older PostKerry Tymchuk: Oregon's Living History Master Storyteller


text:
Posted on October 11, 2015 by KarlaTipton
As someone who writes novels just so I can time travel to the 15th century, I truly appreciate the inspiration behind the musical group, the Legendary Ten Seconds.
Most authors can name that "special place" that provides the best ambiance for easing them "into the zone" to create. One thing that sets the writing mood for me is a musical backdrop matching my novel's setting in time.
The Legendary Ten Seconds band, pictured from left are Lord Zarquon, Camilla Joyce, Rob Bright and Ian Churchward
The Legendary Ten Seconds' three collections of songs about Richard III builds the inspiration I need as I work on Heir of York – a time travel tale of a medieval king living in modern times, the sequel to Rings of Passage.
Through the band's historically based songs, I am transported to a place where Richard's life seems to converge with our own 21st century existence. The music is an exotic stew of of medieval, Elizabethan, and folk rock swirling with '60s psychedelia and '70s progressive influences.
An example of this haunting blend is "Ambion Hill," a song based on a present-day sighting of Richard III near Bosworth Field, where the king was killed in battle in 1485.
I saw a knight upon Ambion Hill,
His armour did shine in the sun.
He wore a surcoat of murray and blue.
It felt like a dream had begun.
Richard III CD
Ever since Richard III's bones were found beneath a Leicester parking lot in 2012, a similar sensation followed Richard III enthusiasts as they traveled to the city's reburial events in March 2015 – a feeling that Richard was among us. "Ambion Hill," inspired by a real life experience of Ricardian Susan Lamb, captures it perfectly. (Read about my own experiences in this Perceptive Travel article.)
The Legendary Ten Seconds band was founded in 2003 by Ian Churchward, a multi-instrumentalist and resident of Torquay, Devon (the same English town where mystery writer Agatha Christie was born).
Primary members of the band are Ian Churchward vocals, mandola, mandolin, bass and guitar; Lord Zarquon, Mellotron, electric keyboards, moog, drums and percussion; and Rob Bright, banjo and electric guitar. The band is also occasionally joined by Tom Churchward on melodeon; and vocalists Elaine Churchward, Phil Helmore, Camilla Joyce, and Violet Sheer.
The group's songs on three albums (Loyaulte Me Lie, Tant le Desiree, and Richard III) are steeped in the events and personalities of the Wars of the Roses, but songwriter Ian Churchward's earliest historical songs weren't based on medieval events.
Fascination with history
During the late '90s, he was inspired by the album, Bones of All Men, which fused renaissance tunes with contemporary music. "I started to make up my own instrumentals in a similar style," he said, writing songs "with a historical background – about the battle of Hastings and one about the First World War."
Loyaulte Me Lie CD
At the time, he was a member of an English dance band playing Gaelic-based "ceilidh" music. From this period also emerged two instrumentals, "Tudor Danse" and "Fanfare For the King," which now appear on the Loyaulte Me Lie album.
His interest in Richard III originated with stories based on English history read in his youth. But it was re-ignited by Channel 4's documentary, King in the Car Park, about the excavation of the king's bones.
The dovetailing of myth, reality and coincidence leading to the discovery of Richard's grave, as well as the important role played by the Richard III Society to raise funds for the project, made a huge impression on him. "It was one of the most amazing things I have ever watched on TV."
Afterward, Ian read the gamut of Richard III books, starting with Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time, Sharon Kay Penmen's The Sunne in Splendour and Annette Carson's The Maligned King.
"I have lost count of the number of books I have read about Richard III," said Ian. "I had to read as many as possible to give me the knowledge and ideas to write historical lyrics. The books are all absolutely fascinating."
Inspired by many influences
On top of his love of medieval, renaissance and traditional English music, Ian appreciates the psychedelic and progressive rock of the '60s and '70s. "All of these styles of music are featured in the songs on the albums about Richard III," said Ian.
"One of my favorite albums is Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd," he said. Other influences are guitarists John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service and Hank Marvin of the Shadows. "I am endeavoring to play my guitar in a similar style."
He met up with fellow musician Mike Peakman, who professionally goes by the name Lord Zarquon, at a time when their respective groups were disbanding. Together they wrote "House of York," included on the Richard III album. This also coincided with recording "a batch of songs which had a 1960's psychedelic folk rock feel to them."
Lord Zarquon plays keyboards using the sounds of the Mellotron, an "electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard" (so describes Wikipedia), which is at the heart of classic rock recordings by Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Yes, the Rolling Stones and the Moody Blues, and in the '90s, Oasis and Radiohead.
"Lord Zarquon is a huge Moody Blues fan and his Mellotron on the Richard III albums play a very important part in creating a sound that takes the listener to another time and place."
Tant le Desiree CD
To those people who have only passing familiarity with Richard III's life, Shakespeare's play seals the deal on the king's villainous reputation, originally painted black by the Tudors: It is, after all, the victors who write the history books.
The Legendary Ten Seconds band takes a different stance. "To me Richard III is a flawed hero," said Ian. "He had many good qualities but he also had faults just like any normal person would have."
"I am not particularly motivated by the thought of changing the mind of someone who believes in his villainous reputation," he added.
Charitable contribution
Ian Churchward is motivated by the Scoliosis Association (UK), which provides advice, support and information to people with scoliosis and other spinal conditions.
Ian learned about Richard III's scoliosis from the documentary about the discovery of the king's bones. It was the same affliction suffered by his wife's cousin, who "had been a long term sufferer of scoliosis and died the same year that the grave of Richard III was discovered."
A percentage of proceeds from the Legendary Ten Seconds music sales are donated to SAUK.
For those authors writing novels based in medieval or renaissance history, give a listen to the Legendary Ten Seconds. It might inspire you, too.
LISTEN or BUY MUSIC
Free taste of the Legendary Ten Seconds music here, and on Soundcloud.
Purchase MP3s and CDs.
How Do You Rebury a King?
based on events in Leicester, England, March 2015
Legendary Ten Seconds website
Lord Zarquon's website
Rings of Passage: A Time Travel novel with Richard III
Rings of Passage is a time travel historical fantasy, with Richard III as the romantic hero. Wizards control the events of history, but a woman's love transcends all. Available for Kindle and in paperback from Amazon.com.
Dangerous Reflections: A Historical Fantasy through Time
Dangerous Reflections is a time travel historical fantasy set in Edwardian London. After Martie is bequeathed a magic wand from her grandmother, she steps through a mirror into the arms of a powerful wizard and a truly magical romance.
Posted in history, ideas, literary, Richard III, Rings of Passage, writing	| Tagged 15th century, Bosworth Field, British, ceilidh, Devon, Elizabethan, England, folk rock, history, Legendary Ten Seconds, medieval, mellotron, music, pink floyed, psychedelia, Richard III, rings of passage, Torquay, Wars of the Roses, writing	| Leave a reply
Posted on April 26, 2015 by KarlaTipton
I opened my Facebook author page to discover my new friend Sarahleigh of Leicester had posted about the gift I sent her, a paperback of my novel, Rings of Passage. On the title page, I had written the inscription, "The Sunne in Splendour shined on us the day we met." It was so true.
Sarahleigh stands with me as Leicester glows around us.
Meeting Sarahleigh among the crowd gathering the streets of Richard III's "funeral" procession, marked the beginning of an extraordinary week for me in which I celebrated the life of a long dead English king. It's as if this 500-year-old English monarch had suddenly become a rock star.
History geeks, scientists, writers, literary experts, members of the Richard III Society, and everyday working citizens of Leicester, came together for an international event that was as unlikely as it was miraculous.
Excavated three years ago from beneath a "car park" in the city's center, the bones of medieval King Richard III matched the DNA of a living descendant of Richard's sister.
That's the miraculous part. As Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist for the University of Leicester's Greyfriar's project said, "The chances of finding Richard was, I don't know, a million to one."
From ignominy to celebrity
On March 22, these royal bones were being transported via motorized hearse and then horse-drawn carriage in a dignified procession along the same route Richard III's corpse traveled, ignominiously thrown over the back of a horse, the day he died.
Richard III's bones in procession through Leicester on March 22, 2015
He was on his way to Leicester cathedral, where within a few days' time on March 26, he would be re-buried with the honor he never received the first time, when he was thrown into a shallow grave, 530 years ago. Henry Tudor, the victor of that battle and usurper of the throne, wanted to erase the memory of the last Plantagenet king from the minds of the citizens of his newly claimed realm as quickly as possible.
A medieval city's transformation
When Richard came through this medieval city in 1485, it had a population of only 3,000. Leicester today has nearly 400,000 residents. Britain's most ethnically diverse city, it was now undergoing what the news media called the "Richard Effect."
Many of the people lining High Street waiting for the procession were from countries other than the United Kingdom – America, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France. But the majority were Midlanders, born and bred in and around Leicester, who had heard about Richard III all their lives because they grew up among the landmarks of his final days. They had been taught in school the textbook facts about how he had been slain 14 miles from their city on the battlefield of Bosworth – the last English King to die in battle.
My novel unearthed
The entwining of my life with Richard III's legend began over two decades ago. Reading Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time turned me into an instant Ricardian, chaffing against Tudor propagandists and Shakespeare's smear campaign. I eagerly joined the Richard III Society and wrote my first novel, Rings of Passage. In it, Richard is a romantic hero worthy of happiness – not the Bard's crouch-backed monster.
Many years my novel had languished on a computer hard drive.
Then, suddenly, Richard became newsworthy. Not long after the excavation of his bones and DNA identification, I unearthed Rings of Passage. The advent of e-publishing now made it possible for readers specifically interested in Richard III to discover my novel.
Not long after it came out, my novel passed the acid test when the Richard III Society publication Ricardian Bulletin reviewed it. I had my facts "pretty much bang to rights," wrote the reviewer.
Whew! I passed the history test.
That kind of obsession
My visit to Leicester in March 2015 was not my first. In 1990, I took a self-guided tour of as many Ricardian landmarks I could get to during a month spent in England. I had been to the Bow Bridge, where Richard had been carried after the battle, his naked body slung over a horse. I had made a pilgrimage to Bosworth Field, which required me to catch a city bus to Market Bosworth, and then hike the remaining few miles to the battlefield, walk around it, and back again – a total of 10 miles on foot.
That kind of obsession is what compelled Philippa Langley to become the squeaky-wheel for the Ricardians, urging public and university officials to finally excavate the site where Richard had most likely been buried, the social services car park on the former location of Greyfriars Priory, destroyed during the Reformation.
I went to that car park on my long-ago trip to Leicester. Because of a locked gate, I could not get as far as Philippa Langley's parking space marked with the letter 'R' under which Richard had lain for five centuries.
Yet, as I stood soggy in the cold rain, like Philippa, I swear I could feel him there.
The Richard Effect
Come full circle to Leicester, March 22, 2015.
Arriving in Leicester by train just in time to make it to City Centre before the streets closed to car traffic, I stood not far from that car park once more.
Like thousands of others stacked six deep along the High Street, I waited for the solemn, horse-drawn procession carrying Richard's coffin. Many only wanted the chance to toss a white rose in the Yorkist's honor as he passed.
I first met Sarahleigh in this throng of Richard "fans" at a tree planter along the street, upon which the most "vertically challenged" of us could crawl and stand at a height lofty enough to stare down the street, blinking into the glare of the setting sun, and hoping to catch the first glimpse of the procession.
After that, Sarahleigh kept in touch with me online throughout the week, as we shared the experience of the "Richard Effect" on the city of Leiceister. It's as if we were old friends long parted who had found one another again.
On Friday, the day after the re-interment in the Cathedral, we joined up for the remarkable and surreal experience of "Leicester Glows," a "fire garden" of 8,000 flaming candles built into sculptures and trails throughout the cathedral gardens and lining the streets.
We spent the evening chatting, sharing a pint, and eating fish and chips in the Last Plantagenet pub, and then wandered the fiery streets celebrating the reburial of Richard III.
The week nearly over, Sarahleigh and I took our turns tying prayer ribbons at Leicester Cathedral, and giving thanks to the universe for allowing us to share this remarkable historical event.
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch described it perfectly: "It's just an extraordinary thing to witness history through death brought back to life in order to be placed back to death again."
Posted in history, literary, Richard III, Rings of Passage, Shakespeare, writing	| Tagged archaelogy, battle, bones, book, Bosworth Field, British, England, excavation, history, literary, medieval, novel, Richard III, rings of passage, romance, travel, Wars of the Roses, wizards, writing	| Leave a reply
Posted on March 1, 2015 by KarlaTipton
Cynicism rules the modern landscape. But even in these troubled times, belief against impossible odds and the persistence to see a thing through to the end can shed light into the oldest and darkest of places.
My novel "Rings of Passage: A Time Travel Novel with Richard III" emerged into the light in late 2013, long after its burial on the virtual shelf.
Against all odds, the universe shifted, allowing a miracle to occur.
The word "miracle" is flung about loosely these days, but I believe this event qualifies.
The bones of my novel's romantic hero, King Richard III, had been excavated from beneath a parking lot in Leicester in 2012. DNA comparison to living descendants of his sister proved his identity.
The discovery of the medieval king, who died in 1485, was made by a team of archaeologists of the University of Leicester. The excavation had finally been undertaken because of the fervent belief by Richard III Society members Philippa Langley and Dr. John Ashdown Hill that Richard's remains lay in a makeshift grave beneath a city parking lot on the former site of the Greyfriars Priory.
They simply would not give up.
For those who can't quite place which English king this is – he's the one whose reputation is painted the blackest of all in British history.
In the centuries since he was slain by Henry Tudor's army, Richard has been unfairly maligned by, oh, just about everyone. That's what happens when the winning side writes history books.
To add insult to injury, Shakespeare wrote one of his greatest plays based around Richard's alleged crimes: the murder of his innocent nephews, the Princes in the Tower.
The Bard leaves us with the taste of ridicule in our minds when he wrote Richard's final death cry as, "My kingdom for a horse!" – what the king really cried was "Treason!"
By the time the Leicester City Council had finally agreed to the excavation, I had not thought about my Richard book for years.
Admittedly, I was a bit in love with Richard at the time I wrote it.
I got on the bandwagon after reading Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time." After studying the facts of Richard' life and learning about the propaganda disseminated by Henry Tudor's supporters, it troubled me that Richard had been given a raw deal by historians. Despite the fact that Tudor had gained the throne by winning a battle, and not through bloodlines, everybody seemed to be on his side.
I fervently wanted to show Richard III, the last Plantagenet king and the last English king to die in battle, as a good and honorable man who was worthy of happiness and love.
Bosworth battlefield, where Richard III fell in battle in 1485
In my story, my heroine Anise time travels via a magic ring to the 15th century just prior to the Battle of Bosworth Field where Richard is destined to die. In a plot setting the historical events of the final days of Wars of the Roses against a backdrop of magic devised by wizards to put Henry Tudor on the throne, Anise and Richard fall in love.
Completed in the '90s, my novel identifies Greyfriars Priory as Richard's confirmed burial place. As if channeling future events through my writing, I employ the plot device of excavating the King's remains and using DNA evidence – even though, 20 years ago, the use of DNA in forensics had just come into common usage a few years before.
During my research trip to England so long ago, I visited that Leicester parking lot where Richard had been found. I stood there on a rainy day in September, on the street outside the city building, and tried to sense Richard's presence. (blog post.) When I heard years later he had been found on that very spot, it left me breathless.
And now, as a member of the Richard III Society, I will be returning to Leicester. In another gift from the universe, my name was chosen in a lottery to attend one of Richard III's reburial services in Leicester Cathedral at the end of the month.
Remarkably, through the persistence of Ms. Langley, Mr. Ashdown Hill, and other supporters of the excavation, Richard's bones and the true facts of his life have been brought into the light.
Inspired by their unflagging belief and persistence, I unearthed "Rings of Passage" and rescued it from obscurity.
And to come full circle, I will be in attendance – a witness to history – when Richard III is finally laid to rest in a manner of respect and dignity befitting a medieval king.
Posted in darkness, history, Richard III, Rings of Passage, Shakespeare, writing	| Tagged archaelogy, bones, Bosworth Field, darkness, dreams, excavation, impossible, light, Richard III, rings of passage	| Leave a reply
Coming up with a title for a written piece can be challenging. Some titles pop right into your head, while others require a painful process in which you end up settling for something… finally.
Whether the piece is a novel, essay, song or article, achieving the right balance between the theme of the piece, what you want to communicate to the reader, and what the appeals to the sensibilities of your targeted audience, is not easy.
Too obscure, and nobody gets it. Too obvious, and it's trite. But one thing is certain: if it's not catchy, it's also not memorable. Boring bombs and indifference is death.
Finding the right title for my historical fantasy time travel novel, "Rings of Passage," did not come easily.
My original title was "Battle Against Time." Too trite. My next idea was "Shakespeare's Child." Too obscure. At last, the members of my critique group, who brainstormed with me, came up with "Rings of Passage" as a play on the phrase "Rites of Passage." We all agreed it was the best of what we'd thought of so far.
The title of my second novel, "Dangerous Reflections" (scheduled for release in January 2015), popped right into my head immediately after coming up with the concept.
That hardly ever happens.
So here are some techniques I use to find just the right title:
Rhymezone search options
Technique #1: Go for the throat. What's the most obvious prop, character, archetype or theme of the piece? Include that in the title. I wrote an essay about picking up my guitar again, after not playing it for 25 years. It's a stringed instrument, so I chose to build the title around the word "strings."
OneLook wildcards
Technique #2: Twist the obvious. Now that you have that one key word, play with it. Search for phrases that are built around that word (idiomsite.com). Find words that rhyme with it. (rhymezone.com). Think of other people's well-known titles or lyrics that use that word (rockwisdom.com), and twist it slightly so it stirs people's memories in that direction, yet is somehow slightly "off."
For the guitar essay, I took the phrase "absence of strings" (meaning "no strings attached"), but slanted its meaning to imply the opposite of the phrase's original intent. In my case, not playing the guitar had caused a void in my life.
Technique #3: Bend Google to your will. Use the search engine to discover how many other people have already used your idea—but at the same time, to brainstorm alternatives to those overused titles. Suppose you're toying with a phrase you like, that captures the essence of your work, but has been used to death. Enter part of the phrase into the search engine, except with quote marks around it. (www.google.com/advanced_search)
Google search with quote marks
Using Technique #3 For my guitar essay title, I entered "<space> of strings"—which allowed for a word in front of the phrase.
This filled in the blank ("____ of strings") with:
An array
As another example, I wanted to add a subtitle to my novel "Dangerous Reflections," which is a historical fantasy about wizards who travel through mirrors. Using Technique #1, I started building upon the most important device in the novel, a mirror. Using this idea, I quickly came up with "Magic Mirrors" and "Smoke and Mirrors."
After entering "Magic Mirrors" into the search engine, I immediately discovered this was an overused phrase, and that there was already a fantasy series with that in the title.
I switched to Technique #2. The rhymes for "smoke" produced many results, but they didn't make sense in context.
But the rhyming word "broke" suggested "broken." Using the very useful "near rhymes" tool of Rhymezone, this yielded some quirky results:
Perhaps, within other contexts such as poetry, these results would have sparked intriguing possibilities. But they didn't work for my purpose.
Switching back to Technique #1, I went for a synonym of "mirror." Thesaurus.com is the go-to website for synonyms, and I use it daily.
With a little brainstorming, I came up with a Biblical phrase from Corinthians (King James Version), "Through a Glass, Darkly." Many titles have been inspired by it, even a Rolling Stones album, "Through the Past, Darkly."
Using Rhymezone to rhyme "darkly, " I found "starkly," "courtly," "sharply," "portly."
Not quite what I was looking for.
So I went to OneLook, a "dictionary of dictionaries," and used its "wildcard" function to find words that ending in "ly." This brought up an overwhelming number of results.
Fortunately, the website gives you the option of narrowing it down to "common words and phrases" and even "part of speech." I definitely wanted adverbs. This produced an alphabetic list that went on for pages and yielded some possibilities: "blithely," "boldly," "timelessly."
OneLook also offers a key word search of Shakespeare's works (resulting in this blog post's title). Or enter a word to "show only matches that are related to this concept."
I put in the word "light" coupled with the "ly" form, and got some slightly oddball results, including "light-headedly," sparkly" and "smelly." Interesting, but definitely no cigar.
So I switched to Technique #3, entering into Google a partial phrase inside of quote marks, "Through a glass" – and in addition to that, outside the quotes, a minus sign (-) in front of the word "darkly" to eliminate matches including that word.
Search hits included "Through a Glass <fill in the blank>"
Onion (thanks to the Beatles)
Daftly
This exercise helps you eliminate phrases that have become trite, and sparks your own imagination by leveraging from what others came up with to think outside the box.
In the end, I didn't use the word "mirror" or any variation of "through a glass" as a subtitle for "Dangerous Reflections." I settled for the more prosaic and Amazon-category-friendly, "A Historical Fantasy through Time."
Even though I didn't find my subtitle using these techniques, the exercise wasn't a bust. It stretched my mind, fueled my creativity, and resulted in several ideas and phrases I can use to market the novel.
5 Easy Tips for Terrific Titles by Anna Guerrero
Idioms and sayings
http://www.pride-unlimited.com/probono/idioms1.html
http://www.brownielocks.com/folksayings.html
http://www.idiomsite.com/
http://www.idiomconnection.com/proverbs.html
Dictionaries and word sites
http://rhymezone.com
http://onelook.comhttp://thesaurus.com
Popular lyrics reference by category
http://www.rockwisdom.com/mainpage.htm
Posted in Dangerous Reflections, editing/proofing, ideas, literary, Rings of Passage, Shakespeare, writing	| Tagged literary, rings of passage, writing	| Leave a reply
At a loss for words? Find out when Karla Tipton speaks at Mysterious Galaxy's "Author Meet and Greet" July 12
Posted on July 6, 2014 by KarlaTipton
On Saturday, July 12, I will be signing copies of "Rings of Passage" at the Mysterious Galaxy bookstore in San Diego. The event is from noon to 3 p.m.
Back on May 3, Karla joined other authors to celebrate California Bookstore Day at Mysterious Galaxy, Redondo Beach.
The "Local Author Meet and Greet" will also include 12 other Southern California authors, representing fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, thriller, and young adult and other genres.
I have five minutes to speak about my novel.
While I have been in front of an audience with my guitar—and have even done some singing on occasion—I don't have much experience speaking in public.
So I've been practicing what I'm going to say.
Have a listen here. Think it's good to go?
Local Author Meet and Greet
noon to 3
Mysterious Galaxy Books
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite #302
Posted in Edward IV, history, Other authors, Richard III, Rings of Passage, Shakespeare, writing	| Tagged bones, Bosworth Field, British, England, excavation, fantasy, history, magic, medieval, novel, Richard III, rings of passage, romance, Wars of the Roses, wizards, writing	| Leave a reply
Cover Reveal: Kristy Centeno's "Fierce Awakenings"
Posted on June 1, 2014 by KarlaTipton
Watch out for this exciting new paranormal novel, coming soon from Kristy Centeno.
Cover reveal: "Fierce Awakenings"
In a world where the werewolf species is rapidly declining, breeding the strongest of the purebred bloodlines is of the utmost importance.. But when Victoria Bonvalet is ordered by her alpha father to partake in this breeding program, she rebels by fleeing her home and protection of the pack.
Though she has never fallen in love, Victoria refuses to mate with someone she doesn't even know and commit her lifecycle to someone with defective genes, which could ultimately be passed down to her own children. Though she expects to be found eventually, she plans to hide and run until that happens. What she never expects is the attraction she would feel for a one thousand year old vampire lord with a thirst for adventure.
A vampire with nothing to lose…
Tristan Garland has traveled the world, fought in wars, and encountered many enemies over the years he has existed as a vampire, but even his experience as an undead could not have prepared him for the deep magnetism that lures him to his newest neighbor. Though she's a werewolf, and by law his enemy, Tristan finds in Victoria the desire to continue existing in a world he's come to loath over the years.
Enemies in the eyes of their own kind but hopelessly in love, Victoria and Tristan must find a way to be together without causing a war between bitter adversaries. But will their refusal to part ways provoke their kinds into a conflict unlike any they had seen before?
Author Kristy Centeno
As a child, she used to lose herself in an imaginary world by the means of a good book. Now that she's all grown up, Kristy gets to create her own fictional realms and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.
She's always had a passion for writing but never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options, she realized that writing was what she loved the most so when she found herself with some free time on her hands, she decided to pursue her passion. As it turned out, her very active imagination helped her achieve her goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that helped the stories move along in one way or another.
As she keeps moving along in achieving her dreams of becoming a published author, she divides her time in between her five children and her very understanding husband.
http://www.kristycenteno.net
http://booksbycenteno.com
http://www.facebook.com/KristyCenteno
http://www.twitter.com/KrissyGirl122
http://www.goodreads.com/KristyCenteno
http://therightbook4u.blogspot.com
Posted in Other authors, writing	| Tagged book, cover reveal, Fierce Awakenings, Kristy Centeno, novel, paranormal, romance, writers, writing	| Leave a reply
Richard III Tour: Taking the tube to 15th century London
Posted on May 28, 2014 by KarlaTipton
In 1990, I set off for England for a month to research my Richard III novel, "Rings of Passage." This is my travel journal.
Looking back from 2014: After spending weeks in the country and small cities, London overwhelmed me with its size. It was more than a little intimidating, even though I had previously visited many large cities on the East Coast, as well as the largest cities in California. But nothing prepared me for the feeling of bigness exuded by London. Maybe it wasn't its size in terms of square miles or population, but the sheer weight of its history. Structures of every era, from medieval times through the days of Swinging London, impressed me at every turn as I walked its streets toward the house called Crosby Hall, a fifteenth century mansion where Richard III often stayed when visiting the city as the Duke of Gloucester. Ironically, 40 years after Richard's death, the house served as the residence of Sir Thomas More, whose biography of the fallen King painted his reputation black. With some additional help from Shakespeare, this villainous version of Richard has transcended centuries.
Sir Thomas More statue
London was a bit overwhelming my first day there. I felt kind of lost, wishing I had company.
First, I took a train into Waterloo, then wandered around until I found the underground (tube). Then I had to figure out which underground train would take me to Victoria, so I could get my tube pass validated. At last I get to Trafalgar Square, where, at last, I decided to get on a tour bus, though I've avoided them up to this point.
It was very useful, because I did see all the places I've heard about for years – Nelson's Column, Piccadilly, Hyde Park, the Thames with all its bridges.
We had a Cockney guide from the East End driving the second half of the trip (the first bus broke down). He showed us the church where the Bow Bells are.
"To be a Cockney, you have to be born beneath the sound of these bow bells," he said.
He showed us the London School of Economics where Mick Jagger went, and the "Bag o Nails" pub where Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman.
When I got off that, I was starving and went to Pizza Hut. Then I got on the tube again to go to South Kensington (Sunny South Kensington, as Donovan says) and make for Richard III's townhouse, Crosby Hall.
I wandered around there, going through Chelsea (expensive district) to where the house was on Cheyne (Chain-ey) Walk (also the street where Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull used to live). It was interesting.
Then I came back to West Byfleet to have dinner. Rosamond had made pizza!
Photos by Karla Tipton
Crosby Hall
Posted in history, Richard III, Rings of Passage, Shakespeare	| Tagged 15th century, Bag o Nails, British, Chelsea, Cheyne Walk, City, Crosby Hall, Donovan, England, history, Hyde Park, Kensington, Linda Eastman, London, London School of Economics, Marianne Faithfull, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Richard III, rings of passage, Thomas More, Trafalgar, travel, tube, Underground, Wars of the Roses, York	| 4 Replies
Richard III Tour: From Windsor Castle to Marks and Sparks
A side trip to Windsor Castle
Looking back from 2014: The visit to Windsor was my cousin Rosamond's idea. I hadn't scheduled a visit to the castle on my Richard Tour itinerary — a tremendous oversight. Richard's brother, King Edward IV, had made plenty of history at Windsor, his favorite residence. He died there 531 years ago on April 9, 1483, and on April 20, was buried in St. George's Chapel, on which he had started construction eight years before his death. After we visited Windsor, Rosamond took me shopping at Marks and Spencer, a British mercantile institution. She fondly referred to it as "Marks and Sparks" (and I suddenly understood the reference in an old Mott the Hoople song lyric). She also convinced me to buy a duvet. I was enamored with the bed coverings, which were not yet popular in the States, but would be in a few years. I loved sleeping under their fluffy warmth and appreciated how they were used without a top sheet (which I tend to get tangled in). I have slept under one ever since. It still reminds me of England.
Byfleet (near London) Sept. 27, 1990
I have had a very nice day, it turns out. Once out of Oxford, which I found rather crowded and cold, I rode the train three hours just to get to where my cousin Rosamond could pick me up. Funny that she has the same name as the town I live in.
Anyway, after Rosamond picked me up, we had a nice lunch (really just a sandwich) and a talk. It's good to be in a house again.
Then we went to Windsor Castle – a place I hadn't thought of going, but very glad she suggested it. In St. George's Chapel there are so many Kings and Queens buried. Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Henry VI – and so many others.
Then I went through the state rooms, so garish and exotic and baroque with great pieces of furniture and armor and weapons and paintings by Van Dyke and Rubens.
Then we went shopping and a sales clerk at Marks and Spencer told me that I'm the first "Karla" she's met in all her 21 years who spells her name with a "K," like she does. I can't believe I bought a duvet, those blanket things you put on beds. It's in a huge box. The biggest problem is getting it to the airport. Then I'll just send it along with the luggage. I'm daft.
Choir House built by Edward IV
St. George's Chapel
Posted in Edward IV, history, Richard III	| Tagged Berkshire, Britain, England, King Edward IV, Marks and Sparks, Marks and Spencer, medieval, St. George's Chapel, Wars of the Roses, Windsor Castle	| Leave a reply