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'Payday lenders are responsible companies'
Consumer Finance Association attacks Haringey Borough Council for blocking pay day lenders on its computers
By Ruth Halkon
The body representing payday lenders has hit back at the council for its decision to block them from its IT network.
Haringey Borough Council last week prevented people accessing the websites of 50 payday loan companies from council computers in the borough's libraries and other buildings.
This move was a bid to protect the public from excessive annual interest rates of more than 4,000 per cent charged by some companies.
The council blocked the 50 most popular payday loan companies as determined by internet search engine Google. These include Wonga, Payday UK and The Money Shop.
Its IT systems meant it was unable to block 'loan' providers because other finance websites would also be blocked.
The council will continue to monitor the situation and block any other compaines that arose.
However the Consumer Finance Association, which represents some of the largest lenders, said the move was "concerning", adding it limited the choices of residents, especially as the bodies it represented were "safe" and "responsible."
The body's chief executive Russell Hamblin-Boone said: "The council is free to block whichever sites it wishes from its employees' computers but to also do so on public ones in community centres and libraries is concerning.
"The council is effectively denying choice to local residents without fully understanding either the short-term lending industry or the way people are managing their finances in 2013.
Mr Hamblin-Boone said payday loans were increasingly popular and responsible lenders such as the CFA's members operated to high standards that protect consumers.
He added these bodies apply the same level of expertise to assessing creditworthiness as banks and credit card providers and would not lend to people whose finances would be made worse by them
He said: "Research shows that 91 per cent of payday customers are satisfied with the experience and 85 per cent have no trouble paying back their loans,
"The council's belief that the loans are detrimental to those that take them is misplaced and not based on evidence."


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« Thanks, New Hampshire | Main | Consider This Precedent, Republicans, In Light of the Fact That One Year From Now the Attorney General Will Likely Be Working For Hillary Clinton »
It's Not Just Mitt's Campaign That's Dying
Mitt Romney, whose candidacy is the Last Stand of Bush-ite conservatism, has decided to drop out of the Presidential race. He says he's doing it not because he was getting creamed -- which he was -- but for the good of the country. In dropping out, he warns that Democrats advocate "surrender" in the War on Terror.
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."
As an indicator of the demise of Bush Conservatism, you could find no better artifact than Romney's bitter, self-deluding adieu. Dominant just five years ago, Bush Conservatism is an ideology self-destructing before our very eyes. Examine, first, the basic assumptions behind Romney's statement. For it to be true, you must accept that:
There is only one way to fight the War on Terror, which is the way we're fighting it
Iraq is the critical battlefield in the War on Terror, and anything short of an eternal presence there constitutes defeat
Leaving aside, for a second, that "War on Terror" has been a flawed concept from the moment President Bush first floated it, it seems to me that there are legitimate grounds for debate on both of Romney's assumptions. But among the loudmouthed, authoritarian Republican elite -- the people who made the Bush Era what it has been -- there's no room for anything but full-throated support. Dissent is itself a sinful act.
Look at what they're doing to John McCain, whose great failing on Iraq is not a lack of support for the war, but an unwillingness to accept Bush Administration dogma without question. As recently as last week, Romney supporter Rush Limbaugh was all over McCain about his lack of support for disastrous, lying Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. That Rumsfeld's failure is accepted even by the President -- who fired him and changed strategies -- makes no difference. McCain is to be condemned for having not been all the way on the team.
Romney apparently buys into the construct that tactical change equals surrender. Which is fine; he's certainly entitled to believe that if he wants. But as a representative of the Republican Party, when he draws the "dissent is treason" line in the sand, he's drawing it on the wrong side of 63% of American voters who think we should be out of Iraq either immediately or within a year. Political parties that want to succeed don't go around implying that 63% of the electorate is guilty of something like treason.
This isn't the first incident of Bush Conservatives turning on their prospective supporters. It was only a few weeks ago, just after the Iowa Caucuses, that the loudmouth Republican establishment' went after the Evangelical Christians who've been the bedrock of the party's electoral success for the last 20 years. Those Evangelicals were just fine, so long as they didn't insist on voting for one of their own. But when they came out for Mike Huckabee...well, that's when they became just a bunch of rubes to be sneered at.
So there you have it: a conservative movement that has defined itself so narrowly that it has no room for most Americans.
That's the Bush Legacy.
Posted by Tom at 03:11 PM in Political Animus | Permalink
Oh I can't wait to see the response to this post!
Cue fish making popcorn!
Eh, so what? I half agree, half disagree. I'd disagree that Romney is a Bush "conservative"; I think that McCain is much more a Bush "conservative," but he's Bush on steroids (i.e., even worse).
Since I live in the People's Republic of Mexifornia, my vote in November would never have mattered in the first place, but I find myself without a Republican candidate to support. So, like Ann Coulter, I'm behind Hillary.
Of course, it's a purely tactical move. Four years of Hillary will be disastrous, but she and her policies will be easier to oppose than Obama or McCain. Any criticism of Obama will immediately be deemed racist™, so he will get a free pass. Brain-dead Republicans will stand by "their" man McCain (just as they stood behind the liberal Bush the Lesser), and the destruction of conservatism that has progressed so far under Bush would be completed under McCain. In contrast, four years under the thumb of Dear Madame Chairwoman should revitalize conservatism and give us a conservative Republican president in four years.
Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!
OMG....I kind of agree with Squid! All except for the conservative Republican in 4 years part....those remaining now should all be extinct by then!
Oh yeah....Squid....where (generally) in the peoples republic do you reside? We may be neighbors.....
Well, I won't disappoint you Fish.
Tom, this is pure, unadulterated, Sullivanist dreck. Which is to say, there is so much wrong here it's almost impossible to correct.
Lets begin, with the tone. Rather Bushian of you, don't you think. Full throated, insulting, a white knuckled commitment to the One True Truth. Like your hero, the great Ron Paul endorser, you look at your idealogical adversary, reject virtually everything you believe they stand for and do so with the very same intemperate tone that you wish to indict them for!
As for Romney being a Bush conservative there really are two things wrong with your contention. First, Bush ain't no conservative. Oddly, you seem aligned with your personal white whale, Limbaugh, in believing that he is. Fine, if it gets you through the day but that don't make it true, brother. Secondly, the handsome Mitt, if he is a conservative, and this remains in doubt, is more of the Eisenhower mold. This, more than anything else is why the man couldn't get nominated; the world has moved on and we need a leader for the era after history ended, to borrow Fukyama's term.
As for McCain's great failing, I must confess I haven't a clue or a care as to what Limbaugh says, but for most conservatives, it is that the guy has pursued some very unconservative goals in the course of his senate career.
Finally, Romney was spot on in his comments on O'Bama and Clinton's approach to terror. O'Bama, by withdrawing from Iraq will embolden radical jihadists. As for Clinton, we've seen the way the two headed beast fought terror in the nineties and if their response to the many attacks that occurred on their watch wasn't surrender, then I don't know what it was. Indeed, one of the reasons Bill is running so forcefully for Hill is that he now realizes that his appeasement of the terror masters is his true legacy and he is desperate to do something to reverse it.
Oh, and another thing. I love how you routinely insist that Iraq is not central to the war on terror, with the same vociferousness as Bush insists it is. On this one he wins. Try, for a moment, to put your hatred aside and think about it strategically. Terror in the middle east emanates from Iran, Saudi, and Syra for the most part. There are other players, but these are the big suppliers of money and man power. Currently, we are beholden to Saudi for obvious reasons. Success in Iraq, which is admittedly by no means assured (in part due to the actions of the Democratic Party to undermine our efforts), would give us a second outpost in the middle east from which we could influence the behavior of the terror triad. This is why McCain is precisely correct when he says he could see us in Iraq for 100 years. He doesn't mean in a perpetual state of war, but rather in a country that allows us to use our influence against the others. It is clear that this may not work, but to through in the towel now as O'Bama and Hill want to do would be to preemptively cede any chance we have of improving an already weak hand.
Posted by: Pursuit | 02/07/2008 at 07:44 PM
Four years of Chairwomyn Hillary will give conservatives a fightable enemy. Her socialist policies will be so awful that we'll have an enemy to rally against. Under President Moonbat, the midterm elections will see a decisive Republican takeover of Congress, and two years after that, the White House will be R again.
Incidentally, I live in the Central Coast area.
Well we're not exactly neighbors.....I'm closer to Sacramento.
I'm having some difficulties with the operable definition of "conservative". Who in your (either You Squid or Pursuit) qualifies as a legitimate conservative? I used to think I was.....no longer!
Additionally Squid, I think you're arguing with facts not in evidence when you say that the midterm elections will bring a republican sweep of the federal legislature. I say this for two reasons: I'm not sure that the financial structure of this country will allow Hillary to do much more than talk about her bold proposals. Second I think that the demographics will work against you the democrats are importing potential democratic voters in job lots.
I very much doubt that a Hillary presidency will bring conservative president. The last Clinton presidency didn't bring us one.
Conservatism, for me, is defined by this single phrase: rugged individualism. Getting the federal government out of our daily lives as much as possible to allow freedom and liberty to flourish. This, more than any government program, is what has made this country great and what will continue to see her prosper.
The problem with every single Republican candidate since Reagan is that they all want to spend all their time comparing themselves to Reagan instead of outlining what their plan for the country is. The Contract with America was such a sweeping success because they did the exact opposite. Politicians actually pledge to fight for a list of principles, and once elected they did just what they promised. Of course, after they were in power a few years the Republicans did what every lifetime politician does; become full of their own self-importance and think the system depends on them and exists to create more power for them. Couple that with a President who preaches "compassionate conservatism", signs every spending bill put before him and refuses to reevaluate the strategy of the war until it is almost too late, and you see why Democrats were swept into office in 2006. They didn't even take as long as the '94 Republicans to become full of self-importance and thumb their noses at the general public.
Basically, we're going to be stuck with mealy-mouthed, weak knee conservatives until someone comes along who has the stones to stand up on national television and tell the American public that the government is not their parents and does not exist to dole out money in the form of social programs to every man, woman and child in the country. It's the job of the government to get the hell out of the way so people can grab their own bootstraps and lift themselves as high as they can.
And we are going to have a presence in Iraq for the next 100 years for the same reason we still have a presence in Germany, Italy, England, Japan, the Philippines, and most every other country we set foot in during WWII.
1. To provide a second strategic foothold in the region to compliment our forces in Turkey.
2. To ensure that neighboring countries don't "help" Iraq realize the error of its ways by rejecting an Islamic state.
3. If we stay big buddies with Iraq, it helps keep a reliable source of oil open to us. Say what you will, but our culture depends on oil and it is in our vital interest to ensure we have a ready supply of oil on hand.
4. This conflict, while vastly improved over last year and getting better daily, is far from over. Despite Tom's constant claim that the Democrat's plan for withdraw is the same as Bush's, they keep trying to prove him wrong. Just this week Murtha submitted yet another bill calling for withdraw by the end of the year. As good as things are, if we pack up and go home, Iraq is going to be thrown in to chaos, the Islamo-Fascists are going to declare victory and become more emboldened and press even harder for the ultimate defeat of, well, pretty much anyone who isn't Muslim. They've just proposed a law in Iran making it a crime to leave Islam, punishable by death. They've been thoughtful enough to include anyone living outside Iran as well. Oh yeah, they also included children not raised Muslim when at least one of the parents is Muslim.
One more thought, this time on the original post.
Mitt did the classy thing. Instead of staying in the race and further dividing the party, he did the honorable thing and stepped aside to allow the inevitable winner to take control. Something Nixon did when he could have contested the election, but stepped aside to allow Kennedy to begin governing, because sometimes there are things greater than the individual asserting his/her "rights".
Something the Democrats don't seem to get, especially since Gore and the 2000 fiasco he put the country through.
I would think that you would recognize this for what it was, instead of playing the role of the partisan hack you usually try to stay away from.
Conservatism, for me, is defined by this single phrase: rugged individualism. Getting the federal government out of our daily lives as much as possible to allow freedom and liberty to flourish.
Frank, who did you or will you vote for in this election (If its not something you want to keep private.)?
My personal beliefs lined up most closely with Duncan Hunter, who didn't stand a chance. I held out hopes for Fred for a while, but he fizzled. When there were three left, I planned on voting for Romney, just because he was the least distasteful of the group. Now I'm not even going to bother with our primary when it rolls around, because it's a moot point. Come the general election I will probably hold my nose and vote McCain. But it's still a long time between now and then.
When there were three left..
I know there are technically three left now, but Ron Paul never enters my thinking, because that man is bat shit crazy. If he were the actual nominee I would do something I have never done before, vote for a Dem. for president.
"Facts not in evidence." Fish, are you channelling Conrad?
As it now stands, there are three awful choices for president: Clinton, McCain, and Obama. Who's worst? Depends on how you define it.
I maintain that McCain will continue in Bush's footsteps. Neither one is a conservative, yet conservatives will continue to allow themselves to be led astray in the name of "party unity" or some such rot. Conservatism is already weak; President McCain would drive a stake into its heart and kill conservatism for a generation. Worst-case scenario.
Obama is the most liberal senator. He is becoming a messianic figure for his followers. His content-free campaign is about generic "change"--and him, the "magic Negro" (and before you get your panties in a bunch, follow the link; it's an article written by a black man for the LA Times). His race makes it nearly impossible to criticize him; as soon as someone does, the race card will be played. He will be able to implement the destructive and socialist policies that are Hillary's dreams. Awful.
Hillary brings with her all the venality, viciousness, and corruption we've come to expect from the Clinton brand. However, it's precisely because she is such a polarizing, divisive figure that even though she has the worst policies of the three, she'll be the easiest to fight. She will energize conservatism, rather than kill it, and that's why I'm willing to take my lumps for four God-forsaken years.
Lots more analysis along these lines at View From the Right.
This is why I enjoy the cognitive dissonance theater here at F/A!
Batshit crazy.....Paul was the only candidate who would have given you a shot at the "Rugged Individualism" that you cherish! He certainly is the only candidate who would have reduced the scope and intrusiveness of the Federal government
! Vote for a democrat......instead of the only member of the who does more than pay lip service to the constitution. Whatever! Enjoy the next 8 years of triple threat democratic party legislation.
No need to worry though he really never stood a chance anyway!
Squid,
I know you like to type but perhaps you could take a moment, answer my question and explain to me why you expect a republican sweep in the midterm elections under a new Clinton administration. The dems will hold all three branches for two years at a minimum...I think you can count on every last illegal alien achieveing some sort of legal status with...voila...the right to vote! You're doomed! Sorry!
I agree that Ron Paul is the most adamant about following the constitution, but he is also a 9/11 truther (or at least refuses to distance himself from the large number of his followers who are), an isolationist, and a racist. via Ace
""[O]ur country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists—and they can be identified by the color of their skin."
That is why I would never vote for Ron Paul.
Posted by: Frank | 02/08/2008 at 01:38 PM
The vast majority of Islamic terrorists are from the Middle East and Central Asia.* Therefore Islamic terrorists are provisionally identifiable by the color of their skin (i.e., their race). This is one part of the crime-fighting technique known as profiling, which has a proven track record of being highly effective.
I think the passage Frank quoted has been abridged to the extent that it can be misinterpreted as Frank did--but that's not Frank's fault. However, I don't think there's anything "racist" at all about using race as one factor in identifying potential terrorists, just so long as we understand that it's not the only factor.
Having said that, I'd never vote for Ron Paul either, but that's because he's a Libertarian and a Rockwellite.
More later.
*Which, of course, begs the question: why do we allow people from this part of the world into the West in the first place? When we were at war with the Japanese, Germans, and Italians, we did not allow them into our country. During the Cold War, we did not allow citizens of Communist countries in either. Why, then, when we are at "war" with Islamic terrorism, do we allow Moslems into the country?
"Basically, we're going to be stuck with mealy-mouthed, weak knee conservatives until someone comes along who has the stones to stand up on national television and tell the American public that the government is not their parents and does not exist to dole out money in the form of social programs to every man, woman and child in the country."
If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve.
Pursuit in 08: The NonCandidate none of us can get behind!
Trust me Fish, hearing you won't be behind me is the best possible way to finish the week!
Actually I wasn't referring to his blaming of terrorism on Muslims, I was referring to his antisemitism. I just didn't quote it all.
Here are a couple more quotes directly from his newsletter.
"Last month I reported on massive, illegal spying by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith against its perceived opponents, as revealed in California. The ADL keeps track of people and groups from left to right, and purchases illegally obtained information on Americans from its agents in police departments in order to prepare and maintain hundreds of thousands of dossiers."
He also hinted that the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center was perpetrated by the Mossad, but said that it "mattered little" whether it was done by Islamic terrorists or by the Mossad. Which, I would think, would be a distinction with huge ramifications. YMMV.
I see, and agree. Anti-Semitism is an intellectual rat-hole from which there is no escape. According to the anti-Semites, Jews, who account for about 0.2% of the world's population and less than 2% of the US population, are not only responsible for all of our problems, but are also a bigger threat to us and our existence than Moslems (who continue to try to kill us and whose world view is actively hostile to us) and illegal aliens (who are subverting our laws and have already started to displace us)!
Let me quote Ann Coulter:
If Hillary is elected president, we'll have a four-year disaster, with Republicans ferociously opposing her, followed by Republicans zooming back into power, as we did in 1980 and 1994, and 2000. (I also predict more Oval Office incidents with female interns.)
If McCain is elected president, we'll have a four-year disaster, with the Republicans in Congress co-opted by "our" president, followed by 30 years of Democratic rule.
More discussion here.
As for your prediction that illegals would get amnesty during the third Clinton term, never forget the power of the minority to block majority legislation--as has been happening since the last mid-term elections. Recall also that the minority Republicans defeated amnesty twice in 2007--even though it was backed by "their" president! Yes, it's going to come up again, but it's not a done deal.
Re: amnesty
Squid, from your lips to gods ear!
It's up to us to make God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; He won't do it for us. This means we have to keep on top of attempted legislation, and the best site I know of for that is Roy Beck's NumbersUSA, which was instrumental in fighting the recent treasonous attempts at amnesty.
So, Squid, I need to remind you that "Moslems" are not trying to kill us. Some Moslems are trying to kill us. Others are helping us. Most are just going through their daily lives. The fact that you've turned all Moslems into threats is one of the symptoms of your bigotry.
Now to your concept that "treasonous attempts at amnesty" are thwarting God's will.
I challenge you to find a single passage in the New Testament where Christ says we need to protect ourselves from the poor, unfortunate and outcast. Cite, for my education, a single passage that supports the idea that a nation -- any nation -- should round up its least fortunate and exile them, or should build a wall to keep people away, or do whatever is necessary to protect the nation's own wealth and privilege.
Christ's message was, in fact, exactly the opposite of all that. The idea that doing "God's will" has anything to do whatsoever with cracking down on immigration is ridiculous to the point of being blasphemous.
One of the unintended consequences of thinking of the United States as a Christian country is that protection of the United States then becomes a Christian cause. Any means can be justified so long as it serves the end of preserving the status quo nation. Hence, the defense of obviously un-Christian policies can be justified. I've heard self-professed Christians argue in favor of torture, for example. That's what you're doing here: arguing a profoundly un-Christian policy in the name of the preservation of the Christian nation.
(The irony that the poor and helpless you want to round up and exile as you execute "God's will" are brother Christians should be noted. And scorned.)
Christ wasn't ambiguous about how we should treat the poor. He didn't say "protect yourself and do what you can from a position of safety." He said surrender your wealth and follow me. He said go to the lepers, give up your lives and families and status. He said die with me that you might know eternal life.
That you can use that to justify racist immigration policies is beyond my ability to comprehend.
Posted by: Tom | 02/10/2008 at 09:30 AM

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Design thinking- a human centered approach to problem solving that utilizes empathy to create long-lasting change in human behavior. Design thinking has become a trending topic in the lines of modern-day innovation.
Companies have increasingly used design thinking to radically transform the way they think about creating products and services. With the end-user's needs, wants and motivations in mind, designers create more impactful solutions. Design thinking can be tailored to work in any industry. Airbnb, Nike, Starbucks and many more uses human-centered design thinking to revolutionize their respective industries. Design thinking can be used to solve the root cause of problems faced by people every day, for example: Design Firm IDEO paired with a team of research to develop ways synthetic biology can be used to affect everyday lives, such as using a cup made of organic material that produces a probiotic drink when filled and then decomposes after a few uses. With design thinking we can use outside-of-the-box thinking to create innovative solutions to common problems. On the other hand, traditional problem-solving leads practical solutions. For this reason, design thinking may be difficult for some to adopt at first however, by endorsing the process you will find that it will change the way you view the world.
This January, the Bryant University Class of 2022 will have the opportunity to learn this extremely valuable skillset in IDEA: Innovation and Design Experience for All. IDEA is one of Bryant's signature programs, allowing all students to experience and apply the design thinking process by developing creative solutions to a "real world" problem in an intensive and exciting three-day course. IDEA 2019 will kick off on Monday, January 21 and run through Wednesday, January 23.
Through the IDEA program, students will have the ability to work on problems which allow them to step out of the box with their ideas to answer "How might we" questions. Previous design challenges include, "How might we help bookstores survive in the current economy?" Other questions could be, "How might we enhance the fan experience at the Patriots Hall of Fame?" All the questions asked will allow for students to implement the design thinking skills which they have learned in the three days to create a solution unlike no other.
The mentors chosen for IDEA are excited to get to know the members of their cohort. Mentors will be immersed with design thinking challenges during their training in order to be exceptionally knowledgeable leaders of their cohort. Each mentor is ecstatic to meet their cohort and make the best experience possible for their members. The two student mentors on the leadership team are Samantha Mazza and Toby Nxumalo. If there are any questions, please feel free to reach out to them.
More information will be distributed to first-year students through the IDEA Blackboard site. The program itself kicks off at 9:00am on Monday morning, January 21st, and students can look forward to three days of an experience like no other! For up to date information and information about mentors, please follow the IDEA program on Instagram @Bryant idea and @Bryant IDEA on twitter. GO BULLDOGS!


The more I look around on the internet the more I see custom pulling trucks popping up. I'm excited about this trend and am really excited to build one of my own. Some may ask why I'm so into building a pulling truck and I am here to show you. These are my 5 reasons why pulling is so cool.
Part of what had drawn me into full-size pullers is the detail in the trucks. They are super clean and are built well enough to be entered into a car show and the same thing goes for the RC version. The people building them not only have clean builds but they do their best to make their trucks look as scale as possible. You can see tricked out 4WD pullers with narrow rear axles or perfect scale replicas of diesel tractors that have working smoke stacks.
These trucks sure do look good but they are also pretty impressive when you hook them up to a sled. On average these trucks can pull about 6 times their weight on dirt. If you get them on carpet where the traction is increased, that number goes up considerably. This is all done with the help of various weights that are placed on the chassis, pulling hitch height, front suspension setup and a locked out rear suspension. Of course they are also geared much lower than the RC cars that you can find at the hobby shop. If you ran a truck without weight behind it you would see a top speed of only a few MPH.
As I mentioned before you can't buy these trucks at your local hobby shop so that means that you'll have to look into building your own. There's no need to worry because you have a few options for making this happen. If you have some basic tools such as a drill press and band saw you can make a few custom pieces and you have a truck. Don't think that is something you can do? Well, then you can get involved in a pulling group such as the NR/CTPA and through the people there you can find a guy who will do it for you. Or you can go in a new direction and use a standard Axial SCX10 chassis and with a few simple tweaks have a pulling truck that you can call your own. When building a custom rig the possibilities are pretty much endless and you can go as extreme or as subtle as you want.
Sure it's cool to go out with your new custom rig and hook up to a weight transfer sled and see how much weigh you can pull, how far you can pull it and how fast you can do it. Weight transfer sleds aren't readily available but that doesn't mean that you can't use a simple piece of wood with a bunch of weight on it to see who can get their truck hooked and how quickly you can pull it a certain distance. Some trucks will be able to easily pull the weight while others may struggle to get the tires hooked up. Either way you and your buddies will have a blast trying to one up each other.
The best thing about truck pulling is that it's a family and friends kind of sport. Pulling doesn't require a large area to make it happen so it can be done at various types of gatherings and pretty much anyone can do it. You hook your truck up to a sled, work the throttle and keep it between the edges of the track.
Now do you see what I am talking about? I have been gathering pictures and ideas for a pulling truck of my own and I can't wait to get started. It's going to be a 4WD puller with custom body work and paint and some trick details that I'll make using my Zeus 3D printer.
Great article. Anyone interested in rc truck pulling should check out these face book pages. Pullers unleashed , rc's in the trees, Nolimitrcfl and nolimitrc.


Many people enjoy studying Scripture in its traditional format, but others feel disconnected from the text rimmed in gold leaf. I'd always been the latter.
In high school, I attended an early-morning Bible study. I can admit to being bored a lot of the time. I missed connections, lost track of characters, and felt confused.
On the first day of my internship at Logos Bible Software, I was introduced to the Faithlife Study Bible. Immediately I thought of the ways this could have made my years of Scripture study much more useful. I could've interacted with the text by making notes as I read, explored layers of study notes, and seen thousands of pictures and videos to bring the Scriptures to life. I wish I'd found this app sooner.
Right now you can download the Faithlife Study Bible free for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire. Download yours, and begin interacting with your Bible study today.


text:
Culture > The Third Night
The Third Night
Fiction: excerpt from the novel 2012 Nights.
Vipul Rikhi | Sep 04, 2012
Illustrations: Paul Aitchison
Once there lived a man who grew rich through his hard work and industry. His parents gave him a good education and he made worthy use of it. He went to the best business school, laboured hard and earned a prestigious degree. He was snapped up by the sharpest corporate head-hunter and recruited to the largest company with a hefty initial salary (or 'package', as it is called). His name was Abdullah.
His parents died, one soon after the other, but he put his shoulder to the wheel and kept working hard. There was nothing else for him. His only dream was to make it to the top of the ladder and become rich. He dreamed of starting his own company one day, entering the Forbes 500 list, and even becoming the richest and most powerful man in the world. For this, he continued to work hard and to ring in the numbers.
One evening, as he was returning home from his office – it was quite late, you see; he never got back home at the usual hours like everybody else – a man unexpectedly jumped in front of his car and got hit. The street was deserted at this hour, there was no traffic nor any living soul to be seen, the road was well lit, and yet, Abdullah did not see the man coming. He was terrified. He thought he had killed the guy, that he would go to jail, and that all his dreams and ambitions would now go down the drain. His mind raced quickly through all the possibilities. Did he have a good lawyer? Should he make a run for it? Was that the pressure of pee that was pounding in his scrotum? He was paralysed with fear and unable even to step out of the car. Slowly, the man stirred. Abdullah breathed again. He got out of the car. The man was a deadbeat, and was obviously drunk. Abdullah just wanted to make sure the man wasn't too badly hit, and to drive away to the safety of his residence.
Abdullah approached the drunkard, who was by now on his feet. As Abdullah got nearer, the man turned around and beamed a glorious smile – like the radiance of the sun breaking through on a cold winter day – full into Abdullah's face. Abdullah was taken aback. This was not his mental picture of deadbeat drunks, beaming beatific smiles, their skin glowing.
The man had long grey hair, donned a flowing dark robe, and displayed prominent wrinkles on his face and crow's feet around his eyes. And yet, there was a dash of impishness about him, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, which made his age seem very uncertain.
The man said: "I know of a treasure so great it will boggle the mind of any man. Would you like to be led to it?"
Abdullah did not understand this talk of treasure. He had never been much interested in magic tales. Even in childhood, he preferred the more practical ones. Like David Copperfield or the Swiss Family Robinson. Making one's way up. He kind of gaped at the drunkard, who suddenly did not seem so drunk any more.
"No, I'm not hurt," said the man, reading Abdullah's thoughts. "So you can drive away if you like."
There was nothing more Abdullah could have wanted at the moment; yet, he could not quite pull himself away.
"What do you mean by treasure?" he finally mumbled.
"You know what I mean. Gold, jewels, precious stones, maddening riches. That kind of thing. We can load your car with as much as we can fill in it, and drive away, and no one will be the wiser for it. There is so much of it there."
"In the place I will lead you to. A valley between two mountains."
"What about the police?"
"Had they known about it, they would have taken their share long ago."
"No, I mean isn't it a criminal offence to . . .?"
"No, it's not. It's magic! For the world it doesn't even exist. It will have a real existence only when you take it, and bring it into the world. So it is not stealing. We will make the world a richer and a better place. That's the capitalistic theory, isn't it? And surely, looking at the fine gentleman that you are, you are one of them. Come on. What do you say?"
"I don't know. Who are you, anyway?"
"I'm a dervish."
"What's a dervish?"
"A dervish is a holy man, who dedicates his life to prayer and the service of god."
"You –"
"Don't look like one? You must be more careful in how you see things. Learn to look with your inner eye. Then you will see the treasure, too."
Abdullah continued to prevaricate and wasn't very sure until the dervish produced a ruby from inside his robe to convince him. Abdullah was taken by the sheer beauty of the red stone. Its beauty glittered in his eyes and sounded deep within his heart.
"There are dollar bills, too, if that's more your kind of thing," the dervish observed. "I would go myself, but I need a car."
Abdullah was hooked.
"Get into the car," he croaked.
The dervish got in to the car and they drove away.
It was a long, long drive to the valley. The twin mountains were like the two halves of a ring, and enclosed a hidden valley, invisible to external view. Even Google Maps could not penetrate into this area of darkness. The entrance to the valley was led to by a long, winding mud path that climbed steeply up, and which the car struggled on. This opening was so narrow that the car had to do a James Bond-like stunt, driving tilted on two wheels, to get through it. The dervish had taken over the wheel by now, and by the ease and practice with which he carried out this difficult procedure, it seemed like he had executed it several times before. Perhaps not only in cars, but on horses, on asses, or camels, or on foot, he had led many people here and made them pass through this crevice, over many ages. This thought occurred dimly to Abdullah before it slunk away completely and vanished as if it had never existed. They were now descending into the enchanted valley.
There was nothing special here to indicate its enchantedness – only a dry river bed. The car drove down much more easily on this side of the mountain. The dervish sang a song of praise (to the lord) to signal that he was happy to be here. Suddenly Abdullah began to worry about lack of water. They hadn't carried any with them, and there seemed to be none here. Only dry, baked mud, and hardly any vegetation. The mountains were completely bare too, and the dervish and Abdullah were as if in a special zone of the earth where material life flourished – there was boundless dust and stone here – but not the organic one. It was like a black hole that did not allow any living organism, that sucked up its life if one entered there and stayed too long.
"If you're worried about water," the dervish said, out of the blue, "don't be. What you will see presently will make you forget all about water."
They descended to the bottom and parked right in the centre of the dry river bed. Abdullah got out of the car. The air seemed very thin to him, and soon he began to wheeze. The dervish meanwhile appeared to have sat down in meditation, eyes closed and legs crossed in the lotus position, on the hood of the car. Soon he began to chant certain mantras. Thereafter, he undertook certain yogic poses, still on the car. Then, he took some coloured powder out of his pockets, charged them with certain magic formulae, and cast them to the air. There was hardly any wind, and yet the coloured particles of dust vanished without any trace. At last, he ejaculated a final conjuration: "Open, goodly world, and show us all that you have to offer."
The surface of one of the mountains seemed to crack open. Two walls of stone slid apart, as if in a sci-fi or spy-thriller film, to reveal a very modern-looking chamber, abuzz and agleam with the hum and glow of the latest electronic equipment keeping the place alive and functional.
Abdullah was enchanted. He moved as if without volition towards the chamber.
"Aye," cried the dervish, still perched on the car, "that is the effect it has. Go in then and see what you can find – what it is that will satisfy your soul."
What Abdullah found within was all that he had ever dreamed of, and more: the most advanced and expensive electronic products like computers, tablets, mobile devices, television sets and home-entertainment systems, piled in a careless heap; the most fashionable and valuable cars, in a variety of different colours and models, all lined up neatly beside each other; branded clothes, shoes and accessories, whose value must have run into millions of dollars; and bundles and bundles of hard cash, green, irresistible dollar bills, stacked together in neat columns and rows as he had seen before in films involving bank heists. All these desiderata called to him with a lusciousness that made Abdullah swoon. He wanted to lick and devour them all at once!
There were other things, too. Things that Abdullah didn't pay much attention to – like bars, bricks, ingots and coins of 24-carat gold; all manner of jewels and gemstones, like amber and amethyst and emerald and jasper and quartz and topaz, bunched together like a hidden treasure; and diamonds and pearls of great price, glittering away in a corner. Abdullah wasn't really turned on by any of these, though he recognised their value. Nonetheless, he stuffed a few of the rough, pure, uncut diamonds into his pockets.
For the rest he focused on getting a car that he wanted – an ultra-chic GT car – his heart torn between the Aston Martin DBS V12 (unveiled so sensationally in the James Bond film) and the Ferrari 599 GTB (the supercar of the year), though neither of these cars was as big as some others, and so would be able to carry away less loot. But the car itself was the loot, Abdullah reasoned. The thought of letting either one of the cars go was unbearable to him. So he tried to get the dervish, who had come in by now – and had reasonably enough chosen a much bigger car, a crossover SUV (a touching gesture towards fuel economy and care for the environment) – to take either the Ferrari or the Aston Martin, hoping already that he'd be able to get it off him later. The dervish, in the goodness of his heart, relented and let go of his big car.
They loaded their respective cars with as much of the money and goods as they thought they could and drove out of the chamber. The dervish made sure to close the walls of the mountain again, with the same elaborate procedure that he had performed to open them. Abandoning Abdullah's old car – which the dervish assured him would soon disintegrate and become as dust, leaving no trace, and might even transmute into gold given time – they drove out of the secret valley contained within the twin mountains.
The narrow opening between the mountains seemed just a bit wider now than Abdullah remembered it having been while entering, and he was able to drive through it without having to perform any heroic stunts, just about squeezing his shiny new red Ferrari through. After descending to the other side and getting on the regular road again, the two stopped to congratulate each other on the successful accomplishment of their mission, shook hands like honest partners and men, and went their separate ways.
But it was not long before Abdullah's mind began to whirl like a twister.
Why should, he thought, a holy man such as a dervish keep all the wealth that he had got from the mountain? The times were corrupt, he knew – holy men were not so holy anymore – yet, wasn't it his duty to make sure the pure remained the pure – and this dervish seemed very pure still – and to take all the corruption on to himself? Besides, he really wanted that Aston Martin. The Ferrari didn't seem quite so much the thing anymore, even though he had its superb new wheel between his hands. It bolted like a horse, accelerated like a leopard, was smooth like a shark. What more did he want?
The Aston Martin. Plus all the things that the dervish had gathered. Abdullah realised at some point that while he had focused on grabbing the latest Mac and a branded suit or two, besides a whole range of shoes, the dervish had sensibly filled his car with the most precious jewels, about which he seemed to know a lot and of which Abdullah knew nothing. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to pool their resources? The dervish wasn't very well-dressed and Abdullah could teach him a thing or two in the line of the mode. Meanwhile, he wouldn't mind having one or two of those shining red rubies with which the dervish had lured him in in the first place.
Thinking all these thoughts, his mind still spinning, Abdullah didn't know when he had turned his car around and was racing after the Aston Martin. He put his foot down on the gas, rammed the pedal to the floor, and the prancing horse responded obediently to his urgency. Soon he was up beside the dervish, waving for him to stop. The two cars stopped one behind the other by the side of the road, as when a policeman asks you to pull over and parks his car right in front of you. Abdullah was the policeman, suspicious, sniffing out the loot.
The dervish lowered his window.
"What seems to be the trouble, officer?"Abdullah thought he heard in his mind's ear, though the dervish had only said, "What's the matter, Abdullah?"
Abdullah recovered himself just in time to prevent himself from saying, "May I see your licence, please?"
He said: "You know, dervish, I was thinking . . ."
"I don't think you have a home. At least not as comfortable a one as I have."
"That's true. I don't have a particular home. The whole world is my home."
"Besides, you won't even have a garage to park the car, and someone will pinch it off you very soon if you leave it out on the street."
"Yes, you have a point. One can't leave precious things on the street."
"I have a big garage at my place, you know, in addition to the latest burglar alarms, hidden cameras and other security paraphernalia. I'm also thinking of hiring a security company and getting actual security guards soon."
"That's great."
"I can also get us insurance."
"Yes. If you think that's what we need."
"Moreover, you didn't seem to be driving the car too well. I don't think you really know how to handle it. You should learn first, with someone more experienced instructing you."
"Your criticism is just. I don't know too much about these things. I only know about the treasures that can be mined."
"So I was thinking, maybe you could come along with me for a while, you know, and let all this settle down, so that no one gets suspicious."
"Why should anyone get suspicious?"
"Oh, a holy man with a lot of wealth . . ."
"Isn't that pretty normal these days?"
"Yes, but not all of a sudden. You have to build an ashram first, and all that kind of thing. I can help you. I know the ropes. That's why I think you should come with me, and settle into this new life. I can show you how wealth works, you know. You don't seem to have much experience of it."
"That's true. I always let other people have these experiences."
"So will you come with me?"
"Of course. It is the best way, since you have my best interests at heart."
"Great. Let's go."
And so they drove away, Abdullah quite pleased with his own cleverness. In his mind's eye, Abdullah could already envision how he would murder the dervish late one night and bury him in his backyard under the cover of the darkness. He could visualise all that he would do with the wealth, how he would set up an industry, become the richest man on the planet, move around in the top circles of society, and even set up charities for the poor, diseased and disabled, etcetera. He did not realise that he was thinking automatically, almost without autonomy. As if in a trance, he felt and moved like a man leading a lamb to the slaughter, without any real sense of what he was doing.
After a certain point, it was the dervish's turn to ask Abdullah to pull over.
"Do you have food to eat at your place?" the dervish asked him. The question was startling.
Abdullah took a minute to take it in, and to respond.
"Yes, of course, I have food at home. Why?"
"Ah, just. I'm hungry. Famished, actually. And you look ravenous, too."
"Yes, there is food. And drink. Do you drink?"
"Only in good company."
And Abdullah could picture how he would get the dervish drunk, before going on to crucify him.
"Say!" he exclaimed suddenly, a new thought flashing out to him, one that should have been obvious from the beginning.
"What's the matter?" asked the dervish.
"How will I – er, we – find our way back here? You know, in case we run out and need more."
"Yes, we always need more. I'm always coming back."
"How do you find your way?"
"With this magic powder."
And the dervish produced a little round metallic box from under his robes, like those blue ones for the Nivea creams, containing the coloured powder that Abdullah had seen him performing his ritual with.
"Will you teach me the ritual to open the mountain walls?" said Abdullah, already unable to restrain himself.
"Yes, but it's dangerous."
"What can happen?"
"With a single wrong word or turn of the wrist, you can lose your mind, in some cases even your body, and become like the waking dead, wandering the earth, seeing everything but unable to consume anything."
"Pshaw! All these ghost stories are stuff and nonsense. Science has already proven this. I believe in science."
"Yes, I admire your rationality. But then aren't all stories about magic, and secret chambers, and sliding mountain walls, and finding hidden treasures, also nonsense?"
"Yes, unless you teach me this technique and prove me wrong."
"I will give you whatever you like, including all that you may want to learn. You just have to be willing."
"Then let's go back in there so that you can show me and I can practise."
"I warn you. It is dangerous. With the right hand and the right eye, you can see and be the master of all the riches of the world. With the wrong hand and the wrong eye, you will lose everything, including your sight, and be reduced to the state of a beggar."
"It sounds like a fable to me."
" – a story that you tell your children in order to scare them into morality."
"There is no morality."
"No right or wrong? No good or evil?"
"None. Only greed. And strength. Greed is good because all that is good in the world has been produced by man's greed. And strength is necessary because might always prevails, and wealth is might. Money is power!"
"The meek shall not inherit the earth? It is not more difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Don't make me mad! Let's do this. Let's go back in there. I want to open the gates."
"Of the flood?"
"There is a fire in my heart. It's consuming me!"
"Don't you want to practise here first, in order to learn? To make sure you don't make a mistake."
"No. I want to return right away. I'm sure it can't be as difficult or as dangerous as you're making it appear."
And so the two wealth-laden cars made their way back up the mountainside and down into the valley – a solemn procession. The crevice that served for the entrance seemed even wider now, letting them pass together, side by side, but Abdullah had no longer any memory of how narrow it had been when he first entered. His mind was already gripped by a variety of thoughts, which were like wild horses, tearing the chariot away, impossible to control. His face looked grim; his jaw was set. His eyes bore relentlessly into the ground ahead. He focused with consuming attention on the road, the path to the wished-for arrival. The dervish manoeuvred his Aston Martin fairly well, contrary to Abdullah's diagnosis, and drove alongside or just behind Abdullah, letting him lead.
And so, my dear Schahriar, you see what comes to pass in the desert of non- awakening. One man is led astray while another fasts for a whole lifetime – call it forty days – and receives a benediction beyond belief.
You know how this story ends. And if you don't, I will tell you the sad conclusion to it tomorrow night. Because this night is already ending, as you can see – the light of truth once again threatens us, and we have to battle against it to remain in the darkness. We shall fight valiantly till another night arrives, and perhaps then, at last, I will be able to speak of the temptations which besiege us, of which I could not bring myself to speak tonight.
~2012 Nights is due out later this month from Fingerprint Press.
~ Vipul Rikhi is a writer based in Bangalore, India. He writes poetry, fiction and drama.
Vipul Rikhi
Topics : fiction, Paul Aitchison
The Filmmaker Activist
Mitu Varma | Dec 01, 1997
Home and the world
Distribution day
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Negotiating aid amidst village politics in post-earthquake Nepal.
Rune Bennike | May 26, 2015
Understanding the Nepali mandate


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Family is very important to us at The Fields – not just individual families, but also our church family. In fact, it is 1 of our 6 Seeds. God created the family in the very beginning of Genesis 1 and told them to "be fruitful and multiply." There are over 50 "one another" scriptures in the New Testament that talk about how the church is to do life with "one another." The Apostle Paul used the family to describe our relationship to God and our relationship to one another in the church. God always meant for life to be done in community, not alone.
The Location | Where do they meet?
Our groups meet geographically throughout our city and area. We do this because we believe you can live on mission and build community with those who live closest to you. This also brings diversity to our groups with people from all ages, family backgrounds, and life stages. We desire for our group to reflect our neighborhoods, which reflect heaven, where we who believe are united in the gospel of Jesus.
The Mission | Who are they trying to reach?
Missional groups are named that for a reason: they have a mission! Check out each group's missional focus and consider your own rhythms of life. Do you interact regularly with these people or with people connected to their group? Are you willing to go on mission with this group and spend time with those they have committed to serve? These questions will help you and your family live on mission intentionally.
The People | Who are they?
Ultimately, after considering the location and mission, we encourage you to contact the leaders of the group you are interested in and talk to them about joining that group. You are always welcome to visit any and all of our groups as you consider which one will work best for you.
Click a group for more info or click the map for directions.


Thanks very much (and here's why) for taking these few moments to let me know of your performance of my music. Whether you've presented a full-length concerto with a professional orchestra or have performed a 3-minute piece on your university recital, you're just a few clicks away from letting me know.
Assuming you have a PDF, Jpeg, Word, or some other file that shows your recital/concert program(s), simply attach it to this email, which is addressed to me. Done. Success.
And I hope you'll leave your name and a message, if you like—even better, also attach an mp3 of your performance, or a link to where you've posted a sound file online. I want to be able to write you a thank-you note for taking the time to stop by and send me your program(s).
If you haven't done so already, I hope you'll officially CONNECT with me, so I can add you to my private (and I do mean private) database of musical friends and colleagues. That way, I can contact you directly whenever I am involved in a project that aligns with your interests.
Thanks so much! See you on stage again soon!


text:
Cereseto est une commune italienne de la province d'Alexandrie dans la région Piémont en Italie.

Administration

Hameaux

Communes limitrophes
Moncalvo, Ottiglio, Ozzano Monferrato, Pontestura, Ponzano Monferrato, Sala Monferrato, Serralunga di Crea, Treville

Notes et références

Commune dans la province d'Alexandrie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In your Bible today, working in the book of Ruth, combine several versions of the edited block letters. I did some skinny, some wide, and even brought in those with slashed edges from prior lessons. Also, in the mix are some basic round letters and a bit of script handwriting. Use whatever mix of styles YOU are comfortable with.
So what ties it all together? The way the words interlock together and the consistent colors throughout. I combined my text block with the peacock from the Drawing Room lesson for this week in the same colors.
Oh, how I love that peacock!
Skipping back and forth between different types of projects is sure keeping me on my toes!
In the Whimsical Drawing class the next assignment was a tiered plate of sweets. I turned mine into cupcakes with a blank banner at the top so I can print it out and fill the banner with a sentiment for whatever the occasion will be (if used on card fronts).
This is another one that I reduced to fit in my interleaved bible. I colored with markers and added a short scripture snippet in the banner.
This is a really fun class!
This is anoth in the lessons that uses toned paper. The highlights in the original photo were totally blown out so I reduced the contrast in mine. The original shows the bird as pretty much a black blob with a few stark white highlights along the top. In many drawings I couldn't even figure out what it was supposed to be!
I think there is only one more lesson to go in this class.
On the plan for lettering lessons, whose books that have a 1st and 2nd are combined into one lesson. So here we are covering BOTh books of Peter.
Let's have some fun this week including artwork right in our letters. The base of these will be the now-familiar basic block letters.
For the intro today, write out the letters for the book(s) of Peter, change the outlines to casual double lines. You can then draw patterns within the letters – using either different patterns in each one or a consistent pattern throughout the word.
You also have the option of leaving the word in black and white or coloring in the patterns.
As shown yesterday, the first alphabet we will practice this week is basic block letters filled with patterns.
In this sample alphabet, I did not use the casual sketchy lines like Day 1. But there are lots of ideas for how you might want to fill your letters. When you are using them in your Bible journaling, you can fill your letters with doodles that fit the theme of a verse.
Remember, you have the option of color or black and white.
There are two sheets for the alphabet today.
For chiseled letters, 1) start by drawing the basic block letter alphabet (caps only). 2) At each end, draw a little triangle 3) on the straight letters, draw a diagonal at the intersections 4) split the elements in half lengthwise, drawing from the points of the triangles 5) connect that center line with any new angles formed 6) add center line to remaining element from the ends of the triangle and the diagonals 7) shade the top and right segments.
Letters with curves get an arrow V along the curve. This is to define where the shading will switch from one side of the element to the other.
Use the steps described to turn your basic block alphabet into chiseled letters. Then go on to page 3b for shading.
After you have drawn your carved alphabet it is time to work on shading. Since the letters are meant to look like they are indented into stone or concrete, the shading will go on the right and top of all the little bits. The light would come from the top so the top, indented spaces would be in shadow.
It is difficult to remember where the shading goes, so it may take a bit of practice to get it right. For this reason, do your shading in pencil so you can erase if needed.
I keep a copy of the alphabet with and without shading so I can work on structure separately from lighting.
This piece is to demonstrate that the art fills can be either outside OR inside the letters. And, as a bonus, fills inside the letters can be art objects rather than doodles.
I used the sketchy style of outlining the basic block letters. Then I drew, in pencil, various objects of clothing right across the words. On the first line, I used markers to trace the clothes only outside the letters. On the second line, I used the markers to trace the clothing only inside the letters.
The rest of the text was written out using basic round letters in all-caps, using the same markers. Go have some fun with fills.
Working with the carved letters on this small scale was quite a challenge. I wanted the words to look like they were carved right into the brick wall (from the Drawing Room this week) So I drew the wall in pencil, then penciled and inked the words, inked the bricks, erased all the pencil and added the shading to the letters and the color to the wall.
Use any one of the styles of filled block letters in your Bible to journal in 1 Peter or 2 Peter.
The continuation of the Whimsical Drawing class had us working on a page of stacked gifts.
What fun these were to draw! It is certainly a process. But the instructor draws all on video and talks through the things to consider as well as showing ideas and techniques.
I printed out her sample sheet but then put it away out of sigh and drew from my memory and imagination.
I may scan and reduce to print out for card fronts that I would then color.
Until I started this Drawing 101 class I had not used toned paper for drawing since I was in college (more than a few years ago). But I am discovering that I really do like the effect.
Good thing since I have a whole notebook of it now!
This was the 8th lesson from the class. Again, we were provided with a photograph to work from.
I do two things to help myself: 1) I use my computer to change the photo to black and white and then play with the lighing and contrast so I get good details to print. 2) I draw a grid on my printout and on my drawing paper and use the gridlines to transfer the drawing outlines.
These two steps help me immensly in getting a good result.
Our photo was a whole bundle of garlic bulbs with one featured. We were given the option of zooming in to work on only the featured bulb and working in more detail. That is the option I chose.
On we go with the lettering lessons. This week they were unusual twists on block letters.
This week we will be exploring three ways to get a little more creative with our block letters. This is one of the novelty prints we will explore on day 3. But in the meantime, have fun recreating this intro word for the book of Judges.
The lettering starts in pencil with a big, fat outline of the general letter shape. Then a small Basic Round Capital is attached to the edge of the letter.
Draw the little letter with colored ink and then use black for the big outline. Erase the pencil.
There's lots of fun to be had by making even small edits to basic block print letters. Today, explore this by making an alphabet that makes the letters shorter by one unit and wider by making the elements 1 ½ units instead of 1 unit like we drew originally.
You can see that I still had problems with that pesky S!
What other changes would you make on an alphabet like this? Draw any optional forms you like.
Oh, goody! We're back to the letter-in-a-letter alphabet that we introduced on day 1.
In review, draw the outline of the big letter in pencil (outline only - no internal lines. Then draw in the little letter along the edge.
Use colored ink to trace the little letter and black ink for the large outline. Erase the pencil.
This really goes pretty quickly and looks great in use.
This is another simple way to make block letters. Basically, the letters are only outlines. Where the regular letter would have internal spaces, all of these details are accomplished with only slashes.
None of these shaping lines have any dimension – just a line.
These look good when overlapped just a little – each one to the right tucks behind the one preceding it.
I couldn't resist using the letter-in-a-letter style for this block of text.
I used a lot of different colors for the little letter inserts so it has a lot of movement. Notice how readable this font is.
I illustrated this page using the songbird from this week's Drawing Room and added a bit of music for him to perch on.
In a Whimsical Drawing class the first lesson was on drawing fantastic flowers. These are all flowers made up as I went along.
This was drawn entirely in Prismacolor pens.
After the drawing was complete the background was filled in with brush marker.
This was another drawing that I reduced and printed to go in my interleaved bible.
I colored my print with markers and lettered a scripture to the bottom of the page.
Lesson 7 in the class Drawing 101 is again working on toned paper (as are all the rest in this series).
We were provided with a photograph to draw with the concentration on light and shadow. This one was of a padlock on an old door.
I liked my drawing so much that I scanned it and printed on plain paper in a reduced size. The I trimmed and added it to my interleaved bible and lettered a verse with it.
I really like this bible for glueing in full-page art.
It was time for another lettering lesson in the progressive series I started January 1. This week the focus was on the book of Joshua.
This week we are going to add to the block lettering in several ways. First up will be to create a lower-case alphabet. We'll practice this process today using just the single word, 'Joshua'.
In pencil, lightly draw out the word in a basic print as shown on the first line. Then draw an equal width on all sides of these lines. Ink the outline only and erase the pencil guides.
When I am using lower-case, I don't make the elements as wide as when using all-caps. The lower-case letters are obviously smaller and have tighter internal spaces. Making the elements narrower gives some breathing room on the insides of the letters.
Use the technique introduced yesterday to create a full alphabet for the upper- and lower-case block letters. The final alphabet will be personal to you because it is based on your initial writing of the basic round print letters.
What we are doing by using this method is helping you to develop your own personal style. You'll note that my alphabet is not perfectly formed. This is okay with me because it is just a reminder sheet on how to construct the letters. I am not trying to match an 'ideal'.
It's time to play with color! I love this part of the process. Today we are going to write up another sample page of block letters (or you can make a photocopy of an alphabet you've already done) and experiment with a variety of color options. I did all of my samples in colored pencil.
1) 1- Down the left side practice blending colors on your letters. Although you could do these letters with any two colors you wished, I did mine in the rainbow – blending two colors on each line: red-orange, orange-yellow, yellow-green, green-blue, blue-indigo, indigo-violet.
2) 2- Use two tones of the same color to make the letters dimensional. Darker shade goes on the bottom and left of elements and is blended with lighter shade covering the remainder of the letter.
3) 3- Draw a wavy line right through the word. Color the letters above the line and the background below the line.
4) 4- Choose two contrasting colors to apply dots on every other letter. My caps have turquoise dots on purple letters and the lower-case have purple dots on turquoise letters.
5) 5- Six shades of the same gray were used to color successive letters.
6) 6- Alternating solids were used to color these letters.
7) 7- Dark colors (red and orange) were used to outline the letters and a bright (yellow) used to fill in.
Things are about to get really exciting! It is time to cut loose and design your own alphabet.
I'm going to have you start with the basic block alphabet we learned this week. But on a new piece of paper, use your pencil to sketch lines that extend and expand in exciting ways around the basic forms. Draw an A in single lines, make it a bit wonky, draw the lines that make wider elements, change the ends to angles, add stylish serifs. . . If you don't like where it went, erase and do it again! You can see I drew over and over mine, making incremental changes until they were very close to what I liked.
Look over the whole sheet. Are there any letters that don't seem to fit in? Now is the time to change them. Do you see elements that are repeating? Look for other places to incorporate those for a more cohesive look.
Use ink to outline all your letters, making final adjustments as needed. Then erase your pencil. You did it!
If you created a funky alphabet like I did, it would look great if the letters were allowed to rise above and sink below the baseline when using them on a project. Use your new alphabet to write your full name, fitting the letters into shapes to create word art.


TFV8 Baby EU Core Coils come packaged with SMOK products like the Procolor, T-Priv, GX2/4 and OSUB King 220 starter kits. Designed for the UK and EU market, these coils are compatible with the TPD compliant version of the Big Baby (EU Edition) tank. The EU Core Baby coils feature a fatter Stainless Steel barrel which reduces the tank capacity to 2ml. The coils also have a different top screw arrangement. This is designed to connect to the shorter chimney sections found in the EU Edition Big Baby tanks.


Dr. Patricia Remshifski is a medical speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of clinical experience; she specializes in disordered swallowing, feeding, and communication coaching in adults with complex cognitive and language disorders. She has extensive experience working with adults with dysphagia and aphasia due to stroke, degenerative disease, and traumatic brain injury. She is currently conducting research in the area of swallowing and communication disorders for individuals with Rett syndrome. Dr. Remshifski serves as Chair of the Higher Education Committee for the New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association.


Types of therapy offered & philosophy All people have a drive to learn about themselves, and when ill, to understand the personal meanings of their illness. I believe that all people, when given support, help, and knowledge of the mind, can heal. And I believe that most people can understand, with help, how unconscious conflicts cause illness, and that this understanding, and only this understanding, can sustain well-being.
Background I have a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. – a leading institution in the movement towards an integrative understanding of humans and their world. For the past 8 years, I have worked with children, teenagers and adults, individually or in groups, of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. I have worked in urban forensic inpatient drug rehabilitation centers, counseling centers, and private practice. As a psychoanalytically-oriented licensed psychologist, I see self-knowledge as both the primary aim of therapy and the basis of health.


Becco will be hosting a Lidia Dinner on Thursday, January 31st at 7:30 pm. It is a multi-course, all-inclusive dinner with wine pairing, $185 pp, celebrating owner Lidia Bastianich's memoir, My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family and Food. In addition to her work at Becco and other restaurants, Lidia is an Emmy award-winning public television host, a best-selling cookbook author, and one of the founders of Eataly.
To purchase tickets, customers should call the restaurant at 212 397 7597. A credit card will be required but not charged until the day of the event.


About The New Version Of "It Is Well"
As we gathered together as a church last Sunday morning, we began to sing a version of the old hymn "It is Well with My Soul". This song was originally written by a man after his own family had died in a shipwreck. It's a song that says - "I will trust in God who is greater than any trial or circumstance".
So it's been out of that incredible meeting that we began talking about making this song of great hope available to everyone, and also to help friends and family who have been affected by the flood. And so came the idea to record the song and have the proceeds go to the flood relief effort in Queensland.
This has been a miracle week in seeing the song come together. The dream was to make it available for this weekend! So we began the journey of seeing if what would normally be a process that can take weeks and weeks could even be possible in a few days. What we were amazed to find is that people all over the world were willing to drop everything and donate their time and resources to help.
The track was made available on iTunes and Hillsong Music Australia's website early Friday evening. This all took place in only three days, between 19th January and 21st January 2011.
We are believing this recording will be a blessing to many many people.
Ultimately, worship is a response to God. This song is powerful because the confession is, that though everything around me may fail, our God never fails.


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Scaevius milii är en fiskart som först beskrevs av Bory de Saint-vincent 1823.  Scaevius milii ingår i släktet Scaevius och familjen Nemipteridae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Abborrartade fiskar
milii


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Tribute to Herbie Nichols JAZZ AT KITANO Saturday, February 15th Sets 8 & 10 PM
Standard / by NYC Jazz New 3-8-12 Archive Feed / February 12, 2020 / No Comments
To: Listings/Critics/Features
From: Jazz Promo Services
www.jazzpromoservices.com
Herbie Nichols Tribute,
Steve Swell, trombone
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, drums
David Haney, piano
Adam Lane, bass
JAZZ AT KITANO
66 PARK AVE (E.38 ST)
NEW YORK, NY.
SHOWS 8 PM & 10 PM
Cover $34.+ $20 minimum Food/Bev
RESERVATIONS HIGHLY ADVISED
www.kitano.com/Jazz-Schedule
THE MUSIC OF HERBIE NICHOLS:
a night dedicated to the beautiful and exotic tunes of the great 50's pianist and composer.
BERNARD PURDIE the world's most recorded drummer, was born June 11, 1939 in Elkton, Maryland as the eleventh of fifteen children. Purdiemoved to New York in 1960 and soon after recorded his first hit, with King Curtis. This led to his engagement with Aretha Franklin in 1970, which marked the beginning of an unparalleled career. Since then, Purdie has worked with a vast array of artists, such as Paul Butterfield, Larry Coryell, Miles Davis, Hall & Oates, Al Kooper, Herbie Mann, Todd Rundgren and Cat Stevens, as well as regularly producing his own solo albums.
"Haney and Purdie fit together like interlocking parts of a jigsaw puzzle. The drums gives a center to the piano's drifting improvisations and the piano creates fantastic shapes about the drum foundation. These two makes a really strong and fascinating team." Cadence Magazine
DAVID HANEY
Haney studied composition for six years with Czech composer, Tomas Svoboda and presented works with the Society of Oregon Composers, Haney has worked with such featured artists as Andrew Cyrille, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Bud Shank, Bernard Purdie, Buell Neidlinger, Julian Priester, Han Bennink, Obo Addy, Wilbert de Joode, Gerry Hemingway, Wolter Weirbos, Perry Robinson, and Johannes Bauer. Haney has recorded 14 albums for C.I.M.P. Records and Cadence Jazz Records . David has also collaborated on 14 albums on other labels worldwide. He has received grants and commissions for his creative work from the U.S. State Department; Alberta Film Works; and the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Haney was awarded a travel grant from the U.S. State Department to present the music of composer Herbie Nichols in concerts throughout Argentina and Chile. Haney's piano/trombone work Ota Benga of the Batwa was included in the critics pick for best Jazz Album of 2007 (Coda Magazine). "Conspiracy a go go" and "Clandestine" were both selected Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2009 (Cadence Magazine). David's current release "Solo" received top ten honors in 2014 (Cadence Magazine). The Penguin Guide to Jazz has a half page entry on several David Haney albums.
Jazz at Kitano's presents trombone great Steve Swell with the drumming great Bernard Purdie, pianist David Haney, and bassist Adam Lane. Check out this fantastic quartet playing the music of 50's hard bop master Herbie Nichols.
Herbert Horatio Nichols (3 January 1919 – 12 April 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard "Lady Sings the Blues".
Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics
In 1955 Herbie recorded a large selection of pieces with Max Roach others for Blue Note Records. In later years passed on 27 of his unpublished manuscripts to friend and trombonist Roswell Rudd. Herbie died at age 44 of leukemia, in the early 1960s. Roswell went on record the pieces and publish them..
Tonight's show features several of the pieces from Roswell's collection. Pianist David Haney learned these tunes from Rudd while on tour together in Canada in 1998. Haney has since performed Nichols music worldwide, receiving a travel grant from the US government to present the music of Herbie Nichols in Argentina and Chile in 2002.
Steve Swell, Born in Newark, NJ, Steve Swell has been an active member of the NYC music community since 1975. His breadth of versatility has allowed him to tour and record with such mainstream artists as Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich in the past, as well as more contemporary artists like Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor and William Parker. He has over 50 CDs as a leader or co-leader and is a featured artists on more than 125 other releases. He runs workshops around the world and is a teaching artist in the NYC public school system focusing on special needs children.
Steve was nominated for Trombonist of the Year 2008 & 2011 by the Jazz Journalists Association, was selected Trombonist of the Year 2008-2010 , 2012 and 2014-2019 by the magazine El Intruso of Argentina and received the 2008 Jubilation Foundation Fellowship Award of the Tides Foundation. Steve has also been selected by the Downbeat Critics Poll in the Trombone category each year from 2010-2018.
ADAM LANE
By combining a disparate set of influences into a unique improvisational voice, Adam Lane has become recognized as one of the most original creative voices in contemporary jazz. His 2006 recording New Magical Kingdom, was recently featured in the Penguin Jazz Guide 1001 Best Records Ever Made, and his most recent recording, Ashcan Ranting received a myriad of critical praise including four stars in Downbeat.
"Lane's music is genuine, accessible, fun. The music is deeply in touch with the essential pleasures of earwig-worthy tunes, fat bluesy grooves, and sheer tonal beauty." (Downbeat Jan 2011)
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I am quite sure I would not have been able to achieve the success that I have over the last 13 years if it wasn't for the expertise, hard work, and guidance of Jim Eigo and Jazz Promo Services.
Dave Stryker, Guitarist / Bandleader / Clinician


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Guest Appearance: Karen's Killer Book Bench
Today I appear on Karen's Killer Book Bench in an author interview. I talk about my day job, how I started writing, and my newest projects. You can read the interview here.
Short Story Review: Twist Endings
This week I read two stories in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and one in Kings River Life, all with amazing twist endings. A twist is an unexpected turn of events in a story that causes the reader to reevaluate characters or plot. Rather than attempt further explanation, here are three fine examples of stories with twist endings.
Unfortunately, I can't reveal what the twists are, or I would ruin the story for you. I'll have to be coy with my analysis, and hope you'll look up these stories.
On the Hook, by Larry W. Chavis - Shelby is having an affair. I can't say I feel much sympathy for the woman when she receives what sounds like a blackmail letter. Here we go, I thought, another tale of infidelity and the inevitable, predictable consequences. Then Shelby decides how she'll deal with the blackmailer. It gets more interesting as the story takes a definite turn for the worse. It ends with an unexpected twist that I didn't see coming. One of those "wow" kind of endings.
A Respectable Lady, by Joseph D'Agnese - A woman who appears respectable, if a bit worn around the edges, arrives alone in a public establishment. This is not quite proper behavior in the story's time period. A gentleman joins her. He is thoroughly obnoxious, and the reader may wonder why she tolerates his rude treatment. Then the story unfolds, ending with a twist that resolves a lot of questions reaching far beyond this tale. At first I was so startled, I was annoyed with the author. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the story. This tale delivers a multi-layered twist. I hope you'll read it. And then you'll want to read it again.
The Countess of Warsaw by Susan Breen - This story did not end with quite as dramatic a twist as A Respectable Lady, but it was equally satisfying. Maggie Dove runs a small detective agency that so far has only acquired jobs chasing after an old woman's foul-tempered cat. Then the old woman goes missing. The elderly are vulnerable on many levels. In this case, the self-proclaimed Countess of Warsaw makes claims others dismiss as part of an old lady's diminishing mental capacity. By the end of the story, Maggie is in a real dilemma. Were the woman's ramblings just dementia, or is there truth to her outlandish claims? The story leaves you wondering.
Three stories with twist endings. Each story had a different tone, and successfully employed the twist in different ways to accomplish the author's purpose. If you've read these tales, do you agree? What stories have you read that have a great twist ending?
Killer Nashville
I will be on a panel at Killer Nashville August 25, talking about time management for writers. I haven't been to a writers conference in over a year. Plenty of reasons, but suffice it to say, sometimes life gets in the way.
I'm excited about going to Nashville. As an introvert, being around hundreds of people for a weekend is seriously challenging, but I've heard good things about this conference.
Hopefully, my husband can join me in Nashville for some sightseeing. So many of the conference events sound interesting that I'll have a hard time tearing myself away, but I think I can manage.
Speaking of time management, I completed my first novel for the Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library series. First, it goes to critique group. Then, off to the publisher! If you're a fan of sweet cozy mysteries, the Annie's Fiction Series may be your cup of tea.
Short Story Review: Flash Fiction
Flash Fiction, as defined by the Short Mystery Fiction Society, is a story up to 1,000 words. One e-zine is dedicated entirely to flash fiction, publishing a story a day. Flash Fiction Magazine also publishes anthologies of the best of the stories to appear on their website. Author Shannon Lawrence noted that most flash fiction ends with a twist. That is true of many of the stories in Flash Fiction Magazine.
I jumped right in with The Other Side of the Window, by Tony Wassom. A recent widow lingers over breakfast, in a definitely melancholy frame of mind. Why? What is she going to do? You find out fast in a thousand word story!
Because the stories are so brief, I immediately read the previous day's offering, Ruby, by Virginia Pye. This story is from a dog's point of view, and it works. Very clever.
The fun of flash fiction is that the author can experiment with characters, literary devices, and themes he or she may be reluctant to pursue for a longer story, or an entire novel.
On a slightly different topic, if you like a little laughter with your mystery, here's an article by author Peter DiChellis on A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Murder. Learn why humor works in a genre focused on crime.
The Rock Shop Mystery Series - Now in Paperback!
Good news! The entire Rock Shop Mystery series is now available in trade paperback! Even better news, they can be purchased from Colorado Springs independent bookstore Why Not Books?
Stone Cold Dead is available in e-book, and now in paperback from Why Not Books?, on Amazon, or directly from publisher Encircle Publications here.
In Book One, business at the Rock of Ages is as dead as the fossils cluttering the shop's dusty shelves. When Morgan Iverson discovers a body on a hiking trail, a killer attempts to eliminate the only witness to the crime. The problem is, Morgan didn't see anything. Unless she can dig up the identity of the murderer, Morgan's life won't be worth a pile of fossilized dinosaur dung.
Stone Cold Case continues the series. The e-book is available, and now the paperback can be purchased from Why Not Books?, on Amazon, or directly from the publisher Encircle Publications here.
In Book Two, Morgan Iverson's discovery of human remains reopens a cold case and unhealed wounds in a Colorado mountain town, while her find of a rare gemstone sparks a dangerous treasure hunt. The rock shop's mascot donkeys and an elderly cowboy chase after a Sasquatch look-alike who may hold the key to a prom queen's death fifteen years ago. When Carlee's mother asks Morgan to investigate her daughter's death, the clues seem as convoluted as the coils on a fossilized ammonite.
I am pleased that both use the same fine cover art by Deirdre Wait of ENC Graphic Services.
The third book in the series, Stone Cold Blooded is available in e-book and paperback here.
Book Three opens when Morgan's reclusive neighbor is blown to bits. The police believe he stumbled into his own trap. His granddaughter claims he was murdered, and asks Morgan and newspaperman Kurt Willard to find his killer. Their search for clues is interrupted by alien hunters, a small town election, and the annual mineral and fossil show in Denver. In book three of the Rock Shop Mystery series, a Triceratops brow horn may hold the key to solving a prospector's Stone Cold Blooded death.
You can learn more about the Rock Shop Mystery series here. Bookstore Why Not Books? is located at 5975 North Academy Boulevard Suite 204, Colorado Springs, CO 80918 - phone 719-426-2013
Short Story Review: Merit Making
Merit Making, by R. T. Lawton, appears in the July/August 2017 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Lawton is a prolific author, with over 100 short story publications in various magazines and anthologies.
While this is a stand-alone story, it continues the tale of a young Chinese man struggling to stay alive while jousting with his elder half-brother for a position in the family opium smuggling business.
In Merit Making, a mysterious man stumbles into his father's mountain camp in Thailand, then dies while under the dubious care of the camp physician. The mystery unfolds reliably, because Lawton is skilled at setting out clues for his readers to follow through the plot to an ending, often with an unexpected twist.
What I enjoyed even more than the mystery was the character development. The narrator has been pulled from his private school in Hong Kong to join his half-brother "in this jungle world Father had thrust me into." For an outsider city-boy, he adjusts quickly.
His scout is a bit of a mystery as well, but is the one person the narrator trusts. Sort of. The scout seems to be guiding the narrator through the dangerous political manipulations of opium warlords during a Buddhist ceremony. By the end of the tale, the narrator has acquired merit, not just in the karmic sense, but in his scout's eyes as well.
Voice - Setting the Scene
Previously, I wrote about setting the tone of a story using the literary technique Voice. To review, Voice presents the author's writing style, as well as the character's speech and thought patterns, creating a distinctive "sound" to a story.
Today I'll discuss how Voice is used to set the scene. The two novels I selected as examples have drastically different locations. They are also different mystery sub-genres, with different reader expectations. I enjoyed both stories, and have read multiple novels by each author.
Checked Out, by Elaine Viets, is # 14 in the Dead End Job series. Private Detective Helen Hawthorne lives in the Coronado Apartments with her husband Phil in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a cozy mystery, the reader wants enough description to know where they are, but doesn't need long passages of setting.
The Flora Park Library was as beautiful as its name, Helen thought. The color of dawn light, the two-story building had a sun-warmed barrel-tile roof and graceful arched windows. A curving wrought-iron fence wrapped around the Mediterranean building like an elegant vine.
I can see the library, or at least my interpretation based on the author's choice of descriptive words. Further details, as Helen moves around the library, are delivered in brief passages. A sentence here, a paragraph there. Here's another example of setting a scene in Checked Out.
The one-bedroom apartment had smooth art moderne curves, a speckled terrazzo floor, and a slatted-glass jalousie door. The two private eyes used the former living room to meet with clients, and worked in the back room. Phil swore that Sam Spade would drink bourbon in an office like this, so he hung a brooding Bogart poster over his desk.
But the office was too cheerful for dated noir romanticism. Coronado Investigations was clearly a successful small business.
Viets packs a lot of information into a few words. More importantly, she establishes a cozy mystery voice, as well as her own unique voice within the sub-genre. Note how Viets slips in that this is not a noir-appropriate setting. The room is modestly stylish and cheerful.
Iron Lake, by William Kent Krueger is # 1 in the Cork O'Connor series. The ex-Sheriff lives in a remote Minnesota town. This is a thriller that relies on the setting almost as another character in the story. In a descriptive passage early in the story, Cork is a young man on a hunting trip with Sam Winter Moon.
The sky was a clear blue, the air cool and still, the great woods full of the russet and gold of late fall. They moved quickly and Cork was filled with excitement. His stomach growled loudly from the fasting and he rustled the dry leaves as he walked. Sam said not to worry too much about the noise he made. A bear, especially a big one, would not be much concerned with sounds. The smell of a man, that was the thing to keep from a bear. Sam hoped they would be able to come at the animal from downwind. If not, he hoped the tallow would mask them.
The reader learns the following: the forest is empty and quiet enough that walking through autumn leaves might alert animals to their presence. There is potential, but not immediate, danger. Krueger has established that he will describe a setting through his narrator's eyes in action sequences. Fitting for a thriller. In another example, snow dominates the description.
The lake was lost behind the snow. Cork trudged through the drifts toward a tall Cyclone fence that edged Sam's property. My property, Cork still had to remind himself. On the other side of the fence was the Bearpaw Brewery, the buildings big and dark and indistinct through the blinding snow. He followed the fence to the edge of the lake. Although the rest of the lake had been frozen for awhile, a large expanse of water near the fence stayed open year round because of the runoff from the brewery. Warning signs had been placed on the ice, and safety stations with sleds and life rings stood along the shore. Cork was surprised to see a figure in a familiar red coat hunched at the water's edge.
The reader definitely knows it's cold by the end of this paragraph. The lake, the ice, and the snow later play an important role in the plot.
Sentence and paragraph length, word choices, and how those words are strung together, all contribute to the creation of voice. An author who makes effective use of voice will be easily recognizable. Let's take a closer look.
Viets: Florida library. Her word choices evoke beauty and comfort - a place the reader might like to visit The building is the color of dawn light, has a sun-warmed barrel-tile roof, and graceful arched windows.
Krueger: Minnesota lake. His word choices evoke danger. The brewery buildings are "big and dark and indistinct," and the lake has warning signs posted. The mention of safety stations implies the lake is a place where a person would be wise to watch his or her step.
Obviously, different locations will require different descriptive language. The point is, when describing the setting, every word choice lends itself to the development of the unique voice of the story. Consider voice as you read your favorite authors. What do their setting descriptions convey? Do they fit the author's genre?
Short Story Reviews: Summer Reading
This week, I review two tales involving theft, and one 4th of July story. In other short fiction news, just released is an anthology I haven't started reading yet: Flash Bang Mysteries. Amazingly, you can partake of this summer treat for free. On to my reviews:
Karma by Jim Farren
Mystery Weekly Magazine
A carefully planned bank heist goes wrong, and a cascading series of karmic events unfold quickly. The reader isn't sure which character will receive what flavor of just desserts next. Karma is a quick, fun read with more twists and turns than the "one-lane back road leading nowhere" that takes the narrator on his journey.
Vanity Case by John Floyd
Mysterical-e
A Sheriff's mother looks past the obvious to help nab a thief. Vanity Case is a puzzle mystery. The clues are spelled out clearly by Sheriff Lucy Valentine, Deputy Ed Malone, and a boy who is an eye-witness to the crime. Lucy's mother Frances inserts herself in the case, even after being told to "go on home." Linger over the clues to see if you can figure out the solution before the end of this entertaining short story.
http://mystericale.com/article/vanity-case/
The Find of the Century by Amy Denton
Kings River Life
When a community college catches fire, students make an unexpected discovery in the ruins. This story is light on mystery elements, but I enjoyed following the college professor, musing about how to keep students engaged in learning. As she helps clean up the mess, the staff and students are disappointed to miss out on their part in the local 4th of July celebration. Then they realize they've made the Find of the Century.
http://kingsriverlife.com/07/01/the-find-of-the-century-a-4th-of-july-short-story/
Pronghorn hanging out at our place
I missed a couple blog posts because I was off the grid. We were camping on our mountain land that we have grandiosely dubbed a ranch. One day of our escape from civilization, I took a daughter and the grandkids for a trail ride on the M Lazy C Ranch. While we were riding the range, our other daughter and her husband climbed a 14er. We did go fishing once. Didn't catch anything. All in all, it was a great time. The only down side was realizing our connectivity is worse than we thought. I did get some work done on a novel-in-progress. Didn't need internet for that. Now it's back to the city, back to routine, and back to blogging!