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3 Goals Every Writer Should Make in the New Year!
January 1, 2021 § 10 Comments
By Sweta Srivastava Vikram
Hello, 2021! The New Year is here! After the theatrics and tragedies of 2020, we have learned that life happens when we are least expecting it. No matter what, we have to carve out time for our creativity (whatever that might look for you on a given day) and protect it fiercely without taking on the performance pressures. As Franz Kafka said, "A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity."
Everyone is different as is their relationship with writing. Writing sustained me during the pandemic. I am not surprised because writing is how I make sense of the world. It's how I grieve and cope. I wrote every day to center myself. As a result, the manuscript for my upcoming collection of essays, A Piece of Peace, is now with the publisher and the book comes out in fall of 2021.
To me, writing is like meditating and practicing yoga asanas. It's a daily practice and has very little to do with whether I want to or not. You show up with dedication and devotion daily—without any ego or expectations. Prepared to be surprised and don't judge the outcome. Focus on your journey. You don't compare yourself to others or even your own self. On some days, you will finish an entire story or an essay; on other days, a blank page will taunt you. Don't allow your moods, inner voice, and external environment (sass, competition, negativity, cold days, rejections etc. etc.) to influence your dedication to the craft. Show up. Show up. Show up. If we all wrote only when we felt like it, imagine the number of books the world would be deprived of?
Here is what fuels creativity (at least mine): Move your body daily, floss your mind at least every 24 hours aka meditate, make healthy food choices 80% of the times, make time for fun, surround yourself with good people, and learn to be happy for other writers and their successes. Also, read a lot. This is one way of approaching creativity and establishing your relationship with it. But it is not the only way.
I asked four women writers if they could share their advice about three goals every writer should make in the New Year. Here is what they had to say:
Sayantani Dasgupta, Assistant Professor, Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and author of Fire Girl: Essays on India, America, & the In-Between shared the following three bits of advice:
1. Give yourself the tiniest, most manageable daily writing goal. In my case, I have assigned myself to write ten sentences every day. I think it's especially useful during this Pandemic time when every day can feel the same, it's important to find a way to separate one from the other. If on some days, the 10 sentences become 20 sentences instead, or 20 pages, that's great! But if not, that's also fine. Somedays, my 10 sentences are just that. Somedays, they are nothing more than 10 words, each jotted on a different line. And that's okay.
2. Build a cheerleading team of 2-3 friends who are also writers. They may or may not be tasked with reading your drafts but they absolutely must be willing to listen to you talk about what you are struggling with, be it a godawful character that refuses to die, or a poem that's not cooperating in terms of strong images, or the literary agent who has ignored your last three emails. Please remember it's not a one-way street. Invest in these friends by giving them the gift of your time and attention.
3. Be genuinely happy with other writers' successes. Simply put, don't be an asshole. No matter how successful you become, there will always be writers who are smarter than you, who sell more books, land more interviews, whose spouses take them to Paris and bring them breakfast in bed, and who photograph well, no matter the camera angle. Don't hold on to envy or jealousy. It's not good for your mind or body. And it's most definitely not good for your writing or creative process. Find ways to improve your craft instead of bringing down others, whether literally, or in your own mind.
Rachel Hills of Brooklyn, New York and author of The Sex Myth recommends:
1. Write without your audience in mind. In this era of online comments and social media, writers have immediate access to what people think of our work – and that's not always a good thing. Earlier in my career, I constantly had the potential responses of my audience playing in my head as I wrote, and I think it made me less brave and interesting than I might have been. Now I try to practice putting the audience aside entirely – at least when I'm writing the first draft – and I find it helps me to achieve better flow and deeper insights.
2. Make a practice of showing up for your work. It's obvious, but it needs to be said: the only way to write a book (or a poem, or a blog post) is to sit down and write it. Make a practice of showing up for your work, whether it's daily, weekly, or something in between.
3. Take the pressure off. It's easier to show up to your writing practice if you make it fun. You don't need to produce a perfect draft every time you sit down at your laptop or your notebook. You just have to write something. Learn to take pleasure in letting your thoughts unfold and find their form.
Jen Gilroy who lives in a small town in Eastern Ontario, Canada and has written the book, A Wish in Irish Falls, says:
1. Make practicing self-care a daily habit. Nurturing yourself also nurtures your writing. Taking even thirty minutes each day to do something for your well-being boosts mental health and enhances creativity, in turn increasing your happiness and productivity as a writer.
2. Set small, measurable goals and reward yourself for achieving them. Instead of setting yourself a big goal like "write a book," break that goal down into smaller, more manageable chunks such as "in the next two weeks I will write 1,000 words each day." Then give yourself a reward (watching a movie works for me) when you reach your goal.
3. Don't compare yourself to other writers and limit social media scrolling if it contributes to self-doubt. In writing, as in most areas of life, it's easy to compare yourself to someone else and think you've fallen short. However, every writing journey is different and even the most successful authors face rough patches. Support other writers and celebrate their success, but focus on your story and your career or, as many of us were told at school: "Keep your eyes on your own paper."
Lisa Montanaro, who lives in Davis, California, and is working on her debut novel (The title of her WIP is Truth and Other Inconveniences) advises:
1) Honor Appointments with Yourself to Write: I'm a certified organizing and productivity consultant, so my biggest piece of advice is to carve out time for your writing on your calendar by scheduling it in as an appointment. And then honor those appointments with yourself just like you would an appointment with someone else. We tend to honor appointments for official meetings, with other people, or for events. Do the same with your writing sessions!
2) Move Your Body Each Day: Writing is often done sitting down for long stretches of time. Make it a point to move your body each day. Whether that consists of light stretching, yoga poses, a walk outside, calisthenics, or more strenuous exercise like a bike ride or hike—it doesn't matter as long as it's movement. I love the app Down Dog and the free Namaste Yoga classes on Amazon Prime. But my favorite activity is cycling. I bring my iPhone and brainstorm ideas for my WIP and dictate them when I pull over to drink water. Dictating ideas for your writing is another great way to keep the writing going when you're not sitting with your Butt in Chair!
3) Get a Writing Partner: My writing partner and I have been together for almost three years now. I don't know where I would be without her! We use Facebook messenger to communicate almost daily, do video chats periodically, brainstorm ideas for our WIPs together, and swap pages. We hold each other accountable, offer a shoulder to cry on, and cheer each other on. I would not want to be on this writing journey without her! I highly recommend finding another writer that you can partner up with. Of course, you have to make sure that you're a good fit. But once you find a great match, it's worth it's weight in gold.
Be it for two hours or ten minutes, include exercising your writing muscles as part of your routine. Be it daily or once a week, schedule time in your calendar for writing. It's self-care, it's your dedicated me-time, and much more. As Pattabhi Jois says, Practice and all is coming.
Sweta Srivastava Vikram is an international speaker, best-selling author of 12 books, and Ayurveda and mindset coach who is committed to helping people thrive on their own terms. As a trusted source on health and wellness, most recently appearing on NBC and Radio Lifeforce, Sweta has dedicated her career to writing about and teaching a more holistic approach to creativity, productivity, health, and nutrition. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and other publications across nine countries on three continents. Sweta is a trained yogi and certified Ayurveda health coach, is on the board of Fly Female Founders, and holds a Master's in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. Voted as "One of the Most Influential Asians of Our Times" and winner of the "Voices of the Year" award (past recipients have been Chelsea Clinton), she lives in New York City with her husband and works with clients across the globe. She also teaches yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence as well incarcerated men and women. Find her on: Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Inter-Office Memo: Good Work, Writers!
January 1, 2021 § 8 Comments
To: Self-Employed Writer
From: The CHFO (Chief High-Five Officer)
Subject: You've Earned Employee of the Year! Again!
I am writing to congratulate you on the commendable efforts and energy you put into delivering on your 2020 production quota. Nobody here wrote more words on more pages than you. You wrote and rewrote. You edited and edited again. Yes, you really did type this year.
Your ability to keep the volume of rejection letters organized was exemplary. Each one that came in the door was noted and filed, then cancelled out by another submission. Another swing at the piñata. You swatted so many times this past year that your arm has grown thick and strong. There's new work out there because of it and more to come if you keep at it. Note for 2021: swing with your left for a while to even out the situation.
Thanks especially for your dedication and commitment to attendance. This past year coughed up more challenges than most. You could have sat in the corner, curled in a ball, rocking and humming, but you showed up on a somewhat regular basis instead. For your year of diligent service, I applaud you. I applaud all of the writers out there. You deserve a raise!
Windy Lynn Harris writes personal essays, short stories, flash, nonfiction, and novels from her desk in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. Her work has been published in The Literary Review, JMWW, Pithead Chapel, The Sunlight Press, and many other journals. Find her at www.windylynnharris.com.
The Year of the Writer (redux)
December 31, 2020 § 27 Comments
Next year definitely the Pulitzer longlist…
How was 2017 2020? Yeah, this post I wrote three years ago is STILL ASTOUNDINGLY RELEVANT. You know that feeling of low-grade background stress you've sustained for nearly four years, ramping up a level each year? You're not alone, fellow writer.
So 2020 was a dumpster on fire while swept away in a flood, yes, but how was your writing? Because now is a great time to consider what you did. Not scold yourself for what you meant to do and couldn't. Let's genuinely take a moment and sit with your accomplishments, together.
Did you write an essay or a paragraph or a sentence you're really proud of?
Get a piece accepted? Submit to places you want to be accepted?
Help another writer with insight or feedback or supportive critique?
Make it to an online workshop or reading or write-in?
Read a book you really loved? Or one that taught you something about writing? Tried some exercises? Researched something new?
They all count.
Bask in the feeling of accomplishment. If you're a journal-keeper, make some notes about what felt great to get done, and why it worked to do it that way. Congratulations!
When you're done, look ahead. Sure, a year is an arbitrary designation–maybe you operate on some sort of fiscal year, or you're still a fan of the Julian calendar, or your new year starts February 12th. But it's a good time to reassess, because other writers are happy to talk about goals right now, and gorgeous new notebooks and diaries deck your local independent bookstore (who likely offer curbside pick-up).
Make a little list–not too many things or it just gets overwhelming–of your writing plans. Think about the classic "SMART" goal: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.
Specific like "I want to be published in Brevity" (and we hope you do) rather than "I want to be a published author" which is a bit wide-open.
That one's Measurable–this time next year, either you did or you didn't, or maybe you got a different venue for your essay and we lost out.
Attainable is also key. I'm not aiming for the Nobel Prize quite yet, plus I think someone Swedish has to nominate me. Maybe start with "meet more Swedes."
And really, winning a Nobel isn't especially Relevant to what I want to be writing.
Timely can be a deadline, or a number or pattern of attempts (10 tries, quarterly submissions, etc), so the goal starts with an action you can take.
Here's what I'm thinking about:
What kind of writer do you want to be? I want to finish a novel, because I care about writing YA, and I think it looks better to give writing advice when I'm walking the walk. You?
Do you need help to be this kind of writer? I need to locate a couple of beta readers who haven't read the previous incarnations so they can come in fresh. What help do you need?
What big project do you want to finish? That book, and to host a writing retreat in Costa Rica or Italy, both delayed from last year. How are you going to do that? They're both check-off-able tasks: chapter by chapter, email by email–"write a book" would be as nebulous and difficult as "lead a retreat." One project is creative and the other's business, but I'll approach both with a defined process. And allow myself grace when elements I can't control hinder my progress. What's your big project?
What do you want to read? More "challenging" books and less comfort re-reads. How can you make that happen? Order Hilary Mantel's latest and dive in! What can you not wait to read?
What do you want to stop doing? What's occupying time you'd rather have for something else? I'd like to spend a little less phone-on-sofa time. You?
It's an effort to pull out only the most important from the giant pile of "things I'd love to do" in our brains. It's hard to look at the amount of time relative to the things that fill it, and be honest about what we can actually accomplish. Like tapas or sushi: order all at once, and you're likely to have more food than anyone can finish. But grab the thing you love best first, enjoy it, and then order the next thing you have room for, and the next. One dish at a time. One step on a goal. And no, you do not have to order vegetables first. Choose the goal you love the most, not the obligation.
Got any questions you're mulling over for 2021's writing year? Ask us what you're asking yourself. Tell us what you did–and what you're going to do next.
Allison K Williams is Brevity's Social Media Manager. January 22nd, she'll be leading the webinar This Year You'll Finish Your Book: Goal-Setting and Project-Planning for Writers. It's a steal at $25–sign up here!
Barry Lopez: On Art and Living Well
December 28, 2020 § 8 Comments
The author Barry Lopez passed away on Christmas Day, and we will truly miss him. His sentences were beautiful, and he was as well: setting an example as an artist, a citizen, and a human being.
Thankfully, he left us with so much of his wisdom and heart, including this passage, on the subject of hope and why we make art:
"In conversations over the years with other writers and artists about what we're actually supposed to be doing, I've been struck by how often, deep down, the talk becomes a quest for the same mysterious thing. Underneath the particular image in question, the particular short story or musical composition, we're looking for a source of hope. When a conversation about each other's work doesn't pivot on professional jargon or drift toward the logistics of career management, when it's instead deferential and accommodating, we're sometimes able to locate a kind of Rosetta Stone, a key to living well with the vexing and intractable nature of human life. If any wisdom emerges in these conversations, it offers sudden clarification. It's the Grail shimmer. You feel it, and you can't wait to get to work."
Backstage and Under the Lights: A Review of Jennifer Worley's Neon Girls
By Nancy Jainchill
More than twenty years before Jennifer Worley takes us behind the scenes of the Lusty Lady club, in Neon Girls: A Stripper's Education in Protest and Power, I was slinking across the stage of one of the many strip joints in San Francisco's North Beach. 'Sex work,' a term later introduced by prostitute, performer and activist Carol Leigh, highlighted that our activities involved the same economic and labor considerations as any trade or profession. While the term wasn't in use when I was a struggling dancer, by Worley's time, it had become part of the vernacular. She and her cohort in 1990s San Francisco would make an imprint on efforts to recognize sex work as real work, through their landmark success at unionizing and eventually owning the Lusty Lady, and their ultimate takeover of the club is the framework for Neon Girls.
Worley's evolution as a stripper from outsider to insider started while working toward a master's degree in English literature, needing to increase her income and work fewer hours. A Lusty Lady advertisement promised $22 an hour—twice what her entry-level publishing job paid. (Sex work is still generally more profitable for women than other service sector employment.)
The Lusty Lady wasn't a typical club with a raised stage and a solo performer—the kind of place where I'd danced. Rather, the Lusties were sealed behind glass—untouchable. Usually, four girls swayed, wiggled, and spun around poles in a 10 x 15 room with mirrored walls and ceiling offering an orgiastic illusion. The stage was designed so the ladies could manipulate what was seen. The group performance encouraged a sense of sisterhood.
All the Lusties picked stage names, but names did more than assure their privacy—they impacted and defined their personae. Worley became "Polly," and after living for five years with "an unfortunate split-second impulse" that labeled her more schoolgirl than seductress, she re-emerged as Delinqua, reflecting Worley's transformation through her experience as a Lusty. Most of the women, with their chosen stage names—Sizzlean, Decadence, Cinnamon—and their adopted personas, developed alter egos giving them newfound confidence in their mainstream lives.
After about a year at the club, Worley began tackling the administrative dynamics of the Lusty Lady. Performers were being prioritized for shift assignments by race, hair color, and breast size. An incident involving being filmed (forbidden but difficult to control) heightened Worley's motivation. "I hated the idea that men I didn't know or trust now had records of the work I did, that they could carry Polly, naked and unawares, from the safe refuge that birthed and nurtured her, into that other world where I had to live my life."
Worley's academic background is evident as she explains the Lusties' place in the lineage of sex workers. We learn how sex-worker liberation may have started on San Francisco's Telegraph Hill—known more nowadays for the neighborhood's feral parrots than for the Chilean women who settled there during the Gold Rush. They took in laundry by day and sold sex at night, probably establishing the city's first red-lantern district.
A tradition of resistance among sex workers laid the foundation for the Lusties' unionization campaign, initiated in Spring 1996. Said Worley, "This wasn't just about some one-way windows…It was about confronting the systems that commodified women's sexuality for the benefits of everyone else involved." They picketed in front of the theatre, chanting "Two-four-six eight, don't go here to masturbate," with passing cars honking in support. Within a few weeks, their union contract was ratified, affirming their right to organize and advocate for themselves. Over time, the workers transformed the club into a cooperative.
At the Lusty on and off for over ten years, Worley describes how the "Bright passionate women…had drawn me out of my graduate student shell and into the Lusty fray…to get involved and make change. … I felt responsible for continuing the legacy of sex workers…" But, performing one day, suddenly the tears began falling, and she was enveloped by shame. It was over for her. On her last day, she returns to the club—the "tiny little pit"—where she'd "grown up."
This kind of introspection highlights what's missing for me in the narrative. More instances of self-reflection would give the reader a better understanding of Worley's emotional process. How did she go from Polly to Delinqua to tears in front of a Private Pleasures booth? "It was confusing to feel this depth of shame so suddenly… But this was not the sudden belated eruption of some long-repressed shame…; rather, it was an accounting for the many ways I'd bracketed and sidelined my own aspirations for the sake of the collective." That bracketing seems to have sidelined her from her feelings, although she acknowledges resentment for how male authority governs the world of commercial sex, their preferences determining who's hot and who's not.
Worley has invited the reader into a world unfamiliar to most, Stripping the strippers of their negative stereotypical identities, they're revealed flesh and blood, thoughtful and intelligent, with the same life goals and challenges as anyone. While our experiences were separated by more than twenty years, Worley confronted as I had the feminist implications of working as a professional sex object. In sex work, the experience of personal power can be simultaneous with feeling exploited.
Worley endured and came into her own working as a Lusty. In contrast, for years I'd kept my own brief stint as a dancer a secret, until one day it became part of my life story. I try to imagine what it would've been like if I'd had the moxie and the self-confidence to make the stage my own. Worley gave me an intimate glimpse into that world.
Nancy Jainchill's writing has focused on sex positivity, feminism and sexuality. Her work has appeared in Longreads, Entropy, the Albany Times Union, and Brevity among others. She is a psychologist living and working in upstate New York. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @nancyjainchill.
Blurb Your Enthusiasm
By Lisa Kusel
A woman in one of my Facebook writing groups recently solicited advice on how best to approach a "rockstar" level person for a blurb, given that she's a "nobody." I laughed when I read the post, remembering a time long ago…
…It's 2005 and my second book/first novel is soon to be released and my editor is all askew with worry that I don't have any blurbs for its back cover. She'd sent off 30 galleys to A-list writers, but none had yet to respond. I suspected not one of those 30 authors were going to put out.
Why? Mostly because I wasn't part of the in-crowd. Much like what goes on in Hollywood, it all comes down to who you know, and I knew no one in the literosphere. (If you look at some of the "highly praised" novels on your bookshelf there's a good chance you'll see a lot of the same authors passing blurbs back and forth amongst themselves like massages in a college dorm.)
While attempting to secure my own valuations, my editor asked me to blurb a book by one of her authors. I said, "Of course," since that was the polite thing to do. Ultimately, I found the book—a memoir about growing up on an Indian ashram—a little too self-absorbed. (This, from a writer who would go on to publish a self-absorbed memoir about living in a bamboo hut in Bali). As I needed all the good blurb karma I could round up I opined that the book was "wonderfully entertaining and wholly original."
Once I realized that said blurb karma wasn't going to kick in, I emailed A-list author Jennifer Weiner directly. Her (many bestselling) books had little in common with mine other than that they were both pigeon-holed as "chick-lit." Her reply to my ask was curt, polite, and utterly forgettable. Interestingly, in an essay she wrote nine years later, she decries blurbs but goes on to say how sympathetic she is to blurb-seekers:
It's hard out there for a new writer. It's especially hard for new women writers who, statistics tell us, are less likely to get published or reviewed. If you're lucky enough to be in a position to help, why wouldn't you? I believe in karma, in paying it forward, in using whatever influence I have for good.
Not having been in the path of Weiner's forward-paying behavior, I began to look further afield. I read a news clip about the actress Emma Thompson who said she adored traveling to Zanzibar. Since my novel takes place almost entirely on the Tanzanian island, I felt it reasonable to ask a famous movie star to blurb a novel by an unknown writer.
A nobody.
As luck would have it, a writer friend of mine knew an agent who knew her agent who generously offered to send the book to her in London. Alas. She didn't blurb it, but she did mail me a lovely handwritten note on personal stationery. She apologized that she couldn't find the time to read my book as she was too "snowed under," but she wished me all the very best.
By the time Emma's (naturally we're on a first-name basis) note arrived I'd received three good-enough blurbs: one from a local author whose reading I'd attended. The other two came from lesser-known writers enlisted by my editor. One called my book a "sexy triumph." The other stated that my "ambitious debut novel brims with heart and heartache." (My assumption is that they, too, were trying to garner their own blurb karma.)
Did sales of my novel suffer because I didn't get any rockstar blurbs? Maybe. It also might have been because it's not a very good novel (please don't tell my agent I said that). It started out great but then the editor who bought it in the first place left the publishing house for the opportunity to edit Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The new editor eviscerated my plot, wanted more sex, and, well, that part of the story is best left for another time…
So, I will tell that woman in my Facebook writing group that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to getting attention from A-listers. I will point out that it's not going to be easy to extract blurbs from famous people, but I will encourage her to give it a try. I will remind her that even somebodies were once nobodies and maybe, just maybe, one of them will remember that and actually pay it forward.
Lisa Kusel is the author of Rash, a Memoir, as well as the short story collection Other Fish In The Sea and the well-blurbed novel Hat Trick. She is presently writing a young adult novel at her desk overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. Read more of her essays on her blog and follow her on Instagram.
How Good Is Your Writing?
You want to be in Modern Love. The Paris Review. A Big Five publisher's forthcoming list. Are you good enough? How can you tell if submitting would be a waste of time?
It's hard to judge the quality of our own work. Most of our friends are more supportive than critical—thank goodness! But in order to figure out if our own writing belongs in the publication venue we admire, we need to step back and take a long hard look. Since it's hard to judge your own work, start by judging someone else's.
What's the last great thing you read in the place you want to be published? Ideally, you're already reading books from that publishing imprint, or issues of that magazine, or essays on that website. Go back to a real stand-out, one that made you think, Wow.
That wow is the first step towards judging our own writing—and improving it.
Go beyond the wow, and think analytically. What makes this writing impressive? What tools did the author use? Was it a lyrical voice, a gripping plot, a whiplash structure? Being able to see those tools at work is a sign your own writing ability is getting closer to what you're reading.
Check out those transitions.
Love that she told that whole story in just 700 words.
The way that structure looped around was so unexpected and satisfying.
OK, it's simple, but it's so fun!
I'd never have thought to put those two parts of the story next to each other, but it makes them both better.
It's so well-told – not a wasted word.
Great voice.
Take a look at your own recent work. Are you using those same (or similar) tools in your writing? Which ones are popping up through instinct, and which do you actively employ? Think about the essays, stories, articles or chapters you've most enjoyed writing: are you covering similar dramatic ground to the already-published pieces? If not, is there a topic or experience you could investigate in your work?
When you can regularly identify writing tools and techniques, the next step is employing those techniques in your own work. Go back and revise, choosing a craft element you admire from the published piece and consciously employing it in your next draft. Another great way to practice and internalize writing techniques is by copying and changing: follow the sentence structure and format of a page or two from a writer you love. Change the nouns, verbs and descriptions to your own, but see what making sentences with their rhythm feels like. After spending time consciously self-editing, the tools will become habits, and even first drafts will begin to incorporate more skilled writing.
Wait—I don't need this whole paragraph, the transition is implied.
Too many adverbs, I'm going to punch up the dialogue instead.
What if I told this non-chronologically?
I'm having so much fun writing something commercial!
Yes, this is where that description goes, and it shows what the hero is thinking.
OK, I can totally trim this down.
What if I did the next draft in first person?
Finally, a tough one—think about the way your work is received right now. Does anyone ask to read it? Not just when you ask for feedback, or when it's your turn in the writing group, but do people not related to you read your work and approach you to ask for more? When you share a piece, do readers give a specific reason they liked it, or tell you the feelings they had when they read your work? Those are all good signs you're writing at a publishable level. Ask some of those people what else they read, and go read those publications, too. How good is the writing? Would your work fit?
If you've been timid, or haven't had a chance yet to get your work into a public forum, blogging, Medium, or writing-community sites like Wattpad and Sixfold can help you reach readers you don't know personally.
Going through these steps is not a one-time thing. Every time your work improves, you'll get better at analyzing others' work, which in turn allows you to level up again. It's a virtuous circle. Keep enjoying what you read and looking for the wow. When a writer impresses you, look for the tools they used. Practice using those tools in your own work. And start submitting to the places you love to read.
Allison K Williams is Brevity's Social Media Editor. Her forthcoming book is Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book. Join her and Ashleigh Renard Tuesday December 22nd for an Ask Us Anything episode of the Writers' Bridge Platform Q&A (free, sign up here for Zoom link).
When Is It Art?
By Diana Wagman
"Person A, say hello."
"Hello," I said.
I was speaking into my cell phone and hoping my reception didn't crap out, as it does sometimes at home. I had signed up to participate for an hour in an odd kind of pandemic theater. Two strangers call a phone number. A robotic voice answers and tells us a story, stopping intermittently to ask us unrelated questions.
"Person B, describe where you're sitting."
I found the whole exchange remarkable. I knew nothing about the other participant, not where she lived or what she did. By the end of our conversation, I knew she had a son, but not how old he was. I knew she was wearing a gray sweatshirt, but not her name. Any knowledge I had was the result of her answers to the robot's very specific questions. She knew alternative, but the same number of odd facts about me. And yet, when we hung up—when the robot hung up on us so we couldn't exchange anything personal—I felt sad, as if I'd lost a friend.
"Person A, what is the name of someone you love?"
Afterwards, I immediately emailed a woman I know, an actress and long time theater person, and asked if she had heard of this. I told her how moved I was and what a solace the hour had been in these lonely times. It meant so much more than watching a recording of a play on screen.
"It's not theater," she said. "Rehearsal. Development. But theater needs an audience."
I didn't respond then, but later that evening I decided that I disagreed. Does art need an audience to make it art? In this case, wasn't I both actor—although I am definitely not an actor—and audience? I was following the story, listening to the robot's instructions, and learning the few things I did about the other person on the phone. It was at least an audience of one. Maybe two, with the other person listening to my story as well as her own. Maybe three. Hard to tell about the robot.
Did it take more than just me to make it theater? Does art need an audience to make it art? And that made me wonder about a painting that is never seen by anyone except the painter. Is that art? Is a musical composition never heard by anyone except the composer still art? In my own very particular case, if I never publish this book I've worked so hard on and no one ever reads it, is it art? Is it less than a book? Am I less than a writer? Does no audience, no reader, no viewer, no listener mean my work is just rehearsal or development?
I tell my students the only difference between me being a writer and them being a writer is that someone has given me some recognition and labeled me a writer. That doesn't make me a writer. Writing makes me a writer, just as they—my students—are writers if they write. Not if they publish, but if they write.
Painters paint. Musicians play. When art is successful, it makes connections between what we know and what we don't. It reveals commonality and creates empathy or at least recognition of the other. It pushes the audience (or the reader or the viewer) to expand their thinking. This hour on the phone had done that for me. When my writing is working, it's doing that for me, whether or not anyone else is reading.
"Person B, do you know how to train a dog?"
The story we heard interspersed between the questions was simple. We—my fellow participant, the robot, and I—were driving down an empty desert road. A few questions later the robot told us the car broke down. We were stranded. No sign of human life in any direction. A couple of questions and then we were told we decided to walk to the nearest gas station. The robot didn't mention any danger, but as we returned again to the questions I worried that my fellow stranger/actor/audience member would not be able to keep up. For no reason, I imagined her frail and delicate. I was invested in her survival.
I had heard her voice and the answers to her questions. I knew the sound of her hesitating, taking time to think. I knew she had worried about her parents when she was a child, been concerned for them. Maybe that was why I was nervous about her. I didn't know her. She could have been a bodybuilding firefighter trained in the martial arts and much stronger than I, but these questions, this interchange, and the inherent risk in the desert breakdown tale, made me want to care for her.
The thing I hope for most in my writing is that I make the reader care about my characters.
"Person A, repeat after me: Am I coming into focus?"
Of course most of us write wanting to be read. We act hoping to be watched. We compose wanting to be heard. We paint wanting our work to be seen. We do not create only for ourselves, to keep our work in the closet, but it wouldn't make it less valid if we did. If we produce work we're proud of and has accomplished what we set out to do and we never get an audience of thousands, or hundreds, or even more than one, we are still artists. It is still art and we have succeeded.
"If you saw me in a crowd, would you know me?"
"Yes." Oh yes, I'm sure I would know her anywhere.
"Thank you for participating. Good bye."
Diana Wagman is the author of six novels. Her second, Spontaneous, won the 2001 PEN West Award for Fiction. Her essays and short stories have appeared in The Colorado Review, Electric Literature, and other literary journals, as well as The Los Angeles Times. The theater piece referenced here is written and produced by 600 Highwaymen .
Powerfully Editing Your Next Draft
Staring at your not-final manuscript? Perhaps you rushed out a first draft in one glorious NaNoWriMo month. Perhaps you've slowly pecked away for 10 years. Either way, it's a rush to finally type "the end" at the conclusion of a draft—you did it! You got there!
But what happens next? Your initial inspiration shines on the page, but you know it's not "done-done." How, exactly, does it become the next draft? Start with spellcheck? Get someone else to read it? And how will you know you've done all the work you can?
First drafts often spring from the impulsive heart, the burning need to tell what happened. Second—or any subsequent drafts—thrive with work plans.
Depending on how you enjoy writing, and how your best work gets done, your work plan might be a list of tasks or a method of proceeding.
Methodical revisers often start on page one, fixing sentences and scenes from beginning to end. Or they might work chapter by chapter, addressing dramatic arc, voice, theme and structure in each. Addressing multiple issues at once can save time, but it can be hard to see the story forest for the line-editing trees.
I swear by a list. The work plan I use (and recommend to many authors) lets me focus on the whole book, keeping the story in my head while tinkering with scenes and sentences.
1) Outline the story using my dramatic structure of choice. For fiction or action-based memoir, often a traditional 5-act structure. For an essay collection, character-driven literary fiction, or reflective memoir, perhaps a spiral from theme to theme and topic to topic. Business, self-help or a craft/how-to (like my forthcoming Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book), benefit from a ladder structure showing how each subsequent chapter or concept builds on the previous, and each exercise or reflection asks the reader to branch out at that level.
2) Assess the outline. Are scenes in the right order? Do momentum and knowledge build? Does tension stay tight and reader understanding increase? Is the narrative pace too slow, or the number of things to learn too fast? Revise, moving chunks of text as needed and writing in placeholders for "missing" scenes or material.
3) Fill in any placeholders. Are some moments underwritten because the author got tired that day, or a scene evoked tough emotions? Is research needed to fill in a memory or plot gap?
4) Look at conflict. Does each scene or chapter include conflict between what someone wants and what they can get? Is the conflict between characters, between memoirist-as-narrator and memoirist-as-past-self, between narrator and self, narrator and society, or between the reader and their current beliefs/habits? If every scene includes conflict, where does the reader rest or absorb information? Revise scene by scene, increasing, decreasing or refocusing conflict as needed.
5) Revise scenes to get in late and get out early. Rather than parking the car and walking down the hall and entering the office and sitting down and greeting the boss, open with "You're fired," or better yet, standing by the car with a box of desk stuff. Edit scenes to close at or immediately after the moment of impact, with only the reflection needed to convey emotion. Even in "slower" or voice-driven books, make sure the reader's time is spent loving a character, learning new information, enjoying a beautiful/fascinating/terrifying scene or drawing a powerful conclusion. Edit out filler.
6) Revise most scenes to start and end with a strong action, image or emotional moment. Strong scene/chapter openings and closings create pace. In more leisurely books, that's where the reader has a moment to add their own thoughts to what you're about to show them, or slows down to absorb the impact of what they've read. In faster books, these moments pull the reader forward with your narrative.
7) Refine the narrative and character voices. For each character, read only their dialogue and narrative. Does it sound like them and not anyone else? If all the dialogue tags vanished, would it still be pretty clear who's talking? For nonfiction, is author voice clearly and specifically in the narrative? For fiction, does the narrative have a clear point of view?
8) Print the whole manuscript and make additional edits and notes on paper. Use scissors and tape to move anything that still needs to be moved.
Next, my favorite editing technique of all:
9) Instead of editing the existing file, retype the entire manuscript, plus any new edits, into a new file.
When I suggest retyping, writers look at me like I'm asking them to dance naked through the mall with flowers and tambourines. But this technique is powerful. Rewriting gives flow. Your authorial voice can more fully develop, like that great party anecdote you tell. The more you retell the whole thing, the better your timing and delivery get. You may also feel physical resistance at lovingly crafted passages…that don't belong in this book after all. Plus, we are always the person most interested in our work. If it's too boring to retype it, it's too boring for anybody else to read.
This may not be your best work plan, and that's OK! It's time-consuming, and if you're in a hurry, you might prefer something like this One-Pass Revision from Holly Lisle, which covers basically the same steps but with terrifying/awesome speed. The above plan also doesn't address theme, opening hook, character objective, and other elements you'll want to revise. But it will get you started, and having a specific, written plan can sustain you through writing days that feel like "work."
If you try it, let me know how it goes (or if you need a cheer!). Nudity and tambourines optional.
Allison K Williams is Brevity's Social Media Editor. Need more direction on your next draft? Join Allison's Wednesday webinar all about Second Drafts, including theme, voice, hook and much, much more. More info/sign up here! (recording available if you register but can't make it live).
Take the Giveaway4Good Challenge
By Lisa Ellison
During my parents' divorce, I lived with my grandmother, a gifted raconteur with impeccable timing and skillful intonation. Listening to her made me want to become a storyteller. Most of her tales were set during her childhood in the Bronx and involved the Yankees, her mother's mysterious illness, or her family's elaborate Italian dinners.
One day, she told me about a dollhouse she'd wanted for her sixth Christmas. At sixty-one, she could still recall the number of rooms and the color of the kitchen's porcelain plates. With each detail, she transformed into the little girl who pleaded for her one and only Christmas wish.
But the only gifts under that year's Christmas tree were underwear and socks.
After a long pause, she swallowed hard then patted my hand. "That day, I learned an important lesson. If you never want anything, you'll never be disappointed."
A lifetime of heartache solidified that lesson.
Her mother's tragic death.
A shotgun wedding after an unplanned pregnancy.
An unhappy marriage.
A suicide attempt.
Mysterious health problems.
Agoraphobia.
At ten, I absorbed her lesson.
It took several decades to unlearn it.
Since March, I've thought a lot about her story and how it's hard to want anything when problems keep dropping upon us.
A global pandemic.
Lockdowns and stay-at-home orders.
Economic turmoil.
Increasing inequity.
Tragic deaths.
Health crises.
Election drama.
More COVID cases.
And yet, even now, I have desires.
I want to finish the memoir about my brother's suicide.
I want to send it to agents.
I want to believe this story will help someone.
When grief overpowers me during the revision process or I fear my memoir no longer matters, I turn to Brevity for inspiration.
While my teacup steams beside me, I read courageous posts about Chelsey Drysdale's courage in the face of rejection, Amy Grier's determination to finish her memoir, and Shiv Dutta's late-life publishing success.
Brevity shows me that I'm part of a creative family whose wishes are sacred.
In November, I met with several members of this creative family who sounded as broken-hearted as my grandmother. Many talked of shrinking their dreams. I felt like doing this too.
During my master's in counseling, my advisor once said, "We can't change the past, but we can change the story we tell about it." That's what counselors help people do.
It's also the gift of creative nonfiction.
As we entered the final month of this year, I wanted to do something that proved there's more than one story we can tell about 2020.
I created my #Giveaway4Good Challenge to help writers connect with something greater than themselves. Each week's challenge is designed to boost resilience and encourage literary citizenship. Knowing this work benefits my creative family gives me the strength to work on the hardest parts of my memoir.
My Week Three Challenge gives you an opportunity to support organizations like Brevity that encourage us to courageously turn our difficult experiences into art.
Here are the details for this week's challenge:
Support any literary organization with a monetary donation or social media share, and I'll give you one ticket for this week's drawing. I'm giving additional tickets for support to Hippocampus Literary Magazine, James River Writers, and Creative Nonfiction. For more details check out my website.
Support Brevity by doing one of the following and I'll give you two tickets for this week's drawing:
Subscribe to Brevity's blog (If you're reading online, the subscribe button is in the sidebar on the right)
Read and share any Brevity blog post on social media
Follow Brevity on Instagram @Brevitymag
Make a ten-dollar donation to Brevity or send a copy of The Best of Brevity to a writer, teacher, or friend and I'll give you four tickets for this week's drawing.
The more you do, the more tickets you'll earn.
This week's prize is a set of author-signed books published in 2020 and a spot in Jane Friedman's Query Master Class.
You'll also be entered in my grand-prize drawing for a one-hour coaching session with me (includes a 10-page manuscript review) PLUS a spot in Jane Friedman's course How to Write a Book Proposal.
To participate in this challenge, send an email to lisa.cooper.ellison@gmail.com. Please include the name of the organization and your donation amount or a screenshot of your social media posts.
If loneliness, heartache or overwhelm make you question your dreams, brew a hot beverage, and scroll through Brevity. Let the words of your brilliant, courageous writing family remind you to that your stories are your gift to the world.
Lisa Ellison is an editor, writing coach, and speaker with an Ed.S in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Her life story and essays have appeared on NPR's With Good Reason and in Hippocampus Literary Magazine, Kenyon Review Online, and The Guardian, among others. She is currently working on a memoir about how, after her brother's suicide, a chance meeting during a heavy metal tour ultimately saved her life. Follow her on Twitter @LisaEllisonsPen or Instagram @lisacooperellison.
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Please read Michael Sheerin's post on the link above. He is Dana's uncle. Then read my reply to him.
In the celebrations for Derry city of Culture on the TV news and Nationwide I missed any mention of Josef Locke. Am I right?
Josef Locke had an amazing career. He was hugely popular in the UK till the likable rogue had trouble paying taxes.
The film "Hear My Song" touches on that aspect of his life.
As a teenager I dismissed his singing which my mother played constantly. Decades later I learnt to appreciate his amazing voice on his early and best recordings.
Edit. Please read: reply to this article, to the right on the page.
Part of the Josef Locke sculpture in Derry. Not in an ideal location as it is missed by the bulk of tourists to the city.
I still think a life-sized bronze of the finest Irish tenors is long overdue. Located perhaps in Dublin, close by John Count McCormack in the Iveagh gardens?
Yes it is very strange that he was overlooked till the media in Derry took up my suggestion seriously. When I asked a journalist in Derry about Dana's uncle Michael Sheeerin he said he had never heard of him, although Sheerin told me he had been trying for years without results to get a park named in honour of the great tenor. He also told me of his sculpture plan and about the artist lined up.
Fair play, it is a nice memorial.
But Josef was a large man, an ex- Irish Guardsman, a life-sized bronze of him would be quite a striking figure. The laughing Cavalier of Song.
When I lived in London my elderly neighbours – from Kerry – always spoke about seeing him sing in the early 50s in a cinema in Finsbury Park. He sang until 1.30am [when he should have stopped at 11.00pm].
Not too bad at all for his age. But I was brought up in the days he was at his prime.
There was a fun movie released in 1991 called Hear My Song about a guy played by Adrian Dunbar who goes on a quest to find the "long lost" Josef Locke played by Ned Beatty.
Josef Locke was disappointed that Ned Beaty was such a small man playing him.
Otherwise he was happy with the film.
I was once featured on the Josef Locke Appreciation website featured on the web.
At the time it was a great pleasure to see Derry embrace one of it's most famous sons.
I was pleased to speak about Josef Locke on BBC radio in their Dublin studio back in 2003.
Josef Locke show touring Ireland this year! Wonderful news.
How have I missed this story till now?
Barry Egan forgot to mention him in his column?
I hardly read newspapers now that I'm not mentioned in them often these days.
Not 'mad' about the aforementioned Mr Locke myself but glad to see someone remembered and commemorated in their own city. Athlone Castle re-opened, Mr McCormack not invoked in the new exhibition space there but I can reveal the Town Council has plans for a dedicated John McCormack 'space' or exhibition room in their Civic centre in Church Street. It's said that some old McCormack memorabilia will be on display some not seen previously. I dont know how far this plan has advanced by now.
Hello again, Eddie C, I was not overthemoon about Josef Locke when my mother was constantly playing his music back in the 195Os but learnt to love his voice in the 1970s. It's all so subjective.
People either like or dislike Kate Bush's high pitched voice. What's the explanation?
Elvis's Hound Dog, Alienated half the population whereas the other half fell for, Love Me Tender.
Good news about McCormack from Athlone. Will pop in when heading for Galway next. A large statue of McCormack should be on the main street or square in Athlone.
Yes Swords is changing drastically the park opposite the castle surrounded by mature Oak trees should not have been built on!!!
Meanwhile I am spreading flowers along a main road here.
Michael Sheerin has died. See report on the link.
Maybe this thread should be deleted now? Moderators?


text:
namespace tracking
{
namespace archival_file
{
/// \brief Data contained in the tracks filename
struct FileInfo
{
  uint64_t m_timestamp = 0;
  routing::RouterType m_trackType = routing::RouterType::Vehicle;
  uint32_t m_protocolVersion = std::numeric_limits<uint8_t>::max();
};

/// \brief Tracks files with total size for archiving in single zip
struct FilesBatch
{
  size_t m_totalSize;
  std::vector<std::string> m_files;
};

/// \brief Helper-class for zipping tracks and deleting respective source files
class FilesAccumulator
{
public:
  void HandleFile(std::string const & fileName);
  std::vector<std::string> PrepareArchives(std::string const & path);
  void DeleteProcessedFiles();

private:
  std::map<routing::RouterType, FilesBatch> m_filesByType;
};

/// \returns file name with extension containing |protocolVersion|, |timestamp| and |trackType|
/// of the archived tracks, separated by the delimiter. Example: 1_1573635326_0.track
std::string GetArchiveFilename(uint8_t protocolVersion, std::chrono::seconds timestamp,
                               routing::RouterType const & trackType);

/// \returns meta-information about the archived tracks saved in the |fileName|.
FileInfo ParseArchiveFilename(std::string const & fileName);
}  // namespace archival_file
}  // namespace tracking

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn PS4 beta now live!
Posted by Zidane007nl on 23 February 2014, 23:26 - 0 comments
After a long wait yesterday was the day that the PlayStation 4 was released in Japan (and is sold out already). On this day the first beta phase of the PlayStation 4 version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has also started. Anybody with a PlayStation 4 can download the beta from the PlayStation Store and start playing! Please note that this phase will be played on a dedicated beta server and you can not import your character from other versions. Characters will be wiped after phase 1 which will end on 3 March. Phase 2 will take place from 4 March till 7 March and will allow you to import your existing characters and will be able to bring it to the retail version.
Also recently Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has been released on Steam and is 50% off till Tuesday!
Drakengard 3 release date announced in new trailer
Posted by Zidane007nl on 5 February 2014, 23:06 - 0 comments
Square Enix has announced in the new trailer of Drakengard 3 that the game will be released in North America on 20 May and in Europe and other PAL territories a day later (on 21 May). Next to the physical copy of the game North America will receive a collector's edition and bonus items when pre-ordering the game. Europe will have to live with a digital download of the game only which disappoints a lot of fans. Since the PlayStation 3 is region free, European fans and fans in other PAL territories can import the North American version.
Square Enix denies release date rumors
Recently an intern document of Square Enix Europe was leaked that says that Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III will be released this year. Square Enix has responded to Siliconera saying the release dates are inaccurate.
"We're aware an internal document has been in circulation listing release dates for select Square Enix titles. This information contained in this document is inaccurate and features placeholder timing. Specifically – no announcement has been made to date for Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV – their projected release window remains to be advised."
Final Fantasy XV (which was Final Fantasy Versus XIII before the announcement at E3 2013) and Kingdom Hearts III will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Siliconera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Very much a melodrama of the 80s, following the example of Kramer vs. Kramer by balancing emotional goo with bleached, sterile visuals. The film looks austere and serious, rather as if it had been shot inside a Frigidaire, and the oppressiveness of the images tends to strangle laughter, even at the most absurd excesses of Alvin Sargent's script. The material, from Judith Guest's novel, mixes family drama with pop-psychological insights, a marriage of Eugene O'Neill and Wayne Dyer. As the tortured son, Tim Hutton steals shamelessly from Tony Perkins's repertoire of twitches and hesitations; if I were Perkins, I would have sued. Mary Tyler Moore shows her wrinkles and nothing else as the mother; Donald Sutherland, as dad, is pink and babyish. Robert Redford directed, with a sure knowledge of what Oscar likes (1980).
Ordinary People is not showing in any theaters in the area.


After a mission trip to Africa where she saw firsthand the devastating effects of a polluted environment, Natalie Kelly knew she wanted to make a difference in people's lives by helping others achieve a better quality of life and educating and empowering them to make healthy, sustainable living choices. In 2009, she launched Birmingham's first online, community-oriented, green living resource, mygreenbirmingham.com, which quickly became known as the area's go-to guide for green living. Soon after, she launched the same concept in Montgomery, and has plans to continue growing these sustainable living initiatives in other areas. Continuing to channel her passion for empowering others, in 2014, Natalie founded Sustain, an environmental strategy and media agency specializing in environmental education and social responsibility, and today, we welcome her as our FACES of Birmingham feature.
Natalie Kelly has always had a passion for helping others.
I grew up in Roebuck and have been in Birmingham most of my life. I guess what has kept me here is family and this town being a great place for startups. Birmingham definitely embraces the entrepreneurial spirit.
What inspired you to start My Green Birmingham?
After a trip to Africa a few years ago, I came back to town wanting to change the way I lived. I had spent some time in a community in Uganda that was surrounded by a landfill, and I had this awakening about my impact on the environment, not just in Birmingham, but on the other side of the world. I was all fired up to "go green" (I hate that phrase by the way), and I couldn't find any local resources to help me in the process. That's where I got the idea for My Green Birmingham. I figured that if I was looking for the information, others in town were, too. The site launched six years ago, and it's been a staple of local green living since.
Have you expanded this concept to other areas? What are your future plans?
Yes, we have a website in Montgomery as well—My Green Montgomery. Our plan is to launch our online platform in communities that don't have a dialogue about sustainability and green living. We want to be the "local guide to green living" throughout Alabama and beyond. You should see a few more websites popping up in the next year.
Healthy, sustainable living is Natalie's mantra.
And how did this evolve into your current venture, Sustain?
It just kind of evolved out of my work in the green space. Sustain is an environmental strategy and media agency dedicated to moving sustainability forward. It was a natural next step to establish the company and further refine my experience in marketing, sales and consulting into a package that worked in my industry. I wanted to get into work beyond the websites, and Sustain has been the perfect platform for that.
If you could suggest three main things for us all to do with regard to greener living, what would they be?
1. Recycle. Seems like a no-brainer, but recycling isn't easy in Birmingham. There is no reason why anyone should be sending all of their trash to landfills. Recycling should be a way of life in Alabama. Hopefully, we will get there one day, but until then, we should all make a personal commitment to do our part, even if it isn't as convenient as putting your recyclables on the curb.
2. Conserve resources. Adopting a mindset that is conscious of saving resources, like water and energy, is not only good for the environment, but good for your bank account.
3. Ditch the chemicals. Women consume so many chemicals and toxins through our daily routines … from hairspray to lipstick, cleaning products and some of our favorite foods. It's important to know what's in the items that go on and in our bodies. I love the Environmental Working Group's Consumer Guides. It's a great place to do research. Be prepared to dump out half of your cosmetic bag when you do … you will be surprised at the chemicals hiding in your favorite lip gloss.
To trust my gut. My dad always told me that, and it's never been wrong.
Is there a typical daily checklist in the life of Natalie Kelly?
There probably should be, but no, not really. I am not a checklist kind of person, but there is a rhyme and reason to each day. I usually prioritize my day the night before and go from there. I live by my calendar.
How do you think the South measures up in terms of green living?
Hmmm … we are getting better, for sure. Green living is becoming more of the norm than just a trendy concept marketed to Whole Foods shoppers. Green living is about embracing the local culture, foods, resources … It's about the environment, but it's also about smarter, more efficient living, which is something most people are working toward, whether they would label themselves a greenie or not.
What do you see as your biggest challenge in this arena?
I think it is still awareness and, in some cases, accessibility. Not everyone has access to the information and resources to help them make better decisions for the environment. That's why we're bringing our website brand to those communities.
Actually it's one of our events—Eco-Wheels. It's our green car show, and this year it will be at the Summit on June 13. The show is a free, fun, family event featuring the latest hybrid and electric vehicles, plus bikes and scooters. We also have a number of environmental nonprofits that participate in the day with us, as well. It's a great way to build awareness about alternative transportation. And who doesn't like oohing and ahhing over a Tesla?!
Activated charcoal soap from Freedom Soaps. I picked a bar up at Pepper Place Market last year, and now I can't live without it. It keeps my skin clear without the use of chemicals. Plus it's made right here in Birmingham by a lovely young lady.
It just depends on the Saturday night, I guess. My Saturday nights go from doing laundry to going out for cocktails at the Collins.
El Barrio. I could eat Mexican food every day.
I've gotten into podcasts lately. I read an article in Fast Company one day that highlighted some great podcasts by entrepreneurs and business experts, so I've started giving them a whirl.
Unveiling Jesus by Birmingham author Tricia Gunn. It's an amazing book about grace. A life-changer, for sure.
My phone, my laptop and chargers for both devices.
Thanks for inspiring us to live cleaner, Natalie. Find out more about sustainable living and being green by visiting mygreenbirmingham.com.


text:
About Utah Valley
Religous Congregations
Goverment Buildings and Other Resources
Map of Utah County
Bakeries and Cafes
Desserts and Sodas
Italian and Pizza
UtahValley.com
Utah Valley: 551,891
Highest Point: 11,928 feet
Lowest Point: 4,480 feet
Utah Valley has four distinct seasons.
Four to six months of the year have snow,
usually from November to April.
Summers are moderately warm.
The air has a very low humidity.
Utah uses Mountain Standard Time.
Traffic/Road Conditions: 511 Toll-free
Time and Temperature: (801) 333-8824
Fire, Medical, or Police: 911
Police (non-emergency): (801) 799-3000
Highway Patrol: (801) 887-3800
Utah is the 2nd most populated county in Utah.
With 560,974 people, Utah County has nearly 250,000 more people than the next largest county, Davis County.
The major racial and ethnic groups in Utah County are White at 83%, Hispanic at 11%, and two or more ethnicities at 2%.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah County has a median household income of approximately $60,196. The Homeownership rate is 67.9%. The percentage of persons below the povery level is approximately 14%.
The median age of Utah County residents is 24 years old.
The population is 35.4% male and 64.6% female.
Utah has a relatively young and educated workforce, which is continuing to grow in size. Utah maintains an AAA bond rating, being one of four states to maintain their AAA credit rating for 46 years or more. Top employers in Utah include the following: Intermountain Health Care, the State of Utah, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Wal Mart Stores, Hill Air Force Base, and Smith's Food and Drug Stores. Major industries in Utah include the following: Agriculture, manufacturing, business development, mining, tourism, and construction.
Utah Unemployment Rate: 3.00%
Utah County Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Recent Job Growth: 5.37%
Future Job Growth: 47.70%
Sales Taxes: 6.75%
Income Taxes: 5.00%
Energy Costs 26% below National Average
Utah is Forbes #1 Best State for Business 2014
(Forbes, The Best and Worst States for Business 2014)
Utah ranked #1 for 'Economic Outloook' by ALEC-Laffer
(ALEC-Laffer, Rich States Poor States 2014)
Utah ranked #1 for 'Top 10 Pro-Business States' by Pollina Corporate
(Polina Corporate, Top 10 Pro-Business States 2014)
Utah named 9th 'Most Dynamic Economy in the Nation' by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
(The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 2014)
http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/county/utah/utah
http://economyutah.blogspot.com/2014/04/county-by-county-economic-diversity.html
http://www.edcutah.org/2015%20Business%20and%20Economic%20Profile/documents/Section16-RankingsComparisons-2015-DONE.pdf
http://www.kff.org/health-reform/fact-sheet/the-utah-health-care-landscape/


Icaro machinery has been a synonym of quality and creativity for over 30 years. We believe that having strong roots is what enables us to work with a truly innovative spirit. Our traditions and values are the foundations upon which Icaro machinery was built, the essential know-how we need to face future challenges.
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Members' and friends' contributions » Why does the airport extension project lead to the "mykonization" of Paros / Antiparos?
Why does the airport extension project lead to the "mykonization" of Paros / Antiparos?
24 October 2021 , by Eric Michelet - Add a Comment
Ελληνικά – Francais
The airport extension project leads to the "mykonization" of Paros and Antiparos, destroying economic value, social and environmental quality and their sustainability.
We have carefully read various articles written by strong supporters of the airport extension project.
All of them seek to reassure those concerned about such a dramatically oversized project, especially since it has not been the subject of prior legal consultations and the official project documentation deliberately minimizes most of its harmful consequences.
Often marred by imprecisions and inaccuracies, these articles minimize the evidence of "mykonization" of Paros and Antiparos and completely hide the issue of sustainable development.
Note No. 1: The current passenger handling at Paros airport needs to be significantly improved, but why was it not done sooner? Why would we need a clearly oversized project for this purpose? Why lengthen the track? That is neither necessary nor indicated but, on the contrary, dangerous for the island's future.
Obviously, the boarding, waiting, and baggage claim lounges, in particular, are far too "narrow".
But why is this so?
Lack of financial means at the time because of a lack of local investors?
If the objective was to welcome more passengers to develop tourism, why did we not invest more and better at that time?
The invisible hand of the market was, therefore, very failing then!
About 26 million EUR was spent on the initial airport, financing the structural works of the track, the most expensive infrastructure item. Still, despite some private donations, the available budget was insufficient to develop the airport building properly.
Now we are talking about spending 46 million EUR. Why an almost doubling in investments when all the earthworks of the track are already done?
Is it not legitimate to question the sizing of the proposed extension?
Do we really need 13000 m² of buildings?
Do we really need duty-free or "non-Schengen" reception areas?
What are the traffic assumptions underlying such sizing?
Are we preparing to welcome thousands of tourists by air on a daily basis?
Or, on the contrary, should we fear a future "white elephant" (a reference to the oversized infrastructures built in Spain during the real estate madness of the late 2000s and remained empty)?
Since these are European subsidies, who will care about any financial waste? No one will worry about absorbing any induced losses; no one mentions the financial conditions for the operation of the future airport complex. Decidedly, the invisible hand of the market is absent from reasoning!
But above all, would not a large part of this capital be better used elsewhere, especially to improve other infrastructures on the island (see next point)?
So, do we really need to extend the current runway by 400 m?
This is a real issue that should not be avoided and has little to do with security considerations, which are falsely invoked to extract subsidies from the European community intended to promote sustainable development.
Indeed, with a runway of 1400 m, Paros has seen its airport traffic more than triple in three years, and this in complete safety! Better yet, all the traffic targets initially planned for 2035, as set out in the environmental impact assessment documents established for the extension permit application, have been met or even exceeded as of 2019.
So we took 15 years ahead of the initial plans, with a track of 1400 m, safely and by all weather!
So what more do we want?
Always more?
More and more tourists to mow, arriving soon by whole charters?
But is this really compatible with high-end positioning and sustainability, as invoked incantationally in the article?
In truth, the disputed "pro-extension" articles and authors defend a totally old-fashioned strategy of developing mass tourism, a "tyranny of the number of arrivals" as yet castigated by Prime Minister Mitsotakis.
Our recommendations are very different but simple common sense; they are truly aiming for a sustainable development goal in Paros:
let's improve reception capacities and comfort at the airport, but on reasonable assumptions of controlled growth in air traffic, starting from the high level already reached in 2019; let's not forget to do the same for port infrastructure!
let us remain respectful of Cycladic standards (which is absolutely not the case in the current project of a pronounced industrial nature) for resized buildings, very poorly designed to meet carbon neutrality, which is aberrant in our time,
cancel the project to extend the track to increase attendance: it is useless; this jeopardizes the future, and we do it very well without it – let us stress here that it is not serious to say that there would be any solvent demand to justify direct services from Paros to European capitals; the rules of the market are unavoidable!
let us thus avoid a headlong rush promised by this pharaonic project which is positioned in frontal competition with the neighbouring airports of Mykonos and Santorini; this would be a real negation of the concept of sustainable development and, let's be clear, the airport authorities of Paros are not big enough to face FRAPORT Greece!
let us content ourselves with increasing rotations from Athens or Thessaloniki by seeking the best fluidity for passengers in transit on these two hubs; we will gain in flexibility, logistical and economic efficiency, to benefit as much as possible from the progress of aviation to respect environmental constraints.
During this phase of improvement of Paros airport, it is essential to think about the measures to be carried out quickly, in situ, in order to reduce the carbon footprint and prepare it for the needs of tomorrow's short-haul aviation, which will be electric and/or will run on hydrogen – and will not require a runway extension, perfectly satisfied with runway lengths … inferior to the current one! All "serious" airports are working on this imperative objective; So let us also be serious, right now, otherwise this unpreparedness will be very expensive, both in carbon certificates to buy to compensate for this excess pollution and to compensate for the loss of income due to operational delay.
Failing to do so, who will have to pay these additional costs resulting from a short-term business vision as well as a guilty unpreparedness for the immediate stakes, especially in terms of climate change. Are the Parians aware that they bear the economic and fiscal risk of this irresponsible choice?
Note N°2: The infrastructure in Paros is saturated.
All objective observers share this observation: the island's infrastructure is subject to high tensions, at least since 2018: chronic traffic jams in PAROIKIA or flagrant failures in wastewater treatment (especially in PAROIKIA) or garbage collection, insufficient flow in the late afternoon for 4G or water, etc…
The reasons for this are very simple: the permanent out-of-season population on the island is of the order of 14,000 inhabitants; in 2016, year-to-date arrivals amounted to 708,000 per boat and 38,000 per plane; two years later, it was 924,000 per boat and 93,000 per plane, a dizzying increase of 36%; with the official figures of 2019, we then approach in annual cumulation to 400,000 additional arrivals in three years, of which at least 42% (source: HCAA) focus on the two summer months, with an average stay on the island of more than 8 days (source INSETE in national average; probably longer average stay in Paros).
It is therefore at least 22,400 additional inhabitants since 2016, who stay permanently in Paros during July and August, with marked peaks of attendance during the first two weeks of August; in 3 years, the number of residents of Paros has therefore increased by more than double its resident population, beyond the number of tourists welcomed before.
However, already in 2016, there were many people in Paros in August, of the order of 42,000 according to our estimates.
Of course, despite such an influx, infrastructure has not kept up; and it is doubtful that they can catch up with ongoing projects as superficially detailed in the article.
Thus, the argument often invoked that the electrical connection of the island with the mainland, which would constitute a permanent supply of electricity neglects the precariousness of the distribution network on the island, its archaic and undersized state. In addition, even if the connection to the continent is largely sized, the permanence of electricity supply for Paros is not ensured; simply because the increase in tourist attendance affects the whole of Greece, at the same time; therefore, the national electricity grid is confronted with peaks in consumption here or elsewhere, wherever the tourist hordes surge, at the same time, very difficult to manage other than by fossil power plants (the only ones that can be easily solicited; can we decently restart the Naoussa power plant??) or by load shedding, which happens regularly.
So what about record CO2 emissions to meet this very high energy demand? Suppliers must launch their interruptible production units, which are often the least efficient and generally the most polluting.
Isn't this another simple and irrefutable argument that mass tourism is not compatible with climate imperatives?
As for the problem of wastewater, we forget that in order to be able to treat water centrally, it must be collected. However, will the habitat likely to accommodate these cohorts of newcomers (unlikely to be realized in areas currently already heavily urbanized) be served by a sewage system? Will this sewage system be enough to support future growth? Have we thought about the difficulty of revising from A to Z the system of the whole sewer in the city: good luck!
And then, to say that the problem of drinking water supply will be easily solved by adding desalination and pumping capacities of aquifers … Is it not to forget a little quickly on the one hand, the dramatic consequences already observed on the fauna and flora in the coastal areas where the brine produced by the current desalination units is discharged and on the other hand, the pollution of the aquifers by seawater already occurred as a result of their overexploitation?
Is funding available? Are real estate developers already making the necessary investment pay?
Has a policy been put in place to control groundwater pollution by homes not connected to sewer networks? Do we have real control over the current and future exploitation of groundwater?
But, in the meantime, beware of the risk of pollution of the bays of Parikia or Naoussa; we saw how it went in Mykonos for the most popular beaches!
Let us briefly mention the problem of waste; to boast that the landfilling of all waste is sustainable is to forget that such practices are prohibited in many countries from which many visitors who stay in Paros come from; they also note that the waste containers overflow due to the lack of sufficiently frequent collection, modulated according to the number of visitors on the island; everyone notes that selective sorting is in its infancy, which makes the so-called recycling of waste uncredible. At the very least, substantial efforts to improve are inevitable, so as not to disgust them with this essential lack of action, to the point of abandoning the island.
In short, the rate of increase in attendance in Paros has been extreme, recently and over a very short period of time; of course, this has been largely underestimated; it is therefore not surprising that the infrastructure is already very largely saturated.
Rationally, at this stage, before disembarking even more visitors on the island, it should be ensured beforehand that we are able to welcome them well; it amounts to following a common-sense approach of "putting the cart behind the horse"!
Mr Sotiris' article, in particular, supports a reverse strategy: let in additional hordes of tourists in order to further saturate the infrastructure; thus, with the market playing a part, this will necessarily force the local authorities to do something about it!!??
But how can we explain that these local authorities are not already acting to solve the problem of traffic jams in Parikia?
This should have been done for years. A diversion was envisaged, its route exists, but the more time passes, the more complex the necessary expropriation decisions become; so nothing moves. And then, is it still the right solution?
And what about traffic jams in Naoussa and parking problems?
But what are we waiting for to act?
The Municipality has commissioned a new study on this subject. It is to be hoped that it will consider other modes of transport, anticipate the inevitable electrification of the motorized fleet by 2030 (as already envisaged by Astypalea) and consider measures limiting the arrival of visitor vehicles and why not, the number of eligible vehicles on the island.
In the meantime, could we not commission police officers to regulate traffic at intersections while waiting for a more fundamental solution? But it seems that the numbers are insufficient especially as we are … unable to house them properly!
This is further proof of the saturation of capacities on the island; And, for lack of police in number, what about the security on the island with these records of affluence??
For Paros, it is therefore urgent to put the cart behind the horse, to adopt principles of reality rather than to practice the flight forward; prioritize an ambitious and sustainable improvement of infrastructure (including reception rooms at the airport but also at the port);
Let us allocate the European capital already available (and planned to be used unduly for the extension of the airport – see below) which would thus be truly oriented towards the desired objectives (sustainable development).
Let us clarify the sources of funding, in addition to European subsidies, intended for all these investments necessary to improve and resize infrastructure, starting with real estate developers for the granting of permits and the connection to infrastructure, and visitors via tourist taxes, the vehicles of these visitors by a road tax, but also, in a fair and measured way, to all taxpayers of the island because they are supposed to benefit from the tourist windfall.
Subsequently, how do we plan to charge for the use of these infrastructures: by their direct users, by those who derive direct profits from tourism? Will polluters pay?
In short, let us talk openly and lucidly about the economic and financial aspects that arise from tourism policy.
Let's take the time to digest the recent influx of tourists by taking care not to let their reception experience deteriorate and control the flow of arrivals with incentives that aim as a priority to better spread the tourist season over time, which will allow a more efficient use of the largely resized infrastructures.
In short, while there is still time, let us voluntarily avoid the "mykonization" of Paros and Antiparos.
Note No. 3: The runway extension will actually allow 5,000 arrivals by plane per day in high season, which will cause more than 50 daily aircraft movements.
This hypothesis put forward by some airport promoters is indeed very plausible, perhaps not immediately, but it is undeniably to be feared. Why?
Because, arithmetically, it corresponds to a strategy of tourist massification.
Indeed, 5.000 passenger arrivals per day, at PAROS airport, in high season compares to:
700 passenger arrivals, on average daily in August 2019 at Paros Airport;
the figure quoted in the article of 1,500 arrivals per day appears too high … except to cumulate arrivals and departures !?
it is therefore an increase of 7 times that is sought compared to a high reference level after a tripling in 3 years!? We would then be at X 21 versus the traffic of 2016!
5,512 passenger arrivals, the record level reached in July 2019 at Mykonos Airport; we are therefore 10% below.
Arithmetically, it would be a "mykonization" of Paros airport!
Inevitably, this would require a strategy of aggressively conquering airport market shares against the neighboring airports of Mykonos and Santorini, which have recently increased significantly (early 2021) and which FRAPORT-Greece intends to make profitable. Because, in the airport sector as in any other economic sector, the invisible hand of the market operates with considerations of competition, pricing, quality of service for the consumer, etc.
But, in Mykonos, to accommodate 5,293 passengers arriving per day (by scheduled flights),it was necessary to land and take off on average 42 aircraft per day in July 2019,the majority of which are wide-body aircrafts.
As these calculations are derived from the monthly statistics published by the HCAA, these are "simple" averages, which makes it possible to imagine that some days Mykonos airport recorded more than 50 aircraft rotations per day + night included, i.e. 50 landings, 50 phases of taxiing and then "taxi", but also 50 take-offs.
We understand why the residents in the vicinity of Mykonos airport are totally exasperated!
The same nuisances will necessarily be felt by the residents of Paros airport, which in any case, Mr. Sotiris admits: "it will be necessary "that measures are taken to alleviate the problem of these nuisances"!
But how will we mitigate the future nuisances in Paros, without limitation resulting from the permit granted, and if we already do not succeed in Mykonos? How to mitigate nuisances whose intensity is the highest precisely at the time when the attendance is the highest!?
As too often, we will first hurt people again and then perhaps then, we will try to remedy it; it is appalling in the twenty-first century; Can we learn nothing from the experiences of others?
However, as already indicated, the permit for Paros airport is "limitless", in terms of traffic and operating hours.
Such crucial information has not been made anyone aware of the public at all: future traffic forecasts, unlimited operating conditions of the airport, no preventive measures against nuisances for local residents (simply denied in official reports), nor any measures to reduce the carbon footprint.
Has it been correctly described to the residents of the island, especially those who live between Parasporos and Alyki, or between Pounta, Kampos and Petaloudes, that they should expect air traffic comparable to that of Mykonos, night and day, 24 hours a day?
In the official environmental impact reports, have such traffic hypothesis been properly used in order to assess the importance of noise pollution, stress on biodiversity, not to mention stress on the island's infrastructure in general? The answer is in the question: all the reports and official communications have deliberately underestimated, if not totally obscured, the harmful consequences of this project to extend the airport runway.
The "mykonization" of the island of Paros is therefore well included in the hypothesis adopted, but it has not been quantified in terms of environmental impact in the broad sense.
This point deserves to be emphasized; therefore, would the fantasy then be to surpass Mykonos in terms of attendance!?
Note N° 4: Paros must strive to attract but above all to retain a "quality" tourist clientèle
This seems obvious marketing: a differentiating positioning vis-à-vis mass tourism destinations, such as Crete, Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos or even Skiatos.
A quality positioning, "eco-responsible" or "high-end", is not an economic model with lowbenefits; quite the contrary; well conducted, it is a profitable model for all stakeholders.
It is this almost "ideal" positioning that prevailed until now in Paros and Antiparos; it is this positioning that has made their reputation: the regulars, Greeks or non-Greeks, belong mainly to this "quality" category.
If they chose Paros rather than Mykonos, yet much easier to access live by plane from their main residence, it is not by chance.
These regulars do not like the agitation of the masses; they are attentive and respectful of local traditions, they favor authenticity over "blingbling"; they want to be able to go to the restaurant without having to book two weeks in advance; they look for beaches where we are not yet on top of each other in the middle of August; etc.
Until now, Paros offered them such characteristics and they were perfectly accommodating to take a little longer to arrive at their destination (transit through Athens to board an Olympic Aïr Bombardier/DAH with 40 or 80 seats or even go for a real change of scenery when you come from the greyness of northern Europe with a ferry from Piraeus or Raffina l!) .
Many of these "savvy" or even "eco-responsible" tourists who have been staying on the island for a long time, who plan to stay there even longer in retirement,who pay local taxes and spend a lot of money there locally, are extremely worried about the unbridled development prospects at work in Paros in recent years; the airport extension project is the most alarming symbol of what they fear the most: the "mykonization" of the island.
Rightly so, they consider that they can do without it even if it costs them a little longer time to get there. They prefer this rather than risking the invasion of the islands by charters that would facilitate an extension of the runway. They are likely to discipline themselves to follow environmental rules.
They consider that Paros respects, deserves and enjoys itself rather than is consumed like all mass products.
The opinion of these faithful should therefore not be disdained; they know the island,they appreciate it from the bottom of their hearts,they have been coming and coming back for years, their children come to get married; they readily admit that the erection of some hotels of good environmental standing would be judicious in respect of the personality of the sites and they rejoice that the permanent residents are developing their homes, or even their outbuildings, to welcome tourists in a friendly and individualized way rather than in tight rows and crowded coaches.
This is why everyone, residents and semi-residents alike, will be able to rightly wonder about the adequate number of hotels and the geographical dissemination of a construction program aimed at a hundred large-scale establishments intended to accommodate the flow of new arrivals using the airport's new reception capacities; is there not a risk of concreting the landscape and destroying the coastline in certain areas?
Obviously, this would offer more beds, but with what damage to the environment and for what economic benefits for the Parians, if it is to be operated under the control of "tour operators" practicing the "all included". Let's forget conviviality and social cohesion; the islands will live to the rhythm of charter arrivals.
Rightly so, they are worried about this flowering of "low cost" house construction programs, far from a responsible architecture, designed on the contrary in a misguided Cycladic style, benefiting from opaque derogations from the urban planning rules set out at will in the article (badly respected according to insiders), maisonettes intended solely to maximize the collection of rents (via Airbnb or equivalent? in an occult way n?), by investors often foreign to the island (but who would have a voice in the chapters) and who hasten to replicate a model of real estate speculation that has succeeded elsewhere.
Such houses will clearly be "badly" occupied, only a few weeks in summer, accentuating the syndrome of "cold beds" on the island and also participating in the disintegration of social cohesion (real estate speculation no longer allows to house young people or seasonal workers on affordable rental conditions).
Rightly, they note that the infrastructures are indeed saturated, which is also incompatible with the expectations of "eco-responsible" tourists who have themselves travelled enough around the world to know how tourist destinations in the grip of mass tourism are evolving.
For now, out of nostalgia, they maintain their indulgence in the face of various growing dysfunctions. Yet their warnings deserve to be heeded.
Some of these regulars have already given up staying on the island during the high season; in a way, they continue to render "service" to the Parian community by offering to rent their residence or leaving it to their offspring to stay there.
If they return out of season, it continues to suit the community well because it contributes to a better spread of the tourist season.
Because, one of the key factors of sustainable tourism is to avoid the empty bed syndrome (like many seaside resorts in Greece or elsewhere outside the summer months, like many winter sports resorts transformed into ghost cities in the summer).
From now on, all places with high tourist attendance seek to mitigate the peaks of attendance to better spread the tourist season and thus solicit the infrastructures in the most optimal way possible. Why don't we do the same here?
With the "mykonization" underway in Paros and Antiparos, the risk is that a large part of this semi-permanent "quality" population chooses to go elsewhere.
Goodriddance, let's say certain, by a reasoning characteristic of the myopic. But this population will probably be replaced at first by other arrivals with no lower purchasing power. But they will come to Paros to stay, first and foremost during the summer; in addition, they will certainly be very demanding (much more than the outgoing ones) as to the quality of the infrastructures and services offered. Willtheythen have the patience to wait for a vague promise of infrastructure improvements? Thisisunlikely: they will certainly choose to resell quickly, but to resell, to whom?
Again to "high-end" visitors? Probably less and less because the "bad reputation" will spread; the island will then be plagued by promoters targeting fewer demanding categories of tourists; the buildings will be resized, tighter, more maisonettes, thus accentuating this "mykonization" on the architectural and urban plan.
The risk is therefore the race to the bottom: quantity chasing quality, like the principle of Thomas Gresham well known in economics: bad money drives out good money!
Thus, several conclusions are necessary, which invalidate the thesis of the ardent defenders of the pharaonic extension of the airport:
The strategy of attracting more and more arrivals to Paros, especially via its airport, is clearly a mass tourism strategy, irreconcilable with the search for sustainable development; there are countless examples of this here in Greece, as elsewhere;
Mass tourism leads to an eviction of "quality" tourism, especially in a territory with limited surface areas with saturated infrastructures;
"Quality" and "eco-responsible" tourism is the one that best reconciles sustainable development,a spread of the tourist season over the year, and good economic activity for all stakeholders on the islands;
The "eco-responsible" tourist is entitled to demand quality infrastructure,as soon as possible and at the best standards of sustainable development;
If we want to retain / attract a high-end clientele to Paros, it is necessary first and foremost to relax the constraint of saturated infrastructures; therefore, the extension of the runway is a real obstacle to this priority because it unnecessarily diverts the energies of those responsible as well as scarce financial resources, to precipitate the islands into a headlong rush damaging to its common good;
To oppose the "mykonization" of Paros/Antiparos is absolutely not to oppose their economic development; on the contrary, it is to militate for their sustainability!
But it is effectively opposing those who feverishly seek short-term profit at the expense of sustainable development.
It is not acceptable to tolerate, even in our time, projects that do not include in their economic evaluation the costs of induced externalities, starting with infrastructure spending and environmental costs.
It is this analysis that has motivated many citizens to oppose, through legal channels, this extension project, which has not been the subject of real information or public interaction (which is contrary to the law), which misuses European Community capital intended to finance sustainable development (which is a fraud under Community law), which leads to a "mykonization" of Paros and Antiparos, to a harmful evolution for all stakeholders, endangering social cohesion, the environment and the local economy.
Eric Michelet is associated member of the board of directors of the FoPA and member of the collective "Paros' Green Airport"
Filed Under: Airport, E-Bulletin Issue 23 – 2021, English, Featured Articles, Members' and friends' contributions Tagged With: airport, sustainable tourism by Eric Michelet No Comments


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El lunes 20 de agosto de 1979 daba comienzo en el Vicente Calderón la séptima edición del Trofeo Villa de Madrid, que de nuevo contaba con cuatro equipos participantes: dos españoles, el Atlético de Madrid como anfitrión y la Real Sociedad y dos invitados extranjeros, el VfB Stuttgart de Alemania Federal y el Grasshopper suizo.

Tras tres días de competición, el VfB Stuttgart se proclamaba campeón del torneo organizado en la capital de España.

Resultados

Semifinales
Los días 20 y 21 de agosto se disputaron las semifinales del torneo, enfrentando a los dos equipos españoles con los foráneos.

. y 4º puesto
Los partidos de la final y el tercer y cuarto puesto se celebraron el 22 de agosto:

Final

Referencias

Villa de Madrid
Torneos amistosos de fútbol de la Comunidad de Madrid
Fútbol en España en 1979
Campeonatos internacionales de fútbol desaparecidos entre clubes
Eventos deportivos celebrados en Madrid
Madrid en 1979

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia