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Precision engineering meets contemporary style
Inspired by samurai culture, the D-MAX presents a tough, muscular stance with subtle, flowing lines. It's one good looking ute.
Projector headlight with DRLS
Fog lights
Fog lights spread light wider in difficult weather conditions, making sure you don't lose sight of the verge. (Standard on LS models)
Side steps
Alloy wheels
Katana line
LED tail breaks
Electronic fold in mirrors with LED indicators
Designed for comfort
The D-MAX range features large, comfortable seats with adjustable head rests. The LS-T model boasts luxury leather accented seats§ with a six way, electric adjustable driver's seat.
Abundant storage
Quiet interior
D-MAX has a lot of hidden engineering features - suspension, sound proofing, body mountings that work together to make D-MAX one of the quietest in its class.
Spacious cabin
The D-MAX's ergonomic and spacious cabin gives you and your passengers room to be comfortable and with plenty of leg room in the back of crew cab models.
Rear centre lap sash & headrest
3-point retractable lap sash seat belts and centre headrests are standard in all D-MAX Crew Cab models.
Flip up rear seat with storage
- Passive Entry & Start System
- A-Pillar Assist Handles
- Electroluminescent display
- Climate control
- Steering wheel controls
- Power windows
- Rev-Tronic Auto
- Touchscreen SATNAV system
Passive Entry & Start System
A smart key offers an innovative and simple way to lock and unlock the vehicle. On the dash there's a start/stop button for convenient keyless start & stop. (On LS-T models only)
A-Pillar Assist Handles
Electroluminescent display
Climate control
Steering wheel controls
Power windows
Rev-Tronic Auto
The 6-speed Rev-Tronic sequential shift auto gives you the control of a manual, with the convenience of an automatic gearbox. Intelligent Grade-Logic technology keeps the vehicle in the correct gear no matter what the driving conditions. (Optional on most models - see Range for details)
Touchscreen SATNAV system
Entertainment is at your fingertips with SatNav, Bluetooth® audio streaming✝, iPod® and USB connectivity, along with CD, MP3 and AM/FM radio. (Standard on LS-U & LS-T models)
Entertainment & Technology
Touchscreen Audio and Satellite Navigation System
LS-U & LS-T modelsAn eight speaker audio system featuring a touch-screen satellite navigation system with live traffic updates is standard on D-MAX LS-U & LS-T models.
Sky Sound, iPhone & USB Connectivity
LS-U & LS-T modelsLS-U & LS-T models Plug your iPhone® or other USB devices directly so you can play music or simply charge it up, while enjoying a premium audio experience with Sky Sound, our roof-mounted surround sound system.
Reversing Camera
LS-U & LS-T modelsFor extra convenience when reversing into tight spots or hitching a trailer.
Bluetooth Connectivity
LS-U & LS-T modelsFor a safe hands-free experience, let your phone talk to the speakers via Bluetooth®. You can also stream music from various devices† for quick and easy listening of your favourite tunes.
Touchscreen Display Audio System
LS-M & SX modelsAn eight speaker audio system and featuring a touchscreen display audio system is standard across D-MAX LS-M & SX models.
D-MAX Colours
Cobalt Blue Mica
Magnetic Red Mica
Cosmic Black Mica
Obsidian Grey Mica
Graphite Grey Metallic
Titanium Silver Metallic
Splash White
Accessorise your way
Make the D-MAX individually yours by choosing from a huge range of Isuzu UTE Genuine Accessories. These accessories are designed to work well, look great and fit perfectly.
5-star ANCAP safety rating on 4x4 D-MAX Crew Cab models built from November 2013 onwards and 4x2 D-MAX Crew Cab High Ride models built from November 2014 onwards. The Bluetooth® word mark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. iPod® is a trademark of Apple, Inc. †Not all devices will be compatible and functionality may vary depending on the device. ‡Seats have leather touches or accents, but are not wholly leather. +Braked towing capacity on 4x4 and 4x2 High Ride models when fitted with an optional Genuine Isuzu UTE tow bar kit. ^6 years/150,000km (whichever occurs first), for Eligible Vehicles with a Warranty Start Date on or after 1/1/19. Excludes trays & accessories. < 6 years Roadside Assistance (unlimited kilometres) for Eligible Vehicles with a Warranty Start Date on or after 1/1/19. > The Capped Price Servicing Program ("CPS Program") applies to Eligible Vehicles at Participating Isuzu UTE Dealers only. For 19MY & later vehicle models, the Capped Price Servicing covers the first 7 Scheduled Services for up to 7 years/105,000km (whichever occurs first). CPS Program is subject to change. For full terms & conditions, current pricing & model eligibility. click here.


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Asia Air is the second airline to banish families from the front of the plane. The low-cost Malaysian airline has created a Quiet Zone behind first-class that can only be used by passengers age 12 and older, according to the Economist.
Asia Air announced the new seating section on its website this month with a message saying that and the "Quiet Zone" is meant for those who want "a more peaceful journey"—and it seems like a great idea if everyone sitting in this zone is truly quiet. An adult chomping obnoxiously on potato chips can be just as annoying as a fussy baby.
Seats within the seven-row zone don't cost more than other coach seats but travelers who want to be in the front of the plane must pay a seat-selecting charge. The new zone will be added to planes beginning in February 2013.
Earlier this year, Air Asia's main rival, Malaysian Airlines, made national news headlines when it was the first airline to add a kid-free zone to some of its routes as a way to attract business travelers. Last year, the same airline introduced a policy not allowing kids to fly in first-class.
Crying babies on planes cause discomfort for all parties involved. Passengers are easily irritated by their cries while parents become anxious and embarrassed when their children breaks into a loud wail. And the poor babies sense all this stress and only cry louder. Is sticking the babies in the back of the plane the solution?

subset: commoncrawl


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On Sunday, February 1, millions of viewers will tune in to enjoy the Super Bowl and the surrounding interviews, reports, highlights and analysis. As you know, more and more of that video content is going online.
For example, NBCUniversal has announced that it will offer "Super Stream Sunday," live-streaming 11 continuous hours of content related to the Super Bowl. And, many fans of the Seattle Seahawks are already familiar with the team's popular Ustream channel, which boasts more than 3,000 subscribers and over 1.2 million views. What they may not know is that the Seahawks organization also uses Ustream for internal communications and live-streaming press conferences.
Another client unrelated to football for most of the season, uses their Ustream channel to broadcast football practice sessions for their 'athletes.' Yes, for those who prefer their running backs with four legs, Animal Planet will be live-streaming pre-game practice for the Puppy Bowl at http://www.apl.tv/puppy-bowl.htm starting Friday. In this annual favorite, puppies of all breeds take to a miniature field to "play in a winning combination of terrier tackles, touchdowns, puppy penalties, fumbles and Fido first downs."
What will you be streaming on Super Bowl Sunday?


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I was looking for a alarm GUI software and ended up my search with KAlarm. It allows me to schedule the display of personal alarm messages, the playing of sound files, the execution of commands and the sending of emails and so on without using 'at command' and shell scripting hacks.
From the project home page:
KAlarm is a personal alarm message, command and email scheduler. It provides a graphical interface to set up personal alarm messages which pop up on the screen at the chosen time, or you can schedule commands to be executed or emails to be sent.
When creating or modifying an alarm, you can:
* choose whether the alarm should display a text message, display a text or image file, execute a command, or send an email.
* configure the alarm to recur on an hours/minutes, daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis, or set it to trigger every time you log in. You can also specify a repetition within a repetition.
* specify that a reminder should be displayed in advance of the main alarm time(s).
* choose a colour and font for displaying the alarm message.
* specify an audible beep or a sound file to play when the message is displayed, or specify that the message is to be spoken.
* choose whether or not the alarm should be cancelled if it can't be triggered at its scheduled time. An alarm can only be triggered while you are logged in and running a graphical environment. If you choose not to cancel the alarm if it can't be triggered at the correct time, it will be triggered when you eventually log in.
Install kalarm
Use apt-get command:
$ apt-get install kalarm
Start Kalarm > To create a new alarm > Select actions > New
Kalarm configuration:
Save the changes. KAlarm will run in a number of languages including Hindi and others. Overall I'm quite happy with this software and I highly recommend kalarm as personal alarm software.


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Virgin Media's big new music service, announced last summer, has hit a snag. Independent music alliance Merlin has told its members that it can't reach a fair price, but still hopes to.
Merlin represents hundreds of small independent labels, and has the nod to negotiate on their behalf. The idea is that collectively they'll be able to get a better price for small operators in a market populated by the four giants: Universal, Sony, Warners and EMI.
"Merlin's position is that it is not prepared to accept deals that do not in our judgement recognise the true value of the collective licence we offer, which in the UK, according to the 2009 Official Chart Company scan figures represents close to 11 per cent of the digital market," the group wrote to members last week.
"Although we are deep into negotiations with Virgin Media, we do not believe we have yet reached a point where Virgin Media's offer in our view acceptably values a collective license to our members' repertoire and as a result we will not agree to this offer in its current form."
Virgin Media says that negotiations continue. "We're still working on it," a Virgin spokesman told us last week.
The service, called Music Unlimited, was announced last June, with Universal Music as the initial partner. Sony has held firm against the "unlimited downloads" part of the deal, so it's likely to feature a fixed bundle of MP3s.
It's a dilemma that faces every service with a pool of money - how do you divvy it up fairly? Apparently, the majors want the spoils to reflect the Top 40. While independent labels had their first US number one album recently with Vampire Weekend, that would under-represent their contribution.
Ironically, Virgin was once an independent label. ®


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Brain Awareness Week honors neuroscience champion Professor Bob Glassman
This year marks the tenth annual Brain Awareness Week at Lake Forest College. Starting in 2003, this symposium educates people about the brain through teaching, seminars, and entertainment. Events run from Monday, November 11 through Saturday, November 16.
Events include a lecture about happiness with Northwestern psychology professor Dr. Robin Nusslock, a talk titled, "The Biology of Helping: Lessons learned from rodents" with University of Chicago neurobiology professor Dr. Peggy Mason, and campus screening of the movie Amour with an interdisciplinary faculty panel.
First-year students will present brain outreach seminars about sex and sexuality, emotions, and sleep.
"I am excited about learning from the other groups' presentations," said Peyton Schrag '17. "I feel confident about presenting because we have received a good background about the anatomy of the brain. We learned about the brain regions associated with different functions and how they interact."
"Students are learning how to teach what they know," said Professor of Biology Shubhik DebBurman, stressing how teaching leads to better comprehension during the learning process.
Starting this year, the mid-week symposium has been named the Robert B. Glassman Memorial Brain, Mind, & Behavior Symposium in honor of the late Professor of Psychology Robert Glassman, who played a leading role in developing Lake Forest's popular neuroscience major.
"As far as I can remember, Bob Glassman has been the greatest champion for neuroscience at Lake Forest College," said DebBurman. "It was his vision to teach neuroscience to students and the community."
DebBurman said the symposium has a strong interdisciplinary approach, highlighting that only one faculty member presenting studies science. The rest teach English, communication, theater, and philosophy.
"It's unusual to have such a diverse faculty group tell their stories about the brain," he said. "That said, Bob would have loved this lineup which brings together big ideas from many different perspectives."
This year's symposium will also feature more poster presentations than ever before. For the first time, alumni are also presenting alongside current students.
"The symposium will involve more than 27 students presenting on more than 20 studies," said Victoria Egedus '14, president of Nu Rho Psi. "It will be a great opportunity for students showcasing their neuroscience related work."
Wrapping up a week of exciting brain presentations will be Saturday night's Explodeo Rodeo performance. Mentalist Chris Carter will be coming back to the College to put on a hypnotic show.
"Everyone should expect a night filled with laughter and good people," said Crystal Ramirez '14, Synapse co-president.
This week's events are free and open to the public to learn more about the science of their brain.


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Tackling a hard-to-treat childhood cancer by targeting epigenetic changes
A very difficult-to-treat child leukemia may benefit from the discovery of a small but potent epigenetic change that launches the cancer – but could potentially be reversed relatively easily, preventing cancer-promoting genes from being turned on. The study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is the cover article in the November 4 issue of Cancer Cell.
While cure rates for the major types of childhood leukemia are now about 80 percent, they are much lower for patients with a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) known as MLL-AF4, which accounts for 5 percent of all ALLs but 70 percent of ALLs striking infants. Children with this form of leukemia suffer rapid relapses and have a cure rate of just under 50 percent with chemotherapy.
"MLL-AF4 leukemias are very difficult to treat and in desperate need of new therapeutic approaches," says senior investigator Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD, of Children's and Dana-Farber. Like other other leukemias, the disease leads to abnormally high numbers of immature, dysfunctional white blood cells that crowd out the bone marrow, interfering with its ability to produce healthy blood cells.
The researchers, led by Armstrong, Andrei Krivtsov, PhD and Zhaohui Feng, also of Children's and Dana-Farber, first developed a mouse model of MLL-AF4, which had eluded scientists in the past. They then showed that the abnormal "fusion" protein that characterizes the disease, also known as MLL-AF4, goes to the cell's DNA and causes abnormal modification of one of the histones, "scaffolding" proteins that give chromosomes their shape and help control gene activation. As a result of this epigenetic change, chromosome structure is altered. This jump-starts activity of a diverse group of genes, including some known to be critical in initiating leukemia.
Studying samples from children with MLL-AF4 leukemias, the team made the same observations. "The fusion protein modifies histones and turns on genes that are not supposed to be turned on, and that initiate the development of the cancer," says Armstrong. "If you could inhibit that abnormal histone modification, you might be able to reverse the tumorigenic properties of the fusion protein."
It appears this inhibition may be relatively simply to accomplish. The researchers went on to demonstrate that MLL-AF4 does its evil work by recruiting an enzyme called DOT1L, which modifies the histone H3 by attaching a methyl group to a particular amino acid. While MLL-AF4 itself would be difficult to target chemically, enzymes are generally fairly easy to target with small-molecule drugs. Simply by inhibiting DOT1L, a variety of critical genes that contribute to the malignancy could potentially be inhibited.
A pharmaceutical DOT1L inhibitor hasn't yet been found, but when the researchers suppressed DOT1L indirectly through RNA interference techniques, the abnormally activated genes were turned off.
"Based on these data, we are searching for small molecules or drugs that inhibit DOT1L," says Armstrong. "Reversal of histone modifications could be an important therapeutic approach for this and potentially other cancers."
Armstrong notes that there are already drugs in clinic that target enzymes that modify histones, namely histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which are used to treat a kind of lymphoma and are being tested in other cancers.
Source: Children's Hospital Boston


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Slideshark App
I received an email from Brainshark today announcing they have developed a new app that will display PowerPoint (PPT) presentations on the iPad. After you sign up for a free account, you upload the PPT file to the Slideshark website and it converts it into a file that is viewable on the iPad. Slideshark is an alternative to saving a PPT file as a PDF, converting it to a Keynote file, or saving the slides as images.
Below is a description from the app description in iTunes:
With SlideShark you can view and show PowerPoint presentations on your iPad – the way they were meant to be seen. It's easy to use, powerful, professional, and – best of all – free! SlideShark is the one and only app you can use to accurately and professionally show PowerPoint presentations on an iPad.
Key Features:
• Play PowerPoint files properly on your iPad
• Preserves animations, fonts, graphics, and colors
• Simply tap or swipe to advance animations and slides
• Connect to a TV or VGA-projector to present to larger audiences (iPad 2 users)
You are limited to 25mb of storage space which is a very small amount in my opinion. You can purchase additional storage space if you need to keep presentations stored that exceed the 25mb of space. Slideshark indicates there are additional limitations when viewing PPT files using this app:
While the app is optimized for PowerPoint, there are a few features that are not currently supported. These include: hyperlinks on slides, embedded videos or animated gifs, slide transitions, triggers, and 3rd party components. There are also some advanced PowerPoint animations that may not be supported.
If you are looking for an alternative to Keynote to view PPT files on the iPad when speaking or presenting this may be just the thing you have been searching for. With the small amount of space available for uploaded presentations I am not sure how useful this app will be. The app is compatible with devices to project on a TV or screen and you do not need an internet connection to view the PPT file downloaded to the iPad. Feel free to leave a comment below with your opinion on this app once you have used the app.


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- Lotus
Raikkonen to stick with short wheelbase
Kimi Raikkonen will retain the shorter wheelbase Lotus for the remainder of the season after using it in Abu Dhabi.
Since Lotus switched to a longer wheelbase car at the Italian Grand Prix in September, Raikkonen has struggled to match team-mate Romain Grosjean and has been especially hampered in qualifying. He switched back to the shorter wheelbase in Abu Dhabi and was originally fifth on the grid - ahead of Grosjean - before being excluded following post-qualifying checks.
Despite crashing out of the race on the opening lap as well, Raikkonen said he's much happier with the old wheelbase and will retain it for the rest of the season.
"It has a better feeling for me and seems to make it easier for me to get more of what I want from the car," Raikkonen said. "We've been trying to get rid of understeer to get the car more as I want it and the shorter car helps with this."
Team principal Eric Boullier added running two different specification cars wasn't too challenging for the team.
"It's a matter of setup and getting the car exactly as the driver wants it," Boullier said. "Romain prefers and gets more out of the longer wheelbase, while Kimi prefers and gets more out of the shorter wheelbase. We are able to run with both configurations without issue so this is what we're doing. If either driver wants to change configuration again then of course we can do this, but it's not a quick job."


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I posted the quoted text below back on Nov '10… I wonder who exactly signs off for MERS, if this is so?
The standard modification agreement
is between the Borrower and
the Lender. The agreement amends
and supplements (1) the Mortgage,
Deed of Trust or Deed to Secure
Debt (Security Instrument) and (2)
the Note bearing the same date as,
and secured by, the Security
Instrument. Prior to MERS, the
standard agreement worked
because the Lender was the mortgagee
of record and could modify
the mortgage and also had the
authority to modify the Note.
However, if MERS is the mortgagee
of record, the Lender can't
modify the mortgage without the
"mortgagee's" consent.
The Obama Administration Friday announced it is expanding its flagship mortgage modification program and will now encourage lenders to reduce the principal loan balance for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.
The announcement comes just three days after President Obama said he would do more to support the struggling housing market and two days after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said housing is holding back the economic recovery.
Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Timothy Massad in a blog post Friday outlined the changes to HAMP — including extending the end-date by one year and refocusing on principal reductions.
Massad said Treasury notified the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that they will pay principal reduction incentives to the GSEs if they allow servicers to forgive principal — if done in conjunction with a HAMP modification.
Massad also said Treasury will triple the incentives for HAMP principal reduction modifications by paying from 18 to 63 cents on the dollar, depending on how much the loan-to-value ratio is reduced.
[MNINEWS]© 2010-19 FORECLOSURE FRAUD | by DinSFLA. All rights reserved.


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Explore what is changing the lives of tens of thousands of people in more than 170 countries around the world.
Explore what the 3 key tools of Access are and how you can use them to start creating the change you desire.
Receive tips of what you can choose to get started. You know what will work for you!
Hear from people all over the world about how they are different after Access Consciousness.
Read news articles, watch videos, listen to pods and radio shows – you can find Access Consciousness in many media channels!
Explore some of the most frequently asked questions about Access Consciousness.
There are thousands of Access Consciousness events and classes offered weekly around the world. You can search for a class by topic, facilitator, language or location in our class calendar.
Gary Douglas travels extensively facilitating advanced Access Consciousness classes as well as a range of evening and several day workshops on specific topics from Choice and Possibilities, to Money, Benevolent Capitalism, Relationships and more.
Dr. Dain Heer offers classes on a wide array of topics through out the world and is best known for his transformation process The Energetic Synthesis of Being as well as the Being You, Changing the World events.
Simone Milasas travels extensively facilitating advanced Access Consciousness classes as well as a range of evening and several day workshops on specific topics from Choice and Possibilities, Relationship Done Different, Business Done Different, Getting Out of Debt Joyfully and more.
Brendon Watt travels extensively facilitating beginning advanced Access Consciousness classes as well as a range of evening and several day workshops on specific topics from The Foundation, Choice and Possibilities, Relationship Done Different, and more.
The Access Bars are the very core and foundation of Access Consciousness. It can be the starting point of a great adventure and it can be something you add to your life that will assist you in creating a greater ease with everything.
Dr. Dain Heer offers classes on a wide array of topics through out the world and is best known for his transformation process The Energetic Synthesis of Being (ESB).
Dr. Dain Heer offers classes on a wide array of topics through out the world and is well known for his Being You, Changing the World events, based on his bestselling Being You, Changing the World book.
The Speciality Programs are branches of Access Consciousness where you can dive deeper into particular topics with specialized facilitators. Each program offer introductory classes, advanced classes and certification facilitator training.
Access Consciousness offers classes on an infinite array of topics. There are many types of variety classes available.
Access Consciousness have many ways of engaging with the tools worldwide via expos, meet ups, radio shows, tele summits, google hangouts and more.
Each Access Facilitator is facilitated by the creators of Access Consciousness, Gary Douglas and Dr. Dain Heer. There are several license types for Access Consciousness Core Classes as well as Specialty Programs and Special Topic Classes.
Are you looking for more change? Use our search function to find a facilitator near you.
Access Consciousness has over 8,000 facilitators and practitioners in more than 170 countries. Find all their specific certifications and licenses here.
Find an article on almost any topic you could think of! Where would you like your adventure to begin?
We created a special log in help page to assist you!
Have you been challenged by society, culture or your parents? Do you know there is more to life? Do you know that there are greater possibilities for you? Have you read all the books, bought all the T Shirts, attended all the courses and yet still feel like something is missing or you are living a life you are not happy with?
What if Access Consciousness could show you how to allow the real you to show up? Because what if you are not wrong? What if you are not broken? What if your points of view and the judgements of you are the distortion not allowing the real you to show up? What if Access Consciousness could give you the tools to create the most phenomenal life that you could ever plan or dream?
Raising a teenage boy as a single parent challenged my beliefs and assumptions of how a parent should be and put me in a space where I was unhappy and it wasn't much fun for him either. I remember as a child listening to an argument and knowing "there has to be more to life than this'. Being a single parent started me on my journey of trying to understand through books and seminars and courses and talks and many hours of self judgement. It was so frustrating, because it still didn't take me out of self blame.
At some point I discovered Consciousness work, first through Holographic Repatterning which led me to BodyTalk and BreakThrough. I graduated as a BodyTalk Practitioner and BreakThrough Facilitator and then I found BARS Access in 2011. BARS Access has accelerated my uncovering. Consciousness embraces everything and judges nothing. Access Consciousness is about discharging your points of view, judgments, wrongness, opinions so that you can experience BEING without the burden of judgment and being judged. It's exciting and exhilarating. I feel like a brand new person, I love this work and I know it can create change for you too. If you have had enough of where you are, I invite you to have a few BARS Sessions and/or learn to run BARS, swop sessions with friends and run BARS for your family.
Access Consciousness is easy quick FUN and it works.
I look forward to meeting you, creating greater possibilities.
What contribution can I be?
What else is possible?
All of Life comes to me with Ease Joy and Glory
Stepping Into You Intro Certification (SIYI)
Access Bars Practitioner (BP)
Access Bars Facilitator (BF)
Intro Class Facilitator (CFMW)
Noordhoek, Western Cape, South Africa
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See veebisait kasutab küpsiseid. Veebisaidil lehitsemise jätkamisel nõustute küpsiste kasutamisega. Lisateabeks.
Me EI jälgi teie IP-aadressi ega kasuta suunatud turunduseks analüüsi, piksleid või küpsised. Kui me meeldime Teile, siis tulge tagasi ja külastage meid veebis uuesti!


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Published: January 20, 2013
By BRUCE SCHREINER — Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Industrial hemp's repositioning toward mainstream status gained ground with a timely endorsement from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. But the plant's proponents have more work to do in cultivating support to legalize a crop that once was a Bluegrass state staple.
The chamber said recently that provided there's adequate regulatory oversight, it supports legislation to position Kentucky as a leader in the production and commercialization of industrial hemp. The position was hailed by hemp backers, noting the chamber's political clout.
"When Kentucky's leading voice for small businesses and economic development endorses a piece of legislation, lawmakers sit up and listen," said state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, a former state lawmaker.
Comer is leading the comeback campaign for the versatile crop outlawed for decades due to its association with its cousin, marijuana. Hemp has a negligible content of THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.
Comer, a farmer himself, touts hemp's potential while crisscrossing the state, saying Kentucky can become a hub of hemp production and manufacturing. The crop can be turned into paper, clothing, food, biofuel, lotions and other products.
"We could be the Silicon Valley of industrial hemp manufacturing right here in Kentucky," Comer said recently.
Bills aimed at legalizing the crop have been introduced in the Kentucky House and Senate, and lawmakers are expected to debate the issue when they return to the State Capitol in Frankfort next month to resume the 2013 session.
But hemp backers acknowledge challenges remain, namely resistance from Kentucky State Police. And that opposition could have a spillover effect with lawmakers hesitant to oppose the state's top law enforcement agency.
State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer last month restated the agency's opposition, saying law enforcement may have difficulty distinguishing between hemp and marijuana.
Comer met with Brewer following a meeting of the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission late last year, but the commissioner said they've had no follow-up discussions. Comer said he'd like to have state police support but sees the agency's resistance as a "non-factor."
"I was a state representative for 11 years and very few bills ever passed without somebody being opposed to them," he said.
Republican Sen. Paul Hornback of Shelbyville, lead sponsor of one of the hemp bills, said state police opposition will be an obstacle. But he said the state chamber's support for legalizing the crop helps reshape the crop's image.
"Everybody has to feel comfortable with the bill," said Hornback, a tobacco farmer who once was lukewarm to hemp. "With the stature that the state chamber has, I think it does legitimize it. It brings credibility to the issue."
Supporters say there's a ready-made market for hemp, pointing to industry estimates that U.S. retail sales of hemp products exceed $400 million. Hemp is grown legally in Canada and many other countries, and imports into the U.S. include finished hemp products.
At least a couple of Kentucky companies – a tobacco processor and a seed supplier – have expressed interest in branching out into hemp. Hemp supporters say that could lead to jobs, especially in rural areas.
But the resistance of state police could be a sticking point for some lawmakers, including the top House leader.
"It will be difficult to pass any legislation that doesn't have the support of the Kentucky State Police and Kentucky's law enforcement community," said House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg. "As long as they have reservations, I have reservations."
Another potentially key player in the debate, Rep. Tom McKee, D-Cynthiana, said the biggest impediments to hemp's comeback are the federal ban on hemp and the concerns of state police.
But McKee, chairman of the House Agriculture and Small Business Committee, hasn't yet staked out a position on the issue.
"We don't want to close a door on any viable agricultural crop that is profitable and would be well-accepted," he said.
Under Hornback's bill, hemp growers would need licenses, and applicants would have to pass criminal background checks.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said he would seek a waiver from the federal ban on hemp for Kentucky if state lawmakers vote to legalize the crop. Paul also has pushed for federal legislation to remove restrictions on hemp cultivation. The Kentucky Republican said hemp supporters need to persuade law enforcement skeptics that the crop "won't make the drug problem worse."
"We live in a modern world where we have GPS," he said in a recent speech in Frankfort. "Couldn't a farmer or anybody who wants to grow it just get a simple one-page permit and say these are my GPS coordinates where it's being grown and it could be checked?"
As for Comer, the agriculture commissioner has said he won't defy the federal government on the issue.
The crop hasn't been grown in the U.S. since the 1950s. Kentucky once was a leading producer of industrial hemp. During World War II, the U.S. government encouraged farmers to grow hemp for the war effort because other industrial fibers, often imported from overseas, were in short supply.
Because it can thrive in small, sloping plots, Comer said hemp could be a viable crop on marginal land in central and eastern Kentucky.
"A decade from now, someone will look back and think, 'You mean there were people opposed to growing industrial hemp?'" he said.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/01/20/2483327/hemp-supporters-gain-big-endorsement.html#storylink=cpy


text:
– We noted before that The Rock trained with Michael McGillicutty to prepare for his Royal Rumble match. Rock is now supporting McGillicutty and he's always had Triple H backing him. No word yet on why he continues to be kept on the lower end of the roster. There's been a big push to get rid of his name and call him Joe Hennig but WWE officials are so against real names these days because they want to full own everyone's ring name.
– Vince McMahon is legitimately having surgery done on his left hip soon. Vince has had a bad hip for some time now. The storyline injury from Brock Lesnar was done as a reason to take off for the surgery.
– As noted before, the early word on plans for Chris Jericho's return is that he will feud with Dolph Ziggler before turning heel and facing Ryback at WrestleMania 29. The idea would be to use Jericho to get Ryback back where he was. Jericho felt back in October that Hell In a Cell was the right time for Ryback to take the WWE Title.
The Rock Recommends Big Storyline to Vince, Busty New Photos of Kelly Kelly Exposed and More…
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington needs to rediscover its ability to compromise and commit to a long-term plan to reduce the nation's debt, the head of the country's second-largest stock exchange said on Monday, warning that lawmakers are flirting with disaster.
Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ.O) CEO Robert Greifeld, in the latest corporate call for congressional action, said lawmakers need to think less about "winning."
Instead, he said Republicans must budge on tax increases, while Democrats must give ground on spending cuts.
"The federal budget must be put on a path to sustainability that can clearly withstand any changes in the political winds that may occur in 2014, in 2016, and beyond. This means additional revenues will need to be raised, including from businesses, by broadening the tax base, while reducing the top rates," Greifeld told an audience at the Brookings Institution, referring to corporate tax rates.
"We also acknowledge that federal spending will need to be curtailed, including spending on our favorite government-funded programs."
Greifeld said the best that the markets can hope for in the short term is for Congress to make a deal to avoid the year-end "fiscal cliff" and then commit to deliver a longer-term "grand bargain" on debt reduction during the first half of next year.
Greifeld's speech comes a few days after President Barack Obama began negotiations with congressional leaders in an effort to stave off the "fiscal cliff," a combination of spending cuts and tax increase in early 2013 meant to cut the federal budget deficit, but that also tip the economy back into recession.
If an agreement cannot be reached, then some $600 billion in spending cuts and tax increases will kick in starting December 31. The combination of these two things at once could push the country back into a recession, analysts say.
The Obama administration is pushing for Republicans to allow tax rate cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire as a way to raise additional revenue.
Republicans, by contrast, want to largely rely on spending cuts to tame the national debt, while extending the lower tax rate for everyone.
"Why hasn't the government taken any action? Let's be candid about this. Putting aside the rhetoric and posturing of the past two weeks, the behavior in Washington in recent years confirms that we've lost the ability to compromise," Greifeld said.
On Friday, Obama and top lawmakers agreed to work on a framework for reforming the U.S. tax code and "entitlement" programs next year.
Although this longer-term plan would not be enough to avert the more immediate "fiscal cliff," it is widely seen as an important step toward achieving a compromise.
Greifeld confirmed on Monday that he is a member of the Fix the Debt campaign, an ad hoc lobby group made up of more than 80 CEOs pushing for long-term deficit reduction.
The group advocates for reforms to entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as "pro-growth tax reform" that would lower rates and raise revenue.
Greifeld told Reuters on the sidelines of the Monday event that he met last week with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who is expected to be a main negotiator for the Obama administration on the "fiscal cliff."
Greifeld said he came away feeling Geithner was "pragmatic and data-driven."
"That is a good sign," he said.
He also said during the interview that he would be "fine" with wealthier Americans paying more in individual taxes as long as they were properly balanced with spending cuts.
"I think to the extent that the Bush-era tax cuts lapse and we went back to the rates that were in the Clinton time ... if that were part of a balanced plan, I would be fine with that," he told Reuters.
If those tax cuts expire, the wealthiest would see their rates spike to 39.6 percent from 35 percent.
Greifeld declined to offer his view on which federal spending programs should be cut, although he noted there was "no one program big enough" and the government should be looking at small steps it can take across the board.
"More likely, you are going to see budget sanity be achieved by a thousand small steps as opposed to one or two large ones," he said.
He would have concerns, however, about extending such smaller cuts to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission - the federal agency charged with regulating Nasdaq OMX and other stock exchanges.
The White House's Office of Management and Budget has projected that, if the sequestration portion of the "fiscal cliff" takes effect, the SEC would be faced with an 8.2 percent cut, or $108 million to its $1.3 billion budget.
Greifeld said such a cut could harm the ability of exchanges to get things done. That is because federal securities laws require exchanges to seek SEC approval before they change rules or modify fees.
"Any decline in the SEC's ability to act will hurt our plans for 2013 and beyond, so that would be a bad outcome for us," he said.
The SEC's budget currently does not impact the deficit because the amount appropriated by Congress is offset by fees the agency charges the industry.
Greifeld believes the SEC "should be a self-funded organization" similar to other financial regulators such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Reporting By Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Karey Wutkowski, Cynthia Osterman and Andre Grenon


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Molto Vino in Babylon: First sip
Slim as a Champagne flute, Molto Vino is pouring some fun into downtown Babylon.
The wine bar, offspring of the Solo Vino wine shop next door, snugly fits maybe 20 imbibers before it's standing-room time. On weekends, it's likely you'll be shoulder-to-shoulder. But on weekdays, it's possible to enjoy a tranquil sip, especially if you show up on the early side.
Wines are listed on the mirrors behind the bar, so you'll need get close. And ask questions about vintages and styles from the bartender/sommelier. The prices average out to $10 for a glass. Most are easygoing quaffers, with some exceptions in Port and big reds.
To go with them, there's a modest menu that's primarily panini, salads, cheeses and cured meats. The "charcuterie" play may include prosciutto, speck and sopressata; the cheeses, manchego and Asiago.
Just in case, they have Peroni and Brooklyn Lager on tap, too.
Expect the establishment to expand if and when the wine shop moves.
Molto Vino, 45 Deer Park Ave., Babylon; 631-983-8915.


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Real NYC Designer Market is open every Saturday and Sunday at 109 Mulberry Street 11-9PM. It's been such a great August! We have met so many wonderful tourists, shoppers, fashionistas and art seekers!
We have had amazing exhibitors – we love all the talent! Surround yourself with all of the artists and designers at Real NYC Designer Market…. treasures of fish tails, unique finds, fashion, cutting edge styles, fresh flowers, lobster tails, cuffs, vintage, handmade, feathers, fur, stones, gold, silver, polymer clay, fringe, red shoes, doll heads, lamps, home decor, books, up-cycle, recycle, aqua marine, kittens, monster night lights, families, friends, linen shirts, pill boxes, flasks, gifts, treats, mirrors, authentic designs, stained glass, stone gurus, laughter, sharing, Pim, the Set NYC, Phil Harris, hand-sewn, earrings, necklaces, cuffs, collectibles, trolls with light bulb eyes, pointillists, franco the dog, mom visiting, table tops, photography, vases, stephen, vintage lockets, rubies, pizza, gelato, totes, mobiles, arm warmers, leg warmers, leather bags, tailors, festive attitudes, ladies named heidi, Markets of New York Weekend Picks, Karen Seiger, Lunas, birthdays, sweets, cameras and much much more! We are looking forward to an amazing fall…. we still have some weekends left of summer! Join us now!
Photo Credits: Lyndee Designs Jewelry, Mark the Artisian, Tyler Craftworks, Authentic Design


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#centenary anniversary
# centenary-anniversary - Tuesday 7 October, 2014
Were your relatives involved in the 1916 Rising? This group wants to hear from you
The committee wants as many relatives as possible to be involved in the centenary plans.Share45 Tweet26
# centenary-anniversary - Saturday 12 July, 2014
Ireland's part in World War 1: Hear the stories, see the mementos and eat the food of the time
A free WW1 Road Show is being held at Trinity College today.Share47 Tweet26
Your sayView more polls
Poll: Are you concerned about using public transport?
COMMUTERS WHO HOLD an annual TaxSaver travel ticket will have it extended for six months due to the travel restrictions imposed in recent months as a result of Covid-19.
Many people rely on public transport for work and other reasons, and service providers are implementing precautionary measures such social distancing in a bid to keep passengers safe.
It is also mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport, but not everyone is and some people are still uncomfortable using buses, trains or trams amid the pandemic.
We want to know: Are you concerned about using public transport?
Poll Results:
Open Letter from Ireland's psychologists: 'Direct Provision is causing untold psychological harm'
"As a country we must do better," according to about 150 signatories.
Opinion: Support is needed to help people with Down syndrome return to work
96% of employees on Down Syndrome Ireland's Ability Programme were temporarily laid off due to Covid-19.
What we can learn from the world's 'Blue Zones' - where people regularly live into their 90s and 100s
Lifestyle changes can cure some diseases and significantly extend our lives, writes Professor Ciaran O'Boyle.
Opinion: 'An unjustified panic against all international travel has developed in Ireland'
The effects of this isolationist approach will dwarf the impact of the virus itself, writes commercial airline pilot Robert Dagg.
Dublin WeatherChange location
- Friday Intervals of clouds and sun Max: 20 °C Min: 14 °C
- Saturday Partly sunny with a shower or t-storm Max: 19 °C Min: 14 °C
- Sunday Clouds and sun with a couple of showers Max: 17 °C Min: 14 °C
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Open Letter from Ireland's psychologists: 'Direct Provision is causing untold psychological harm'
Psychologists for Social Change Ireland
Opinion: Support is needed to help people with Down syndrome return to work
Aoife Gaffney


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The Liberal Arts in Action
September 25, 2013
Lewis & Clark has always been committed to teaching students how to imagine–and build–a better future.
For the last two years, we've offered winter-break seminars that demonstrate how entrepreneurs think and act. This January, we launched our first Venture Competition. More than 40 teams of students and recent alumni have participated, many of them receiving training and start-up funds for their commercial or social enterprises.
On October 4, a panel of business leaders and entrepreneurs will judge presentations by the finalists and award seed funds totaling up to $30,000. Learn more about the five finalist teams–and their experiences–in this video.
UPDATE 10/4/13: At the conclusion of the final competition, Portland Mushroom Company was awarded $20,000 in further funding, and RootED Recovery received $10,000.
Admissions Entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark


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Thanks to everyone who came out to last week's Child's Play fundraiser in Denver.
That includes the reader who drove, DROVE, from Florida to partake in the raising of funds for a good cause. Also to Harmonix who flew from Boston to hang for a night.
It was the best event in Denver to date with a crowd of gamers dancing and drinking under an absurdly large disco ball, people up on stage playing Rock Band and DJ Hero and folks on a second floor enjoying the free console arcade.
Last year we managed to raise a surprising $4,000. This year we brought in more than that just at the door. The total funds raised in Denver last Thursday night comes to $6,508. And because so many people donated their time, their shwag, their building, heart and soul, 100 percent of the money raised is going to the charity and none to the act of raising money for it.
You should pat yourself on the back for making this such a fun time for such a good cause. And if you have spare cash, or the desire to give non-spare cash away. Hit up Child's Play directly.
And if you have them, feel free to post your own pics from the event in comments. Special thanks to photographers Phillip Loeb and Allen for these photos.


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Conviction of ex-US House leader DeLay's tossed
AUSTIN, Texas -- A Texas appeals court overturned the money laundering conviction of former Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Thursday, saying there was insufficient evidence.
The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 ruling that it decided to "reverse the judgments of the trial court and render judgments of acquittal." DeLay was found guilty in November 2010 of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for helping illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.
DeLay was sentenced to three years in prison, but his sentence was on hold while his case made its way through the appellate process.
DeLay's attorney, Brian Wice, told The Associated Press that DeLay felt validated by Thursday's ruling.
"He's ecstatic. He's gratified. He's just a little bit numb," Wice said. "I'm hoping with today's victory, he will be able to resume his life as he once knew it."
A jury in Austin had determined that DeLay conspired with two associates, John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, to use his Texas-based political action committee to send a check for $190,000 in corporate money to an arm of the Washington-based Republican National Committee. The RNC then sent the same amount to seven Texas House candidates. Under state law, corporate money cannot be given directly to political campaigns.
Prosecutors said the money helped the GOP take control of the Texas House, enabling them to push through a DeLay-engineered congressional redistricting plan that sent more Republicans to Congress in 2004, strengthening his political power.
But in a 22-page opinion, the appeals court said prosecutors "failed in its burden to prove that the funds that were delivered to the seven candidates were ever tainted."


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Sylvester Stallone returned to the screen after a three-year absence (excepting his voice work in Antz) with this tense and violent psychological crime thriller. FBI agent Jake Malloy (Stallone) has been traumatized by an especially vicious murder. No longer able to perform his job, Malloy is referred to a clinic for members of the law enforcement community, run by doctors Hank (Tom Berenger) and Doc (Kris Kristofferson). Jake begins receiving therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, but crime follows him inside the clinic; a serial killer has invaded the facility and is killing off the patients one by one, in increasingly gruesome ways. Soon Jake must set aside his fears and track down the murderer, before he becomes the next victim. D-Tox (which, in production, was publicized under the titles Detox and The Outpost) was released on video as Eye See You. Mark Deming, Rovi
Jim Gillespie, Angela Alvarado, Hrothgar Mathews, Rance Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Polly Walker, Courtney B. Vance, Tom Berenger, James Kidnie, Frank Pellegrino, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Prosky, Alan C. Peterson, Charles S. Dutton, Christopher Fulford, Dina Meyer, Robert Patrick, Stephen Lang, Sean Patrick Flanery, Kris Kristofferson, Howard Swindle, Ron L. Brinkerhoff


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Go Team! Part Two: The Medic
Yeah, seriously. I'll get to you. I'm talking.
There's many of reasons why people become a medic in a first-person shooter. They're especially true in TF2.
For me, there's two big ones. I'm sure there's some people who do the healing thing out of pure altruism. Hell, there may even be pacifist players out there, who doesn't believe in ultra-violence even when it's as slapstick as a paint-balloon. There's certainly some who enjoy being that go-getting team player – not true altruism, but the pleasure of being a cog in a well-oiled machine. In the case of Team Fortress 2, someone will be attracted to the clinically-dry persona of the Teutonic Medic, half-way between a Nazi Evil ( not mad) Scientist and the voice in a GPS guidance system. You may even just pick it by accident. But not me. Here's why I play the medic more than anything else…
1) I don't need to shoot straight.
2) I like to win.
Let me explain.
First one is obvious. My skills are weak. Or – more accurately – not as strong as I'd like them to be. More importantly, in these early days of TF2, I – and everyone else – is still feeling out the maps and learning what's up. As a Medic, I don't need to initiate any tactics – I just need to support the movements. It's a good one to learn the game as – even in the company of players who know it back to front – you, by following their lead, can actually be useful. No matter how raw you are elsewhere, no-one ever objects to being healed.
Second one is the key one and it's more subtle than it appears. Abstractly, everyone likes to win. If you ask – say – Alec or (especially) Jim whether they prefer being the one who gets bragging rights or not, the choice is clear. But they're not playing the medic. I play the Medic as I prefer to win than to have fun. Or rather it's impossible for me to have personal fun when my team is losing due to a problem I've noted. An impassable turret bottleneck? Troops when they've penetrated 2Forts are heavily wounded whenever they reach the basement? Medium-far from our spawn point in a war of attrition? That'll be a medic we'll be needing, and we'll continue losing until someone becomes one.
When I realise this, it annoys me so much I can't even faintly enjoy myself until someone makes the jump… and the easiest way to relieve that symptom is to swallow the pill myself.
In other words, the Medic is all about diagnosing the problem and prescribing the solution. Namely you and a magical healing squirty thing.
(And, yeah, the Engineer is similar, but we'll get to him eventu…)
For God's sake. I'm busy here. BUSY.
That's what you'll have to get used to as a medic. Constant demands for attention from team-mates, whether they're injured or not. The Z, X and C keys are bound to the sub-menus of communication… but simply press E and you call for the man with the sticking plasters. A conscientious medic spends a lot of their time spinning around, trying to see if the shout is someone they've missed or someone suggesting you team up for an attack or just pressing it as a joke. Note I said "missed". To play a Medic well, you need a constant awareness of everyone's health in the area – as well as a knowledge when your healing isn't going to be enough to save someone (A constant beam on someone has a tendency to make people over-confident. It'll let you shrug off many attacks… but any decent turret will take you to pieces). This means that medics do best – and are most essential – on the levels with bottlenecks where you can skip between your team-mates in a half-second.
Remember what I said earlier about the Medic not needing to initiate any tactics. Not completely true. They don't initiate offensives but – at least on open server play – it's not really tactics until a medic tags along. With a healing beam between the medic and his charge, it's a visual symbolism of a symbioticism – we're working together, we're a team. The Medic is the truest of the Support classes, the most hands-on in that way. You're engaged in the combat in a way which the Engineer often really isn't, as he goes quietly about his master plans in the middle of a warzone. You're wearing those big gloves for a reason, because you're often elbow-deep in gore.
The medics' rewards are mainly mental. This reward is mixed with a mass of aggravation.
Basically, playing a Medic rapidly turns me (and probably you) into a curmudgeonly surgeon who'll make House look like Bertie Wooster. Because, you get to see people fuck up, just to annoy you. For example, you loyally follow someone into a base, only for them to get themselves killed in a really stupid way to leave you stuck behind enemy lines, with your occasionally-effective-but-mostly-not syringe-gun and wasted minutes of your lives. And obviously, the Spies. As Snipers are to the Heavies, Spies are to the Medic. While Alec suggested Shoot The Medic to be an effective tactic against a paired-up heavy-and-medic, in practice, Medics partnered to Heavies will be safely behind the corner the big guy's marching around. By the time our Germanic-chap follows them around, everyone will almost certainly be dead. Unfortunately, as a medic, you're looking in the direction of the person you're healing… or you're not healing. You may as well have WE WELCOME ALL SPIES, PLEASE MAKE YOUR KNIFE COMFORTABLE written on the back of your head.
But that's not worst.
The charge function isn't the biggest part of the Medic's utility, but it's certainly the sexiest bit. After healing enough (just concentrating the beam on someone who's on full health will work too, but slowly), you fill up your charge bar. When you click your alt-fire you, and whoever you're currently healing, will become invulnerable. It's the stalemate breaker, allowing you to form the core of an assault to clear out those pesky turrets or defenders. It's also a lot of work to get, in terms of time. If you die, you lose everything you've saved. At least a minute of charging is required before the bar signals it's ready to fire gloriously. You choose the recipient of your boon, set the beam and click the alt-fire… and you're a pair, pushing back the line. Or you're turning the attack back in a duo of destruction. Or you stand, slack-jawed, as they continue the paranoid cautious standard TF2 play instead of leaping in like a true hero, or – as has happened at least a couple of times – they crouch in the corner for the entire length of your hard-earned invulnerability, doing sod shitting fuck all.
The Medic isn't really about altruism. It's about trust. In that you, to be most devastating, have to put your trust in another player. No other role requires such an enormous investment of something you've worked towards for minutes into someone else. It gives the pair of you the chance to be great. It also gives the chance for them to carry on, unworried, while you eat your monitor in frustration.
Coming, for God's sake, I'm coming. If I didn't have to keep you all alive to win, I'd kill the bloody lot of you.


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This is a black plastic bezel designed to facilitate mounting and settling of units when using a 4D Systems uLCD-32PTU intelligent display module or 4DPi-32 Raspberry Pi primary display module.
The bezel provides not only a sleek cover for the modules, but also an easy method to panel-mount the display module into a secure enclosure. An enclosure is not included. Spring clips attach to the bezel in four locations to hold tightly onto an enclosure or wall panel. This allows for a range of panel thickness from 1mm to 2.5mm without the need to add washers.
Bottom view, showing uLCD-32PTU module installed: The four remaining screw holes can be used to fit the spring clips, like so:
There also is a white version of this bezel.
Note: This bezel is designed for indoor use only. It is not weather-sealed, nor does it bear any Ingress Protection (IP) rating. Use with care preferably in a clean environment, as the bezel offers little protection to the circuitry against moisture or particles.
Download 4D-BEZEL-32 Instructions and Specifications


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Revel in outdoor spectacular skyline views from a quaint terrace gardens or from a expansive luxurious rooftop patio. Relax or entertainment from the soaring heights of an elevated rooftop outdoor living area.Service Detail
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Attractive curb appeal to evoke an inviting entrance to your home's landscape. Functional everyday-use options that durably create driveway and pathway layouts (straight, curved, circular) flanked with sustainable landscape plantingService Detail
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Our swimming pool area was dated and needed a complete revamp. Joe was able to help us see the vision of the possibilities of our property's slope. His design maximized under-utilized areas to a large pool deck and patio. My Favorite feature is the natural stone boulder wall and walkway to the amazing Fireboulder.
I've been happy with the services provided by JMT Landscapes. Tyler has been wonderful! He has returned my calls quickly, and he answered all my questions. WE LOVE our patio dining area and outdoor kitchen bartop.
Quality Products from Quality Vendors


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It's a safe bet that "Arrow's" Katie Cassidy would look shapely in Black Canary's signature fishnet stockings, but will she actually make the move from love interest to fellow crime fighter?
With the action-adventure series based on the DC Comics superhero Green Arrow emerging as The CW's breakout hit of the fall season, Cassidy – best known for her stints on "Melrose Place" and "Gossip Girl" – has made a strong impression as Oliver Queen's crusading ex- (and possibly future) girlfriend Laurel Lance. Cassidy reveals what she loves about the role, how her famous dad ("Partridge Family" family lead David Cassidy) let her find her own way in Hollywood, and how she's up for some fight training should those fishnets find their way into her wardrobe.
Let's talk about developing that love/hate chemistry with Stephen Amell in the first part of the season, because that can be tricky to pull off.
There's definitely a fine line with that. There's a lot of push and pull that goes on between the two characters. I think you'll see the journey that they go on, it's certainly a bumpy ride. But having said that, you can't help who you love. I feel like they have such a strong connection and the history between them, they've known each other since they were kids.
Given that Dinah Laurel Lance is better known as the Black Canary in the comic books, are you physically prepping yourself for the call to slip into a superhero costume at some point?
Yeah. I think overall, in general, I'm a pretty physical and fit person. I try to take care of myself and workout and stuff like that.
How closely have you looked at the original comic book character and the blonde wig – the whole look that's defined her since she debuted in the '40s.
I certainly did a lot of research before I met with the guys and before I got the role, but as far as actually going back and reading into it too much, I try not to do that. I don't want to change what I've sort of already developed in my head.
Are you pro-fishnets?
It kind of just depends on how the whole costume would come together. I have this action figure that I was given by a fan that's the Black Canary. I noticed that it was very revealing, with not a lot of material in the costume, so that's a little scary! But I'm sure that it'd be something that came together in a very cool and classy way.
Were you aware of the comic book characters when you were young?
I was more of a videogame person actually. I wasn't very into comic books. I was literally more about 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Duke Nukem' on the PC.
You've said that your father, David Cassidy, advised you to not take a job unless you were passionate about it. Were you always able to adhere to his wisdom?
I certainly think at some point in your career, this is how we make money. This is our job and it becomes your life. When I was really young, I moved out when I was 18 years old and had nothing. The one thing that I will say that I appreciate about my parents is when I moved out, they were basically like, 'You're going to be on your own and you're going to learn like everyone else to make a living and choose what you want to do.'
If I needed help they probably would've helped me, but the whole time it was just me. I had my one bedroom apartment and I didn't have a lot of money and so there were times that I took roles because I needed to survive. Having said that, I think that you get to a place in your career, which I think has happened in the last couple of years, where I've gotten the opportunity and have been so lucky to be more selective and actually feel passionate and driven about these projects that I have taken. I've gotten to a place where I can feel a little bit more comfortable.
How pleased or horrified were they that you wanted to be an actor?
I think they were definitely slightly horrified. But they were both very big on following my dream and they knew how important it was to me and how much I wanted it. My dad also said to me, 'As long as you work hard at it, you can never learn too much.' He was like, 'As long as you're in class and you study and show that this is actually what you want to do, I will support it.' I think he saw that, and so now he is just proud.
Had you stayed in regular talks with The CW since your last show with them?
I have stayed very close with them. The CW has been wonderful to me, and I sat down and met with them about a year ago – and I wanted to be back on their network. We sat down and talked and they said, 'What kind of show are you looking to do?' I said that it would be really cool to do something action-packed, a kick-ass-type role. Sure enough this came along, and I read it and it was a great group of people: Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg – they were certainly the people that I wanted to be in business with. It was a wonderful script and a wonderful character, so it all just fell into place.
What do you like about Laurel?
I love the fact that she's a strong woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Her integrity, her morals and her values are very, very high. I just think especially in today's society the working woman is very much more respected. I think it's great that she gets to take on this role and make things happen that she strongly believes in.
Are we going to see you in any other projects aside from "Arrow?"
Yeah. I don't know if you're familiar with this graphic novel called 'The Scribbler.' We just shot the movie and I played Suki who has multiple personality disorder. It was really dark, really edgy. It was crazy to play someone who had multiple personality disorder. It has a big sci-fi element to it and a kind of psychological mind game that the whole movie is about. It was an amazing experience!
"Arrow" airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW


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Daniel Becerril / Reuters
Catholics pray near windows covered partially with cement blocks inside St. Teresa of Avila church in Monterrey, Mexico, on Feb. 17, 2013.
Daniel Becerril / Reuters
A green light indicates there is no danger as a priest distributes Holy Communion to the congregation inside the church.
A church in the Mexican city of Monterrey has set up extreme security measures to protect worshippers, bricking up its windows and introducing a traffic light system to warn churchgoers if a crime is taking place nearby.
During mass, a green light is activated above a side door of the St. Teresa of Avila church to indicate that there is no sign of danger outside.
When the amber light is lit, it indicates caution, while the red light represents danger from criminal activity, such as a shooting, taking place near the church.
A concrete wall has also been constructed in front of the main facade of the church.
Daniel Becerril / Reuters
A concrete wall has been built in front of St. Teresa of Avila church.
Last week, Mexico's new administration offered the first details of a long-touted shift in the country's war on drugs, saying the government will spend $9.2 billion this year on social programs meant to keep young people from joining criminal organizations in the 251 most violent towns and neighborhoods across the country.
"It's clear that we must put special emphasis on prevention, because we can't only keep employing more sophisticated weapons, better equipment, more police, a higher presence of the armed forces in the country as the only form of combating organized crime," President Enrique Pena Nieto said.
-- Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mexicans weary of drug gangs form vigilante patrols
Slideshow: Mexico's drug war, drug culture


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No. 2 Connecticut women beat Hartford 102-45
Recommended Video:
WEST HARTFORD -- Whether she's starting or coming off the bench, freshman Breanna Stewart has proven to be a natural scorer for Connecticut.
Stewart scored a season-high 27 points and four teammates also reached double figures as No. 2 UConn defeated Hartford 102-45 on Saturday.
It was the fifth time Stewart has led the Huskies (10-0) in scoring this season. She also had a team-high seven rebounds in 25 minutes.
"I'm just going into the game just trying to play my game," Stewart said. "I'm not trying to force shots or anything like that. If I'm open, I'm going to shoot it."
A pregame ceremony honored the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, with youth players from Newtown joining the teams on the court before a sellout crowd of 3,508.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Kelly Faris had 18 points, Bria Hartley 15 and Stefanie Dolson 10 for UConn, which shot 62.3 percent.
Daphne Elliott led Hartford (8-3) with 10 points. The Hawks were without leading scorer Amber Bepko, who was injured.
"It's unfortunate that Amber got hurt and wasn't able to play today. Trying to play without your best player was difficult for Hartford," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Having said that, the way we shot the ball most of the day it was going to be hard for anyone to beat us."
It was the first time the teams played on Hartford's home court since Dec. 23, 1990. UConn has won all 13 meetings.
Stewart, who shot 9 of 13 from the field, set a team record for the most points after 10 games. She has 169, surpassing the previous mark held by Maya Moore (165).
The national high school player of the year last season, Stewart started her first eight games at UConn and averaged 15.1 points. In the past two, she has scored 27 and 21 off the bench.
UConn led 51-15 at halftime, shooting 63.3 percent in the opening 20 minutes with four players scoring in double figures, led by 15 points from Hartley. In their next game, the Huskies play top-ranked Stanford on Dec. 29 in California.
"That gym is going to be packed. It's going to be loud. They're going to be physical with us," Faris said.
UConn displayed its superiority against Hartford early, taking a 25-7 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Mosqueda-Lewis accounted for nine of the points, making three 3-pointers in as many attempts.
The Huskies stretched the lead to 30-7, part of an 18-0 run, with 24 of those points on offensive possessions that resulted in three points. UConn made five 3-pointers and three other times a player made a basket as she was fouled and converted the free throw.
"There's no better team that prepares you to play hard on every possession than UConn," said Hartford coach Jennifer Rizzotti, who played for UConn. "Hopefully our kids learned from the experience."
Hartford committed 21 of its 25 turnovers in the first half, several of them resulting in transition baskets for UConn. The Huskies scored 28 points off turnovers in the first half and held Hartford to 5-of-16 shooting from the field.
"I thought the majority of the first half Hartford had a hard time getting the shots they normally get against other teams. That's a sign that our defense did what we wanted to do," Auriemma said.
Before the game, members of the Newtown Girls Youth Basketball Association lined up with players from both teams on the court holding green signs that said "WE ARE SANDY HOOK. WE CHOOSE LOVE" and clutching teddy bears.
"It means a lot, just to see them out here and enjoying the game," said Hartley, who received two teddy bears from players. "I know they really love watching us play and look up to us. It means a lot for us to go out there and play our best."
There was moment of remembrance that included the ringing of a chime 26 times in memory of the 20 students and six adults who were killed in the shooting.
Coaches and their staffs, and courtside personnel, wore green ribbons, the school color at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Additionally, two large paintings of green ribbons with the white letters "SH" were on the court.


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Indian and Chinese commerce ministers meet in New Delhi today for the ninth instalment of the India-China Joint Economic Group. However, India is expected to raise concerns that China is benefitting more out of their trading relationship that reached $74 billion last year.
While the two countries remain upbeat on their $100 billion bilateral trade target for 2015, this year's JEG is taking place against a backdrop of seven consecutive months of declining trade volumes.
In particular, India is crying foul over its rising trade deficit with China, which jumped 42 percent to $40 billion last fiscal year.
Related: Inclusive Growth in India and China
Related Story: China vs. India – Is Either Economy At Risk? : Stephen Roach
According to a report by the Economic Times, one of India's strategies to bridge the deficit is to encourage Chinese investments while discouraging imports.
An Indian government official told the Times:
We are going to tell the Chinese that it will now make more sense to invest in the power sector as it is now not so profitable to export equipment anymore.
We are going to tell the Chinese that it will now make more sense to invest in the power sector as it is now not so profitable to export equipment anymore.
China is India's second-largest trade partner, behind the United Arab Emirates.
At the same time, India pledged to "assure the Chinese that it is in our interest to make things smooth for them." "We will certainly listen to the issues that they raise and take measures to make it easier for Chinese companies to invest," said an official.
Related News: India's Reliance Look beyond Western Lenders, Towards Chinese Banks for Loan
Related News: India Suffers Largest Growth Forecast Cut among Emerging Markets
Related News: Foreign Investors Forsaking India for More Promising Emerging Markets
China, who has in the past accused India of trade protectionism –a charge that India vehemently denies – is expected to ease concerns over the growing strains in their trade relationship.
In a written interview with The Hindu, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said the "relatively strong foreign exchange reserves of both countries and an increasing desire of businesses to go overseas should drive the future of trade ties."
The ministry added that there is "great space for China and India to cooperate in mutual investment."
According to sources, Beijing is also eager to discuss a five-year development plan for trade and economic cooperation with India as part of its strategy to increase its presence in Asia.
Related News: India Has an "Inferiority Complex" When Dealing With Us: China


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An outline is the foundation of your story, a framework on which to build a solid, cohesive tale. Outlining first may make the difference between a powerful story with depth, or a mediocre tale.
When I bring up the notion of outlining in writing workshops, most beginners just stare glassy-eyed before admitting that they've never tried the technique to develop their stories. Even seasoned writers often react badly, arguing that outlines stifle creativity and spontaneity.
Who's right?
To find out, first try to write a story your own way. Jump right into the fun stuff. Be spontaneous. Exhaust your creativity. Then, after the first draft, if your story is in trouble and you're not sure why, see if an outline will help.
You may be pleasantly surprised. You may even find that this valuable little tool is perhaps the most important step in the writing process.
Why? Because an outline is the foundation of your story, a framework on which to build a solid, cohesive tale. Without it, your story could crumble down around you midway through your first draft. Outlining first may make the difference between a powerful story with depth, or a mediocre tale; a paycheck, or a rejection letter.
Most people who earn a living writing almost always plan before they start their first draft. Though they may not need to write out a diagram, seasoned writers can tell you what will happen to their characters generally from the moment their story opens until the last word.
An outline forces us to think through our story piece by piece. It shows us quickly and precisely: (1) the depth of our principal character's problem; (2) if our story adequately resolves that problem; and (3) whether our plot logically takes the character from his problem to the eventual resolution.
How Deep Is Deep Enough?
One way to begin is to determine what kind of story you want to tell. Most stories fall into three general categories or a combination thereof: man against man, man against himself, and man against his environment. Notice the word against in each category. Against implies conflict and action, an essential ingredient for narrative drive in successful stories.
So start by jotting down the kind of conflict that concerns your main character. With this information in front of you, you're ready to begin your outline.
The first line – the problem – should describe your character's dilemma in a short, concise phrase. Don't settle for a superficial summary of an event. Instead, create an image that conveys the turmoil deep within your character's heart and soul. A lot of your story's power will depend on how well you've thought through this step.
Let's explore a real example. A student in a writing workshop had written a short story about a surgeon who, after his best friend's daughter dies under his knife, chooses a road of alcohol and self-destruction that ultimately kills him – a man-against-himself story.
However, the young woman was stumped. She couldn't make all the pieces add up to an interesting, cohesive story. She suspected the logic was flawed, but she didn't know how to fix it. After two drafts, she still hadn't tried to outline her story.
Let's help her. What is her character's problem? Is it: "surgeon loses patient"? That's what she thought. "Surgeon loses patient" may be what happens, but it doesn't tell us anything about the surgeon's inner struggle. Why is the surgeon shattered by the death of one of his patients? After all, surgeons work with death every day. What makes this operation different?
Is it because the surgeon knew his patient? Owed something to his friend? Or did the doctor commit some blunder that cost the girl her life? Did someone else make a mistake? Was her death an act of God?
The answers to these kinds of questions will tell the writer how profound her story is. If the problem simply is "surgeon loses patient," this may suggest a technical day-in-the-life story devoid of emotion and depth. If the writer had planned to resolve "surgeon loses patient" with "surgeon kills himself," she can immediately see that her logic is flawed. If the girl's death is not the surgeon's fault, yet it destroys him with guilt, the reader may feel little empathy for the character. What makes this episode worthy of the reader's attention?
Dig deeper for the answer. Remember the "man against himself" theme? Maybe the surgeon made an honest mistake. Maybe the girl's death casts doubts on the surgeon's ability to help others. Now we're getting warmer. During a routine operation on his best friend's daughter, the surgeon's faith in himself and his profession is suddenly shattered.
Using an outline to discover the character's innermost conflict can lead you to a richer story. A shallow story about a loser who throws away his gifted life after one mishap may leave the reader with an empty experience. But a story about a doctor who has deep-seated doubts about his ability to help others could offer an intriguing look at the human side of medicine. So, on the first line, jot down the character's innermost turmoil: "Surgeon doubts his abilities."
The Resolution
Once the writer has identified her character's "real" problem – his inner struggle – she can jump to the outline's resolution and make another crucial decision. Does the surgeon eventually come to terms with his fallibility and emerge from the crisis a wiser man? Or does he kill himself in a street fight over a bottle of booze, as originally planned. Does the second option resolve his conflict of self-doubt? Of course not. And because it doesn't, the reader would probably feel cheated. Perhaps the writer wanted to make a sad statement about abusing booze. Too shallow? Well, people, not alcohol, make for good stories.
Maybe the writer wants to tell a story about a man who can't live with his mistake. In that case his death (read, suicide) resolves his inner turmoil, and we perhaps learn a sad lesson about throwing away one's life.
Let's go back to our original idea about a surgeon who has serious doubts about his ability to help others. After the tragic operation, he believes he has let his best friend down. He isn't the savior he thought he was. To bury his lost confidence, he succumbs to drink and nearly destroys himself.
During the course of the story, however, the character discovers that the gift of life is not his to give. After all, he isn't God. He's merely a man, with a man's fallibility. Once the character understands this, he can continue practicing medicine, but with a new-found respect for the miracle of life. So the writer's resolution falls into place: "Surgeon accepts his fallibility."
Let's look at the outline so far:
Problem: Surgeon doubts his abilities
Resolution: Surgeon accepts his fallibility
And, Finally, The Plot
Once the complication and resolution are clear, the writer now must develop her story around how the character resolves his issue. She begins to see that some of her original pieces no longer fit. She must examine each scene and ask herself if it helps resolve the character's problem. If it doesn't, she needs to be a tough editor and take it out.
Let's see how she fared.
After retreating to booze (the first plot development), the surgeon develops a relationship with a welfare worker who happens to be his son (second plot development). In her original story, it wasn't clear what role the son played other than narrating his father's failure and road to self-destruction. Obviously, the son could not help Dad.
Following the conflict/resolution outline developed thus far, the son must help Dad understand his role as a doctor. The writer needs one final scene called the epiphany. Something must happen that turns on the floodlight of inner revelation that shows the surgeon the way out of his dilemma. This pivotal plot development was missing from the writer's original story.
What can she do? Here's one solution: after a street fight, the social worker son takes his drunken father to a hospital in a low-income neighborhood. There, Dad sees the overcrowding, the neglect and the suffering at the hands of overwrought doctors less capable than he. Maybe he successfully intervenes in a misdiagnosed case and saves a child's life. That experience brings him to his moment of truth. Dad sees how he can make a difference. He understands that by throwing away his gift he is guilty of a much bigger sin than letting his best friends daughter die on the operating table.
So, with his son's help, Dad makes peace with himself. He swears off liquor, and in no time is back in the operating theater saving the lives of needy children. A nice, tidy story.
The completed outline now reads:
Theme: Man against himself.
Problem: Surgeon doubts his abilities
a) Surgeon retreats to booze
b) Social worker son finds Dad in gutter
c) Son shows Dad his real worth
Resolution: Surgeon accepts his fallibility
Conclusion: Surgeon resumes strong, caring practice
The Value of an Outline
This outline is merely one of countless ways the writer could have developed her story around this particular problem/resolution. Nothing to stifle creativity here. There's still plenty of room in this well-thought-out story for experimentation. Also, an outline is a fluid document. You're free to refine and change it as your story takes shape during the first draft.
The rest of the process is straightforward. With this little outline stuck below the screen of her word processor, the writer can start a new draft and know precisely where to focus her narrative drive. Having established a solid foundation, she can concentrate on characterization, dialogue, pacing and all the other ingredients that make for a compelling read.
Outlines need not be lengthy epistles, nor should they take long to complete. If you can't seem to finish your outline, this may be a sign that all is not well with your story idea. If you're stuck, ask yourself: does your character have a compelling enough problem around which to build a story? Does your resolution solve your character's problem? Do your plot developments logically take the character from his problem to his resolution? If not, can you come up with a series of events that do?
Don't leave your story's development to chance; instead, use an outline to build a solid foundation. This fundamental step will quickly and clearly show you: (1) the depth of your character's problem; (2) how the character goes about solving his or her problem, and (3) whether the final resolution supports the rest of your story.
Before you begin writing, that's the least you should know about your story.
Copyright © 2014 by Joseph Massucci
This article originally appeared in The Writers' Journal, 1988, and was reprinted in The Writers' Journal Guide to the Writing Life, Writers' Journal Books, copyright 2000 by Christopher L. Buono.
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Comments (34)
Guest - Joe MassucciIn reply to: Guest - Mike Report Permalink
Mike, another great resource is Jon Franklin's "Writing for Story," in which he shares the secrets of his Pulitzer Prize winning techniques. Even though his book provides lessons for building a nonfiction story, his step-by-step instructions on building a story (short or long) with structural integrity work equally well for fiction. He advocates starting with a conflict-resolution outline and writing the climax first -- if you can't see the complication, look for the action and work your way back to the motivation.
Young writer here.
I used an outline with a story I was stuck on, and it helped with the plot. However, I'm curious how you can get characters to seem more... real. For example, my main character, Riley, is in junior in high school. When I gave him powers (in order to follow the plot), he just didn't feel real to me any more. When I add more characters, like his best friend, the girl he likes, the villain etc., I feel like they're not focused enough. However, I don't know how to fix this. Help!?
Hi. Are you familiar with Dr. Randy Ingermanson's "Snowflake Method" of "designing" a story? If not, I'll give you the link and you can read it at your convenience. What do you think? Thanks.
Guest - KatrinaIn reply to: Guest - Katrina Report Permalink
Hi. I read your message on Ingermanson's "Snowflake Method" and all I can say is: Interesting!! And thanks for your input.
Guest - Joe MassucciIn reply to: Guest - Frank Report Permalink
Frank, you're not alone feeling intimidated by the prospects of writing your first novel. However, using an "outline" as a tool to help you get organized as you begin the process should take some of that burden off you.
We talked about this very topic last night at my weekly "Mystery Writers of America" (Houston chapter). All eight of us published novelists agreed that an outline is an indispensable part of the process — regardless of how many novels you've written previously. Many editors even require an outline before they'll sign a "spec" contract with you (giving you an advance and agreeing to publish your book before you actually start writing).
So think of yourself as a carpenter about to build your first set of kitchen cabinets. You have a hammer and nails, and lots of wood, and you think you're ready to use them skillfully. What's missing? A sketch or diagram of what the finished product might look like. Personally, I would hate to starting cutting and hammering without one!
Wow! This was super helpful. I am planning on writing a novel but i had no idea where I wanted to go with it. After reading your article, I had a detailed plan in my head and on paper about where I wanted to go with my story beginning to end. I am just starting out writing though. If there are any pointers or directions you could lead me that would be fantastic!
Guest - Joe MassucciIn reply to: Guest - Kori Report Permalink
Kori, once you have your outline, then start writing. Chose any scene that inspires you, even if it's at the end of your story, and get it down on paper. It's all about "baby steps" ... one page a day, one scene or chapter a week -- small, steady steps. You'll be surprised how quickly they add up. Go for it!
I was very impressed and relieved with the information that you have given. Thank you! The last time I wrote a story outline was in the third grade, so I had not a clue where to start. This article has given me an inkling at least on what an outline should consist of. My story is about 40 pages so far, and I feel like I'm dog-paddling in the middle of the Atlantic. I decided to try an outline but had no idea how to begin. So, thank you again.
Guest - Joe MassucciIn reply to: Guest - Rosie Report Permalink
Rosie, yes, this structure fits the "hero's journey" story very well. In fact, I believe all good stories are about a journey, whether physical or self-discovery. In the end, the hero changes in some profound way because of his or her experience. The example in my article is a journey from one vision of self to another.
Clues, red herrings, etc., work independently of the actual "journey" structure. They serve to propel the plot, but the overarching structure -- the journey to self-realization -- remains intact. Rarely does the hero change based on finding a clue to a mystery. Instead, the hero grows and changes based on his journey of self-discovery in the course of solving the mystery.
Thanks for the tips! I need all the help I can get, believe me. I've always loved the Arts and greatly admire you and most all the professionals within the Art field. I want to do a nonfiction screenplay, perhaps a book about the driver for Donnie Brasco, Lefty, FBI and Bonnano's Me. Any advice would be welcome. Wish I could locate a writer to assist me. Interested?
Hi Joseph,
Just to say thank you so much for this. Your tips helped to realize that my main character went through an entire story of conflict, deciding that life was not worth living and then decides to live ... but for what reason?
I had not provided a clear reason for her decision. I have been able to link in a reason with the thread of nature and the environment that runs throughout the novel.
Once again, I thank you for your precise advice :-) Michelle
This article is wonderful. But I can't seem to understand how to boil down my character's "innermost turmoil." I was going with "boy tries to save the world," but I'm stumped as to what it actually is. After reading your article I'm sure that's not it.
Do you have any tips for breaking down the theme and getting to the meat of what you're writing about? I can't seem to find my real theme at all.
Guest - Joe MassucciIn reply to: Guest - Jada Report Permalink
Jada, always start with "character." Who is your story about, and how will the experience change him or her? "Boy tries to save the world" is what he does, but this doesn't necessarily define him. You'll have a very flat narrative if the boy wakes up one morning, sees the world needs saved, and then saves it. At the end of the story he goes back doing what he did the day before. An unmemorable experience for him and for the reader.
Instead, look for characteristics that makes the boy fallible – a vulnerability that puts his task at risk. After all, you'll want to build tension and suspense on the fact that he may not succeed.
So decide what characteristics make the boy flawed and perhaps unable to fulfill his saving-the-world task. Is he a coward? Is he afraid to take responsibility? Perhaps he's a loner, but discovers he needs the help of his new friends to succeed. The theme then becomes "alone, we all perish ... together we build a great future." By the end of the story, this loner becomes a strong leader in this new world.
I loved your article "The least you should know about outlining your story." I've read a lot of articles dealing with plot development and none of them were any help with my plot. Your article made plot development so easy that I was able to finally finish my plot.
Great article!
Thank you for the straight forward easy to digest steps for outlining a story. I am about to write my first article for a contest.. man vs self.. a transformation story of myself... it is so personal was hard to get the story down without seemingly rambling...
I first read your outline concepts over two years ago and remembered then how helpful they were. Keeping your page bookmarked, I've just reread everything and want to thank you for taking the time to post your ideas.
Even if the economy wasn't in the tank, trying to earn a living as a writer is an incredibly challenging undertaking, but I sincerely believe that creating an outline is a pertinent building block for a successful story.
Thank you for your article "The least you should know about outlining your story"... I've never been able to work with an outline much less create one - until I read your article. It was very helpful - thank you!! Could you possibly give an example of an outline for each of the three themes?
Again, thanks for a wonderful article.
Hi Mr. Massucci! I am a teen writer who has discovered this helpful method for outlining a story. I am taking a video class, and I am having trouble coming up with an idea for a short film for the class (the video should be around 5-10 mins.).
Would this help me, or is it for only longer works? Thank you.
Hi, I'm a young writer and have a question.
In my story I want to have two main characters. I saw your comment about the book you posted for making characters come alive and I'm going to check that out asap. But I was wondering if you think two main characters is to much for a sorta first timer and would I have to make two different outlines for them? Thanks.
Hello sir, I was just wondering if you had any advice on how to just stay focused and get through writing the first draft of your story. Of course, without getting so distracted with how everything "should be" at the end. (And I also apologize if that was a run-on sentence) Haha.
Thank you for your time. This site looks great!
Wow. Thanks. I woke up this morning with the sole purpose of writing an outline - a first for me. Well, the first real, well-thought-out outline I intend to perfect and write my story around. Your article was the first I read and I am inspired. I'm also tired of chasing my tail with my writing. One question. My story is fiction in the spirit of Dorothy Parker - urban setting, single female, event that makes the day memorable, close: tomorrow is another day at the office, another day searching for a better life, but what fun today was. Do you suggest I follow your conflict/resolution outline and tweak it for humor? I'm sitting here reworking it in my mind.
Guest - JanIn reply to: Guest - Jan McNutt Report Permalink
Today I reread your article on creating an outline then sat down and wrote my first serious outline. What happened was amazing. I set up my outline exactly like yours then as I got to the resolution I had an epiphany. My story truly had the characters I wanted and the story had a solid foundation. Before, the idea for the story seemed to have great potential but no meat and I had no idea where to get it. I feel the story even as I write this and can't wait to do it. I will leave this page and go back to my outline and start slogging out words I hope will make this an interesting story. Thanks again.
Your outline information is useful, however, I am attempting to follow Joseph Campbels "Hero's Journey", and it is still not registering with my inner visual force.
I use my seat of the pants most of the time, however, a novel is a daunting task for someone that has never gone there before.
I am at 33000 words and forever in edit mode.
I was hoping for and end date of October before the editing begins.
I have never had writers block, so that is not the issue.
It seems that I need a simplistic middle and end map to drive my creative forces ahead.
Is there such a thing?


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The riveting follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The 5th Wave, hailed by Justin Cronin as "wildly entertaining."
How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.
Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others' ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.
Cassie and her friends haven't seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.
Praise for The 5th Wave
"Just read it."—Entertainment Weekly
"A modern sci-fi masterpiece."—USA Today
"Wildly entertaining . . . I couldn't turn the pages fast enough."—Justin Cronin, The New York Times Book Review
"Nothing short of amazing."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Gripping!"—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Everyone I trust is telling me to read this book."—The Atlantic Wire