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Category Archives: indie science fiction
Interview with Speculative Fiction Author Jeff Pearce
Bianca: The Silver Age is sexy superhero/urban fantasy set in the future, and it's one of the most unique books I've encountered recently. I love the world-setting (futuristic urban fantasy with alchemy!) and how it fearlessly tackles themes that other superhero fiction would shy away from. I'm pleased to be joined here by the author, Jeff Pearce, as he talks about superhero fiction, being a Canadian spec-fic author, and e-publishing.
Frida: What was the inspiration for Bianca: The Silver Age?
Jeff: I have to back up, way back, to answer your question. I grew up reading superhero comics—Batman, Superman, all the DC greats, and I still adore them. But it's extremely hard for a writer to break into mainstream comics. The way to do that is usually to hit the conventions and show your work, but I've never had the bucks or days off to do that, and the big companies don't take unsolicited scripts. So what do you do when you want to write about superheroes but you can't write about their superheroes? Invent your own!
A few years ago, I was writing erotic thriller novels under pseudonyms, and fans responded to my character, Teresa Knight, who's a sexy sleuth, a gal who's smart and can handle herself. One reviewer called her a "feminist icon," which put me over the moon. The books are still around through Random House reprints, but my character was "orphaned" because my original publisher went under. I've always wanted to take the best of what worked with Teresa—her brains, her feistiness—but jettison the more gratuitous sex elements I was under pressure from certain editors to add. I suppose that statement's kind of ironic in that Bianca is a succubus, but she's very much the descendant of my original heroine.
In the beginning, Bianca and her whole Paladin world were supposed to go into a graphic novel, but that fell through. I still wanted to develop the concepts, so my natural instinct was to novelize them. Now putting heroes in panels is one thing, but a novel doesn't have that visual shorthand that comic book readers accept. "Oh, the guy flies," or "Okay, he shoots his gadget gun." In a novel, your suspension of disbelief insists on more. I wondered how I could get this stuff to make sense, because to me, you need more going on. It just falls apart if you say: The world is realistic like our own, but you've got heroes with it. Uh-uh. Bzzzz, wrong. The world itself has to enable this, and that got me thinking how the urban fantasy genre is perfect for bending the rules of physics and chemistry…
I have to laugh at myself for being such an arrogant idiot in trying to invent a whole new superhero universe as the backdrop to her story and any sequels. I mean after all, both DC and Marvel developed with multiple contributors over more than half a century. What the hell was I thinking? The good thing is that with all their creations out there, it forces you to come up with something original or at least a new take on an old theme. But I'm sure readers can recognize certain archetypes. Clerfayt's a detective avenger, and he's rich. I know, I know, who does that sound like? But then you find out how he gets his wealth, and it's unusual—and it works in urban fantasy.
Frida: I haven't been exposed to much superhero fiction outside of mainstream comic books (DC, Marvel) and old pulp masked heroes (e.g. Zorro, The Shadow). What struck me about the Paladins, the superheroes in this world, is that their actions have consequences on world politics. It's not to the same extent as say, the alternate history in The Watchmen (with superheroes getting involved in Vietnam), but it still runs counter to the way mainstream superheroes treat superhero activity as a non-political and non-historical thing.
I especially liked how the superhero/vigilante in Sudan (the Bandit Queen/Makeda) and the rest of the Paladins actively negotiate their working relationship, because intervention is never a simple non-political thing without ethical dilemmas. As Bianca reflected in a scene, "It bothered her that Makeda Falosade had made them all feel like intruders, not saviors. Maybe they were intruders."
Did you intentionally set out to explore certain themes in superhero fiction, or did they just develop naturally as you wrote the story?
Jeff: Oh, the intention was always there. To be honest, I'm not crazy about other attempts at superheroes in novels—they've really disappointed me. Marvel and DC both put out paperback novels that read like shallow film novelizations even when they're original stories, and that's ironic, because the actual comics can have real depth. The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller explores themes that make it literature. When Marvel did its whole "superhero registration act" storyline, it was a mess, but it aspired to greatness. But in novels, some writers still treat heroes like Freudian head-cases, or their novels get kitschy and self-referential. For them, it's a literary stunt.
I wanted to get back to the tone of superheroes as larger-than-life figures and play it straight, instead of winking at the reader. If you're a fan of the Justice League cartoon series, you know that one season had this fantastic story arc about how the U.S. government and ordinary people start to get scared over heroes having all this power with a satellite base in the sky… Adult themes and issues. That's the feel I'm going for.
I see my Paladin world as perfect territory to ask some hard questions. There are still so many ideas that can be explored in novels, while up to now the comics have been doing the heavy lifting. The movies only flirt with these issues. For instance, remember Superman Returns? I always thought they wimped out on that. What they should have done is not dance and hint around the issue, but have Superman flat-out in context of 9/11. Bring it right out in the open, and have him fly over the rubble of Ground Zero. Have people ask: "Why didn't you stop this? Why don't you go get this guy?" Of course, he can't, we know he can't, and it would be preposterous if you even tried to suggest he'd do it as the end credits roll—and yet he's Superman, he could and maybe he should. Or shouldn't. Either way, you then have a real story, because you have stakes that really matter.
So the international issues the Paladins struggle with are ones many of us in the real world feel are overwhelming. You mentioned intervention in Africa, and that's one. In Bianca's second book, Mask of Anarchy, which I hope to bring out in the summer or early fall, she's forced into a no-win situation where she can't just go in and kick ass. The country this time is a quasi-Vietnam-Cambodia-Burma nation where the people believe in non-violence. Okay, what do you do if you're a superhero? The strategy of non-violence works on shame. But the brutal regimes of Syria, of Iran, of Burma today don't feel shame. They don't give a shit. You have all these powers but if you use them arbitrarily like a god, you'll undermine the self-determination of the very people you're supposed to be "saving." What do you do?
Frida: I'm really impressed by the world-building in Bianca. I love how the setting is a mash-up between near-future sci-fi and early 20th century-inspired urban fantasy, and some flourishes of Victorian England and earlier with the use of alchemy and such. Could you elaborate more on this? I'm intrigued how the fragmented nation-states came to be, and why everyone is so stylishly dressed.
Jeff: Hmmm… That's a very difficult question for me because I don't want to give away a lot. You're right in that it's very much a "ten minutes into the future" mash-up world where you've got Maglev float-bikes but also alchemy, which of course is proto-chemistry that goes back to Newton and Paracelsus. I had to build things that way because the Paladins themselves are a mash-up team, just as superhero teams always are with DC and Marvel. Here you've got Thelonius Minh, a master of combat yoga who has a unique origin, working with Makeda Falosade, who's brilliant at physics and engineering but who also knows African magic. And they've got to work with Plague Man, a completely bat-shit unstable entity who's so full of human rage and grief, but who can become a cloud of mustard gas or make himself into a neurotoxin in seconds. They have to live in a very interesting world.
As for the nation-states… I've deliberately kept the political back story a submerged iceberg, at least for now, because this is the one thing to me that readers will go along with in a novel, in terms of suspension of disbelief, in the same way gadgets and powers are often accepted without question for superheroes in film. If Bianca were a movie, I think we'd have the reverse challenge. She'd be stronger than most regular humans, and Clerfayt would simply arrive wrapped in mist. If you wondered how he makes his gadgets, you answer that in a 10-second montage. But in a 300-plus page novel, you have to go into the actual details. In a film, we wouldn't sweat the mechanics—instead, we'd very much care how our guys got into their situation. It's why you always get those white-on-black expository intros in SF movies or somber narrations.
Bianca: The Silver Age was always intended to be ambitious, to kick off a multi-strand series of novels, each book featuring one or two individual Paladins, such as say Clerfayt with Hawkwood showing up, or Makeda Falosade on a solo adventure. I wanted to create a world in which other writers can hopefully contribute when Gallivant Books is in a stronger position to commission talented authors. So I haven't locked in too many fine details of how the world got into its mess, and that's so others can play in my sandbox. Here's hoping they will.
As for their outfits… It's nice you call them stylish! I was actually trying to come up with alternatives to the old cape and tights clichés. I've always dreamed (sometimes in a ruthlessly commercial sense) of the franchise possibilities of the Paladins, and if they're to work some day in comics or by some miracle, wind up in a movie, they need to be distinctive but not ludicrous. A hot chick in a bolero jacket and a hakama kicking your ass has to be taken seriously. A guy in a fisherman's cap and a dark coat in the shadows can still look menacing. A guy in vagabond rags who suddenly turns into a cloud of disease is fucking scary.
Frida: As a genre writer based in Canada, what are your thoughts on the publishing landscape for genre fiction and for Canadian literature? What do you think of the concept of the Sci-fi Ghetto? I just wanted to bring that up because out of all the Canadian speculative fiction authors I'm aware of, the only one that gets attention from national media is the one that claims that her works aren't sci-fi (ahem, Margaret Atwood).
Jeff: Yeah, I'm disgusted by the fact that when the BBC asked Atwood about science fiction, she took offense and called it "talking squids in outer space." Her comment really captures the snobbery here regarding literature. The contempt is quite baffling and downright silly—I mean you have Robert J. Sawyer who's won virtually every SF award you can think of, you have Guy Gavriel Kay, Tanya Huff, so many others.
The truth is that Canada's literary stars make their living off books sold overseas. They'd starve if they had to depend on home sales. The whole publishing industry here is heavily subsidized by the government, and so much of it never has to prove itself commercially. The really sad thing is that we don't have a viable SF imprint or mystery imprint that can make a big splash nationally and internationally. We don't have a Tor or a Baen Books of our own, which is part of why I started Gallivant Books, though if GB survives and thrives, it'll be years before it reaches that scale, if ever.
That leads into the issue of the Sci-Fi Ghetto. For us in Canada, the ghetto is all too real, but in the U.S., I wonder if the ghetto really matters or exists anymore. One of my heroes, Harlan Ellison, has a gem ranked in The Best American Short Stories for 1993. How many Philip K. Dick movies are there? I'll take their ghetto any day!
Here it's awful, but I've realized lately that my defensiveness makes me sound bitter. Many of us sound like we have a chip on our shoulder. And we do. I'm trying to adopt a new attitude this year, because in the end, science fiction and fantasy are called a genre, they're a "category," not simply because of their subject matter, but because we have discerning readers. We may never get massive fan bases, and that's okay, too. If we do it right, the work lasts. When I checked out your link on the "ghetto," it mentions the old saw about how so much SF is "poorly written rubbish," and to that, I say, remember Sturgeon's law.
Read Somerset Maugham. Stylistically, his stuff can be terrible, full of clichés and sloppy phasing, which is why they won't put him in literature, only fiction. I love so much of his work. His narratives grab you, and they're still adapting his books for films.
Think of all the literary crap that is so crushingly dull and forgettable—I was forced to read Malamud's short stories in college. They're root canal to me. Does anyone really believe Updike's stuff will last? Ten minutes into the future, we'll still have Maupassant's Bel-Ami and Gore Vidal's Lincoln. But we'll also have Shogun and Tigana and The Demolished Man, which is one of the most overlooked fantastic novels ever, and Stranger in a Strange Land. I have no clue whatsoever if people will be reading Reich TV or The Karma Booth. I can only hope so.
Frida: What are your experiences with independent e-publishing so far? Are you planning to publish other books through a traditional publisher, or do you plan to go with independent e-publishing all the way? What will the world of publishing look like in future?
Jeff: It's been a hell of a ride. I've been a magazine editor and a freelance book editor, so I had some experience to help guide me. Many folks don't realize e-publishing still involves all the grunt work of regular publishing. Getting ISBNs, meeting deadlines… I've had to commission cover art before, check galleys, etc. I've been lucky enough to have sold novels to a start-up British imprint, but have also had those books sold to a major publishing house for reprints, and I've also had success in regular non-fiction. So I arguably knew more than others going in, but still nothing really prepares you for the slog you'll take upon yourself with starting your own imprint. Gallivant was never intended to be just "Jeff's Novels"—I wanted and still want to make it into an SF, fantasy and thriller version of Ellora's Cave or Dreamspinner, which are ebook imprints with multiple authors, a whole list of them.
But I'm behind schedule on that. The print books look quite professional and we're getting into great online distribution channels, but there's so much content out there that marketing is the biggest challenge. I have a cool marketing strategy I want to execute, but we've had some setbacks. My cover artist is taking time off for family this year, which she's certainly earned, and I love her stuff so much, it'll be hard to replace her. And of course, there's still that snobbery over e-publishing, there's snobbery if you dare use Lightning Source, which is stupid because they do great work, or you run into attitudes if you dare publish your own work. Never mind the fact that Kipling did it and Orwell nearly published Animal Farm himself because he got rejected so many times.
It's funny. When I did erotica, I'm sure what really drove sales was the word of mouth in reviews, and Random House quoted Coffee Time Romance and one or two others right on the front page and the covers. There's only been one review ever of the Teresa Knight novels in a mainstream venue, Publisher's Weekly; the rest were all online forums. Well, I'm still doing the same thing, I'm still writing genre novels. But in e-publishing, you get that whiff of "you're not real" from some people who don't bother to read the blurbs, or check out the professional production work or the fact that we're in Kobo, Kindle, Waterstones, practically everywhere. The Karma Booth got a critic's praise in Australia. So are novels from Gallivant Books "real?" I think they are.
But I'll always be more of a writer than a business person. I'm still flogging certain books at traditional publishers. I even want to get over my bitterness at the Canadian literary scene, so this year I'm trying a new strategy of "If you can't beat 'em, infiltrate 'em." I've actually applied for a couple of Writer in Residence gigs, which I never thought I'd do because I've always associated them with the whole grant dodge. But Vancouver was smart enough to have Spider Robinson as a Writer in Residence. That would be good company to be in.
As for publishing in the future: we'll always have books. Think of those great Dorling Kindersley volumes on everything from science to gardening. People will still want those. They'll still want beautiful thick tomes with uneven cut cream-cloth pages. But in the future, maybe we'll have new technology that can give us the feel of texture while also being multimedia. Wouldn't that be cool? (And oh, yes, I've put that into the Paladins' universe and a couple of other spots).
Frida: What can readers expect in the sequel to Bianca: The Silver Age? Are there upcoming sequels for your other books?
Oh, Mask of Anarchy has a lot going on! I've already mentioned the theme of non-violence, but other ethical issues are explored, too. And new Paladins are introduced. The ones in Silver Age—Plague Man, Orson Hawkwood, Clerfayt, Thelonius Minh, the Bandit Queen, Bianca—are the "top guns." But now the landscape opens up a little, and you meet other Vigil-ebrities and get a sense of the pecking order of the heroes. Bianca's now far more confident in her abilities and much more a leader. In fact, how she handles leadership is a major through-line of the book.
Initially, I intended to write novels for the other characters after Bianca had three of her own, but I'm anxious to get cracking on a book for Clerfayt, which has the working title, Clerfayt: Arch of Terror. Each novel in the Paladin series, assuming things go well, won't be a cookie-cutter pattern. By that I mean Clerfayt's novel won't be a "team" book like Bianca's—his story is very much a noir-ish detective story where you learn more about the Allied Zones of Paris. But there will be a team-up, and readers get to discover more about his working collaboration with Orson Hawkwood.
I've got a third novel plotted and waiting to be done that focuses on Plague Man, which surprises me because… Well, from how Plague Man is in Silver Age, I wasn't sure for a while if he should get a book of his own. Dig into the mystery too much, and you destroy what makes the character interesting. But I think I've figured out how it should work. In Plague Man: Time Itself Will Burn, Volker Sharf has to really come to terms with his rage and impetuousness because everyone else is counting on him. That's a novel where readers will get really juicy back story details on certain Paladins.
That should be plenty enough to keep me busy, but I've been working as well on a sequel to Reich TV, a book I never thought at first should have one. For your readers who don't know it, Reich TV explored how television could have changed the course of Nazi Germany. When Steve Jobs died, I started to roll around in my head certain themes about early computer tech the same way that early television haunted me, so now anyone who liked the first book has a big hint about the sequel, which has the working title, Nixon's Web. George Orwell is back, but this time he's in America. And he has a rather interesting supportive cast like last time.
And if that's not enough to keep me busy, I'm hoping Gallivant will be able to bring out a hard SF novel, plus a couple of thrillers, plus a young adult fantasy novel in the near future. Right now they're each in different editorial stages, and I think I'm going to be busy. I just hope people like the books.
Man, all those sequels look juicy. And I'm really looking forward to Nixon's Web; I gave Reich TV 5-stars after all. Alternate history George Orwell + political conspiracies + technology on stereoids? Yes please!
Thanks to Jeff for the interview! You can follow Jeff Pearce on Facebook and Goodreads.
Happy New Year and Onwards to… the Future!
It's 2012. We're in… the future!
Thanks everyone for continuing to read this blog. We haven't reached our one year anniversary yet, Adarna SF began in April 2011 (with the name "Frida Fantastic" and a garish yellow background), but it's still awesome to come this far.
In 2011, we featured 44 ebook reviews, all of which you can browse by sub-genre or alphabetically on our index page. This count includes the ones submitted by our readers, and we give special thanks to them for writing their lovely reviews and promoting indie speculative fiction!
We received 18,000 views in the past nine months. The number of readers and subscribers is growing steadily, with more than 100 page views daily–which is a healthy number considering our weekly update schedule and the fact that we haven't done a giveaway. If you're curious about the rest of our blog stats, you can read the WordPress annual report. It's an interesting read, although it's actually wrong about a few things like our most commented post, which should be the one on Amazon's KDP Select.
Unfortunately, Matt Hecker is no longer a reviewer at Adarna SF. We were excited to have him as a fellow blogger, and he wrote a brutally honest and entertaining review of James Butler's Sentience: Sensations–but due to personal circumstances, it's not possible for him to continue with us. We wish him all the best, and we hope that he can join us again in the future.
Currently, Adarna SF is comprised of Chris Mariano and I, but we're still eagerly looking for new blood. We're open to having 1 to 3 more reviewers on board. We received some applications, but we're still looking. So sign up to be one of our book bloggers, or let your friends know about it. It means free sci-fi/fantasy/horror books. Free!
In 2012, we'll continue to update weekly at minimum, and hopefully more often once we have more reviewers. Thanks for following, and cheers to more speculative fiction ebook love in the coming year!
KDP Select and a Not-So-Speculative Jaunt into Ebook Hell
I love the ebook revolution. It's fantastic that it's easier for authors to be read more than ever before, and I heartily endorse ebook adoption across the world. My dream is that we will have a truly global reading and publishing culture, where stories will be read because there are readers for them, not because of the arbitrary decisions made by a small bunch of Americans in New York.
While this revolution can march into a better world, it can also descend into ebook hell.
This is my personal vision of hell:
- ebooks are only available in .azw and they're DRMed
- Amazon is the only company that sells books in the world
- the retailer takes at least 70% of the cut
- all your ebooks only exist in the retailer's servers (in the cloud), because you can't back them up to your hard drive due to DRM
- the retailer can continue to pull books from its digital shelves without elaborating on how the book had violated its terms of conditions or responding to its customers, because it has an unexplainable beef against gay characters in fiction (because hetero smut is okay, but somehow LGBT smut isn't).
- readers in "international" countries must continue paying an arbitrary surcharge
- there are no more public libraries, because all ebook lending is done through Amazon if there is any lending to be done at all
- and everything is YA paranormal romance
Hah! I am sort of kidding about the final point (I said that this is my vision of hell after all), but really–that world sucks. And that world can happen, especially when Amazon pushes aggressive measures like the KDP Select program.
I like what Amazon has done for the ebook revolution. They made ebooks mainstream and they're bringing in more readers and authors into the fold. That's wonderful. I also like their competitive prices on e-readers. But seriously, I don't want Amazon to be even more of a Big Brother. I want competition, I want choice, and I want options. I want to be able to buy from independent publishers or authors directly if I choose.
I want different retailers for ebooks. From as big as Smashwords, to a publisher-specific model like the Angry Robot Store, to the friendly co-op model like Book View Cafe (Vonda N. McIntyre personally responds to their emails!), and as small as Gallivant Books. I support those options and I want them to flourish.
So readers, when you buy your next book, please think about what ebook future you are supporting. And authors, we have your back. We want your business partners to treat you well, and going exclusively with Amazon is not my idea of a healthy partnership.
These are my opinions. Feel free to comment below to discuss this at further length (and disagreeing with me is okay!). I'm interested to hear what your ebook hell looks like, and also, what vision you have for an ebook heaven.
- Writer Beware ® – The Fine Print of Amazon's New KDP Select Program
- The IndieView – Step Up Or Shut Up
- Kindleboards – (forum thread) Mark Coker at HuffPo: Amazon Aims to Empty Competitor Shelves of Indie Ebooks
- David Gaughran – How Much Do You Want to Get Paid Tomorrow?
- B. Justin Shier – Frida Fantastic on Ebook Hell
- Mobileread – (forum thread) I chose to "boycott" Amazon (international DRM problem)
3 Highly Recommended Science Fiction Ebooks
You know the myth that good indie books are hard to come by? Yeah, that's a myth, and this book blog is proof of that. I've been reading mostly self-published and small-press ebooks for almost five months now, and I've been reading more books that I've enjoyed than ones that I didn't enjoy.
If you're curious about science fiction indies and ebooks, here are some books I enjoyed and would highly recommend. They're available in all major ebook formats, and can be purchased by readers all over the world. No matter where you are, you can be reading them in two minutes.
1. Reich TV by Jeff Pearce
Sub-genre: Alternate History (yes, alt. history can be sci-fi)
Ebook Price: $4.99 USD at Smashwords and Amazon.
Why should you read it?: It has a lot of insights about the relationship between journalism and technology, and it has a ridiculous A-list cast including the Marx Brothers, Erich Maria Remarque, and George Orwell. Yes, they fight the Nazis, but the WWII research is excellent and makes the scenario convincing. Engaging, funny, and when was the last time you've read an alternate history novel that moved like a thriller? Read the full review here.
2. The Last Man on Earth Club by Paul R. Hardy
Sub-genre: Apocalyptic
Ebook Price: $2.99 USD at Smashwords and Amazon
Why should you read it?: Hardy has a unique take on apocalypses, because while other books focus on the event itself, this book focuses on the recovery of apocalypse survivors. Being the last person of your kind can be pretty damaging stuff, especially if you survived a nuclear holocaust, or genocide, or a machine war and such. It's a dark but very original book. Read the full review here.
3. TAG by Simon Royle
Sub-genre: Futuristic techno-thriller
Ebook Price: $3.99 USD at Smashwords and on sale for $1.00 at Amazon.
Why should you read it?: I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the techno-thriller subgenre, but TAG is a breath of fresh air. You're not kicking around with the CIA or American special-ops, instead you're with a nice-guy lawyer from New Singapore, trying to stop a powerful man in the world government from killing off 6.3 billion people. I'm especially taken with TAG's world-building. The global government is very convincing (New Singapore seems like an apt location for its headquarters), and most of the action takes place in sci-fi Asia which has various kinds of developments. Definitely not your average techno-thriller. Read the full review here.
If you're interested in more sci-fi reads, you can browse through these blog's science fiction posts. If you're looking for a science fiction sub-genre, you can browse by speculative fiction sub-genre. I've enjoyed reading more books than these three I've mentioned, but these are the first ones that I think of for a general sci-fi audience. I really enjoyed my last sci-fi read, Becca, Reporting for Duty, but a space opera Choose Your Own Adventure with elements of erotica is understandably pretty niche.
The Superpowers–They Are Merging
I'm pleased to announce that fellow science fiction/fantasy blogger, Matt Heckler (aka Android Dreamer), will be contributing his indie ebook reviews to this blog. He's a very busy and productive blogger with a Doctor Who podcast and such, so he's decided to scale back on his indie ebook reviews and merge his reviewing superpowers with the Frida Fantastic blog.
Matt writes great candid and detailed reviews, which means you'll get to know about even more neat indie speculative fiction. He'll be contributing about 1-2 ebook reviews a month in addition to my weekly ebook reviews.
I started Frida Fantastic as a single author book blog, but I can also see it developing into a multi-author speculative fiction blog. "Frida Fantastic" is an easy name to remember for a single-author book blog, but a bit of an awkward name for a group blog. With the future in mind, expect a blog name change in the next few months. Suggestions are welcome!
Once Matt reviews the indie ebooks on his existing to-review queue, his email address will be added on to this blog's book submission page, so authors can submit books for possible review to two reviewers in one go. There's a few interesting changes up ahead, so stay tuned for more SF/F goodness.
By the way, Matt does not look like the woman on the right. I don't look like her either. She's a Filipina superhero called Darna. I included her picture because superheroes vaguely make sense with this blog post title, I'm currently typing this post while I'm traveling in the Philippines, and uh… she's hot.
The Emperor's Edge's price dropped to $0.99, sequels, June's review preview
The Emperor's Edge's price lowered to $0.99 cents
Fantasy author Lindsay Buroker announced yesterday that the price of The Emperor's Edge has been dropped to to $0.99. The second in the steampunk series, Dark Currents, will be released in June, with a first chapter preview available here.
As I really enjoyed reading Buroker's Flash Gold and Ice Cracker II, I'm set on reading and reviewing The Emperor's Edge in the near future. If the description over at Smashwords + the sale price of $0.99 entices you enough, there's nothing stopping you from grabbing it right now.
Sequel to God's War coming earlier than expected
Kameron Hurley announced earlier this month that Infidel, the sequel to God's War, will be coming out in October 2011. I know Night Shade isn't exactly small press, but they're still independent and damn God's War was such an awesome book that I'm going to review it anyway. More conspiracies on our favourite cancerous Muslim colonized planet? Want to see how our dame Nyx beats the odds all badass Ellen Ripley-style? Yes please. I hope there's even more body horror, regardless of who has to take the punishment. This series ain't for the squeamish, but this blog has the body horror tag for a reason :) I look forward to the bugs, harvested organs, and barely recognizable body parts.
June's Review Preview
I have one more review in May–Ian Fraser's The Depths of Deception. It's a thriller set in the dystopian near-future with a revenge plot. Simon Royle's futuristic thriller TAG will soon follow. I just noticed that both these thrillers primarily take place outside of North America (actually in the Depths of Deception, North America is erased from the world), so the "international" part of world-building is definitely something I'll be paying attention to in my reviews.
We'll be taking a look at Abner Senire's cyberpunk pulp action adventure Kat and Mouse: Guns for Hire. The protagonists are sassy sisters-in-arms. I'll report how the pulp action unfolds. Cheers to moxie and pulp ridiculousness!
Then finally, we'll be returning to the fantasy turf with M. Edward McNally's The Sable City. It's an epic fantasy with muskets & magic, dwarves & samurai, and the highest word count out of the books on my review list to date: 183,000 words. Reading it will take me a while, but I'll be keeping up with my minimum every 10-days review schedule.
For all those who've been following this blog, thanks for all your support. I'm happy to see such an interest in indie speculative fiction. This is my first blog and I started it without any real expectations, but it's neat to see more than 2,000 views in the first two months of a single-author book blog. Good stuff, I hope I've been of help to your To-Read lists =)
It's amazing how the landscape of independent publishing has changed radically over the past couple of years. I've only had my e-reader for a few months, but I feel like I'm able to access indie works like never before. I wasn't even aware of independent publishing until I stumbled on J. A. Konrath's blog three months ago, and now here we are. This blog won't be able to cover everything indie and speculative fiction, but I hope it adds something to both the indie and SF/F blogosphere :)


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subset: commoncrawl


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With the trade deadline coming up and the Wild in a very tough position, you can't help but feel that we're sellers at this point. Kyle Brodziak has been re-signed and the Wild's "trade bait" now mostly consists of Marek Zidlicky, Mike Lundin, Greg Zanon and the odd forward Fletcher may see as non-vital. We do, however, have a valuable asset in our goalies. It hit me last night that there are a few options the Wild could/should consider. More after the jump.
Option A: Trade Josh Harding to either Chicago or Tampa (or really any team that will give us the best bang for our buck) for a high pick or a few prospects. Recall Matt Hackett to backup Niklas Backstrom for the remainder of the season. He's already proved to be a capable goalie at the NHL level. I don't think he's ready to be a #1 goalie quite yet, but it wouldn't hurt for him to watch Backstrom and learn the ropes. This plan is also very beneficial for Darcy Kuemper as it frees up the net for him in Houston and makes way for him to prove he is a #1 netminder.
Option B: Same as above, just switch Hackett and Kuemper. While I firmly believe the goaltending tandem of the future Wild will be Hackett and Kuemper, I just don't see Kuemper being a #1/#1 B goalie (see Boston's Thomas and Rask) for another year or two after the reigns of the Wild net are given solely to the young tandem. This gives him a glimpse at being that backup and gives him vital NHL experience. This also gives Hackett more time to mature and develop into that #1/#1 A goalie he has the potential to be.
Option C: Trade Harding and recall Dennis Endras from Finland (if possible, if not, scratch Option C) to backup Backstrom for the rest of the season. The sole purpose of this is to showcase Endras for a future trade in the offseason. Endras has no future with the Wild; he was only brought into the system as competition for Harding, Hackett and Kuemper. If he's not going to be a permanent member of the team, why not showcase him temporarily and get something for him in return?
Either way, I say that next year's Wild goalies will be Backstrom and Hackett with Kuemper and Johan Gustafsson between the pipes in Houston. Anyway, these were just a few thoughts I had last night while delivering pizzas.


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Cholesterol Tests Becoming More Thorough: Some Doctors Divided Over Usefulness
Cholesterol tests are becoming more thorough, with many doctors opting to use another test to examine bad fats - a count of particles that carry LDL through the blood.
Some cardiologists say it might help pinpoint at-risk patients who regular checks miss, or get more information about how to treat them, reports CBS News.
However, so far, major heart organizations don't recommend the extra tests, which are pricier than regular cholesterol exams (though Medicare and many other insurers pay for them). Another drawback is that the meaning of the results isn't always clear.
Dr. Nieca Goldberg of New York University Langone Medical Center and the American Heart Association conceded, "I see a lot of people being confused," CBS News reports.
"Especially when they're used on low-risk people, "you don't know how to make sense of the information," she said.
Yet, up to half of heart patients apparently have normal levels of LDL cholesterol, and some doctors say particle testing might help identify them sooner.
"For most people, the standard lipid profile is fine," said Dr. Michael Davidson of the University of Chicago, reports CBS News.
"But "I get referred people who said, 'My cholesterol was fine, why do I have heart disease?' We're showing them, well, because your particle number's sky high and they were not aware that was a problem," Davidson said.


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Over the next 15 days I will be visiting OpenSimulator Grids and reporting here what I find.
Step one: Visited the OpenSimulator site and created an account on OSGrid,
Account successfully created
OSGrid First Name: JeanRicard
OSGrid Last Name: Broek
I will download the Hippo Viewer to connect to OSGrid later but first try the SL viewer following the Instructions here
Looks a little sparse, but so does any party if your early.
11-18-2008 - 11am SLT
OSGrid status: Online
Total Users: 7151
Total regions: 920
Unique Visitors last 30 days: 1966
Online now: 47
11-19-2008 - 3 am SLT
OSGrid status: Online
Total Users: 7216
Total regions: 946
Unique Visitors last 30 days: 2000
Online now: 34


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Springfield -- The Illinois Department of Transportation says more than 600 trucks are out clearing roads as whiteout conditions are being reported in some parts of the state.
The agency says Monday that roads are "slick and dangerous" in northern Illinois and cautioned drivers only to venture out if "absolutely necessary."
Many lesser-traveled roads are snow covered. Combined with strong, gusting wind, whiteout conditions are being reported in some regions.
The agency says it has 750 employees who are working to remove the snow from hard-hit areas.
To get an idea of regional road conditions, drivers can visit www.gettingaroundillinois.com .
Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon Thursday after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted people of other religions. More>>
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Comet to enter administration endangering 6,500 jobs
Around 6,500 retail jobs are under threat as electricals chain Comet became the latest casualty on the high street.
The 240-strong chain confirmed plans for it to be placed into administration next week, marking one of the UK's biggest retail failures in recent years.
Staff were told of plans this morning and restructuring specialist Deloitte has been lined up to handle the administration.
ITV News Economics Editor Richard Edgar reports:
Comet said it is "urgently working" on plans to secure the company's future and it is expected that administrators will seek a buyer for the business.
Customers with outstanding orders and those with gift cards and vouchers are being told it is "business as usual until further notice" and that the group intends to fulfil deliveries of products that have been paid for.
Comet's customer care team is handling any customer inquiries on 0844 8009595.
Comet's history:
- Founded in Hull in 1933 by George Hollingbery as Comet Battery Stores Limited
- Originally sold charging batteries and accumulators, before moving into the radio rental business
- Grew to 2,500 accounts by 1939 and opened its first superstore in Hull in 1968
- Acquired by Kingfisher for £129 million in 1984 and increased to more than 250 stores nationwide by 1996
- Demerged from Kingfisher in 2003, forming a new group known as Kesa Electricals with its sister electrical companies throughout Europe
Comet employees who are fearing for their jobs took to Twitter after the news:
If your business gets taken over by op capita find another job #comet feel really angry, they just took money and ran !!!_
Hope my job ain't on the line here :/ comet
So will this mean that I have a job to go to on Friday? #Comet
Also on Twitter consumer expert Martin lewis advised customers with Comet vouchers to use them as soon as they could:
Comet gift vouchers/cards may be worthless if it goes into adminstation. For safety spend instore today on things you can take away with you
OK it seems Comet gift vouchers/cards still being honoured. Do go today though - if it goes into admin they're likely to be void
If Comet is not able to fulfil an order, customers whose purchases are valued between £100 and £30,000 and who paid by credit or debit cards, should be able to claim their money back within 120 days. However, those who paid in any other way have no immediate way of getting their money back.
The Retail Trust charity, which provides support for retail staff in the UK, has offered to help Comet's 6,000 employees as the firm faces administration.
A statement on the charity's website advised Comet workers to contact the charity's helpline on 0808 801 0808, email email@example.com or text HELPLINE to 88010 for "free, confidential and independent advice and support for all staff affected by such developments."


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Yes, you can buy all-in-one lab kits or individual experiments for your homeschooling studies. But you can also do middle and high school level science labs with little or no special equipment.
One great book to help get you started is The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things by chemistry professors Cathy Cobb and Monty L. Fetterolf. (Compare Prices) It gives directions for assembling your own chemistry set from everyday substances and disposable "lab equipment."
Another excellent place to find experiments you can easily do at home is About.com's Chemistry site, run by Anne Helmenstine, Ph.D.) Using The Joy of Chemistry, About.com Chemistry, and other science resources, my kids and I managed to create our own high school chemistry course. It worked so well for us that we continued on through physics and biology the same way.
To build your own at-home science lab, you only need a few standard household supplies, as the list below shows. Once you've got the basics, check out some of the simple science activities and more advanced experiments on this site and around the web.
What to Keep on Hand
The basic materials listed below lend themselves to many different kinds of science studies. Most are readily available in the supermarket, drugstore, or hardware department.
You can also scrounge electronic parts from old toys and appliances you have around the house, or from cheap keychain lights, mini-fans, radios, or solar lights you can get at the dollar store.
Safety Equipment
- safety goggles
- rubber gloves
- lab coat or old oversized t-shirt
- closed-toe shoes
- clear plastic cups
- clean empty soda bottles
- plastic mayonnaise or peanut butter jars
- coffee cans
- oatmeal cartons
- potato chip cans
- ziptop bags
- #6 clear plastic containers
- small Pyrex dishes
- plastic spoons
- paper, plastic or foam plates and bowls
- drinking straws (cocktail, soda, and wider)
- toothpicks (flat and round)
- eye dropper
- plastic pipette
Measuring Tools
- rulers
- food scale
- room thermometers
- digital meat thermometer
- measuring cups (plastic and Pyrex)
- measuring spoons
- baking soda
- vinegar
- corn starch
- salt
- salt substitute
- food coloring
- lemon juice
- pineapple juice
- gelatin
- red cabbage
- soda
- Mentos
- Wintergreen Lifesavers
- fizzing antacid tablets
- laundry bluing
- borax detergent
- white glue
- baby oil
- dish soap
- rubbing alcohol
- flour
- yeast
- sugar
- glow sticks
- rubber balls
- yoyos
- glass marbles
- Slinkys
- drinking dipping bird toys
- bubble soap
- latex balloons
- helium balloons
- LED bulbs
- batteries (all kinds -- AA, AAA, 9V, 3V coin batteries)
- solar panels (get them off of old garden lights)
- laser pointer
- black light bulb
- small DC (battery-powered) motors
- electrical wire
- magnetic wire
- nails (steel and zinc)
- paper clips
- razor blades
- magnets
- iron filings
- electrical tape
- assorted coins
Optical Equipment
- magnifying glasses
- digital still/video camera
- microscope (digital and standard) (Compare Prices)
- binoculars
- telescope
- polarized lenses
- clear plastic tape
- old CDs
Materials to Be Used Under Adult Supervision
- small votive candles and matches
- microwave oven
- dry ice
- chemical hand warmers
- chemical cold packs


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Oregon State Police troopers are continuing their investigation into Sunday evening's deadly crash at the end of Highway 213 west of Interstate 205 near Oregon City.
Investigators said a van driven by 80-year-old William Dickens Jr. from Kettle, WA, was traveling northbound on Highway 213 at about 8 p.m. Sunday.
As the car traveled over Interstate 205 and came to the west end, where it intersects with Agnes Avenue and East Washington Street. It left the highway and struck a large sewer ventilation pipe before going down an embankment.
An OSP trooper arrived on scene about a minute after the crash occurred. Medics also arrived shortly afterward and pronounced the driver dead. Alcohol is being investigated as a possible contributing factor.
Before the crash, a complaint was received by police about a possible DUII driver northbound on Highway 213. The trooper was checking the area for the vehicle when he came upon the crash scene.
Oregon State Police troopers from the Portland Area Command office are conducting the investigation. Senior Trooper Guy Nelson is the lead investigator.
Oregon State Police were assisted at the scene by Clackamas Fire District I and the Clackamas County Medical Examiner's Office.
Copyright 2013 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
A woman who was texting while driving was impaled by guardrail pole.More >
A woman who was texting while driving was impaled by guardrail pole.More >


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A high-performance engine with advanced combustion technology helps power the ECL210CL in demolition cleanup and landfill maintenance. Heavy-duty under-plating allows the waste handler to move freely without damaging the core of the machine, leading to stress-free operation. A cooling layout also prevents overheating, giving the vehicle high efficiency by separating coolers and radiators. It can also come in an indoor package that can be used at transfer stations.
Volvo Construction Equipmentwww.volvece.com
Solid Waste
Here's an overview of what works (and what doesn't) vis-a-vis disposal bans, recycling...
Transfer Stations
1500 Series TerrainCut Offers Comfort and Versatility
PUBLIC WORKS Staff
The following is a sampling of apps that can be accessed by using a variety of mobile...
The InfraMarker System, a state of the art integration of RFID technology, magnetic...
The designs are meant to inspire and promote the city's commitment to the program.
Florida is the fifth state to add garbage trucks to the list of vehicles that drivers...
Please read our Content Guidelines before posting.
Copyright ©
2014 Hanley Wood Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


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|Cast stone
| Random
|New or reclaimed
|Beige, brown, buff, grey, yellow
Bradstone Structural Solutions Masonry Block walling is a simple, innovative method of reproducing the appearance of traditional random rubble walling. They are cast in a T shape, with false joints, so they appear to be made of several individual stones.
For housing the blocks are used in external walls, and extensions, and for new build projects where a natural appearance is required. For commercial projects they are suitable for external walls, extensions and bridges.
The Bradstone Structural Solutions walling range is manufactured using a wet cast process offering and is compliant to European Standard BS EN 771-5.
Masonry Block walling is produced in moulds originating from natural stone masters giving an authentic aesthetic detail. A range of masters is used to avoid noticeable repetition of profiles. A number of shades are available to suit regional variations.
The blocks are produced in rational sizes for ease, speed and flexibility of construction. They can be laid to a 450mm module, allowing wall tie positions, window and door heights to be achieved.


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Small Talk
Is 2012 Our Year?
by Don Bekeleski
We're into a new year! I hope this is the one all you freedom fighters will be applauding and jumping for victory. It's been a long time coming and victory will surely be sweet after such a long battle. This could be the year for Illinois Conceal Carry. Why? Litigation plus a committee has been formed by the Ill House to look into Conceal Carry and report back. Whether it be by litigation—legislation from the Washington resolution or by a full proof veto vote of our legislature I feel it's upon us!
If enough Representatives don't change their mind—the courts may do it for them. If not, a lot of them are up for re-election in November. Maybe if we don't have it by then, it's time for a revolt at the polls. There are groups forming in Chicago to get Reps elected that will stand behind law-abiding citizens and not dictate 'no' to our Constitutional right of self-defense! This could mean new Reps from that area.
I don't travel very much but over the holidays I carried concealed lawfully in Wisconsin with an out of state permit that Wisconsin honors. It really felt good. As I sat in a hotel and watched people pass by I wondered how many were armed just like me. The 2nd thought I had was if they were, everything was really copasetic and just like any other day!
I thought to myself what the hell is all the hoop-la about. There were many people just like me that were armed and everything was just as if we weren't armed. They were just ordinary people going about their business and everyone being polite and carrying on as usual. We took a bus ride to see all the Christmas lights and the same atmosphere for me was on the bus.
Then my thought drifted to Illinois. I thought it could be the same in my home state. Our legislators that voted no to Conceal Carry should make a trip up here or to any other state and see just how there are no problems in any of these areas.
What makes them think that the people of Illinois are somehow different and don't deserve this right for themselves? All the facts are there for them to see that it works, so how can they vote no.
As we approached the Illinois state line my daughter had to pull over so I could disarm myself and not become a felon in my home state. As I got back in the car after casing the gun my daughter said, "How stupid that crossing this line says that now you and all of us become targets and victims for any goofball that wants to try something. I said yes it's an insult to the people of Illinois for the legislature to have the attitude that somehow they are not capable of behaving ourselves, like the people in the other entire 49 states do, even Wisconsin which we just left.
So the Holiday trip for me was an experience and a real wake up call. It told me that the Illinois legislature had to look really ignorant to not pass something the rest of the United States has passed for all their citizens.
Being armed and being with many armed law-abiding people proved to me that if something terrible and life threatening was to happen, there were many people who could act to stop it, instead of everyone screaming. ducking and praying that they would not be the next casualty.
The feeling coming back into Illinois was that if something were to happen to us now we would have to wait for 911 to arrive. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. I think our Reps should find it hard to sleep at night knowing people are getting killed because they voted no for them to have the right to live on, by granting them Conceal Carry.
I know if I was one of those that voted no, I would hang my head and cry every time I hear of another killing that could have been prevented. How could it not bother you and not make you feel responsible in some way!
Don't give up the fight. Instead become more intense! Help IGOLD grow this year. When it does finally become law, you will be able to tell all the people that told you "no way" that it was your fighting along with all of us, that made it happen—AND THAT'S THE TRUTH!
Comments to Don can be sent to Smalltalk Feedback.


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Category: Air & Climate ×
Subcategory: Exhaust ×
Keyword: exhauster ×
Location: USA ×
Location: Mississippi ×
Hydroveyors Exhaustersby United Conveyor Corporation (UCC)
UCC HYDROVEYOR Exhausters use high pressure water to generate high vacuum, high volume conveying air flows. With no moving parts, they are the most reliable, longest lasting exhauster option available. High wear life DURITE components provide cost effective, highly wear resistant assemblies. With no tight tolerances to ...
Blowers - Multi-Stage Centrifugal Blowersby Airtechnic - Solutions bv
Our blowers are used for a wide variety of applications, not just for air, but also for numerous gases, including bio gas. When fans aren't able to deliver the pressure you need, blowers and exhausters take over. Airtechnic Solutions is the exclusive representative for Continental Industrie in The Netherlands.As result of many decades of ...
SKIPVAC - High Suction Performance, easy to move around, and Self-Tipping Waste Removalby DISAB UK LTD
Key Features & Benefits: Very high performance is achieved by the SkipVAC's 13kW side-channel exhauster, operating through a filter separator fitted with treated needle-felt filter cassettes. The combined power pack and filter assembly, which forms the heart of the unit, is mounted on top of a self-tipping fork truck skip. Fast and ...
COMPVAC - Very High Suction Performance that's Easily Portable & Operator-Friendlyby DISAB UK LTD
Key Features and Benefits: Very high performance is achieved by the CompVAC side channel exhauster, operating through a filter separator fitted with treated needle-felt filter cassettes. The combined power pack and filter assembly, which forms the heart of the unit, is fitted together with an integral 0.9m³ hopper. Fast and dust-free ...
BAGVAC - Completely Enclosed Material Handlingby DISAB UK LTD
Key Features and Benefits: An 18kW electrical motor 400V, 50Hz with a protective switch and direct drive, running off a 32Amp supply. A side channel exhauster, manufactured by Nash Elmo, fitted with a vacuum relief safety valve. Maximum sound pressure level 70dB(a) at 5m. Maximum airvolume is 1,200m³/h. Maximum operating vacuum is 410mbar. ...
TRAILERVAC - Trailer-Mounted, Heavy Duty Diesel or Electrically Powered Machineby DISAB UK LTD
Key Features and Benefits: It is designed specially for fast and effective collection of large deposits of materials. The machine utilizes a powerful Roots type exhauster generating either 500 mbar or 800 mbar with air volumes from 1,800 m³/h to 5,500 m³/h. The machine has a comprehensive filter assembly together with an integral ...
RheoVac - Condenser Monitorsby Intek, Inc.
Large increases in turbine back pressure are easily observed and corrective actions are taken promptly, but small amounts of excess back pressure often go unnoticed and can cost millions of dollars over the long haul. RheoVac instruments continuously monitor air in-leakage, exhauster capacity and other parameters to give you the information needed ...
SME - Multi-Stage Centrifugal Blowerby Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon
Ingersoll Rand offers a well proven range of Multistage Centrifugal Blowers: The Hibon SME Series is engineered to meet the requirements of the most demanding blower or exhauster applications for air and gas.
Stationary Series - Invincible Flux Recovery Systemsby Gardner Denver, Inc.
Eight models available.Ideal for Sub Arc Welding.Heavy-duty service.5 year warranty.Removes flux flour, eliminating weld porosity
B-5 (5 CU. YDS.) - Combination Jet/VAC Trucksby Aquatech - A Product of Hi-Vac Corporation
B-5 Usage: The B5 Combination Cleaner is designed to give unsurpassed performance in catch basins, storm sewers, lift stations and treatment plants in municipal and industrial applications.
Need help finding the right suppliers?
Let the XPRTs do the work for you


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- Home
- News
- William Chandler, Chief Judge of Delaware Chancery Court, to Retire After 25 Years on Bench
William Chandler, Chief Judge of Delaware Chancery Court, to Retire After 25 Years on Bench
Posted Apr 25, 2011 4:59 PM CDT
By Martha Neil
The chief judge of what may be the nation's most renowned business court has announced his retirement after 25 years on the Delaware Chancery Court bench.
Chief Judge William B. Chandler III, who is now 60, says it is time to move on and pursue other opportunities in corporate law and corporate governance in the private sector, Bloomberg reports.
His final day is June 17.
Through his leadership, Chandler has made the chancery court "the envy of court systems around the country and around the world," attorney Francis Pileggi of Wilmington tells the news agency. "His tenure has made it the standard by which other business courts are measured."
The Wilmington News Journal, the DealBook blog of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog also have stories.
Add a Comment
We welcome your comments, but please adhere to our comment policy. Flag comment for moderator.


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Program Purpose: To "Help Students Find Their Passion in Life" by providing high quality enrichment opportunities that are affordable to families and school districts.
The Student Activities Department of the SW/WC Service Cooperative delivers a variety of enrichment conferences, competitions and programs for all K-12 students (Regular Ed, Students With Special Needs, Gifted & Talented, Home School, etc.) in our 18 county service region. For more information about these events and sponsorship opportunities please visit the links on the left side of this page.
Events are coordinated by the SW/WC Service Cooperative with the help of our valued sponsors and partners.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please email your name, address, phone number to Andrea Anderson at firstname.lastname@example.com (507-537-2257).
2013-14 Postcard - concise format. Great to post on a file cabinet or refrigerator. - updated in AugustDistrict Participation Data (2013-2014)Event Summary Date (2013-2014)


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Jamaica can earn US$800m from sea island cotton
JAMAICA can potentially earn US$800 million ($85.6 billion) annually from exporting Sea Island Cotton, according to expert estimates.
Initially 500 acres of the crop will be cultivated in a pilot project with $11 million in grant assistance from the Japanese Government. The country can however maximise its earning potential by increasing the acreage tenfold.
If the industry were to attain its putative potential it would rival the foreign exchange earnings of the third largest industry in Jamaica that of the bauxite/alumina sector.
"We estimate that a vertically integrated west Indies sea Island Cotton Industry supported by 5,000 acres of cotton production when fully implemented will provide employment for over 2,000 persons full-time; 15,000 on a seasonal basis and generate income in excess of US$800 million per year in foreign exchange," stated Vitus Evans CEO at Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation (JADF) in his address at a Wednesday press conference at JEA's Kingston headquarters to announce the pilot project.
The figure was corroborated by Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke in his address.
"The prospect of the West Indian Sea Island Cotton industry which could create 15,000 new jobs and generate almost US$1 billion in foreign exchange earnings annually is an initiative which the Government must support at all costs.
I therefore have no difficulty in pledging my support and that of my ministry to this project," stated Clarke. But cynics cite historic false-starts and price fluctuations as evidence of the crop's unattainable potential.
Technocrats now posit that this time around markets and farmlands are secured. Jamaica produces Sea Island Cotton with a quality and texture that garners a comparatively higher price than in most parts of the world.
The JEA indicated that the industry would require government support to provide sufficient lands with irrigation infrastructure and farmer loans.
Dalkeith Hann, chairman of the JADF indicated in his address that over the past decade JADF, the University of West Indies and Ministry of Agriculture had spent time and money developing a vertically integrated Sea Island Cotton industry in Jamaica.
The JADF represents Jamaica on the board of the West Indian Sea Island Cotton Association which owns and controls the trademark.
"There is a high demand internationally for West Indian Sea Island Cotton , the major buyers are from Switzerland and Japan with interest also from the USA , Italy and UK," explained Hanna.
"The cotton is presently being grown in Antigua, Barbados, Nevis and Jamaica — with Jamaica being the only island capable of large scale production at this time."
Hanna stated that cotton is a niche product with annual global demand at six million pounds (lbs) of lint. One third of the demand comes from Japan.
"Hence today, I am especially pleased to join in Jamaica's development endeavour in the agricultural field by providing this grant to rejuvenate the West Indian Sea Island Cotton Industry," stated Ambassador Yasuo Takase of Japan in his address.
"The West Indian Sea Island Cotton is known by its highest quality of its kind, resulting in great demand by the Japanese industry.
Thus, revitalisation of the West Indian Sea Island Cotton production in Jamaica benefits both Jamaican farmers and Japanese industry." The grant is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots and Human Security Projects of the Government of Japan.
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Taylor 814ce$4,378.004.5 stars
Gibson 2014 SG Special$1,634.005 stars
Boss ME-80$418.004.5 stars
An affordable do-it-all effects solution for onstage use and recording.
Gibson 2014 Les Paul Futura4 stars
Anderwood Style 1 M4.5 stars
A great blend of quality and value on this no-frills Weissenborn-style lap guitar.
Fender 60th Anniversary American Vintage 1954 Strat$3,099.004.5 stars
This is where it all began - there wasn't much wrong with it then, plus ...
Fender 60th Anniversary Classic Player 50s Strat$1,399.004.5 stars
Fender 60th Anniversary American Standard Commemorative Stratocaster$2,099.004.5 stars
The modern Strat for the modern player - the culmination of the breed, if you ...
Red Witch Seven Sisters Grace$159.003.5 stars
Red Witch Empress Chorus$379.004.5 stars
Gibson Les Paul Classic$3,597.004.5 stars
For a great-value, fully realised modern Les Paul, look no further.
Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes Nano$77.004 stars
Godin Acousticaster 40th Anniversary Koa$1,515.005 stars
Overall, a serious tool for the creative musician that's well worth trying.
SSAudio Distortion Shout$130.003.5 stars
Aria 5115 stars
Electro-Harmonix OD Glove$77.004.5 stars
A versatile, wide-ranging Brit-flavoured overdrive under 50 quid.
PRS SE 'Floyd' Custom 24$1,000.005 stars
Usable for so much more than the rock and metal a Floyd Rose implies, the ...
SSAudio Overdrive Gig$130.003.5 stars
Electro-Harmonix Nano Big Muff Pi$93.004.5 stars
Gibson Les Paul Standard 2014$5,014.004.5 stars
The best version thus far of a guitar that's always been the single-cut to beat.
Electro-Harmonix East River Drive$77.00
EHX do a TS with no BS - and at a very reasonable price, too.
Collings CJ35$4,860.004.5 stars
PRS S2 Singlecut4.5 stars
A stripped-down USA guitar that offers build and sound over visual ornamentation.
Classic 25 Electric Bass Guitar4 stars
Italia Muira4 stars
It might not be the greatest acoustic guitar you've ever got your hands on, but ...
TC Electronic Ditto Looper X24.5 stars
Italia Mondial Sonoro$979.004 stars
A guitar that's as fun as it is unique, there's a surprising amount of tonal ...
Pykmax$12.004 stars
Ardent followers of the plectrum may sneer, but we salute this brave new form of ...
Vintage Viator3.5 stars
Italia Modena Semitone$779.004 stars
If you're into the aesthetics, the Modena Semitone is worth more than a look.


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Where have I been these days? All around town, sometimes even beyond the boundaries and into Milwaukee, Riverwest, Bayview, or pedaling on the bikepath to some sort of predetermined destination. Or dancing at the free concerts in the parks.
The weeping willow dances in the breeze, and so do I.
But the willow has a different choreographer, though sometimes I give it a try, try to choreograph the trees with my brush or pen,
and they dance according to my whim.
And sometimes the trees choreograph me,
not from just their outside appearance, from their in.
For when I paint on wood, I let the grain below
my brush tell it where to go.
In our artwork we look at ourselves, laugh at ourselves, consciously or unconsciously paint ourselves. Or we gaze into others' eyes and try to turn our paint into their emotions. We may lose the human figure in its surroundings, or let it overpower the space. Or perhaps we abstract it so much no one else knows it's human. There are as many ways to look at humanity as there are people looking. And the latest show at the Rosenblatt Gallery features four very different artists, Davey Noble, Eriks Johnson, Virgi Driscoll, and Nancy Lamers, painting their fellow earthlings.
It's all about the students. That realization triggered a friendship between my husband Adolph and Jo Pulver which lasted over 40 years until she died last Friday. Adolph taught art at UWM, and Jo was the advisor for Fine Arts students. Whenever a student had a problem, with another faculty member, with grades, with scheduling, or perhaps with more personal issues, Adolph could depend on Jo to be the perfect intermediary.
WHICH WAY HAVE THEY TURNED? Updated
Few professors get to see, years later, how their students turned out. Adolph Rosenblatt is fortunate: in a few days two different exhibitions of work by his former students will be up at the same time. In fact one is already up, at UWM's Inova Arts Center Gallery: Adolph Rosenblatt and three of his students.
The Milwaukee area is filled with my husband Adolph's former students. He taught art at UWM for 33 years, and now, eleven years since he retired, they often stop him in the street or at an event to say they studied with him in the '60s, or '70s, or '80s, or '90s and loved his classes. They describe his impact on them and the work they're doing now.
In the late 50's and early '60's in New York City, my husband Adolph's work was 2-dimensional. Well, not completely. He was applying oil paints to giant canvasses with a palette knife, thick dollops of bright color that captured the energy and excitement of big city life. Finally he gave up the canvas and the oils for wax, then bronze, and then settled on clay.
Kids love dandelions. When the flowers bloom they gather bouquets, and later on in the season they blow feathery spores and watch them float away. Fifty years ago no one questioned this. Things have changed, not for kids, they still love their bouquets, but for adults, some adults. I heard one recently rave, "I hate dandelions, I hate dandelions, I HATE dandelions!"
"I'm not getting older, I'm getting busier." That should be the twenty-first century mantra.
Does busier make us age faster?
Maybe that's why so many people dye their hair;
they want to hide the gray, as if gray matters.
It's gray matter that matters, the substance of our overworked brains.
The more matter the better, as the gray blur of whirring remains.
Does busyness kill us or help us survive? make us dumber or smarter?
And where do we place the blame For all this Busyness?
Adolph loves to turn the life around him into more permanent forms. In New York City he watched pedestrians on rainy city streets, eaters at Horn and Hardart's Automat, the chaos of Herald Square, and created works of art.
We may slosh through snow, and grouse
Avoid the blowing wind, by staying in the house
Wish we were down south, to skip winter time
in a climate, where each primate, is an artist of some kind
a scribbler or a fiddler, or a closet singer
a dancer or an actor, or a comic with a zinger
especially when we're touched by, the Arctic's icy finger...
So whither shall we flee?
From gallery to gallery
on the 15th of January
I think I've got it right, Friday the 15th is Gallery Night!
I gaze at the lawns as I walk along Jarvis and, hey, the grass isn't supposed to be this green, this is December 5! It's time for holiday parties, not garden parties. Holiday parties, that's what I'm supposed to be contemplating, not blades of grass.
I'm already missing the recent past when the temperature and my age sometimes coincided (low seventies). I threw a tarp over collards, arugula, lettuce, and cilantro during the first frost, managed to prolong my garden's life and thus, perhaps, my personal summer.
Dancing's in my genes. On my mother's side. Even at age 85 she wildly improvised to Paul Cebar at Bastille Days. She loved the human body in action, loved the movement and the freedom of dance. And so do I.
Thursday, August 6, was dream-lake afternoon. The water, placid and aglow, was the ideal surface for hundreds of gulls, and an occasional goose, to float, dive, and harmonize. "It sounds as if the gulls are singing!" I exclaimed to my grandsons, as sympathetic vibrations replaced the usual seagull squawks.
Summer seems fleeting and finite, and the list of things to do while our heavy coats hang in the closet seems infinite: parks, parades, fairs, gardening, house repairs, weather-proofing, painting, pruning, exhibits, concerts, chores and culture all in one giant grab-bag.
On Gallery Night, Friday, July 24, there's a reception at Rosenblatt Gallery for our guest artist, Deidre Prosen (please see Sarah's lively description of the exhibit at the end of this blog). Adolph's and my works are also in the gallery, and Eli's work is on the first floor (Artasia) and on the third floor (Cuvee).
Adolph and I will once again have a tent at Artist Marketplace on Saturday, July 25, 10-5, in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Every year we say we're too old, this is the last time, and then we do it anyway, because we do enjoy talking to friends, passers-by, and Adolph's ex-students and seeing the local art scene. Here's our tent from last year.
There are also two projects in the works this summer that I'll write more about in my next blog. One is the All-City People's Parade and Pageant on August 8 here in Milwaukee, modeled after the Minneapolis "Heart of the Beast" annual May Day Parade. There are lots of opportunities for your creative participation!
The second project is Keith Schmitz's plan to start a coop bookstore café, Open Book, in Shorewood now that we no longer have Schwartz Bookshop. It will only succeed with everyone's support.
Our family has two events this weekend, and in a funny way they're related. They're both rooted in the basic human instinct of creative play. The event on May 8th, which I wrote about in my last blog (and which I'll update here) is a display of creativity in several of its many forms, dance, music, acrobatics, and visual art. The second event, on May 10th, is a discussion of the process of creating by Adolph and me at the Urban Ecology Center. The title is "Does my left brain know what my right brain's doing?" And a follow-up question might be: Do I WANT it to know?
Adolph and I have different approaches to talking about creativity, though basically our process is the same. I can't merely say to my left brain, "Stop monitoring, let the dream side take over." It might not cooperate! So I'll discuss how I go about getting into the creative flow. And how that flow has gone about changing me.
Adolph, on the other hand, who's always right-brained, in fact was born that way, will talk about what his thoughts are when he works. He's focused on what is happening, about his relationship to his subject. Whether it's a person, a house, a tree, or a cow, he wants to capture its spirit.
Another April, another spring, another Gallery Night, Earth Day, Poetry Month...Adolph paints his sculptures, plays chess. I draw dancers, wake at 3 AM with a poem written in my head. Guests come and go, time to start planting again, the usual green onions have sprouted in my garden. Life continues, repeats itself, yet is never boring.
Nothing's the same the second time round, nor the 70th. No face is perfectly symmetrical. No actor plays his part identically each night. And I imagine my hair's a bit greyer each day. I appreciate the unpredictable: what thoughts I'll wake up to, what news on NPR, what weather out the window, the quality of sunrise and sunset, the people I'll run into around town.
This Friday, April 17, once again is Gallery Night, and the surprise is who will stop by and what amusing or interesting conversations we'll have. Adolph repainted his WE ARE ALL MAKING ART sculpture. The pieces haven't changed shape, just color. Are they still the same sculptures? And even if the color hadn't changed, do we ever see things the same way twice? As always I have the walls in Rosenblatt Gallery, Adolph has the floor, Eli has added new work to his show in the back of Artasia, and photographer Aliza Ksobiech has a show in the revolving gallery.
Details: RECEPTION: Friday, April 17, 5-11 PM at ROSENBLATT GALLERY, 181 N. Broadway: Art by Adolph and Suzanne & guest artist, Aliza Ksobiech.
Adolph and I met about three hours before 1959 turned into 1960. By midnight we realized we both loved "play" and had had a little game of balloon volleyball, which ended when the balloon knocked one of my contact lenses out of my eye. "Hey, you have a big tear!" he exclaimed.
Adolph was already a working artist, and I wished I was (I had a BA in political science). I became his first student, and we've collaborated in one way or another ever since: three children, eight grandchildren, and, combined, over a century's worth of art.
He sculpts, draws with Craypas, and paints; I paint, draw with brush and ink or micron pens, and write and perform eco-poetry. Our styles and our media may not coincide, yet our involvements and intent often do. We're both concerned with light and form, with keeping the work alive. And our subject matter veers towards people: eating, swimming, sitting, relating to each other, caught up in their everyday activities. Or it veers towards nature, as in our show at the Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E. Park Place, "Treescapes, Seascapes, Lagoons, Lake," April 1st-June 30th. The opening reception is on Sunday, April 5, from 2 to 4 PM, and at 3 PM we'll discuss why we're drawn to draw nature.
Here are some of Adolph's tree drawings (with Craypas):
This bus stopped in front of Pick 'n Save at 12:17 on the dot, got to Capitol Drive at 12:19. Amazing punctuality. Now I have to figure out what to do as I ride downtown. Too many choices. Should I write, should I draw, should I people-watch, look out the window? We're cruising along Oakland Avenue, fresh mail stuffed into every single mailbox, hangs out over the tops, and it's not because people are suddenly writing and receiving letters. If it's like MY mail, it'll all go directly into the recycle bin.
That's tragic. We cut down forests to make paper for flyers, catalogues, donation solicitations, annual reports, on and on, and no one opens anything. We toss it all into containers that may or may not be for recycling. And beyond the loss of trees, what energy is used to make the paper and ink, print the info, send the never-to-be-read mail, then recycle the paper or truck it to the landfill?
I recently read that it takes over 100 million trees to produce all the junk mail that arrives in American mailboxes each year. Let's see, US population, 300 million, number of trees used, 100 million, that's a third of a tree per year for every person in the USA, just for junk mail! Then think of all the paper towel, paper plates, tissues, toilet paper, packaging, Americans use. Maybe there's another two-thirds tree per person beyond the junk mail.
I guess I'll draw the other passengers instead of contemplating loss of forests. Or is that a waste of paper, too? At least I work very small these days. And I can take solace in the idea that the arts is what distinguishes us from other species. Anyway I try to use as little of the earth's resources as possible, as I walk, bike, bus, reuse, recycle. If they could walk a carbon copy of my sole, I suspect most Americans would leave much smaller carbon footprints than they do now. So I might as well draw.
Gallery Night and Day comes round once each season, and the years go by. And the Milwaukee art scene spreads its venues over time and place, further into the heart of the city, reaching into the outskirts. On Friday, January 16, Gallery Night comes galloping in once again. Crowds will tramp the cold sidewalks, seeking the warmth of art.
We'll have a Gallery Night Reception at 181 N Broadway. In Rosenblatt Gallery Adolph has added several small sculptures to his mix of Lunch Counter, Balcony, Benjy's, Pools, Highway, Herald Square.
Ideas are like amoebas, shape changing with input. And that's how the Shorewood Conservation Committee's Reusable Bag Campaign developed.
The Conservation Committee was divided into three subcommittees, and I was on the Sustainability Subcommittee. One issue we decided to tackle was toxins in the environment. I had long ago bought educational door-hangers to put on the doorknobs of neighbors who use lawn pesticides. I never did it though. So I suggested we make our own lawn-care door-hangers to distribute in the village.
Someone else suggested we make them two-sided, one side for safe lawn care outdoors, the other for safe cleaning methods indoors. We then all agreed that the door-hanger would be in the shape of a house. And that was our plan when I went to visit our son in New York last December.
When I returned a week later, subcommittee members had met again and instead of mere door-hangers, they planned to distribute reusable shopping bags to every household in Shorewood. Our inside-outside door-hanger would be an insert in the bags. And subcommittee members were already checking out manufacturers, costs, materials, and possible delivery dates.
Of course we also had to design the bags and figure out how to pay for them and how to distribute them. Many more issues cropped up, with countless meetings and Emails, discussions and disagreements.
The corner of this project that I know most intimately is the design of the bags. The artwork was my responsibility. I was working with Tammy Bockhorst, who was in charge of putting it all together, an endless project that required new software and extended learning curves.
At first everyone wanted a logo. Someone directed me to show Shorewood between a lake and a river, and she drew ripples to illustrate what to do. Since no one disagreed, I assumed that was my first assignment, and I wasn't too happy about it! For a few weeks I played around with the idea in my wordrawing style, though someone else had told me not to include writing. Well, I always knew I'm not a logo-type.
Finally Tammy pointed out that that was just one person's suggestion, and I could do whatever I wanted. I decided leaves would make a good logo. So with Tammy's help, we modified an old drawing of mine of mulberry leaves as a prototype.
I figured it wouldn't be a final logo since mulberries aren't native to Wisconsin. Actually I just researched that on google, and red mulberries with lobed leaves ARE native. However they're considered invasive.
In any event, we needed a drawing for one side of the bag, and we settled on non-invasive native plants. Since it was winter, and no native plants were in bloom, I drew from photos in catalogues and online. After I'd done a series of flowers,
As a painter, poet, performer, dancer, my creativity usually begins with getting into the flow. My hands become my eyes and put down the image, my feet listen to the music and decide the moves, the dream part of my brain tells me what to write. It's basically losing the self to find the self. I have decades of flow behind me; I don't know what I've got ahead!
I'll have the opportunity to discuss my thoughts on creativity in a presentation at Danceworks, 1661 N Water Street, on Friday, October 17, at 7:30 PM. I'll also have some of my latest artwork, and some of my oldest artwork, on exhibit there from October 10 to January 8, opening reception October 17, 6:00 to 8:30 PM. Below are a few of the recent drawings I'll include in the show, and some comments about them.
Why do I draw dancers? I'm not a dancer, I just love to dance, even if I make an absolute fool of myself, love to move to music, letting my feet guide me, love feeling energized and free. So when I draw dancers, I'm feeling the movement and energy. And freedom.
On Sunday I glanced at the lake from Atwater Bluff, expecting nothing special. Yet it was spectacular! What made the lake look that way? There were dark streaks, turquoise streaks, and a startling band of white in the distance, probably a mix of mists and cloud reflections.
That's what's so fascinating about life: I never know what I'll find somewhere until I get there, what friends, what strangers, what mists.
I of course have no idea who will show up at Friday night's reception in our gallery. I do know what work is there! Adolph recently moved his BALCONY from the Regent's Board Room at UWM's Chapman Hall to the gallery, and his Oriental Pharmacy Lunch Counter is still there. I just set up a show of dancer drawings that I did last year when Margot Sappington was setting Common People for the Milwaukee Ballet. These drawings aren't yet on our web site, but some earlier dancers are. Our guest artist is Joe Boblick. You can see his work in the MIAD Online Gallery.
As for the Artist Marketplace on Saturday, I'm not yet sure what sculptures, what paintings, what drawings we'll use, don't know if our tent will consent to another fair, don't know if the weather will be fair. What I do know are the details of both events, if all pans out as planned:
FRIDAY, July 25, 7 to 10 PM, reception at Rosenblatt Gallery, work by Adolph & Suzanne Rosenblatt & Joe Boblick, 181 N Broadway, in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward
SATURDAY, July 26, 10 AM to 5 PM, Fourth Annual Artist Marketplace, in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 North Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee
I feel as if our kids grew up in an art warehouse, walls covered with, and racks filled with, paintings and drawings, sculpture on every table and shelf, and yet all five of us were producing more. And I'm thankful the tradition continues, with spouses and grandchildren thrown into the mix. Recently Eli has been on a painting roll. You might sense from his work that he once owned a bar (in Taipei) and that he has a long-standing relationship with pool halls, as he takes the inhabitants of the night and brings them back to life in his unique style. You can also sense that painting is a natural part of his being. From March 8 to May 30, he has a show at Gallery H2O, 221 N. Water St., Milwaukee. The hours are a little unusual, Mon-Fri, 7:30 AM-4:00 PM, but he'll have a reception on Gallery Night, Friday, April 18th, 6 PM-10 PM, and the gallery will also be open Saturday, April 19th, 11 AM-2 PM. You can see some of his work on his home page.
Gallery Night
Tonight's Gallery Night, and we're always in the same quandary: We want to stay at our own gallery, yet want to go to all the other exhibits. This evening Adolph and I will stay at Rosenblatt Gallery, 181 N. Broadway, with our work and with Davey Noble's work, which is in our north gallery. Here's his press release: "Hot on the heels of the world premier of the 'Super Noble Brothers' film release, Milwaukee artist DAVEY NOBLE is for the first time in 5 years unveiling some of his most enigmatic work for the eyes of his home city on Gallery Night, January 18, 2008 at the Rosenblatt Gallery in the Historic Third Ward. DAVEY, the youngest of the three Noble brothers, is known first for his incredible take on the human form and his uniquely individual persuasion of color and line. He is also known for his one-of-a-kind style and attitude that is classically Milwaukee. The public is warmly invited to come and view the most recent creations from one of this city's most up-and-coming artists, and to enjoy the company of a genuinely noble Milwaukeean."
So we'll unfortunately miss the opening of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Relationships and Love, a show at Walker's Point Center for the Art, 911 W. National Ave, that includes work by Adolph, our son Eli, and me. There's a condensed version of the show on blogspot.


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The driver of a semi-truck was injured after the truck flipped onto a nearby construction site in Columbia-Tusculum.
It happened in the 400 block of Delta Avenue just before 10 a.m. According to dispatchers, the vehicle overturned in the area across from The Precinct restaurant.
The site is currently under construction for the new apartment complex, Delta Flats.
Dispatchers said the driver reportedly hit their head in the crash and was taken to a nearby hospital. They were said to be alert and breathing.
The truck's load shifted, according to dispatchers. The exact cause of the accident was not immediately available.
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text:
The Marion Police Department responded around 10:15 a.m. to the 400 block of West Goodall following an armed robbery on Friday.
Police say two females were robbed at gunpoint inside their vehicle while picking up a friend.
A handgun was shown and some money was taken.
The suspects were described as two black males, one having a medium build, 5'8" to 5'10", with a mustache, goatee and wearing a dark colored sweatshirt.
The suspects then went northbound.
Contact the Marion Police Department if you have any information.
Copyright 2014 KFVS. All rights reserved.
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It's about that time again. The Ultimate Fighter will start their second season on FX and sixteenth season over all this Friday, September 14th. The coaches will be Shane Carwin and TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson. The UFC has issued a preview video that shows some of the hijinks that goes down during the season. As usual, it's full of the testosterone, juvenile pranks, and yelling that you'd expect out of TUF. Will this season be better than the last few? Check out the preview below to find out.
You can check out the whole TUF 16 cast here.


text:
Local News
New Athletics and Nutrition Center Opens in Owego
9/22/2013 (Updated 10:59:01 PM)If you're looking for a new way to workout, check out the Yeaman Athletic and Nutrition Center, now open in Owego.
the center held its grand opening today giving potential clients tours of the facility. the gym provides crossfit style training that uses full body movements. There is also an on site nutritionist to work with you to get the most out of your training.
"We want to build a good positive community here and not only build physical strength, and mental strength and inspire kids, adults, to maybe do things that they may have wanted to do that they didn't have the confidence to do," said Joey Yaman, co-owner and trainer.
The center is focused on teaching people that exercise and nutrition together will produce results. The gym offers training for all levels including children, beginners, athletes, and advanced members.
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2011-12-24 12:50:00
"It's one of the best experiences I had, not just hockey, but the memories and getting to be a part of that and represent Canada, it's something that's helped me. What a great time."
- Flames captain Jarome Iginla on his memories of winning gold in Boston in 1996 with Team Canada at the WJC.
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If the NHL expanded into one market, where should it go?


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Alexandria, Louisiana (USA) -- The Alexandria Open Meditation Group was created in the spring of 2014 to offer the essence of Zen Buddhism to the Alexandria community without Asian rituals and hierarchies traditionally associated with Zen. The group meets at the Yoga Practice Studio, 1205 Texas Ave, Alexandria, Louisiana on Wednesday evenings at 5:15.
LINCOLN, Neb.(USA) -- Former South Vietnamese Army Captain, Ty Kieu was arrested during the fall of Saigon. He was imprisoned, placed into a concentration camp, and needed a way out.
Jacksonville, NC (USA) -- A bell sings three times and the small group sitting in the Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune's Chapel opens their eyes and starts putting on their shoes.
Ukiah, NY (USA) -- The Ukiah Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing tonight as it considers granting a permit to the Dharma Realm Buddhist University that would allow it to expand its university-level classes into the site of the former Trinity School on West Church Street.
Modesto, CA (USA) -- A group wants to expand its Buddhist temple in Ceres, at 3761 Roeding Road, but has run into some opposition from neighbors.
Nashville, TN (USA) -- The grandson of Baptist ministers, a student of Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, and an ordained Buddhist monk, author and teacher Lama Marut is coming to the Bible Belt this week for three events in Nashville promoting his new book, "Be Nobody.
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Race Fees
8 Mile Race* (NOTE: 8-mile race capped at 1,100)
All by 3/31/14 $25_________ (SAR member, take $5 off)
All by 6/30/14 $35_________
All by 7/31/14 $40_________
All after 7/31/14 $45 _________
5k Run/Walk * (NOTE: 5k capped at 300) Children under 10 are free with no t-shirt
All until 7/31/14 $25_________
All after 8/1/14 $35_________
No refunds: Please note that following industry standard there are no race refunds or transfers.
- Print Registration Form and mail it in. Registration by mail must be postmarked by Wednesday, August 20, 2014.
- Register online with a credit card at active.com.
- In-person t-shirt and race number pick up will be held at The Running Shop (3055 N Campbell - map) on Saturday, August 30, 2014 from 10am - 2pm.
- Race day packet pick-up will be available at the park entrance 5:15 am-6:00am. Please arrive early enough to get your shirt and your race number on time!


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The political operative accused of trashing a stack of voter registration forms faced a judge in Rockingham County Tuesday afternoon.
Colin Patrick Small, 23, was charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts, and could be looking at possible jail time. But jail time is looking less likely after Tuesday's preliminary hearing.
The case made national headlines as a possible Republican voter-suppression scheme. But the most serious charges dealt with criminal misuse of Social Security numbers, and the judge said that did not happen.
Small still faces five misdemeanors - of voter fraud and obstruction of justice - but the Rockingham County judge dismissed eight felony counts - of disclosure of Social Security numbers - during Tuesday's hearing.
A Harrisonburg store owner testified that he saw Small dump a bag containing eight voter registration forms into his recycling bin. That was last October, on the final day to register for the presidential election.
The forms were complete with names, addresses and Social Security numbers. But a sheriff's investigator testified that all of the forms were expired, and the defense said Small believed those citizens had already been registered.
Small will go to trial on the less serious voter fraud charges at a later date.
His attorney says this whole matter is - at best - a civil case of possible negligence, in trashing what he thought were useless forms.


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The wait is over! Download the BeerAdvocate app on iTunes or Google Play now.
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Czech Pilsner - Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue
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Ratings: 6 | Reviews: 6 | Display Reviews Only:
Alberta (Canada)
3.61/5 rDev -1.4%
I have had this brew several times but for the specific purpose of this review, enjoyed a pint at the Crowfoot location here in Calgary. Beer arrives in a chilled glass, a golden straw color with a decent white head. Aroma is hops-forward, nice noble hop floral and spice notes along with pale crackery malt. Even a bit dank and weedy. Palate is also hoppy for a Czech pils, with some strong perfume that recalls oolong tea, celery spice, and fresh green leaves riding atop a sweet cracker malt backbone. I like the effect but purists might want more malt balance. Body is a bit thick and sweet but this is likely to go unnoticed because of the vegetal flavors. Finishes dry and bitter, crisp but with some residual sweetness. Moderate carbonation. All in all I feel this is a pretty good New World take on a classic style.
10-25-2013 13:23:29 | More by CalgaryFMC
Alberta (Canada)
3.58/5 rDev -2.2%
A - straw golden and clear with a thumb of soapy white head that retained very nicely
S - prominent saaz and herbal hop aromas along with metallic grainy sharpness
T - herbal and grassy hop notes with an equally strong malt backbone of cracker and metallic graininess, building astringent towards the finish
M - light, crisp, lightly bitter with a strong dry finish
O - a nice crack at the style with a mostly classic approach, although the astringent aspect does build and could get a bit much after more than a couple
09-19-2012 03:28:29 | More by joemcgrath27
Ontario (Canada)
3.7/5 rDev +1.1%
Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub downtown. Yellow, with a white head, and very lacey. Average mouthfeel, good easy and refreshing drinkability, this pilsener is fresh and well integrated with Saaz hops, its there in the secondary.Neutral aroma.Worth a try.
12-02-2009 23:47:50 | More by Sammy
Alberta (Canada)
3.48/5 rDev -4.9%
Draft pint at the downtown location.
Arrived with a medium sized, white head over a golden yellow body. Proper level of carbonation maintained the foam, thin stringy lace. Clean grainy smell, slightly grassy hoppiness. Crisp grain malt flavor, citrus hops to balance. The mouthfeel is average, good but not great, appropriate for the style. Would drink again, helps cut through the greasy pub food.
02-06-2009 18:38:40 | More by BigBry
3.8/5 rDev +3.8%
500 ml bottle thanks to presario. Pours a crystal clear golden color with a medium fluffy white head. The aroma is very nice; sweet honey drenched grains, German hops, and some citrus. The taste is initially full of hops, slightly bitter, a sweeter malt sets in throughout, some light grapefruit and other citrus flavors, and finally, a light earthy and bitter finish. Very nice. A hoppy pilsner for sure, and a very nice example of the style. Good.
12-04-2008 05:05:27 | More by Douglas88
Alberta (Canada)
3.8/5 rDev +3.8%
Served in a chilled mug? Huh, interesting presentation with that one. Still, it came with a thin white head retaining, and lots of sticky lacing. Sweet grains on the nose, light grassy hops. Predominent Saaz hop flavour profile, slight metallic grain acts as the base. Crisp mouthfeel and dry finish. A pretty good rendition of the style, although the herbal hops seem a bit lopsided for me to have more than one of these in a row, as they become more and more astringent over time.
04-11-2006 00:29:12 | More by IronDjinn
Czech Pilsner from Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue
- out of 100 based on 6 ratings.