text:
Hello lovelies. Thanks for visiting. You can find my new blog here. And to make your life even easier, you can now sign up to receive a notification by email whenever I have a new post. Yippee!
Some books just grab you from the very first lines, don't you think? I absolutely love it when that happens. Here's my list of my top ten opening lines:
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it.
JD Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Recently I've heard lots of people saying that this book, which resonated hugely with them in their youth, is actually pretty annoying when re-read as an adult. But I still love the voice of Holden Caulfield that Salinger created, and it's captured perfectly in these opening lines.
I'll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination.
Ursula LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness
An opener that immediately makes you doubt the veracity of what you're being told…yes!
Everything within takes place before Jack died and before my mom and I drowned in a burning ferry in the cool tannin-tinted Guaviare River in East-Central Columbia, with forty-two locals we hadn't yet met.
Dave Eggers, You Shall Know Our Velocity
Oh my gadz! This is a seriously amazing first line, and what's more, in the edition I have, it's printed on the cover of the book, along with the rest of the opening. I know that sounds weird, but the story doesn't start when you open the book and have passed the dedications and publication details & whatnot - it starts right there on the cover. Genius!
I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in january of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974.
Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
Well, colour me intrigued!
Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge.
Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
Smash! Straight into it! Aren't you dying to know why? I sure was.
On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide - it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese - the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope.
Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides
I know I have two from Eugenides on this list - I guess opening lines are one of his special talents. I think it's hard for a novel to pull off starting with the end, but Eugenides nails it here.
We ascended towards the light, five floors up, and split into thirteen rows facing the god who unlocks the gates of morning.
Peter Hoeg, Borderliners
This is just an amazing sentence. So startling and filled with puzzlement, and so beautifully expressed.
When the lights went off, the accompanist kissed her.
Ann Patchett, Bel Canto
I love how this one brings you straight into the action of the scene, with no preamble.
The scene that the child, then the girl, then the young woman tried so hard to remember was clear enough in its beginnings.
Doris Lessing, Mara and Dann
This is a beautiful line which evokes so cleverly the sense that much time has passed between the telling of the story, and its beginning.
Many years later, as he faced the firing quad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
Like Dave Eggers' opening, this one begins with the end, but also lets us know about an amazing thing that's about to happen right now: so clever.
Your turn:
What are your favourite opening lines? Do any of these intrigue you enough to make you want to read the book?
Welcome to the second edition of Agog About a Blog, a new monthly feature in which I shine the spotlight on one of the bookish blogs I love to visit. This week I invited blogger Katie to tell us about her blog Words for Worms.
About Katie
Katie writes Words for Worms: An Irreverent Book Blog for the Masses. When she isn't reading or blogging, she's watching videos of penguins doing adorable things. Oh yeah. She has a real job too, but it has nothing to do with books or blogging. I just feel that I should mention that I'm gainfully employed. My head shot shows me wearing bunny ears, there were bound to be questions. Crap. I started writing this in the third person and switched to first. This is why I cannot be trusted!
Katie can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, and Instagram.
For me, the least enticing part of writing a book is re-writing. But I also know that it is a hugely important part, if you want the book to be the best it can be. I accept it as a necessary evil. But, that doesn't mean I don't put it off for as long as humanly possible!
Seeking First-Draft Feedback
I had feedback on my first draft of The Ark from three trusted readers and fellow writers: Amanda Curtin, Robyn Mundy and Richard Rossiter. Richard was the supervisor of my PhD, and thus played a major role in helping me to shape my first novel A New Map of the Universe. He also gave me great (and rather harsh) feedback on my second novel Whisky Charlie Foxtrot.
In my acknowledgements I mentioned that upon first reading he had asked me 'Why is Charlie such a dickhead?' It turns out that lots of people read the acknowledgements and Richard is now slightly infamous. Joking aside, he is an amazing mentor and I feel so lucky to have had his support.
Here I am with my son, and Richard and his mascot, Molly the wonder dog, at his beautiful home-away-from-home (and sometime writing retreat I've had the privilege of enjoying), near Margaret River:
Amanda edited A New Map of the Universe, and gave me ongoing feedback on Whisky Charlie Foxtrot. She brings both her writing talent and twenty years editorial experience to the process and I trust her judgement absolutely. Robyn has also been a long-term reader of my work and part of my writing trio for Whisky Charlie Foxtrot. I feel very lucky to have such trusted insightful first readers who understand me and my work so well.
Here are Robyn and Amanda, with fellow WA author Lynne Leonhardt, celebrating the launch of Amanda's second novel Elemental.
Beta Readers
Feedback from other writers is invaluable, but I also like to suss out 'garden variety' readers. Because this book is speculative fiction, (set 30 years from now), I wanted to run it past someone who reads in the genre: enter my friend 'The Sturmanator'. He gave me tonnes of new insights, and from a very different perspective to the rest of my readers.
I think it's important to have both male and female beta-readers, and from a variety of age-groups. Because I think The Ark will appeal to younger readers than my first two books, I was really keen to run it past someone from Gen Y to get their perspective. But in typical Gen Y style, that dude never got back to me!
The feedback from my first-draft readers was that while the book had tonnes going for it, it needed some major restructuring. Restructuring is a writer's worst nightmare. It involves the chasing up of a bazillion pesky little details that are now in the wrong spot. As a result, I put off the rewriting for almost a year. Yes, I know that's a very long time.
Instead of rewriting my book, I started a blog, set up a Facebook page, and entered the vortex known as Twitter. Did I mention Goodreads and Pinterest? Yes, I also had a good old suck on those crack pipes. Though none of this was wasted time, there's really no point being all over social media like a rash if you don't have a book to promote.
So eventually, I had to return to the main game. I restructured the book. It was slightly painful but nowhere near as bad as I thought. When I knuckled down it only took me a few weeks. Lesson learnt! (Maybe).
Second Draft Feedback
Another draft means more feedback is required. The main job in round two is to catch any of the floating details I missed in my restructure. This was done by another writer, SA Jones, and two other readers, my lovely supportive friends Jim and Katie. They reported back with minor things that required very little work. Bless them. I'm proud to say I got straight onto it.
Professional Editing
Usually, after two rounds of edits, I'd send my book off to a publisher, and they'd assign me an editor to work with for further polish. But because I am self-publishing, I had to find this person myself. I chose Susan Midalia, who came highly recommended by many people I trust and she was a joy to work with.
Happily, Susan told me my manuscript really didn't need all that much work. Music to my ears! Mostly, the problems she highlighted were versions of problems which had been identified by my previous test readers and which I thought I had fixed, (obviously not completely successfully).
For example, every single person that read the manuscript of The Ark told me that though the main action was in the bunker, they wanted more information about what was going on in the outside world. No matter how much I put in, those dang readers wanted more, and Susan was no exception.
The wonderful thing about working with Susan, is that as well as telling me what wasn't working, she gave me suggestions on how I might fix things. That was such a gift because at that stage, I was all out of ideas, let me tell you.
There's only one stage left of my editing process: copywriting, in which the awesome Deb Fitzpatrick will examine my manuscript with a microscope, honing in on the tiny details everyone else has missed.
After that, The Ark will be practically perfect in every way, and ready to make its way out into the world: huzzah!
The Ark will be released on September 19th. Be cooler than all your friends by signing up for a sneak preview.
Want more?
Journey to a Book (Part 2): Creating a novel-in-documents
Agog About a Blog: The Steadfast Reader
…in which I invite someone bookish to share one of their all-time favourite works of fiction and what it means to them. This week's Friday Fave comes from writer Lee Kofman:
Call me obsessive, but for a long time now I've been keeping a journal where I record a description of every book I read – what I liked about it, what I didn't, and most importantly - what I learned from it as a writer and a human being. Moreover, every year I choose my top book for that year. My favourite book in 2010 - one of my most prolific years reading-wise - was Out of Sheer Rage, a creative nonfiction book by Geoff Dyer, possibly the quirkiest writer in the UK (a country with a reputation as a breeding ground for quirky writers). Dyer is a renowned author of fiction and creative nonfiction, and his books have been translated into many languages and won many awards. New York Magazine once described him as 'one of our greatest living critics, not of the arts but of life itself, and one of our most original writers'. I find Dyer's creative nonfiction particularly interesting and it is these books from his oeuvre that are often described as genre-defying. However, as good as Dyer's other books are, none of those I have read can compete with Out of Sheer Rage - particularly on the account of its sheer urgency (forgive me the pun). Most writers produce one book in their lifetime into which they pour their whole heart, and I suspect this is that book for Dyer.
Out of Sheer Rage is a book about how Dyer didn't manage to write a book about D.H. Lawrence, who is perhaps the greatest influence on Dyer's writing. Yes, the book's premise is just how it sounds. Dyer, who harboured a years-long ambition to write a study of Lawrence's work, wrote a book about not writing this book. You have to be an author of Dyer's calibre to pull off such a feat.
Even though Dyer was already an acclaimed writer when he began working (or not working) on his study of Lawrence, he felt this was going to be his most important artistic task. At least in part due to the weightiness of his mission, he excelled in reading avoiding it. The narrative of Out of Sheer Rage traces the years when, instead of re-reading Lawrence's novels as he intended, Dyer reads his – and even Rilke's – letters, and instead of writing the book he traverses the globe both to create a home for himself to write undisturbed, and also to trace Lawrence's own haunts. Thus we follow Dyer and his girlfriend throughout the book to many exotic locations, including Italy, Greece and Mexico, where they spend an awful lot of time feeling hot, making love and planning to move somewhere else.
While the book's predominant themes are writer's block and procrastination, and what it takes not to write a book, such a summary doesn't do justice to the wonderful chaos that lives on its pages. Dyer is the king of the digression. Alongside the memoiristic narrative, Out of Sheer Rage is rich in essayistic passages about anything Dyer feels passionate about. Whatever subject Dyer tackles, his lack of political correctness is refreshing. I love, for example, the audacity with which he complains about Italians:
We were in one of those touchy 'respect' cultures where the smallest action can cause enormous offence, where people are relaxed to the point of torpor and, at the same time, ferociously uptight. They slumber and slumber and then, suddenly, they erupt.
Among the many things he is unhappy about, Dyer also discusses a topic close to my heart - the downfall of the modern novel:
Nowadays most novels are copies of other novels… Increasingly, the process of novelisation goes hand in hand with a straight-jacketing of the material's expressive potential. Of course, good, even great, novels continue to be written but… the moment of the form's historical urgency has passed…
But the digressions are more than a litany of (always amusing) complaints. They include stories from Dyer's life (a bad drug trip, growing up working class in England, deciding whether to have children), amusing travel sketches and meditations on literature. Yet much larger than the particulars of the themes looms Dyer's voice. Its singular honesty, hilarity and originality are truly distinctive in the epidemic of niceness that plagues contemporary literature.
Dyer's is a divisive voice. It is inaccurate to say that his personality is on the page; rather, his personality takes over the page. And it is an impossible personality, built almost entirely upon contradictions. Dyer's indecisiveness, misanthropy and restlessness drive the narrative, and also drive even his most adoring readers nuts. Forget his inability to settle in one geographical location, the man cannot even decide what books to pack on his travels. There is a Woody Allen-esque quality to Dyer's voice – you either love it or hate it, and even if you love it you hate it a little too. Out of Sheer Rage was the only book that dramatically divided my husband's usually agreeable book club. Yet even Dyer's most controversial lines likely to get sympathy with many readers, since they strike a sincere note, expressing the kind of things many of us think but never say. Take the: 'I hate children and I hate parents of children…' for example. Besides, whether you agree with them or not, many of Dyer's statements will make you laugh out loud. His relentless neurosis is somehow deeply relatable, although I suspect the persona of himself Dyer creates on the page is amplified for entertainment's sake. Sometimes reading this book I got the feeling as if, to write it, Dyer dived into the depths of the collective subconscious and came up with a net full of colourful, odd, spooky creatures that live in all of us, but which we seldom glimpse. As a writer, I felt nourished after reading Out of Sheer Rage. It was a great reminder not to take myself too seriously on the page and not to tame my voice to appear 'normal'.
Despite the ambitious range of topics this book takes on, it is held together by a unifying vision. Firstly, this book about not writing a study of Lawrence of course ends up being a study of Lawrence. Yet, rather than being another conventional work of literary criticism, Out of Sheer Rage is a deeply personal study of the great man's anxieties and obsessions - the inner demons that underpinned his world view and, consequently, his literary vision that is in turn Dyer's vision too. As the book progresses, more and more parallels between the author and his subject emerge. They share poor, uneducated origins; both suffer from an inability to live in one place for more than five minutes; and both are grumps. Most importantly, though, for both Lawrence and Dyer literature is not a vocation but their raison d'etre, and one of the main themes of the book is the importance of artistic integrity. Dyer is blocked because he is trying to write the kind of a book he feels he ought to, rather than must, write. His struggle reminds us of that of Lawrence, who was a literary pioneer in many ways and was therefore plagued with uncertainty and self-doubt. Thus Out of Sheer Rage explores what it takes for a writer to find their subject, which is possibly one of the most difficult tasks artists face – having the courage not to succumb to fashions or vanity or the desire to please but rather to tackle the genuinely urgent themes, which are usually uncomfortable ones.
Out of Sheer Rage does what the best books do, it helps us to think about how to live our lives. For Dyer, the following quote from Lawrence is the essence of his philosophy: 'How can we most deeply live? And the answer is different in every case'. Dyer also writes 'What Lawrence's life demonstrates so powerfully is that it actually takes a daily effort to be free…' Accordingly, Out of Sheer Rage doesn't offer easy solutions to the difficult questions it engages with. Dyer, and Lawrence, suggest that a good life is lived with an open mind, self-awareness and integrity. Moreover, Dyer favours confusion over clarity, and seems to think that living with neurosis while not the most comfortable, can be a rather authentic (and at times exhilarating) way of living. Sanity and contentment, Lawrence and Dyer point out in unison, are kinda boring.
Lee Kofman is an Israeli-Australian author of three fiction books (in Hebrew). Her short works in English have been widely published in Australia, the UK, Scotland, Canada and the US. Her first book in English, the memoir 'The Dangerous Bride' is due to appear in October 2014 through MUP. Find out more at her website leekofman.com.au or connect with her on Twitter.
You can read her post about beating procrastination for Writers Victoria here.
Your Turn: Don't you just love the idea of writing a book about a different book you failed to write? Do you, like Lee, keep a record of every book you read?
Want More?
Tracy Farr on Helen Garner's Postcards from Surfers
Journey to a Book: The Ark
What was the inspiration behind Let Her Go?
I first thought about writing Let Her Go after watching a documentary about a woman with a medical illness who used a surrogate mother to have a child. In the show, her husband was very much in the background, and when the surrogate mother attended the child's first birthday party, it was clear that she was still very much attached to the child she had carried. There was something in the body language of both women that made me wonder how they both really felt, behind their smiles.
I then heard more and more about the advances in fertility treatment, and read stories in magazines about people buying eggs and embryos overseas, then paying women to carry the children for them.
I personally felt conflicted: being a mother myself, I would never deny anyone the right to experience the joy of being a parent, but there are ethical issues to consider. I wanted to write Let Her Go to explore my own feelings about this complex issue.
Were there any writers or books that influenced Let Her Go in terms of style/theme/form etc?
Around the same time as I saw the documentary that I mentioned above, I re-read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and saw that the world she imagined in a speculative fiction novel – where an underclass of women are used for reproductive purposes - is not that far removed from the one we live in now.
Another book that was an inspiration was David Vann's brilliant Caribou Island. While this is set in Alaska, a long way from Western Australia, Vann is an expert at using landscape – in this case an island – to increase the intensity between characters. I loved the idea of an island being both an escape, and a prison. This gave me the idea to set the book partly on Rottnest Island. Robert Drewe's The Drowner, a fictionalized account of the life of CY O Connor, whose story appears in the background of Let Her Go, was really useful too.
The other big influence was the biblical story of the Judgement of Solomon where highlighted the concept of two women trying to claim a child, and whether you would rather give one up, or metaphorically split a child in two.
What research did you have to do for Let Her Go and how did you go about it?
I don't like to research at all in my first draft, as for me, the first draft is about the characters and the 'story' and I find it too easy to get distracted by researching minor details and trying to make the characters fit in with facts. So my first draft came only from me imagining how it would feel to be the woman on either side of a surrogacy arrangement.
For my second and subsequent drafts, I researched some legal surrogacy issues by reading court transcripts, meeting with the director of a surrogacy clinic, and reading online forums written by both surrogates, and children of surrogates.
This research was one of the reasons why I included an adolescent character in Let Her Go: I read blogs of teenagers who were searching for their identity and feeling confused and betrayed by the legal – and often commercial – arrangements of their birth. I wanted to make sure that in my novel, as in life, we remember that all babies will grow into young adults who will want to know where they came from.
How did Let Her Go come to be published?
I was lucky enough to have a contract with Hachette Australia for a second novel despite it being unwritten at the time! It was a very different process to that of writing my debut novel, as with Fractured there was never any time pressure other than that which I put on myself! With Let Her Go, I knew I had to get it written. While this caused some sleepless nights, I also found that having a deadline inspired me to keep writing every day. With three young children, I do need some pressure to make sure that I make time to write.
Who are your writing influences?
I love the work of Lionel Shriver, particularly how she writes about contemporary social issues in a well-plotted, psychologically complex way. I love how never shies away from dark and confronting situations because she writes about the real world, and I hope I do too. Other writers whose work influences me include Caroline Overington, Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty.
What are you working on now?
I'm ready to start writing my third novel – I have done the background reading for the major themes, and have a pretty good idea of my characters, but I found it difficult to concentrate on it while I waited for the release of Let Her Go. Once things settle down over the next few weeks, I hope to lock myself away and start writing!
Dr Dawn Barker is a child psychiatrist and author. Her debut novel, Fractured, was selected for the Hachette/Queensland Writers Centre's manuscript development competition and published in 2013. She has published non-fiction articles/features on parenting and psychiatry for various magazines and websites, including Mamamia.com, Essential Baby, Quartz.com, Artlink and the Medical Journal of Australia.
She blogs at authordawnbarker.com/
You Might Also Like:
Q & A with Author Julie Proudfoot
Writers Ask Writers: The 'Difficult' Second Novel
This month's six degrees of separation is kicking off with Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. I have to come right out and confess that I haven't read The Goldfinch. Yet. Initially I didn't plan to, because I abandoned Tartt's debut The Little Friend, and thought The Secret History was ridiculously overrated. But after many people whose opinions I value told me The Goldfinch was a goodie, I relented. However, it is a giant brick of a book - I believe the official term is 'chunkster' - and I always seem to be moving it down the pile in favour of something briefer.
What I do know about it is that it is about art and New York City, as is What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt, an amazingly gripping and wonderful story, which I bought as a gift for a dear friend when he moved to NYC a few years ago.
Another gift for the same friend was Palladio by Jonathan Dee. I chose this one for him because he is an ad-man and Palladio is set in the world of advertising, although it has a very unusual take on the industry. It explore the significance of irony in today's society and is very thought-provoking.
Palladio has a scene involving a fire, which made me think of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I don't spend a lot of time on the classics but this one is an old favourite of mine and I remember the first time I read it, aged twelve or so, the scene with the fire blew my tiny mind.
Another book with an epic fire, and one in which 'the other woman' presents quite a challenge for a new love is Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. It's a bit cheesy and old-fashioned but super-gripping.
The second Mrs DeWinter, narrator of Rebecca, meets her husband while on a mediterranean holiday. Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden is also set in the Mediterranean, before it was ruined by tourists, and is the story of a writer and his new bride and a strange love triangle they find themselves in. If you usually find Hemingway too blokey (I do) then this might be the Hemingway for you.
The Garden of Eden touches on mental health issues, as does Patricia Highsmith's creepy psychological thriller The Cry of the Owl, in which more than one of the characters become unhinged after being spurned, and start to exhibit stalker tendencies.
Inadvertently, I bookended my list with two birds, a goldfinch and an owl, how sweet! That is the strange alchemy of Six Degrees - you never know where it will lead you. Find out how my fellow meme-host Emma Chapman ended up at Kazuo Ishiguro's speculative-fiction Never Let Me Go.
Your turn: 6 Degrees of Separation is an original meme hosted by authors Annabel Smith and Emma Chapman. All are welcome to join in; just follow the guidelines below. And if you don't have a blog, simply post your chain in the comments.
Next month: On Saturday August 2nd we'll be starting our chains with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.
You might also like:
Monthly Reading Round-Up: June 2014
Agog About a Blog: The Steadfast Reader
I had a little bit of a slack reading month, partly because I went to Bali and found I was enjoying lounging on a sun bed too much to pick up a book.
I did at last catch up on the mega teen sci-fi sensation Divergent by Veronica Roth. It was a pacey read, if you like that sort of thing (Young Adult), and had some pretty good world-building, if a little simplistic, but it was rather formulaic, and didn't really grow the genre in any new and exciting ways. Having said that, I'm sure I'll read the rest of the trilogy, when I'm looking for something light and fun.
I enjoyed Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine, the endearing story of an orphaned boy being raised by his free-spirited glamorous half-sister in New York City in the 1970s. It was a very-character driven story, with not a huge amount going on in the plot department but I enjoyed the portrait of the era, and the reflections on love and freedom.
I don't usually judge books by their covers and rarely make impulse purchases in bookshops; I tend to buy books based on reviews and recommendations but a couple of years ago I stumbled across Felix Gilman'sThe Half-Made World and absolutely loved it. The cavalier narrative voice was in fact a major inspiration for my current work-in-progress Monkey See. This month I finally got round to reading the sequel, which is not exactly a sequel, more a companion novel, The Rise of Ransom City. While The Half-Made World was all killer and no filler, I regret to say The Rise of Ransom City was perhaps the other way around. That wonderful, wry, whimsical voice was still there and there were many exciting episodes, but it was altogether too long and waffly and I must confess I grew weary of it and longed for it to end.
I abandoned two books this month. The first was The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P by Adelle Waldman which wasn't a bad book but felt like a lesser version of other books I've read recently that deal with class and coming of age in NYC such as Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings and Joanna Hershon's A Dual Inheritance.
My great disappointment was To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris. I was a super torch-bearer for Ferris's debut Then We Came to the End, and though I didn't love his second book quite as much, I still thought it was a good read. But this one? Ugh! I can't remember a book I've felt so irritated and disgusted by. The main character was truly odious. The voice was just ranty and depressing. I hated it so much!
Australian Women Writers Challenge
My favourite books this month have been those I read for the Australian Women Writers Challenge. My book club chose Sonya Hartnett's Of a Boy, a heartbreaking and acutely perceived story, written from the point of view of an eleven year old boy who isn't loved quite enough, and the devastating consequences of that. Hartnett captured so perfectly the confusion and insecurity of childhood. As a parent the book resonates on another level as we contemplate all the challenges and potential dangers that our children face. This is a very sad book, and in some ways difficult to read but it was brilliantly written and I would highly recommend it.
Some months ago I interviewed psychological suspense writer Honey Brown for the AWW Challenge website. On my holiday, I finally got around to reading her debut novel Red Queen, a post-apocalyptic thriller set in a cabin in the Australian bush after a virus has wiped out most of the population. Red Queen is the tense and exciting story of two brothers whose survival is threatened by a mysterious woman who enters their world. It is not a particularly original plot but it is very well-written; Brown cranks the tension up and up to the climactic finale.
Your turn: What's the best book you've read this month? Have you read any from my list?
Want more?
Writers Ask Writers: The Difficult Second Novel
Journey to a Book: The Ark
This week Revelation Film Festival opens in Perth. As you know, books are my big thing. But I'm also an avid movie viewer and so for something a little bit different, today I'm featuring movies instead of books.
Thanks to Revelation Film Festival, I have three double passes to give away to the indie sci-fi flick Time Lapse. To enter, read on. Science-fiction is one of my best-loved genres, in movies as well as books; here are ten of my favourites:
Stars Wars
I'm going to start with a cheat by including three movies for the price of one. I had two brothers so A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi basically DEFINED my childhood. Princess Leia - so pretty. Han Solo - so dashing. Darth Vader - so terrifying etc
12 Monkeys
Eco-terrorism, time-travel, apocalypse, and madness. Plus, Bruce Willis! Holy heck, this movie ticks ALL the boxes, I've watched it about a bazillion times and will no doubt watch it a bazillion more.
This is one of my husband's all-time faves. It's just a little bit too scary for me, which is part of the fun, and *spoiler alert* no matter how many times I see it, it still freaks me out when that alien pops out of that guy's stomach.
Also by Ridley Scott, when he was absolutely at the top of his game, this is a brilliant adaptation of Philip K Dick's (let's face it, pretty average) novel, with a KILLER twist.
The Matrix
The Matrix feels kind of passe now, but when it came out it was pretty dang mind-blowing in terms of its top-notch story, special effects and killer styling. My son is counting the minutes til I let him watch it so I guess it's still got cred.
District 9
If I had to put these movies in order, this might be in my number 1 spot. The story of millions of truly disgusting-looking aliens aka 'prawns' who are stranded on earth, this is a scathing satire of apartheid, hilarious and disturbing in equal measure.
Danny Boyle's one and only attempt at sci-fi and a pretty darn good one, in which a team of astrophysicists are sent to 'reboot' our dying sun, in order to save Earth. What they don't count on is stumbling into a deranged psychopath from the last failed mission. Action follows!
While I love me a big-budget blockbuster, I'm also a huge fan of the indie sci-fi movies in which character and great writing takes precedence over squillion dollar special effects:
Directed by David Bowie's son Duncan, and featuring a wonderful performance from Sam Rockwell as a lonely astronaut whose mind is playing tricks on him, this is a beautifully understated film.
Sound of My Voice
One of several fantastic collaborations between director Zal Batmanglij and actor Britt Marling, this one features a cult which forms around a woman who claims to come from the future. Cults! Time travel! Hold me back!
Giant aliens have taken over the whole of Mexico. Two wholly-unequipped humans have to cross it on foot. Sounds promising. This guy went on to make Godzilla, and he should have stuck with the low-budget scene because this movie beats Godzilla in every way.
Your turn: What are your favourite sci-fi movies? Are you also a fan of some on my list? Do any of them appeal to you?
If you want to win one of three double passes to Time Lapse at 2pm, Saturday July 12th at Paradiso,here's how:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You might also like:
Top 10 Speculative-Fiction Characters
Journey to a Book: My digital/interactive app The Ark
Welcome to Agog About a Blog, a new monthly feature in which I shine the spotlight on one of the bookish blogs I love to visit. This week I invited US blogger April to tell us about her blog, The Steadfast Reader:
The Steadfast Reader is…
a book blog covering expansive topics and genres with a little something for everyone, from non-fiction to literary fiction, from memoirs to classics.
I started blogging…
In September 2013 when I was unemployed and caring for my mother during an extended sickness. An old college friend, Monika, from A Lovely Bookshelf of the Wall saw how much I was posting on Goodreads and encouraged me to start a blog. Since then, it's been an intellectual outlet and a way to discuss and explore books with other book lovers.
Each month I usually read…
somewhere between twelve and fifteen books.
My most popular post ever…
was my review of Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber, because the author picked up on it and posted it on her Facebook page.
I was surprised by…
the passionate response I received to an unscheduled rant 'The Problem with Clean Reading',
Some of my all-time favourite novels are:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
One of my favourite book blogs is:
A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall, an eclectic blog in which Monika's varying topics and selections always keep things interesting.
The best thing about being a book blogger is…
Community. "Meeting" other bloggers that share similar tastes and also those with varying tastes is always incredibly satisfying. Just having other people that share my passion for books is incredibly fabulous.
About April aka The Steadfast Reader: I read widely and deeply. I love to travel. I love to eat. I enjoy literary fiction, horror, and speculative fiction, biographies, history, and case studies. I have a special place in my heart for dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels. By trade I'm an attorney but once I'm independently wealthy I will spend my time traveling the world and reading in exotic locations.
Connect with April on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook or visit her blog.


text:
Starting This Probably a Little Too Early But... :)
Hello! So let me start off by saying that I have...
Hello! So let me start off by saying that I have wanted this for years, I dont know which I wanted first, my nose or my breasts done. But I have wanted both for quite some time, and now that I have gotten my breasts done this month, I am now going on to my next thing, my nose. I wont even post a photo yet, its too early and I am far too shy to do so. My nose is rather long and bulbous, I feel like my face too delicate to have a nose like that...so surgery is a great option. I would really like this extra boost of self confidence. So I plan to get this surgery next year, I am going to start saving now. Luckily I work a ton so I will definitely have enough money saved by some time next year, hopefully sooner than later. I start work back up again in two weeks, then it is ON! Only thing I really need to do is find a good surgeon. Anyone have any ideas on how to go about finding an experienced surgeon?? Any of you ladies recommend someone in Austin? :)))
Read 1 Comments
Thanks for starting your story on RealSelf! It's never too early to start writing here. :) We love the whole process from decision making and saving to years post op.
Here's a list of surgeons in your area who do rhinoplasty.
Do make sure you find someone very experienced in rhinoplasty and with whom you have a real rapport and can communicate exactly what you do and don't want. Here's a list of questions to ask your prospective surgeons.
Was this review helpful? 1 other found this helpful

subset: commoncrawl


text:
COMBINE water, cocoa mix, Coffee-mate and coffee granules in large mug; stir well.
Marie nielson from Fort Collins, CO 80525
I tried it with Chocolate coffee-mate, and it was even better for a person who can not get enough chocolate.
Sally Tod from Roseville, MI 48066
I love all the flavors and would appreciate more recipes for yummy coffee beverages. Thanks for acomodateing my taste and palate pleasure!
Libuse Karich from Mead CO
I love this recipe and now I save by making this at home and do not need to spend so much out of home. Easy and yummy.
Rebecca from Bay Minetter, AL
I recommend this recipe to everyone. I just love it. Its addictive.
Robbie from Concord, N.C.
I made this for my wife and she LOVED it!!
Serving Size:
of recipe
Servings Per Recipe:
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
You will start receiving emails filled with delicious recipes and cooking tips shortly.
The answer is easy with our most popular recipes!Sign up for our newsletter.
Pinpoint a delicious recipe for any occasion faster using our recipe finder.
COMBINE water, cocoa mix, Coffee-mate and coffee granules in large mug; stir well.
Please Sign In to save this recipe to your Recipe Box. You will be returned to this recipe once signed in.
Soon the Recipe Box feature will no longer be available while we improve the experience. If you'd like to save this recipe, please bookmark or print it.
Hot Mocha
was added to your folder.
The names and email addresses are needed for delivery only and will not be retained.
For more information, please visit our PRIVACY POLICY.
Privacy |
Ad Options |
Home |
Advanced Recipe Search |
Site Map |
Terms & Conditions |
Contact Us |
Unless noted to the contrary, all trademarks and other intellectual properties on this site are owned by Societe des Produits Nestlé S.A. Vevey, Switzerland.


text:
1001 Beautiful Places | Imam Husayn Shrine
Standing in the city of Karbala, Iraq, The Shrine of Hussein ibn Ali is one of the oldest mosques in the world. It stands on the grave of Hussein ibn Ali, the second grandson of Muhammad. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the city to observe Ashura, which marks the anniversary of Hussein ibn Ali's death.
(via travelthisworld)
(Source: architectura)
(Source: airows)
Illustration by Paul Hoppe
(via richvanvoorst)
(Source: ummhello)
Hans Peter Wörndl - GucklHupf (transformable house), Mondsee 1993. Via, photos (C) Paul Ott.
Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France (by Pierre Lesage).
(Source: m0rtality, via travelthisworld)
Toronto by edk7
I love it when there's just a backdrop of building
(Source: nuuro, via abandonedography)
Hunts Mesa ♦ Monument Valley, Navajo County, Arizona, USA | by Henk Meijer
Check out this small studio apartment design. It belongs to Swedish interior designer Jimmy Schonning. His diminutive studio is chockablock with creative storage solutions (built-in closets; a washer and drier hidden under a workbench in the bathroom) and loads of personality.
(Source: designed-for-life)
Venice, Veneto, Italy. Bridge of Sighs in the background.
(via travelthisworld)


text:
Notre Dame Receives $10 million Gift for Fellowships
Posted by: Alison Damast on December 10, 2010
On Friday, the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business announced a $10 million gift from Kenneth R. Meyer to fund annual fellowships for MBA students. The gift will be matched with university funding, making $20 million available for 16 fellowships for top business school students.
"Ken has been a great friend to the Mendoza College for many years, and his personal example of ethical leadership is inspiring," said Mendoza Dean Carolyn Woo, in a press release. "The fellowships offered in his name will allow our MBA program to develop like-minded, values-driven leadership from some of the top candidates worldwide."
Mendoza (Mendoza Full-Time MBA Profile) plans to recruit the 16 fellows from the top 3 percent of all MBA candidates worldwide; those selected will receive full tuition, plus a stipend, the school said. The gift will allow the school to establish the new Meyer Family Center, which will administer the gifts, as well as organize an annual guest lecture on ethical business leadership and organize orientation programming
Meyer, who graduated from Notre Dame in 1996 and got his MBA at The Wharton School (Wharton Full-Time MBA Profile), is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Lincoln Capital Management Co. He has maintained his ties with his undergraduate alma mater through the years, serving as a member of Mendoza's Business Advisory Council and endowing the Kenneth R. Meyer Professor of Global Investment Management.
The announcement of a hefty gift at a top 30 business school comes at a time when B-schools are beginning to see a slow but steady uptick in the number of alumni who are giving money to their school, a topic I wrote an article about yesterday. In fiscal year 2010, six business schools reported large alumni gifts in excess of $10 million, up from four in 2009. It will be interesting to see if any other business schools make similar announcements in the coming months, as alumni begin to loosen their purse strings. Perhaps Notre Dame's gift is a harbinger of good things to come.


text:
Auler to play works of Bach, Gershwin, colleague in Nov. 9 recital
Accomplished concert pianist Robert Auler of SUNY Oswego's music department will present "Reinventions," a Focus on Faculty Series recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, in Sheldon Hall ballroom.
Tue Oct 07, 2014
Oswego Jazz Project to introduce new bassist in Oct. 19 concert
Oswego Jazz Project will perform a dozen numbers and introduce the quartet's new bassist at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in Sheldon Hall Ballroom in a concert for the SUNY Oswego music department's Focus on Faculty Series.
Fri Aug 29, 2014
Shallit, Spindler to reawaken Romantic Period with violin, piano
Violinist Jon Shallit of the SUNY Oswego music department will pair with pianist Howard Spindler in a Focus on Faculty concert that seeks to evoke the meaning of the Romantic Period in music at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, in Sheldon Hall ballroom.
Fri Feb 21, 2014
Faculty instrumentalists to offer 'Musical Journey'
Three SUNY Oswego faculty members will perform works of Enesco, Copland, Brahms and others at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 9, in Sheldon Hall ballroom as part of the music department's Focus on Faculty series.
Fri Nov 08, 2013
Auler to perform piano piece by young protege Nov. 24
SUNY Oswego pianist and music faculty member Robert Auler will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, in the Sheldon Hall ballroom, playing a repertoire that will include a work by 2007 alumnus and classical composer George N. "Nick" Gianopoulos.
Mon Oct 28, 2013
Faculty vocalists to offer international array of songs at SUNY Oswego
SUNY Oswego faculty voices will rise at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, in Sheldon Hall ballroom in a concert titled "Vocal Array," featuring songs of France, Germany and Japan.
Tue Oct 01, 2013
Renowned trombonist to join Oswego Jazz Project for Oct. 13 concert
The Oswego Jazz Project will perform with well-known trombonist Keith Jackson at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, in SUNY Oswego's Sheldon Hall ballroom as part of the music department's Focus on Faculty Series.
Tue Aug 27, 2013
Faculty duo to focus on ancient dances, songs
The duo of SUNY Oswego faculty member and violinist Jon Shallit with pianist Howard Spindler from the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music will lead off the college's annual Focus on Faculty Series at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, in Sheldon Hall ballroom.
Page 1 of 1.


text:
UPDATE: Fri 1:22 PM, May 30, 2014
According to online court records, a Stevens Point accused of breaking into a home and stabbing the owner multiple times with a Samurai sword is heading to trial.
Joshua Bella appeared in Portage County Court this morning. He's scheduled to enter a plea to charges of 1st degree intentional homicide, 1st degree recklessly endangering safety, armed burglary and carrying a concealed weapon on June 23rd.
UPDATE: Mon 2:09 PM, May 19, 2014
A Stevens Point man has now been charged with attempted 1st degree intentional homicide, 1st degree recklessly endangering safety, armed burglary, and carrying a concealed weapon.
The Stevens Point Police Department said on May 1, Joshua Bella, 30, broke into a home and stabbed the owner multiple times with a Samurai sword.
Police say EMS crews responded to the home located at the corner of Division Street and McColloch Street just before 2 a.m. that morning for a reported burglary in progress and a stabbing victim.
Investigators say police found the suspect upstairs. Sgt. Tony Babl said the suspect was pinned down, by the alleged victim and one of his roommates.
NewsChannel 7 spoked to the alleged victim, John Richart after the incident. Richart said he is recovering well and was only in the hospital for 12 hours.
Richart said he owns the Oxford House in Stevens Point.
He believes he may have been attacked because the suspect had been kicked out of the Oxford House a year prior.
Joshua Bella remains behind bars on a $250,000 cash bond.
He'll return to court on May 30 to find out if his case will head to trial.
UPDATE: Tues 10:20 PM, May 6, 2014
A Stevens Point man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly broke into a home and stab the owner multiple times with a Samurai sword.
Joshua Bella, 30 appeared in Portage County Court Monday. The judge set his cash bond at $250,000. He is facing charges of burglary, aggravated battery, intending bodily harm, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide and reckless injury.
Sargent Tony Babl with the Stevens Point Police Department said they along with the Portage County Ambulance Service were called to a home on the corner of Division Street and Mc Colloch Street at 1:44 in the morning for a reported burglary in progress and told someone had been stabbed. Upon arrival, Babl said police found the suspect upstairs and pinned down by the alleged stabbing victim, John Richart, and one of his roommates. Bella was taken into custody. The man that was stabbed was taken to St. Michael's Hospital.
Richart told NewsChannel 7 that he knows Bella.
"It was a situation where somebody who had been formally at a Oxford house that I own here in town was kicked out a year ago," he said. "They (he) chose to harbor some ill feelings about it."
Richart said Bella broke in through the back door of his home and went upstairs into his room.
"He started with saying something about there was a problem at the Oxford house and that I needed to come right away, but it was pitch black in there so I was on the other side of the bed and didn't really see what was going on. I couldn't even see him," he said. "I thought it was a table leg or a baseball bat or something like that hitting the bed until I slid out and realized that I was being attacked."
He said he was stabbed three times in the chest and hit multiple times more. The Portage County District Attorney, Louis Molepeske, said the hospital staff said the stab barley missed puncturing his lung. Richart said he was able to stop Bella and disarm him of his sword and knife before yelling for his roommates to come and help him.
"Once I realized I was being attacked, I just pushed him up against the back wall and was able to subdue him, get him down on the ground and kind of put my weight on him until other people were able to come and assist," he said.
Richart said Bella was only a tenant for four months. He evicted him because of his alcohol and drug issues and added he believes Bella was under the influence of something at the time of the alleged attack.
"The scariest part was being attacked in the middle of the night and in the dark by somebody, you didn't know who's attacking you at the time," he said. "At this point, we've prayed for forgiveness for him and hope that he gets treatment for drug and alcohol, whatever problems he currently is having."
Richart is recovering well and was only in the hospital for 12 hours.
Bella is due back in court May 19.
A 30-year-old Stevens Point man is facing criminal charges after he's accused of breaking into a home and stabbing the owner.
According to a press release from the Stevens Point Police Department, officers from the Police Department were dispatched to a home on the 2100 block of Division Street for a reported burglary in progress. Officers were also told that a person had been stabbed.
The incident happened around 2 a.m. Thursday morning.
Officers arrived on scene and were directed to an upstairs apartment where both the victim, a 48-year-old man, and the suspect were located. The victim and other roommates were holding the suspect to the floor until officers arrived and arrested him
Police say the suspect, Joshua Bella, 30, was in possession of a sword and knife when he entered the home without permission.
Bella remains in custody in the Portage County jail on $250,000 cash bond.
Both the suspect and victim were transported to St. Michael's Hospital for injuries sustained in the incident.
Bella was treated and released with minor injuries. He is being held in the Portage County Jail on a probation violation. Charges of Armed Burglary and Aggravated Assault are being forwarded to the District Attorney's Office.
Victim was treated for three puncture wounds at St. Michael's Hospital and later released.
This was not a random incident; the victim and the suspect knew each other.
To comment, the following rules must be followed:
Comments may be monitored for inappropriate content, but the station is under no legal obligation to do so.
If you believe a comment violates the above rules, please use the Flagging Tool to alert a Moderator.
Flagging does not guarantee removal.
Multiple violations may result in account suspension.
Decisions to suspend or unsuspend accounts are made by Station Moderators.
Questions may be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Please provide detailed information.
All comments must adhere to the WSAW.com discussion rules.


text:
Dr. Ramon A. Espada, MD
Family Medicine, Marshfield Clinic
- 1000 N Oak Ave
Marshfield, WI 54449
- 1 Office Location
- Email a Friend
- (715) 387-5511
Dr. Ramon A. Espada has been practicing medicine for 27 years. Dr. Espada graduated from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in 1987. He practices medicine in Marshfield, WI and specializes in Family Medicine. Dr. Espada is affiliated with Ministry Saint Michaels Hospital and Ministry St Josephs Hospital. He speaks English, French, Chinese and Spanish.
Gender: Male
Years in Practice: 27 Years
Languages Spoken: English, French, Chinese, Spanish
Medical School: University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
Graduation Date: 1987
Hospital Affiliations: Ministry Saint Michaels Hospital, Ministry St Josephs Hospital
Specialties: Family Medicine
©2005-2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.


text:
As always, Kevin Thang has done a brilliantly detailed preview of the Hendricks vs. Lawler card which can be read here.
This Saturday, a stacked card well worth paying big dollars for takes place at American Airlines Centre in Dallas, TX. with the vacant UFC welterweight strap on the line. The two men fighting for the belt are big hitters Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler, with both fighters having significant momentum coming into the fight, but for different reasons.
In Hendricks's last bout, he lost to the man who vacated the belt, Georges St-Pierre, in a highly controversial decision. Hendricks stated he didn't fight to his best ability, and will go on to win the belt no matter what it takes. He has the chance to on Saturday night. However he is fighting a man on a mission in Robbie Lawler, who is coming off the most impressive win of his UFC return, beating top contender Rory MacDonald in a fight where Lawler rocked the Canadian several times. Lawler is rejuvenated and can cause big problems for Hendricks, and vice-versa, making this one of the most anticipated fights of 2014.
Elsewhere on the card, welterweights Carlos Condit and Jake Shields battle to get higher up the ladder, facing big hitters in Tyron Woodley and Hector Lombard respectively. Both Condit and Shields fought St-Pierre for the belt and lost via decision, though the welterweight landscape is now wide open which makes a win for all four fighters crucial at UFC 171. Lightweights Myles Jury and Diego Sanchez will go to war in a battle between an undefeated prospect and a former title contender which will establish who should be ranked in a division full of talent. Ovince St. Preux will face short notice opponent Nikita Krylov, who is making his light heavyweight debut, and this fight will kickstart the intriguing main card.
Here are our staff predictions for the main card of UFC 171, click "next" to begin.


text:
BUFFALO, NY (WKBW/BUFFALOBILLS.COM) - The Buffalo Bills dropped their third straight in a crucial AFC East match-up against the streaking Miami Dolphins Sunday.
Sunday's 35-8 loss to the Dolphins drops the Bills to 5-5 after starting the year 3-0 and heading into their bye-week at 5-2.
For the Dolphins, who started 0-7, it's their third straight win.
Buffalo's offense showed good rhythm early getting off to a good start with a couple of big plays. C.J. Spiller caught a quick slant and went 18 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Two plays later Fred Jackson took a screen pass 26 yards to move into Dolphins territory. But the drive stalled at the Miami 12-yard line when Ryan Fitzpatrick couldn't connect with Stevie Johnson on a 3rd-and-2 pass. Buffalo took a 30-yard Dave Rayner field goal for a 3-0 lead early.
Miami would answer with an even longer drive going 87 yards on 12 plays, including a big 3rd-and-12 conversion by Matt Moore with a 19-yard back shoulder throw to Brian Hartline to set up 1st-and-10 at the Bills 12-yard line. Three plays later Moore hit Anthony Fasano for a one-yard touchdown reception and a 7-3 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter.
After a three-and-out by Buffalo's offense, Miami would put together another scoring drive and again the Bills were victimized for a big play. On a 2nd-and-8 from the Miami 43, Moore hit Charles Clay over the top for a 46-yard pass play. Reggie Bush took it in from five yards out two plays later to give the Dolphins a 14-3 advantage.
The Bills offense would only compound the problem as a Fitzpatrick pass on 3rd-and-8 from Buffalo's own 16 went in and out of the hands of Brad Smith on a hard hit and was intercepted by Nolan Carroll at the Bills 23. Moore would hit Charles Clay for a 12-yard touchdown play to cap a short five-play drive to put the Dolphins up 21-3 with just over two minutes gone in the second quarter.
After both defenses got a couple of stops Buffalo's offense would turn the ball over deep in their own territory again. On a 3rd-and-10 from their own 18 a Fitzpatrick pass intended for David Nelson went off his hands and was picked off by Yeremiah Bell. Bell returned the pass to the Buffalo four-yard line. After a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone by Brandon Marshall was reversed on review, Moore would hit Bess for a four-yard touchdown catch (28-3).
Buffalo got a lift heading to the locker room as Fitzpatrick moved the offense down the field in their hurry up with just 1:32 on the clock and no timeouts. Dave Rayner then boomed a 56-yard field goal attempt through the uprights for a 28-6 score at the half.
The Bills special teams would play a part in Buffalo's third-straight defeat as a failed blocking assignment allowed Miami to block a Brian Moorman punt at the Bills own 28-yard line by Chris Clemons. It was then recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Lex Hilliard to make it 35-6.
Buffalo had two scoring opportunities to cut into Miami's lead with a pair of possessions inside the 20, but came up empty both times as the Dolphins forced a turnover on downs with a stop on 4th-and-14 at the Miami 19 and a 4th-and-goal at the Miami one-yard line.
The Bills only second half points came on a safety when Kelvin Sheppard knifed through the line to stop Daniel Thomas in the end zone following the second turnover on downs.
Buffalo failed to convert a third down on 12 opportunities, marking just the sixth time in team history the offense failed to move the chains once in a game. With the loss the Bills fell to 5-5 on the season into a tie with the Jets for second place in the AFC East. The Jets host the Bills next Sunday at MetLife Stadium.


text:
em la hoa hong nho - karaoke.MP3
by ldqnhien 6,806 KB | 2008-04-01 | MPEG Audio Stream |
em la hoa hong nho - karaoke - download at 4shared. em la hoa hong nho - karaoke is hosted at free file sharing service 4shared.
| Uploaded via: 4shared site
Share Embed Add to my account
Is owner
View only
Upload & Edit
Members may only view items in this folder.
Members may view, add, edit and delete items in this folder.
Checked by McAfee. No virus detected.
2 comments Add new comment
Remove Ads x
Show QR Code


text:
Bob Dylan at the Ed Sullivan Show rehearsal, 1963
In May of 1963, Bob Dylan then just 22 was still an aspiring young musician who was preparing for the release of his 2nd album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. At this point in his career, Dylan had received little national attention. It seemed that was all about to change when he received an invitation to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bob Dylan was slated to make his first nationwide television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 12, 1963. For the show, Dylan decided to perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", a satirical blues number skewering the conservative John Birch Society and the red-hunting paranoia associated with it. A few days earlier, Bob Dylan auditioned the song for Ed Sullivan who seemed to have no issue with it.
However, on the day of the show during the dress rehearsal, an executive from the CBS Standards and Practices department decided Dylan could not perform the song due to its controversial nature. When the show's producer, Bob Precht, informed Dylan of the decision, Dylan responded saying, "No; this is what I want to do. If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show." Rather than choose a new song to perform or change the lyrics (as the Rolling Stones and the Doors would agree to do), a young Bob Dylan walked off the set of the country's highest-rated variety show.
- nateblack likes this
- half-baked-sins likes this
- sleepinglikealog likes this
- bigmikeraw likes this
- catsket likes this
- hellisgroovy reblogged this from asleeponthebeach
- humbleanimefan likes this
- wearealldumberhere likes this
- blackraincloud likes this
- locomotives reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan and added:
[Image description: Photo of a really young Bob Dylan on stage, with a guitar and harmonica, looking out into the...
- raptureriders reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- nepentesacrilegio reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- leaningtoweroflisa reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- thingsbehindourhouse reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- flourism likes this
- inminsk reblogged this from 87daysbefore
- imadcode likes this
- kitty-elvis likes this
- mistyfalcon reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan and added:
- swampcabbage likes this
- remember2things reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- iceclimer reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- kiddwidd likes this
- pushyouintothesun likes this
- mediarchy likes this
- bluegreenseas likes this
- juiceboxx- likes this
- leaningtoweroflisa likes this
- ianpennph reblogged this from around-me-like-a-million-suns
- ianpennph likes this
- lifesabanquet likes this
- bathroom-sink likes this
- dancebeneathdiamondskies likes this
- carebrown reblogged this from 87daysbefore
- myverylastpieceofgum likes this
- ssilviasilvia likes this
- sheshookedtothesilverscreen reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- cagelessbird likes this
- nobodycarestumblr likes this
- hrvsts likes this
- he-blew-his-mind-out-in-a-car reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- thischarmingmannn reblogged this from 256colorsss
- zachselley reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- 256colorsss reblogged this from leloulou
- st-nt-n reblogged this from fuckyeahbobdylan
- jfaithm reblogged this from 87daysbefore and added:
cutie bobby d
- theeradicator likes this
- fuckyeahbobdylan posted this
- Show more notes


text:
The LHS Latin Club honors the Latin IV seniors at the Sixth Annual Roman Banquet on Thursday, May 1."
Gold and Silver medal winners of the National Latin Exam. Missing: Ksenia Holmes, Ethan Rambacher, Alma Himmelberger, Alana Johnston
The Littleton High School Band is a concert band comprising grades 9-12, that serves as a pep band and marching band for various community functions. Band students play at home football games, as well as pep rallies. The concert band's repertoire is chosen from wind ensemble, concert band, chamber ensemble and orchestral transcription. The ensemble presents several concerts annually.
14 LHS students and 2 dogs raised money for Loaves & Fishes Pantry.
These Report Cards contain information required by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for our district and its schools including: student enrollment and teacher qualifications, student achievement, accountability, and progress toward narrowing proficiency gaps for different groups of students.
2013 Littleton High School Report Card Overview
No School - Teacher Development Day
High School
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Sweets & Suites Band Fundraiser
High School
Term one grades close
High School
7:00pm - 8:30pm
NHS Induction Ceremony
High School
No School - Veterans' Day
High School
Littleton Public School's
Energy Management and
Conservation Program
Energy Website - Energy Savings and Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Login / Logout
It is the policy of the Littleton Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, color, homelessness, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its educational programs, services, activities or employment practices. Further information may be obtained by contacting Rita Detweiler, District Equity Coordinator at 978-540-2500,
Our mission is to foster a community of learners who strive for excellence and prepare each student to be a successful, contributing citizen in a global society.


text:
Nows the time where I`d probably be waiting for the livestream to start. And witht he anniversary stream going on, lets just say ive missed this feeling too much
It's been a whole year since the last episodes were aired (hahah number 16 hahahaha) and wow has my life changed over the 2 years since I started watching YJ. I was going to do this last year after the show ended but I wasn't comfortable expressing myself back then and look at me now. The shows have prompted me to move onto the internet more than I already was to meet some amazing people. If it wasn't for 'YJ, I wouldn't have made a tumblr account, a website has impacted me in ways I never ever ever imagined. I've been more socially aware, more accepting and so on.
It was because of YJ that I discovered the live stream sessions (THAT'S WHERE I ALSO DISCOVERED GLTAS WHAT A FUCKING HUGE MISTAKE THAT WAS.), where I've made so many friends, all whom I love, who have inspired me, shared their joys and grief and listened to my own. It's amazing, having people from all over the world, people I want to meet and hug so badly. Having friends in multiple time zones is something I never anticipated being a problem at any point in my life. Some friends I met because of the show even though they weren't as involved, some who have moved on from it and some who are still tied to it. Thanks for messing up my sleep cycle btw. I dare say I've been more out-going, social and more confident. I've gotten happier compared to how I was before the show. (Ive also improved so much due to the copious amounts of fan art)
I can't believe that 2 cartoons impacted my life so much and I can't possibly imagine(nor do I want to) what I would be like if I hadn't found them. It's been a fantastic run and I doubt it will ever stop. It's one of the first things I bring up, my default fandom, something I know I'll never forget and I'm glad I managed to experience all this, especially during my teenage years where a lot of friends left, moved on or simply outgrew me and vice-versa. The show filled the gap they left and dragged people along with it and I am so grateful for the show, for the new friends for everything. It's one of the best things to happen to me. Thank you for creating these terribly painful shows and to the fans for making it what it was and for shaping my experience. #heroesneverdie`


text:
This is basically a cellular iPod with some other capabilities, and it's important that it be recognized as such.
Course, the iPhone does have OTA updates... but who knows what their plans on for this one.
My first reaction when I first saw the headline and the murmerings of this was indignance. But upon reflection I agree and I think that also explains the policies put into place by ATT/Apple. So here is my prediction, the first generation is clearly being positioned as a consumer item. The next that everyone talks about coming out in the fall, will be more business oriented. Everyone is expected a price drop, but I think not. It will have an increased feature set, better integration with enterprise systems, more space but the price will be the same 499-599. Apple does a good job of preventing the commodification of its products, and in the long run, if they are successful in doing that with the iPhone, it will show the way for the industry.
I should stay out of the office as well, I'm fine with my phone staying out of it
Luckily, my office isn't affected by the lack of security, etc., so I'll use my iPhone for all my cell needs. I think my boss wants to pay for at least the voice plan,too.
I don't really need mine for work yet either - but I'm hoping to come up with a good enough reason to get them to cover some or all of the data plan though!


text:
Computer Crime Awareness for Police, Law Enforcement and Security, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, USA
At 911 Gear we believe sharing knowledge and information, benefits us all. As we are all aware in the Law Enforcement industry, Technological crime is the trend.
We hope you find the below info useful when training your staff.
Computer crime is the unauthorized use of a computer for personal gain, as in the illegal transfer of funds or to alter the data or property of others. Computer and technology related crime is a growth industry. The number of people using computers is growing and so is crime. The reason crime has risen in the past years can be related to the growing number of computer users, computer networks being more readily accessible, and more people are becoming computer literate. The more users of computers there are the more targets for computer criminals. Also, many business use computer networks to communicate with offices in different areas they have the potential of being hacked into. Technology related crime is estimated at $8 billion a year. This includes stealing computer software, hardware, and peripherals such as printers, and also fraud committed by hacking into a computer and stealing money or information that can be used to make a profit. Computer fraud is estimated at $555,000,000 a year and each individual case of fraud costs about $109,000. Banks have been the biggest victims of computer fraud. Their attacks are estimated at about a $1 Billion a year. These figures are only estimates by professionals and they are believed to be underestimated.
Computer Security
Many cases of computer crime are unreported by victims. They are embarrassed and a crime can show that a company might have some weaknesses. Another reason that companies do not want to report a crime is that shareholders might threaten them with a lawsuit. Shareholder lawsuits can cost more than the theft.
Computer security is the maintenance of the integrity of computer systems and the information stored in them by all businesses, including federal and provincial governments.
Computer Crime
Computer crime is the illegal theft, destruction, or misuse of computer hardware, software, or information. The accidental loss or damage of information, hardware and software is more common than outright theft, or intentional destruction.
Four categories of computer crime:
- Theft or destruction of hardware, software or information
- Illegal or unauthorised access to computer systems or data
- Theft of money or services
- Counterfeiting
Theft of hardware can be expensive to replace and can render an entire system unusable because a single component has been stolen or damaged. Often the thieves are not after the hardware itself, but the company information stored on the hard disk. Notebook computers have become the targets for thieves, particularly at busy locations such as airports.
Prevention of theft of hardware can include:
- surveillance cameras
- security guards to monitor employees
- cables to physically attach hardware
- labelling hardware
Theft or damage of Software
Software piracySoftware piracy is used to refer to the stealing of commercial software. Commercial software is developed with the intent of making a profit that, because it has been copyrighted, cannot be copied or sold without the software company's permission.In 1980, the U.S. Copyright Act was amended to explicitly include computer programs. The Software Piracy and Counterfeiting Amendment were added to this act in 1983.The Business Software Alliance estimates that in 1994 the software industry lost $15.2 billion due to illegal copying.
Estimated percentage of counterfeit software by country
- China 98%
- Russia 94%
People who deliberately damage software or data often do this with programs called viruses.Hactivist is a person who combines political "activism" with Internet computer "hacking"
Three main "weapons of attack"
Viruses are usually sent into organizations via e-mail systems where they can replicate across the networks and cripple communications for days or weeks. Example is the LoveBug which is estimated to cause as much as 15 billion $US.
The target company is bombarded with meaningless information requests which overload the company's computer network and prevent its regular customers from using their Web pages. On Feb. 7, 200 Yahoo computers were attack and it lost 100 million page viewers.
An intruder gains access to a target Web server and replaces some part of the Web site with their own message. In 1996 the U.S. Department of Justice site was cracked and had over 200 directories replaced with the attackers own pages. This hactivisit was never found.
A cyberpunk is anybody who tries to "grab" (get) a little bit of the future technology and then use it in their everyday life (before most other users) and get a kick out of it
Canadian Criminal Code Relevant to Information Security
Canada was one of the first countries to enact criminal laws in the area of computer crime with the passage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1985, which amended sections 342 and 430 of the Criminal Code.
Additional amendments to the Criminal Code in relation to computers and computer-related investigations was made in 1997 in the Criminal Law Improvement Act 1997. The bill added the following new offences to the Criminal Code:
- S.342.1(1)(d) – using, possessing, or trafficking a computer password that would enable a person to commit an offence under 342.1; and
S.342.2 – possess of a device useful for committing an offence contrary to s.342.1.
Please refer to related Criminal Code Offences Chart below
For further info on Training please contct us at 416-432-1515
For further info on Gear and Uniforms please browse our site


text:
All fields are required.
E-mail Address:
Remember me on this computer
Signing in
Please enter your email address and we will send your password
E-mail Address
Your password has been sent and should arrive in your mailbox very soon.
Sign up for My HGTV to share photos, show off your style, and connect to an enthusiastic and helpful community.
It's free and easy.
Fun-grownup-but-girlie-shabby-but-chic-glam&glitz bedroom for my 11 year old daughter. My daughter and I designed this room together, along with two very precious and talented friends of mine. I couldn't get by without them!! Everything was done budget-conscious and sewn/painted/stapled/glued/made by me and a friend or two!


text:
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. - A program aimed at stopping crooks from making fast cash at pawn shops is working!
A two-year team effort between Charlotte County deputies and store owners is leading to quicker arrests.
"Pople get in a pinch, they need some help, and that's what we're here for... look around we've got a little bit of everything here," says rob Porter with The King's Pawn in Eglewood.
"Is a highly regulated industry," he adds.
That's helping them and their honest customers do a good business. Detectives with the Charlotte County Intelligence Unit say, they deal with crimes involving pawned stolen property almost daily.
"I think it's the reporting that the shops have now. We now have all the data handy to the Sheriff's Office and Police Departments," says Sgt. Christopher Maler.
Detectives can track the merchandise, and the crooks down more quickly than just two years ago thanks to the 'Pawn Finder' database.
"Everything that we purchase or pawn for someone we have to enter them into the Sheriff's website within 24 hours, the serial number, the brand, the description, the size, length, weight," Porter says.
"We can access it immediately, where in the past they had to send just written copies, it's much easier for us to catch up on trends," says Detective Matthew Wagner.
Pawn Detective Matthew Wagner says some trends they generally see with stolen items is they're pawned within 24 hours. And even if they try to sell it outside of the Charlotte County, it won't go under the radar.
"Our database has got a wide network so we'll pick up on it no matter where it's sold... That's just crooks trying to outthink us," Detectove Wagner adds.
Pawn shops also have to hold on to the items they purchase for 30 days before doing anything with them. That gives detectives time to research it if they get a report of stolen property.


text:
Thursday, November 21 and Thursday, December 5, 5:15 - 6:15, Rattlesnake School Gym
Do you want to have fun, experience a challenge, and have a great workout geared to improve your running? The Montana Super Skippers want to teach you skills that can do just that. NO experience required!
When: Thursday, November 21 and Thursday, December 5, 5:15 - 6:15 p.m.
Where: Rattlesnake School Gym
Cost is $25 for the two days and this includes a multi-use rope.
We are also offering a rope specific for speed rope. This would be an additional $25 and needs to be ordered by November 7th. Download registration form and send it and payment to PO Box 16321, Missoula, MT 59808.
Forms can also be found at www.montanasuperskippers.com. Registration is available at the first workshop.
Questions? Please call Bev Williams at 360-9469.
Caution: Ropes can reach up to speeds of 65 MPH!
Nov 04: Tuesday Track
Nov 08: Mount Jumbo Elk Ramble 15K
Nov 08: Saturday Breakfast Club Runs
Nov 11: Tuesday Track
Nov 15: Back of the Pack Social Run-Walk
Nov 15: Saturday Breakfast Club Runs
Nov 18: Tuesday Track
Nov 22: Saturday Breakfast Club Runs
Nov 25: Tuesday Track
Nov 26: Beer Run: Doublefront Chicken
Nov 27: Turkey Day 8K & 3K Family Fun Run
Nov 29: Saturday Breakfast Club Runs
Dec 02: Tuesday Track
Dec 06: Saturday Breakfast Club Runs
Dec 09: Tuesday Track


text:
Photos and Description of this Mungia holiday cottage
B&B accommodation in 7 large rooms + own bath, lovely views, TV, free WiFi
Casa rural Errota-Barri is a traditional Basque farm-house and water mill, totally refurbished in 2009 to offer boutique-like accommodation in 7 spacious rooms, all with private bathroom, balcony or large windows overlooking the natural surroundings, TV, free Wi-Fi and underfloor heating (some also offer extra beds, mini-fridge and tea & coffee making facilites). Errota-barri is set in the middle of the countryside, in a valley surrounded by meadows, woods and mountains, secluded but yet very close to sandy beaches and fishing villages (Bermeo, Mundaka, 16km; Bakio, 8km; Plentzia (8.50 miles, interesting towns and Bilbao's airport. For location, we can easily access Bilbao (14km)) and enjoy the tranquility of the countryside. Ideal for hiking, biking and water sports (surfing, sailing, scuba diving). The house has 7 bedrooms, all with private bath, TV and wireless internet access in addition to 2 rooms, a kitchen for use by customers (see rules and prices) and a large dining room. We distinguish ourselves from other establishments in our spacious guest rooms and common areas and a carefully decorated and modern.
Offers low season
- Suitability:
- long term rentals available
- Low Allergen Environment
- children welcome
- pets not allowed
- wheelchair inaccessible


text:
God's Protection in Times of Danger
Sermon shared by Howard Harden
April 2000
Summary: As a father would protect his children, Psalm 121 suggests three ways God protects us from danger.
Scripture: Psalms 121:1-121:8 (add scripture)
Tags: Kids, God, Protection, God's Provision (add tag)
Denomination: Baptist
Audience: Believer adults
About Sermon Contributor
Howard Harden
Gethsemane Baptist Church
More Sermons from Howard
When I was a boy, my family�s home was broken into three times. Valuables were stolen, memories gone. We realized how unsafe and unprotected we truly were. After the third time, my father decided that this would never happen again. He began to turn our
little house into a fortress. For starters, he built a huge gate surrounding our yard with small sharp spikes on top. It stayed constantly locked so the only entrance was by climbing over this fence. If a would be intruder made it over the fence, my father
purchased the most violent dog I�ve ever known, a chow he named Scrappy (if that name doesn�t tell you enough)! This dog was trained to be mean, and he did his job well. If somehow a would be intruder made it past the fence and Scrappy, he placed big strong iron bars over the all the windows and several deadlocks upon the doors. This would take hours for even the best burglar. But if somehow one made it over the fence, past Scrappy, through the bars, and past the deadlocks, my father had a vast assortment of weaponry and was well equipped to fill any would be intruder with his ample supply of ammunition. Some might have looked at all that my father did and said, �He has gone
too far.� However my father was serious about protecting his children. I�d like you to know this morning that our Heavenly Father is serious about protecting His children.
All of us long to feel safe. We want to know that we are protected from danger. We want policemen protecting our streets so we will feel protected at home. The restaurants we attend have safety inspections so we will feel protected when we eat. The cars we drive have to meet safety standards so we will feel protected in case we are in an accident. We want to feel protected from foreign invaders so we emphasize the importance of a strong defense. But where does our safety really come from? Does it
come from our policemen, inspectors, or a strong national defense? Let us read in the Word of God the answer to this question. [Read text here.]
In our text this morning, we read a Psalm that Israelites would often sing while making their yearly pilgrimage to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. For many, this was a long and treacherous trip. The miles were long and the traveler was vulnerable. There were dangers that awaited them on many fronts. They were many things that could go wrong, many bad things that could happen. They had no interstates on which
to travel or DMV to call on their cell phones if they were in trouble. They had reason to fear. They longed to feel the same safety and protection that we still long for in our world today. So, they would sing this song. Psalm 121 was written to remind God�s people as to how He protects them in times in danger. We see this in the first two verses which serve as an introduction. Will I lift up my eyes to the hills, one asks, where the pagan temples could be seen upon the mountain tops? Where does my help come from? The answer is our theme this morning: �My help comes from the Lord�. That word for �help� also signifies protection. God is being pictured as our guardian. The dangers before us may not be the same as the ones they faced, but our unchanging God still protects us from danger. The question then is, how does God protects us from danger? Our text suggests three ways God protects us from danger.
I) First, we see that God protects
Comments and Shared Ideas
Join the discussion


text:
Here lately my buttercream is not crusting. I always make it in advance like a week and freeze it. So I always have a bout 5-7 5lb buckets on hand.
2sticks butter
2cups crisco
2lb bag of powder sugar
2 teaspoon flavoring.
Only mix it for a few minutes... when I was whipping it for 15 -20 minutes I was told I was putting to much air in it.
I read somewhere that frosting a cake cold makes it crust well I tried that and it didnt work out. Than I tried just letting it sit for a few minutes but it ends up being a mess.
I really need help with the cake market changing and more people are starting to dislike fondant on cakes I have to learn how to "BUTTERCREAM" a cake smooth as fondant.


text:
Canada's police chiefs suggest tickets for marijuana possession in lieu of criminal chargesPolice chiefs meeting in Winnipeg say handing out tickets for illegal possession of marijuana may be more efficient than laying criminal charges.Delegates to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police annual meeting have passed a resolution that says officers need more "enforcement options" to deal with people caught with pot.Association president Jim Chu says in a release that criminal charges place a significant burden on police and court resources. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson)
It's time people stop referring to a harmless plant as a drug. It's medicine for many. Stupid war on drugs.


text:
It's been a very bad week to work for the P.R. department of the New Orleans Saints.
First, the Saints have to try to justify their position of paying free agent franchise QB Drew Brees like a "very good" quarterback and not like a "great" one. And yes, that's something their general manager has actually said. Considering how beloved Brees is in New Orleans, you can only imagine how well that statement has gone over.
But now comes something even worse.
The NFL has recently announced that the Saints have been caught running a "bounty" program in the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons. Basically, 22-27 players and even some staff members contributed money to a pool. Money from that pool was given to players who injured opposing players. "Knockouts" were worth $1,500 and "cart-offs" $1,000, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs. Saints defensive coordinator (and former Bills head coach) Gregg Williams administered the program.
In a statement released by the league, Commissioner Roger Goodell asserted, "The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for 'performance,' but also for injuring opposing players."
This apparently is an old Williams trick, as he reportedly ran a similar system when he was defensive coordinator of the Redskins. No confirmation yet if he had a bounty system in place as coach of the Bills.
Williams was apologetic in a statement released today:
"I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, Mr. Benson, and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the 'pay for performance' program while I was with the Saints. It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again."


text:
Okay, obviously I wasn't there and so can only base this on past performance, but I'm going to predict John Wall, McGee, and maybe Booker are going to be the only bright spots this season.
The TAI regulars know I'm not a big fan of Nick Young, but I'm even less a fan of Jordan Crawford. Yes, I know it is early in his career and could improve, but he'd have to improve massively just to be an average SG in the NBA. He shoots 43% (compared to a 48% average of all SGs) on 2s, and a horrendous 26% (compared to 38%) on 3s. I could live with that if he was an assist and rebounding machine, but he isn't. He just shoots a ton at a low percentage.
To put it another way, the Wizards averaged about 84 FGAs per game. When Jordan Crawford was a Wizard, he took over 16 shots per game – a rate of about a shot every 2 minutes he's on the floor. Heck, he shoots more than Nick Young!
There is absolutely no way you want the guy shooting 38% combined FG percentage taking 1 in 5 of your team's shots!


text:
Can I first say that Twitter is a bad thing? It's around 3:00AM PST, and I'm ready to go to bed when my Twitter feed updates me with this message:
Exclusive #BatmanvSuperman: Dawn of Justice photo and interview with director @ZackSnyder@USATODAY. http://usat.ly/VHfifG
Not only am I staying up late to read this article, but my heart is racing so fast that I actually can't go to sleep. I will have my revenge on you Twitter. Mark my words!
From our friends at USA Today, we not only get an exclusive interview from director Zack Snyder, but a first look at Henry Cavill as Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I'm not a sadist so I'm going to post the picture of Superman first and dig right into it:
From the get-go, we see that not much has changed from Man of Steel. In older reports, there were rumors that the Superman suit was getting some changes. This isn't to say that with a keen fanboy's eyes, we can't see some modifications. Let's start from the top and work our way down. Superman seems to have gotten a haircut or more hair gel to keep that coif perfect. The sides look tighter, and the hair looks more controlled than in Man of Steel. Next up, the cape anchors. I'm noticing that they're slanting with the "S" chest emblem as opposed to being perfectly horizontal. Moving further down, we get to the gold pieces that act as his belt. Notice the middle piece that's supposed to represent the buckle? It's rectangular. In Man of Steel, the buckle piece was actually oval, which harkened back to most of the Supermans of the past. Going down to his super-boots, we can definitely see a change there. The V-cut now has a thicker border instead of thin piping. Here's a picture of Henry Cavill in Man of Steel so you can spot the differences compared to the just-released image:
Even though the released Dawn of Justice picture of Superman has a virtually unchanged suit, this doesn't mean that Superman won't go through an outfit change in the movie. Kevin Smith originally proposed an idea that Batman may have multiple Bat-suits and mutliple Batmobiles in the film. Who's to say Superman doesn't have another suit. The scheduled release is still two years away, so there are endless possibilities.
Looking at the overall image of Superman in Dawn of Justice, you can't help but question, "Where is he?" Well, let's see — grey skies, raining, smokestacks shooting pollution into the air — where else? Gotham City. It has to be. And if you read further, the reasoning behind this assessment will become apparent.
In the article, Snyder discusses his plans in building a compelling movie universe. In his own words:
By bringing in more DC Comics do-gooders such as Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), the new movie is thicker, denser and more epic than Man of Steel.
Dawn of Justice will be a stepping stone to the eventual Justice League movie with a preliminary release date set for 2018. Snyder goes on to make every fan greener than the Martian Manhunter's skin tone when he talks about the day-to-day workings:
It's not an un-fun job, I will say that.
One difference the audience will see between Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice is that Man of Steel was about Superman trying to fit into our world as a hero and a citizen. In Dawn of Justice, Clark will continue to grow and settle in by working at the Daily Planet. Here's the interesting part — it will also take Superman to new environments like Gotham City!
The decision to put an older Batman into Dawn of Justice was an easy one for Snyder. He originally wanted to create a big-screen adaptation of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Because of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Snyder didn't feel compelled to put out another Batman movie. So he did the next best thing. With an already rich 75-year backstory and huge popularity, Snyder decided to place an older, grizzled Batman into the movie. Snyder put it best when he said:
It's cooler to see a crusty old Batman beating the snot out of guys.
In regards to the relationship between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel, the director remained silent on the matter and offered only this little hint to USA Today:
The director can't say exactly how the relationship between the two superheroes evolves, "but suffice it to say there is a "v" in between their names" in the movie title, Snyder says. He explains that having the "v" instead of "vs." is a way "to keep it from being a straight 'versus' movie, even in the most subtle way."
With all this talk about Superman and Batman, let's not forget about the Goddess of Truth herself — Wonder Woman. Snyder hasn't shot any scenes with Gal Gadot yet, but he assures us that "she's working out and getting buff and ripped."
There you have it, a great look at Superman in his next outing. On top of that, Snyder gave us some hints and teases.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has a worldwide release date of May 6, 2016. It will be directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio from a story by David Goyer and Zack Snyder, and will star Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth.
Tags: Batman Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Gotham City Interview Superman Superman Suit Wonder Woman Zack Snyder


text:
"We recently went on a mini-moon to the Honeybee Inn. The rooms were beautiful with l..."
"My husband & I spent 3 nights at Squiers Manor from 10/17-10/19. We came to the ..."
"We stayed at Desert Harbor recently for two nights as part of our honeymoon trip to N..."


text:
Tips to Help Prepare for the Summer Hosting Season
Spring has sprung but summer is just right around the corner! For some of us on the West Coast we are well into the warmer temperatures. With a few general entertaining tips in mind, you can prepare yourself for patriotic holidays, longer days, and warmer weather with little stress and more time for enjoyment.
Keep your cool and make sure your refrigerator is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce from your garden or local farmer's market aren't just great for healthy appetizers, they double as garnishes in beverages or for flavoring your water. You can add a unique twist to an iced cold water pitcher simply by adding fresh cucumber and lemon or frozen berries and orange slices. You also don't have to play bartender all day. Leave out a bucket of ice and bottled beverages so that your guests can easily help themselves.
Keep your decorations simple. Paper decorations like party banners, place cards, and place mats are easy to store, easy to make, and are simple to interchange. Be festive by decorating in red, white, and blue for Memorial Day and Independence Day. If you are hosting a non-holiday related backyard BBQ, decorate in red and white or blue and white only. Fresh flowers from the store or from your garden can be placed in recycled jars with ribbon or bud vases. Mix and match them to create a cluster for an easy centerpiece.
Keep the kids busy. Kid friendly outdoor toys that are easily accessible like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and hula hoops are fun and inexpensive activities for kids to play outdoors while you are entertaining. You can also have a blanket handy so that the kids can eat on the lawn and have a picnic of their own. For dessert, have the kids make their own indoor/outdoor s'mores with skewers graham crackers, chocolate miniatures, and marshmallows over a chafing dish fuel warmer.
With these tips in mind, you will be prepared for a well- planned event or a spur of the moment get together.
Content provided by: Dinah Wulf [1]
This featured blogger received information about Sprout's Kindness Counts and was asked to compose editorial for Sprout.


text:
Viewers may need to install Microsoft Silverlight if the file will not play. If you cannot see the presentation above, please visit the fullscreen version of the presentation.
The seminar took place on September 5, 2014. An agenda of the topics covered there (and on the video of the event) is as follows:
McCombs Resources
1. Welcome (Doug Yeager, TVL)
2. Opening Remarks, Entrepreneurship in Austin (Brent Elyea, Central Texas Angel Network)
3. Elective Coursework (Jaime Sutton, TVL)
4. New Venture Creation (Steve Courter, McCombs Professor)
5. Texas Venture Labs Practicum (Jaime Sutton, TVL)
6. Texas Venture Labs Investment Competitions (Gary Cadenhead, Director of MSTC Program)
7. Entrepreneur Society (Charlie Leonard, ES President)
On-Campus Resources
8. Office of Technology Commercialization (Doug Yeager, in lieu of Dan Sharp, Director of OTC)
9. Austin Technology Incubator and SEAL Program (Ryan Barcza, Current Student and ATI Intern)
The Austin Entrepreneurial Community
10. Local Organizations to Know & Publications/E-Newsletters of Value - (Logan Robinson, TVL)
11. 3-Day Start-Up (Cam Houser, CEO of 3DS)
12. Choose Your Own Adventure Panel (Current Students: Adam Burke, Eric Burleson, Charlie Leonard, Christie Sutton and Courtney Leffall)
13. Career Management for Entrepreneurs (Gabrielle Zandan, McCombs Career Management)
14. Closing (Doug Yeager, TVL)
Page last updated:


text:
Department of
Fish & Wildlife
Main Office
Natural Resources Building
1111 Washington St. SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Get Directions
Mailing Address
600 Capitol Way N.
Olympia, WA 98501-1091
Phil Anderson
Puget Sound Marine and Nearshore Grant Program
Grant & Contract Opportunities
Whenever practical, we fund projects through open competitive processes. This is often the most transparent and effective way to identify projects that will meet our intended goals. Occasionally, the Grant Program makes direct awards when it is the most efficient and effective way to achieve our desired results. This is done after much consideration, consultation with EPA, and research, so that the best candidate is chosen.
Because of the nature of our work, our program does not offer funding opportunities on a regular cycle. We Issue RFPs or direct awards as soon as our program is ready to release them. You will find them listed here.
Current Grant & Contract Opportunities
NEW: Pilot Projects on Effective Compliance and Enforcement Strategies
The goal of this grant opportunity is to demonstrate effective strategies for improving compliance with shoreline regulations. This project is informed by the recommendations of a study of compliance with shoreline regulations in the region. Applications are due by 12pm (noon) on Friday, October 31st, 2014. Individual grants for successful proposals may be up to $160,000, depending on the scope of the proposal. It is anticipated that $800,000 will be available for multiple awards.
Upcoming Grant & Contract Opportunities
Stay tuned for more information, as these investments develop!
Past Grant & Contract Opportunities
For more information on specific projects please visit our Funded Projects page
About WDFW
Wildlife Viewing
Licensing & Permits
Living with Wildlife
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Privacy Statement
Fish Washington
Private Lands Hunting Access
Wildlife Areas
Water Access Sites
Online License Sales
Weekender Report
GoHunt (mapping)
Contact WDFW
Mailing Lists
RSS Feeds
WDFW Publications
Maps & Data Products
Hunter Education
Report a Violation
WDFW Image Gallery
WDFW Police Facebook