text:
Cancer Health Center
Many Patients Don't Take Part in Cancer Studies
Why Doctors Don't Tell Patients About Trials continued...
Some patients may be unwilling to participate in clinical trials, but if they are unaware of these trials, they may not be able to make the most informed decision about their treatment.
"When a patient is diagnosed with any disease, especially one as terrifying as cancer, and hears that there is an established standard treatment, there is a tendency to tune out any limitations," Saltz says. "Doctors, wanting to be optimists, may not offer a whole lot of information on these limitations unless asked."
"There is also the tendency to think about trials only after all else has failed, but by this time many people are no longer candidates or are too sick to participate," he says.
Concern Over Random Treatment
Sometimes people are concerned that studies often randomly assign treatments to different groups of patients. Trials may compare standard care with the experimental treatment, but it is luck of the draw as to who gets which therapy.
"This is necessary, and the right way to do the study, but on the other hand, a fair number will say they are uncomfortable with it and not willing to leave the decision to chance," he says.
Informed consent on the part of the patient is critical, he says.
When discussing clinical trial participation, Saltz says, "If you go on the study, it is because we hope it will be the right thing for you, and we will evaluate as we go always have the right to opt out. You can never say a trial is better for a patient because if we knew it was better, it wouldn't be a trial."
While clinical trials have advanced cancer care, "first and foremost, you owe it to yourself and people around you to make the best decision for you," he says.
Making an Informed Decision
Lori M. Minasian, ND, the chief of the National Cancer Institute's Community Oncology and Prevention Trials Research Group, co-authored an editorial that accompanies the new study.
"Most people learn about clinical trials from their physicians, and many do Internet searches when they are looking for newer or better approaches than the standard approach and some hear about trials that use public advertisement to recruit specific patient populations," she says in an email.


text:
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead [Import]
Jake Hoffman (Actor), Devon Aoki (Actor), Jordan Galland (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
Average Customer Review: (1)
In Stock
FREE Shipping.
Vampires and Hamlet Aug. 25 2011
Reviewer: E. A Solinas (see more about me) (MD USA)
If your job interview has the question, "Do you suffer from any blood vessel abnormalities, iron deficiencies, vitamin B-12 deficiencies and/or intravenous drug usage?" assume your boss is a vampire.But in vampire movies, nobody ever figures out the bleeding obvious. And that's only the beginning... Read More
Show items from:All Categories (0)
Show items that:
Customers also bought
Customers also viewed

subset: commoncrawl


text:
TriPeaks Solitaire Free
10,000 - 50,000 downloadsAdd this app to your lists
+ By Dodur Ltd.
Ace Tripeaks has six unique game modes mean a lot more fun with this game. Your entire family will enjoy this.
Beautiful graphics enhance this game and the optimized programming will give you ultra-smooth experience.
- Six unique Game Modes
- ScoreLoop: Leaderboard & Achievements
- Undo
- Runs count
- Sound effects
- Built-in help with explanations for tripeaks rules and scoring
Tags: www.dodur.com, tripeakssolitaire, скачать spider solitaire free espanol, habits arctic tri peaks, tripeaks, which tri peaks solitaire tablet allows undo, tripeaks solitaire, free tripeaks games, tri peaks solitaire 1.0 na telefon, tri peaks solitaire.
(37 stars)
Good 2 pass the down time.
(37 stars)
Cards to small galaxy note 3
(37 stars)
Good app
(37 stars)
Like others, I find the cards far too small on my screen. They are micro-sized and half of the screen is wasted. The small size of the cards makes it awkward to accurately touch them quickly. Also, there was a constant annoying message that flashed on the screen whenever I removed several cards in a row. No way to disable it. Settings menu consists only of icons and is also awkward. :(
(37 stars)
Sucks so small & stop so much
(37 stars)
As everyone has said, the card size is wayyyyyy too small! And AVG scanned this app and prompted me to uninstall immediately as it is known intrusive adware.
(37 stars)
Too small to be playable on galaxy 3.


text:
With over a hundred members from the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy taking part in the parade, alongside family and friends from the defence LGBTI information service DEFGLIS, the floats showcased how the Australian military has been embracing diversity.
During the parade, DEFGLIS chairman Squadron Leader Vince Chong told the Star Observer that there had been overwhelming support from both senior military commanders and ADFA cadets alike.
"One quarter of the defence force contingent are from the Australian Defence Force Academy, many of whom aren't actually gay," he said.
Read more.


text:
I had requested for update of a particular file… I received mail saying Congratulations, your item update has been approved for sale… When i downloaded it i could not find the updated file…
In the upload section…
The following file updates of yours are awaiting review: Progress in Queue – 20th on FlashDen Updated – 2 days ago
Is my file updated or is it still in queue….
Helpful Information
- Please read our community guidelines. Self promotion and discussion of piracy is not allowed.
- Open a support ticket if you would like specific help with your account, deposits or purchases.
- Item Support by authors is optional and may vary. Please see the Support tab on each item page.
Most of all, enjoy your time here. Thank you for being a valued Envato community member.


text:
Afleet Express Sires First Foal
The first reported foal by grade I winner Afleet Express is a filly born Jan. 16 at Corner Woods near Lexington. The farm is owned by Drs. Charles L. Kidder and Nancy M. Cole and Ben L. Kidder.
Bred by Drs. Cole and Kidder, the filly is out of the Purge mare Heaven Knows, a half sister to graded stakes-placed runner Kazamira. The newborn's second dam is a half sister to grade I winner Proper Reality.
Winner of the Travers Stakes (gr. I), Afleet Express (Afleet Alex —Expanse, by Distant View) stands at Antony Beck's Gainesway Farm near Lexington. His 2012 fee is $6,500 stands and nurses.
Copyright © 2015 The Blood-Horse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


text:
PH needs to do much more to attract investments, says Japanese diplomat
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Despite the glowing statistics on the economy, the Philippines should push harder to improve the country's investment climate as it continues to lag behind neighbors in Asia, a Japanese diplomat said here.
In a pointed assessment of the country's economic stature in the region, Minister Akio Isomata of the Japanese Embassy's economic section said the Philippines "cannot afford to be complacent" amid the optimism generated by its standout growth rate of 6.6 percent in 2012.
"Yes, it's lagging behind. You cannot afford to be complacent in your current place. Of course, the economy is very strong now. The achievement, performance is admirable in the last two years I think. No doubt about that," Isomata told reporters here Thursday night.
He cited a congested logistics infrastructure, including roads and ports, expensive and unstable power supply and the delayed release of tax refunds as major concerns among Japanese investors.
"You can't just sit there; you cannot afford to be too complacent about that. And now is the chance because the investors, the donors, are looking at the Philippines right now, so this is the chance to do something. This is the best time to do something," he said.
Japan has been a leading economic and development partner of the Philippines, with a number of Japanese companies operating around the country, and the largest source of official development assistance, with $593.3 million or P24 billion in aid disbursements (both loans and grants) in 2011, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
This accounted for 40 percent of total ODA disbursements that year, the largest slice of the pie, ahead of the United States' $541.3 million or P22 billion.
Japan is the country's top export market and leading trading partner, accounting for around $13 billion or P528 billion in total bilateral trade last year, and with around P22.35 billion in investments in the first half of 2012, according to figures of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Cooperation between the two countries is anchored on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership (JPEPA), which aims to liberalize and boost trade between the two countries, encourage investment through an improved business climate here and advocate transparency in government procurement, among others.
Isomata reiterated concerns the Japanese Embassy aired during the Philippine Development Forum held in February here, a meeting that brought together the country's economic planners with international donors and investors. The plenary sessions where Japan raised these issues was not open to media coverage at the time.
Outlining these current hurdles, Isomata said implementation of ODA projects remains slow while the utilization and maintenance of aid-supported projects—major roads and ports for instance— remain low.
One example is the "underutilization" of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the Batangas and Subic Bay ports, projects that were supported by Japanese ODA.
"What the Japanese government raised in the Philippine Development Forum: first is speedy implementation and, secondly, try to utilize the existing infrastructure. Of course we help the Philippine government build infrastructure but there's existing ones like the two ports in Luzon," Isomata said.
"The Manila port is already getting congested. So we started, we helped the construction of the Subic Port. And we also did the same in Batangas. But those two ports are underutilized. And although the Manila port is already congested, they're still trying to use it," he said.
He also cited the poor maintenance of ODA-funded projects, a weak point of the Philippines that Japan is also aiming to help through the provision of technical support.
Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe pointed this out in an interview on Wednesday. He remarked that once infrastructure has been finished, "people just try to run it down."
Urabe said his government has offered to help the Philippines in planned repairs of EDSA through proposing the use of a roadwork method that "makes minimal disruption" of traffic.
Congestion at such major roads and logistics hubs leads to economic loss, said Isomata.
"There's so much congestion in Manila and the economic loss for that is huge. The solution is in the hands of the Philippine government, how to solve this issue," said the embassy minister.
Japan has also called the Philippine government's attention to the issue of congestion and even more concerns through the JPEPA subcommitte on the improvement of the country's business environment, which gathered officials from both sides in March and September last year.
The Japanese side is hoping for the timely release of Value Added Tax refunds to Japanese companies in economic zones and a stable and affordable power supply, whose current rates are known to be the most expensive in Southeast Asia.
"We'd like to see stable supply of electricity at a reasonable price for inviting more investment from Japan. And that's a very serious concern for Japanese locatoers here in the Philippines. I think for the time being it's still OK. But I'm not sure [what would happen] in 2015, 2016 if we do nothing now. The price is exorbitant right now," Isomata said.
Isomata also called for the "upgrade of the treatment" of people in government.
"You know, if those people are underpaid, it's very hard to dispense their responsibilities as they should. We didn't say the pay is too low but in order to mobilize better the bureacracy, there has to be some raise," he said.
The subcommittee is due to meet again this summer but dates have yet to be set, Isomata said.
Akihiro Ushimaru, President of the Japan Chamber of Commerce in Mindanao, cited power supply and infrastructure as major concerns for his fellow Japanese investors.
"Mindanao is facing a power shortage. That's why if possible, if we can request to the government of the Philippines better infrastructure, such as roads and powerplants," said Ushimaru, executive vice president of Nakayama Technology, a 1,300-man plant in Digos City which manufactures and exports insulated brick and granite wall panels to Japan.
With his firm now looking to expand at its Digos site, Ushimaru however says it is still "good to invest" in Mindanao, citing his hard-working Filipino staff.
Get Inquirer updates while on the go, add us on these apps:
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
To subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines, call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.
Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer's Reader's Advocate. Or write The Readers' Advocate:
c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City,Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94


text:
'We who believe in the traditional understanding of marriage do need your help'
Maggie Gallagher, one of the leading marriage equality foes in the US, penned an open letter to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
The essay was published on 1 May in the National Review. Many legal experts see Kennedy as the likely deciding vote in the marriage cases the country's highest court heard last week.
An increasing number of LGBT people are coming forward to adopt
The UK's Department of Education announced this week that adoption rates by LGBT parents have it a record high.
Loving, stable homes have been offered to more than 480 children in the past 12 months, thanks to LGBT couples and individuals.
The news comes as part of the UK's LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week, taking place until 8 March 2015, marking the contribution and commitment of the nation's LGBT adopters and foster carers.
Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples can adopt jointly – but only if the child is the biological child of one of the partners
LGBTI rights activists in Colombia are disappointed after the country's Constitutional Court ruled that the only circumstance where gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt is where the child in question is the biological child of their partner.
The issue had been winding its way through the courts and there were hopes it might lead to full adoption rights for LGBTI Colombians, but Colombia's highest court declared the matter settled on Wednesday via an announcement on Twitter.
Ceremony is Rio de Janeiro state's fifth such event since 2011
Rio de Janeiro married 160 LGBTI couples on Sunday (23 November) in what the state hailed as 'the largest collective same-sex civil wedding ceremony in the world.'
The event was the fifth mass gay wedding organized by state program Rio Without Homophobia and the state court, which have married a total 500 LGBTI couples.
'It is an affirmative action to call attention to all of the achievements and challenges in the area of civil and human rights of the LGBT community,' Cláudio Nascimento, coordinator of Rio Without Homophobia, told Agência Brasil.
A new study from the Pew Research Center has found that a majority of African Americans say businesses should not be allowed to deny services to same-sex couples who are getting married despite most still opposing gay marriage
Even though only around 4 in 10 African Americans support same-sex marriage, new research has found that a majority of them still feel that it is wrong for businesses to be legally able to refuse to provide goods and services to gay couples who are getting married.
The Pew Research Center found that 61% of the African Americans they surveyed agreed that it was wrong for for-profit businesses to deny same-sex couples goods and services based on the owner or employee's religious beliefs.
Homophobia is not a crime in the country even though it has the highest LGBTI murder rate in the world
At least 216 LGBTI people have been murdered this year in Brazil where homophobia is not a crime.
The data was collected by the Gay Group of Bahia from January to 29 September and is based on police records and news reports as there are no official statistics.
The region with the most cases was the Northeast (43%) and the city with more cases per capita was Cuiabá, with 0.03 homicides per 1,000 inhabitants.
Gay men are the most affected (59%), followed by transvestites (35%) and lesbians (4%).
A court in Rome has approved the step-child adoption of a girl by the female partner of her biological mother
For the first time in Italian history, a court has granted permission for the adoption of a child living with a gay couple. The child is the biological daughter of one of the women, and her partner has been allowed to legally become her co-parent through adoption.
The couple have been living together in Rome since 2003, and the decision was taken by the city's Juvenile Court. It's believed that the child was conceived through IVF treatment abroad – where the couple also underwent a marriage ceremony.
132 same-sex couples were legally married Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in what is believed to be the world's largest mass same-sex wedding
132 same-sex couples were married by Rio de Janeiro's Superior Court of Justice on Sunday in what is thought to be the world's largest mass same-sex wedding.
The ceremony was held in the auditorium of the School of Magistrates of Rio de Janeiro.
Each of the 132 couples were able to invite up to ten family members and friends, which made the auditorium very overcrowded with supporters.
While same-sex couples have now been given equal state child benefits, many are hoping recent coalition talks will pave way for same-sex marriage and adoption
Despite still being banned from adoption, same-sex couples in Germany were given equal state child benefits yesterday (23 October).
A lesbian couple in a civil union, with two children each, were victorious in a legal case at the Federal Fiscal Court in Munich.
The AFP reports the plaintiff, not identified by the court, argued she and her civil partner were entitled to the higher rate of €215 ($296) per month given to families of four children.
Charles Radcliffe, chief of the Global Issues Section at UN Human Rights Office tells GSN about the challenges and hopes of the LGBT Free and Equal education campaign
It's official. The United Nations (UN) has fully boarded the LGBT human rights train.
National Council of Justice rules government offices that issue marriage licenses have no standing to reject gay couples
Gay couples across Brazil can begin applying for marriage licenses with or without a marriage equality law passed by the country's congress, according to a ruling Tuesday (14 May) by Brazil's top judicial panel.
The National Council of Justice said government offices in Brazil do not have the legal standing to deny the licenses to same-sex couples.
Paraíba and Santa Catarina have become the 13th and 14th states to legalize equal marriage, meaning 60% of Brazilians can get married without going through the two-step process
Santa Catarina and Paraíba have become the 13th and 14th states to approve the right to marry to same-sex couples.
As Freedom to Marry notes, this means nearly three in five Brazilians have the right to marry their loved one.
A high court judge in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has passed a ruling authorizing gay marriag in the Brazilian state
The General Magistrate of Justice of Rio de Janeiro state, Judge Valmir de Oliveira Silva, published a legal ruling authorizing gay marriage in the state
Rio de Janeiro has become today (April 19) the 11th state of Brazil to institute marriage equality.
The other states being: São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Espírito Santo, Bahia, Alagoas, Sergipe, Piauí, Ceará and the Federal District of Brazilia.
Grupo Gay da Bahia, a gay rights group in Brazil, releases startling figures for homophobic killings that took place in the Latin American country last year
Once again, activists claim Brazil has the world's highest occurrence of homophobic murders.
Brazilian LGBT rights group Grupo Gay da Bahia has released a breakdown of gay-related murders for 2012, claiming that Brazil accounts for 44% of homophobic executions worldwide.
Grupo Gay da Bahia documented 338 killings of gays, lesbians and transsexuals in Brazil that took place in 2012. Two of these killings include two Brazilian transsexuals in Italy.
Caribe Afirmativo, a group that champions gay rights in Colombia's Caribbean region, documented 25 homophobic deaths in the region last year
A Caribbean-based gay watchdog group has reported 25 violent deaths of LGBT people in 2012, up from 21 reported in 2011.
Caribe Afirmativo, based in the Caribbean region of northern Colombia, reports that between 1 January and 31 December 2012 over two LGBT people died every month from violent or discriminatory causes.
According to Colombian newspaper El Universal, the group identified 21 homicides, two suicides and two deaths from surgical procedures that involved gay, bisexual or transgender individuals from the region.
The Court of São Paulo ruled that state notaries are now required to register same-sex marriages without first getting court approval
São Paulo state notaries are now obliged to recognize same-sex marriages.
According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, this court ruling permits gay couples to obtain a marriage certificate without needing prior approval from a court.
This week's court order also means that same-sex couples already registered in a civil union do not need court approval to convert their status into marriage.
Almost 100 gay and lesbian couples had their unions legalized in symbolic ceremony
Almost 100 gay and lesbian couples took part in a mass 'wedding' in Rio, Brazil, yesterday (9 December).
The 92 same-sex couples joined the ceremony which legalized their unions just short of marriage status, reported AFP.
However, the service at the Rio courthouse was mainly symbolic and participants will have to take their vows again in front of a judge today (10 December).
Tens of thousands pour on to Copacabana beach for carnvival themed LGBT pride
An estimated one million people hit Rio de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana beach yesterday (18 November) for the Brazilian city's annual gay pride celebrations.
Fifteen floats blaring music lined Avenida Atlantica, while many revellers came dressed in colorful carnival costumes.
As well holding a carnival-like party, organizers Grupo Arco-Iris (Rainbow Group) hoped this year's event would also send a powerful political message.
'The main thing is to fight for the criminalization of homophobia,' pride marcher Ester Silveir told France 24.
Fifteen activists from Curitiba, state capital of Paraná, Brazil report they have been receiving constant death threats
Fiften activists from Curitiba, Brazil have revealed today that they have been receiving constant death threats since the last week of September.
All the threats are of a homophobic nature and characteristic of hate crimes expressing a high degree of cruelty.
They have been being received by telephone at home and at work, by mobile phone, e-mail and social media since the last week of September.
The phone calls are being made from public telephones.
Gay Star News speaks to Esteban Paulón, president of the Argentine LGBT Federation (FALGBT), about how the LGBT rights group is bringing marriage equality, gay parents' rights and transgender rights to your home country
Is same-sex marriage not yet legal in your country?
Consider coming to Argentina, where since May 2012, gay couples from abroad can legally wed in four provinces including the capital city of Buenos Aires.
All you need is a copy of your passport and the address of your hotel.
Be forewarned, because your marriage will likely not be recognized when you go back home.
The attorney general of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil annulled an anti-discrimination law protecting LGBT people. Campaigners demand a new law to be introduced as soon as possible
The attorney general of the state of Rio de Janeiro annulled a law that protected LGBT from discrimination.
The attorney general cancelled on Tuesday (2 October) anti-discrimination law that has been in-force for over 12 years, stating that it was introduced in an unconstitutional manner.
The law was introduced in 2000 by the then legislator and state deputy, Carlos Minc, who now serves as the Rio de Janeiro state minister of the environment. It was voted and passed by the state's assembly.
LGBT association Equality Italia launches a campaign to get more gays and lesbians to 'adopt' a child living in poverty abroad
The LGBT Italian association Equality Italia has launched a campaign to encourage single gays or lesbians, or same-sex couples to 'adopt' a child living in poverty abroad.
The campaign is called 'Io ce l'ho grande il cuore' or 'My heart is very big' and it's thought to be the first of its type to target LGBT people.
Many Italians use 'long distance adoption' to support a child living in poverty in another country - though the 'adoption' does not, of course, make them the legal parents or guardians of the child.
A trans woman became the latest victim in a spate of trans murders in state of state of São Paulo, Brazil
A 20 year-old trans woman was murdered in the early hours of Sunday (16 September) in the city of Votuporanga, state of São Paulo, Brazil.
The body was found near a dumpster in a rural region of the city. The victim's genitals and one ear were found to have been cut off.
The Brazilian military police, who are investigating the case, suspect that the trans woman, who was a sex worker, was possibly taken to the remote location and murdered by a client.
The police still has no clues as to the identity of the murderer.
A Brazilian gay father will become the first to receive the same parental leave as a woman after a Brazilian court found that it was discriminatory that a same-sex couple should receive less combined parental leave than a heterosexual couple
A gay Brazilian man has become the first man to be given equal parental leave to a mother after he and his civil union partner adopted a baby.
Normally Brazilian fathers are only given five days off work after becoming parents, while mothers receive four months off, but a Brazilian court found that it was discriminatory for a gay couple to receive less combined parental leave than a heterosexual couple.
As a result Lucimar da Silva will become the first Brazilian man to receive the same parental leave as a woman.
Five years ago, the media in Vietnam regular reported on the social evil of homosexuality, now the government are looking into legalizing same-sex marriage, Gay Star News talk to the man who made it happen
Earlier this month the news that Vietnam might become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage made headlines around the world. The news appeared to come out of nowhere, as no-one expected the socially conservative one-party state to be so progressive.
In an interview with Gay Star News Le Quang Binh, the director of the first LGBT rights organization in Vietnam, reveals the five year story behind this month's headlines.
Never miss a story! Get your free daily newsletter
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.


text:
Explore the heart of Eastern Europe - Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and Bulgaria
Join us on a journey to discover the splendours of St Petersburg, the iconic Kremlin in Moscow and ancient Novgorod, the birthplace of history and religion in Russia. Travel onwards through the Ukraine by train and head to Kyiv, elegantly situated along the glorious Dnipro River. Take time out to explore the majestic Carpathian Mountains before crossing stunning countryside to arrive in romantic and cosmopolitan Budapest. Continue this epic Eastern European adventure past the haunted castles of Transylvania and across stunning mountains to Bulgaria and beyond. Be enchanted by medieval monasteries, old-world towns and the warm hospitality of this region before ending the journey in magnificent Istanbul.
- Marvel at the beauty of St Petersburg
- Explore Moscow's many treasures
- Discover a tragic past in Ukraine
- Soak up the romance of Budapest
- Sample 'Bull's Blood' in beautiful Eger
- Experience traditional peasant life in a Maramures village
- Be spooked at Dracula's Castle
- Travel through the stunning Carpathian Mountains
- Go hiking in the Bulgarian mountains
- Visit Byzantine ruins in Plovdiv
- Admire Istanbul's majestic mosques
Day 1-2 St Petersburg
Day 3-4 St Petersburg, Novgorod
Day 5-6 Moscow
Day 7-9 Kyiv
Day 10-11 Ivano-Frankivsk, Kolomyia, Carpathian Mountains
Day 12-13 Sheshory, Kolomyia, Lviv
Day 14-15 Budapest
Day 16 Eger
Day 17-18 Maramures
Day 19 Sighisoara
Day 20 Viscri
Day 21-22 Brasov
Day 23 Sinaia
Day 24-25 Veliko Tarnovo
Day 26 Sofia
Day 27 Gorno Draglishte
Day 28-29 Bansko
Day 30-31 Plovdiv
Day 32 Istanbul
Meals9 breakfasts4 dinners
TransportBicycle, Boat, Bus, Metro, Minibus, Overnight sleeper train, Private minibus, Taxi, Train, Tram
AccommodationGuesthouse (6 nights), Homestay (2 nights), Hotel (15 nights), Overnight sleeper train (5 nights), Pension (3 nights)
Included activites
- Bucharest - Guided walking tour
- Budapest - Guided bike tour
- Chernobyl Museum
- Cooking Class, Kolomiya
- Eger - Wine tasting
- Gorno Draglishte - Rila Monastery
- Guided walk in Carpathians
- Kyiv - Orientation Walk
- Lviv - Guided walking tour
- Maramures - Guided tour
- Moscow - Kremlin & Armoury guided tour
- Moscow - Lenin's Mausoleum
- Moscow - Red Square
- Novgorod - Family visit & dinner
- Novgorod - Public Banya
- Novgorod - Walking Tour & Kremlin
- Plodiv - Guided tour
- St Petersburg - Boat tour
There are no departures to display at this moment.
{{departure_day.departure_date | date:'EEE d MMM'}} Sale {{departure_day.departure_day_cheapest_price | noFractionCurrency:product.currency_symbol}} Fully booked Bookings closed
Style: {{departure.style}}
Total price per person {{room.room_type | lowercase}}
Includes {{departure.kitty_currency_code}} {{departure.kitty | noFractionCurrency:departure.kitty_currency_symbol}} kitty
Includes {{extra.extras_code}} {{extra.extras_symbol}}{{extra.extras_value}} in local payments
Contact us to arrange an alternative departure for you
2012 Itinerary change
St Petersburg to Istanbul trips departing in 2012 will spend Day 23 overnight in Bucharest (previously was Sinaia)
Important notes
Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Your trip notes provide a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.View trip notes


text:
Crime Fiction
What links a terror attack on Washington, D.C., missing girls, coded price lists, and a rogue Interpol operator? It's up to FBI Special Agent Ellie Conway to figure that out in Cat Connor's new novel ERASERBYTE, seventh in the "Byte" series. That's if she can survive helicopter crashes and other threats.
It's a tale that sets the U.S. capital on fire with a series of explosions, and Ellie has to reach out to controversial connections to try and stop further terrorist attacks and horrifying deaths.
It's a great, page-turning challenge for the agent from the FBI's Delta A, who has already won over fans in previous adventures and should earn new ones in this outing.
Connor, who is from Cantabria, New Zealand, saw databyte, Number 6 in the Ellie Conway series, long listed for the 2015 Ngaio Marsh best crime novel award. Amid that and other excitement including a fortnightly writing workshop, Connor is busy with the launch of ERASERBYTE and other travels. Happily she had time for a few questions with The Big Thrill.
more »
Inspiration can come at a writer from any direction, but for Rachel Howzell Hall the stories that resonate most deeply are drawn from her own life and the lives of people close to her. SKIES OF ASH, her second thriller featuring Los Angeles Detective Elouise "Lou" Norton, reflects some of the turmoil she witnessed in her friends' lives over the past few years.
In a recent interview, Rachel said, "I remember having the realization about five years ago that my friends, and friends of friends, were starting to divide into two groups—still married (like me) or now divorcing. Everyone had hit those hard patches in life, late thirties, early forties, kids, private school bills, taxes owed, jobs, lay-offs, failing health, deaths." At the same time, she noticed a stream of news stories about domestic violence. "Husbands killing their wives, moms killing their kids, and on and on. Everyone was pissed off and frustrated and broke and suicidal. And then, our economy tanked and all these smart bankers were outed as crooks."
Rachel blended those elements into an intense tale that begins with Lou Norton responding to the scene of a house fire in which a woman named Juliet Chatman has perished with her two children. The grieving husband and father, Christopher Chatman, is hospitalized after supposedly trying to rescue his family. Neighbors and friends call the Chatmans a perfect family living a dream life. Lou doesn't take long to uncover the sordid truth about Juliet and Christopher's marriage and to suspect that one of their perfect children set the fatal fire. Lesson: People are never what they seem to be.
more »
By E. M. Powell
Of course I love thrillers (don't we all?!), but I especially love a thriller that brings something new and different to the table. In DOUBLE VISION, Colby Marshall does just that. Her heroine, Dr. Jenna Ramey, is an FBI forensic psychiatrist whose brain is wired very differently to most of us. Jenna also comes to this book, the second in the series, with a heck of a backstory that I'm sure will bring new readers rushing to catch up on the first one too. DOUBLE VISION is a fast-moving, intriguing read that grabs the reader from the off and refuses to let go.
Marshall is a multi-talented creative: writer by day, ballroom dancer and choreographer by night, and acting on stage when she has a spare moment. She lives in Georgia with her family and a collection of furry friends.
Exclusive to The Big Thrill, I caught up with Colby to find out more about her latest release.
This is the second outing for your heroine, Dr. Jenna Ramey, who debuted in the first book of the series, Color Blind. For readers coming new to her, there's something that marks her out as very different: synesthesia. Can you explain what that is?
Different types of synesthesia manifest differently, so I can't claim I know what every type is like to experience. In the case of grapheme-color synesthesia, the hardest aspect to describe is how the associations a synesthete makes are the same as those anyone makes in the way that they manifest. If a person hears the word "cake," the image of a cake might flash in their mind. The difference is, their word/image reference was learned. Somewhere along the way, someone or something taught that person what cake is, showed him or her what it looks like, and so the association of the picture and word developed. Color associations are not limited to known things. Often a synesthete will lay eyes on something for the very first time, and immediately have a color association for it—that's actually why it's so useful to Jenna when she analyzes a crime scene.
more »
Although he was born in Cumbria, England in 1968, author Mike Craven grew up in the northeast and attended the same school as Newcastle and England center-forward, Alan Shearer, before running away to join the circus army. He believes, but has no proof, that his little sister moved into his bedroom before the train had even left the station. He trained for two years as an armourer (that's gunsmith to you and I) before spending the next ten being paid to travel the world and drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol.
In 1995, sick of writing postcards and having fun, he decided it might be time to do something a bit more sensible. And it doesn't get more sensible than getting a law degree. So, he did social work instead. Two years later, he started working in Cumbria as a probation officer. Sixteen years, and a few promotions later, he is still there; although as a crime writer, he now has different motivations for trying to get inside the minds of criminals.
In between joining the army and securing a publishing deal, Mike found time to nurture a pet crocodile, survive cancer, get married, and buy a springer spaniel named Bracken. He wanted to call him Gimli, but was told to grow up. He lives in Carlisle where he tries to leave the house as little as possible and gets annoyed by people who say "it's too cold to snow" and "watch that swan, its wings can break your arm"."
Craven took time out of that busy schedule to talk to The Big Thrill about his new release, ASSUME NOTHING, BELIEVE NOBODY, CHALLENGE EVERYTHING, a collection of short stories that explores betrayals of trust, poker cheats, ambitious barristers, cyber bullies, lost diplomats and revenge.
more »
Graham Smith's SNATCHED FROM HOME is a searing thriller that plunges straight to the heart of fear—leaving you to ponder the terrifying question: What would you do to save your children?
Nicholas and Victoria Foulkes' children are kidnapped to force repayment of a gambling debt, but when the couple are unable to raise the ransom money in time, they turn to crime. The stakes are raised when their crime spree catches the attention of Harry Evans, a childless and recently bereaved detective trying to dodge enforced retirement.
Smith writes tough-as-nails prose and delivers a page-turner that will leave you high on adrenaline.
Graham took some time this month to answer a couple of key questions about what inspired his latest release, and the motivating factors behind his protagonist Harry Evans and the family that opens old wounds.
How well does childless Harry Evans understand the plight of the central characters in SNATCHED FROM HOME?
I think he fully understands their desire to save their children. Being the swine I am, I have him mourning the loss of his own wife and unborn child. This gives him the perspective needed to put himself in their shoes. Also, he believes (wrongly) he could have done things differently and saved them.
more »
By Linda Davies
James O. Born has had a long and distinguished career as an agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency, and is still employed as an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement where he has worked in a number of areas, including the Special Operations Team. This has given him experience that many writers would die for (figuratively, and probably literally too, if we ever stumbled into the path of clear and present danger!)
After years trying to get published, Born hit the big leagues when Putnam published his first novel Walking Money in 2004. This year marks his ninth book, SCENT OF MURDER. It focuses on the use of canine units in law enforcement and detection:
Two years after being tossed from the detective bureau for his questionable tactics catching a child molester, deputy Tim Hallett's life is finally on track. Assigned to a special K-9 unit with the best partner in the world, a Belgian Malinois named Rocky, Hallett has finally learned to balance police work with his family life. But that all changes in the heat of a Florida sugarcane field.
The wealth of Born's experience shines through in the novel in a way that is never allowed to bog down the narrative. He manages to combine background detail with a gripping and compelling plot that speeds along. I particularly enjoyed passages from the dog's perspective.
Born also manages to create a very real and powerful microcosm of life with all the characters extremely well drawn and the dialogue snapping along with the ring of authenticity. This is a class act.
more »
By Kurt Anthony Krug
David Levien has a reputation for exhaustive research in order to authenticate his fiction.
For instance, Levien (pronounced "Levine") and frequent collaborator Brian Koppelman entered the dangerous world of underground poker halls when writing the screenplay to 1998's Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.
For his latest novel, SIGNATURE KILL—the fourth featuring private investigator Frank Behr—Levien researched serial killers.
"Wouldn't it be off the charts insane if I admitted to becoming a serial killer in the name of research? Well, I didn't do that. I did read dozens of biographies, case histories, non-fiction and clinical books on killers of all different types. I also spoke pretty extensively with a couple criminal psychiatrists. The process took a few years," said Levien.
In SIGNATURE KILL, Behr takes on a cold case to find a woman whose face is plastered all over billboards throughout Indianapolis and collect the $100,000 reward. At the same time, bodies of murdered women start piling up and before too long, Behr realizes his cold case is connected to these brutal murders and a serial killer is on the loose. However, this man has the ability to blend in with polite society, which makes tracking him down difficult, forcing Behr to go to dark places.
"I'm highly interested in the iteration of evil that walks the streets amongst us, unrecognized. Certain real-life killers like Dennis Rader, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, going all the way back to Albert Fish and H.H. Holmes—these people led quiet, normal lives, for all intents and purposes, but their real existences were far from quiet or normal. The 'regular' way this type of killer conducts himself makes him extremely difficult to discover and stop," said Levien. "It would take someone, I posit, singular of purpose, with extreme determination, toughness, and ingenuity—like Behr—on a sort of quest, to hook into the mind and actions of a killer like this."
Researching SIGNATURE KILL disturbed Levien.
more »
By David Healey
David Hodges is a British crime writer whose long career in law enforcement informs his fiction with rich details of police procedure.
STRAWFOOT is his newest novel set on the moody Somerset Levels, a coastal area with a penchant for marshes and murders. The case will be the biggest challenge yet for Detective Sergeant Kate Lewis, the main character in the series. In this new release from Hale Books, a murder has the locals wondering if Strawfoot, a sort of bogeyman from local legend, could be behind the killing.
Hodges answered some questions from the perspective of a veteran police officer and crime writer from "across the pond."
The main character in your thrillers is Detective Sergeant Kate Lewis. Was it challenging to put yourself in the head of a female police officer?
I suppose it was a bit of a challenge making my main character a female detective instead of the usual male stereotype. But I have worked a lot with female officers and have not found them any different in the way they do their job than male officers. I wanted to create a character who was pretty, sexy, but competent at her job, without offering a sop to the feminist brigade by making her a butch-type superhero who can best the men at every stage or fall into the male chauvinist trap of creating a simpering girlie type who needs male protection all the time. Kate is an ordinary "copper" who makes mistakes and achieves successes like everyone else; the only difference being that while she is a brash, forceful and very outspoken character, her partner (now her husband), Hayden, is a more reserved, old-fashioned ex public schoolboy, who often acts as a brake on her activities. (Role reversal of the sexes?)
more »
Before I wrote my first novel, I was a print journalist for four decades, spending many of those years editing investigative stories that won every journalism prize including the Pulitzer. It's not surprising, then, that the fiction writers I most admire are the ones who use the popular form of the crime novel as a platform to talk to mass audiences about serious social issues—novelists such as George Pelecanos, Laura Lippman, James Lee Burke, and Richard Price.
The last major story I edited before I fled journalism exposed the plight of child workers, some of them as young as five years old, laboring in the gold mines of West Africa. The story traced the gold as it moved through a series of middle men to Swiss smelters and banks, and then on to some of the world's most prestigious producers of luxury goods. The author, Rukmini Callimachi, was a Pulitzer finalist for that one. I have nothing but admiration for the journalists who continue do such work. But over the last couple of decades, the decline of print journalism has made it increasingly difficult for them to do so.
Most newspapers are circling the drain. A handful of big ones, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, still do a solid job of reporting important national and international news, but even they aren't as aggressive and comprehensive as they once were. Meanwhile, TV broadcast news organizations, never all that good to begin with, have slashed their reporting staffs. Cable news has deteriorated into a platform for partisan propaganda, shouting talking heads, and celebrity trivia. And, few online news websites do much in-depth reporting, culling much of their news from declining newspapers.
more »
By Basil Sands
Does crime pay? Rick Mofina might say yes. He has been making his living writing about it since he sold his first short story to a magazine at age fifteen. During college he walked in Hemingway's shoes as a rookie reporter for The Toronto Star launching a career in journalism that spanned three decades. He's been face-to-face with murderers on death row, covered a horrific serial killing case in California, an armored car heist in Las Vegas, and the murders of police officers in Alberta. He's flown over Los Angeles with the LAPD, and gone on patrol with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. And he's reported from the Caribbean, Africa, and Middle East. All of it helped prepare him for his work as a successful crime novelist.
Today we're here to talk about his latest novel FULL TILT.
Rick, please tell us a little about FULL TILT.
FULL TILT is the second book in the new series featuring Kate Page, a reporter with a global wire service based in New York City. Kate was orphaned as a child and had a hard life. But she's a fighter and a survivor. We find Kate, now a single mom, working in Manhattan, when she receives a heart-stopping call from a detective. A guardian angel charm found at a horrific crime scene fits the description of the one belonging to Kate's sister, Vanessa, who washed away after a car crash in a mountain river twenty years ago. Kate has spent much of her life searching for the truth behind her little sister's disappearance. Now Kate is faced with one last chance to either mourn Vanessa's death—or save her life.
How do you come up with the story lines you write?
I like to start with a "seed of 'reality,'" to help shape a story. A larger part of my news reporting experience involved working the police beat. It put me face-to-face with the best and worst of the human condition. I was expected to write about it, to make some sense out of horrible incidents that made no sense at all, then present it in a story to readers on deadline. Sadly, the true horrors that happen everywhere every day seldom end well, if they end at all. This is something I bear in mind in writing crime fiction. I try to apply the fundamental code of most crime fiction, which is the restoration of order to chaos. And I try to start with a 'grain of truth,' to build on a solid foundation for a compelling story, from there I'll apply the "what if," this happened element, and off we go.
more »
By Ian Walkley
Glen Erik Hamilton's debut thriller introduces readers to an exciting new protagonist, Van Shaw, whose military and thieving skills inevitably find him immersed in the high-stakes and violent underworld of ruthless criminals where right and wrong aren't defined by the law.
In PAST CRIMES, former thief and now Army Ranger Shaw receives a call from his criminal grandfather Dono to come home to Seattle. But when he arrives at Dono's house in the early hours of the morning, Van discovers the old burglar bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot to the head. With a lifetime of tough history between him and the old man, the battle-tested Ranger knows the cops will like him for the crime. Diving back into the illicit world he'd sworn to leave behind, Van reconnects with the ruthless felons who knew Dono best. Armed with his military and criminal skills, he follows a dangerous trail of clues that leads him deeper into Dono's life—and closer to uncovering what drove his grandfather to reach out after years of silence.
The book already is creating buzz: Lee Child described it as "a home run off the first pitch," and J.A. Jance called Hamilton "a gifted writer with a sure hand."
Glen, first tell us what made you come to write this type of story.
The story evolved by blending my favourite aspects of mystery literature. I'm never quite sure what to call it. It's definitely intended to be thrilling, with a lot of action scenes. It has many characters who are crooks tangled up in their various schemes, but it's not strictly a crime thriller. And there's a fair amount of good old-fashioned whodunit in the recipe. Add a dash of memoir, since we see Van at different ages as he's growing up with Dono. A bouillabaisse thriller, perhaps? Mystery smorgasbord?
Speaking of Dono, tell us a little about the relationship between Van Shaw and his grandfather—how is that background an important element in the changing nature of Van Shaw?
Van came to live with his grandfather Dono—a career criminal—at six years old after his mother died. Dono and Van's mother had a falling out, and Dono may be trying to make that right by giving his grandson a home. But of course, Dono's approach to raising a child is a little outside the norm. Van grew up with a very skewed sense of right and wrong. As an adult and as a soldier, he's worked hard to reset that moral compass.
more »
In David Putnam's new novel, THE REPLACEMENTS, ex-cop Bruno Johnson is drawn into a deadly, twisted game to save two kidnapped girls. They're in the hands of Jonas Mabry, a man Johnson once saved from death—as a child, Mabry was shot by his own mother. Now, seeking a warped form of revenge, he's demanding a $1 million-dollar ransom for the girls.
Following the events of 2014's The Disposables, Johnson is living in Costa Rica when the book opens. He's hiding out from the FBI, tending bar and supporting eight children he illegally rescued from abusive homes. Johnson agrees to help a former colleague and risk arrest back in L.A. to help track Jonas down.
To write THE REPLACEMENTS Putnam, who's now retired, draws on his former law enforcement experience. During his career, he worked primarily in California on teams for patrol, investigations, S.W.A.T., narcotics, violent crimes, criminal intelligence, internal affairs, detective bureau, and as child protective services coordinator. His final assignment in law enforcement was as a Special Agent working in Hawaii.
He took some time out from growing organic California avocados and spending time with his wife, Mary and their two dogs, to answer a few questions about THE REPLACEMENTS, and writing contemporary thrillers.
Your hero from The Disposables returns in THE REPLACEMENTS to work on a case for which he has a strong personal tie. How important do you believe a link between the hero and his goal is in a contemporary thriller?
I believe the goal is only the vehicle or framework to display character. What is more important is how the character evolves within that framework. In order for the story or novel to be a success, the character has to be three-dimensional. I believe this is accomplished through voice: consistent, strong, emotional, unique and with nuance of point of view. A long-time mentor of mine, Jerry Hannah, has always drilled into me that: story is not story; character is story.
more »
By John Raab
Stephen Edger started out like thousands of other authors today and self-published his first novel, Integration in 2010. By 2014, he'd not only had several other successful titles on Amazon, but was picked up by Endeavour Press, which published Crosshairs, the first in his The Cadre series.
The Big Thrill recently had a chance to catch up with Stephen to talk about his second book in the series, COMPLICIT .
COMPLICIT is your latest book, can you give us the inside scoop, not on the back cover?
COMPLICIT is the second book in The Cadre series and follows on from where the first book (Crosshairs) finished. It is now November 2014. The current Prime Minister has been executed by 'The Cadre' a secret organization fronted by the heads of industry (media, finance, security services etc.). They have plans to start a new war on the Middle East, with a view to driving forward a New World Order, with Britain at the head of the table. The trouble is: the man hired to kill the PM, Dylan Thomas, is a petty thief who has just ripped off a loan shark, drug dealer and the Russian Mafia, and is on the run. The group identify Dylan's oldest friend, Connor Price, as their best chance of silencing Dylan before he reveals their plans.
It's a political thriller with a 'man against the world' plot.
There is a debate between Character Driven vs. Plot Driven, which side do you stand on?
Definitely plot driven. I always start with a plot and build characters around it. You can write the strongest character, but if the plot is weak, you will upset your readers.
You have published over a dozen books, when someone meets you for the first time where do you suggest they start?
Of the eight novels I've published, three of them are part of a trilogy (Integration, Redemption and Shadow Line), three of them are standalone stories (Remorse, Snatched and Trespass) and the final two (Crosshairs and Complicit) will be part of a series when I publish the final part (Double Cross) in June this year. Despite this, the time periods for each story mirror the order they were published in. Although the main characters can vary from book to book, a number of the background characters (e.g. police officers) appear in several of the stories and I make references to previous stories in later books. I guess what I'm trying to say is people should start with my first book Integration and work forwards.
more »
Oh, what a sorry sight we must have looked, two New York writers of Irish descent, staggering from bar to bar along Seventh Avenue on a cold night in January. But it was the first night of the NFL playoffs and the Patriots versus Ravens had every bar with a television packed. Tim O'Mara and I finally found a relatively quiet table in the back of one of those fine establishments and ordered something medicinal—we were both fighting colds. Tim is the author of three mysteries featuring ex-cop turned public school teacher, Raymond Dunne. Sacrifice Fly, which introduced the series, was nominated for the Barry Award, followed by Crooked Numbers, and his latest, DEAD RED, published by St. Martin's Minotaur in January. The New York Times has called his work "authentically gritty."
Tim, the police are New York's finest, the firefighter's, the bravest. What are the public school teachers? The toughest?
I love working with kids. I started out as a camp counselor and still feel a bit like one now.
But, twenty-seven years in the New York school system? You've been a mainline middle school teacher, a Special Ed teacher, a dean, and now you work in an Upper West Side school. How do you think this has molded you?
I've seen so many changes. It's the things that remain the same, though, that blow my mind. We still have folks who've never stood in front of a group of teenagers, but have the whatever to try to teach my colleagues and me the best way to do it. I have a pretty simple philosophy about that: the farther you work from an actual classroom with real live kids, the less you know what you're talking about. And the kids—they're great. Sure there've been societal and technological changes since 1987, but the kids are amazing. They never bore me, they occasionally crack me up, and they are a constant source of inspiration for my writing. Which I will deny if I'm ever sued.
There's more than a bit of you in Raymond. You made what I think is a great choice to have him be an ex-cop from a cop family—his uncle is the Chief of Detectives. It gives him immediate credibility—both with readers and with other characters. Where does that come from? Are you from a police family?
Yes and no. Not the same, at any rate. My brother is a Sargent with the Nassau County Police out on Long Island. But he's the only one of us to go in that direction. But you're right, Raymond is a combination of the two of us.
more »
By Dawn Ius
After a two-year hiatus, Thomas Perry returns to his bestselling Jane Whitefield series with, A STRING OF BEADS—a fast-paced thriller about how abandoning the past can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, even when your life—and the life of those you love—depends on it.
It's a book Perry has wanted to write for some time, but it wasn't until he received a letter from a fan that he found true inspiration.
"I acquired a friend who might be called my 'culture guide,' an expert in Senca culture," he says. "He's a Canadian lawyer specializing in rights issues concerning the Iroquois nations, who live on both sides of the border."
He'd read all of Perry's books, and while he enjoyed the stories, he was able to share expertise that not only helped Perry understand some of the more intricate parts of the Seneca culture, but also got him fired up to return to this series.
"He had a lot to say that was new to me, and new to readers, and so, I knew it was time to write," Perry says. "I could hardly wait."
In A STRING OF BEADS, Jane Whitefield is enlisted by the eight clan mothers of her tribe to find one of her childhood friends who has been accused of murdering a local white man. But as she retraces the steps of a walking trip she and her fellow tribesman took together at age fourteen, she soon realizes the police aren't the only ones after him—and bringing Jimmy back before he is killed or arrested might be much more dangerous than she anticipated.
more »
By Basil Sands
Lee Weeks is a prolific thriller writer who has been called "The female James Patterson." Her books seem not only to tell tales of adventure but to bring them alive. And that lively adventure is something she is more than a little familiar with. Born in Devon, England she left school at seventeen and, armed with a notebook and very little cash, spent seven years working her way around Europe and South East Asia. She returned to settle in London, marry and raise two children. She has worked as an English teacher and personal fitness trainer. And her books have been Sunday Times bestsellers.
Her seventh novel, FROZEN GRAVE, is third in the riveting Willis/Carter series that follows two detectives in a London murder investigation squad. Full of excellent police drama, I found the well-written dialogue moved the story seamlessly, it reminded me of the BBC series Spooks (MI-5 in the US).
Lee graciously agreed to answer a few questions for The Big Thrill.
Lee, tell us about FROZEN GRAVE.
FROZEN GRAVE is the story of love lost, longed for or imagined—and a killer's cold heart.
What was your inspiration for detectives Willis and Carter?
Willis and Carter, are a miss-match—I chose them so that they could view the world differently; they come from very different backgrounds. Together they form an interesting and unique investigative team.
more »
By Wendy Tyson
DOING THE DEVIL'S WORK is Bill Loehfelm's fifth novel and the third book in the Maureen Coughlin crime fiction series. His first two books in the Coughlin series, The Devil She Knows and The Devil in Her Way, were published to strong reviews. And Bill's first novel, Fresh Kills, won the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. A prolific author, Bill's essays and short stories can be found in a number of anthologies, including Year Zero, Life in the Wake, and Soul is Bulletproof (which feature his work about post-Katrina New Orleans) as well as Staten Island Noir and Books to Die For. Bill, who was born in Brooklyn and raised on Staten Island, makes his home in New Orleans. In anticipation of his upcoming release, Bill sat down with The Big Thrill to answer a few questions.
Booklist called your main character, Maureen Coughlin, "as compelling a character as this reviewer expects to see this year." The New Orleans Times-Picayune called her "unforgettable" and "the character of the year." Can you tell us a little more about Maureen and some of the elements of her past that have made her the woman she is today?
I like to save the real juicy stuff for the books, but there certainly are things about her that keep me coming back. Like a lot of crime fiction heroes, she's a loner. She's thirty now and has been making her own way since she was eighteen. But in joining the NOPD she's found a place and a career where she desperately wants to fit in and belong—and of course she's not very good at fitting in. I really enjoy writing someone who's trying to be happy, and to be the best version of herself that she can, and who has virtually no clue how to do those things.
Also, there's the issue of power. All her life, she's never had any. She's a small woman, who's not particularly attractive and who's always been broke. When she wasn't getting overlooked she was getting pushed around. Her history has made her tough and wily and angry, and now she has a badge and a gun. Taking her through her struggles with having some real power over other people has been really interesting. She makes some mistakes.
more »
How far wrong can a missing persons case go? You can find out, and truly enjoy the thrills and mystery in the process, in Harry Hunsicker's latest novel, THE SHADOW BOYS.
This character-driven mystery follows former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell. As the story opens things are going well for Cantrell. He has a new job working for a law firm. But then his ex-girlfriend asks him to meet with a high-ranking police official. Cantrell is forced to take an off-the-books assignment to find a missing boy. And then, everything starts to unravel.
Cantrell is not a hero in the strict sense, but he is a fascinating character with, as Hunsicker says, a sharp wit, an eye for the quickest escape route, and a fascinating history.
"Jon Cantrell is a third-generation law enforcement officer, now in the private sector because of an altercation with a federal agent while he was a Dallas police officer," Hunsicker says. "Cantrell thinks of himself as a cop even though he's not wearing a badge in SHADOW BOYS."
Cantrell's client, Deputy Chief Raul Delgado, is an up-and-coming politico who bears his own tragic burdens. Forty years earlier, a racist cop killed Delgado's brother. Now, Delgado works for the same department. Cantrell relates to Delgado, even though he's not really a cop or even a private eye.
more »
By J. H. Bográn
In DRESSED TO KILL, Victor Espinoza, a short, youthful LAPD patrol officer, is sent undercover as a cross-dresser to catch a serial killer. His ambition to become a detective gets snarled when, ignoring his captain's orders, he goes it alone. He establishes himself at the Velvet Glove, a Hollywood bar that caters to transvestites. The secret nature of his assignment strains his relationship with his girlfriend, Jannine—who wants to marry and start a family—but also puts him hot on the trail of the killer. Victor gets a little too close and now is targeted as the next victim.
THE BIG THRILL recently caught up with Alvarez to ask some questions about his intriguing new thriller.
Let's tackle the origins of the story first, shall we?
Let me give you a few words of background. Here in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles LAPD sent an undercover police officer into a high school to glean information about a drug operation rooted there. He was a very youthful looking man who passed as a student. That news piece was followed by an experience my wife and I had in Chicago.
My brothers and sisters (I have eight of them) and their spouses were attending the wedding of my nephew and we all stayed at a major hotel near O'Hare Airport. We noticed that there were a significant number of very big women also staying there. Turns out the Cross-dressers of America were holding their annual convention there. My younger brother whose fuse is very short got into an argument with a couple cross-dressers at the bar.
Several years later I read of the murder of a cross-dresser here in the Valley and everything clicked. The story almost wrote itself. I just added in the bar scene for dramatic binding of the novel's topic.
more »
It seems mystery is more mysterious and thrills more thrilling if set in a foreign place and time. Anyone who doesn't believe that hasn't read Joe Gannon's impressive debut novel, NIGHT OF THE JAGUAR.
The novel is set in Nicaragua in 1986, the mid-point for the Sandinista revolution. That volatile environment shaped Captain Ajax Montoya, homicide detective and classic man-without-a-country. Montoya, the novel's investigator protagonist, was conceived in Nicaragua but born and raised in America. So even after fighting for years with the Sandinista revolutionaries he was still neither Nicaraguan nor American. Neither, yet both, and as Gannon explains, a classic noir hero.
"Like all such detectives he has a flawless moral compass," Gannon says. "It always points true north, but that is both curse and, well, pretty much just curse. But he is the last one on earth who would view himself a hero. In fact, much of what others see as heroic he sees as a source of shame: killing and sending others to their deaths."
Much of that killing was for a good cause, the overthrow of tyranny, but that is no solace to a man living with the damage done to his soul from so much sustained violence. So when a corpse turns up in a poor barrio it shakes Montoya to his core.
more »
By Ian Walkley
DEATH SENTENCES (from Crime Wave Press) had me at page one, and not many other novels would I say that about. Michael Zimecki writes fiction, nonfiction and plays while continuing to work as an attorney. From inner-city Detroit, hehas been a steelworker, advertising copywriter, medical editor, and teacher before taking up law. He has written for Harper's Magazine, The National Law Journal, College English, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, among other publications.
A novella, The History of My Final Illness (Eclectica Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011), about the last five days in the life of Joseph Stalin, appeared in Eclectica Magazine. A play, Negative Velocity, about the father of the atom-bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, is a past winner of the New Playwright's Contest of the Fremont Center Theatre.
In DEATH SENTENCES, we have the story of Peter "Pop" Popovich—an unemployed glazier, anti-Semite, and white supremacist who is pushed over the edge by his problem-plagued mother, an unresponsive lover, an uncaring stepfather, and the right-wing media hate machine that tells him liberals want to take away his guns and his liberty. While he waits to be executed for his crimes, "Pop" pens a novel about life on Death Row in which he reprises the crimes that landed him there.
Michael, you clearly have some views about American society and politics that you convey through your fiction (very cleverly, I might add). How did you come to choose "Pop" as the way to do this in your debut novel?
I wanted to get inside a mind that believes the lies broadcast by the American right-wing noise machine and see what it is like to inhabit it for a while. It's a scary place. I can tell you that. It's also very real. If it wasn't, kids like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown wouldn't be shot to death in places like Sanford, Florida and Ferguson, Missouri.
more »
In a special international interview, German thriller writer Kathrin Lange recently sat down with Switzerland's breakout crime writer Monika Mansour, to talk about Mansour's debut release, Liebe – Sünde – Tod (Love – Sin – Death).
Liebe – Sünde – Tod has two completely different settings. On the one side, the world of nightclubs and prostitution, on the other, the hard life of truckers. How did you decide on this contrast of settings?
It was clear from the beginning that my police team is from Lucerne, a very safe place, but I wanted a murder in a red light district. And therefore Zurich's Langstrasse was an ideal setting. I grew up just outside Zurich and live now in Lucerne. So those two places were perfect for my first crime novel. And to connect these two places, the truckers were just what I needed.
Your protagonist Cem Cengiz is Turkish, but was raised and works in Switzerland. What prompted you to give him this background?
Switzerland is not only that cliché of mountains, lovely cows, and cheese. Around twenty percent of the people living in Switzerland are not native. Our little country is multicultural. And this is what I wanted to show. We have many people who grew up in Switzerland with parents from other cultures. We call them 'Secondos'. Cem is one of them. I wanted to show that conflict of living and working as a Swiss, but still feel, in his case, as a Turkish, when he's sitting with his family. I know this conflict myself. My husband is Egyptian. And where we live, there are families from Turkey, Iraq, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Syria, and some Swiss too. A mix of cultures. And I love it. When you're willing to meet all these people, it is really fascinating how it opens your eyes to the world.
more »
By Don Helin
Les Edgerton's novel, THE GENUINE, IMITATION, PLASTIC KIDNAPPING, is a mix of Cajun gumbo, a couple tablespoons of kinky sex, and a dash of unusual New Orleans settings. The reader follows the comic mis-adventures of Pete Halliday, busted out of baseball for a small gambling problem, Tommy LeClerc, a Cajun with a tiny bit of Indian blood who considers himself a "red man," and Cat Duplaisir, a part-time hooker and full-time waitress. With both the Italian and Cajun mobs after them, a chase through Jazz Fest, a Tourette's outbreak in a black bar, and other zany adventures, all seems lost.
Les Edgerton has an unconventional background in that he's an ex-con, having spent a bit over two years in prison for burglary, armed robbery, strong-armed robbery, and possession with intent to sell. He's since taken a vow of poverty (became a writer) with eighteen books in print.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Les the other day and ask him a few questions.
Is that anything special you'd like to tell us about your novel?
This novel began life as a short story titled, I Shoulda Seen a Credit Arranger published in The South Carolina Review, which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I liked the story and the characters so much, I decided to expand it into a novel. I've also written a screenplay based on it. The screenplay was named a finalist in both the Writer's Guild and Best of Austin's screen writing competitions.
Did any particular event inspire the plot?
While much of my life was spent as an outlaw—did time in prison, etc.—I did have stretches of being a "straight" (regular guy on the street). During one of those periods, I sold life insurance and one of the tenets of that business is a concept called "the million dollars on the kitchen table." It refers to the mindset that most folks have when they're being sold a policy. The million dollar policy is just an abstract figure, and it's a goal for salesmen to move as many of these as possible. The trick of the salesman is to get customers to imagine a million dollars sitting on the kitchen table, rather than just an abstract number… and that's when you make the sale.
more »
By Dan Levy
It was the late W.C. Fields who said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it." Fortunately, many writers never got that message and, as a result, wrote many great things after struggling to get published.
J.J. White is among the authors who either didn't get the message from, or just plain ignored, Mr. Fields. In fact, after seven fiction manuscripts and over 250 short stories, PRODIGIOUS SAVANT is White's debut novel. "You have to be persistent in everything you do, no matter what age you are."
At 61, White would be the first to tell you that he's not really wired toward the conventional. He still surfs in the ocean, has kept his liberal leanings, and listens to Top 40/Contemporary music (unless his wife hears Rihanna, then she changes it). What's more, unlike most authors, White had neither a penchant for writing or a mentor to inspire him at a young age.
White wrote and submitted a short story to his high school composition teacher who, after grading the story, suggested to White, "Good story. Please learn how to write." He didn't.
Decades past, and one day White found himself out for a week with a back injury. "During that week, I said to myself Why don't you start writing? I was like Forrest Gump who started running for no reason. I started writing for no reason and got hooked."
And it paid off. PRODIGIOUS SAVANT is set in 1962 Burlington, Vermont, where seventeen-year-old Gavin Weaver survives a dreadful explosion, six hours of brain surgery, and thirty days in a coma. He wakes possessing not just one savant talent, but several, including art, music, mathematics, and memory, and all without suffering any of the usual mental disabilities associated with head trauma. Even in the pre-cable TV/Internet era, Gavin quickly becomes a global sensation. The notoriety puts a murderer on his tail, while his newfound abilities, which seem like a gift, are coalescing into a madness that is robbing Gavin of reason and reality. The odds are slim he will survive both the internal and external conflicts that keep him from the one thing he wants most, the girl he's loved since childhood.
more »
If there's something readers love more than a fresh read in their favorite genre, it's two fresh reads. Stark House Press has delivered just that for mystery fans with its double-shot combination now available by new author Rick Ollerman featuring a pair of crime novels, TURNABOUT and SHALLOW SECRETS. Recently, THE BIG THRILL caught up with Rick and asked him to share some of his thoughts about writing along with some tidbits about his two-for-one mystery debut.
Congratulations on the publication of your two novels, TURNABOUT & SHALLOW SECRETS (published in one combined volume by Stark House Press). It's impossible not to notice that both of these stories are set in Florida. How important is setting to your writing?
I once read an introduction to a Ross Macdonald that described Southern California as if it were another character in his books. I think that's really true. What I did with TURNABOUT was make it my "Florida book," meaning it could only take place in Florida. You have the Ten Thousand Islands, the Everglades, alligators, crocodiles, seemingly every insect known to North America, and a rich "tradition" of smuggling, poaching, and other illegal moneymaking opportunities. Ninety percent of the birds in the Everglades were wiped out long ago, when there was a demand for feathers for women's hats. After a hurricane and a flood, the governor of the state tried to actually drain the Everglades. Now you've got Big Sugar sucking the nutrients out of the soil upstream, you have Miami encroaching constantly into the edges of what is otherwise the last and greatest wilderness area in the country.
An FBI agent once told me that if you took all the drug money out of Florida, the city of Miami would collapse. That's how important the drug trade was to that part of the state—the invention of air conditioning made the area livable and the importation of dope made it rich.
Setting is always important, no matter where it is, but in TURNABOUT I use the features of the state to follow a plot that could only happen there. SHALLOW SECRETS is a bit different; I'd already written my "Florida book." The last kind of writer I'd like to be is one who writes the same book over and over again. You can't hide from your style but you can keep from templating your plots and characters. SHALLOW SECRETS takes place across a span of years with a series of killings that bring down a cop when it turns out that not only did the killer know him personally, he'd been his roommate for a while. During the time of the killings. When he was caught, he tries to implicate the cop and the resulting mess just became something the cop needed to walk away from. It didn't matter what he said or did, people would always wonder….
more »
For New York Times best-selling novelist Alan Jacobson, creating his recurring protagonist FBI Agent Karen Vail was an accident.
"I needed an FBI agent in a novel I was writing and she kind of came right off my fingertips. She exploded from the pages and I couldn't write her lines fast enough. I knew I had something special there. During that time, I had started doing research with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. A short time later, when I began writing THE 7TH VICTIM, the first book in the series, I knew the main character was going to be a female FBI profiler. Karen Vail was perfect for the role and once I started writing that first paragraph, I never looked back. Writing Vail excites me—and it shows," explained Jacobson, a New York native.
In addition to THE 7TH VICTIM, Vail has also starred in CRUSH, VELOCITY, INMATE 1577, NO WAY OUT, and his latest SPECTRUM(due out Oct. 7). She and her supporting cast appeared in several chapters of HARD TARGET, which featured another one of Jacobson's recurring characters: Department of Defense black ops agent Hector DeSantos (who debuted in THE HUNTED and joined forces with Vail in VELOCITY) and a new character FBI Agent Aaron Uziel, aka Uzi.
THE 7TH VICTIM was originally intended to be a standalone, according to Jacobson. However, his publisher asked him to consider making Vail a series character, something the author was reluctant about doing.
"I'd seen a number of colleagues get stale writing series, in that after a while they were inadvertently writing the same books over and over. That did not sound appealing to me, so I decided I'd stay away from series . . . until my publisher told me they really wanted me to make Karen Vail a recurring character because of the tremendous advance response they'd gotten from the sales reps and booksellers. I explained my concerns and told them I'd have to think about it," recalled Jacobson. "After a week of navel gazing, I figured out a way to keep Vail—and thus me—fresh from book to book. My goal was to write a different story each year while remaining true to the character, retaining what we all love about Karen Vail yet allowing her to grow over time. Six years and six novels later, I'm very glad my publisher urged me to continue with Vail because I love each one of her stories. In many ways, that series has changed—and certainly defined—my career."
more »
By Azam Gill
STINKING RICH is the long-awaited debut novel by an author already known for his short fiction. From web producer to short-story writer to novelist, Rob Brunet's talent just seems to keep growing.
Light-handed satire with a light touch within a noir framework held up by unforgettable characters and an original theme readies Rob Brunet's STINKING RICH for possible cult status. To quote award-winning author Les Edgerton, Brunet's novel is "part THE GANG THAT COULDN`T SHOOT STRAIGHT, part Serge Storms on LSD, part Raising Arizona."
While the satire works its magic, at heart STINKING RICH remains a spellbinding yarn. Here's a short summary: What could possibly go wrong when the backwoods Libidos Motorcycle Club hires a high school dropout to tend a barn full of high-grade marijuana? Plenty, it turns out. In a world where indoor plumbing is optional and each local wacko is more twisted than the last, drug money draws reprobates like moths to a lantern. And each and every one of them wants a shot at being stinking rich—any way he can get it.
Rob Brunet's award-winning short crime fiction has appeared or will appear in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Thuglit, Shotgun Honey, and Out of the Gutter. Before taking up writing, Brunet produced award-winning websites for film and TV, including sites for Lost, Sin City, and the cult series Alias. In an exclusive interview for THE BIG THRILL, Brunet talks about himself, his writing, and his interests
Let's start with a brief introduction.
An Ottawa native, I've spent my life living and working in central Canada, with a five-year stint in Montreal and the last two decades in and around Toronto. I grew up expecting to write. By the time I was eight, teachers told me I had a gift, but that's true of most writers, isn't it? It's in us forever? As for work, to call me independent would be an understatement. I lasted all of six weeks in university, quitting to join an Internet start-up in some guy's living room. In 1982, more than a decade before the "Web" was born.
more »
Lisa Black writes what she knows. Like her heroine, Theresa MacLean, she is a crime scene investigator, a forensics specialist who collects and analyzes the physical evidence that will help convict the guilty. In her forensics thriller series, though, she lets Theresa take an active role in tracking down killers, while always striving to keep the stories as realistic as possible.
Lisa is now a forensic scientist for a police department in Florida, but she sets her novels in Cleveland, where she worked previously. In CLOSE TO THE BONE, the latest in the series, Theresa faces death and destruction in the one place where she's always felt safest: the quiet coroner's office where she has worked for the last fifteen years. Returning late at night with evidence collected from a crime scene, she finds one colleague missing and another dead—with the word "Confess" written on a wall in his blood. Deeply shaken but determined to do her professional best for her co-workers, Theresa throws herself into her job. Soon she finds a link to another death ten years before. As more staff members die, Theresa realizes she is an integral part of the killer's scheme and must work against the clock to uncover the truth about what happened all those years ago and save herself from becoming another victim.
Recently Lisa talked to THE BIG THRILL about why she brought murder so close to home for Theresa, why she sets her books in Cleveland, and other aspects of her writing as well as her day job. She also provided a tantalizing hint of what might lie ahead for Theresa after the devastating events of this novel.
CLOSE TO THE BONE is a perfect title for a story in which Theresa MacLean's workplace colleagues are being murdered and she could also be a target. What inspired you to start killing off people who work in the forensics department?
I try to keep the books very true-to-life, and give an accurate portrayal of how things actually work in the field of forensics. Despite that, my forensic scientist always seems to spend more time out of the lab than in it, which is not at all realistic, so I thought if I could set a story right in the lab, that problem would solve itself. Besides, what better way to make my character vitally, and very personally, involved?
more »
By J. N. Duncan
As the head of the crime news unit for Channel Three News in Finland, Jarkko Sipila has a unique perspective on the lives of those who work to fight crime, and offers this in his realistic procedural series, Helsinki Homicide. DARLING is now the fifth of his Finnish crime series to be published in English. So, let's get to finding out more about Finnish crime.
Can you give us a quick sentence or two about what your new Helsinki Homicide story, DARLING, is about?
This is a ruggedly realistic, police procedural story about the murder of a twenty-six-year old, slightly mentally handicapped woman in her apartment in Northern Helsinki.
This is the fifth English Helsinki Homicide book to reach the U.S. While I understand the stories are stand-alone books, there is obviously some ongoing character stories and development that occurs. Can you tell us a little about that?
The main characters are the same in all the books. Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamaki is the leading character. He's a work-oriented family man. The other two main characters are Anna Joutsamo, a single woman in her late 30s, who usually truly leads the investigation and an undercover cop, Suhonen, who really feels at home with thugs and bikers.
I try to describe the work of real policemen, so their private lives have never really been the main focus in the stories.
Interestingly in the Finnish tv-series on the books, Joutsamo and Suhonen had a relationship, although I've never written that into the stories.
Being (or having been) involved in reporting crime news in Finland, what do you feel this background brings to your crime writing? What sort of edge do you feel this gives you in developing your stories?
If I wasn't a crime journalist, I would've never written crime novels. Following the real stories really helps with the realism and making the fiction believable. One of the main ideas in writing these Helsinki Homicide stories is that they are fiction, but could really happen.
more »
Palumbo's fourth novel in the series, PHANTOM LIMB, opens with psychologist and Pittsburgh police department consultant Daniel Rinaldi's new patient: Lisa Campbell, a local girl whose lurid, short-lived Hollywood career sent her scurrying back to the Steel City. Now married to one of the city's richest tycoons, she comes to Danny's office with a challenge: talk her out of committing suicide. Though he buys some time, she's kidnapped right outside his office. The search for Lisa pits the police—and Danny—against a lethal adversary. At the same time, he tries to assist a friend's brother, a bitter Afghan vet who lost a leg in combat, whose own life now appears at risk. Or is it?
Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (including My Favorite Year and Welcome Back, Kotter), Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist and author. His acclaimed series of crime novels (MIRROR IMAGE, FEVER DREAM, NIGHT TERRORS and the upcoming PHANTOM LIMB) feature psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, a trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh police. All are from Poisoned Pen Press.
You've had a fascinating career—screenwriter to psychotherapist to novelist. As a psychotherapist, do you find this background provides insights into human behavior and/or helps develop the hero, villain, and perhaps the victim in your novels?
Definitely! I think the merging of my two careers—seventeen years as a TV/film writer and nearly three decades as a psychotherapist—has benefitted both the writing in general, and my exploration of human behavior in particular. Certainly my ongoing study of trauma has contributed to my understanding of the psychological issues with which the crime victims in my novels grapple. As for my hero, psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi, my experience as a therapist in private practice—as well as time spent working in clinics and a psychiatric hospital—has given me a unique perspective on what might motivate a guy like him. As it turns out, he and I share a lot of the same ideas about the flaws in the mental health system and how psychotherapy is practiced. Go figure.
more »


text:
Tickets can be purchased by phone with a Visa or Mastercard at (734) 384-4272, at the MCCC Cashier's Office or at the door if available. To purchase tickets online for certain events listed, just click on the Buy Tickets Button, within the event listing.
Like our Facebook page and always know whats going on in the La-Z-Boy Center, Meyer Theater!
Check back in late July for the 2015-2016 event listing.
Groups of 15 or more, seniors, and MCCC staff and students can receive a $2 discount off the full ticket price when tickets are purchased in person at the MCCC Cashier's Office prior to the day of the event. Discounts will not be given the day of the performance. Tickets are based on availability, so please make your plans early.
In conjunction with one of our events, groups of 20 or more can take advantage of the beautiful spaces right inside the La-Z-Boy Center by holding a gathering in one of our reception areas. From a simple reception to a complete dinner, let us help you provide an event your group won't soon forget. Please call Tom Ryder at (734) 384-4201 for more information and availability.
© Monroe County Community College
Main Campus • 1555 S. Raisinville Rd. • Monroe, MI 48161 • (734) 242-7300
Whitman Center • 7777 Lewis Avenue • Temperance, MI 48182 • (734) 847-0559
For more Information Contact Us • Site Map• Affirmative Action (EOE) Statement


text:
This image is presented as a "thumbnail" because it is protected by copyright. The Brooklyn Museum respects the rights of artists who retain the copyright to their work.
Seated Girl
- Artist: Jay Roland, American, 1904-1960
- Medium: Watercolor
- Collections:American Art
- Museum Location: This item is not on view
- Accession Number: 43.90
- Credit Line: Anonymous gift
- Rights Statement: © artist or artist's estate
- Caption: Jay Roland (American, 1904-1960). Seated Girl. Watercolor Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous gift, 43.90. © artist or artist's estate
- Image:
- Record Completeness: Adequate (50%)


text:
The Check Engine Light may illuminate due to an evaporative emission (EVAP) system fault. Our technicians tell us these EVAP system faults can be difficult to diagnose but it is not uncommon to find a failed charcoal canister or a loose or worn gas cap.
2009 Toyota Corolla Problem Reports
Most Reported 2009 Toyota Corolla Problem Reports
The mass air flow sensor on higher mileage cars occasionally needs to be cleaned or replaced if sluggish acceleration is experienced or the Check Engine Light is illuminated with a mass air flow meter sensor fault code stored.
At higher mileages, an anti-lock brake system wheel speed sensor may wear out and illuminate the ABS warning light. It is recommended to replace the sensor with a factory part and be sure to clean all rust and debris from the mounting area because the mounting distance is critical. Failure to do so may result in the new sensor setting false trouble codes.
Around 72k miles, my engine started making a load noise. Took it to the dealership and the water pump literally fell apart in the technicians hands. I had the extended warranty so the replacement was covered minus $100 for a new belt that was not covered by the warranty.
Noticed one morning when opening my door that the molding at the base of the driver's side window was cracked in half on the front and rear door, allowing rain to get inside the door. This is not covered by the extended warranty, and cost $150/window for the dealer to replace.
The last 2 times it has rained my driver's side floor board has been full of water. Took it to the shop and determined the drain for the sun roof was clogged.
Started the car one morning and the transmission started shifting extremely hard between 1st and 2nd gear. Took it to the dealership and the entire transmission had to be replaced. Thank goodness for my extended warranty. A $3700 repair cost me $50.
I wanted to share something I just found out this weekend when I took my 2009 Toyota Corolla in to the dealership. Problem was that I was hearing a loud humming sound in the cab. I could tell it was coming from the rear of the car. In addition, my airbag light went on. The problem was that my driver side rear axle bearing was out. Cost for the job, approx. $700. The continuously lit airbag light was fixed by installing a clock spring? C...
I feel like my car is completely falling apart. I have had it in the shop 3 times in the last 2 months. Now they tell me one of the motor mounts is going out. This car only has 75k miles on it. Disappointed in Toyota.


text:
Typhoon 'Urduja' now out of Philippine area
MANILA, Philippines—A slightly weakened Typhoon Urduja left the country's area of responsibility before dawn Thursday without much effect on the weather, except rendering sea travel risky off the northern and eastern coast of Luzon, the weather bureau said.
As of early Thursday, the eye of the typhoon was 855 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, or 230 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, Japan, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.
Urduja (international name: Francisco) was packing winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gusting up to 160 kph. It was moving northward at 9 kph.
Heavy to intense rain of 10-25 millimeters per hour was expected in areas coming within 350 kilometers of its eye or center.
Sea travel was risky off the coast Northern Luzon and the eastern coast of the rest of the Philippines' largest island, Pagasa added.
According to Pagasa's 24-hour weather outlook, the regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan Valley would experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains.
Metro Manila and the rest of the country would be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, it said.
Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast to northwest would prevail over Luzon, and coastal waters would be moderate to rough.
Elsewhere, winds would be light to moderate coming from the northwest to west with slight to moderate seas, Pagasa said.
Get Inquirer updates while on the go, add us on these apps:
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
To subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines, call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.
Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer's Reader's Advocate. Or write The Readers' Advocate:
c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City,Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94


text:
APNewsBreak: Consumer agency softens fee limit
"This is the population of credit card holders who are the most vulnerable, folks who don't have a great credit history, who probably already have limited means," Wu said. "If anything, the CFPB should stand stronger for the consumers who have the least power among us."
Republicans and business lobbyists had opposed the CFPB's creation and tried to prevent it from gaining power. They argued that it would reduce consumer choice, in part because fee limits would discourage banks from offering some services.
By tipping the rule in favor of banks, the agency is showing that it takes both businesses and consumers into account when setting policy, said Mark Williams, a former examiner for the Federal Reserve who teaches finance at Boston University.
"Just a year ago, the view was that this agency was going to be devastating for business," inventing costly and unnecessary consumer protections, Williams said. He said Thursday's action shows that the agency "could be very effective for consumers and also bridge the needs of business to make profits."
The CFPB's revised proposal was published quietly in the Federal Register, the daily digest in which federal agencies make routine announcements. The CFPB is accepting public comment on the matter until June.
The CFPB declined comment beyond a press release that summarized the proposal. It acknowledged the potential effects in its Federal Register notice.
Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports .
The Associated Press