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|41 posts found
So I downloaded and installed the game 2 days ago and played for the first time, my first impression of the game is its a good game, unlike TERA I had no UI bugs, and the game looks and plays better than Never Winter, IMO Dragons Prophet is better than both.
However my Feeling for Dragons Prophet while the core game seems to be optimized and good as in Quest system looks neat compared to most F2P Titles the game isnt Free 2 Play, well it is technically however from my experience the game is Pay 2 Enjoy meaning you have to spend money to enjoy the game if you are like me.
1. So I put in $20 to buy some cash shop items pruchased armor suit and then tried to color it only to find out that I have to pay more SC to unlock 1 color at a time guys do the math here there are 757 colors based on what the color library says it costs 45 SC to unlock one single color that is 34065 SC, and 5000 SC = 45 USD which means you have to spend $315 USD to unlock all colors if you want full customization like I do, and no way that I have found within 2 days to unlock without paying Real Money. I have already given them a subscription worth of a Monthly sub but they don't really give me any customization at all. ( This is assuming you cant unlock the same color twice or anything.)
2. Unfair PVP, and PVE, Basically from what I have seen you can loose gear form PVE which means that in order to protect your items you have to pay in either Shells, or Station Cash for protection, this creates a bridge between people who don't play vs people who pay now you can get these for free 600 shells for 7 days is best offer, and assuming its like Runes of magic and 10 shells per daily quest it would take 6 days of doing daily missions just to get 600 shells which means you have to login every single day do 10 daily missions or risk loosing gear if you die, VS station Cash of 950 or $10 USD just for item protection.
3 Graphics somewhat suck, Female Character Models somewhat suck looking at their skin it doesn't look realistic on parts of it it needs to be improved, not to mention the graphics bugs I found in game which should have been fixed during closed beta and reported it.
Bottom Line, my opinion of this game is the game has potential but here we go with Sony + RuneWaker ruining what could be a great MMO by GREED, not worth playing if you are like me save your money for a better game, If they don't provide changes to these aspects within the next couple of weeks I quit the game not even going to be playing it as my primary game now going back to DarkFall with an Equal Playing field tired of Pay 2 Enjoy & Pay 2 Win games.
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Elite Member
Joined: 1/13/10
Currently playing EVE, SMITE, ArcheAge, and Combat Arms
I have to agree that the color/dyes system is an annoying nickel and dime mess that seemed to be built from the direction of "we want to sell it, so make a game out of it" rather than making something that people would find value in and charging for it. I would far prefer a GW2 style system if they really need to go the random color route.
I would not mind in game advertising, it does not break gaming ethos. - Scot
Advanced Member
Joined: 6/03/09
You can actually earn tokens in game as you achieve daily, weekly, and monthly achievements.
You can use these tokens on the item mall same as SC.
Another factor a lot of people are not aware of, that there are achievements to unlock things like extra backpack slots, bank slots, and dragon slots.
Sad part is people rush in buy all the unlocks then bitch about how much it cost them, where as if they played the game a lot of that would unlock on its own over time.
Originally posted by Loktofeit
Yep I would as well I don't really play GW2 much only because it feels like every MMO I have played and gets boring very fast very generic scripted events DP offers something a bit different.
While I know it is possible to earn tokens in game to buy items same as station cash the question is.
1. How many tokens can you earn Max per day 10 daily missions I am assuming at 10 tokens which means you need to play for 2 days to get 1 days protection or 6 days for 7 days and if you miss one day you have to make up for it and risk loosing gear that is the only problem I see with it although Im not sure how many it awards per mission have not done any dailys yet.
2. Shells also can't be used for dye it gives me no option if it did I would have a different feeling about this game.
These two things need to be changed either give everyone a chance to loose gear with no protection, or lower it to zero chance but make it fair all around not pay 2 win, or pay 2 enjoy if someone can stand logging in every day of their lives to play 10 dailys not everyone has the time or plays DP as their primary game.
I already submit a bug report on the two graphics bugs I find what needs to be fixed and also included my link to this post so they are aware they need to deal with it because if its not fixed within a week or two as i stated I am dropping the game myself and so are a lot of other players from multiple clans I am part of but go by many different online identities.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/24/05
i like the game, but my primary issue lies in the cash shop and its relationship to ingame progression. while i will continual to play it casually, i will not be spending any more of my SC.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/04/10
i hated this game. It looked ugly and the combat was slow and stupid. granted I only played for 3 hours..i wanted those 3 hours back.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 12/26/11
Originally posted by Beoelf21
Ugly lol okay good one, get a better PC. Slow and stupid combat now thats just a joke because I have a 15 ranger and its far from slow.
Great game from what I've played and enjoy it more then most mmo's
Apprentice Member
Joined: 12/26/11
Originally posted by Renoaku
I don't see how its pay2win and if you spend 15$ month on the game just like you would in darkfall then you wouldn't have a problem. I sick of the its pay2win because it has a shop. People just want it all for free will to bad they need to make money to keep the game going.
Elite Member
Joined: 1/13/10
Currently playing EVE, SMITE, ArcheAge, and Combat Arms
Originally posted by Renoaku
Under what condition in PvE does one chance dropping gear?
I would not mind in game advertising, it does not break gaming ethos. - Scot
1. Games are not pay 2 win because it has a cash shop it becomes pay 2 win when a game offers a unfair advantage over a customer who is not paying. pay 2 win PVE wise for example I wouldn't care if players got str boosters and so on sold in a cash shop as long as it only effected PVE not PVP.
For example to my knowledge you have to run 10 dailys every single day to get item protection which on the description it talks about gear being dropped on the item description in cash shop, not everyone in Real Life has the time to do this unless the protection pauses on log-off of the game and resumes when logging into the character which it likely doesn't because it doesn't say this on the description.
So any user from level 1 who pays without having any Shells at all gets protection from level 1 vs someone who doesn't.
Personally I have not lost any gear although from what I hear and know its a very rare chance but in PVP servers in Runes of Magic items could drop and RuneWaker is the same company/devs as Dragons Prophet.
I noticed the description seems to have changed a bit, perhaps its only durability that is lost on gear when it is damaged/repaired not sure how the system works but still this system needs to be changed and looked at.
So this is where the unfair advantage comes in.
2. Pay 2 Enjoy the part where this comes in I spent $20 yesterday to buy items from cash shop thats a 1 month subscription right there, and then after buying the cosmetic armor I find out I can't color it for FREE, which should by all means be free after giving them a month of game time but instead I find out I can't preview color dyes, I cant choose exactly what RGB I want to color it and pay for it, and I have to unlock random colors which means $300 + USD to unlock them all.
So yes it is officially pay 2 enjoy in my book I don't mind paying a one time fee, and for items like GW2 and such but Dragons Prophet is going Pay 2 Enjoy for the most part if it continues the direction it is going right now so its not going to be worth playing unless these changes come to offer more free content, or one time purchase content especially when it comes to colors and RGB not being able to choose your own.
Even in Runes OF Magic, coloring is a lot cheaper I believe they might have even made it free to dye clothes.
Novice Member
Joined: 7/27/12
While I agree with some of the points made, I would like to correct this common assumption that you have to use the cash shop (diamonds or shells) to protect your gear.
I'm guessing that you're talking about the repair hammers they sell in the cash shop, let me tell you that this is by far the worse way to repair your gear even if you're willing to spend real money.
The reason is that you can use the Equipment Enhancement interface ( press Y or find a Soulcast Artisan), to increase your gear max durability. So basically, when your gear durability is low, you repair it at any merchant npc (which decreases the max durability a bit), and if the max durability ever gets too low too, you just have to increase it in the Equipment Enhancement. You can use gold to do that, it's not very expensive, and the most important part is that you can do it any number of times and the chance of success (80% apparently) won't decrease.
To give you an idea, increasing max durability from 74 to 92 (10 tries) cost me 880 gold (88x10) for lvl 28 cloth shoulder armor.
Currently I have ~138 000 gold (at lvl 27), so this is not a huge expense as you can see (normal repair costs are also in the couple thousands for repairing all my gear at the merchant after several hours of play).
So far I haven't spent real money on this game, but I agree that it's annoying how cash shop currency can be spent on almost everything, even if you don't HAVE to use it. Some options are just way too useful, and shells (dragon insignas) take forever to farm (100/day), so they aren't really a good solution.
What I'm going to do is wait until I get max level, see if I still enjoy the game, and then pay a small amount ($5 or $10) for diamonds, to use only on the most useful things (like stable and lair slots), and only allow myself to buy diamonds once a month. This way I'm not paying more than if there was a subscription.
Novice Member
Joined: 11/01/07
Played this game a few days up to lvl48. And the amount of places and things they ask or provide a service for for diamonds is just not cool.
Novice Member
Joined: 8/12/10
"Yes...... that's a Duck Staff of D00M!!!"
Originally posted by Renoaku
.....this is the only reason I have afraid for EQN....they cashstation SoE bullshit!
Hard Core Member
Joined: 11/03/08
I agree with some of the points made, but having only played 2 hours or so, combat felt way way worse then Tera and Neverwinter, it felt clunky and unresponsive to me, and the game looks Hideously old.
I was excited by the dragon taming as dragons are a small obsession of mine, but that really doesn't redeem how low-end this game felt, normally i say It's free, why not give it a shot and form your own opinion? But for this one I'd rather advice people to just stay away, theres absolutely nothing good to find here.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/05/13
i playing 3 days now and i cotinue to play....In my opinion has nice skiils...the combat is awesome ppl help each other i made friends and found a guild too..I wont pay any money at this game because i dont have and i can play without to do any purchase at shop
Advanced Member
Joined: 1/30/04
Hows your google-Fu?
Originally posted by Renoaku
Soooo...what you seem to be saying is that YOU cannot enjoy the game without cosmetic armor???????
This, to me, would seem to maybe be a limitation, not of the game, but in one's self (I do see that you have said this in a roundabout way).
Not all games have armor cosmetic, and the normal armor in this game looks really good, imo.
WoW (vanilla) had a lot worse looking armor for level 1-20 (I am only level 19).
LOL you cannot lose your gear in PVP why would you make assumptions because it happens in another game it happens here ? Play the game don't spread false rumors of game mechanics that do not exist.
Advanced Member
Joined: 10/02/04
Originally posted by Beoelf21
Yup totally agree with you even maxed out some of the texture and art work is not the best.. and why copy a combat system from tera that everyone complained about.. it dont make sense..
My 3D models
Novice Member
Joined: 5/07/13
Everyone complained about? Tera has got a very healthy playerbase and there are actually lots of people saying that this combat system is great (also, many people only play this game due to its combat because it has no content compared to other big MMOs)!
Apprentice Member
Joined: 4/07/12
Originally posted by Renoaku
But why on earth would I pay to play a game if it didn't give me an (unfair) advantage?
Would you pay if you could get just as much without paying? Do you?
Games cost money. The only "unfair" thing is when someone has to pay so that others can be parasites and play without contributing. That's unfair.


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I am coaching a girls running group starting in January 2012 and for th is season we have been using a measured mile. This doesn't work so well for trying to keep an eye on all the girls. Does anybody know of a resource where I can find tracks that would available for use? We would be willing to pay for it, but I can't seem to find track locations anywhere. Trails are easy to find, but I can't seem to find a track for practice.
Have you tried your local high school?


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Sierra Designs Flash 3 Tent
The Sierra Designs Flash 3 Tent is a freestanding tent for three person backpacking adventures. The hybrid double and single wall tent body helps drop the overall weight while quickly setting up when you arrive at camp, even if it's pouring rain. The two doors allow easy escape from either side, with a 15 inch awning to protect you from rain and drips from the canopy. The fly fabric is a tough, durable 75D polyester taffeta with PU 1500mm coating to keep you dry from above, while the 70D nylon taffeta flooring with PU 3000mm coating keeps you dry from damp grounds. The doors don't have a vestibule, but you will find ample-spaced gear closets on the opposite ends with access whether you're in or out of the tent. Lay out your air mattress and sleeping bag and claim your spot before you end up being the third person in, stuck in the middle.
FEATURES of the Sierra Designs Flash 3 Tent
- Freestanding: Can be pitched anywhere-no matter how impenetrable the surface
- Large double drop doors: Uncommonly wide and large enough for two to sit side by side
- 15" integrated awning poles: Maximizes the door opening and drip line without the weight of a support pole
- Hybrid double/single wall: Reduces weight and provides quick, dry set-up, even in the rain
SPECIFICATIONS of the Sierra Designs Flash 3 Tent
- Season: 3-season
- Capacity: 3-person
- Minimum Weight: 5 lbs 9 oz
- Packaged Weight: 6 lbs 3 oz
- Footprint Weight: 10.5 oz
- Floor Area: 41.2 square feet
- Gear Closet: 7.6 + 7.6 square feet
- Number of Closet: 2
- Awning Overhang: 15"
- Awning Height: 38"
- Interior Peak Height: 44"
- Packed Dimension: (L x D): 19" x 7.5"
- Number of Door: 3
- Free Standing: Yes
- Number of Pole: 2
- Pole Weight: 23 oz
- Number of Stake: 12
- Number of Guy Line: 4
- Pole: DAC Pressfit
- Fly Fabric: 75D Polyester Taffeta
- Floor Fabric: 70D Nylon Taffeta
- Body Fabric: 20D Nylon No-See-Um Mesh
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This tent is great. Very innovative, easy to setup in rough conditions and offers fantastic protection.I used this on a trip up Mt Whitney at the end of the season, when winds were easily holding between 40-50 mph. The tent held great and offered just enough breathability to keep the man funk out while keeping the inside of the tent warm.I love this product, having the fly built in to the tent makes it that much quicker to setup and tear down. Great gear!
Ships FREE When will I get it?


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This is a new classic
This is a new classic
This is a new classic
Dude, they should totally make a TonkaTruck T-Shirt.
Cant wait till this goes down, when it does there'll be no news over it at all and itll be like nothing ever happened.
That got really awesome towards the end.
Do Eve Online next. That game is way crazier than this from what I here.
this game sucks
"Oh sorry, I'm allergic to great games."
I laughed so fucking hard.
" Do Eve Online next. That game is way crazier than this from what I here. "
You guys should show the end of every mmo.
i hope they do the live stream. That'd be awesome!!!
In denmark, The Matrix Revolutions is ending in the television 00:25 Friday morning.
Live stream would suck for me, as there are only 9 hours in my ass between Poland and California. Bollocks, guess I gotta stick with reruns. :-p
Ryan Davis will now be the new phrase for "genuine classy." Please make a note of it.
Wtf was with those angels? Are those players? Is that some uber class?
"There are Charmanders in the Matrix? What?"
I sure damn hope so. I love how half the people wanted to help and the other half just want to beat them out of the Matrix. Also the white angles with guns were Awesome.
While I think this episode was indeed the most amusing one, I find it kinda sad that they came after them like that. They might've enjoyed it, Vinny and Ryan that is, but it's still a little lame from the MxO community.
Seems like you guys finally found your groove. The first three weren't really very watchable to me, but this was entertaining throughout, and it seems you showed the game in a more neutral light.
I don't get why everyone is hating on the MXO community. They seem like a fine bunch who just really like their game. Whenever someone comes onto the GB forums and complains about the site, they get torn to pieces by commentators, so this community really can't be indignant about MXO going after GB.
Should be interesting to see the way the world ends. Hopefully it's not just a server disconnect, there should be some big worldwide event.
yo this game sucks
EXACTLY like this.
Jeffs offscreen comment about them meeting up in Freerealms won that video.
The Matrix Online community strikes back and alternatively lends a hand, apparently. That was totally, mindblowingly insane. I totally understood Ryan's comment about purpentual confusion.
"You making friends Ryan? You all going to meet up in FreeRealms next week?"
you can press ctrl+space to jump but i guess it's to late now
And i cant believe i liked FreeRealms once for a bit there, either.
Yo mama jokes, Classic!
" "btw, thanks for saying I have nice legs, I always look great n3kkid."Ryan, just what is it that you're doing in this game when you're not filming these episodes? "HAHAHA
" "btw, thanks for saying I have nice legs, I always look great n3kkid."Ryan, just what is it that you're doing in this game when you're not filming these episodes? "Great video comment or GREATEST video comment?
That was crazy! I don't want to go to heaven if the angels up there are that crazy! lol
Apparently everyone is now level 69, according to the MXO forums.
To be honest, the jokes on the MXO community. Ryan and Vinny couldn't give a toss how many times they get killed.
If this is how they react to a bit of mockery of an OBVIOUSLY terribly flawed MMO, then I'm glad that their beloved game is getting shut down.
I'm really glad I didn't play this game now. I was so close to buying it back in the day.
Loved this episode, looking forward to the end of the world, bring it on!
i feel bad for them they need a crew
I'm glad that Ryan posted on their forums cause it's so sad that most of these little shits will never see this and probably think Ryan and Vinny actually give a crap.
lol this game looks ok but its got some glitchs. Too bad its shuting down.
lmao, uTorrent ryan?
For shame.
This is the best quote in that thread:
" http://forums.station.sony.com/mxo/posts/list.m?&topic_id=36300029344Matrix Online players are the worst "
but coming right now when the game is shutting down, is like having some anNOYing teenagers burst into the hospital room of a dying loved one, as you're sitting there trying to comfort them or just be with them during their last days, and said teenagers make rude comments about your loved one.
" "Get out of there, they're casting hampster on you." Oh, Vinny. :PAnd is that 11:00 Pacific time? Because that'll be 1:00am here. Oh well, I can catch it later. :) Good luck! "
you guys should check out the matrix online forum and read the thread about giantbomb. it's amazing how worked up those dudes are over these videos. great stuff.
What are you doing with a torrent program Ryan? Don't you get your games sent to you?
lol at allergic
So I think you should do this for most of the popular MMOs and just do a couple of hours a month for each and so we can see what it is like. Just a thought
LOL funny shit. I speed it up near the end and that's some crazy shit. I can't belive people are still playing this game. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but....come on...lol
Loved the beginning of all the trash talk, completely goes well with the end of the matrix & mmorpgs in general. Might as well test the community to see how well that they can take verbal punishment as well as bringing it.
" What are you doing with a torrent program Ryan? Don't you get your games sent to you? "I very much doubt he's torrenting games. Other things perhaps, but games seems unlikely.
Use Ustream.tv for the live final night streaming.
I remember those Angels in white suits were part of a story event a while ago. You find this item, activate it and it spawns a bunch of those enemies that you have to fight.
Can't wait to see friday's coveraged and hope you guys cover ever last second untill the servers go down!
@Swinghi said:
"So I think you should do this for most of the popular MMOs and just do a couple of hours a month for each and so we can see what it is like. Just a thought"
I agree whole heartedely


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07 October 2013 15:15 [Source: ICIS news]
BERLIN (ICIS)--The focus of the chemical industry in Europe must change, SABIC CEO Mohamed Al-Mady, said on Monday.
Producers in the region should focus on research and cost efficiency, technology and innovation and on customer needs, he told delegates at the 47th annual European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) meeting in Berlin, Germany.
Al-Mady expects to see a knowledge-driven chemical industry develop in Europe, focused on the needs of the customer, particularly in the areas of food, health and biotechnology.
Some government assistance would be needed to facilitate change, he suggested, to build a competitive regulatory framework and to help underpin targeted product and business innovation.
Innovation support was needed not simply at the pre-competitive level but at the development stage. The focus of European companies should change, Al-Mady said, adding that governments should support that transition.
The annual EPCA meeting runs from 5-9 October.
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Asian Chemical Connections


text:
J. Cheryl Exum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jo Cheryl Exum (born 1946) is a feminist biblical scholar. She is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield.
Exum studied at Wake Forest University and Columbia University, and previously taught at Boston College.[1] She served as part of the translation team for the New Revised Standard Version.[2]
In 2011, a Festschrift was published in her honour. A Critical Engagement: Essays on the Hebrew Bible in Honour of J. Cheryl Exum (ISBN 1907534334) included contributions by David Clines, Ellen van Wolde, and Michael Fox.
- ^ "Emeritus Professor Cheryl Exum". University of Sheffield. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions


text:
Grading Obama on school reform
According to Kress, an even bigger problem is that while NCLB put pressure on all schools with a certain percentage of minority or disadvantaged students, the Obama plan bears down only on the worst 5 percent of schools. Stay out of that group and you escape scrutiny and can do pretty much what you want. Also, whereas NCLB provided students in failing schools with tutoring and public school choice, the Obama plan discards those remedies.
"That's a huge sellout," said Kress, "and a problem because, at the end of the day, it's not like anyone has found a way to fix these schools.
But under NCLB, at least conceptually, there was the idea that, if they can't fix your school, you could flee your school or you could at least get tutoring that helps you survive."
Kress thinks the result is outrageous and that it turns back the clock on education reform. In light of this, I asked him to grade the Obama administration for its efforts.
"I was thinking B-plus until I saw the recommendations," he said. "Now it goes down to a D-plus."
That's brutal, but it seems appropriate. After all, Mr. President, accountability starts at the top.
Navarrette can be reached at email@example.com


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LinkedIn, the social networking site for business users, has clamped down on a controversial group of networkers who add 'connections' even if they don't know them.
Bill Howell, senior vice president and CIO of Accellent (a medical components company), is a LION and has also seen the restriction leveled on to him. He says that with the down economy, the type of restriction seems especially draconian.
"This is very regrettable," he said. "Just last Sunday I did a presentation to unemployed workers on the benefits of using LinkedIn and I advised all of them to connect to me and I would help them get jobs. Now none of them can connect to me. Gee, now isn't that an interesting message."
The decision to punish LinkedIn open networkers won't be without consequence as the group and the service have a unique relationship.
Jason Alba, president of JibberJobber.com and author of the book I'm on LinkedIn - Now What?, said that while their network philosophy runs counter to that of LinkedIn, the LIONs have some upsides for the service as well.
"Many of the open networkers are actually helping LinkedIn grow, since they are such passionate evangelists."
However, LinkedIn has taken quiet steps to temper their influence on the service in the past. On the profile pages of LinkedIn, the service will only list a person's connection size as '500+' to discourage the practice of connection counting. They have levied a limit on how many invitations someone can send to connect (3,000).
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The selling of premium accounts does represent a way in which LinkedIn has diversified its business away from merely advertising, which its competitors such as Facebook have relied heavily on to build a business.
These services include increased search results and the ability to send 'InMails', which allow you to contact not only your second and third degree contacts, but also people outside your network. LinkedIn's 'business plus plan' runs for $50 (£36) per month or $500 (£362) for the year, and its 'corporate solutions' plan lets companies buy multiple accounts with premium services and access to LinkedIn (prices aren't provided on LinkedIn's website).
Visit Business Advisor for the latest business IT news, reviews, tips and tricks - plus sign up for our unique and FREE business IT newsletter
"Although we don't take away Linkedin's business, we do, indirectly, do things for free what others would be more than willing and able to pay for to Linkedin Corporation," Burda said. "Thus Linkedin views us select few as a big, big, big threat to their bottom line now, and especially in the future. They would do anything to kick us off their site. If only they found a legal reason to do so."
See also: Five important LinkedIn etiquette tips


text:
Query Detox, Part 2
Keith Cronin on Oct 08 2013 | Filed under: Agents, CRAFT, Humor, REAL WORLD, Uncategorized
Last month I wrote a post exploring some of the problems I encounter most frequently when critiquing people's query letters.
This month I'm going to continue down that path, identifying some more frequent trouble spots, along with some thoughts on how you can fix or avoid them.
The name game
Many queries are bogged down with an extensive laundry list of names, including the main character, her spouse, her ex, her best friends, the name of the town she lives in, the company she works for, the products they sell, where she goes to school, and so on.
Writers do this because they want the agent to get a sense of their characters, settings and situations, but the result is often information overload. Consider what happens when you're at a party and you get introduced to half a dozen people in rapid succession. By the time you get to party guest number 6, chances are those first five names are long gone from your memory banks.
As a general rule, characters' names are not important in a query; their roles are. Think about it: "Joe Smith" tells you nothing, but descriptions like "the local preacher" or "the meddlesome neighbor" give you a much clearer picture of who these people are. You can often get by with just the name of your protagonist.
In fact, you might even be able to avoid using any names in your query. Don't believe me? Sara J. Henry, Anthony-award winning author of A Cold and Lonely Place, had excellent luck with a name-free query. Here's the paragraph she used to describe her manuscript, in her query for what became her debut novel:
In Learning to Swim, a childless woman living in a small Adirondack town dives into icy Lake Champlain to rescue a young French-speaking boy, and discovers he was kidnapped five months ago. She accompanies him to Canada to help him adjust to a new life with the father he thought abandoned him. There she wrestles with her growing attachment to the child, and feels driven to track down those responsible for his abduction.
As a general rule, characters' names are not important in a query; their roles are.
Sara's query for Learning to Swim generated a fast and overwhelming response rate, leading to offers from multiple agents. Food for thought, eh?
Other variations of the name game include:
- Referring to your protagonist by more than one name within the query. It's fine to do this in your book, but for this brief note, it's best to skip the nicknames to avoid any confusion.
- Too many characters with similar names. This can be a problem both in your query and in your book, when you make the reader try to keep track of a group of characters named Jack, Jake, Jan, Jackie, Jason, and Jacob.
- Made-up names that are hard to read and/or pronounce. Fantasy and science-fiction writers tend to be the most frequent offenders. I mean, it's great that T'paue-el is the Chosen pMak'Tong of the Mb'la-Zo'Lo tribe. But for your query, maybe there's a simpler way to describe that character and his role without making agents think their email has been hacked by some weird auto-translating device. This is a perfect opportunity to follow Sara J. Henry's example above.
The tweetable query
Many writers have somehow been peer-pressured into believing that the most important thing to do when writing a query is to keep it short. Concise powerful writing is one thing, but when you get to the point where your entire query could fit into a single 144-character Twitter post, I think it's a sign that maybe you're taking this brevity thing just a little too far.
Seriously, I've seen queries that reminded me of this famous Peanuts cartoon strip, where the perpetually annoyed Lucy pretends to read a book to her little brother Linus. In her impatience, she condenses the story down to this:
"A man was born… he lived and he died! The end!"
Tell a story. If you tell it well, they'll keep reading.
While Linus may be too young and naive to realize he's been cheated, the agent you're querying won't miss the fact that you've taken a few too many shortcuts. Take your time, folks. Tell a story. If you tell it well, they'll keep reading.
The sentence that ate Nebraska
A surprising side effect of this exaggerated quest for brevity is the unconscious habit of trying to cram far too much information into each sentence. I've seen countless queries filled with line after line of info-bloated sentences like this:
Until she saw Zach Winslow, a hauntingly handsome pale-skinned young man sullenly nursing a cherry Coke and a black eye at the weathered counter of the soda fountain of the corner five-and-dime late one April afternoon, eighteen-year-old Marcy Blake believed that nothing interesting ever happened in the sleepy bedroom town of Middlebury, Ohio in 1967.
That sentence by itself may not seem too bad, but when you stack four of five of them together, it rapidly turns into information overload. But even worse, the writing becomes monotonous.
To fix this, make a point of varying the length – and the structure – of your sentences. For example, we could recast that 55-word behemoth of a sentence like this:
Nothing interesting ever happened in Middlebury, Ohio. At least that's what 18-year-old Marcy Blake always believed – until the first time she saw Zach…
This is better, and there's a bit of tension-and-release, as we set up the premise that nothing interesting happens, then show that this is about to change. Whether or not it's a grabby query opening is debatable, but at least there's some rhythm and variety to the sentences.
Here's a tip for avoiding the dreaded Nebraska-devouring sentence: watch out for too many sentences with more than one action in them. In particular, scour your query for multiple consecutive sentences that start out with an introductory clause before getting to the meat of the sentence. For example:
- Exhausted from a hard night of river-dancing, she…
- Unaware of the deal his colleagues made with the one-eyed mime, he…
- Too late to save her partner from the Bog of Extreme Stench, she…
- When John's training takes over and he kills two of the giant cockroaches, he…
- While the aliens are attacking the tollbooth with their sonic Jello-guns, she…
- Forced to choose between personal freedom and the lives of his pet sea monkeys, he…
- Devastated by the loss of her prized collection of parachute pants, she…
- Armed with his ukulele and a duffel bag full of sock-puppets, he…
- With the help of a three-legged alpaca and a dyspeptic nail technician, she…
NOTE: there's nothing wrong with any of those clauses (other than maybe the second one, since I'm not a fan of mimes). A couple of these might be okay, but a string of multiple sentences sharing this construct will result in a dense and monotonous read. And that could keep your reader from ever finding out what happened to that collection of parachute pants.
Gimme a break
Similar to the previous problem, I also frequently see writers who are clearly trying to keep their query down to some self-imposed minimum number of paragraphs. The results can be pretty painful, leading to things like an info-crammed paragraph that squeezes seven different topics into one 'graph.
Remember, the Enter/Return key is your friend. In addition to creating the rhythm of your prose, the way you break your paragraphs also helps to create a visual look-and-feel for your writing, through your use of white space. And it all serves to help demonstrate how well you write.
Don't blow an opportunity to show how you write
That last point is crucial. In addition to hooking the agent's attention, your query itself should show the agent how you write. It's the first example of your writing that an agent sees.
If you don't think a 300-word email can give somebody a pretty clear feel for your writing, I submit that you're not reading carefully or critically enough. Seriously, you can usually tell within one page – hell, one email – whether somebody has some writing talent. But only if the writer puts enough effort into that page or email to make her talent evident to the reader.
How about you? I hope you've found this two-part series helpful, but now I'd love to hear from you. Have you found any of these "toxins" in your query? Or have you encountered other pitfalls and bad habits popping up in the queries you write, and/or the queries you critique? If so, please share your problems – and your cures. And as always, thanks for reading!
Images licensed from iStockphoto.com
About Keith Cronin
Author of the novels ME AGAIN, published by Five Star/Gale; and TONY PARTLY CLOUDY (published under his pen name Nick Rollins), Keith Cronin is a corporate speechwriter and professional rock drummer who has performed and recorded with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, and Pat Travers. Keith's fiction has appeared in Carve Magazine, Amarillo Bay, The Scruffy Dog Review, Zinos, and a University of Phoenix management course. A native of South Florida, Keith spends his free time serenading local ducks and squirrels with his ukulele.
30 Responses to "Query Detox, Part 2"
Thanks, Keith. As it happens, I'm right in the midst of a mighty struggle with a query letter wondering why it is so much harder to write than the novel was. After going back to read your first post again, I think I may be able to finish off this brute with minimal doses of scotch and Advil within the week. Or maybe even today. So thanks again.
The efficiency you recommend in query writing can be applied to manuscripts, too, in too many of which parenthetical clauses abound, you know, and run on sentences pile up like one long traffic jam, an automotive metaphor without an end in sight or variety, the result of which is a glazed look in the eyes of the agent trying to discern the story for the trees.
Good advice. Keep it up.
Thanks, Don (he wrote, while contemplating the brewing of another cup of coffee) – I'm glad you found my advice sound, while at the same time corroborating the notion that sometimes the sheer act of getting to the point seems to become an unattainable goal for writers who – if we're being candid here – shoot themselves in the foot with the quantity of extraneous detail (not to mention their propensity for being lured into countless metaphorical detours) that they insist upon injecting into every piece of writing they do, whether it's a novel manuscript, a query letter – like the ones I'm discussing here – or even in the comments section of some blog; seriously, it can be just maddening to witness, so I'm thrilled to find I'm not alone in my reaction to this all-too-frequently-occurring literary malady, and – if I may think aspirationally for a moment – in my wish that perhaps a frank online exchange such as this might offer some remote hope for an eventual cure for (unintentional or otherwise) literary verbosity.
Love your use of humor to tackle this subject. The very word "query" makes me want to groan and search for my missing duffel bag full of sock puppets. Instead, I'm headed off to search my latest query for names, clauses, and Nebraska. I've got my sonic jello pistol – I'm ready.
The same conciseness can be applied to book descriptions on Amazon – and blurbs on the book cover: enough of the story to tantalize, enough of the style to tell the reader she's in the hands of a competent writer.
And then shut up.
It is still hard to distill the essence of 100,000 words into a couple of paragraphs.
I knew there was a reason why I hate those sentences with the clauses hanging off the front end.
Thanks for the chuckles.
Thank you for the insightful post, Keith. I really liked what you said about the name thing – it's something I've had trouble with because I find it difficult to work names into a query. On the other hand, when my main characters are very ordinary people without well-defined characteristics, then I find them tough to refer to without a name attached. "A middle-aged woman" sounds fine once, but a second time just seems silly. I've tried to use a combined approach – naming the characters when it's simpler and describing them with a phrase when it's appropriate.
Thanks, Lori. When dealing with "very ordinary people without well-defined characteristics," maybe you might try focusing on how their roles affect each other. For example, is that middle-aged woman an ally, an obstacle, or a flat-out threat?
Think not only of their appearance and personalities, but also of what function those characters play in relation to each other. Identifying how they conflict with each other is always a good bet!
Thanks for this. I will be writing my first query letters soon and I've been dreading it. Your advice will help me tackle the project like the writing assignment it is. I like writing assignments. My spirits are lifted.
Your posts have been great as check-off lists to help make sure I'm doing things right and, as of the past weekend, I think I've got it! I finally made a mini-outline of about twelve key topics, that I wanted to address, then pulled a couple sentences from my writing that were strong, in my voice, and worked those in. I've heard people say, "Do not use questions," but an "accepted" example I was comparing, had a bunch of them, so I used one. The other was also 338 words and mine is 331, so I decided not to continue cutting (I did at one point, however, because it had gotten to around 350).
I also managed to get a single sentence description from my effort, which everyone will need as well.
Thanks for the making the process so enjoyable with your entertaining examples!
Thanks, Keith. What a great post! As a "newbie" working on my first novel, this is important information. i try to soak up all the great tips that I can. I've never been a fan of run-on sentences and information dumps, but I didn't realize that could be done in query letters as well.
The point about the introductory clauses, were especially helpful. I think new writers have a tendency to rely on them too much.
Now, off to write my masterpiece!
Thanks, Keith. This will be immensely helpful as I go into rewriting my dreaded queries AGAIN! My problem so far has definitely been trying to cram too much information into those three tiny (or not so tiny) paragraphs. There is a lot of panicking on my part about what it is "vital" to the story and what I don't think I can leave out when really… the point is to get the agent to want to read more, not to give them everything.
Keith, you just saved my life with that Sara Henry nameless query blurb. Just re-wrote mine and Oh. My. God!! It works so well. Revelation. Thank you!
Keith, I've read many different takes on writing the query letter, but yours makes so much sense. I thought I had a pretty good letter–it's gotten some responses–but I want to go back and try the "nameless" query. I've written short pitches that way, but never the query letter itself. I like your more relaxed approach re the number of paragraphs; that suits my style better. But some agents have specific guidelines, so we also need to watch out for those. Thanks for such a helpful post!
What you said about how the first email demonstrates your writing ability is something that many people forget to consider when querying. If it contains editing errors, your query may be rejected on that fact alone, even if your story is perfect!
Putting forth the additional time and effort to ensure that your query is perfect will likely capture the attention of the editor, even if your story isn't perfect.
First impressions count!
I had two major themes to try to get across in this query for LEARNING TO SWIM: (1) the rescue of the small child and the mystery of what had happened to him and (2) the attachment of the main character to the child she rescues and how this affects the trajectory of her life. I kept the book description short – the quoted portion is the whole thing – and left out several subplots. What I hated leaving out was that she dived from the deck of a moving ferry when she saw what she thought was a child plummet from the deck of the opposite ferry – but it ultimately seemed too unwieldy.
I tried to use specific key words: childless, French-speaking, Adirondacks, kidnapped, Canada, abandoned. If I were writing this today (when I've learned to be more concise) I'd likely trim it a bit – it probably doesn't matter that it was Lake Champlain, for instance.
What I see in many queries is that writers try to cram in far too much of the plot – so that it's almost a synopsis. You want to tell the essence of the story, as crisply as possible.


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Hi guys. I got a question about this car. Actually, it's not my own, I have a friend who is interested in buying one of these and our Lambo "dealership" is completely useless when it comes to technical details. So maybe one of you know or can find what I need to know.
So, as many of you maybe know, this car (in fact, all Lambo cars) has a very low ride height. In my country, sadly, the roads are horrible, lots of holes and bumps (and speed bumps ), so driving one of these would be...problematic. The question is: can this ride height be bigger? I found something about a special custom program from Lambo, that allows a car to be "tweaked" to the client's needs, but I guess it would cost a LOT of money. So I need to know if that height can be adjusted somehow, without factory build.


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Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro
Announced Sep 22, 2004 •
Zoom lens | Canon EF, Pentax KAF, Sony/Minolta Alpha, Sigma SA Bayonet, Nikon F (FX)
Ask a question in forums about the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro.
Ask a new question
Hi, I'm looking to put down the EF-S 18-55mm soon. The IQ, focal range, focus, and maximum aperture isn't working for me. It's not bad though, from 18mm to 55mm. It's just the aperture, most of all. I'm looking for a cheap lens upgrade (sorry no L glass like the 24-105, 24-70, 17-40. I would buy it, but I'm looking for something cheap for now!). Looking for a good walkaround lens, that gives me landscape and standard telephoto portraiture/low light photos. I'm really looking for: 1....


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Web site: http://www.houstonpbs.org/livingsmart
Guests discuss specific topic to assist viewers in getting the most out of life by finding solutions to different life challenges.
TV Schedule
Prevent Cancer #503
Dr. Lynne Eldridge discusses her role as an international speaker and researcher on cancer prevention and nutrition.
- KET2 Wednesday, May 27 at 1:00 pm EDT
Celebrate Your Uniqueness #504
Photographer and author Karen Walrond discusses her upcoming book, The Beauty of Different.
- KET2 Wednesday, June 3 at 1:00 pm EDT
Healthy Hearts #505
Dr. Stephanie Coulter deciphers heart disease and what you can do to prevent it.
- KET2 Wednesday, June 10 at 1:00 pm EDT
Balance Your Life #506
Author and speaker Mary LoVerde is an internationally recognized expert in life balance strategies.
- KET2 Wednesday, June 17 at 1:00 pm EDT
Healthy Mom, Healthy Child #507
Elizabeth Irvine is author of Healthy Mother, Healthy Child: Creating Whole Families from the Inside Out.
- KET2 Wednesday, June 24 at 1:00 pm EDT
Find Job Fulfillment #508
Rebecca Lunstroth discusses how to bring satisfaction to your job and when to consider a new career.
- KET2 Wednesday, July 1 at 1:00 pm EDT
Thrive with Disabilities #509
Roberta Diddel PhD. is the founder and executive director of Disability 101 and serves as a lecturer in Psychology at Rice University. Dr. Diddel specializes in helping individuals to meet the challenges of personal loss, life change, brain injury, dementia, chronic pain, and chronic illness.
- KET2 Wednesday, July 8 at 1:00 pm EDT
Emotionally Intelligent Marriages #510
Dr. Donald Cole, a licensed counselor in marriage and family counseling, explains how he uses his knowledge of pastoral counseling and psychotherapy to help couples learn to communicate through problem areas of marriages.
- KET2 Wednesday, July 15 at 1:00 pm EDT
Healing Conversations #511
Emmy award-winning journalist Nance Guilmartin discusses her book Healing Conversations: A Practical Guide for Communication during Hard Times.
- KET2 Wednesday, July 22 at 1:00 pm EDT
Heart Driven Leadership #512
Laura Lopez is an award-winning author, leadership specialist, branding expert, and business and life coach with more than 20 years of corporate experience. She discusses her book, The Connected and Committed Leader.
- KET2 Wednesday, July 29 at 1:00 pm EDT
Success in the Workplace #513
Dr. Karen Otazo is a global executive coach and with over 25 years of experience working for a myriad of top-level multinational organizations. She discusses her book, The Truth about Managing your Career.
- KET2 Wednesday, August 5 at 1:00 pm EDT
Official web site: http://www.houstonpbs.org/livingsmart
Price available upon request.
Home videos not available.


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A cranky book on American diplomacy, offering a pungent view on Benghazi
- By Thomas E. RicksThomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post from 2000 through 2008. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Laurence Pope, a career American diplomat, has written a cranky little book, The Demilitarization of American Diplomacy: Two Cheers for Striped Pants. It has some faults, upon which I prefer not to dwell. (But just for minor examples, George Marshall's last name has two "L"s, and I don't think John Winthrop's flagship, the Arabella, was a sloop.)
Instead, I recommend the book for the pungent observations sprinkled through it, in imitation of the aphoristic style of La Rochefoucauld:
- "[T]he prevailing American diplomatic style is blunt to the point of arrogance."
- "The Louis Quatorzieme version of American exceptionalism was the divine right of kings."
- "The State Department's foreign policy functions have largely migrated to a National Security Staff at the White House, an off-the-books agency impervious to Congressional oversight and public scrutiny…. It is operational to a fault."
- "The American military … lives to plan, and ideas are important to it."
- "The real revolution in American military affairs was the recognition of the ancient truth that war is a branch of politics."
- Because of Assange and other leaks, some of the most important communications nowadays are "conducted by e-mail or back channels."
- The cyberworld has "a strong bias toward anarchy."
- "In a world where information moves with the speed of thought, the issue is usually not what is happening, but what should be done about it."
- "Dwight Eisenhower was perhaps the last American president who understood the making of strategy."
As for Benghazi, Pope has an interesting view, given that he was the temporary replacement in Tripoli for the murdered ambassador, Chris Stevens. Pope alleges that the coverage of the incident — presumably Fox's — was "vile partisan agitprop." He doesn't elaborate.
Related Stories
November's Books of the MonthDaniel W. Drezner
Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a senior editor at The National Interest. Prior to Fletcher, he taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Drezner has received fellowships from the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Harvard University. He has previously held positions with Civic Education Project, the RAND Corporation, and the Treasury Department.| Daniel W. Drezner |


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Stung by the recalcitrance of many auto drivers, the Legal Metrology Department has decided to crack the whip on auto rickshaws that failed to recalibrate digital fare meters with the revised tariff.
Close to 37,000 auto rickshaws are plying without recalibrating the digital meters and are creating confusion among passengers. This is forcing many passengers to pay more as against the actual cost for the distance travelled.
Minimum price: Rs. 16
In its order issued two months ago, the State government has announced the revision of auto fares and made it clear that digital fare meters in all auto rickshaws should be recalibrated with minimum price as Rs.16 by November 22. For each subsequent kilometre travelled, the fare is increased by Rs.9. Arrangements were also made to recalibrate meters at 15 meter repair shops at Chilkalguda, Nampally, Bansilalpet, Sultan Shahi, Kamatipura and Jahanuma but most of them continue to ignore it, claimed officials.
Drivers warned
"Drivers have to recalibrate meters within the stipulated time and if anyone fails to do so, stern action will be taken against them," warned City Assistant Controller, Legal Metrology, P.S.R.N.T Swamy, on Monday.
He said a meeting would be conducted with the senior traffic police and transport department officials shortly to chalk out an action plan for launching a special drive against errant drivers. "We will book cases against the drivers under Section 18/25 of A.P. Legal Metrology Act 2009 for failing to comply with norms and penalty will also be levied," said Mr. Swamy.
Keywords: autos crackdown, digital meters


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What Alternative Doctors Do When Their Loved Ones Get CancerAfter surgery and chemotherapy failed,this doctor's son returned hometo spend his last days with his family.Instead, his dad helped him find a medical miracle!Give yourself as much as a 98 percent chance of beating cancer. . .With this exciting new treatment – PLUS nine otherlittle-known remedies that are saving thousands of lives.
Dear Reader,
You can survive and cure cancer. In fact, it can almost be a sure thing... if you know what to do.
Dr. Stanley R. Olsztyn is a medical doctor who also practices alternative medicine. That was a very lucky thing for his son, Mark, who had a tumor the size of a walnut removed from his brain in 1993. Things seemed okay for five years. But in 1998 a second tumor was found, much more malignant than the first one.
Mark's dad, the doctor, had learned about one of the newest concepts in nutritional supplements. It's a patented compound that's only been around since 1995.
Give it a few more years, and it might put the American cancer industry out of business! All the surgery, radiation, and poisonous chemotherapy may become a thing of the past. You see...
Establishment medicine has figured out that cancer is often caused by DNA gone haywire. Our DNA is damaged all the time by free radicals, toxins, pollutants and other attackers – every minute of every day!
Yet most of us don't get cancer. Thanks to one of nature's wonders, DNA can repair itself most of the time. It's when your cells lose this ability to fix themselves that cancer follows.
Let me repeat, this is sound science, accepted by the medical establishment. What the medical establishment won't accept is the discovery Dr. Olsztyn recommended to his son...
This alternative health breakthrough combines several natural nutrients that help DNA repair itself. Then it binds them together with another nutrient that can travel anywhere in the body, even past the "blood-brain barrier" that keeps many nutrients out. This unique feature is protected by patent.
It's as if the vitamins, minerals and amino acids in the supplement hitch a ride on an all-terrain vehicle that can go anywhere!
Mark was feeling so sick from chemotherapy that he decided to stop and take only the treatment his father recommended.
The new supplement is the only treatment Mark Olsztyn has taken all that time. His only contact with conventional cancer treatment has been diagnostic MRIs.
Mark's story is not the only one. Sarah Jones, a Denver woman, was diagnosed with breast cancer. And like Mark Olsztyn, she's lucky enough to have an alternative health expert in the family – her husband Bob, a renowned inventor of medical equipment.
Sarah refused all conventional cancer treatments. She even refused a biopsy, because she knew biopsies may spread cancer. Instead, Bob Jones did some research and learned about the same treatment Dr. Olsztyn recommended for his son.
Within six months of beginning treatment, Sarah found her malignant breast tumor had shrunk by two-thirds. And here's another dramatic case history. . .
Ken Walker, a 67-year-old clergyman, tells a story that's even more amazing. Ken was the victim of a deadly cancer that ravages the bones. Nine out of ten patients with this disease die within two years.
"I had this terrible bone pain in my head, spine, ribs, and all over," Rev. Walker recalls. "I felt just terrible pain and needed to sleep all the time to escape it. I took pain pills and assorted sleeping pills."
Ken's oncologist (cancer specialist) told him the disease would kill him in three months if he didn't submit to chemotherapy.
He started taking the revolutionary new supplement that saved Mark and Sarah.
Twenty months later the "dead man" was scuba diving in Aruba!
"Today, this same oncologist advises me that if I was visiting him for the first time, he would not suspect cancer had ever been present," says Rev. Walker. He declares...
Can the new breakthrough prevent cancer as well as reverse it? Very likely. There's a long-term study underway to find out. Meanwhile, we know this for sure: It's completely safe, and bursting with vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are known to be good for you.
I'm taking it myself for prevention.


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Despite Southern California's sun-drenched and house-filled landscape, solar-powered homes are hard to come by. Come October, though, 20 houses powered entirely by the sun will line the old runways of the Orange County Great Park.
Teams of college students from across the globe will put their ideas on display as they vie for first place at the Solar Decathlon, an event presented by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Here's a sneak peek:
Arizona State University
and University of New Mexico
House name: SHADE – Solar Homes Adapting for Desert Equilibrium
Features: A radiant cooling system that runs cold liquid through coiled tubes in the ceiling. Designed with demand for in-fill housing in the suburban Southwest in mind.
Czech Republic
House name: AIR – Affordable Innovative Recyclable
Features: It's the smallest house in the competition. "We believe that the cleanest energy is the one unconsumed," says the team's website. Designed with empty-nesters and the traditional Czech "chata," or cottage, in mind.
Team Kentuckiana
Colleges: University of Louisville, Ball State University and University of Kentucky
House name: Phoenix
Features: An available water supply even before a community's infrastructure is back up and running after a disaster. Designed with permanent disaster-relief housing in mind.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
House name: DesertSol
Features: Uses pre-weathered wood and rusted exterior metal to endure harsh desert weather. Designed with second-home desert dwellers in mind.
Middlebury College
House name: InSite
Features: Green roof filled with a succulent called sedum that will help with insulation and stormwater runoff, 14-inch insulated walls and a walking path covered with solar panels. Designed with walkability in mind.
Missouri University of Science and Technology


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To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
[authors: Amy Dickerson and Brian Crowley]
Last month, Governor Quinn signed four bills into law addressing various education curriculum, certification, and organization issues.
In an effort to help Illinois students be better prepared for college and the job market, Public Act 97-704 requires the Illinois State Board of Education to coordinate with various stakeholders and educational organizations to create mathematics curriculum models to be implemented in middle and high schools. The law does not take effect until January 1, 2013, however, it requires the curriculum models to be completed no later than March 1, 2013. The models shall be available to all school districts, which may choose to adopt or adapt the models in lieu of developing their own math curricula.
Public Act 97-703 will reduce the number of regional offices of education from 45 to 35 through consolidation so that each region contains at least 61,000 inhabitants, up from 43,000, by July 1, 2015. ISBE has not yet identified which regional offices it will select for consolidation, however, the law permits offices to voluntarily consolidate prior to June 30, 2013.
Public Act 97-702 extends the enrollment deadline for the State's alternative teaching certification programs to September 1, 2013, and the completion deadline to January 1, 2015. Enrollment for the programs was set to close on September 1, 2012, with a completion deadline of September 1, 2013. The law also clarifies that the alternative educator licensure program is available for eligible teachers in charter schools as well as school districts and certain non-public schools.
Public Act 97-701 allows educators to receive general administrative endorsements without having to comply with the current two-year teaching requirement if the educator has been enrolled in an ISBE-approved administrator preparation program since before August 1, 2011, and will finish the program before January 1, 2013.
DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
© Franczek Radelet P.C.
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…or whatever matters the most to you. Follow authors, firms, and topics on JD Supra.
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text:
Hi guys,
I've had a user ask if they may use an Illustration set that I have for sale within a videogame.
I'm not sure how your licensing works with regards to things like that which may be for re-sale.
I've also contacted envato support, but wanted to see if anyone here knows.
I think that's what the extended licence covers?
That's what extended license is for.
Ok, thanks. Just wanted to make sure.
So can I buy anything on Graphicriver with an extended licence and resell it as my own item?
Titan18 said
So can I buy anything on Graphicriver with an extended licence and resell it as my own item?
not really re-sell…what Extended covers I think is, you can include it in a paid product of yours…for example…you make a game that you want to sell…and you can buy a poster here with extended license, and put up in your games wall…etc…with regular license you can't, well you can but aren't allowed to.
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:
Chhatradhar Mahato, convener of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, was on Sunday remanded to police custody for four days in connection with a CPI(M) leader's murder case in West Midnapore district.
The PCPA leader was produced before the court of Assistant Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jhargram, Mohammed Rezzak who sent him to police custody till October 21.
Prabir Mahato, a CPI(M) worker, was abducted from Dharampur in Lalgarh and murdered on June 14.
Posing as journalists police had arrested Mahato on September 26 near Lalgarh. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and several sections under the IPC.
Keywords: Chhatradhar Mahato, People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, PCPA, Police Santrash Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee, PSBJC, CPI(M), Maoists, Jhagram court, naxalites


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06 November 2013 04:39 [Source: ICIS news]
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Chinese phenol/acetone producer Shandong Lihuayi plans to shut its plant at Dongying in Shandong province on 14 November as it prepares to switch to a new substation for its power supply, a company source said on Wednesday.
The plant, which has a phenol capacity of 220,000 tonnes/year and an acetone capacity of 130,000 tonnes/year, will remain off line until 20 November because of the anticipated disruption to its electricity supply during this period, the source said.
Additional reporting by Trisha Huang
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Asian Chemical Connections


text:
Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen (Paperback)
|Author: Jacob August Riis Jacob A. Riis
Learn more about Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen:
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Nabu Press
Sku: 214358469
Publish Date: 2/9/2010
Pages: 484
Age Range: NA
See more in Presidents & Heads of State
|This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.


text:
This team could learn to choke up on the bat.
This team could learn to choke up on the bat.
Why in the world are we swinging for the fences?
I hate the Cardinals. I hate the Cubs.
Let's. Go. Reds.
"Per Aspera Ad Astra"
this guy's strikezone sucks...
we sucked that inning.
good lord
The top of the order strikes out with a runner 90 feet away.
That's hard to take.
I hate the Cardinals. I hate the Cubs.
Let's. Go. Reds.
"Per Aspera Ad Astra"
We need a new hitting coach, srsly.
rolen is such a good 3rd basemen.
well that's some bad news.. we got keels for a few weeks
the guy behind the plate is phil cuzzi. explains it.
nice play by janish.
can we not get a stupid 1-2-3 inning
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text: Trade shows - aka. "trade fairs" and "expos" - are an extremely lucrative and cost-effective way to promote brands, showcase new ideas and examine rising market trends. A 2011 study showed that trade shows in the US account for more than $33.7 billion in direct spending alone.. Trade show involvement offers a multitude of promotional benefits and segues into the marketing world. Let's examine five of them.


text:
Prayers Gadget (Prayer Times)
50,000 - 100,000 downloadsAdd this app to your listsTweets por @Appszoom
- Islamic prayer times, with remaining time to next prayer
- Qibla direction
- Azkar and Tasbeeh
- Hijri and Gregorian calendars
- Important Islamic events
- Azan (Adhan), Iqama, and Reminders at prayer time
- Can automatically set your phone to silent mode during prayer period
- You can use GPS, the Internet, or set your location manually
- A unique feature of Prayers Gadget is that it can accept a prepared prayer timetable from a CSV file. This means you can set the prayer times to EXACTLY match those of your city or local Islamic center.
- Prayers Gadget contains a Widget to display Islamic prayer times, with remaining time to next prayer
- You can either use Prayers Gadget as a regular App, or you can put your phone/tablet on a stand in your home/office/local mosque to display Islamic prayer times and play Azan
- Supports Arabic language for Android 3.0 and higher
Please remember us in your prayers.
1. If you see wrong data due to an earlier bug, please click on "Defaults" in the Settings page, then detect your location or set it manually.
2. If you cannot see the App Widget, please reboot your phone. This usually fixes the issue.
3. Make sure you do NOT install the App on the SD card if you want to use the Widget associated with the App. Rather, install the App on the phone itself.
4. Please browse through the different settings of Prayers Gadget to improve the calculated prayer times and to discover its large set of features.
5. Your feedback is highly appreciated. So, if the prayer times displayed by the Gadget are different than the ones officially used by your country, and there is a Website that displays these official prayer times, please send a link to such Website by email to firstname.lastname@example.com. Thanks.
Tags: adhan& iqama clock display, gadgets athan, قاعدة بيانات الاذان, how to put ringtones to prayers gadget, برنامج مواقيت والاذان تابلت.
Version 4.2:
- Added ability to set fixed iqama times
- Added option of full-screen (big) messages for Azan and Iqama
- Added ability to change main menu string to Qibla, 99 names, dots, and dashes
Version 4.1:
- Added 99 names of Allah to list of views
- Fixed the Widget Fajr time bug
- Fixed Android KitKat Webview number entry bug
(48 stars)
Good app, but unstable at times.
(48 stars)
Nice apps
(48 stars)
Awesome application! Just love it! But sorry to say, recently I have upgraded my phone to KitKat 4.2.2 and the widget doesn't show up! Please fix the problem. I'll be greatful to get the problem fixed.
(48 stars)
Very good app
(48 stars)
(48 stars)
JazakAllah Khair
(48 stars)
Jazakum Allah Khayran for this beautiful app ^^


text:
We have weathered the storm for now. There is a leak back into equities, but it is very defensive (see Annaly Capital Management & Navios Maritime Partners). The widespread flat line since Jan. 2011 was the writing on the wall; the shake-out happened.
Triquint Semiconductor (TQNT) $7.80 0.38 (5.12%) - As of 8/15/2011
TQNT was hit just before the recent market "risk off". Late July quarterly earnings took the stock down 33% in 2 days - July 27th 14%, July 28th 19% -- EPS was in-line at $0.17, while revenue came in at $228.8M, missing by $8M. Anyone who bought at this time last year would be right back where they started with TQNT still undervalued. What's frustrating to investors is that TQNT jumped 8.6% on July 22nd, 5 days before earnings. There is faith in this company.
One of my first articles highlights the Q2 earnings call and the mysterious dodge away from names like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and RIMM, yet still with excitement for Q4. Here is a simple question; is the plant activity a move for Apple? This is very intriguing to me, because AAPL is a name I strongly believe in, for obvious reasons. To be part of a supply chain belonging to the most important company in the world is a coveted prize.
The competition is Skyworks and Avago - both competitors in the power amp duplexer race. Avago and Triquint are currently in a legal dispute. This was seen as part of the nasty hit to the TQNT Q2 report, resulting in a post earnings sell-off (mentioned above). The more recent mini-crash didn't hurt TQNT quite as badly, thanks to those 2 previous days of big losses.
But now look at what TQNT has done in the past 5 days, making a move from $6.50 to $7.80. Investors are recognizing bargain prices across the board after the shake out. Not just defensive stocks though, but everyone with upside. Everyone is carefully picking up toothpicks in preparedness for the cheese and turkey chunks soon to come, but only if the economy growth engine can turn back over. For TQNT, Q3 appears to be a slow one. Yet the promise of Q4 and beyond, and the rumor of the important partnership with AAPL, is keeping this stock in focus for investors. TQNT was up 5.12% on Monday.
Disclosure: I am long TQNT shares and TQNT Jan/Feb 2012 calls
We have weathered the storm for now. There is a leak back into equities, but it is very defensive (see Annaly Capital Management & Navios Maritime Partners). The widespread flat line since Jan. 2011 was the writing on the wall; the shake-out happened.
Check out Seeking Alpha's new Earnings Center »
|% Chg


text:
Hold down Control (PC) or Command (Mac) key + mouseclick to select more than one option
|Avg. Dinner Entrée
|Greater than $25
|$18.01 - $25
|$12.01 - $18
|$7.01 - $12
|Less than $7
Posted by frankgnv on 12/17/2006
We live in phoenix but happened to be in manhatten 6 times in the last 4 months. we went to Becco's because a friend recommended it and it was great. We went back every trip. The syphony of pasta fixed menu is always a good recommendation. I also tried the steak and it was creatively presented and cooked.
Posted by Anomymous on 12/15/2006
We had a very short wait - but we had reservation for 5p.m. We were lucky and had a great table right by the wine book case. Service was good. The only grip I had about my meat was that I order veal parma. but it came with no side dish. It needed a small side dish of pasta. Also the veal pizzalo needed a side dish also, because the steak meal and the veal chop had side dishes it made it complete. We had the desser sampler and we were very happy with it. I do agree that the place is too small and over crowded if you do not go early to dine. As we were leaving we had a hard time getting out of the restaurant. It was a fire hazard.
Posted by "stewardess" on 11/21/2006
Having time in NYC is a treat for this southern Cal gal. I love the energy . Becco came highly recommended about two years ago, so I've hit the bullseye several times now. The place is often times packed, as you'd expect. The waite staff is very nice and yes, they do bump into you often, but it's not their fault that the place is a bit cramped and always apologize, or have to me anyway. I choose to sit at the bar when I dine there. It's the energy again. Watching the bartenders make their concoctions or simply talking to them [while I dine] is a pleasure. I went the past weekend and had the prix fixe meal. Offered is salad, great rustic bread with dipping sauce/paste, olives and bread sticks, 3 pastas which included this night, lamb and mint ravioli, spaghetti bolognese, and pesto rigatoni. < All very good. This is a must go to for me when I'm in NYC if I have the time to dine. I employees are terrific, the food is wonderful and the ambiance is great too. I do recommend it always and will continue to do so.
Posted by duo on 11/15/2006
Now that Pierre Au Tunnel is history, Becco has become our go-to regular. (Not that we don't try other places, but it's good to have someplace you can always count on.) Often crowded, but very comfortable. Staff are very sweet and helpful -- glad to see you. The pasta sampler is a real deal and always delicious; we've never had a bad combination. The flat-rate of $25 for any bottle of wine may seem daunting until you calculate that a glass of wine generally goes for $8-$12 at area restaurants, so -- if you're inclined to get more than one glass each -- the bottle deal is a good one.
Posted by Anonymous on 10/28/2006
My husband and I looked forward to a day in the city - treating my brother and sister-in-law to broadway show, Mamma Mia! and dinner at Becco. We had 6:30 reservations, received a call the night before to confirm. We arrived early, 5:50pm, and checked in. We walked on Restaurant Row for a little while and then headed back to wait in front of Becco. My husband checked in again around 6:10pm - table not available as yet. I checked again at 6:30pm - table was being prepared. People that arrived after us - 5 minutes before their 6:30 reservation - were called before us. At 6:45pm, I asked again mentioning that people after us were seated and all we got were apologies. How could he forget us when we approached him 4 times! We were offered a drink at the bar - in the aisle - and it was very uncomfortable standing there while all others were sitting and eating. The tables in the first room were very close to each other - diners looked squished together. The noise volume was high, being Italian, we like that anyway. The host kept telling us a table would be available soon - it's now 7:15pm. We finally agreed to sit at a table in a dark room off the bar area - one large table and one small for two people. It was dark, cement floor, and radiator heaters. We tried to make the best of it. We were given a bottle of wine and the dessert was on the house - the least they could do! My sister-in-law and I had the rib eye - tasty but very fatty - had to cut alot off. The food was good but not over-the-top good. I suggest they make some changes as to how the rooms are set up - a few less tables will not hurt the bottom line. We are not sure if we plan to return to Becco - many other restaurants to try without a "name".
Posted by Sharon on 10/19/2006
We went here recently on a Friday night and were terribly disappointed. The restaurant was incredibly crowded, which we expected, but what made it unbearable was that the owner has used every square inch to squeeze a table into. We were in a main aisle table, so every time a waiter had to get to a table past us, we were bumped or reached over. Plus the tables are very small, and the pedastle is fat and in the middle, so you really don't have many choices as to where to put your legs/feet comfortably. We do eat in the city often, I understand the need for maximizing space, but this was absurd. The service was sketchy at best - we were not in a hurry as we weren't going to the theater, but it was way too uncomfortable to be stuck there for 3 hours - and it's not like we eat slow. The place cleared out a bit by 7:45, so you would think the waiters could be more attentive, but I think that's when they decided to take a break. The food: the calamari was very good, and that was it. The four of us were looking forward to ordering the 3 pasta sampler, and while we're all pretty adventurous, they were all unappetizing. They offered beet & got cheese ravioli in a mint sauce, some kind of pasta in squid ink, and another pasta in pesto (enough with pesto already - it's so 80's). Not one of them sounded appetizing. My husband got the swordfish and said it was mediocre. My friend and I both got the veal sorrentino special, which is one of my favorite dishes, but there nothing special about it and they had the nerve to charge $30 per! The desserts were also mundane - the cannoli cream was on the sour side and the custard with fresh fruit was boring. Plus, there was hardly any fruit, just a few berries. The restrooms are co-ed. I don't see a need for this when there's 3 of them, why should I have to spend $250 for dinner for four AND have to put the seat down?? At least make 2 women's and one men's.
Posted by Anonymous on 10/12/2006
I've heard some nice things about Becco and went twice. The pasta sampler was great, I liked the idea of that a lot. The other time I went I had a meat dish that wasn't very good. Both times the service was really poor.


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Tuesday, October 31 2006
Salvador's One-Note Music Scene
In Brazil's third-largest city, thanks to the curse of Carnival, there is only one sound to be found.
Monday, September 25 2006
So-Called Liberty, Justice and Peace, per the PCC, in São Paulo
The PCC has generated an urban war to fight for better conditions for their members in prison -- and the people of São Paulo live imprisoned within their city.
Monday, August 7 2006
An Axe to the Hexa
Fan expectations of Brazilian players are fierce. At their hotel in Germany, the Brazilian team was booed by a number of fans who had traveled there for World Cup -- and more were waiting at home.
Wednesday, June 28 2006
Social Climbers
Orkut, an extremely popular, Brazilian-dominated social networking site, is so prevelant that some consider it a source of national pride. Others, who have simply had enough of it, are driven to commit Orkuticídio: Orkut suicide.


text:
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Author(s): Keller, Simon
ISBN 10: 0691154732. See all ISBN's
Publisher: Princeton University Press
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We are partial to people with whom we share special relationships--if someone is your child, parent, or friend, you wouldn't treat them as you would a stranger. But is partiality justified, and if so, why? Partiality presents a theory of the reasons supporting special treatment within special relationships and explores the vexing problem of how we might reconcile the moral value of these relationships with competing claims of impartial morality.
Simon Keller explains that in order to understand why we give special treatment to our family and friends, we need to understand how people come to matter in their own rights. Keller first presents two main accounts of partiality: the projects view, on which reasons of partiality arise from the place that people take within our lives and our commitments, and the relationships view, on which relationships themselves contain fundamental value or reason-giving force. Keller then argues that neither view is satisfactory because neither captures the experience of acting well within special relationships. Instead, Keller defends the individuals view, on which reasons of partiality arise from the value of the individuals with whom our relationships are shared. He defends this view by saying that we must accept that two people, whether friend or stranger, can have the same value, even as their value makes different demands upon people with whom they share different relationships. Keller explores the implications of this claim within a wider understanding of morality and our relationships with groups, institutions, and countries.
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Our comment policy itself has not changed. Federal News Radio encourages users to express their opinions by posting comments that have a positive and constructive tone; are on topic, clear and to-the-point; and are respectful towards others and their opinions. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. Federal News Radio reserves the right to remove comments and block users that do not follow these criteria.comments powered by Disqus
Americans give USPS high ratings in new poll
In a recent Gallup poll, the American public overwhelmingly rated the U.S. Postal Service as the agency doing the best job, despite a recent cyber attack and budget deficits.
AFGE questions Ebola protection efforts for frontline feds
The American Federation of Government Employees wants mandatory safety guidelines for federal Ebola responders. Those include nurses, doctors and employees at agencies including the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection. Among the union's priorities are better communication between agencies and universal protocols.
Ted Pestorius, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Ebola outbreak has forced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into overdrive. About 100 staff members are in West Africa. Hundreds of other employees are working at the agency's emergency operations center in Atlanta. Still more are working stateside to protect Americans from Ebola or just picking up extra work so their colleagues can focus on the disease. Ted Pestorius is a management officer for the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, where his focus is on the center's employees. Emily Kopp caught up with him at NIH this week, at a conference where he was speaking about ways supervisors can support their employees. She asked Pestorius how is the CDC supporting these employees, and what concerns he hears the most about their well-being?
With no end to Ebola crisis in sight, CDC teams prepare for the long haul
The CDC staff working to stem the Ebola outbreak are "overachievers, hyperachievers and superachievers," according to one manager. The agency is taking steps to prepare those employees both physically and mentally for a long crisis.
Tim McManus, Partnership for Public Service
This week, the award for Federal Employee of the Year went to Dr. Rana Hajjeh for her contributions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her work with vaccines will save the lives of about 7 million children by 2020. The Service to America Medals gala on Monday also featured several young federal employees who might earn that honor for themselves one day. Tim McManus is Vice President for Education and Outreach at the Partnership for Public Service. He was at the Sammies Awards. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said he sees some special potential from this year's finalists in the Call to Serve category.
Dr. Rana Hajjeh, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
From cracking down on Medicare fraud to giving paralyzed veterans the ability to walk, over the past several months we've been telling you about the great work of this year's Service to America Medals nominees. The winners were recognized at a gala in Washington last night. Tom Temin spoke with this year's Federal Employee of the Year. Dr. Rana Hajjeh is director of the Division of Bacterial Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She told Tom Temin on the Federal Drive about her work and what's next.
Partnership names CDC team Federal Employee of the Year
The Partnership for Public Service named the winners of the 13th Annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. Dr. Rana Hajjeh and a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were honored for promoting the immunization of children worldwide to prevent the spread of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) virus.
Green blazes trail to making ambulances safer for EMTs, patients
Working with a public-private team, James D. Green recommended 10 crash safety standards or practices to be used for ambulances and their equipment.
James Green, project officer, CDC and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
An ambulance crash in Texas that killed everyone inside but the driver is the latest incident to expose safety problems in the vehicles of first responder. New emergency crash standards can hopefully reduce that risk. James Green is project officer of the Division of Safety Research at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He's a finalist for a Service to America medal in the Citizen Services category. He created ten new safety standards for ambulances and tells Francis Rose on In Depth what inspired their creation. View a photo gallery of all Sammies finalists. Read a Q&A and read a related article.
Sean Kaufman, President, Behavioral-Based Improvement Solutions
Members of Congress are calling for tighter regulations of government labs handling dangerous microbes. The call comes after employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mishandled materials containing flu and anthrax samples. Sean Kaufman is a former CDC scientist, now president of Behavioral-Based Improvement Solutions. He recently testified to Congress about the safety violations at the CDC. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the safety lapses.
Rana Hajjeh, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Saving lives around the world has a Federal doctor in line for a Service to America Medal. Dr. Rana Hajjeh is director of the Division of Bacterial Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She's a Sammies finalist in the National Security and International Affairs category. She tells Federal News Radio's Francis Rose on In Depth the virus she and her team promoted the vaccine for isn't well known, but the consequences are. View a photo gallery of all Sammies finalists.
Dr. Robert Tauxe, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The most common reason why a foodborne illness might send you to the hospital? A hairy little bacteria known as Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected 40 years of data and, for the first time, published it online as an atlas. Dr. Robert Tauxe is the deputy director of CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. He told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the web atlas.
Charles Rothwell chosen as next NCHS director
Former director of the National Center for Health Statistics' Division of Vital Statistics was named one of Federal News Radio's Top Leaders in Federal Service last February.
CDC team's quick response saves lives, earns kudos
Dr. Johnathan Todd Weber, the chief of CDC's Prevention and Response Branch, led the team of experts who identified the source of a rare form of meningitis that threatened the lives of thousands.
CDC's Rothwell epitomizes 'top shelf' leadership
Overseeing the Division of Vital Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., Charles Rothwell was called a man who "epitomizes everything a top shelf leader should be." He has been named one of Federal News Radio's Top Leaders in Federal Service.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Jan. 30, 2013
FDA proposes sweeping new food safety rules
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed the most sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and food companies to be more vigilant in the wake of deadly outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe and leafy greens.
Federal Drive interviews - Nov. 19, 2012
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) says that in spite of how it may seem, lawmakers understand the dangers of the fiscal cliff and Dr. Arjun Srinivasan talks about drug-resistant viruses known as superbugs that are on the rise.
Marines, police prep for mock zombie invasion
An untold number of so-called zombies are coming to a counterterrorism summit attended by hundreds of Marines, Navy special ops, soldiers, police, firefighters and others to prepare them for their worst nightmares.
GAO: Special hiring authority not a free pass
A Government Accountability Office report found the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency need to do a better job managing their employees under Title 42.