text:
Re: Question about latency
- From: unruh <unruh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:27:02 GMT
On 2010-10-02, Industrial One <industrial_one@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
FIOS has a higher ping than cable? Y'all can't be serious... I thought
FIOS was way faster?
Based on everything I heard on this thread, I get that the shortest
possible ping halfway around the world is 88 ms since signals at most
travel 75% of Einsteins/s, but commonly would be double that due to
the way UDP works to make sure you are connected and twice again
because it doesn't travel in a completely straight line due to the
bounces it has to make.
Does this mean that I'd have to be on crack to look forward to latency-
free real time online gaming in the future?
No. Just run the game all on your own computer.
It also depends on how much data and data packets are exchanged.
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- From: Industrial One
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Here's Jessica Alba in a comfy-looking pair of Jenni Kayne d'Orsay Flats, coming out of dinner in LA with her husband Cash Warren following close behind. These Italian-made Jenni Kayne flats have launched a thousand imitators, from Vince to Chinese Laundry, but these are the original minimalist d'Orsay flat. Jessica absolutely loves them – she has many pairs in a wide variety of different colors and textures. You can currently get your choice of beige or gray leather d'Orsays for $495 at Saks.
Meanwhile, I'm really not sure what Ms. Alba's obsession with distressed jeans is all about. She is almost always wearing a pair in every pic I see of her, and she is one of the last/only celebs left who's doing this with any degree of enthusiasm. Jessica, please explain! On a more positive note – is that a tan leather Valentino Rockstud Tote Bag I spy under her arm?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
College Hockey:Falcons Rebound to Tie #3 Buckeyes
COLUMBUS, Ohio — One night after beating the Falcons 7-2 in Bowling Green, the No. 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes found themselves having to come from behind to earn a single point, ultimately tying BGSU 2-2 in their home opener at Value City Arena tonight.
It was John Dingle's one-timer from high in the slot at 4:03 in the third that knotted the game to force the overtime. Tom Fritsche assisted on both Buckeye goals as Jonathan Matsumoto did for Bowling Green but it was Matsumoto who almost won the game for the Falcons, dinging one off the right post with less than a minute left in the extra session.
The most solid player tonight for either squad, though, was BGSU netminder Jon Horrell, who saved 41 of 43 Buckeye shots on goal.
After OSU opened the scoring on the power play at 2:26 in the first, Horrell was flawless until Dingle's goal and stopped all five of OSU's overtime chances, including three with the man advantage.
"First off, to rebound right from the first power-play goal they get shows quite a bit," said BGSU head coach Scott Paluch. "To withstand the early pressures of playing on the road but I thought he did a great job with his rebound control tonight. There were a lot of shots from within tight that he kept in safer areas, didn't allow too much back."
OSU outshot BGSU 20-4 in the first period but came out of the opening stanza behind 2-1, something head coach John Markell called "puzzling."
"They came with a better effort, and obviously we had about ten seconds in the defensive zone [where] we made two mistakes, and they put two pucks in."
Kyle Hood capitalized on the OSU power play early for the fleeting 1-0 Buckeye lead, on a feed from Fritsche out of the right corner. But the Falcons rebounded quickly to even the score, taking advantage of a Buckeye defensive breakdown to pressure OSU netminder Dave Caruso.
Alex Foster stole the puck in the right OSU circle and fed Matsumoto off the board in the corner who the skated around the top of the zone and behind the Buckeye net left, where he banked the puck off the back bottom bar of the cage for Foster, who took it and stuffed it between the right post and Caruso's leg for the game-tying goal at 3:27.
Mike Falk made a pretty play at 17:38 for the go-ahead tally, taking a pass from Matsumoto and going high left on Caruso, who went down right to guard Falk.
After a scoreless and lackluster second period, the Buckeye returned to the ice with intensity in the third and used their speed to create the opportunity that led to Dingle's marker before losing steam as play progressed.
It looked as though the Buckeyes would play the last four minutes of the game a man down, as Kenny Bernard was assessed a five-minute major for checking from behind at 15:44, but BGSU's Mike Nesdill earned five minutes of his own for the same infraction at 17:02, evening the playing field and giving the Bucks an advantage in OT.
Horrell, however, was up to the task.
"He was strong," said Dingle. "We were peppering him pretty good there and he was making some pretty big saves, but we weren't putting the puck coaches were screaming at us to get the puck high and get it moving, and that's what we have to work on.
"We're playing against good guys here. Goalies are going to make that first save in this league. We've got to mix it up a little bit, and that's what we weren't doing. We didn't have that spice with our shots."
"He definitely made some big saves," added Fritsche. "We didn't make the right shots, but he did make some big saves at the right times."
Horrell ended the night with 41 saves to Caruso's 17. BGSU went 0-for-8 on the power play; OSU was 1-for-7.
The point was the first the Falcons have taken from the Buckeyes under fourth-year head coach Scott Paluch. "I thought it was a terrific college hockey game and a real important game for our club after last night," said Paluch. "This has been an extremely tough place for us to play the last couple of years and I think our guys really rallied this morning.
"I said all week long in preparation that I really believe is easily a top-two team in the country with the experience they have and how much they can put on you in so many different ways. I'm really proud of how our team responded tonight."
The Falcons (0-3-1, 0-1-1 CCHA) return to Bowling Green to host Ferris State in the first game of a Thursday-Saturday, home-and-home series this week, while the Buckeyes (2-1-1, 1-0-1 CCHA) travel to Western Michigan to face the Broncos next weekend.
"This team's learning how to compete, learning how to handle pressure, and we got a point," said Markell. "We have to continue the learning process. We found a way to put a puck in the net that could have easily been lost. That will be an important point down the line."
The following is a self-policing forum for discussing views on this story. Comments that are derogatory, make personal attacks, are abusive, or contain profanity or racism will be removed at our discretion. USCHO.com is not responsible for comments posted by users. Please report any inappropriate or offensive comments by clicking the "Flag" link next to that comment in order to alert the moderator.
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Traudl Junge Movies and Career Information
Actor and Writer
- Traudl Junge Movies before 2015
- Blind Spot: Hitler's Private Secretary 2002
- Movies Written by Traudl Junge
- Downfall (Der Untergang) 2005
Although updated daily, all theaters, movie show times, and movie listings should be independently verified with the movie theatre.
Contact mrmovietimes.com for information or comments. Please read the mrmovietimes.com Privacy Policy and terms of use. Enjoy the movie!
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Nokia N9 starts shipping to fulfill your MeeGo dreams. Prices start at €480
Nokia has announced that its very first MeeGo smartphone – the N9 – is finally heading to stores around the world, so customers should be able to find it on shelves starting the next few days, in black, cyan and magenta paint jobs.
Unfortunately, Nokia doesn't mention which countries will get the N9 first. But it did say that prices will start from about €480 ($647) for the 16GB version, and €560 ($755) for the 64GB version.
The N9 has no hardware buttons on the front, and features a 3.9 inch scratch-resistant curved AMOLED display with 854 x 480 pixels, HSPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, GPS, free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation, NFC, 8MP Carl Zeiss camera with 720p video recording, 1GB of RAM, and a 1GHz single-core processor.
According to Nokia, "there is a lot of buzz around the N9 and the consumer demand has been huge" – because "people love the new, button-free user interface and the intuitive way to browse the Internet. When they try out the device, they are first amazed and then impressed."
Even if MeeGo isn't an OS of the future, the Nokia N9 does seem to be one of the best smartphones the Finish company has ever made. So if you don't particularly need Android, Windows Phone, iOS of BlackBerry, but do need a new high-end smartphone, the N9 is definitely worth checking out.
Via Nokia


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Oct. 25, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky - Stanford two-way standout Owen Marecic earned recognition as one of the Paul Hornung Award's most versatile performances of the week after intercepting his second pass of the season, while also making two carries and two receptions for 20 yards against Washington State on Saturday.
For Marecic, it is his fourth honor from the Louisville award committee, as the senior from Tigard, OR is one of five players nationally to earn the honor at least three times this season. The other four players-- Trent Richardson (Alabama), Randall Cobb (Kentucky), Jerrel Jernigan (Troy) and Jeremy Kerley (TCU) are all primarily offensive weapons and special teams players.
Marecic also earned the honor after rushing for a one-yard touchdown and intercepting a pass for a TD at Notre Dame in week four and following week two, when he scored a one-yard touchdown in his second start two-way start of the season at UCLA.
Overall on the season, Marecic has started both ways in five of seven games, playing a majority of the game at fullback and at linebacker. He has rushed for two touchdowns on 13 carries and 31 yards and caught five passes for 28 yards. Stanford is averaging 216.0 yards on the ground, 16th-best in the nation behind one of the nation's top fullbacks.
A first year starter on defense, he is fourth on the team in tackles (30) to go along with in 1.0 sack, 3.5 tackles for a loss, six passes defended, four pass breakups and two interceptions. He also had a team-best 10 tackles at Oregon, now the No. 1 team in the nation.
Hornung Award Page on Marecic


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UMass Postgame Notes - at UConn
Aug. 30, 2012 at Connecticut, East Hartford, Conn., Rentschler Field
Football Season Underway As Preseason Camp Begins
Minutemen battle the heat as August rings in a new era.
FB vs. UCONN
FB vs. UCONN Photos by Thom Kendall '93
As A Redshirt Junior In 2014: Game-By-Game Statistics
As A Redshirt Sophomore In 2013: Was not a member of the active roster
As A Redshirt Freshman In 2012: Game-By-Game Statistics
As A Freshman In 2011: Redshirted the season to enter 2012 with four years of eligibility remaining.
Before UMass: Had eight interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, as a senior at Hylton High School ... All-State AAA Second Team ... Named AAA Cardinal District Defensive Player of the Year ... Picked as a first-team AAA receiver and first-team defensive back ... All-Metropolitan Honorable Mention ... AAA All-Region Defensive Back ... Hauled in 412 receiving yards with four touchdowns on offense ... Also recorded a rushing touchdown and punt return score ... Honored as the Roanoke Times Top 100 Recruits "Sleeper of the Year."
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Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World is always known for having a lot of star power on hand. In the past, actors like Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Dave Prowse (Darth Vader), Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok) have greeted fans at the popular annual event. This year, the stakes have grown, with Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, heading over to Disney's Hollywood Studios for the 2014 celebration.
If you'd like to see Hamill, he'll be appearing from June 6 to 8 in the daily motorcade and in a show. Plan to arrive at the park very, very, very early if you want to see him, as Star Wars Weekends is always a crowded event. Hard-core fans will likely come out in droves to see the hero of the three original movies, so expect the park to be even more packed than usual, with parking at a premium and long lines at the front gate.
James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan's voice in "The Clone Wars") returns this year as celebrity host, and a new fireworks show will cap each day of the event. If you'd like a peek at the show that James Arnold Taylor typically puts on, jump to this article.
Need advice or guidance from a Central Florida theme parks expert? Check out my ebooks for Kindle and Nook.


text:
Top Definition
42A is simply a poker hand which represents the famous stonerworld number 420 because the A can easily be seen as an 0... if your high that is!
Announcer: Looks like he picked up the 42A draw!
Willy Nelson: I raise 420,000
Willy Nelson: I raise 420,000
by MCDC TWIST November 27, 2008


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Baseball, Bedlam, Brave
- Details
- Source: SoonerSports.com
NORMAN -- Bedlam comes to Norman for the first time since 2011 as the No. 30 Oklahoma baseball team hosts Oklahoma State, Tuesday at 6:00 pm at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Oklahoma claimed its second Big 12 series in as many tries to improve to 4-2 in the league and 20-9 overall...Read more


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Employment Articles in Amarillo, Texas
Being Forced Out of Your Executive Job? 8 Things to Do Right Now
by Lisa Rangel - Sep, 2015
You may sense that you are being forced to quit—see the signs below that it is happening to you. Or your superiors might already have told you they want your resignation. You probably are unhinged. The good news is that there are 8 things you can do right now to manage the situation. Those best practices will reduce or even prevent damage to your career and give you a competitive advantage in what you choose next. Signs you...
Football Season and the Workplace: Productivity Drain or Engagement Opportunity?
by Mary G. White - Sep, 2015
With football season getting started, the sport is likely to make its presence known in the American workplace. Employees who are football fans will likely spend quite a bit of time while they're at work chatting about recent and upcoming games, updating Fantasy Football rosters, ribbing co-workers who follow rival teams and more. Can this impact productivity in a negative way? Sure it can. However, employers can also leverage...
How to Structure a Business Presentation
by Mary G. White - Sep, 2015
Getting ready for a business presentation requires preparation and practice. There are important steps to delivering a presentation effectively that you need to follow. You must be knowledgeable about your subject matter, but that isn't enough. You must also have the information organized in a manner that will allow you to quickly capture the interest of your audience and that will keep it all the way through. Attention-Gra...
Is Resistance Killing Your Job Search? – 6 Job Search Mindset Killing Mistakes
by Lisa Rangel - Sep, 2015
Everyone knows that the job search can be a stressful time marked by hopeful ups and defeating downs. You get excited about new leads and suffer disappointments on your hunt for that perfect job that can become the next step in a successful career. This is normal. However, during your job search, you could be your own worst enemy by not accepting this is normal and, instead, taking it personally. Without even knowing it, you c...
Mature Job-Seekers: Your Game, Your Rules
by Rowe Leathers - Sep, 2015
With age comes experience, and with experience comes opportunities only afforded to mature workers. That said, seasoned workers must approach their job search differently than the younger and less experienced. The strategy of younger candidates is to lead with their education, embellish their experience, and highlight any and all certifications. Mature workers should consider an alternate approach: showcase your many years...
Why You're So Indecisive (and Smart Ways to Get Over It)
by Melody Wilding - Sep, 2015
You've just worked your third 12-hour day in a row, with no sign of the craziness winding down in the days ahead, when a client calls you with yet another problem that needed to be solved—yesterday. In that moment, it may seem like your brain simply gives up while your client is still on the line, waiting for you to provide another one of the quick, brilliant solutions that she's come to depend on you for. This moment of...
Resume Enlightenment: The "Oh My" Moment
by Robin Schlinger - Sep, 2015
What was your "oh my" moment—the moment when you realized that you needed a professional resume writer? For a management trainee who wanted to move into a managerial position, that moment occurred when an interviewer wanted to know what he meant by "sense background." The word was supposed to be "science," but his spell-checker changed a misspelling ("scence") to "sense." A director of programs and projects realized that...
Resume Tips V: Giving Yourself Credit
by Robin Schlinger - Sep, 2015
I have a friend who is conversational in three languages. That impresses me no end. But when she showed me her resume, I was surprised to find that she never mentioned her talent in languages. As a professional resume writer, one of my tasks is to help job seekers recognize hidden talents that actually have very high value for companies. My friend made four statements that I have heard over and over again from job seekers who...
The 13 Mantras of Trust
by Alexandra Levit - Sep, 2015
Just when we thought things were getting better… According to the 2015 annual Edelman Trust Barometer Study, the business world is experiencing an evaporation of trust across all kinds of institutions, reaching the lows of the Great Recession in 2009. Trust in business specifically is below 50 percent in two-thirds of countries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany and Japan. Trust deficits are so significant that they're hind...
5 Steps to Starting a Career Transition
by Kathy Bornheimer - Sep, 2015
5 Steps to Starting a Career Transition Career Transitions have become almost necessary since the beginning of the 21st century. Some people have been doing it since the early 1980's; others are just going through their first one. As an experienced (and successful) career changer, I'm able to use my own experiences in my Career Coaching practice. The one rule that remains consistent is what I call the ABC step program. When c...
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Oct 19, 2006 5:17 PM
A portable photo printer with interchangeable color panels? That's the idea behind the stylish and compact Canon Pixma mini260 ($200). This self-contained printer can be used on the go, offering built-in or optional support for printing photos from compatible memory cards, digital cameras, Bluetooth devices and cell phones. Features such as colorful interchangeable side panels, a color TFT display with scroll wheel navigation and print resolution up to 9600 x 2400 dpi make this printer fun and tech savvy all at the same time.
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Writer's Corner for September, 2004
Historical Romance Roundtable
It would be hard to imagine a more star-studded line-up from the world of historical romance than the group assembled on a recent September afternoon for our first AAR Historical Romance Roundtable.
My goals were ambitious: First, to take a snapshot of the state of historical romance today as seen by a select group of leading voices in the field and, second, to gain what insights we could into the creative and editorial decisions and processes behind the books. Since the tasks were so formidable, we brought together the best and brightest in historical romance:
Connie Brockway: RITA-award winning author of All Through The Night (my favorite romance of all time), As You Desire, and My Dearest Enemy, each of which received DIK status from AAR. She has earned five DIK's thus far in her career.
Liz Carlyle: The author of AAR DIKs No True Gentleman and A Woman Of Virtue, Ms. Carlyle is renowned for her lush prose and unforgettable characterizations. Her following – and the buzz surrounding her books – grows with each new release.
Loretta Chase: RITA-award winning author of the brilliant Lord Of Scoundrels, Miss Wonderful marked her welcome return to romance after a hiatus of several years. Loretta holds three AAR DIKs.
Judith Ivory: A revered author with a following bordering on the cult-ish, she is the recipient of both the RITA Award and a truly astonishing seven AAR DIKs. Her last release was the AAR DIK Untie My Heart.
Lucia Macro: Executive Editor for Morrow/Avon, Lucia has proudly seen five of the authors with whom she works reach the New York Times bestseller list. Lucia edits all types of women's books and reports that the most exciting moment of all is when she's able to publish an author's debut.
Julia Quinn: Multiple New York Times best-selling author and undisputedly one of the biggest stars in romance today. Not surprisingly, she is also a multiple RITA finalist and recipient of three AAR DIKs.
Due to last minute complications, Maggie Crawford, Executive Vice President and Editorial Director of Pocket Books, was unable to join us. Though she was sorely missed, look for a few comments and insights from her at the end of the roundtable.
--Sandy Coleman
First of all, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to join us. In getting ready for today, I asked AAR's readers for their ideas on what they'd like us to talk about, and, of course, they didn't disappoint. A very, very big area of interest – and, to some degree, concern – for those readers is the proliferation of books set in the Regency (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and the perceived lack of books set in other periods. Several readers cited the popularity of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator as an indication of the public's willingness to accept and enjoy stories told in a variety of periods. So, this begs the question, for those here who write in the Regency – and those who don't – is your choice of period market-driven or are you truly setting your books in the time that appeals to you most?
Loretta: I started writing Regencies because I loved 19th Century English history. It has nothing to do with market for me – it's merely the fascinations of the time period. It's got so much stuff that I keep finding new things to write about.
Liz: For me, it was definitely a choice of the heart. I didn't know beans about the "market" when I started writing. And Loretta is right. It is a rich period, politically and socially. It has the beauty and some of the decadence of the Georgian era, without the restrictions of the Victorian era. Of course, Victorian-set books have a different set of possibilities.
Loretta: I love Victorian settings, but I haven't gotten there yet.
Julia: The Regency has always been the time period that appeals to me most. Even when I was a pure reader and didn't really even understand what the Regency was, I always looked for romances with certain buzzwords on the back: Lords, ladies, and the like. So when I started to write, it was the natural setting.
Connie: Certainly, I love the Regency period, but I've also written Georgian and Victorian books and I can't say I've seen an appreciable difference in their success.
Lucia: I'll answer from the editorial perspective. The vast majority of historical romance readers have indicated by voting with their pocketbooks that they like English and Scottish settings, though not only Regency. Historical novels are a different concept all together and what people go to see in the movies in terms of a visual experience and what they are going to buy as books are also often completely different. It's true, Medievals can work well, (although I'm not a personal fan of all those cold castles and rushes on the floor), but as soon as we send them to another country, we look at gloomy returns. Remember, in the movies you also get, say, Johnny Depp – maybe it's not the Caribbean that's so appealing! And heroics can look better on film (I'm thinking Gladiator), whereas romances are often about how people speak, think, and talk. The 19th century is perfect for that. Without getting too intellectualized, it's the beginning not only of modern thought, but the start of the concept of love matches as viable.
Julia: If you go back to what I looked for on the back covers of books before I was really in tune to what the various time periods meant, the sorts of things I looked for are marketing buzzwords that can be easily used in back cover copy for all three periods: Georgian, Regency, and Victorian. I think that most readers are not slavishly devoted to one nine-year period, but just rather like the vibe and they'll go for books set in Victorian and Georgian times as well. The vibe is actually quite different for all three periods, but in terms of how you market it on the back cover, it's not.
Lucia: Readers are definitely having a love affair right now with the UK. And, of course, all periods of the 1800s have that lushness, as well as the social issues, that can be so wonderful to write about.
So, if the 19th century is a vibe – and I think it is – where do Medievals fit in?
Judith: I like to read Medievals for the adventure and damsels in distress. But, as a writer, I just have no interest in characters who can't think in terms of their own consciousness and egos, which is too Freudian to be set much further back than the Victorian period.
Connie: Medievals are a different vibe. It seems to me that the 1800s have a social/class vibe, while Medievals are more about over-the-top heroics, death, and mayhem. I also look to Medievals to be more about politics and Regency-set books to be more about people.
Loretta: I like the intellectuality of the 19th century. Witty repartee was important.
Julia: Very good point, Loretta. The 19th century is a lot better for those of us who like to write a lot of dialogue.
Judith: I loved Laura Kinsale's For My Lady's Heart, but the characters – as Medieval as their speech sounded – really had a more "now" presence for me which I need as a reader. If characterization is important – and we all think of character, I think, in terms of internal monologues only introduced in Modernist literature, along with Freudian awareness for our 20th century notions of how people explain themselves to themselves – then this sort of modern feeling is necessary.
Loretta: It's tricky to write about characters' inner lives when you don't have the Freudian terms.
Let's move on to something slightly different. Clearly, a great "lighter" book is deceptively so since the terrific ones – and Julia and Loretta are perfect examples of this – are usually quite emotionally complex. But, sadly, many of the so-called lighter books really are just that. As one of our readers put it: "The books are getting shorter, the plots lighter, and the settings less varied. " Reactions?
Julia: I hear this a lot (obviously), and I'm usually unsure how to take it. I think it's because so many readers mean different things when they say "light." I've been thinking about this for some time, and I think there are three distinct comparisons: Light vs. dark, light vs. deep, and light vs. complex. And, to make that more complicated, you can find complexity in any number of areas. I would argue that the big sweeping historicals of years past were complex in plot. I would like to think that I write books that are complex in character.
Lucia: This certainly isn't something I've encouraged. Point taken about the settings, but most of the authors on our list who are growing are really stretching themselves in terms of providing emotional complexity. That said, the world is a tough place and sometimes you just want to read – or write! – something more light-hearted. Truth is, there is nothing more difficult to write than a funny/comedic story.
Loretta: Sometimes people want a very light read. My sister is a prolific reader, and sometimes she wants fluff. So do I sometimes.
Judith: I'm just laughing. My plots are so tangled and complex, I don't know what to say. Even The Proposition, my "light" book, gave me fits with the plotting and all but Black Silk are 400 to 500 page manuscripts. Avon even had me add stuff to Black Silk, by the way, which ended up as a 500-plus page manuscript.
To be honest, I think "light" for some of our readers is shorthand for bad. And Julie and Loretta are two of the authors who are usually exempted when the complaints start. But, let's face it, it would be hard to argue with the fact that many readers enjoy a lighter read.
Julia: I think the danger in writing "light" is that many books that are written in a light style also end up being light in substance. But not all! My favorite sort of book is one with a light touch when it comes to the prose, but with a richness and complexity when it comes to the characters, the plot, or both.
I also think the big sweeping historicals that are complex in plot are a tough sell these days because they usually require a long separation between the hero and the heroine. And readers have repeatedly said (at least what I've heard, anyway) that they don't like that.
Judith: No, I don't think so. Complex plots don't mean a separation of the protagonists at all. It just means multiple conflicts going on at once.
Julia: I agree, Judy. You don't have to have a long separation, but it seems like most of the time that's what you end up with in that sort of book.
Lucia: I actually feel there is a blank in the market for big, sweeping historicals, but that might be changing. However, we make a mistake in calling these books romances. I recently surprised an interviewer when I maintained that Gone With The Wind wasn't a romance. Core romance readers want that intensity of emotion – they want the hero and heroine together and they want the focus on that love story.
Great segue, Lucia! As both readers and authors know, there are a few "rules" when it comes to romance. The women here today, however, are well known for breaking many of those rules. Do you think if you were being published for the first time today that you'd be given the same creative freedom or is breaking all those rules a right you earned? And, secondly, are there any rules you think truly are sacrosanct?
Loretta: I've never been clear on what the rules were, except the part about love conquering all.
Lucia: The rules you can't break in romance are that there has to be a happy ending and that as soon as the couple meets, they only have eyes for each other. Otherwise, go for it, I say.
Julia: Hmmm. Well, I guess I broke Lucia's second rule in my last book!
Judith: I think the happy ending is something that I, both as a reader and writer, absolutely must have in a romance. If I wanted ambiguity or unhappiness, I'd walk out my front door. Otherwise, I break any other rule I want. The thing is, you know as a writer when you are in the groove and that is what the reader and the writer long for – that feeling of being transported elsewhere. You do that, and all other bets are off. Except the happy end.
Liz: I'm kinda-sorta going to break the no-sex-with-other-partners-after-the-hero-and-heroine-begin-to-develop-a-relationship rule with my next book. We'll see how much flack I get.
Lucia: I've edited books where there've been longish separations and they are tough to pull off, but not impossible. I also edited a Lorraine Heath where the heroine believed her husband was dead, but he returned. And, trust me, he was not the hero!
Liz: As a reader – back when I actually had time to read – I had a definite dislike for long separations of the hero and heroine. But, otherwise, I was not troubled by rules being broken.
Julia: I think what a lot of people call rules are really just conventions, habits that we've fallen into as a genre. For example, so often when you read a story with a widow, the first husband was evil. Or if he wasn't evil, then he was old. Or gay. I think this came about because it was a good way to set the first husband in stark contrast with the ultimate hero of the book.
Loretta: It's too heartbreaking if the first husband was wonderful and the couple was passionately in love. When you make number one icky, it's easier to bear. (Of course, my new book has a widow who loved her husband, because why not make it hard on myself?)
Lucia: I agree with you, Loretta. But if you are skillful you can talk me into anything . . . well, almost!
Liz: I once wrote a book about a widow who had loved her husband and thought he was a nice guy. I did get some strange emails over that one.
Connie: Conventions become established because they resonate with the readership, they strike some core fantasy or establish some element of the fantasy that enables them to buy into it.
Judith: It's that groove thing. Funny. In 1987 when I was looking for an agent, I picked my agent based on this very question. He was the only one who said: "No rules. It's all execution." Still is decades later. If the words transport you, you'll follow them anywhere.
Let's move on to a different area. Some readers commented on the fact that contemporary attitudes seem to be creeping into historical romance. To a big degree – for me, at any rate – this makes stories more palatable since the position of women in the 19th century was so deplorable. Do any of you feel the need to apologize for heroines whose attitudes or position in life wouldn't quite pass muster for historical purists?
Judith: An entertainment read has to resonate with readers now. I make no apologies for striving to make this so, no matter the time period in which my books are set.
Liz: If all we wrote was based on historical truths, no one would read it.
Loretta: To write about women as they truly were in the 19th century is too depressing and infuriating.
Connie: Agreed!
Julia: I've been trying to figure out how to answer this one, and everyone else already said it better.
Lucia: Votes for women, I say! Actually, I think historical heroines are often the fish-out-of-water in terms of their times and that's what makes them so much fun and so challenging to the hero. There were some amazing women – Florence Nightingale, George Sand, and the Pankhursts, for example – who could even be used as role models for our heroines.
Loretta: The difficulty is, even the most liberated of 19th century women would seem oppressed by contemporary standards. But there were bold ones who defied convention – and paid the price.
I'm always driven nuts by the fact that Lizzie Bennett – as smart and gifted as she was – could only hope for marriage to improve her circumstances. That was it – the only option...yes, it's depressing!
Lucia: That's why I'm a Bronte Girl and not an Austen Girl.
Judith: Dickens is probably the most true Victorian lit, though I maintain that most of what we consider "lit'rachure" is just the ramblings of white, Western European, clinically depressed, middle-aged men. I'm not sure that women in 19th century England didn't fall in love and feel happy and have beautiful lives from time to time. Certainly as much as they do now. Truth is, things aren't all that different today – a century has made appallingly little difference for the fate of many. I think we pat ourselves on the back too much with regard to the present. The present is plenty depressing if you think about it long enough. Victorian England may not have smelled as nice, but people didn't lead lives that were any less happy, I'd wager.
Connie: I've just been reading a book about high-end courtesans. Many of the brighter women were quite forward thinking.
Loretta: George Eliot lived with a man and had a "liberated" sort of life, but she was pretty hard on her heroines. I read somewhere that to the Victorians death wasn't as "dirty" as sex, so that's why heroines get killed off so much.
Julia: That's my definition of romance when written by a man: The heroine always dies! Love Story, anyone?
Connie: Or that terrible A River Runs Through It.
Judith: I still maintain the reason for all the depressing stuff in the books you point out is that history has lauded the works of people who today would be called clinically depressed. Good equals sad. That is just plain sick to me.
Loretta: People seemed to live life more cheerfully during the Regency era, maybe because they were more matter-of-fact about sex.
Judith: Freud would agree with Loretta. But didn't the Victorians know how to make sex titillating? Piano legs turned them on. Repression has it's up-side!
Connie: But our records are only for the elite.
Judith: The elite and the depressed, Connie. Romance is the first long-sustained literature that celebrates happiness.
Connie: Excellent point, Judy.
Loretta: Don't creative types in general have a higher rate of depression than other people?
Judith: There is a romantic myth that creative people tend to be more depressed, but I'd dispute it. As soon as someone turns out a book that isn't depressing – like romance, for instance – it isn't called literature anymore. I say we've acclaimed depressing writing long enough!
Julia: I don't know, Judy, I don't think it's a myth. There is a difference between a depressed individual and depressing output. I think the clinical studies show pretty clearly that people in creative professions suffer a higher rate of depression. It would be interesting to see if romance authors suffer depression at a similar rate as those in other genres.
Judith: A depressed writer has a certain view of the world, and this view – this unrealistic view for me – is one of bleakness and hopelessness that permeates his or her work.
Loretta: This is where I start inclining toward Judy's point of view about clinically depressed people writing bleak, obscure material. Or maybe they were just brainwashed by college professors!
Liz: You have to be "tortured" to be an "artist?" Many seem to think so – as opposed to we happy hacks who write romance.
Judy makes an excellent point that when a book isn't depressing it isn't considered "good". Do you think that's one of the reasons why romance is so saddled with that old bodice-ripper image?
Connie: I definitely think academic paternalism has led to certain values in defining good and bad literature.
Lucia: I think we're saddled with it because some of the older books (more than 20 years ago) truly were bodice rippers (and not all, so hold those calls and letters, please) and the general public wanted to latch onto this image. It was as if once the bedroom door was opened in the 70s and 80s all bets were off. Also, I still maintain that because these are popular books written by women that the genre just can't get no respect. But I also think we need to demand that respect. No more cover model pageants ever!
Moving on, one of our readers wondered which of your heroines is most "you"?
Loretta: Not a one. I create women I'd like to be.
Julia: Oh, geez, I'm kind of a combination of one part each of Penelope, Eloise, and Francesca.
Connie: I'm with Loretta on this one. My heroines are the woman I would have liked to have been when I was 20 or so. I'm perfectly happy with who I am at this age (35).
Judith: I'm laughing now because I'm always the guy! Hey, where else do I get to be egotistical and have people love me for it?
Liz: I have always had to struggle in writing my heroines since I see things from the male POV.
Well, I have to admit some of those answers are pretty surprising to me! Now here's a question for which you'll have to wear your reader's hat. What was the last book that absolutely knocked your socks off?
Julia: I'm way behind on my romance reading, but one that comes to mind is Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke. Really beautiful characterization and I loved the way the story unfolded. I can't wait to read her next one. For a non-romance, that would be The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. The plotting just took my breath away. And the characters were so real (in an unreal story).
Lucia: I refuse to answer on the grounds that I may incriminate myself and have all the authors fire me! So, I'll skip mentioning a romance, but I loved The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory. I thought it was brilliantly done. I also read a YA historical, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libby Bray, that was amazing and so original.
Liz: I recently reread Clyde Egerton's Walking Across Egypt. That one always knocks my socks off and is a comfort read for me.
Connie: For me that would be The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason: Crappy mystery, but stunning coming of age story.
Lucia is officially off the hook, but for everybody else what was the last romance that knocked your socks off?
Connie: Boy, I've read many I've enjoyed a great deal but "knock my socks off" . . . that's tough.
Loretta: Ditto here, Connie.
Liz: An old Mary Balogh from the UBS – The Secret Pearl. Stunning, and it broke lots of rules.
Judith: Lordy, it's been such a long time since a whole book did that for me. In truth, though, I haven't had much time to read lately (a wedding, a move, a hurricane, a late book, a bad back that won't quit). John Irving's A Widow for One Year was gorgeous for the first half and crap for the last. I still enjoyed the last half, though, truth be told.
Julia: Oh, I agree about A Widow for One Year! And it has changed the way I make left turns forever!
Judith: The last romance I read was the Crusie before last, which shows how far behind I am in my reading. And I'm banging my head here on the desk, trying to remember the title. (Forgive me, Jenny!)
Julia: Faking It?
Judith: That's it! I love Crusie and think she has just gotten better and better. (Now there is an example for me of "light" and brilliant.)
As a reviewer, it's kind of hard to knock my socks off, too, but every one of the writers here has done it. Do you think as the fine craftswomen you are that it's tougher for you to just relish the experience?
Julia: I think we don't get to read as many books as you do. Or at least I don't.
Loretta: I read murder mysteries for relaxation.
Liz: It is hard to read any sort of fiction. You want to reach for your red pen and start marking it up.
Julia: I read totally differently than Liz. If I'm reading a book and it's not good, it bugs me and I may not finish it, but I have no desire to fix it – that is, unless it's been given to me in manuscript form. Then I want to fix it! Go figure.
Do any of you have plans to try a different genre – contemporary or romantic suspense, for example?
Julia: Definitely not suspense. I'm just not that tight a plotter. I don't think I could write a mystery that everyone wouldn't have solved by the end of chapter two.
Liz: No, I'd rather dance with the gal that brung me, so to speak. I still love historicals.
Judith: Way down the line, like five or six books down the line. I loved The Bourne Identity, but didn't feel like the romance was done as well as it could be. Now if I could do all the other stuff as well . . .
Loretta: My natural voice seems to be historical, English setting. It must be all those years of reading Victorian novels.
Connie: I enjoy writing. I have this feeling I should be happier when I'm writing. I think my friend Susie Law says it best, " really, really like having written."
Liz: I am much happier after I've written.
Judith: I feel proud to have brought something forth, but, no, I love to be inside another world. When I'm in that groove, I adore the process. If I can't find it, I'm miserable.
Loretta: There are bad days and good days. But writing beats having a real job.
Julia: Amen to that! (I've never had a real job!)
Moving on, What's next for all of you?
Loretta: Mr. Impossible which will be out next spring, I think. It's set in Egypt with English characters and was hard but lots of fun to write.
Julia: Oh, I can't wait, Loretta! My favorite of Connie's is As You Desire which is set in Egypt and I'm also a huge Amelia Peabody fan.
Loretta: I love Amelia Peabody. Mine's set much earlier, though, before they could even read hieroglyphs.
Connie: Go, Loretta! I'd love to write a sequel for As You Desire. I'm finishing the last of the Rose Hunters series, then maybe a comedic historical paranormal.
Loretta: Comedic historical paranormal – I love this!
Liz: I've got The Devil To Pay out in January and I'm working on a sort-of sequel called (I think) One Little Sin set for October.
Julia: I'm finishing up the next Bridgerton novel, this one about Hyacinth. It's due out July 2005.
Judith: I have a book that has been near completion for months, no kidding. But I also have a back that won't tolerate being in the chair for the long periods I need. Yadda, yadda, yadda – it's a long story and I won't bore you. My work in progress is Victorian and I love it, bien sur. It looks like it's the first of what might be several books, but we'll see. This one is the middle brother Nicholas's book (his two brothers really, really feel like books, too) and it's all about control. Nicholas does everything right and has his world in perfect order. Then, the wind literally blows Cara into his life and thirty years of planning and perfection go to *ell in a hand basket. It's great fun.
Okay, winding down, now and this one is just a quickie. Let's imagine it's five years from now and we're all sitting down to ruminate on the state of historical romance in 2009. Where do you all think we'll be?
Loretta: If we could see into the future, wouldn't we be at the track, betting on horses?
Julia: I don't see the love for 19th Century Great Britain dying off, but I think we may see a few more settings opening up. Probably not Westerns, though. I think that'll be a while.
Liz: I fear our audience will have shrunk a bit. Young girls don't seem to be reading much romance. Other than that, I doubt much will have changed.
Lucia: I suspect we'll all be bemoaning the awful state of the market and I think we'll all be wondering just how wholesale distributorships work! But, seriously, I think and hope we'll be seeing some great new talent coming up through the ranks and some authors who come from nowhere. I never try to predict trends, but I think we'll see different formats for contemporaries (more in trade). The UK will always be popular, but I actually think Westerns may make a comeback. Julie and I can discuss in five years!
Julia: I hope you're right and I'm wrong, Lucia!
Lucia: I also think we're on the cusp of seeing bigger historical romantic novels, and then I can finally reissue Daughter Of The Game!
Judith: Interesting. I think the mood of the country may affect things. I find myself terribly curious about all things Middle Eastern, so I have a half-Arabian heroine and oodles of research into the areas that are in the headlines today.
Connie: We will all be bemoaning the fact that since Loretta's book Mr. Impossible came out, we haven't been able to write about anything set in any country other than Egypt in the Regency era! Or we're all writing hip contemporaries for middle-aged women. I even have the genre name: Hot Flashes (as opposed to chick lit).
Julia: Boom Lit!
Loretta: Stories about middle-aged women would be nice. Then I could relate.
Judith: Go, Connie! And we'll all be asking what the rules are and which ones we can violate. And, as usual, we won't be able to find any rules, as much as we'd like some. And, Lucia, what is Daughter Of The Game and why can't we have it now?
Lucia: I'm clearly the fish out of water, because I'm in my forties and I like reading about 28 year-olds. Daughter Of The Game is a terrific historical novel by Tracy Grant that Morrow/Avon published a while ago. I think it's still in print in mass.
So I'm not surprised considering this group, but I think we're on to something here: Hot Flashes and Boom Lit! Okay, we'll finish up now with a truly open-ended question. Did any of you have a great answer prepared for a question I failed to ask?
Lucia: That's a great question, but you asked the hard one about settings!
Connie: "When I was 21."
Now, I ask you, how can you top that last answer?
Maggie Weighs In
As an unfortunate result of some last minute technical issues, Maggie Crawford, Executive Vice President and Editorial Director of Pocket Books, was unable to join our live chat. She took the time, however, to answer a few of the key questions addressed by the group.
Maggie, what's your reaction to the perception of our readers that these days it's All Regency All The Time?
Maggie: No question about it, it the most popular historical setting is among the privileged in early 19-century England which seems to be where most historical readers' romantic fantasies take place. For publishers it's a safe bet that the Regency setting will not turn off readers, whereas eighteenth-century Australia might. However, I'll also bet that something different done well will attract an audience. Connie, would you please get me a copy of that comedic historical paranormal manuscript you mentioned right away?
Is our reader accurate in her complaint that "the books are getting shorter, the plots lighter, and the settings less varied."
Maggie: I agree with your reader's observation. The majority of historical romance readers don't buy the longer novels that contain a lot of historical detail and are set outside England and Scotland. Which is why they're not being published plentifully.
How do you feel about the "rules" in romance? Are there any that you see as sacrosanct?
Maggie: I agree with the group. A happy ending and no long separation of the hero and the heroine. I'd advise writers to keep those ideas in mind and go off and write something fresh with realistic emotions and vibrant characters. I can't wait to read Liz's book in which she breaks the no-sex-with-other partners rule. That's certainly going to add realism and complexity to the primary romantic relationship! I bet readers will relish it.
What was the last book - romance or otherwise - that totally knocked your socks off?
Maggie: If by "knocked your socks off" you mean loved it and didn't want it to end and would gladly change places with the heroine, I'd say Connie's Rose Hunters novels (My Seduction and My Pleasure, the latter of which is about to be published) and Liz's A Deal With The Devil and Beauty Like The Night, one of her backlist titles which I read recently.
If by "knocked your socks off" you mean shocked me – in a positive way – I can only think of one romance in recent years and, of course, it's not in one of the well-established sub-genres. It's a paranormal contemporary romantic suspense, Catherine Mulvaney's Run No More. Pocket Books is publishing it in October.
Where do you think we'll be in five years?
Maggie: A writer, and it wouldn't surprise me if she's one of the five chatting here who have all added vitality to the genre – and I thank all of you for your high-quality work which draws loyalists and crucial new readers to romantic fiction – is going to come along and do something very different that will surprise and delight readers and we'll all begin to view the romance genre a little differently. Will she introduce a new emphasis on plot? Combine historical and contemporary settings? Let her heroine be interested in two different men and lead us through the discovery of which one is truly right for her ? Take us into exotic territory, i.e., not England/Scotland/America? I can't wait to read it!
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, as well as to the readers who took the time to make invaluable contributions to this Roundtable through the many insightful and thought-provoking questions posted on AAR's Potpourri Board. Though we couldn't get to them all, I hope you found the discussion as illuminating as I did.
Many thanks also to Sandi Morris, AAR's Technical Editor, whose IT savvy and willingness to get involved above and beyond the call of duty contributed significantly to this Roundtable. Finally, my sister and fellow romance lover provided a critical insight at a key moment. Thanks, Big Sis!
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, as well as to the readers who took the time to make invaluable contributions to this Roundtable through the many insightful and thought-provoking questions posted on AAR's Potpourri Board. Though we couldn't get to them all, I hope you found the discussion as illuminating as I did.
Many thanks also to Sandi Morris, AAR's Technical Editor, whose IT savvy and willingness to get involved above and beyond the call of duty contributed significantly to this Roundtable. Finally, my sister and fellow romance lover provided a critical insight at a key moment. Thanks, Big Sis!


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St. Louis career fairs are happening and it's time for you to get organized! Learn how to get organized and prepared so you can have a successful career fair. Get organized now so you'll be one step closer to organizing your network connections and landing yourself your dream job!
Get out your calendar, here are upcoming career fairs in the St. Louis area:
August 25, 2010
St. Louis Job and Education Fair
11:30 – 3:00
Holiday Inn Southwest / Viking Conference Center
10709 Watson Road
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Free Admission & Free Parking
September 1, 2010
St. Louis Job Fair
10:00 to 3:00
Doubletree Hotel
1973 Craigshire
St. Louis, MO 63146
Free parking and admission!
October 15, 2010
St. Louis Job Fair
11:00 to 2:00
Doubletree Hotel St. Louis at Westport
1973 Craigshire Road
St. Louis, MO 63146
November 3, 2010
St. Louis Job Fair
10:00 to 3:00
Doubletree Hotel
1973 Craigshire
St. Louis, MO 63146
Free parking and admission!
Theresa Finnigin is a professional organizer, speaker, writer and owner of Ready Aim Organize. Theresa is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and NAPO St. Louis Chapter. The mission of Ready Aim Organize is to rid homes and offices of clutter and chaos to ensure time is not wasted and each day is more productive and peaceful than the one before! Sign up now to receive the FREE Ready Aim Organize e-newsletter.


text: Karibia Boutique Hotel is truly comfortable four-star hotel in Medan, especially designed in modern touches of luxury and comfortable atmosphere. Only 45-minute drive from Kuala Namu International Airport, Karibia Boutique Hotel is surrounded by the Central of Business district, Shopping Mall and Hospital. Karibia Boutique Hotel offers an International Standard for business and leisure with warm local hospitality striving to make your stay a memorable and enjoyable experience.


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Tired of the cold, gray, rainy, snowy, slushy, weather? Me too, so Snoopy and I are tickled pea-green and purple-striped about Red Roberts Expo and Swap Meet this Sunday.
- SUNDAY February 16th
- Will Rogers Memorial Center (Small Exhibits Building)
Now's the time to plan for this year's riding season. Figure out what you're going to need and shop BIKER LIFESTYLE VENDORS. You'll find deals, bargains and the best 'Swap meet vendors' in the southwest.
Along with bargains spread out all over the building, you'll enjoy a live music from Pete Barbeck & 7th Son's Blues Band.
On DISPLAY, "The Grasshopper" Nitro Shovelhead Dragster sponsored by - Hank Bauer, Rider & Attorney INFORMATION - WWW.TEXASSCOOTER.COM or 254-687-9066.
As a terrific bonus this Sunday (Feb 16th), at Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth's Largest Gun Show with over 1200 Tables Of Firearms. Check - WWW.PREMIERGUNSHOWS.COM for information.
Texas bikers that are in-the-know will faithfully check www.TexasScooter.com site – for 2014's Schedule of happenings such as:
- March 23 - Coyote Motorcycle Swap Meet
- Coyote Drive In - 223 N.E. 4th St, Fort Worth
- April 13 - Motorcycle Sunday "All Bike Drags"
- Little River Dragway – Temple
- May 3 & 4 - Nostalgia Drags Weekend (Cars & Vintage Nitro & Gas Motorcycles)
- Little River Drag way – Temple
- May 18 - Spring Swap Meet Dallas
- Longhorn Ballroom – Dallas
- October 4 & 5 - Texas Harley Racers Reunion "Gathering & Drags"
- Little River Dragway – Temple
- October 19 - Coyote Motorcycle Swap Meet. Coyote Drive In - 223 N.E. 4th St. Fort Worth
The world is certainly better off with Red and Eve working hard to organize these superb events. Everybody in the Texas Biker scene knows that, so don't miss it. It's worth the price of admission just to rub shoulders with bikers with such sage wisdom. If you have ANY biker lifestyle questions, there will be someone at this event to answer them. Just ask Red or Eve to point the way.
If you have questions that I haven't covered here, visit Texas Scooter Times web site. Red Roberts can answer any of them.
Don't miss any Dallas Motorcycle Lifestyle Examiner article: Click the orange email button at the top, enter your email address and you'll be alerted to the latest piece when it's published. It's FREE. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below - no registration is required to comment.


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|That's all from the Etihad. Great performance from the Reds today, just couldn't hold out. We'll be back for West Brom a week on Monday.
|@suso30fernandez Not a bad game. I think we played better but we couldnt win. Great effort by the team. Tomorrow U21s.
|Sturridge will be a doubt for the England game on Wednesday with a thigh problem, Rodgers reveals.
|Rodgers on the Sturridge goal: 'Dzeko thinks it's a free-kick. You're talking about a minute or so after. The referee had told a couple of players – Gerrard, Sturridge – to play on.'
|Rodgers now in the press room: 'Absolutely we deserved to win. It was an outstanding performance at a notoriously difficult place. The confidence of the players, the desire and the efficiency of the play. Going forward it's a real positive for us.'
|@DietmarHamann Good game at the Etihad. Fair result but LFC slightly edged it...doesn't really help either side.
|Liverpool now nine points off the top four but their toughest remaining fixtures - Everton, Spurs and Chelsea - are all at home. Thirteen games left.
|Mancini: 'Liverpool probably should have stopped [for the goal]. But in the end the result was probably correct because Liverpool played well.'
|Mancini: 'We didn't play well. Liverpool played better than us in the first half.'
|Mancini giving his post-match press conference. First question - is the title over. 'No, absolutely not.'
|Jose Enrique had more touches than any other player on the pitch 86. Gerrard second with 85, then Lucas on 73 and Gareth Barry 71.
|Carra was actually the most accurate passer on the pitch. Lucas Leiva second with 91.9 per cent of 62 passes completed.
|Liverpool's most accurate passer was Jamie Carragher at 92.6 per cent, though he made fewer passes than most with 27.
|Liverpool had 54.3 per cent of the possession, twice as many shots as City (22 to 11). City had to make 29 clearances on their own turf - Liverpool 18.
|@TerryMac777 Excellent performance from LFC, really unlucky not to get all 3 points, I don't have words in my vocabulary to describe how good Stevie G is.
|Reaction from Brendan Rodgers coming up.
|@Petermcdowall10 Signs are really good from Sturridge, his touch is brilliant, pace to burn and the understanding with Suarez will only improve.
|@DizGillespie2 Disappointing again with result. Good performance dominated for long spells but could really have done with three points.
|Liverpool were the better team but for the second time this week they have to settle for a 2-2 draw at one of the toughest grounds in the country. The fixture list looks kind from here on in, however, with all the tradionally difficult trips out of the way. Brendan Rodgers and his men will surely believe they can still make the top four.
|The ball comes in but just won't fall for Skrtel. The referee is going to blow now, surely.
|Suarez wins a corner right at the last...
|A chance for Gerrard to deliver here deep in stoppage time. The free-kick comes in. Cleared. A goalmouth scramble then ensues but there aren't enough Liverpool players in there and City escape.
|Daniel Sturridge is the Liverpoolfc.com journalists' man of the match.
|Maicon clean through to cross here. What a foot in from Skrtel. Saved Liverpool, there.
|Substitution: Joe Allen for Daniel Sturridge: Boos ring out among the City fans as Liverpool's first goalscorer is replaced.
|Five minutes of stoppage time. Last chance for either side to claim an important three points.
|Sturridge, from 20 yards, forces a scurrying save from Hart, who palms the ball away. Skrtel gets there and wins a corner.
|Substitution: Samir Nasri for Gareth Barry:
|At the other end Johnson intervenes to block a cross. Corner comes in an Maicon heads narrowly over.
|Johnson shoots over as Samir Nasri prepares to make his entrance.
|Suarez jinks his way into space in the box. Cross somehow cleared but Gerrard has a chance to smash it...blocked.
|Credit where it's due - that was an outstanding finish.
|GOAL! Sergio Aguero: The ball is played forward and wide. Reina comes for it but Aguero gets there first and finishes from an acute angle.
|Gerrard swings in a free-kick, Sturridge connects with his head and then Skrtel is inches away from getting a foot on it to make the score 3-1.
|The away fans are jubilant.
|@JBcommentator What a strike by Steven Gerrard...the man is utter class.
|Substitution: Martin Skrtel for Jose Enrique:
|Substitution: Maicon for David Silva:
|Martin Skrtel preparing to come on.
|GOAL! Steven Gerrard: Clichy clears to Gerrard, who controls with his chest 30 yards from goal before smashing beyond Hart.
|Jamie Carragher having another imperious performance here. Digs in for yet another intervention as City probe.
|First Booking: Javi Garcia: Trip on Suarez as Liverpool looked to mount a counter-attack.
|@paul_tomkins Strurridge's hold up play and passing has been superb. As has his dribbling and shooting. Top all-round forward's performance.
|City have now found a way get themselves into this game but as I type Liverpool are away thanks to a quality ball from Sturridge. Lucas is in a position to cross but it's to no-one. Downing eventually collects the ball and powers wide of Joe Hart's goal.
|Aguero skips past Lucas and into the box. Real danger. Agger covers and between him and Lucas, Aguero finds his path to goal blocked. Barry then heads over after connecting with Milner's cross.
|Downing swings the outside of his left foot at the ball to find Suarez, who takes a touch before curling wide.
|Aguero and Agger clash in the air and the City man is down. Agger plays the ball out, prompting another round of sarcastic cheers.
|Liverpool still dominating possession - 55.7 per cent.
|Superb last-ditch defending from Carragher to thwart Silva's run through the box. City corner cleared.
|First Booking: Jamie Carragher: Got the ball but it was from behind on Aguero. Carragher furious.
|Substitution: Aleksandar Kolarov for Matija Nastasic:
|Sturridge blasts one from distance. Right into the midriff of Gael Clichy.
|Now Downing fizzes the ball across the box. It really is one-way traffic at the Etihad but Liverpool need to make this pressure count.
|First Booking: Daniel Sturridge: Suarez plays Sturridge through, the England man beats Lescott and then falls easily.
|Liverpool again the better side at the start of this second half. Downing plays the ball in, Suarez volleys across the face of goal and Lescott only just beats Carragher to it. Downing then heads wide when a cross comes in.
|Downing floats it to the far post but City get it away eventually.
|Liverpool have a free-kick in the same area where Suarez scored in the Anfield fixture. Suarez and Gerrard stood over it. Suarez takes and it's deflected for a corner.
|Liverpool's best passer in the first half? Lucas with 39 played and a 92.3 per cent accuracy.
|SECOND-HALF: City restart the game and straight away Milner almost catches out Pepe Reina with a cross-cum-shot.
|Sturridge back out for the second half so not as injured as some people thought.
|@OptaJoe 9 - Steven Gerrard has now equalled his highest ever assist total in a single Premier League season. Master.
|@iamcheapskate Incredibly sporting of Sturridge to put the ball out of play like that. Good lad.
|City website fella just told me Liverpool are the best side he's seen at the Etihad this season.
|HALF-TIME: Liverpool have controlled the game but had to come from 1-0 behind to be level at the break, Sturridge with a controversial equaliser while Dzeko was floored.
|Ball comes into the box. Suarez hits it first time on the volley. Hart gets down to make a comfortable save.
|Horrible mix up between Zabaleta and Hart with Enrique lurking almost gives Liverpool the lead. Instead the ball trickles out for a corner. Which is cleared.
|Sturridge looks to be nursing a thigh injury.
|56 per cent possession for Liverpool in this first half, and eight shots to City's six.
|Sarcastic cheers from the home support as referee Anthony Taylor awards a free-kick against Agger.
|Johnson bursts down the right. His cross hits the roof of the net and then City break quickly to earn a corner.
|First Booking: Jordan Henderson: Late tackle on Milner.
|@JamesPearceEcho Shocking from Dzeko that. Miraculous recovery and didn't even need treatment - vindicating #LFC's decision not to kick it out.
|City fans and players are furious but Dzeko was straight up on his feet and fine as soon as the goal went in.
|GOAL! Daniel Sturridge: Liverpool continue to play even with Dzeko down on the floor and Sturridge smashes home from 25 yards.
|Sturridge wins a free-kick off Lescott near the corner flag. Downing picks out Henderson on the edge of the box but his attempted volley is well off target.
|GOAL! Edin Dzeko: Milner crosses low and Dzeko ghosts into the six-yard box to score against the run of play.
|Lovely footwork by Sergio Aguero, who has strayed wide. Could be an opening but Carragher ushers him away.
|Liverpool on top.
|Joleon Lescott smacks a clearance against Sturridge, the ball ricochets off the striker and into the path of Suarez, who drags wide with just Hart to beat.
|Sturridge thunders past Matija Nastasic down Liverpool's left. Too easy. His cross finds Suarez but the Uruguayan skews his shot.
|Liverpool have had 55.3 per cent of the possession so far.
|Suarez wins a corner, Downing swings it in and Agger connects. Hart looks to collect but Jamie Carragher wants it more. He pinches the ball but sadly for Liverpool his touch takes it away from goal.
|@JamesPearceEcho Decent opening 15mins for #LFC at the Etihad. Confident in possession and dangerous on the counter.
|City fans are comparing Glen Johnson, unfavourably, to Micah Richards.
|Gerrard finds Downing with a superb crossfield pass. Downing chests down to Johnson, who lofts the ball over the City rearguard. Sturridge takes it past Joe Hart with one touch but Zabaleta intervenes at the last moment. Great football.
|Mancini has now retired to his bench.
|Liverpool almost operating in a 4-4-2 here, with Jordan Henderson on the left and Downing on the right.
|Mancini and Rodgers both stalking their technical areas, protesting for every decision. Such an important game for both teams, with those around them winning this weekend.
|Agger lands Reina in trouble with an overhit backpass. The Spaniard just about clears for a corner. Javi Garcia then heads over the bar.
|Daniel Agger and Jose Enrique exchanging words after a miscommunication between them almost sets Pablo Zabaleta away down the right wing.
|Liverpool clear the corner and Downing is away. Makes it to the byline but cannot cross towards Suarez.
|Close. Fingertip save from Pepe Reina to stop David Silva opening the scoring with a 20-yard volley.
|KICK-OFF: Suarez and Sturridge get the game underway as the travelling Kop sing You'll Never Walk Alone.
|Brendan Rodgers going with experience today. It's Liverpool's oldest starting eleven since October 2011 (Norwich home). Today's LFC team average age - 28 yrs 18 days (via @ged0407).
|The players are in the tunnel.
|Final pre-match tweet courtesy of John Aldridge... @Realaldo474: I don't want to jinx it but fancy a positive result today. Yes and I thought we'd batter Oldham!
|@DizGillespie2 Looking forward to good game this afternoon. Will be tough, City great home record in league but without key players.
|@BrianDurand56 On this day in 1965, Liverpool wore a full red strip for the first time in English domestic competition.
|Gerard Houllier is in the press room here at the Etihad.
|City playing video 'tribute' to Mario Balotelli on the stadium big screen.
|@OptaJoe 3 - Manchester City are aiming to win three successive league home games against Liverpool for the first time since 1937. History.
|Stewart Downing having what looks like a tactical discussion with Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson as they wait for their turns in shooting practice.
|Glove watch: It's just Jonjo Shelvey today - maybe the lads have been reading 'glove watch'?
|Here they come, led by Steven Gerrard, attacking players in orange bibs, defensive in yellow. Daniel Sturridge, as usual, praying as he runs onto the pitch.
|The City players are going through their warm-up - no sign of the Reds yet bar Pepe Reina and Brad Jones.
|City fan Oliver McPherson has defensive concerns: 'I think any team would miss Kompany and Toure and so I'm more concerned about the back four than the midfield. Barry and Milner will hold their own with anyone, but Mancini doesn't seem to be convinced with Lescott or the idea of two left-footed centre-backs.'
|Subs: Jones, Wisdom, Skrtel, Allen, Shelvey, Sterling, Borini.
|Confirmed LFC team: Reina, Johnson, Enrique, Agger, Carragher, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Downing, Suarez, Sturridge.
|Roberto Mancini was asked about Suarez in his pre-match press conference: 'I like him because he works and he's strong. For me, he's one of the best.'
|Luis Suarez made his Liverpool debut two years ago yesterday and scored against Stoke at Anfield. Since signing from Ajax he has scored 43 goals in 84 games.
|Pepe Reina has seven.
|All this means Joe Hart is leading the race for this season's Golden Glove. He has kept 11 clean sheets in the Premier League.
|They have not conceded a goal in 555 minutes since Russell Martin scored for Norwich on December 29.
|City have not let a goal in so far in 2013...
|Edin Dzeko has scored four goals in his last six starts. He is City's leading scorer with 11 in all competitions and 10 in the league. Carlos Tevez has found the net once in his last 11 games.
|City have lost just one of their last 41 home league games - the only blemish being their 3-2 home defeat by Manchester United last December.
|Two of Martin Skrtel's seven league goals have come against City - both at Anfield and both were the first goal of the game in a 2-2 draw.
|Home and away the Reds have lost only two of the last 15 clashes - both in Manchester in the last two seasons - and have kept eight clean sheets in the process.
|They might be the champions but Liverpool have a decent record against today's opponents...
|Earlier this season the sides drew 2-2 at Anfield. Twice Liverpool led through Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez but City hit back through Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez.
|Liverpool new boy Daniel Sturridge played 32 games for City in all competitions and scored six goals. He played for City against Liverpool in the 2006 FA Youth Cup final, scoring twice at the Etihad. Liverpool won the final on aggregate, however.
|Shelvey: 'The semi-final win shows it can be done and hopefully we'll be able to do it again. I think we should have won in August. We had enough chances to win. Man City are a good team, they are the champions of England, so you have got to remember that. But if we go there and play the way we did at Anfield, then we will get something from the game.'
|Jonjo Shelvey believes the Reds can take confidence from both the Anfield draw earlier this season, and our Carling Cup win over Roberto Mancini's men last term.
|Welcome to the Etihad, where Liverpool will be taking on the champions at 4pm. You'll be able to follow the game with live updates and in-play Opta stats on this page.


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In the world of gear heads and car
buffs, the term "Frame Off" is often heard in restoration circles
to describe work so meticulously done that the car's body and drive
train are separated from the chassis and the car is essentially
disassembled so that every surface can be restored to a like new (or
better than new in most cases) condition. Today, I am going to walk
you through that same process for your case.
If painting is on your list of mods,
then this guide on case painting will also come in handy. Before you
can put a quality paint job on your case, however, it needs to be
broken down to its component "bits" so that you can see, prep,
and paint every surface. That means taking all the exterior panels,
face plates, doors, and wires off of the case. It also includes
drilling out the rivets that hold the carcass or chassis together,
and after your paint is applied, reassembling it with new
Let's start by taking off everything
that isn't riveted onto our case. This usually means both side
panels, the face plate and bay covers, a PSU mounting plate, any
drive cages, and any other parts that are clipped or screwed on. Use
your eyes to see what is holding each part in place, take your time,
and don't force a stubborn part—find the screw or clip you have
missed. I always recommend that you use some sort of
container for all the screws, nuts, and other assorted "bits"
that accumulate during this process—one that separates them by
location is best.
Once the face plate is off, you usually
find some sort of front port connectors, power and reset switches,
activity and power LED's, and sometimes a speaker. You could try to
mask these off for the paint on the face of the front cover, but more
often than not, this yields crappy results. It's better (and just as easy
usually) to remove them for painting. Start by figuring out how
these items are held in place. It might be screws, clips, integrated
tabs, or even hot glue. I have even seen cases where they are
"welded" in by way of having the plastic melted in a few spots.
I use a #11 X-acto knife blade to carefully pry any hot glue off or to separate the melted plastic if
they are welded in. The tabbed ones are easy, just be careful not to
break the tabs off. After painting, I reinstall them in their spots
and for the ones that need hot glue, or that were welded in, I use
the #11 blade and heat it in a torch, candle, or lighter, and melt a
few new spots to hold the item in place. This will also work if you
break a tab. I do not recommend super glue as removing the item in
the future for any reason is virtually impossible.


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Grammy-nominated country artist David Nail is set to play the Bluebird nightclub in Bloomington, Indiana. The show takes place on Friday, February 7, 2014, at 9:00 pm. Purchase tickets here.
David Nail's latest single, "Whatever She's Got," is currently climbing the Billboard country charts. Released in May of 2013, the song was recently certified gold by the RIAA. His next studio album, "I'm A Fire" is due in stores on March 4, 2014. Award-winning producers Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, and Glenn Worf produced the highly-anticipated record.
David Nail will spend 2014 headlining his own shows as well as touring with Darius Rucker. The "True Believers" will hit select cities early this year. Click here for a complete list of tour dates.
The Bluebird night is located at 216 North Walnut Street in Bloomington, Indiana. Check out other happenings at the Bluebird by visiting their website. Doors open for David Nail's February 7 show at 8:00 pm. Ticket holders must be twenty-one years of age or older.


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When selecting an elite player one would look for someone to be tall, strong looking as well as geographically located in a big city. That's where one would lose out if you didn't check under every rock in every city, tucked away in Manchester, NH there was a kid by the name of Jordan Laguerre.
Playing with the Rivals on the AAU circuit Jordan had opposing defenders checking the book after the games to see who number 20 was. College coaches all took notice and started to follow Jordan and the Rivals, things started to look good as Jordan started to become a household name.
Jordan is described as 6'1" combo guard with lighting speed, and athletic abilities to touch the top of the square on the backboard. One NESPAC coach " He is a warrior he will lead his team to wins, high major programs went to sleep while recruiting him.
Jordan went on to star at New Hampton School, and played his way into a scholarship with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. We sat down with Jordan in the mist of his freshmen year at Umass.
Why did you choose UMass coming out of HS?
"I chose Umass because it was just the right fit for me. There style of play, the coaches were great, its close to home, my teammates are great and it just felt like the right place for me."
You are from NH, people tend to think NH doesn't have much ballers let our readers know how about the talent in NH?
"Undoubtedly NH is going to get slack for not having the toughest players, but NH ball players are definitely on the rise. Don't underestimate just from the name of the place."
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a player?
"My strengths are definitely my explosiveness, my left hand, how hard I work, and how I never give up as well as being vocal. My weaknesses are my right hand (which is currently getting better) and decision making at times."
How did New Hampton help you develop on and off the court?
"New Hampton was just a great place to be at in general. The coaching staff, namely Peter Hutchins taught me so much on the court, on how to become a better basketball player and he also taught me allot off the court on how to be a respectable human being. Our assistant coach Freddy Petkus was also always there guiding me in the right direction. They had us in the gym everyday working hard, I don't remember ever fooling around or taking days off."
Are you a big believer in kids going to Prep School?
"Prep school isn't for everyone, I believe it depends on the kids situation but prep school is definitely an amazing place and can help kids in allot of ways. Whether it's academically, sports wise, or just meeting new people from all over the world prep school is amazing."
"AAU was an amazing experience for the few years that I did play, it gave me the chance to travel and see places that I never thought I would see. And also gave me the opportunity to showcase my talents in front of some big time college coaches. I want thank my AAU coach Vin Pastore for helping me out with everything throughout the years, and for being tough on me like no one has ever been before."
Tell the readers about Jordan off the court?
"I'm definitely a low key type of guy, I love to listen to music, I like drawing, hanging out with my friends, I'm a jokester but know how to be serious when I need to be, and I'm just a very kind guy that doesn't dislike anybody."
Who did you try to pattern your game after, while growing up?
"I would say I tried and still try to pattern my game off of Dwayne Wade. Unfortunately I'm not as tall as him but I still try to imitate a few of his moves and his swagger. But other than that I try to just be myself and try to bring my own swag to the game of basketball."
Describe your AAU coach in one word?
What are you going to miss the most about AAU?
"Traveling and hanging out with my teammates."
How was it playing for the Rivals?
"Playing for the Rivals was great, the coaching staff was great, they were always hard on us but it was for the best. And we were all just like a big family, most of my teammates I will always be friends with."
What advice would you give to the next generation about choosing the right college?
"I would say be patient, don't rush things, make sure you actually want to go to that school not just because of one reason, find many reasons why that school is right for you. And last of all make sure you're with good people."