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The Lady Novelist waits in line at San Diego Comic Con
The annual San Diego Comic Con is said to play host to over 130,000 attendees. In 2016, I was one of them. (As proof I offer this picture, wearing the 'We're Werewolves not Swear Wolves' T-shirt – a line from What We Do in the Shadows – which I picked up from Steam Crow).
For those wondering how I scored a ticket, I did it the usual way – I submitted a request, got up at oh-dear-god o'clock in the morning for the lottery, and purchased my entry to whatever days were available when, by good fortune, my name was in the ticket pool for the crucial 15 minute window.
Comic Con was scheduled for the middle week of my three week visit to California – I'm still in the USA as I write and Comic Con ended five days ago. So I've had five days to think about my experiences, and to recover a little from the buzz and exhaustion of the event.
San Diego Comic Con: Population shock
The San Diego Comic Con is one of many cons of its type, but currently the largest. It's getting so big that there are occasional articles in the press about whether it would be better moved to a city with bigger facilities. The organisers are committed to San Diego for a while yet, I understand, but there's no mistaking that this convention is a great big animal, a leviathan of a convention. A many-headed beast that in part devours itself even as it grows.
The convention starts on the Wednesday night with preview events. I didn't get a ticket to this, but rocked up once the registration opened so I'd have my badge ready for the morrow. (Americans signing up get their badges posted to them: those of us coming from overseas have to collect them in person.) I did at least get to see the most adorable little Rey, who'd come as Princess Leia the previous year (her mother told me).
Those who know me know that I'm an extrovert, a real people person. My reaction to being at the San Diego Convention Center with THOUSANDS of people either collecting badges or queuing for preview events? To whimper a bit and try to withdraw, snail-like, into a non-existant shell, and then to escape as quickly as possible to a location where I could relax again. Man, oh man, that number of people in one location was a bit of a shock! It was like sharing space in a single building with the entire population of Darwin or most of Cairns.
The Festival of Queuing
The next day I screwed my courage to the sticking place and went once more into the breach, dear friends. I'd heard that Comic Con was a place of very many people and many long queues, so it wasn't like I hadn't been warned.
Thursday in the end was a lot more sensible and less confronting than I'd feared. Yes, there were people everywhere, but since we were no longer lining up to get to the registration desk, the bodies were more widely spaced. The convention center is huge, and while it was always busy, I never found it too congested to move.
My first panel was an industry panel – How to Get News Coverage – with small press comics publishers talking about how they get word out. I was looking from a small book press/writer perspective and was able to confirm some things I was doing right as well as getting new ideas.
Things came a cropper with the next panel I wanted to see – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has written a novel about Mycroft Holmes and here was launching a comic, but despite queuing for half an hour, I just couldn't get in the room. I abandoned the line about 20 minutes after the panel began – I was surrounded by people queuing an hour ahead to get into that room's wrestling panel – and sought sustenance before trying the next panels on my list.
Those turned out to be 1986: There Can Be Only One, a discussion of the best film of 1986, and then The Most Dangerous Women at Comic-Con: To Bechdel or Not to Bechdel, which included several fabulous women and a fabulous man talking about the Bechdel Test (do two women have a conversation that is not about a man?) and related tests (the Sexy Lamp Test – can your female character be replaced with a sexy lamp without changing the story? – and the Mako Mori test – does your female character have her own story arc that does not exist to support a male character's story arc?).
Industry and analysis panels were generally very easy to get into – no queuing, no fuss. No need to show up three panels in advance to stake your claim to a chair, and then hang on for dear life through panels that are not of especial interest just so you can see one panel that appeals.
It was a different story, as you may gather from that last comment, for the pop culture panels relating to TV shows and films, where people might wait in line for 90 minutes (or much, much more) to get into a room three panels ahead of their desired panel.
The lines were well managed, on the whole, even when they got so long they had to be redirected to outside terraces. Tents were set up to shield us from the summer sun, along with chains to keep the attendees in the line. Being a singleton in this situation was challenging – no loo breaks – but many folks waited with groups of friends. Some had brought little foldable stools, or picnics…
Exhibitors Hall: the wait goes on
Another big draw of Comic Con is the massive – and I mean MASSIVE – exhibitor's hall. The big studios have exhibits here, often with giveaways for those fortunate enough to reach the front of the line. Often, the big companies have special edition action figures and other memorabilia only available at the giant US conventions.
This results not only in queues, but in queues for the queues. Sometimes you have to line up to get a ticket that will enable you to line up again for a chance to buy the thing you want. You might be there for an hour or more. On later days, you didn't need a ticket but sometimes you still had to wait in a queue to join the queue. Sometimes the second queue was capped because it was so big, so you were sent off to browse elsewhere and try your luck again later.
Again, that's a lot of time spent in lines, this time to buy something instead of seeing something.
But all is not lost – if you have more freewheeling tastes, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up something special with practically no waiting. That's how I got my Werewolves not Swearwolves shirt, offered by a smaller company with much more unusual designs. I also had a lovely chat with the woman selling the shirts about What We Do in the Shadows and how much we both loved it, and how excited we are that there's talk of a sequel all about those Not-Swearwolves in question.
Frankly, the exhibitor's hall can be entertaining enough just to wander around to look at the goods, or at illustrators drawing at their tables, and, more fun still, the people who are cosplaying. You meet them everywhere, of course: in queues, in the halls, as well as here. Among my favourites were the genderswapped Rey and Kylo Ren.
Speaking of whom… did I wait in line for a special edition action figure? Hell, yes. I dithered about it for days, and figured that if the stars aligned I'd get it. I knew from talking to staff at Hasbro that they had ordered in a LOT of the Kylo Ren collectors' edition figure, and every morning I checked to see if there were any left. Finally, on the last day, having just about determined that I didn't really want one anyway, I arrived just as there was room at the end of the queue for the queue. The staff, who were used to seeing me moping about, chivvied me into the line I protested I'd given up on, and half an hour later I had my wee little sulky emo Kylo Ren special edition action figure, and I was pretty bloody happy with that.
Inherent tension
All that queuing though: therein lies the basic tension of attending Comic-Con – the constant stress and weighing up of 'do I wait in this line for a few hours to buy The Desired Object That I Cannot Buy Online, or to see the cast and previews of the upcoming season of That Show I Like, and miss out on smaller, less showy panels, or do I try to get to the smaller panels and catch up on That Show I Like when the panel is inevitably shown on YouTube later?'
The latter would seem like a logical decision, except that there really is a buzz about being in the same room as The People From That Show and all the fans, that never really communicates in a YouTube clip.
Finding balance
In the end, I did a bit of both. In a move that may surprise some people, I decided I wouldn't do the lining-up-the-night-before to get a wrist band that would allow me to queue again the next morning for several hours in the hope of probably getting into Hall H to see the cast and creators of Sherlock talk about Season 4 (which is still being filmed as I write, and which would remain assiduously free of spoilers in any case). Doing so would mean missing out on other things. I just didn't want my Comic Con to be memories of long lines and sore feet.
I did pay separately for a side event: SherlockeDCC, for Sherlock fans. I figured, knowing Comic Con's reputation for queues, that this way I'd get to at least one thing that really appealed to me.
I met some lovely people, and was pleasantly surprised when an unexpected guest arrived to answer some questions and then mingle – Steven Moffatt, with his son Louis, who'd played young Sherlock in the last episode of the third season, His Last Vow.
But for Comic Con proper?
I saw several smaller industry, writing, and discussion panels. When I did wait in lines, I chatted to the people around me.
I went early into one room to wait for the American Gods panel and was treated to previews of two new comedies: People of Earth, about a support group for people who've been kidnapped by aliens, and Powerless, an office comedy that happens to be set in a DC Universe city where heroes and villains battle it out. Alan Tudyk is in that one, and Vanessa Hudgens. Both shows look heaps of fun!
American Gods, by the way, looks brilliant in both casting and execution and I can't wait.
I also waited in line for ages to slip in early for the end of the Grimm panel so I'd be there for the Supergirl and then Legends of Tomorrow shows. Ballroom 20 is huge (and is the room used for the Saturday night masquerade) so unless you're up the front, most attendees watch the trailers and the panel itself on screens. But yes, the buzz was there, and it was cool to see new cast members introduced – Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf) for Supergirl and John Barrowman (among others) in Legends of Tomorrow.
I would have stayed for The Flash panel – another show that I love, even if it doesn't understand time travel or causality any better than Legends of Tomorrow – but I had a date with an old love.
Buckaroo Banzai: Getting the Band Back Together had a queue all right, full of people who know and love that crazy ol' film from 1984. But within 15 minutes that room was stuffed to the gills to watch four of the old supporting cast talk about the film and the recent developments.
There's been a lot of excitement recently because Kevin Smith has said he's making a new TV series based on it. This Blue Blaze Irregular (code name Wookie) is thrilled to pieces and hopes it comes to pass.
On the panel were (left to right in the picture) musician Gerald Peterson (Rug Sucker, a mostly nonspeaking role, but who told me he'd once played for Renee Gayer's band in Australia), Damon Hines (Scooter Lindley – he now has a PhD), Billy Vera (Pinky Carruthers in the film, and also a musician) and Pepe Serna (Reno Nevada – one of the Hong Kong Cavaliers).
They told stories of making the film, their careers, and that Kevin Smith has confirmed the series is being made and would like to have cast from the film make appearances if he can.
Finally, and very much worth the wait, was John Barrowman's own Anything Goes with John Barrowman. He started his one-man chat with a crowded room by striding out in a little Star-Trekish miniskirt and white boots, proceeded to change the boots to white pumps and sang and danced a little of the song Anything Goes, then told outrageous, ribald stories, giggled with manic charm and generally schmoozed the audience that adored him.
The vibe in the room was fantastic, especially when he had to put on a fluffy rainbow skirt because his knickers were showing. There's a reason he's beloved, and his naughty exuberance was just the note to finish on – because it was indeed my last panel of the convention. I left in high spirits, a temperament Barrowman had shared with the whole room.
Comic Con, crowd control and accessibility
A word here for the comic con volunteers and staff, who were marvellous in the execution of their duties. They kept lines moving, they kept corridors clear – a particularly important point for general safety but also to ensure that con-goers with mobility issues could navigate more easily. There were special queues for people in wheelchairs and those with hearing difficulties, and plenty of space for mobility devices to move throughout the centre. Not using them myself I can't speak absolutely for the ease of access, but I often saw people in wheelchairs, mobility scooters, on sticks etc, getting about fairly freely.
Some people got a little bossy by the last day – they were no doubt as exhausted as the rest of us – but on the whole everyone, from attendees to staff, were good natured.
Comic-Con: Worth going?
There's no doubt that the San Diego Comic Con International is worth attending. If you can snag a ticket, you should go at least once in your life. It's fantastic if you're a big fan of pop culture – especially any pop culture related to comics or to the big film franchises like Star Trek.
Be prepared. Go over the program and use the scheduling tool to select the panels you'd like to see. Mix and match so you don't spend most of the con queuing, but also select which panels are worth queuing for, for you. If possible, go with a friend so you can give each other loo breaks while waiting and generally have fun together.
Cosplay if you want to, but it's as much fun to talk to the cosplayers and take photos. They've put in a lot of effort and appreciate people appreciating them. The little kids are adorable, but I always asked parents if it was okay to take and post pics – then I usually gave them my card so they could look me up on Twitter later to get copies for themselves if they wanted.
I don't know if I'll ever do it again. The sheer numbers can be overwhelming and exhausting. The stress of constantly trying to find that balance of whether it's worth queuing for hours is wearing, too.
But I did it this once, and I'm glad I did.
Perhaps next time I can get in as a creator and avoid all the queues…
The Lady Novelist Travels in Time
Tucked away on West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, in an area called Echo Park, is a very special little shop. Time travellers, whether planning to visit the distant past or the distant future – or to bounce around between the two – will find anything they need at the Time Travel Mart. Era-appropriate facial hair; jars of nanobots; barbarian repellent; communist soap; viking odorant; robot emotion chips; or tins of mammoth chunks. The Time Travel Mart has it all.
The Mart is a vastly entertaining location, filled with items sourced from toyshops but also made especially for them. No opportunity for a witty time-travel joke is wasted, so you'll find delightful warnings and notices posted up all over the space, in between the cans of Primordial Soup, candles for the patron saints of time travel (Hawking, Einstein and Mallett), robot milk and leeches.
Of course, like all the best odd, time-travel-related emporiums, the Mart is just a front for another organisation!
In fact, The Time Travel Mart in Echo Park (and its sister store in Mar Vista on Venice Boulevard) are both fantastic little fundraisers and workshop spaces for 826LA, a non-profit literacy organisation, which supports school students from six to eighteen with writing skills.
The Employee of the Month board at the back of the store is full of fake pictures and dates, but the names are real: backers of the Echo Park Time Travel Mart have included JJ Abrams, Judd Aparatow and the late Melissa Mathison.
It's a wonderfully funny and imaginative way to raise funds for a program to encourage and nurture writing. It's doubly fabulous that the students taking part in 826LA get their work collected and published in little booklets sold within the store.
I picked up Vinyl has Aged Over Time and So Have We, a collection of poems, short stories, film reviews and essays by a 2016 class of students from the tutoring program. It includes the poem from which the title is taken, written by Michelle Garcia, and the entertaining An Era of Decay by Javier Hernandez, set in 2025 in which Superior Clinton has banished the consitution in favour of the Rights of Man, Woman and Child, and got rid of Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and the Kardashians while she's at it.
As if the Time Travel Mart wasn't delightful enough, the 826 project operates similarly entertaining shopfronts throughout the USA. In Brooklyn, there's a superhero supplies store; Boston has supplies for Bigfoot hunters; San Francisco can outfit pirates and in Chicago there's the Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Company.
If you're in Australia and cursing your inability to get to the US to take part in the fun and support literacy, the good news is that you really only have to get as far as Sydney. Martian Embassy is the shopfront supporting the Sydney Story Factory, which runs free creative writing and storytelling workshops for kids aged 7 to 17.
Looks like I have a new shop to check out next time I'm in Sydney!
In the meantime, if you want to support the project, visit the Time Travel Mart's online shop.
The Lady Novelist meets the Black Dahlia
When we were planning this trip to Los Angeles, my husband, who knows me well, said 'Esotouric does great crime tours; they've got one on the Black Dahlia murder. Do you want to write about that?' My response was a red hot YES!
For those unfamiliar with the case, the Black Dahlia was the nickname of Elizabeth Short, a beautiful, lonely, troubled 22 year old woman living hand-to-mouth in Los Angeles off the kindness of strangers – strange men, mostly. In January 1947, her brutalised and bisected body was found dumped in a vacant lot in an uncompleted suburb. She'd last been seen a week before, but had so few friends that no-one had missed her.
Her murder remains unsolved: and like many unsolved murders, this crime has been the subject of numerous theories, books and films, including the famous novel-turned-film by James Ellroy.
Elizabeth Short's lonely life and fairly horrible death are also a focal point for a lot more than her own fate. The particulars of her life make her a symbol of many women who somehow fall outside of the societal radar, who through circumstance and personal issues end up vulnerable and alone, ripe for victimisation and post-mortem judgement of their personality, relationships, sexuality and choices.
Beyond that, Short's death was also a crux point for issues about the problematic relationship of the local media (Randolph Hearst's newspaper was fundamental in uncovering elements of Short's life and clues to the crime) and the investigation into her death was later the subject of an FBI investigation itself. It was, as the Esotouric guides say, a snapshot of Los Angeles at a particular time as well.
The Real Black Dahlia Esotouric tour, hosted by Kim Cooper, Richard Schave and Joan Renner, takes place four times a year, with visitors taken to key locations in the drama in a comfortable tour bus. Screens within the bus show photographs – some of them graphic, though you're given plenty of warning in case you'd rather shut your eyes.
Tours of this nature can sometimes feel exploitative, but the hosts of this tour are not only knowledgeable, they're mindful that Elizabeth Short was a human being with a sorrowful history. They strip away some of the sensationalist myths that surround her life and death to show us a woman who was not only troubled but perhaps suffering chronic depression. Their narratives offer sympathy and even some respect, even though Short was an inveterate liar. Kim, Richard and Joan make Beth a real person, drawing parallels with many other women who have become famous as victims of crime.
Sharing the narrative among the three of them works well – there's a lot to absorb of this complex story, made so much more complicated by lies told not only by Elizabeth Short but by all sorts of people around her. This includes numerous people who falsely confessed to her murder, and the numerous suspects who are still popping up decades later.
As the bus doesn't stop in exact chronological order of events, this sharing of the narrative between the three hosts, with occasional recaps and distinct drawing together of the various personnel and events, keeps the layers straight.
The tour lays out the events, the different people, the repercussions and the difficulties of the case, including two unrelated crimes that were nevertheless influenced by the atmosphere around LA in the years following Short's murder. The tour visits the places Short frequented, the places she was last seen alive and other pivotal locations, including the footpath beside which her body was found. (On the day we visited, a dried rose was found attached to a lightpost at the spot.)
Finally, the hosts let us know about some of those who confessed to the crime (and how they were discounted), some of the suspects, and their own very plausible theory.
The Real Black Dahlia Tour, including a coffee-and-donut break, is worth the US$58, not least because it makes an honest attempt to put Elizabeth Short at the centre of her own dark story, and in doing so shines a sympathetic light on the women who become vulnerable to similar crimes. It's well and thoughtfully presented, with some interesting insights.
If you have an interest in true crime, and the Black Dahlia in particular, I highly recommend this lively, thoughtful, compassionate tour.
- The next Real Black Dahlia tour in 2016 will be on Saturday October 29. Check out Esotouric for this and other crime, literary and culture tours.
- Read Joan Renner's blog, Deranged LA Crimes
Just the Facts Ma'am: I was Esotouric's guest on The Real Black Dahlia Tour.
The Lady Novelist's First Impressions of Los Angeles
Here I am, travelling once more and taking in the atmosphere with eyes and brain wide, ready to learn new things. This is my second trip to the United States, my first to Los Angeles, and as always I'm finding a place to be both exactly like and nothing like I expected it to be.
The inherent contradiction in that sentence comes of course from the fact that no matter where you go in the world, the things you've seen (in films and television) and read (books, comics, articles) form a kind of proto-location before you see the place in real and actual life.
As a result, I always have impressions of a place before the First Impressions kick in. Kind of Impression Zero, as it were.
So. Impression Zero of Los Angeles: sunny; flashy; fast-paced; a bit superficial; all Hollywood; not much of a sense of history; everyone you see who is not in the film business is working out how to get into the film business; a veneer of cheerful over a bedrock of desperation; cars cars cars.
Since arriving in LA on 13 July (a few hours before I left Melbourne on the same date: gotta love the international date line and pseudo time travel!) Impression Zero has proven to be occasionally accurate but also – and naturally – a very shallow impression that's as often completely wrong as right.
It's certainly sunny here, though most mornings have so far started a bit hazy. The July sun burns that fog away within a few hours, though, and hot days with blue skies follow.
Everyone I've met so far is very friendly, and I've had random conversations not only with service staff and Uber drivers but with people at museums. Today, for instance, I fell into conversation with an older couple at the Petersen Automotive Museum when they asked my opinion on the colour of a car on display (we finally agreed that it was probably mint green).
Is everyone in the service industry secretly trying to make it big in Hollywood? Maybe. An Uber driver today turned out to primarily be a music director of K-pop, who has organised Korean pop music gigs all over the world, including Australia. Next week he's off to Japan for a big gig in Osaka.
Then there's the waitress at our current hotel – The Redbury, a lovely flash hotel on Hollywood and Vine, all done up in rich reds and just down the road from Capitol Records. Virginia Tran is one of a team of people behind a new web series called Wait Crimes. If you've ever worked in the service industry with rude customers you'll probably identify with the comedy shorts. Virginia told us this morning that more episodes are on the way, and that she and her fellow creators have enjoyed having creative control. Episode one is now available:
There was also the incident of discovering I hadn't packed the right 3-pin adapter for my computer charger, and an emeregency trip to a Radio Shack to find one. Radio Shack has appeared in so many films that it felt like a Hollywood experience to visit one and find exactly the gadget I needed. (Thank you Radio Shack!)
But in most other ways, Impression Zero wasn't much good. I'm sure the shallow, flashy, all-glitz LA is out there, but I haven't seen it yet.
What I have noticed is that there's a lot more Spanish spoken around the place than I had gathered from the films and TV I've watched. Combined with a lot of Spanish-style architecture there's a weirdly more European feeling to the city than I expected. Additionally, Downtown LA is scattered through with grand old buildings that were once part of the financial district, but that relocated and these magnificent and imposing blocky buildings radiate a faded grandeur.
These areas seem to be thriving locations for arts and culture, though. The monthly Downtown Artwalk opens up to all kinds of galleries that open late, along with little stalls lining the streets selling art and jewellery, and car parks filled with food trucks and DJs.
Altogether, I keep getting flashbacks of places I've visited in the Middle East and parts of Europe, where lively locals gather in suburbs past their prime to reclaim spaces, occupy the streets with handcrafts and generally inhabit their environment with a lot of energy and enterprise. Not that it's all slick and shiny; there are plenty of signs of poverty around too. This is a real place, not a film set.
Los Angeles is a relatively young city, too. It was founded in 1781 by 44 Spanish-speaking people in what's now known as El Pueblo. The area contains the oldest house in Los Angeles, the Avila Adobe. However, the town stayed small for decades and most of the city was in fact built in the 20th century. Throughout Los Angeles, but particuarly here in El Pueblo, you get the strong resonance of Los Angeles' Spanish history. Some of it is a bit 'disneyfied' but you also have the 1932 mural American Tropical, which far from being a happy little tropical image of Spanish peons in early America, is a strong political statement against oppression.
Much older local history is at the La Brea tar pits, with their wealth of prehistoric fossils (including 404 Dire Wolf skulls) and their ongoing archeological digs; then there's the automotive history at the aforementioned Petersen Automotive Museum (complete with Hollywood vehicle displays) and next week we're off to the California Science Center to see the Endeavour space shuttle.
And yes, it's a very car-oriented city, but I've found the buses and subway, both relatively new and shiny, to be excellent for getting around.
This is no doubt a twisted impression of the city too. I've only been here three days, after all, and like all large cities, there are several versions of it around, depending on the neighbourhood you're in and what you're looking to experience.
But so far? First impressions are positive and I'm looking forward to discovering more of the many versions of Los Angeles that exist.
You can find out more about LA at Discover Los Angeles, who are providing assistance to my travel-writing husband Tim Richards as we travel around.
Review: Pin Drop by Roz Monette
Issues like homelessness loom ever-larger on the horizon, especially in western countries where you'd think we were wealthy enough as nations to ensure everyone has the minimum requirements of food and shelter. This feels especially true when it comes to children.
Yet homelessness continues, spurring less compassion and more censure – not of the system but of individuals living on the streets. Young, fit and healthy? Why haven't you got a job? Why aren't you at home? Why aren't you in foster care, at least? The idea seems to be that if you're on the street, that's where you want to be.
Of course, it's a much more complex issue than that, with neglect, abuse, poverty and mental health issues among the many contributing factors. It can be hard to wrap your head around it all, or to work out how to help.
Cedar Grove Publishing, which has a catalogue of strong titles under its banner, brings the excellent Pin Drop, by Roz Monette, to the table.
Pin Drop is narrated by Mo Perez, a very smart 16 year old living below the poverty line with her older sister (her legal guardian) having escaped from a foster system that failed them both. She's a voracious reader, though struggles with basic maths. Her nickname, Pin Drop, was earned by her capacity to drop raw, unvarnished, unpopular facts into thoughtless conversations. Mo finds people difficult, but she adores the dogs she walks to earn a little money.
Then her sister takes off with a new boyfriend, leaving Mo to fend for herself. Despite her best efforts, Mo has to leave school and the cheap, terrible flat she shared with Marci, and ends up on the streets, where she has to survive on her native cunning and merely fifth grade education. Living on her wits and the edge of starvation, she nevertheless strives to remain honest and independent. When she meets Derek, a newbie cop, they both have lessons to learn.
Mo's voice in Pin Drop is raw and powerful. You can feel compassion for her situation but she defies any attempt at pity – she's strong, she is fiercely independent and she's a fighter. Her distrust of people is understandable given her past, but she's far from heartless and has compassion for the underdog. Her integrity comes at a cost but you can't really begrudge her for it.
Mo's story is set in America, and her story isn't everybody's, but it's a powerful insight into how some people end up on the streets, and how difficult it is to get off them again. And she tells it without lecturing, hectoring or preaching. She just tells it like it is.
The book is pitched at older teens, but I think it's an excellent book for anyone who wants a lively, engaging, hard story about a real world topic that seems beyond fixing. It may not solve the issue, but it will give you some insights into the human beings who have to live it.
- Read more about Pin Drop and download a media kit at Cedar Grove Publishing.
Buy Pin Drop
- Pin Drop Paperback Amazon.com
- Pin Drop Ebook Amazon.com
- Pin Drop Waterstones
- Pin Drop Boolino
- Pin Drop Booktopia
- Pin Drop Kobo Books
Turning to the light
"I learned something recently," my friend Wendy said to me during her visit to Australia. "Some things are just big black piles of shit, and they're everywhere, and sometimes there's nothing you can do about that, so sometimes you just have to turn your back on it. You have to face the other way. Towards the light."
We were talking about how much rage we both carry in us, about discrimination and harm in the world, in all its many forms. We're both prone to shoutiness in this regard. (Actually, we're as prone to joyful shoutiness as ragey shouting, and I'll come back to that.)
Wendy is absolutely correct. Many of the things that reduce us to rage and despair and shouting are heaping mounds of stinking, fly-blown ordure. The comment trolls spitting venom online; misogynists making rape threats against women who dare to have a voice; bigots spewing venom about refugees and the queer community. Gunmen full of fear and hate. Hypocritical leaders who condemn the violence while encouraging discrimination through legislation and denial of human rights, thereby creating environments in which hate is allowed to flourish through tacit agreement that these or those human beings are only second class.
Wallowing in the mire
The trouble is (well, one of the troubles is) that too often, we get caught up with those mounds of excrescence. We go and read the comments; we share the awful and cruel things that someone just posted and point at it saying I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS CRETIN SAID THIS THING! We give oxygen to the haters and let everyone know what the haters said and how outraged we are by it.
Basically, we run up to the big smelly turd and look at it from every angle, sniffing in the toxic stinking stinkiness of it, complaining the whole time about how AWFUL it is – and offering other people a whiff of the proof that such ugliness exists in the world.
Shovelling shit
And okay, sometimes there's a good point in paying attention to the pile of poo. Sometimes, knowing that it's there, it's possible to pick up a shovel and start mucking out that particular stall.
It's good and right to fight against this stuff stinking up the world. To lobby politicians to change the law, to add your body and your voice to the protest marches and the gatherings in support of vulnerable people – often those buried under that awful shit. That kind of presence and activity is incredibly important. Representation is important. Whether you're fighting for your own rights, or are an ally of those struggling for them, it's good to be seen to be out there. Refusing to be silent is powerful.
It's true, too, that some people siding with the stink piles simply lack information. Maybe they've never been challenged. Maybe nobody has ever gone through the issue with them. They've been surrounded by the stink so long they don't know it's possible to live in fresh air. So sure – engage with them if you believe you can win an ally from it. If there are people who are willing to listen, be willing to talk, to converse – not to browbeat but to share ideas that may be new to them. That's a noble undertaking too.
Cutting off the air
But sometimes, paying attention to the haters is just lavishing attention on garbage. When we acknowledge what they say by paying attention to it at all, we're giving oxygen to outdated and vile viewpoints. We're feeding the trolls.
And it's exhausting. It's disheartening at best, soul-crushing at worst, to expend energy on arguing against people who have no logic to stand on in the first place. They won't be turned into allies. They'll just enjoy watching your blood pressure rise, and the fury in your eyes turn to despair and hopelessness at the awfulness of the world.
Sometimes, I think we're at risk of making those smelly mounds of ignorance, fear, hatred and viciousness bigger and more important than they should be.
Sometimes we should note that there's a stink and instead of sticking our faces close to inhale it deep and then rage about the stench, we should turn our backs to it and face the other way. Maybe they're only heard because of the shouty rage that is spreading word of the awful thing they said. Deprive them of oxygen and attention. Turn away.
But don't turn off.
Don't shout down – lift up
If you can turn your back on the smelly, time-consuming, attention-demanding turds, you'll see other things. Not necessarily sparkly rainbows and ponies. Brightness is in the world too, of course, but that's not what you look for.
What you look for is those who, like you, are half broken by the awfulness of that shit that's everywhere in life. Look for anyone who needs the air that got taken up by the stink you've turned your back on, and give the air to them instead.
Raise your shouty voice to say: I belong here too! Raise it to say: I deserve my space and I'm taking it back!
Raise your shouty voice to say: I hear you! I'm your ally – how can I help? I will fight for your rights too, because human rights are everybody's business.
Spend your energies on listening and learning. Get behind projects and ideas and voices that counter the vile stenches, and lift them up.
Shovel the shit away when you can; but don't roll around in it. Don't stick your face in the fumes and make your eyes water with it. Don't try to shout down the ugly voices who just love to shout back and never learn a damned thing, because they revel in the pain they cause.
Use your passionate voice to lift others who need lifting. Use whatever you have to encourage, affirm, support, and give and give and give to those who need encouragement, affirmation, and support. Help the ones who need lifting to be heard and seen above the miasma of the stink-makers.
Shouting joyfully
Wendy and I have taken to reminding each other of this choice we're making. When we're full of rage and distress and despair that there's so much hate, we remind each other to turn our backs on it, and to try in whatever way we can to give something to the love, to face the light
To listen and to learn. To steal our oxygen back and breathe it – and sometimes shout it joyfully – into something that grows.
Image: Celestial by johnhain
CC0 Public Domain
Review: Herotica, Volume 1 by Kerry Greenwood
Kerry Greenwood may be best known for her Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman series, but she has written far and wide, including SF, fantasy and her Delphic Women trilogy, retelling the stories of Media, Cassandra and Electra.
The fabulously diverse and busy Ms Greenwood also takes great delight in romance, including queermance, and has just launched two books of Herotica – that is, 'heroic erotica'
Clan Destine describes the first volume of Herotica as 'tales of love and lust between heroic and adventurous men across the ages from Ancient Egypt to a future in space'. Kerry Greenwood describes it as 'wonderful stories of gorgeous gay men shagging each other senseless in impeccable historical settings'.
Both descriptions are delightfully accurate, and it's a wonderful thing to read so many stories of men falling in love and getting a happy-ever-after (with an occasional 'happy-for-now') ending. I love a happy ending and given the mainstream's habit of presenting queer stories full of punishment and pain, these stories were an especial joy.
Greenwood has cleverly – and quite charmingly – followed storytelling conventions of the eras in which the stories are set. In tales set in classic ancient cultures, men tend to meet, declare their undying love for each other on the instant and then dedicate themselves to one another thereafter. Stories in later eras have the protagonists generally taking a bit of time to get to know each other, before, bless them, declaring thir undying love and dedicating themselves to one another for life.
The 36 stories start with two men conducting a symbolic battle between Horus and Set and the evacuation of Atlantis; they end with spaceships, androids, heavenly beings and earthy, loving humans. In between are Romans, Greeks and Welsh druids; there are time travellers and summoners of demons; there's Leonardo Da Vinci, William Shakespeare and Noel Coward; Holmes and Watson and King Arthur's Court; wars and peacetime, humour and drama; and above all, love.
It's inexpressibly charming that all the stories and their couples having happy endings (though some are a little bittersweet). Most of the do indeed have these 'gorgeous gay men shagging each other senseless', but their communion is rarely explicit, full of the sweetness of love as well as passion.
Favourite stories include… well, all of them. But that's not especially helpful, so I'll single out a few.
- The Library Angel is a love story for booklovers. The Angel presides over an afterlife where all the storytellers and those who loved, and saved, knowledge find their rest, along with all the lost books. This is where our heroes from the burning library of Alexandria find themselves, and it sounds like paradise to me.
- Aqaue Sulis is one of the stories that ends with notes indicating the story was built on little hints from real life (in this case, an unusual grave from the borders of Roman Bath). In the story, two people have been pulled through time to the Minerva Pool from their respective futures and forge a new life in their new shared past.
- The Devil's Bargain sees a scholar summoning a demon to ask for love. Of course, demons can't be trusted, but things don't turn out quite how either the summoner or the demon predicted.
- Salai and Mentzi is the story of two of Leonardo Da Vinci's household and the last days of the Great Master's life. Salai is the name given to the man who was the model for Da Vinci's last great painting of John the Baptist.
- The Secret Diary of Dr John Watson, MD is of course a story after my own heart, with its reading of Holmes and Watson as a love story.
- Do Not Despair is not likewise a Biggles story, but it's Biggles-esque and full of derring-do as well as heroic love.
- I Never Got the Hang of Thursdays is a space opera of a story: it's a lot of fun and pays tribute to a lot of humorous forebears, including Douglas Adams and The Princess Bride. A sexy space pirate is always good value.
- Spaceships Other Planets has an awkward genius and his longsuffering best friend finally working their secretly-in-love selves out. I love this sort of thing better than chocolate!
These are particular favourites, but all the stories are a delight – and for all that the theme is consistent, they each have a fresh story to tell, proving Kerry Greenwood has hundreds of stories yet to tell us.
Which is by way of saying that I need to get my hands on volume 2!
Buy Herotica Volume 1
- Herotica 1 (Adventures in Love & Time) (Amazon.com)
- Herotica Volume 1 (Amazon Australia)
- Herotica Volume 1 (Booktopia)
- Herotica Volume 1 (Clan Destine Press)
- Herotica Volume 1 (Kobo)
Review: The Evolution of Glory Loomis by Michael Bassen
Thirteen year old Glory Loomis discovers a second hand book about strange goings on in Roswell that appear to show her parents and much older brother, but under completely different names. Before she gets far into the book, strange things start happening around Glory – and to her.
The Evolution of Glory Loomis proceeds to unspool at a great pace – not unlike the pace in which Glory begins her evolution into a metasapien and resolves on ways to save the world. It's snappy, light and fun, more cartoony than realistic with its approach, but very entertaining.
From the start, it's clear that several people have their eye on Glory, who seems a pretty typical teen in the opening chapters. Who these people are, and whether they intend her harm or good, is revealed over time – and some characters motivations switch or become deeper as the story moves on.
The villains can be fairly Scooby-gang level, but author Michael Bassen has done a fantastic job of exploring the impact of the physical and pyschological changes on Glory. She has to cope not only with an intellectual expansion, but catching up with the emotional and philosophical sophistication that is way ahead of her teenaged experienced. Some dark things happen, and she makes some serious mistakes, though she tries from them, especially when it comes to a fellow late-blooming metasapien named Peter.
The story touches only lightly on the ethics of making the world a better place without actually asking anyone in the world about it, but it's a likeable book that flows easily. That it left me with questions about the rightness of Glory's actions – although they are for the greater good – is not, I think, a bad thing.
Buy The Evolution of Glory Loomis
- The Evolution of Glory Loomis (Amazon.com)
- The Evolution of Glory Loomis (Feedbooks)
- The Evolution of Glory Loomis (iBooks)
Read about The Evolution of Glory Loomis at Cedar Grove Publishing
Review: Ashamet, Desert Born by Terry Jackman
Sometimes, you open a book and it's just not the right time for it. That happened to me six months ago when I looked at the opening paragraphs of Chapter 1 of Ashamet, Desert Born. I saw odd names, references to non-Earth physiology, and thought, "I don't have the mental energy for this". I put it aside and went on to other books that I was both reading and writing.
That, dear reader, was a mistake.
Fortunately, a week ago I saw it on my ereader again, remembered that I'd offered to review it and decided to try it once more.
I'm so glad I did.
Ashamet, Desert Born is a marvellous book. It's full of intrigue and adventure; it's intelligent and engaging; it's romantic and exciting!
The book is narrated by the Ashamet of the title – a prince whose father bears a holy symbol that Ash lacks, though both suspect is just the result of jiggery-pokery by the priests. Ash is happy to be a soldier, and we meet him on his wedding day. Descriptions of him and the various peoples come to his great celebration indicate they are a humanoid but not necessarily human people, but all the potential awkwardness I saw in that never eventuates, because Terry Jackman is a subtle and clever writer.
This is certainly an alien world, and its creation shows influence from Arabian Nights tales, but it unfolds as its own thing. Various cultures, social mores, rituals and practices unfold with slow grace, all from Ashamet's perspective, so the reader is never overwhelmed with tedious infodump.
Ashamet's world is one in which males outnumber females to a huge degree – and actually my only criticism of the book is that with females so completely elided in the story, I find myself wondering how such a biologically awkward thing has come to pass. I'd very much like to see more female characters in any follow up (and I very much want to read a follow up!).
This leaves us with a complex society in which same-gender relations are the norm. So when Ashamet receives a rare slave as a wedding gift – a male who is rather old to be a virgin, but clearly an innocent and so prized – his relationship with the unusual Keril becomes the central theme of the book, affecting as it does both Ashamet's emotional life, as well as his social and political ones – and Keril's too, of course.
We already know from the very first paragraph that assassins have tried to kill Ash. From there, an intricate story is woven of court politics, family relations, complex alliances, and traditional social expectations.
Ash narrates with humour and depth – a smart male, politically savvy and spiritually sceptical. The odd things that begin to occur, including a itching sensation on his arm that begins to form into a sign of heavenly blessing, alarming because he doesn't believe in such powers.
Jackman manages to build a narrative in delicate layers that reveals a world without lecturing, that reveals Ashamet to us through his thoughts and deeds, and then weaves more and more complication into the story until we reach the action-packed denoument. Because we only know what Ashamet knows, some elements still come as revelations, because they haven't been heavily foreshadowed by the writer.
In the end, I found Ashamet, Desert Born beautifully paced, filled with characters of depth and texture, with enough action balanced with enough thoughtfulness and a thread of tension to reveal a fully developed world. The enigmatic, innocent and yet perceptive Keril is balanced beautifully with the wit, courage, strength and heart of Prince Ashamet. Their love story is interwoven flawlessly into the wider tale of political and religious intrigue.
Of course I wish there were more of a female perspective – but with enough mystery left at the end of the story (which is otherwise well concluded) I have hopes that a second book in this world will give us more of a look into the female experience of these fascinating cultures and people.
I will certainly be looking for more work from Terry Jackman, who writes with such intelligence, emotional depth and subtlety.
Read and interview with Terry Jackman
Buy Ashamet, Desert Born
- Ashamet, Desert Born Dragonwell Publishing
- Ashamet, Desert Born Kobo
- Ashamet, Desert Born Book Depository
- Ashamet, Desert Born Barnes and Noble
- Ashamet, Desert Born Amazon UK Kindle
- Ashamet, Desert Born Amazon UK Paperback
- Ashamet, Desert Born Amazon US
Quintette of Questions: Camille Taylor
Quintette asks writers five quick questions. This week's interview is with:
Camille Taylor
1. What's the name of your latest book – and how hard was it to pick a title?
No Law. I did have a play around with the title, though I can't recall the names now. I wrote it many years ago. As it's part of a series – each with Law in the title – you wouldn't think it'd be so hard!
2. If you could choose anyone from any time period, who would you cast as the leads in your latest book?
3. What five words best describe your story?
Sweet. Sexy. Love. Action and Chemistry.
4. Who is your favourite fictional couple?
I'm going to go with an Austen couple (surprise surprise) Christopher Brandon and Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. Though this is more to do with the 1995 movie than the book and the fact that I absolutely loved the way Alan Rickman portrayed Captain Brandon. *Sigh*
5. What song always makes you cry?
Hmm, cry? Not sure if I've ever cried but the one song that does pull at my heart is Mad World by Michael Andrews from Donnie Darko. Something about that song gets to me.
About No Law
Carey Madigan thought she was finally putting her horrible past behind her, no longer looking behind her or jumping at shadows until her boss at the museum she works is murdered. She quickly becomes the prime suspect when the police discover that her husband, a major player in the antiquities world, had been murdered too, in Russia where she had lived years before.
She has nowhere to run when she finds herself being pursued by a faction of the Russian Mafia. She's seen their faces and now must be silenced. Frightened, she turns to old friend, Elena Gates for help.
Dmitry Ivanov doesn't believe Carey's wild story at first but quickly changes his mind. Not only is he attracted to her, but his sister's friend is beautiful and intrigues him. He offers his specialised computer services to help her uncover why her boss was murdered and to put a stop to the men responsible before it's too late.
The stakes become high and lives are threatened. Together they uncover a trail that leads them to the discovery of the century and must fight to keep it – and themselves – safe.
About Camille Taylor
Camille Taylor is an Australian author who resides in the Nation's Capital. She loves to read, write and procrastinate on Pinterest looking at nail art, cake decorating and funnies.
- Camille's website: Camille Taylor
- Camille on Facebook
- @camilletaylorau
Buy No Law


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Message Subject
The root problem is Government.
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Anonymous Coward
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the problem is money...
the gov't is just a legitimate front for drug laundering, money laundering, and of course child pedophelia. all of these things are 'evil' but they all come back to the money.
The privately-owned Federal Reserve central bank is the root problem.
True yet if the FED didn't do the QE's Obama would have never gotten re elected. Everything would have crashed (which would be good) and everything would be on the way up by now. The problem is that the FED has been keeping politicians in office and kicking the cam down the road. All while screwing we the people and devaluing our dollars, which makes everything more expensive. FED + Government + big banks ='s the shit we are in today.
Sleeping Giant16
Wrong. QE had nothing to do with saving the economy. They Bailed out banks owned by them to free credit. So they gave themselves money, put the bill on us with interest, and spent the money on themselves. Just the bailouts alone could have paid every mortgage in america. Didn't see that did ya.
Companies and some small banks would have went under but that would have been good. The big banks would have been fine. Hell they didn't even hold the fucking notes anymore, they sold them on the open market. The PMI insurance would have went under, but most did anyway.
The QE b.s was just more crap to inflate the dollar putting us on the ROAD TO COLLAPSE. There was still a chance before the bailouts and the QE's. And collapse is what the fed wants 100%.
If you collapse the U.S. everything falls apart. Then the U.N. comes in and faces only small resistance. Militia groups, but under the collapse their will be no organized resistance. Or at least not how it would be if we formed unity before.
This is the whole goal. Get as many guns as possible, especially in populated areas. Collapse the system. Then come in under the flag of humanitary and take over.
The owners of the fed don't live here. They control the U.N.
With the U.S out of the way, NWO--one world gov happens.
Are gov. is all bought and paid. No normal man has 2 million to run for house or senate. More than that in bigger states. And forget trying for president. The only chance we have is unity and strike now, but it won't happen and we will face a very biblical ending.
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Reason for reporting:
Robots, drones fill police ranks
Companies around globe packing earth orbit with satellites to meet communications demands
Rise of black nationalist groups
Report: Mr. Robot's one-time only VR experience will return next week
'Kill More Cops' Graffiti Mural Appears on Freeway
DNC erects four-mile eight-foot tall fence around Philly convention site
Should the Postal Service Handle Your Loans as Well as Your Mail? Elizabeth Warren Thinks So.
HERE IT IS=> Detailed List of Findings in Wikileaks DNC Document Dump
BREAKING: That Was Fast! Hillary Immediately Brings Disgraced DNC Chair Onto Her Campaign! Do you think that Hillary has something to hide?
According to Soros, there's about to be an all-out class war riots, police state and civil war for America
Torrential Downpour To Kick Off Hillary's #DNC Election Steal
Montel Williams Goes Off On Bill O'Reilly For Flipping The Script On Their Interview
Dennis Miller, "Any Vote for Anyone That is Not Trump Is a Vote for Hillary"
Protester shouting 'DNC Leak!' ejected from Hillary Rally
CNN ASKS BLACK TRUMP SUPPORTER The Wrong Question…They Get Slammed!
If Obama brings armed UN troops into American cities, that might be the next shot heard round the world.
LOL Of The Day - "Hillary for Prison" banner plane spotted over Philadelphia
Congress approves Monsanto Dark Act 2.0, destroying consumers' chances of having on-package labels
Don't let the globalists start a race war!
If you grow food in cinder blocks, you may be poisoning yourself with heavy metals
Doctor at psychiatric hospital accused of experimenting on children with 'truth serum' drug used on soldiers during WWII
Ohio moves towards mandatory vaccines, proposing to eliminate philosophical exemptions entirely
Scientists 'REVERSE' menopause...
Obama Administration Technocrats On Fire: Obama's Brain Mapping Initiative Is Racing Forward
French government orders destruction of Nice attack CCTV footage officially to prevent leaks
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Crazy Substitute Teachers
Enjoy, NG4.04 / 5.00 1,457 Views
Vacuum Salesman
This dude and his Megazord vacuum cleaner3.98 / 5.00 2,413 Views
Markiplier Animated | Mark Of The Survey Corps
This took far too long to make...3.90 / 5.00 3,836 Views
nice collab enjoyed it, the music isnt really my type but I luvved it :)
nice , for those asking the sondg is dying breed by five finger death punch
goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooodmovie what is the music name pls??????:D
OKay what is this song?, was the creator on some sort of drug when he made this?, and was that a dbz reference?
yes and yes
OMFG sooooo epic i love it this should have been 2 years of animating yet again i can't animate for s***
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On February 4, 2014 we will begin reviewing Eckhart Tolle's first ground-breaking book "The Power of Now. " It was first published in 1997 in Vancouver, then republished in the US. Since then it was translated into 33 languages including Arabic. As of 2009, it was estimated that three million copies had been sold in North America alone.
On this day we will review the book's Introduction where Eckhart reveals the origins of his book and then Chapter 1: You Are Not Your Mind. We will be introduced to the concept of enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. Behind the disease called thinking and our identification with our thoughts lies the end of our suffering. We will introduce the concept of "watching the thinker" and emotions as the body's reaction to our mind.
We recommend that you read each Chapter in advance and come prepared to discuss your reflections, opinions and questions. Handouts will be presented and a corresponding audio/video segment will also be likely played and discussed during the meeting.
Please RSVP and join us!
Your Organizer Dagmar
Thanks to all who came to the launch of The Power Of Now book review series. What a meeting! Record audience count of 24 incl. a 4-months-old guest , a nice mix of experienced Tolle aficionados as well as rookies, and, as usually, not enough time!!! Eckhart's soothing voice led us into the lasting moment of presence where we just knew, not merely believed, that we are not our mind, that the way out of pain and suffering is getting out of identification with our thoughts. A great thanks to Dr. Sam for his parable of underwater swimmer's air bubbles rising up to the water surface (they are empty, remember?) and to all who shared, asked, answered, or otherwise guided us through this great discovery process. See you in 2 weeks! And stay tuned for an update about our meetup social – coming up soon!
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Paul McCartney reveals how he feels about Kanye West
"People say he's eccentric, which you'd have to agree with."
Kanye Omari West ( /ˈkɑːnjeɪ/; born June 8, 1977) is an American musician, film director and fashion designer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B;, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synthpop, and classical music.
West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. West released a collaborative album, Watch the...
"People say he's eccentric, which you'd have to agree with."
Let Kolbert explain Kanye.
This is a God dream. This is everything.
"I'm sorry daytime television. I'm sorry for the realness."
No actual pandas though.
Making the rest of us look bad, Kanye.
Pablo also sends his deepest apologies to Wiz Khalifa.
Shakespeare is hella dramatic. And so are the Kardashians.
Kanye and Taylor are never gonna let this feud finish.
And more revelations from the final episode of 'Kocktails with Khloe.'
Major *kanye shrug*
San Francisco man claims Kanye's guarantee that the album would only be available on Tidal was a 'deceptive marketing ploy.'
A modern-day love story.
The Chicago MC made a surprise appearance during A$AP Rocky's set.
Those fateful VMAs were "the beginning of the end of my life."
Kanye West's latest album makes streaming history.
"Pop Style" is a rap powerhouse.
We love this as much as Kanye loves Kanye.
On the six-minute track, Kanye also addresses his apparent debt and armchair diagnoses.
Never say never, Kanye.
A mural of Kanye West kissing Kanye West in Australia has become a miniature tourist attraction, with some deciding to make out in front of it.
Because when Kanye said "never," he didn't really mean it.
Join us for a very special Kanye Easter Sunday.
Maybe Kimye and me can keep each other company.
That'll get him a lot of Justin Bieber tickets.
He's never been more excited.
You can also get a t-shirt for $380
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Celebrities can be Twitter trolls too.
This is a God dream.


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Suzuki talks hit No. 3,000, Pete Rose and retirement
As he nears 3,000 hits, Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki sat down to talk about Pete Rose -- too defensive -- and Lou Piniella -- too affectionate. Oh, and another 200-hit season? Totally doable.
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Pawn hearts
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"Pawn Hearts" is made up of 3 monumental tracks; "Lemmings", "Man Erg" and the hugely epic "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". For me, "Man Erg" is one of my favourite VDGG pieces. Lyrically this is quintessential Hammill. He doesn't write basic songs about the usual states of love, happiness and sadness, here he digs much deeper and ruminates about our innermost motivations and one that strikes such a singular and in some ways disquieting chord. No other lyricist expounds so eloquently or bares his wounds so openly or deeply!
Musically this album is VDGG at their most complex.Read more ›
All three tracks on this album are introspective pieces about aspects of the human condition, and I cannot think of any singer/song-writer who looks deeper into the depths of a human soul than Hammill.
Many people, including Hammill himself, seem to consider Lemmings as the least good track here, even a disappointment; for me it is a very powerful song, at first attacking the warlike nature of humans with venom, then finally mellowing into a plea to save ourselves from ourselves.
Man-erg takes the introspection to an individual level, and is a simple theme. We are all human, no more, no less, and it is this simplicity that makes the song so appealing. Yet again, as with Lemmings, the song ends on a somewhat optimistic note, that of acceptance of our condition. Or is that a pessimistic note?
And so to A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers: what can be said? Is this a tale of madness? A tale of us all? Is it even a tale about a lighthouse keeper? Maybe all of these. Whichever, it is an entrancing piece that is the essence of the album, and, consequently, the essence of Van der Graaf Generator. Whilst seeming to take us through the innermost thoughts of a terminal depressive, paradoxically it can be heard as an uplifting and moving song. However it is received by the listener, it is the central track of any VdGG collection.
So to answer the initial question: is this the best progressive rock album ever? Well, for me, there is no question about the answer - absolutely yes.
There was nothing quite like Van Der Graaf. Capable of the most beautiful tunes, the music was nonetheless angular and spiky, and the nearest prog rock ever got to becoming genuinely frightening. The musicianship is just incredible, as it was for the other Big Guys, Yes, Genesis, Tull and so on - but the difference between now and then is that they could do it on stage, night after night, never the same, always top class.
This record is another of Peter Hammill's explorations of what makes humankind tick, and as with many concept LPs there are actully half a dozen songs here. The Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (as we knew it) features some of the best organ playing of all time (from Hugh Banton who later went on to join forgotten genius Kenny Elliott in Secondhand/Seventh Wave - see my reviews)and Man-erg feautures some of the best sax ever from David Jackson. Hammill's extraordinary voice is one of the most expressive ever in the genre, and anyone who heard his 600 solo albums will know that he explores these themes aagian and again.
I shared a stage with this lot once, in Bournemouth of all places, and they were just hypnotically good, and the nicest guys ever. They were only kids really when they created this masterpiece. Absolutely unrepeatable brilliance
One thing that is bloody annoying - when ALTERNATIVE versions are labelled as ALTERNATE versions. All the rock critics do it now .... if you repeat a lie often enough...
Most Recent Customer Reviews
essential VdGG music - nothing like it original and unique prog rock - listen several times before it begins to hit you!Published 3 months ago by RobV
Highly experimental and so maybe not to everyone's taste, but for those, like me, who enjoy challenging music that pushes boundaries, this is a highly creative and wonderful album... Read morePublished 4 months ago by Chaser
Three songs, the shortest of which is a touch over ten minutes and the longest over twenty minutes. Defines 1970s prog. The bonus tracks add to that too. Marvellous. Read morePublished 8 months ago by Metromania
Lemmings & Man Erg are superb, particularly with the sax driven chromatic riffage of the dark Central sections. Read morePublished 10 months ago by Vinpin77
'Pawn Hearts' (1971) is certainly a contender for the most esoteric progressive rock album of all time. Read morePublished 13 months ago by Prog Rob
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Italy's AXO Light combines traditional Venetian glasswork and artisan craftwork with avant-garde lighting techniques and innovative materials. Their design philosophy is clear: use creativity and inspiration to create stunning lighting replete with value and emotion.
The Skin Suspension 70 is available with the following:
- Designed by Fly Design Studio
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- Four 18 Watt (1120 Lumens) 120 Volt E26 Medium Base Fluorescent Lamp(s) (Not Included)
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LumensThe amount of light that comes from a bulb, which has commonly been measured in watts. The more lumens, the brighter the bulb.
WattageA measurement of the power delivered to a component of an electric circuit (allowing a one-ampere current to flow through the component under the pressure of 1 volt.)
Bulb ShapeBulb shapes are denoted with a letter, which describes the shape, and a number, which indicates the size. The number indicates the diameter of the light bulb at its widest part in eighths of an inch.
BaseThe part of the bulb that connects to the fixture and its power supply. Bulb bases are denoted with the letter E, and a number which indicates the diameter of the bulb base at its widest part in millimeters.
VoltageIndicates how much voltage a bulb can accept via the fixture it's installed in.
Light Color TemperatureThe relative color from a light source, measured on the Kelvin temperature scale. Warm light is lower in color temperature (2700-3000 K) and cool, blue light is higher (5000 K).
Average Rated LifeThe average amount time that a bulb is expected to last.
CRICRI = color rendering index. This number, which can go from 0 to 100, measures the ability of a light or bulb accurately renders colors. The higher the number, the better, with most quality bulbs these days measuring at least in the 80s.
- Canopy: Height 2", Diameter 7.88"
- Fixture: Height 7.88", Diameter 27.5"
- Suspension: Length Adjustable To 122"
Manufacturer IDs: view
Need help with some of our terminology? Check out Lumens' Lighting & Design Glossary.
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Imry and Sharon Volgyi will speak at the April ElderScholars meeting on Tuesday, April 9, in the Lookout Mountain Room at the UTC University Center at 1 p.m. The room is located in the center of the first floor on the Food Court end.
Mr. and Mrs. Volgyi who will follow up on the session earlier this year on China (from a couple who lives there) with their perspective on China as tourists in the country.
Mr. Volgyi comes to us with an extensive military background and a variety of honors and awards. He graduated from VMI as a 1971 distinguished military graduate. His experience includes accounting and military pay with the Department of Defense Finance and Accounting Service, in Washington DC. His background includes many military awards and volunteer services.
As command executive officer he was responsible for the daily administrative operation of a diverse organization with eight separate divisions managing a $3.5 billion budget and supporting 40 Army posts with over one million active duty and reserve soldiers He also served as chief administrator in establishing internal office procedures, directorate policies, and administrative controls for an office of 350 military and civilian personnel. He streamlined the administrative process for submission of paperwork within the headquarters that significantly reduced the multiple forms and papers into a single multipurpose document, receiving a cash award for this suggestion.
Guests may meet at the University Center Cafeteria for lunch around noon. Parking is free in any UTC lot by placing a letter on the dashboard indicating that you are attending the ElderScholars meeting. If any difficulty with ticketing, take the letter and the ticket to the University "Police Station" which is at the top of the hill at the end of the street directly behind the Student Center.
July 25, 2016
Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons will meet with Tennessee Highway Patrol Chattanooga District troopers on Tuesday morning to discuss department priorities ... (click for more)
Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge John McClarty's law clerk Stephanie Slater has published an article about Justice Edward T. Sanford's tenure on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice ... (click for more)
The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) announced that it will soon begin accepting applications for the next Trooper Cadet Academy. Men and women interested in a career as a state trooper can begin ... (click for more)
Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons will meet with Tennessee Highway Patrol Chattanooga District troopers on Tuesday morning to discuss department priorities and various initiatives to reduce traffic fatalities across the state. Colonel Tracy Trott and members of the THP Command Staff will also be in attendance. (click for more)
Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge John McClarty's law clerk Stephanie Slater has published an article about Justice Edward T. Sanford's tenure on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Sanford is the only known Knoxvillian and University of Tennessee graduate to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.The article, which is a chapter excerpted from a book Slater is authoring, was ... (click for more)
Bible in the Schools presented a community gift for nearly $1 million to the Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE) to reimburse 100 percent of the costs of funding a Bible history program in 18 public schools for the 2015–2016 academic year. Enrollment data for 2015–2016 reported 3,582 students in grades 6–12 elected to take a Bible history classes. "This gift from the ... (click for more)
The District Attorney's Office defended a controversial suspended sentence in a rape case involving a substitute county school bus driver. Prosecutor Jason Demastus said the victim, who was 15 years old at the time of the March 2015 incident, was in agreement on the plea and refused to testify against Alexander Rodriquez. Rodriguez, 34, last Thursday pleaded guilty to ... (click for more)
"No people can be great, who have ceased to be virtuous." Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784) Last week I witnessed first hand the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. As I observed the happenings within the Quicken Arena, the one theme that continued to pop up again and again, was Make America Great Again . Of course, that being ... (click for more)
There is a horrifying disease called spinal muscular atrophy type 2 that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. What happens is the nerve cells in a person's brain stem and spinal cord slowly die and, without the ability to voluntarily control your muscles, your body withers away in one of the most painful ways you can imagine. Jerika Bolen, age 14, can't stand it any longer, nor ... (click for more)


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Median Salary by Job
20 Year Net ROI
Annual ROI
Total 4 Year Cost
Early Career Salary
Mid-Career Salary
% High Meaning
63 %
One Hartwick Drive
Oneonta, NY 13820-4020
Private School, Liberal Arts
57 %
19 %
44 %
36 %
The most popular career sector among alumni is the education industry. Former Hartwick graduates bring in around $54K on average.
After graduation, men go on to earn an average of $51K per year compared to women, who earn approximately $81K.
Many Hartwick grads flock to Boston, Mass. It is also not uncommon to find former Hartwick students living and working in New York, N.Y. — this top-paying city is a popular destination with a median salary of about $115K. Hartwick alumni in Washington, DC can often be found sliding in at the lower end of the pay scale, where median paychecks are the smallest at $40K. Close-by Kingston, N.Y. and Albany, N.Y. are also desirable cities among Hartwick alumni.
Hartwick College grads who fare the best in terms of salary hold a B.A. in Political Science (PolySci) and earn a median salary of $80K per year. A Bachelor's Degree commands less pay, and these degree-holders face median pay of $52K.
Hartwick College grads with Microsoft Office abilities can expect to make 67 percent more than their former classmates (approximately $90K). Sales Management is a popular skill among Hartwick alumni, with roughly an eighth of workers reporting using it on the job. Marketing Communications, Data Analysis, and Project Management are desirable skills as well.
Perks, including paid vacation and sick time, are awarded to just over half of the respondents. For this school, a fair number of graduates are the recipients of health benefits, and a strong majority of alums pick up dental plans, too. In an effort to save up for the years ahead, a fair number of respondents contribute to a 401(k). Other benefits that Hartwick College alumni receive are life insurance, a casual working environment, tuition reimbursement, and flexible hours.
Among alumni of similar schools, Bard College grads (who make an average of $52K) earn salaries most similar to Hartwick alumni. Other schools similar to Hartwick include Colgate University, the Union College, and Siena College.
44 %
56 %
$44,219 - $106,823
$30,913 - $87,500
|Extremely satisfied
Rated 5 out of 5
based on 2 votes.
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text: Gratuitous Cuteness: Bunny Loves Balloon By Lee Ann Taylor September 13, 2012 5:32 AM Share on Facebook Share on Twitter It may be cute and twisted, but it's guaranteed to make you chuckle! Enjoy. Category: Animals Share on Facebook Share on Twitter More Leave a comment Send to a friend! Print this page Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr! Best of 99.1 The Whale Worst Towns to Live in New York State This Girl Can't Answer The World's Easiest Math Problem Dog Hates Being Flipped Off Giants Gear Up for the Preseason – Doug's Sports Rap Recommended For You ZergNet Best Of The Web ZergNet


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Aerosol Operation Crimes and Coverup, submitted by Clifford. More shocking evidence that the government is spraying Cheez-Wiz into the air and controlling our minds and body! I once saw a jet go through some clouds and it left a trail so I think what I saw was the jet dropping some dangerous chemicals on our houses that will make us shop at Wal-Mart and wear velcro shoes. Do not be deceived any longer!HOLY SHIT!
Oh my god, while I was writing this a jet just flew above me and I can kinda see a trail and now I'm super thirsty! What can this mean? Am I infected now, or was it just these pretzels I am consuming? This is far from over!
The good news is the republican convention is over. The bad news is if I can escape this police car how do I anull a marriage??
Take a look at Hollywood's brightest stars who won't be allowed to shine at this year's RNC.
Title of this one pretty much says it all. If it's what you're looking for, then uh, look no further
There is literally nothing sexier than eye contact.
A dandy fop dog gets a rhino piss party and ant enema in the Jungle. Weldcome to Hell.
Awful Links of the Day spotlights the worst and weirdest websites on the internet. And we're not talking "weird" in a good way either.
Copyright ©2016 Rich "Lowtax" Kyanka & Something Awful LLC.


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RLJ Lodging Trust Strengthens Balance Sheet
Tuesday September 3rd, 2013 - 9:43AM
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BETHESDA, MD—RLJ Lodging Trust has refinanced approximately $565 million of debt, further strengthening its balance sheet and increasing its liquidity.
The company used proceeds from a new $350-million, five-year unsecured term loan, a $100-million expansion of its seven-year unsecured term loan, and a $115-million draw from its existing credit facility. As a result of this transaction, RLJ Lodging Trust expects to realize significant interest expense savings in 2014 of at least $8 million.
"We have completed yet another significant milestone in our efforts to become investment grade," stated Thomas J. Baltimore Jr., president and CEO. "This transaction enhances our flexibility for future growth and will provide us with meaningful cash flow savings. We will continue to be prudent and disciplined managers of our balance sheet."
Proceeds from the two term loans and the company's existing credit facility were used to retire approximately $565 million of debt across eight loans that were secured by 51 assets. Upon retiring these loans, RLJ Lodging Trust increased its total unencumbered pool of assets from 63 to 114. The company's unencumbered hotels now make up approximately 76% of the total portfolio's 2012 pro forma hotel EBITDA.
Tags: • Hospitality • Sources of Funding •
Well, it's halfway through 2016, and not much has changed since the beginning of the year. Despite the terrorism acts in Orlando, FL and Turkey, and the Brexit referendum, little has happened to affect the travel industry. Overall, things might have slowed a bit, but a majority of the fundamentals are holding steady, including occupancy, ADR and RevPAR. I've been asked why this cycle has lasted longer than those preceding it. As far as I am concerned, it's due to a single phrase: Never Again.
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