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December 2010
Coltrane on Coltrane
We may think we can learn everything we need to know about John Coltrane through his music, but Coltrane on Coltrane teaches us more. Edited by Chris DeVito, one of the authors of 2007's The John Coltrane Reference, the book collects every known interview Coltrane gave, along with selected interview-based liner notes and articles and some of Coltrane's own writings. The portrait that emerges is one of an acutely self-aware, intelligent, gracious man, given to in-depth, candid, often critical analyses of both his art and personal life.
Today music journalism is ubiquitous, and most artists understand and accept that speaking with curious journalists—as well as those on assignment who might know or care nothing about them—comes with the job. In Coltrane's day, music in general was rarely given generous coverage outside of very specialized publications, and jazz even less so. Artists, even of Coltrane's stature, were not called upon to sit with writers and answer questions all that frequently. That DeVito was able to excavate this trove of material—many of the interviews took place and were published outside of the United States—is mighty impressive. That Coltrane treated his inquisitors (most of whom were devoted, knowledgeable fans) with dignity, and used the interview process as an opportunity to evaluate himself, was a gift to those he spoke with. His openness makes Coltrane on Coltrane an essential tool in understanding what drove the music.
In nearly every given interview reproduced here, from the early 1950s until his death in 1967, Coltrane proved more than willing to consider himself in the context of jazz's present state, to lavish praise on his influences and peers, and to ponder why he did what he did and how he might improve upon it. In a 1962 interview conducted in Paris, Coltrane was asked to compare himself to Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy, both of whom were, at that time, exploring jazz's outer limits more aggressively than Coltrane, who was working with his "classic quartet." More concerned with honest analysis than ego, Coltrane admitted that it was Coleman "who has been the furthest; he has essentially broken off from the structures most of us use." Not so much self-deprecating as humble and analytical, Coltrane was always questioning and seeking, just as he did when he blew.
On a more personal level, he was frank about his past addictions, the role of religion in his life, his feelings regarding civil rights and the way the music business treated him. For Coltrane, music and life's experiences were inseparable. Asked in an extensive 1966 interview whether he felt an obligation to "educate your audience in ways that aren't musical," he replied, "Sure," then clarified: "You can't ram philosophies down anybody's throat … the music is enough! … That's my philosophy. … The best thing I can do is to try to get myself in shape and know myself." Through Coltrane on Coltrane, there is never any doubt that John Coltrane did, as well as anyone can, know himself.


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Coonridge Goat Cheese
By Sara Van Note • Nov 27, 2011
New Mexico – Nancy Coonridge is passionate about cheese. She's been raising goats and making organic goat cheese for 28 years on her homestead in rural south-western New Mexico. Each year she invites folks to visit her farm and dive into cheese-making.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Medical Services
|Patient/Visitor Info
|Programs & Support
|Points of Pride
When selecting a hospital in anticipation of a new baby, expecting parents know that quality care is the most important consideration, and they choose the hospital that offers the safest environment for their newborn's arrival. That is why more babies are delivered at Chester County Hospital than any other hospital in the County. Maternal/Infant Health Services at Chester County Hospital have been designed with clinical quality in mind.
Maternal and Infant Health
As you begin to think about the whirlwind of welcoming a new baby into your family and the important choices to be made about maternity health-care providers, you want to know that, beyond good care, you and your new little one will be in expert hands.
At Chester County Hospital, we proudly deliver more than 2,600 babies each year. Our aim is to offer every family a positive and comfortable hospital experience. Through our caring physicians, nurses, and maternity team as well as our comprehensive childbirth education programs, we are committed to providing you and your newborn the kind of care that reflects the importance of this life-changing event.
Comprehensive Services
Our obstetric care, nationally regarded for exceptional clinical quality and outcomes, includes Maternal and Fetal Medicine for high-risk pregnancies, reproductive endocrinology for couples trying to become pregnant, and well-trained obstetricians for our pregnant mothers-to-be.
Our comprehensive array of childbirth services includes our Labor and Delivery Unit, Mother and Baby Pavilion, and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Our partnership with the world-renowned Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, through CHOP Newborn Care, guarantees our patients exceptional maternity and infant healthcare services.
Family-Centered Approach
Our maternity program has been designed with the entire family in mind and with the flexibility to meet the needs of the diverse community we serve. Our facility and our services help facilitate your care from prenatal testing and birthing support to postpartum and newborn care. Chester County Hospital is committed to providing a warm and family atmosphere to help welcome newborns into the world.
University of Pennsylvania Health System, Department of Ob/Gyn
Chester County Hospital's Department of Materal-Fetal Medicine is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System's Department of Ob/Gyn, bringing Penn specialists to prospective parents in Chester County.
CHOP Newborn Care
Chester County Hospital's Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is operated as part of the CHOP Newborn Care program, a unique affiliation between Chester County Hospital and the The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
|Mother and Baby Pavilion, and the Parke Maternal/Infant Health Unit
The Chester County HospitalĀĀĀView Map
701 East Marshall Street, 2nd Floor
West Chester, PA 19380
Last Updated: 5/10/2016


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Abortion, More Abortion, Yet More Abortion
Hattip to Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, once described a series of sermons he attended as "Hell, More Hell, Yet More Hell". Sustitute Abortion for Hell, and how fitting that is, and it is an apt description for the Democrat convention yesterday, prior to the convention reaching the prime time viewing hours of 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Time. The affection for slaying kids in the womb was so extreme that even the pro-abort David Brooks of The New York Times noticed it:
"You know, you're electing someone — we're going to spend four more years with these people — and after this speech, I think a lot of people will say, 'Yeah, I think I kind of do,'" Brooks said.
"The one cavil I will have … is this speech has — [it] reinforces something we've heard all night, which was how much the crowd goes crazy and how passionate they are about abortion and gay marriage and the social issues. And tonight has been about that.
"And to me it should have been a lot more about economics, growth, and debt. And that better be the job of day two and day three because they did not do it here."
"Where your heart is so will be your treasure" and there is no denying that the heart and treasure of the Democrat party is the sacred
rite right to kill their offspring, and I can think of no more damning indictment of any political movement.
6 Responses to Abortion, More Abortion, Yet More Abortion
They are so one-sided and seriously out of focus. Clinton told them "it is the economy stupid" when he ran. Now "it is your vagina sisters" and that seems to be as their heads get in looking at the entire election drama.
The party of slavery.
The party of the infanticide of the unborn.
The party of homosexual filth.
What has changed, really, in 160 years?
It's just because they can't talk about a number of bankrupted cities, the economy, food and fuel prices, depressed housing construction, or tragically high unemployment.
Matt Welch: "In this idyllic landscape of Democratic magical thinking, there is no state and local budget crises, no unaffordable and underfunded defined-benefit public pension obligations, nothing at all standing in the way of 'investing' in our public safety, except (in ex-Republican Stern's words) 'right-wing extremists.' Vallejo, California is not bankrupt because of public employee pensions, and the rest of the state is not following suit. It's a hell of a place, this Democrat-land. Wish I could live there. . . . One of the great ironies of this convention already is that speaker after speaker denounces Republicans for being unable to tell the truth or get their facts straight. Meanwhile, one of the most important truths of modern governance—we are well and truly out of money—sits neglected in the corner."
The men have lost their private property rights to their own seed and offspring and have been emasculated. The tight-lipped women had glee but nary a joyful face at the DNC.
Wish they'd fact check the price of groceries as related to the price of fuel to transport them since Jan. 2009.
Or, fact check the historic, unparalled upward movement in the amount of the national debt in that timeframe. And, why the historic mark of $16,000,000,000,000.00 being reached right during the DNC wasn't someone's speech.
Or, fact check how the President will budget some money for the people counting on him to pay their benefits with the economy gone.
Or, fact check whether the Republican are more concerned about continuing to afford the benefits for the poor by controlling spending than the President who keeps giving big amounts to certain business corporations.
Or, why he gives to such as Solyndra and what they do with their big checks.
Or, fact check who is lying to their diehard voters.
Or, fact check what Roe v. Wade legalizes already and has for forty years.
It's difficult to know whether most of the liberal democrats lack real intelligence or they just don't care at all about God and what's right and what He wants!?!
The liberal democrats (a number of them in my family) can't compare what Obama SAYS to what Obama DOES, which are usually opposite one another. The liberal democrats are lacking in morality and awareness that we are creations of a loving God – who loves us GREATLY and only wants what's best for us, and that we should LISTEN to what HE wants!
I pray, among other things, for the conversion of sinners, especially those dying with mortal sin – throughout all of time. I pray "throughout all of time" because God is not limited by time as we are. It's possible that someone was saved from hell in the 700's or the 1500's because of such a prayer said in the 2000's.
These people DO need prayer. They are so obnoxious and harmful that it is HARD to pray for them. If they have their way, and Obama is elected, the United States will lose all the beauty, freedom and strength it has had for the past 200 years. It will stop being a beacon of hope for all those throughout the world – and those within the country as well.
The truth is, as Ann Coulter indicated once, that the Democratic party is Godless.
They really are the party of satan. I don't say that lightly or glibly. It seems that most of their goals would be shared by satan also.
It must be REALLY SAD to be living life without a "compass". That compass is Jesus Christ and the Church that He left on earth for our guidance and nuturance in this DIFFICULT, HARROWING journey called life.
It was hard to believe that SO MANY PEOPLE don't care about the rights of pre-born babies. Even liberal democrats were once pre-born babies but that doesn't matter to them because they are enormously self-centered. This is also the group that three times ROARED their DEFIANCE of reinstating the term "God-given" before the word "potential" in the Democratic platform. How SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is tragic that not only are they speeding on their way to hell by giving God the middle finger – but that their precious lives, the short timespan that they have on earth is being WASTED on evil and filth.
We have to pray arduously, especially before the election, that the eyes of the American people will be OPENED to see that Obama has been a very bad president, who has consistently acted AGAINST THE BEST INTERESTS of the United States for 3-1/2 years. He HATES this country. He is also a compulsive liar, as are Biden and Pelosi. (Well, with Biden, maybe he simply can't remember what he said 15 seconds ago.)
What's the difference between present day America and Sodom and Gomorrah? I think the difference is that percentage-wise we have more good people than they did.
We can't let ourselves be filled with hate (as tempting as it is). We HAVE to keep strong. We have to keep working and praying for the causes of our dear Father in Heaven, our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, and the wonderful, loving Holy Spirit. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will powerfully convert our nation to becoming a truly Christian nation again.
We are at a CRITICAL turning point now. It is a turning point for the destiny of our nation and the destiny of the world because we have been the world leader and a world hope. It is a titanic battle between God's side and the devil's side. We KNOW which side which political party is on.
KEEP PRAYING, KEEP WORKING FOR THE RIGHT END, EVEN PRAY FOR THE POOR SLOBS WHO PERSECUTE YOU AND PERSECUTE THIS COUNTRY AND PERSECUTE HELPLESS PRE-BORN BABIES AND THE ELDERLY. They are so evil and out-of-touch. They don't even know it. I DON'T understand how these people can "make God irrelevant" in their lives. He created us. He saved us. He loves us. HE WILL JUDGE US WHEN WE DIE!!! These people are absolutely clueless. We MUST pray for them whether we want to or not. They are SO PATHETIC and TRAGIC and MISLED. If we are truly God's childern – WE MUST PRAY FOR THEM for their sakes, also to bless God, and for the sake our nation NOW and IN THE FUTURE.


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Secondhand Power 520s from IBM Global Financing Pretty Pricey
Published: January 24, 2011
by Timothy Prickett Morgan
With IBM saying that it is sold out of older Power 520 machines as well as the new Power7-based Power 720 and 740 entry boxes, if you are trying to upgrade from a vintage OS/400 machine to a more modern release, your other option is to get a refurbished computer from IBM Global Financing or some other used equipment reseller.
IBM is not showing off a huge inventory of machines right now in its Global Financing subsidiary, but as you can see on its refurbished AS/400, iSeries, System i equipment site, it does have two configurations available.
The first is a Power 520 with a single 1.9 GHz Power5 processor, 1 GB of main memory, four 70.6 GB 15K RPM disks, and i5/OS V5R4M5 all for $5,919. This machine was launched in 2006 and is rated at 30 CPWs running 5250 green-screen workloads and 600 CPWs on generic server-style software. That machine comes with 40 MB of disk cache, a 30 GB quarter-inch tape drive, and some other features.
The second configuration is a Power 520 with two 1.9 GHz Power5 cores (with only one activated), plus a PCI-X expansion tower (feature 0595) with 16 70.6 GB disks. This Power 520 has a slew of peripherals in it, 4 GB of main memory, and has a license on that one core for V5R4M5. Global Financing thinks this machine is worth $49,225.
It is hard to say what Power 520 machines are really worth, but I will be casing the used equipment dealers in the coming weeks to try to get a sense of what the street says they cost. There may not have been an organized market in machines ahead of the entry Power 720 and 740 launch last August, but with those machines out and shortages on top of that, a true market may be forming.
IBM Peddling Vintage iSeries Boxes at a Premium
Uncle Sam to Stop Buying Used IT Gear?
IBM Adds New Power Systems to AS/400 and iSeries Removal Program
State of the System i: First-Hand Reports from Second-Hand Dealers
Second-Hand iSeries Boxes Are Pretty Cheap
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|The irony is not lost on me, partner ^^
Yesterday evening, I tried to reserve both a character and guild name in Wildstar.
This is not a post on how hard that was, because I have both now. Other people put that issue into perspective far more eloquently than I would ever be capable.
|Make your notes, Stalkers, this is where you'll find me :D
I said on the Podcast I'd make a post about this. Having sat down to do so I find myself without any real ire to apportion or indeed a bile-filled spleen to vent. Needless to say, NCSoft, if you're going to proclaim yourself as the World's Premier Publisher of MMO Games, you need better infrastructure, quicker response times on social media and for this NOT to happen all over again when you launch on June 3rd. But I'm betting you know that.
Also, you need less graphics on a page that people want to load quickly. But you know that now too.
The Guild Name is strictly for vanity porpoises. Not sure where Alternative is going to end up, but you can start courting me now with awesome promises of a Home probably with both the Exiles and the Dominion. Yup, not picking one faction, gonna PLAY THEM BOTH. Just bear in mind, I'm not looking to be an Officer, I'll just be over here, playing quietly.
Needless to say, I'll see you in June.


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Consulting Services
While Samarak's CFO Services clients are generally long-term customers, we do provide a variety of consulting services on a short-term basis. As with the CFO Services, all consulting services listed below are provided by Dave Dunn, Samarak's founder.
CFO Consulting services include:
Develop and Analyze Business Plans
Developing a business plan for even a simple business can be complicated and confusing. However, the success of a new business is often dependent on a good business plan. Samarak can help you develop a realistic, simple and flexible business plan.
Develop Financial Models
Samarak can help you develop a comprehensive financial model that will help you evaluate different scenarios, present your business to others, and better manage your business. As every business is different, we custom build all financial models for our clients.
Develop an Operating System to Assist with Monitoring and Executing Corporate Goals
Developing an operating system to assist with monitoring and executing corporate goals is an extremely important part of running a business effectively. This means setting the times during the year that specific events happen. Examples of the types of events that might be part of an operating system are budget meetings, employee reviews, employee surveys, shareholder meetings, and board meetings. Samarak can help you identify which events should be part of your operating system, and we can assist you with implementing it.
Create and Institute Measurement Systems to Track Implementation of Corporate Strategies and Stated Objectives
It is difficult to achieve your goals without measuring how you are doing. However, it is often difficult to figure out exactly what to measure, and measuring the wrong things is both time consuming and, worse, misleading. Samarak can help you figure out what to measure, how to measure it, and how often to measure it.
Create Operational Systems to Maximize the Efficiency of Existing Employees Throughout the Organization
Your employees are your most valuable asset, but it is the underlying organizational systems that enable your employees to function effectively as a team. Effective operational systems insure your employees know what they are supposed to be working on and how their work ties into the corporate objectives. Equally important, effective operational systems are necessary to make sure your customers receive superior service. Samarak can assist you with creating and implementing operational systems that will maximize the efficiency of your employees.


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The NBA draft is much more crucial, then let's say the NFL. In the NFL you give your rookies a couple of years until you expect them to produce for you.
Let's take college star JaMarcus Russel. The Raiders aren't expecting him to be good right away and aren't expecting him to hand them titles right away.
So I decided to take my time, look up stats, facts and drafts and do no other than deciding on the ten worst draft picks of the last 10 years.
I decided not to use freak injuries to decide who would be here (no one expected that to Jason Williams) and decide to base my selections on the amount of disgust and disappointment from the given franchise and who was passed over on that pick.


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Front Canvas
More about Front's Shoes
The brand comes from the same great stable as Azor and bamboo a under the Ascot group of companies. They have a long heritage of making well designed fashion footwear for men, priced just right and filling a slot where brands like Base left a gap.
The brand makes a cracking range of loafers, fashion lace-ups and fashion boots that will look great on any occasion. Simple, well constructed leather shoes at great prices. Also known as Front London - the brand offer great footwear for any occasion.


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|Back to Calendar » July 6, 2014 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
|✔ Add to Calendar Add to Google Calendar
|Community Events
The historic W.W. Mayo House will be open for tours from 12-4pm on Sunday, July 6, with a special interpretation of the artwork on display and relating to the W.W. Mayo House. This collection includes portraits of Dr. Mayo and Louisa Mayo, Green Giant Marketing Art, the Mothers Statue and folk art from the mid-1800′s.
The W. W. Mayo House is located at 118 N Main Street in LeSueur.


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You hear a lot of talk about how sports have been diluted.
Picture this. You're enjoying a nice meal at home when your wife tells you: "I got an offer from Joe Schmedlap to run off with him. He's got to work out the details. If he does, I'm out of here. If not, I'm happy to stay with you, Puddin'.
I thought I'd heard the last of Tim Tebow. At least until next fall.
Each year, I like to amuse myself by fantasizing that I'm going to the Super Bowl.
It's all about time management.
I am a sports photographer.
Over the course of the season, you've been exposed to plenty of propaganda telling you how the NFL is made up of a bunch of great guys.
So, Ohio State got its man.
The NBA is back!
There's been a lot of shifting across the college sports landscape.
Copyright © 2016
The Bedford Bulletin is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Bedford County and Bedford, VA and the surrounding area.


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Somalia – Attack against the Somali president (September 4, 2013)
France utterly condemns the attack carried out on September 4 against the convoy belonging to President Hassan Sheik Mohamud near the city of Merca.
A few days ahead of the international conference due to take place in Brussels on September 16 which should enable Somalia to receive reconstruction aid, France reaffirms its full support for the president and the institutions in their efforts to promote stability, security, human rights, democracy and development.
Useful links
- Diplomatic Photo Gallery
- France / Somalia (In French)
- Useful links
- More information on the website of the ministry (in French)


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Update from Balsam Range
Balsam Range is in the studio this week, working on a new project for Mountain Home.
At least most of them are. Fiddler Buddy Melton is still recuperating from a head injury and concomitant facial reconstruction surgery, and he was surely on everyone's mind during the tracking.
Darren Nicholson, Caleb Smith and Tim Surrett used a break in the recording schedule and put together this video to update fans and friends about Buddy's condition, and to express their thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement that have come their way.
John Lawless
Latest posts by John Lawless (see all)
- Lyric video for Bells Of Home - December 2, 2016
- Faster and Farther coming from Darin & Brooke - December 2, 2016
- East Tennessee wildfire relief - December 1, 2016
Category: Bluegrass band news
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About jkmartinjk : Stay cool everybody.
jkmartinjk's FML badges
I like your style
You've liked someone. How cute!
Editing your comments can help you avoid embarrassment, and it might make you seem smarter.
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You checked out the profile page belonging to one of the last people to have a look at your profile.
jkmartinjk's favorite FMLs
Today, my girlfriend got up in the middle of sex saying, "You're taking too long, I'm gonna go make some popcorn." I asked her if she could get me some. She said no. FML
by candy man / 09/04/2014 at 3:32pm / United States (North Carolina) / Intimacy
Today, it's been a week since I found an egg in the street that had seemingly fallen out of a nest. I'd bought a cage and an expensive incubator lamp to save it. It's thus been a week that I've been trying to save a mouldy old potato. FML
by mac cayne / 05/01/2014 at 11:13pm / France (Alsace) / Miscellaneous
Today, my obsessive ex, who recently cut my phone line to stop me from talking to my boyfriend of three years, got a job at the same restaurant where both my boyfriend and I work. FML
by georgiaswish / 11/20/2013 at 3:05pm / United Kingdom / Work
Today, I was lying beside my 5-year-old son to help him get to sleep. He turned his head and asked, "Daddy, why do you suck so much?" FML
by I don't know, son / 11/15/2013 at 8:53pm / Canada (Ontario) / Kids
Today, in the lunch line at school, a kid literally ordered a "hamburger with extra swag." FML
by thank god you'll only live once / 11/08/2013 at 3:12pm / Canada (Ontario) / Work
Today, my boyfriend and I had sex for the first time. Instead of moaning like any normal person, he just kept saying stuff like "uh-huh," "not too bad," and "yup" in a complete monotone. It was probably the most uncomfortable experience of my life. FML
by awkward / 07/26/2013 at 2:00pm / United States (California) / Intimacy
Today, I asked this really cute girl for her number. I had nothing else on me so I told her to write it on a dollar bill. Later, without thinking, I put it in a vending machine. I freaked out and frantically pushed the return button. It gave me back quarters. FML
by gavinbanks / 07/21/2013 at 6:55pm / United States (Oregon) / Love
Today, I went to my local pool. I lay down in a chair and started tanning. About 30 minutes later, a lady came up to me and said, "Put that away, you pervert, there are children here!" I had a hole in my pants and my penis had started to poke through. FML
by Anonymous / 07/09/2013 at 12:07pm / United States (Texas) / Miscellaneous
Today, my five-year-old daughter called the police to report her stolen nose. FML
by nosestealer / 07/07/2013 at 5:57pm / Canada (Ontario) / Kids
Today, I found out that my parents spent all of the money in my college fund to pay for my cat to be flown to LA and audition for a movie. FML
by Anonymous / 07/05/2013 at 2:11am / United States (Iowa) / Money
Today, while sexting my girlfriend, I accidently sent a picture to her father instead of her. He sent back a link to a penis enlargement company's website. FML
by tinypenis / 06/04/2013 at 8:15am / United States (New York) / Miscellaneous
Today, the people fixing my phone called to say that for some reason, my phone's SIM card has wiped all my contacts except for four, and they are doing their best to try and recover the rest. I had to explain to them that I only had four contacts to begin with. The guy laughed. FML
by Mr.no contacts / 03/31/2013 at 3:00am / New Zealand (Auckland) / Miscellaneous
Today, I awoke to my husband talking to someone on the phone at 2am. I heard him say, "Baby you're making me hard." Immediately, I asked him who he was talking to. His response? "It's Jake, from State Farm." FML
by anonymous / 03/27/2013 at 7:55pm / United States (Hawaii) / Intimacy
Today, my husband woke up, rolled over, and said, "Good morning, beautiful." He hasn't called me that in months, but as I was about to reply, I realized he was talking to his pet turtle, not me. FML
by Maggie / 03/18/2013 at 3:38pm / United States / Love
Today, I waited over 30 minutes in freezing cold weather for my bus. When it finally arrived, I went to get on board, but slipped and fell on the icy ground. The driver waited a whole 2 seconds before snorting, "Ain't nobody got time for this shit", closing the doors, and driving off. FML
by frozensolid / 01/24/2013 at 4:25pm / Canada (Manitoba) / Transportation
- 1Today, I took a test. I got up to turn it in, and accidentally bumped into another student. We both… 2Today, I tried to fire the worst worker I've ever had over the phone because he never shows up for… 3Today, a week after dropping my car off for the third time in a month at the dealership because of…
- Today, I just found my husband on Craigslist. He's working away from home, and he's looking to give… Today, I had sex with my girlfriend. Being the stud that I am, after a short time I turned to her… Today, yet again, I was getting intimate with my shower head. Some complete genius decided to flush…


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Eastern Hospitality
November 22, 2012
Eastern HospitalityOne of our final assignments on the trip was a survey based research project in the small village of Olasiti near Arusha. We each picked our topic of interest, were paired up with our translators, and before we knew it were writing a questionnaire. Days rushed by as we preformed background research and prepared our study for its impending implementation. Time slowed down, as it always has, when we finally reached our home stay. (more...)
tags: Culture, Environment
location: Arusha, Arusha, Tanzania, Arusha, Tanzania, Tanzania


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Why Netflix Is Still #Winning
Recently Netflix announced its third Quarter financials and the headlines since have not been kind. Over the past three months the darling of the post-Blockbuster era has been criticized for their July price increases and accused of ignoring customer loyalty. And let's not forget the collective facepalm heard 'round the world when Qwikster was announced… Now, another wave of criticism is sweeping through Los Gatos as Netflix' stock price continues


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How Safe Are Municipal Bonds?
by Annette Thau
Between November 2010 and the end of January 2011, municipal bond funds declined by an average of about 6%, although some declined by as much as 11%.
Declines in the price of municipal bonds ("munis") are nothing new. Two significant declines occurred in 2008: the first in February 2008, and the second a virtual meltdown that took place as the financial panic of 2008 unfolded. Both declines were discussed in articles I wrote for the AAII Journal [past articles are available at AAII.com]. But one aspect of the most recent decline that distinguishes it from prior episodes is that it is generating heated and controversial discussions in the financial press and media. This is new. Unfortunately, much of this discussion is not well informed.
Much of the current discussion starts with a forecast made by Meredith Whitney, a highly regarded bank analyst, last December on "60 Minutes." During that broadcast Whitney predicted that massive defaults were likely to occur in the municipal bond market. More specifically, she predicted 50 to 100 "sizeable defaults" generating "hundreds of billions of dollars" of losses. By now, that forecast has been repeated endlessly. Those who feel her forecast is justified cite two potential problem areas: first, general stress on the finances of issuers of municipal bonds such as states, counties and cities due to the continuing economic downturn; and, second, future problems due to significant unfunded liabilities for pension funds and the costs of healthcare to retirees.
A closer look at Whitney's statement makes it very clear why knowledgeable analysts consider it to be highly exaggerated. Their objections center on the prediction of 50 to 100 "sizeable" defaults and the forecast of "hundreds of billions" of dollars of losses. Bear in mind that there are well over 55,000 municipal bond issues outstanding. In any given year, as many as 50 to 100 defaults do occur in the municipal bond market, although that number varies. But even if as many as 100 defaults do occur, say, within a year, that translates into a minuscule default rate: less than one-third of 1% of all outstanding municipal bonds. Moreover, these defaults tend to be concentrated among tiny issuers of bonds that fall into certain categories of municipals considered to be riskier: unrated bonds and those issued by private-purpose entities, such as nursing homes. Moreover, total aggregate amounts of defaulted bonds are in the range of $5 billion to $10 billion per year. So predicting hundreds of billions of dollars worth of defaults is either hype or a wild and careless exaggeration.
But while it is easy to dismiss this particular statement as hype, that does not mean that the road ahead for municipal bonds is without risks. Meredith Whitney's prediction deals primarily with one risk—credit risk. But current buyers should be equally aware of two other types of risks. The first is the risk that prices will decline if interest rates rise—interest rate risk. The second, which has played an increasing role in all three of the recent declines in the municipal bond market, is "sell-off" risk—panic selling that creates a severe imbalance between buyers and sellers.
This article will briefly attempt to answer a number of questions:
- What lies behind the current (and recent) decline in muni bond prices?
- Has the current decline created a buying opportunity?
- What are some sources of concern?
- For the risk averse, where can you find safety?
Causes of Recent Declines
Prior to 2008, most declines in the price of muni bonds were tied to a rise in interest rates. But the declines of 2008 had more complex causes. Declines in early 2008 followed a year of headlines about two separate crises: the auction-rate securities (ARS) mess, which saw investors in these securities unable to redeem them, and the downgrades of bond insurance firms from AAA to their current ratings, which are well below investment grade (that is, to levels appropriately qualified as junk). Those downgrades, incidentally, were due not to losses in their municipal bond portfolios, but rather to investments in defaulted mortgage-backed securities. At the moment, only one bond insurance firm still has a high rating: Assured Guarantee Municipal Company (AGMC), currently rated AA. (As a result of the downgrades of the major bond insurance firms, only about 6% of all municipal bonds now come to market with insurance, compared with about 55% up to 2007.)
Much steeper declines in muni bond prices occurred in the fall and winter of 2008. These declines were due primarily to a wave of selling by large institutional holders of municipal bonds: hedge funds and pension funds desperate to raise cash and selling any securities that were considered to have high credit quality in order to raise that cash. At the same time, there was an almost complete absence of buyers. This enormous imbalance between buyers and sellers resulted in totally unprecedented losses in municipal bonds—well out of proportion to any real risk. Many bond funds declined by anywhere from 20% to 50% within a matter of months.
The most recent declines in the price of municipal bonds began well prior to Whitney's forecast, during the second week of November 2010. Once again, the initial cause was an imbalance between buyers and sellers. This was the result of a rush to issue bonds prior to the end of the year. (This stampede was due in part to uncertainty about the continuation of the Build America Bonds program. Issuers rushed to issue bonds in anticipation of the program's termination—and, in fact, to date it has not been extended.) The flood of new issues was simply more than the market could absorb at the time, and prices began declining.
These declines were exacerbated by massive outflows from bond mutual funds. According to Lipper data, during November and December of 2010 and January 2011, bond funds experienced net outflows of about $37 billion. That amount more than wiped out net inflows of $30 billion between January and October of 2010. Individual investors may have been selling to cash in profits (muni bond funds had rallied significantly through 2009 and 2010), or they may have been selling because prices began declining. Individual investors who remembered the horrendous declines of 2008 can be forgiven for being jittery. In all likelihood, Whitney's statement—echoed and "analyzed" endlessly by the media—added to investor concerns. Investor concern was also fed by analogies between municipal bonds and the bonds of certain debt-plagued European countries (Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Greece).
The Lowdown on Credit Quality
While Meredith Whitney's statements appear to be wildly exaggerated, current discussions of credit quality point to some genuine concerns. Revenues are declining for issuers at all levels—states and cities and issuers of revenue bonds such as water, toll roads or electricity. Finances are stressed everywhere. Many states and cities are also facing underfunded pension liabilities and rising health care costs. Are these problems so serious that they will lead, as Whitney suggested, to a significant rise in defaults?
Observers who know the municipal bond market do not think so. The reasons may be summarized as follows:
- Issuers of municipal bonds set aside very clear sources of revenues for debt service. For most states and municipalities, debt service constitutes a relatively small portion of total expenditures, generally 4% to 8%. General obligation bonds are backed by the taxing power of the issuer. Issuers of revenue bonds can and do raise rates to customers. (Analogies based on the debt problems of foreign countries are totally misplaced.)
- Most state constitutions require that state budgets are balanced every year. State governments are not allowed to file for bankruptcy protection. Only 26 states allow municipalities to file for bankruptcy, and only under extremely complex procedures.
- More importantly, large issuers of municipal bonds depend on those bonds to fund critical continuing operations and capital budgets. A default that would shut off access to credit markets is simply not an option.
- No state has defaulted since the Great Depression. (Only one state, Arkansas, defaulted during that depression.) Default rates among issuers of municipal bonds are extremely low—municipal bonds are considered next to Treasuries in credit safety. Default rates are historically about one-third of 1%. In fact, even among the lowest-rated municipal bonds, default rates are lower than those of corporations rated AAA. Even though there have been a few highly publicized municipal bond defaults (Washington Public Power, Orange County, New York City), those were exceptions and highly publicized for that reason.
- Issuers are doing whatever they need to do to shore up finances. Many states and cities are furloughing and firing workers as well as negotiating with unions to cut benefits for new hires.
- Unfunded pension liabilities and rising health care costs are longer-term problems, but they do not constitute an imminent liquidity problem. Large issuers have the time to address the problem and the means to solve it.
One piece of evidence as to the soundness of municipal bonds that seems to have been totally ignored by the media is the change in the rating scales of municipal bonds. Prior to the financial panic of 2008, many observers had pointed out that, if rating scales were based primarily on default history, then the rating scales used by the rating agencies significantly overstated the risk of municipal bonds. During 2008, the three rating agencies (Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch) came under severe criticism primarily because they had rated mortgage-backed securities AAA, and as they began defaulting, those securities were downgraded to junk. But these criticisms led to a broad re-assessment of bond ratings in all sectors. The one sector where the rating scales were actually changed as a result of this review was the municipal bond area. In May 2010, thousands of municipal bonds were upgraded. This change in the rating scales was called a "recalibration": In other words, the rating agencies pointed out that prior rating scales had overstated the default risk (i.e., the riskiness) of municipal bonds. These recalibrated ratings are currently in effect. Though occasional downgrades still occur, as they always have, the changed rating scales are a reminder that municipal bonds constitute an asset class with generally high credit quality.
Note one other factor that may contribute to further confusion going forward. As I am writing this, a congressional committee is holding hearings to determine whether to pass legislation that would allow states to go bankrupt. It is not totally clear who is behind this initiative and why. Most governors are against any legislation that would permit bankruptcy because that very prospect would result in higher borrowing costs. Proponents of the legislation seem to have two reasons for this agenda. The first is to make sure that the federal government does not ever bail out states. But the second is to give states the ability to club unions into cutting benefits. At press times, it seems the committee is leaning against legislation to allow bankruptcy, but in favor of requiring fuller disclosure of pension obligations.
Has a Buying Opportunity Been Created?
Have the recent declines in the municipal bond market created a buying opportunity similar to the one that prevailed at the end of 2008? How "cheap" are municipal bonds currently?
The usual "metric" for evaluating whether munis are particularly cheap is to compare the yield of benchmark issues, typically 10-year and 30-year AAA municipal bonds, to the yield of Treasury bonds of the same maturity. Prior to 2008, based on their exemption from federal taxes, municipal bonds were considered attractive if those yields were anywhere between 80% and 85% of Treasury yields. Ratios of AAA munis to Treasuries were close to 100% of Treasuries only for the briefest periods of time. This was partly due to the fact that at that level, so-called crossover buyers such as hedge funds or pension funds would buy municipal bonds for their yield as well as for the possibility of earning capital gains when yields returned to "normal." Bear in mind that bonds rated A+ and AA, while still high-quality credits, have higher yields than bonds rated AAA.
At their most recent lows, in the middle of January, yields of 10-year and 30-year AAA munis were both above 100% of Treasury yields. As I am writing this (mid–February 2011), municipal bond yields have rallied somewhat from these lows. Yields of 10-year AAA munis are approximately 92% of 10-year Treasury yields; yields of 30-year AAA munis are approximately 105% of Treasury yields. These ratios are high compared to ratios that prevailed prior to 2008, but not nearly as high as those reached during the sell-off of late 2008. During that sell-off, yields of AAA munis reached 150% to 200% of Treasury yields at every point on the yield curve; yields of lower-quality muni credits were even higher. Moreover, yields remained at these elevated levels for months. So at current levels, yields of municipal bonds are attractive compared to Treasuries. But given recurring crises in this sector of the bond market, munis should not be considered screaming buys. There is no guarantee that prices will not decline from current levels.
Note, also, that these ratios are dynamic and change continually. While municipal bond yields typically follow those of Treasuries, the two are not always in sync. In fact, that is the reason why, occasionally, munis become "cheap" or "expensive" relative to Treasuries. If, for example, prices of munis rise and those of Treasuries do not, then the ratio of munis to Treasuries is lowered. A ratio where munis yield 80% of Treasury yields does not mean munis should not be bought for income, but it also does not represent a compelling buying opportunity.
Nonetheless, on an absolute basis, yields of municipal bonds remain attractive. Because of the tax exemption of municipal bonds, a yield of 3.5% on a municipal bond is equivalent to 4.9% on a taxable bond for an investor in a 28% bracket, and equivalent to 5.0% for an investor in a 31% bracket. A yield of 4.5% tax exempt is equivalent to about 6.25% on a taxable bond for an investor in a 28% bracket, and equivalent to 6.5% for an investor in a 31% bracket. (The taxable-equivalent yield of a municipal bond can easily be found on the Investinginbonds.com website).
Yields in that range are currently available for intermediate maturities, that is, bonds maturing in eight to 14 years. For example, trolling for bonds online, for the state of New Jersey (where I live), I saw many bonds listed for sale that were rated A+ or AA, maturing between eight and 14 years and yielding between 4% and 5%, tax exempt. On a tax-equivalent basis, those yields are significantly higher than those of Treasuries with comparable maturities. But they are also higher than those of taxable corporate bonds with much lower credit quality. (Muni bonds rated A+ and higher have virtually no default history.) You can get even higher yields, 5% to 5½% (tax exempt), on munis with longer maturities. But I have never been comfortable recommending bonds with the longest maturities because they are much more volatile and much more expensive to sell. Surprisingly high yields (again on a tax-equivalent basis) can also be found in much shorter maturities—three to five years—rated A+ or higher. Currently, bonds fitting those criteria can be found that yield from 2½% to 3½% (tax exempt), again well above the yields of taxable bonds with similar maturities and credit quality.
Sources of Concern
In spite of their attractive yields and high credit quality, you should be aware of some potential problems in the municipal bond market.
Interest Rates May Rise
For the moment, debates about default risk have dominated the discussion and interest rate risk has fallen off the radar screen. But clearly, and particularly in light of the fact that interest rates are currently historically very low, this is the proverbial elephant in the room. Interest rates of municipal bonds typically follow those of Treasuries. If interest rates rise on Treasuries, then interest rates on municipal bonds are likely to follow: The price of all bonds declines whenever interest rates rise.
It is not possible to discuss interest rate risk in detail within the confines of a brief article. [For more, see "Why Bond Prices Go Up and Down" in the Investor Classroom area on AAII.com.] The basic fact to bear in mind is that if interest rates rise, the price of a bond declines. If interest rates decline, the price of a bond rises. Changes in the price of a bond are related directly to maturity length. For bonds that mature in a year or less, interest rate risk is negligible. Interest rate risk rises gradually as maturities lengthen. It is highest for bonds with the longest maturities.
Interest rate risk is a more significant concern for investors in bond funds than for those who buy individual bonds. If you buy individual bonds and hold them to maturity, when the bond matures, you recover principal in full, no matter what has happened to interest rates during the time you held the bond. (Note, however, that while you hold the bond, its price may fluctuate with interest rates, or with changes in the market. Such changes affect long-term bonds more significantly than short-term bonds.)
Over short-term periods, however, interest rate risk is significant for holders of long-term bond funds. The great majority of bond funds maintain what is known as a "constant maturity." With a few exceptions, there is no date at which the entire portfolio matures. As a result, the share price of a bond fund goes up and down with interest rates. When you buy a bond fund, it is impossible to predict its share price—that is, its net asset value (NAV)—at any point in the future. The price at which you sell a bond fund may be higher or lower than your original purchase price. Changes in net asset value due to changes in the level of interest rates are one reason returns of bond funds have been so high over the past three decades: Over that 30-year span, interest rates have been declining. As a result, the dividend yield of bond funds has been boosted by a significant rise in the net asset value of bond fund shares.
But if interest rates start to trend higher, then declines in the share price—the net asset value—of bond funds will significantly limit returns or cause them to go negative. This is particularly important for municipal bond funds because the great majority are long term and therefore are most affected by interest rate risk. Note also that the most aggressive funds compound the problem by also investing in lower-quality credits in order to quote higher yields. And the lower credit quality of these funds magnifies declines.
You can determine how sensitive a bond fund is to changes in interest rates by looking up the "duration" of the fund. Duration is a technical concept that adjusts maturity for bond cash flows—for example, the size of coupons, or whether bonds are premium or discount. You need not understand how duration is derived to be able to use the concept. Duration, expressed in years, measures sensitivity to changes in interest rates. It can be used as an approximate gauge to determine how much a fund's net asset value will move up or down in response to a change in interest rates of 1% (100 basis points). For example, if you own a bond fund with a duration of eight years, then a rise in interest rates from 4% to 5% would result in a decline of 8% in the fund's net asset value. (Duration is published by mutual fund families along with other characteristics of a bond fund.)
Even though the most recent declines in the municipal bond market were due to an imbalance between buyers and sellers, declines in bond funds were still largely determined by the average maturity of the fund. For example, between the beginning of November and the end of January, bond funds with long average maturities declined 5.85%, on average. Bond funds with short-term maturities (under two years) averaged declines of less than one-half of 1%. The most volatile funds are so-called "high-yield" funds: They tend to have the longest maturities and many also hold weaker credits. During the same period, high-yield funds averaged declines of more than 7%, with the worst experiencing declines above 11%.
Historical returns have shown that the "sweet spot" among bond funds tends to be so-called "intermediate" funds. Those are funds with average maturities between six and eight years and high credit quality. During the most recent sell-off, declines of these funds averaged 3.5%. Over long holding periods (10 years or more), because intermediate funds are much less volatile than long-term funds, conservatively managed intermediate municipal bond funds (that is, intermediate funds that have low expense ratios and high-quality credits) often have higher and more consistent returns than many long-term or high-yield funds.
I want to emphasize that I am not predicting that long-term rates will necessarily rise, but a number of things are clear. At some point, the Federal Reserve will raise the rates that it controls, meaning the discount rate and the federal funds rate. These are overnight rates, and they are currently maintained close to zero. When they go up, all short rates, including the three-month, six-month, one-year and two-year rates, will also rise. But there is no way to predict what will happen to longer-term rates. They may also rise, and they may not. (In 2004, the Federal Reserve, under Chairman Greenspan, raised short rates seven times, and longer-term interest rates actually declined). But given the current historically low level of interest rates, this is a risk that investors need to fully understand. As noted above, if rates rise significantly on long-term Treasuries, then in all likelihood, they will rise on municipals. This may not be an immediate concern, but if the economy recovers and if inflation picks up, then it will become a concern.
Increased Bond Issuance
Another concern is that the current rally, tepid as it has been, is taking place at a time when few issuers have been coming to market, primarily because the market has been unsettled. If issuance picks up and individual investors continue to stay away from municipal bonds—whether due to continuing headline risk or because they see more attractive opportunities elsewhere—then munis may resume their decline.
Headline Risk
Finally, it is not clear that the most recent decline has run its course. As this is being written, bond funds have momentarily stopped declining and have even gone up a bit. But net outflows from municipal bond funds are continuing: about $1 billion in each of the first two weeks of February, compared to record outflows of close to $3 billion and $4 billion during a number of weeks between November and January. But "headline risk" may at some point re-ignite investor concerns.
What Should Individual Investors Do?
The main point of this article is that the current discussion of the municipal bond market overstates credit risk, but ignores other significant concerns.
If you invest in municipal bonds by buying individual bonds that are highly rated and that you hold to maturity, the current furor over credit quality should not be a cause of concern. But if you are investing in a bond fund, you should make sure that you understand its risk profile. The most aggressive funds invest in the longest-term bonds and those with lower-quality credits. These funds quote the highest yields, but are the most volatile. If you are the type of investor who is not comfortable with volatility, the aggressive funds are not appropriate holdings. You want to avoid panic-selling when these funds decline; this is unfortunate, but typical, investor behavior. You can investigate a fund's risk profile by looking up its duration and the composition of its portfolio. But it would also be instructive to investigate its performance during all three recent declines. (These numbers are available on the fund family websites and on Morningstar.com.)
If you are investing new money, as noted earlier, yields in the municipal bond market are attractive on an absolute basis. If your portfolio is large enough (above $50,000), given uncertainties about the direction of interest rates, my recommendation would be to buy individual bonds rather than bond funds. If you hold them to maturity (barring the unlikely possibility of default), you will get back 100% of your principal, no matter what happens to interest rates while you hold the bond. I would further suggest that you stick to bonds with high credit quality (A+ or better) and that before you buy, you understand the sources of revenue backing the bond. Finally, I would recommend that you buy bonds that are maturing in eight to 12 years at the most.
Why not buy longer-term bonds with higher yields? The answer is that the price of the longest maturity bonds is much more volatile than that of intermediate bonds. And they are much more expensive to sell if the need arises. If you can earn 80% or even 90% of the yield of longer-term bonds with much lower risk, as it is possible to do at the current time, why would you want to take on the added risk?
If you are not comfortable buying individual bonds, as noted above, the "sweet spot" for municipal bond funds is to be found in conservatively managed bond funds with intermediate maturities, low expense ratios (below one-half of 1%) and high-quality credits (at least 50% of the portfolio should be investment grade or higher—that is, A to AAA). Returns of such funds are higher than those of money market funds. And over long holding periods, conservatively managed bond funds such as these have achieved returns equal to those of riskier longer-term funds, with far lower price declines in times of stress and far less volatility.
If you are investing money that you will need to spend over the next few years, then you should stick to either high-quality individual bonds that mature in two or three years or money market funds. Another alternative is bond funds that have average weighted maturities of two years or less. As noted above, during the most recent declines, these funds averaged losses of less than one-half of 1%. The trade-off, of course, is that current yields of these funds are also below 1%. But these yields will rise whenever the Federal Reserve finally raises short-term rates.
If you have a more speculative bent, and if you are looking for the highest possible yields, the best opportunities are currently to be found in closed-end municipal bond funds. This article has not discussed closed-end funds, which constitute a somewhat arcane corner of the bond fund market. Most closed-end municipal bond funds are leveraged, and leverage boosts both yield and volatility. Volatility in these funds is very high: During the most recent sell-off, declines in share price averaged around 14%. But closed-end funds are worth mentioning because recent declines have resulted in extremely attractive yields: Many closed-end municipal bond funds are sporting tax-exempt yields of 6.8% to 6.9%. Two excellent free sources of information are CEF Connect (www.cefconnect.com) and the Closed-End Fund Association (www.cefa.com).
Finally, given all the uncertainties in the current environment, it would seem prudent to invest gradually, over a period of months.
Many of the topics discussed or alluded to in this article (interest rate risk, duration, bond fund returns, how to buy individual bonds) are discussed at length in the book.
The author thanks Jeff Tjornejoh, head of research for the Americas at Lipper, for data on bond funds and Cecilia Gondor, executive vice president of Herzfeld Research, for data on closed-end bond funds.
D. from MD posted over 5 years ago:
I believe that it has been proven that dollar cost averaging is always an inferior strategy, unless you have a clear crystal ball.
What is the analytica basis for your contrary advice?
Robert from CA posted over 4 years ago:
I want to call your attention to my new book, just released in print and electronic editions, The Bloomberg Visual Guide to Municipal Bonds. The book explains in plain English (approx. 200 pages) why traditional municipal securities are safe, and where there are risks for which greater rewards should be expected. It is a direct response to the misleading information that has permeated the press in the past year.
Among other things, the book discusses the diversity and complexity of municipal securities, differences in municipal securities structures, and why some (e.g., GO bonds, water and sewer revenue bonds) are safer than others (e.g., general fund securities) and still others (e.g., nursing home bonds, land-based bonds). It also discusses secondary market considerations, when investors trade.
The book has significant contributions from Jim Spiotto, John Petersen, Mike Bartolotta, Tim Schaefer, Matt Fabian and other market participants.
You can find information on the book if you Google the name without "The." It is available at Amazon.com, Wiley.com, Barnes & Noble, and other outlets.
The book is well-illustrated by John Wiley & Sons, with substantial data provided by Bloomberg. It is in four-color throughout, with many illustrations, Tips for Investors, Definitions, Key Points, references to resources, discussion of EMMA, and other features. The electronic edition adds videos, tests for investors, mouse rollovers, active web links, pop-ups and other features that make the book a unique and highly professional product that is easy to use and understand.
Robert Doty
Ed Thompson from IL posted over 4 years ago:
Wondering why Merideth Whitney has most bond experts in the palms of her hands? Of course, at some time the price of muni bonds, and muni funds, will take a hit and it may be sooner than expected. Then, again, it might not. Meanwhile, my new book, "Bond Interest Rates Will Rise" is nearing completion and should easily become a best seller. Shangri-La, here I come!


text:
Preliminary Hearing on Hold
Bartlesville, OK – A preliminary hearing is delayed for a second time for 26-year-old Lyndsey Fiddler of Bartlesville.
She is the woman accused of felony child neglect after her ten day old daughter was found dead in a washing machine. She will be back in court in March.


text:
Click the image to see a zoomable, moveable, and especially beautiful history of science fiction.
JK Evanczuk
This one image contains the entire history of science fiction.
on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - Comments Off
Click the image to see a zoomable, moveable, and especially beautiful history of science fiction.
More: Books
on Thursday, October 20, 2011 - Comments Off
I write because I have to write. I write because I am in love with the world. I write because my tongue is too wet and sloppy a tool for the elegance of language and because I feel more comfortable speaking through two splayed hands, through the pianoing dance of my fingertips. I write because the world is created through language and story and because I have a role to play in weaving the future. I write because I believe in the human beings around me with a passion so intense and so vivid and so bright that I can't help but want to reach them, and I want to reach not just them, but every future generation, and to tell them to keep trying and dreaming and striving, because it is worth it, and because the only way we can know each other is through these stories. I write to discover myself. I write because there is no other way. I write because I would go crazy otherwise. I write because I am crazy. I write because I need to make sense of the hideous intricacy of the universe. I write because I am happy. I write because I am in pain. I write because of the sheer joy of it. I write because sometimes it is the only thing that keeps me here. I write because, right now, I am breathing, and I can feel the beating of my heart within the rise and fall of my ribcage and I write because moths drink the tears of sleeping birds.
?Orhan Pamuk
My favorite quote about writing, and why we do it. Today is the third annual celebration of the National Day on Writing. In honor of the day, the National Writing Project is hosting the "Why I Write" project, which you can learn more about here.
So tell me: why do you write?
More: Creative Process, Writing
Remember That Project We Did That One Time?
on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - Comments Off
Yeah, that one. There was one more left in the series. And it was, we humbly think, the best of the bunch, so we aptly saved it for last: book blogger extraordinaire Maud Newton summarizes the classic novel Crime and Punishment in 60 seconds.
The Entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy in 60 Seconds
on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - Comments Off
Because we thought the challenge wasn't hard enough, we asked filmmaker Adam to summarize the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in one minute.
Free Book Friday: Bright Before Us by Katie Arnold-Ratliff
on Saturday, June 11, 2011 - Comments Off
p>Welcome to this week's?Free Book Friday, wherein we give you the best titles in indie publishing for the low low price of nothing. Congrats to last week's winner Shuan Duke for getting a free copy of Wire to Wire by Scott Sparling.
This week, we are giving away a copy of Bright Before Us by Katie Arnold-Ratliff. Facing the prospect of fatherhood, disillusioned by his fledgling teaching career, and mourning the loss of a former relationship, Francis Mason is a prisoner of his past mistakes. When his second-grade class discovers a dead body during a field trip to a San Francisco beach, Francis spirals into unbearable grief and all-consuming paranoia. As his behavior grows increasingly erratic, and tensions arise with the school principal and the parents of his students, he faces the familiar urge to flee?a choice that forces him to confront the character weaknesses that have shattered his life again and again, and to accept the wrenching truth about the past he?s never been able to move beyond. A haunting debut novel, Bright Before Us explores the fraught journey toward adulthood, the nature of memory, and the startling limits to which we are driven by grief.
This week's Free Book Friday is sponsored by Tin House Books.
"A Lot of Stuff Happens."
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John Irving's The World According to Garp summarized in 60 seconds. Watch it!
More: Lit Drift
Free Book Friday: The Third Bear by Jeff VanderMeer
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Welcome to this week's?Free Book Friday, wherein we give you the best titles in indie publishing for the low low price of nothing. Congrats to last week's winner Traviskurowski for getting a free copy of Flying Zeppelins by Joe R. Lansdale.
This week, we are giving away The Third Bear by Jeff VanderMeer. Compared by critics to Borges, Nabokov, and Kafka, inventive contemporary fantasist Jeff VanderMeer continues to amaze with this surreal, innovative, and absurdist gathering of award-winning short fiction. Exotic beasts and improbable travelers roam restlessly through these darkly diverting and finely-honed tales. Highlights include "The Situation," in which a beleaguered office worker creates a child-swallowing manta-ray to be used for educational purposes (once described as Dilbert meets Gormenghast); "Three Days in a Border Town," where a sharpshooter seeks the truth about her husband in an elusive floating City beyond a far-future horizon; "Errata," following an oddly-familiar writer who has marshaled a penguin, a shaman, and two pearl-handled pistols with which to plot the end of the world. Also included are two stories original to this collection, including "The Quickening," in which a lonely child is torn between familial obligation and a wounded talking rabbit. Chimerical and hypnotic, VanderMeer leads readers through the postmodern into a new literature of the imagination.
This week's Free Book Friday is sponsored by Tachyon Publications.
Twitter MFA
on Monday, May 9, 2011 - Comments Off
HTMLGIANT and its readers analyze Tweets for "tone, theme, synecdoche and narrative arc, among other things."
More: Briefs
Free Book Friday: Flaming Zeppelins by Joe R. Lansdale
on Friday, May 6, 2011 - Comments Off
Welcome to this week's?Free Book Friday, wherein we give you the best titles in indie publishing for the low low price of nothing. Congrats to last week's winner epynephrin for getting a free copy of Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.
This week, we are giving away Flaming Zeppelins by Joe R. Lansdale. What do the disembodied head of Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Frankenstein, the Tin Man, Captain Nemo, the Flying Dutchman, and the inestimable Ned the Seal, have in common? Find out as they embark upon a spectacular set of non-stop Steampunk adventures. For the first time, two epic chronicles, Zeppelins West and Flaming London, inscribed by a courageous young seal on his trusty notepad, are collected together in one volume. So leap from a flaming zeppelin with the stars of the Wild West Show in a desperate escape from an imperial Japanese enclave. Wash up upon the island of Doctor Moreau, in mortal danger from his unnatural experiments (ignorant that Dracula approaches by sea). Unite with Jules Verne, Passpartout, and Mark Twain on a desperate voyage to the burning streets of London, which are infested with killer squid from outer space courtesy of H. G. Wells' time machine. It?s a raucous steam-powered locomotive of shoot-'em-up westerns, dime novels, comic books, and pulp fiction, as only Lansdale, the high-priest of Texan weirdness, could tell.
This week's Free Book Friday is sponsored by Tachyon Publications.
The Craziness of Creativity
on Monday, May 2, 2011 - Comments Off
Here's an interesting article on why creative people need to be eccentric. I'm always somewhat disheartened when I read these, because I'd like to think of myself as both a creative and a non-eccentric person. If crazy = creative and me = not crazy, then what does that mean for my creativity? But then I'm reminded of the fact that crazy people don't think they're crazy, and that gives me a weird kind of hope.
More: Creative Process


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Sound: Overall this album has a very good sound that keeps a certain theme throughout that I found really appealing. The contrast between hard and fast riffs to slow and soft acoustic parts fit incredibly well and I couldn't imagine From Autumn To Ashes any other way. // 10
Lyrics: The lyrics are very emotional and mean so much to me personally. They just can stir thoughts in your mind and it's just incredible. The singers that From Autumn To Ashes offers fit well with the music. The lead singer's 'screaming' style goes well and the same effect couldn't be produced through regular singing styles. The drummer also provides his own lead vocal parts throughout the album and his voice is very good, however this depends on your view of what makes a good singer. His voice can likely be seen as too 'high' but I find that it fits well and doesn't clash with the music.
Probably the most talented singer throughout the album is during Short Stories With Tragic Endings. Melanie (I think) sings a small portion at the beginning and closes out the last 3 or 4 minutes of the song singing her heart out with the most beautiful voice that I've ever heard. // 10
Overall Impression: Personally, right now it is my favourite and most frequently played album out of my collection. I am so glad I went out and was able to find and buy it because I'm not sure what else I'd be listening to right now.
Favourite Songs(In order of appearance on CD):
Chloroform Perfume
Capeside Rock
Take Her To The Music Store
Eulogy For An Angel
Short Stories With Tragic Endings // 10
Sound: The music on this album is simply amazing. They have a way of going from very soft and melodic to really heavy. There are some really cool variations in almost every song. Just when you think it's gonna be a soft song, they throw a curve ball at you and crank it up a notch. The lead singer has an amazing scream. It really blends with their music a lot. When the drummer started singing, it suprised me as well. I really enjoy the mix of these two. The guitar work is amazing. They sometimes blend the two guitarists together with harmonizing leads. Everything about their music is amazing and impressive. They truly have a unique sound on this album. // 10
Lyrics: The lyrics are good, but somewhat typical, with a lot of emotional lyrics about sad things in life. However, when you're listening to these lyrics sung very heavily, it almost takes the sadness away, and sounds more like anger. Also, they aren't your basic "emo" lyrics, they have a uniqueness to them. The words chosen are very good. They can really get you thinking. On one song, Chloroform Perfume, the lyrics are a prime example of unique word choice. Sure, they base around a general subject in music today, but he uses great metaphors and similes and such to express his thoughts. Also, the song Mercury Rising isn't a song, it's just some words said after the song Chloroform Perfume. These lyrics in this peice are so amaing. When you listen to it, it just kind of tears out your heart. If you're the least bit emotional, these words will really tear you up inside. I like the lyrics overall. // 10
Overall Impression: This whole album is amazing. When I first put the cd in, and started on the first song, my thoughts were "Ok, this isn't too bad". Then, I turned to the next song, and was caught. The guitar riff was so cool that I had to continue listening. Then, I finished off the cd and was completely impressed. It is one of the best cd's I've ever bought. If I ever lost this cd, I'd go out and buy it again for sure. I've recommended it to all my friends. All the songs are amazing, but there are some that I think stand out more than others. // 10
Sound: Well, the CD has a great sound to it. They use an awesome clash of harder music and accoustic music. They use the guitar to the fullest extent. They have great guitarist. The guitarist have equal amount of riff times and they use what they have to the fullest. // 9
Lyrics: The lyrics for this CD are incredibly emotional and very deep. They have a lot of meaning behind them and you can tell that. They have elegance when they sing the words, and they know what they are talking about. The music with the lyrics that are sung are completly compatible. They fit the music throughout the whole CD. The singing skills in this CD are not the best but they are still really good. // 10
Overall Impression: By far this CD is one of my favorite CDs I own. They have amazing talent and are one of my favorite bands. In my opinion my favorite songs are Cherry Kiss, Eulogy For An Angel, Short Stories With Tragic Endings, and Take Her To The Music Store. They all have something about them that makes you want to listen to them again and again. I love how there is a woman singer and both the other singers and it still fits all in. I don't like a few of the songs that are way too deep of the singing like in Capeside Rock. If I were to lose this CD, I would go and buy it again. // 10
Sound: Ok this sound on this album got me way into emo, and hardcore, they started it all for me, I moshed to FATA for the first time last night and it was so kick ass, this has to be the best sounding of all 3 CDs that have came out by them, because it's all dark and musterius, like you could sit in your corner in your room and just jam out to them and not give a f--k about anything, they used vary fast up beat guitar riffts, and drum beats, it will make you tap your foot right when you hear it, oh yeah there singer is a drummer. // 10
Lyrics: The lyrics are vary moodie, and emotional, and can change the person you love into your werst enemy, like it did to me. // 10
Overall Impression: If the CD were stolen I would buy it again, and the limeted edition because I don't have it yet. I love every song on it, I can't just say I love one song because they all reached out to me. I don't have any thing to hate about this album. I bought this album out of desperation to find a new band to like, because no one knows who they really are, and I saw it on the new artist rack at best buy so I thought about giving them a shot for only 9.99. I think the first 3 songs on the album, and the last song are the most impressive songs on the album because it leads you through the darkest allies, and darkest parts of your mind, and will bring the emo out in you, this cd dosnt compare to any cd you can buy, because it's just the best. // 10


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Interview: Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, part 2
Loren Coleman is one of the world's leading cryptozoologists. His professional vocations, however, have been anthropology, public policy, and social work in various academic settings, and he has also served as a consultant to the State of Maine.
Nevertheless, he has also been a professional cryptozoologist too, for a number of years. He published his first article on the topic in the 1960s, has been on television often since his first appearance in 1969, and wrote his first book (with Jerome Clark) from Warner Book in 1975. Most recently, he founded the International Cryptozoology Museum six years ago (see more biographical details in the introduction in Part 1, and Coleman's full bio on Cryptomundo.com).
Fascinated by cryptids — elusive, unknown animals that have no established, formal scientific classification — since March 1960, Coleman has been involved in the field, and at the age of 14 he began interviewing eyewitnesses who had said they had seen black panthers and bigfoot. He has authored over thirty books on the subject of cryptids.
He graciously submitted to an interview earlier this week.
[Note: The text of Coleman's answers conforms to the International Society of Cryptozoology manual style that capitalizes names of as-yet-unconfirmed cryptids. This interview was conducted via telephone and e-mail.]
SB: For the sake of argument let's say that bigfoot as a species does not exist, absolutely not. What then explains the entire phenomenon? Hallucination? Collective unconscious?
LC: It's even more mundane than that. It's one of the origins for why we have some folklore. It's a psychological process in which a person takes a noise in the dark or a misidentified bear and elaborates on this or that and makes up stories in their mind. It's a form of rationalization.
It's a psychological process to make everything explainable, and to have Bigfoot as one of the explanations is a way for humans to be comfortable.
When I stand up to speak at a Bigfoot conference, I don't use the words "believe" or "belief." "Belief" is the province of religion. I accept or deny the evidence, and I have accepted a good deal of the evidence. However, I distrust "believers," who are just as dangerous as the blind debunkers.
On one end of the continuum, Bigfoot exists. On the other end of the continuum, Bigfoot exists because humans need to explain things.
If we look at what conjecture and theories bounce around the Bigfoot field, yes, we have to be careful. Hoaxes are a minor part of the issue, although the one most important to the media. But then we're not dealing with "4th-dimensional" creatures probably either, and it's not all a bunch of hoaxes, too — those are the extremes. Reasonable people would say those are nearly as impossible as the idea that there are 4,000 unknown, hairy hominoid animals on this planet, too, as Dr. Grover Krantz estimated would be the Bigfoot population in the Pacific Northwest of North America.
I acknowledge that to say that Bigfoot exist is a pretty big stretch, but it's one that I would not have pursued for fifty years if I didn't think there wasn't enough evidence to do so.
If we're talking about statistics, 80% of Bigfoot sightings and reports are misidentifications of known animals, 1% are hoaxes, and then 19% to 20% are the unknown — quality stories that are worth looking into.
But it's that body of hoaxes, that 1%, which gets most of the media attention – for example, the Georgia Bigfoot hoax, the Montauk Monster – they're the ones that the media concentrate on. When such media reports serve as a window into cryptozoology for the general public, people end up thinking most of the crypto stories are hoaxes.
Hoaxers' tales, then, are overblown. They are [statistically] so minor in comparison to what we're dealing with in cryptozoology that hoaxers are as unimportant as those extremists talking about Bigfoot coming from UFOs.
The real thing is field biology – camping, listening to animals, finding signs of animals, woodcraft — that any good zoology or biology student would do to try to find out where the buffalo are roaming.
SB: Dr. Grover Krantz, whom you mention, once argued that plaster casts of tracks are possibly a workable indicator of a holotype of a species. Are tracks alone, however, enough to confirm existence of some kind of animal?
LC: No, definitely not. The zoological model needs live or dead specimen or overwhelming DNA.
Enough Bigfoot evidence exists, however, to convict somebody of murder. The problem is a long history of the phenomenon being made silly by the media. Both the names "Sasquatch" and "Bigfoot" are newspaper names made up for newspaper stories, and those names are a handicap.
"Oh-mah" – the researcher Ivan Sanderson wanted the creatures to be called "Oh-mah," or some other true Native American name. The phenomenon needed respectability a lot faster, but we'll never know because the name "Bigfoot" will never go away.
The background event of some importance is in the history of anthropology. The Piltdown Man hoax had a freezing effect for a long time, especially if your professors came up in that era. I went to college from 1965 to 1969, with professors who started careers in the 1930s. The Piltdown Man hoax began in 1912, and was exposed as a forgery in 1953. Anthropologists felt tricked.
Also, when Neandertal skeletons were first discovered, in Germany, you had researchers who thought it was evidence of a Cossack with rickets. That Cossack stupidity is found all over – Google it.
Then you have Homo floresiensis, the "Hobbit" [discovered in 2003]. Critics said it was a microcephalic child, or a skull condition of dwarfism. Australian and Indonesian scientists, however, came forward to say they had found several Homo floresiensis bodies spanning 5,000 years.
We don't have bones of a Bigfoot, and we don't have DNA. But non-native researchers took 70 years to find the African mountain gorilla. The modern era of Bigfoot began in 1958 [with the discovery of tracks in northern California that led to the creation of the term "Bigfoot"], so we're just getting to a baseline where we might find a body.
SB: Recently, Cryptomundo.com ran a post about some Siberian farmers who claimed, in a letter to Itar-Tass News Service, to have witnessed a yeti trapped in ice in a river, and one of them helped the animal crawl out of the frozen river? Did any Russian follow-up reports go after this?
LC: That was just "one of those stories," like a lot of those seen in Pravda. You get these Siberian or Russian stories that have an exciting lead-in, just like the Siberian snowman-cave expedition a while ago, and then no follow-up at all occurs in the Russian media.
So, we might never get closer than the initial story, but, coincidentally, I have just heard today that there appear to be new developments to this story coming out of Siberia next week.
SB: Make a prediction: Who will deliver footage that surpasses any known, purported footage of a Bigfoot – a random camper, hunter, researcher? By what means – trailcam, video-camera, or cell phone?
LC: You have seen in recent years how almost any footage that turns up is considered so skeptically or totally debunked, or it's really just a "blobsquatch" [a bad-quality image that shows a big, dark blob, the subject of the photo].
I just don't think that any kind of footage is going to be a breakthrough. There is so much room for manipulation of the footage. I don't see any tech or thermal imaging being helpful. Cell cameras are not everything they're cracked up to be, and offer terrible resolution.
On top of that, if the media can get something and slap "monster" or "Yeti" on it, you get the "Maine mutant," that dead sloth in Panama, or the recent Ontario monster that's just a dead mink. The Montauk Monster was a dead raccoon. That so-called Yeti [in reports from China in April] was a civet.
Canadian TV wanted me on the air last week to talk about the Ontario monster, and I declined, and yet I was already being quoted in the Toronto Star. I don't want to be the guy who says, "This dead body is this, and this dead body is that." I'd prefer to talk about actual cryptids.
There are enough mysteries in this life without us considering every dead animal in the water a mystery.
SB: What do you think of the Jacobs Creature trail-cam footage?
LC: The Jacobs Creature — I think it's a bear. Take the trail-cam footage and look at the sequence. The figure is a mother black bear that has mange. This is a bear in the woods near a trail cam that has captured many images of bears.
What happened is that this one photo had been taken out of context, removed from the other images of bear cubs [that were captured in the same sequence of photos]. With the Jacobs pictures, there were typical rationalizations that this figure has to be a Bigfoot when it is very obviously a black bear.*
SB: Of all the cryptids about which your research informs you, which do you think has the best chance of being clarified one way or another – totally debunked or proven as a real thing?
LC: I think a Bigfoot discovery is still far away. You have the possibility of an accidental kill with a lumber truck in Pacific Northwest or Quebec.
The one cryptid that will be discovered will be the Orang Pendek [a small, bipedal primate in Sumatra].
A very quiet investigation into the Orang Pendek has been going on for about 30 years. The International Fauna and Flora Society has funded that research for 20 years at least. One of the problems you have with Yeti and Bigfoot research is that the funding has dried up, so it's a weekend exploration now.
Researcher Debra Martyr, in Sumatra, has turned the Orang Pendek investigation into a conservation effort [a key development]. The office of the President of Indonesia is involved, and Indonesian authorities have surveyed a site of of several thousand acres to be set aside as soon as the Orang Pendek is verified. All this has come about because of behind-the-scenes events that don't make the newspapers, but this could make the Orang Pendek the animal that will shock the world [when its existence is proved].
There will be a lot of questions and skeptics about the Orang Pendek. But note that the Sumatran rhino, a known, verified species, has been seen only twice in 20 years, by one field observer, Martyr, even though she has seen the Orang Pendek, an unknown species, three times in those same 20 years.
People are not the only hominid that might still exist on earth. There are "great apes" and then something in between, an upright great ape. Human beings are "naked apes." In the next 25 years we might discover a new species of "non-naked ape" that is upright.
The best approach to that discovery is zoological. Study them like a species — they breed, they eat and defecate, they interact with nature. So, how can we prove that to the rest of zoology?
Now, which cryptids will be debunked? That's impossible to answer because every week someone finds a dead dog and calls it a "Chupacabra" (incorrectly, without an "s"). You heard recently some ridiculous things out of Ontario. You just have to fight off such weekly "monster findings," but those get the most media attention.
Consider this: The recent discovery in the Philippines of a new monitor lizard species, a 6-foot long relative of the Komodo dragon, lasted three days as a story in the news. That Ontario "water-monster," which was a dead mink, lasted six days.
The mainstream media talked about the largest true new species discovered this year less than a week. The priorities of the media are really screwed up.
Oftentimes, I am approached with rather low expectations by reporters and journalists. They sense that cryptozoologists are all hoaxers, madmen, and scam artists. Of course, we aren't, but it is a self-reinforcing cycle because those [the hoaxed cases] are the Bigfoot, Nessie, and cryptid cases that get the most play in the press and electronic media.
Despite being asked some silly questions about "monsters" and "fakes," I feel cryptozoology must maintain a high scientific standard and yet answer the questions journalists or academics ask us. Proper methods, procedures, and insights are not to be ignored, even when doing reality television or being interviewed by the media. Cryptozoologists, like me, are open-minded but very skeptical.
Also, there is no need to feel defensive because we are set up all the time with questions about dead known animals (called "Chupacabra") that turn out to be mangy dogs, or beached carcasses ("monsters") that turn out to be raccoons, minks, and sloths. We have to understand that the media works in popular culture, and actually, as a cryptozoologist, I bridge zoology, popular culture, folklore, linguistics, ethnography, anthropology, and a whole lot of other angles.
# # #
* For the sake of debate, analysis of the Jacobs Creature footage that refutes the possibility of a black bear can be seen on this page at the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization site.
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[...] Interview: Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, part 2 Enough Bigfoot evidence exists…to convict somebody of murder. The problem is a long history of the phenomenon being made silly by the media. Both the names "Sasquatch" and "Bigfoot" are newspaper names made up for newspaper stories, and those names are a handicap. [...]
[...] sasquatch crowd likes because I'm sensationalizing a subject of scientific inquiry. In my interview of Loren Coleman for True/Slant last year, Coleman adamantly pointed out how "bigfoot" and "sasquatch" are [...]
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Wealth Interactive upgrade – Q&A
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Let's continue with our photography posts, I can see you like them! This project caught my attention right away because it reminds me of Disney´s movie UP, which I love.
The French artist Laurent Chehere is a well-known commercial photographer and has worked for clients such as Audi and Nike, but after a change of interest he traveled the world taking hundreds of photographs.
After that, the series Flying houses was born in 2007, a wonderful collection of buildings, tents, houses and trailers moved from the ground to the sky.
"I am interested by gypsies in caravans waiting for their eviction by the police, of immigrants from Africa in unsafe buildings, circuses on the edge of freeways surrounding Paris, dirty sex cinemas of Pigalle—and the quiet life in the suburbs." Chehere said about the inspiration for this series.
You can follow all his work at his website.
Post by Aminta, read more on Spain's blog


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Arrowsmith: Vanilla Edition v.3c
Change log
v.3c - 01 Aug 2012
- Hawks are no longer invincible (separate invincible hawk fix mod no longer needed)
- Chicken plucking reworked:
They now have a "talk" prompt like normal NPCs.
Talking to them brings up their inventory so you can loot feathers.
They regrow feathers at a rate of 1 feather per day and can have a maximum of 12 feathers.
(They stop growing feathers at 12 but will start growing again if you loot them.)
And just for fun, they also squawk when you pluck them.
v.3b - 12 Feb 2012
- Bundle of Fletchings has been renamed to Fletchings. (Don't worry, you won't lose the ones you have.)
- Chicken Feathers added. They can be plucked from chickens every 3 in-game days or looted off their dead bodies.
- Vendors now have a chance to sell Fletchings and Chicken Feathers.
- Ancient Nord Arrows require one less Iron Ingot.
- To address complaints about the ingots weighing down the player, Nord Hero Arrows now require less heavy ingots, but more weightless arrows.
v.3a - 07 Feb 2012
- Minor header error fixed by Creation Kit.
- Published to Steam Workshop.
v.3 - 22 Nov 2011
- Menus fixed. For example, Orcish Arrows now appear in the Orcish section of the smithing menu.
- Added recipe for Ancient Nord Bow.
- Feathers re-worked. Arrows now require a Bundle of Fletchings, which can be made at the tanning rack using 3 Hawk Feathers, 3 Hagraven Feathers, or 3 Quills.
v.2a - 21 Nov 2011
- Fixed formIDs (hopefully) that might have caused random bugs.
v.2 - 18 Nov 2011
- All recipes requirements re-balanced. Most now require hawk feathers and make 50 arrows.
- Added Ancient Nord Arrow recipe.
v.1 - 17 Nov 2011
- Initial Release
- Uploaded on
- Aug 03, 2012
- Game version
- Filename
- Arrowsmith_Vanilla_Edition_v3c.zip
- Size
- 255.4 KiB
- 21460e79fed08bb3af0ac0076a2af239
- Type
- Release
- Status
- Normal
- Downloads
- 1,838


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The White Squirrel
About Us
The White Squirrel is a student-run literary and arts magazine at the University of Louisville publishing poetry, short-fiction, non-fiction, and visual art. Established in 2008, we aim to create a welcoming community of readers and writers alike in order to foster and celebrate the creativity imagined on and around campus. Each semester, we host two open mic events and publish an edition of the magazine each fall.
2015 Submissions
Spring Deadline: March 31
Submission Guidelines
Pick up your own copy!
The latest edition, Vol. XI Fall 2014 is currently on sale for $5 at the Etscorn Honors Center and Carmichael's Bookstores.
This issue features: Art by Jeremy Burch, Luke Parker, Jackson Taylor, Peter Sherman, Taylor Beiser, Griffin DiMaio, Luke Seward and Alison Underwood, Poetry by Fiona Grant, Lauren Whitcomb, Lauren Oliver, Carroll Grossman, Madeleine Loney and Destiny Nowlin, and Prose by Hayley Stevenson, Nathan Douglas and Jared Colston.
Away from campus? You can purchase an online PDF of the magazine for a discounted price here!
Spring 2015 Editors-in-Chief.
Left: Addie Wilson, Hanna DeMarcus, Tessa Withorn, and Hannah Rego
Questions or comments? Get in touch with The White Squirrel by emailing email@example.com or visiting the official Facebook page!