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Why Be A Writer? Guest blog by US author Beth Trissel
Because you're burning up with stories and ideas you just have to get down on paper (virtual paper these days) or you'll go mad–probably are a bit crazy anyway. I have this theory about writers, those who are on medication and those who should be. I am, but wasn't for years. *Note, it's also essential to love chocolate and coffee. Writers function on caffeine.
In the beginning (at age twenty) I drew a picture of a clock with a dissatisfied face and angrily named it a 'watch-gog' because I felt that's all I was doing, watching others live their dreams, and yearned to throw myself into a creative venture. But what? All my family members were artistic and Lord knows I'd tried. Painting and drawing eluded me. I was no hawk-eyed photographer. I'd made some swell collages, but that didn't seem enough. My arts and crafts weren't as expertly done as others. Though, I must say, those tuna fish cans I decorated with Christmas scenes were charming.
Yes, I loved to write and poured myself into poetry and short stories. Was there something more? For the next twenty years I continued to craft my pieces about rural life and slowly gained the seed of confidence to at least give myself permission to try and write those historical romance novels I so loved to read. At long last, I'd begun. Could it be, was I actually a writer, and how would I know when I'd 'arrived?'
Mountains loomed before me, and still do, with each new book. Publication, of course, was the ultimate pinnacle of success, but I discovered contests–some quite prestigious. If I excelled in those, not only might it pave the way toward my giddy goal but would lend me the credibility I craved. Certain I was ready for the initial launch, I entered my first RWA® Chapter Contest. While awaiting the results, I planned my acceptance speech for the awards banquet. Whether they even had one or not, I don't recall, but clearly remember sitting in utter bemusement holding those first score sheets. "You broke every rule," wrote an equally bemused judge.
Rules? They have rules for writing? Was Charles Dickens guided by rules, and what of Jane Austen? *Note to self, you are not Dickens or Austen, nor do you live in their time period. But that same judge tossed me a lifeline, "You have talent," she said, "apparent in your beautiful descriptions."
This at least was a place to begin. And so I did. With each step forward, there was always someone along the way to lend yet more 'constructive criticism' which I balked at, but eventually accepted and grew from. Along with those beneficial guides were individuals who continually smacked me down. Most of them were called agents and editors. But I got back up, brushed myself off, and onward ho I went. I cherished the good rejection letters, a personal note containing a high five along with the inevitable 'but.' But, your work doesn't — fill in the blank.
Boys and girls, I've had hundreds of rejections over the years. To cheer myself up, I'd throw mini rejection parties (weekly) attended mostly by myself and the dogs. We jigged around the kitchen to lively Celtic music. Well, at least I did. They tolerated being leapt over in my spritely steps. Being on Riverdance was another dream, but I digress.(Often).
Back in the snail mail days, my dear hubby handed me my mail referring to these inevitable replies as my 'Dear John' letters. To gain the fortitude needed to open these dreaded missives, I inked the initials C. D. H. on the outside of my SASE which stood for Courage Dear Heart, a reference to my beloved Aslan from the Narnia books by CS Lewis. Later, I found it easier to be rejected by email, though not a lot. Eventually, after ten years, I landed an excellent agent and thought this is it! I've arrived in the Promised Land! But no, not even she could sell my work to traditional NY publishing houses, no matter how much she extolled it or how many awards I'd garnered. They didn't want stories set in early America. Not sexy, not kewl. Since when?
So my agent and I amicably parted ways and I spotted a new ship on the horizon, an untraditional publisher, The Wild Rose Press. Right off, I was smitten by the name and their whole rose garden theme. Next to writing, my passion is gardening. At the top of their homepage is a rose that looks very much like my favorite variety by English breeder David Austen called Abraham Darby. It was a sign unto me. I was forever seeking signs, must be my superstitious Scots-Irish forebears. It's also Biblical…
I have four books out with The Wild Rose, a novella in An American Rose Christmas anthology, and have two more novels coming out later this year, release dates TBD. My latest light paranormal, Somewhere My Lass, is a suspenseful Scottish time travel. I'm hearkening further back to my Scot's roots. The American historical coming out, Red Bird's Song, is the first book I ever wrote, oft rewrote, and the one mentioned above in that contest where I broke all the rules.
Advice to aspiring writers, write what you love and persevere. Learn and grow from those helpful guides along the way. Keep on going like a sled dog in a blinding snow storm. For years, that's what I compared myself to. "You are not finished when you lose, you are finished when you quit." Did I ever threaten to quit? Many times. And then I'd ask myself, what are you gonna do now. Write, of course. It's what I do.
*Before publication, Somewhere My Love, finaled in the Golden Pen Contest. Since its 2008 release, Somewhere My Love won the 2008 Preditors&Editors Readers Poll for Best Romance Novel and received a stellar review from Publishers Weekly. The cover won the 2009 clash of cover contest at Embrace the Shadows, and the trailer won first place at The Pen and Muse.
*Before publication, Through the Fire won the historical category of 2008 the Linda Howard Award for Excellence in Writing and finaled in the 2008 Golden Heart ® Contest. Since its May 2009 release, it received a fabulous review from Long and Short Reviews, Two Lips, The Pen and Muse… and won book of the book at LASR.
*Before its release, Enemy of the King finaled in numerous RWA® chapter contests, and since its May 2009 release has received an outstanding review from Long and Short Reviews, Coffee Time, You Gotta Read… and won book of the week at LASR.
*Before its release, Daughter of the Wind finaled in several RWA® chapter contests, and since its May 2009 release has also received an excellent review from Long and Short Reviews, Bitten by Books, Mistress Bella… and won book of the week at LASR. All three of my 2009 releases made the top ten Publisher's Weekly Reader's Choice Best Books of 2009 at Barbara Veys.
For more on my work please visit: www.bethtrissel.com
16 comments:
- Short Poems said...
Why be a writer?
Because you are very talented in your word selection :)
marinela x
- 15 April 2010 at 09:31
- Old Kitty said...
Awww thank you for such a stirring piece to buck me up and slap me silly for now and again wallowing in negativity and self pity!
I'm always, always encouraged to read about writers more my age who have gotten there not by magic but by hard work, hard graft, bags and bags of talent and perserverance despite an initial sea of rejections.
I shall try and take up celtic music and see if my cat will dance with me when I get another rejection.
And I shall print this off and stick in by my pc to help me along during those dark dark days!
A million thousand thank yous.
take care
- 15 April 2010 at 09:45
- Gillian McDade said...
Thank you for such an inspiring post, Beth. It should be a lesson for us all. We can laugh in the face of rejection!
- 15 April 2010 at 11:35
- Fionnuala said...
I love the CDH part and think I'll adapt that fromnow on! Thanks for a wonderful, informative post Beth.
- 15 April 2010 at 13:06
- Beth Trissel said...
Thanks so much. Glad to be of inspiration, and I love the mental image of dancing with cats. My cat Percy perches nearby and bats at me in passing.
- 15 April 2010 at 13:08
- Gillian McDade said...
So does my cat, Beth! She's psychotic!
- 15 April 2010 at 14:28
- Anita Clenney said...
What a great blog. It made me laugh and it made me think, and now I'm itching to check out Somewhere My Lass. I have a Scottish Paranormal with some time travel elements that will be released next year. I'm off to check your out!
- 15 April 2010 at 15:41
I agree we all need to do something creative and had a few false starts myself. (Called my first poetry collection 'No Good at Knitting'- might have been better as 'No good at Poetry'!)
Thanks for a fun and inspiring post.
- 15 April 2010 at 16:22
- Clover Autrey said...
Oh my goodness, what a ride, Beth. Glad you didn't throw in the towel.
- 15 April 2010 at 16:23
- Cathie Dunn said...
What a lovely insight into your life, Beth. Thanks a lot for sharing! :-)
- 15 April 2010 at 18:46
- Beth Trissel said...
Thanks again guys. It's been quite a journey and still is. Somewhere My Lass isn't out yet. :( But stay tuned. I should have a release date soon.
- 15 April 2010 at 19:26
- Maeve Greyson said...
I also seemed to have a lot of "buts" at the end of my rainbows instead of pots of gold. But I finally found my way into the lovely garden too and the sun came out from behind the clouds. What a great blog, Beth. You're such an inspiration and wonderful author.
- 15 April 2010 at 23:41
- Tara said...
Wow, Beth, it's nice to know the whole story of your publishing journey. Agents are great, but not always the sure chance of getting published. They say the market is fickle, but I think it's more like the editors are fickle. Congrats on all the awards, especially on the cover one. LOL. I love my silver heart charm. :) T
- 16 April 2010 at 00:00
- Paisley Kirkpatrick said...
I am so glad I popped onto your blog today, Beth. I should have known it would be an easy read full of good advice. I am battling the Historical American and my stories have been getting pats on the back, but 'they' don't want westerns. It's not a western, it is just set in that time period. It does get frustrating at times like you said, but I couldn't give writing up. It's who I am.... Thanks for sharing and giving us all permission to not give up and write, write, write.
- 16 April 2010 at 02:24
- Susie Nott-Bower said...
Thanks, Beth - love the quote about not being finished when you lose...
- 17 April 2010 at 23:23
- Keith Havers said...
I need to read articles like this at least once a week to keep me going. Thanks for the boost.
I try and fill my own blog with inspiring quotes from successful people.
- 19 April 2010 at 12:20


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subset: commoncrawl


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BOSTON (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. candidate Michael Sullivan is kicking off his campaign, pledging to work to restrain spending, get the nation's debt under control and support strong foreign and national security policies.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports
Sullivan is one of three Republican running in the GOP primary and the last to jump into the race. He held his campaign kick-off Saturday at a VFW post in his hometown of Abington.
The former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said one of his top priorities is to reverse federal policies that he said "could hardly be more hostile to growth and opportunity if they were deliberately designed to do so."
He also faulted Congress and President Obama for failing to deal with a soaring national debt.
Sullivan is facing fellow Republicans Daniel Winslow and Gabriel Gomez in the GOP primary April 30.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


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High-end wealth management firm Aspiriant got a facelift this week with the launch of a new website that stands apart from the density and verbosity more typical of the advisory website genre.
Most striking, perhaps, is not what is present on the site but rather what is missing.
"We weren't trying to provide too much information," Aspiriant's director of business development Cammie Doder told ThinkAdvisor in a phone interview from her San Francisco office. "We love overdelivering to clients, and we had to pull back."
Doder, who oversaw the site's rollout — a process that started more than a year ago with what she calls a "brand audit" — says that restraint meant dispensing with the overly analytical approach that is a staple of financial advisor websites.
"What really gives our clients comfort is tying the analytics with the emotional side of wealth management," she says.
The seven-city elite firm, whose average client has $8 million under management, sought to communicate that with a generous sprinkling of illustrations — such as the tender embrace of a woman and her dog that is meant to convey a client experience whose thoughtfulness and meticulousness stems from an overarching quality of caring.
The splash of color those illustrations offer are all the more noticeable because they appear against a backdrop that is mostly white.
"Seeing a lot of white space is intentional," Doder says. "Our industry usually offers overwhelming amounts of information. It's really hard to digest so much information if [you're a prospect] new to this industry or space."
In a bid to sync a prospect's day-to-day reality with the world of wealth management, Aspiriant's site employs simple, conversational English and yet delivers a message that evinces financial sophistication.
For example, on a page titled "why we're unusual," the site lists five key points using muscular verb and noun phrasing that is light on slippery adjectives; (two bullet points: "Aspiriant is built to: eliminate conflicts of interest; maximize transparency, intimacy and continuity").
Then, rather than drone on, the text concludes with an invitation to prospective clients:
"There's a lot more to say about this unconventional vision. Some of it we'll address on this site. But most of it is stuff we should talk about in person, if the basic idea of what we're doing sounds like what you're looking for."
That's a trope found elsewhere on the site where language such as "there is so much more to say" suggests the idea that some important areas should really be addressed face-to-face.
The site is interspersed with an abundance of links, conveying a cavernous depth that compliments its unintimidating sparseness. The language is personable — "[Clients] like the way we combine intellectual ferocity with genuine humor, warmth and affection" — and occasionally humorous: "[When your financial plan is in place], you're going to feel an incredible pressure release. Food will taste better, the sky will look bluer."
Another key strategic decision was showing just two links on the opening page: "The Client Experience" and "Everything Else."
The idea, says Doder, was to present the firm in a way that is meaningful to its users — to convey what it all entails for them.
"Everything from the illustration we chose to the caption about caring to [the five elements] we highlighted show we don't just create a plan but we carry the plan through with you; that we have a fabulous investment team;…our ownership model; our commitment to be being independent;…the continuity in client relationships. It was about communicating in a way so that people truly understand what it is we do," Doder says.
Besides the client experience, the "everything else" includes "why we're unusual," "our exceptional people," "what exactly we do," "offices coast-to-coast;" "news & intel" and "start a dialogue."
The registered investment advisory firm, whose staff of 120 including about 75 client service people oversee some $7 billion in assets, formed a large team including CEO Rob Francais, Doder and representatives of the firm's principals, advisors and asset managers to audit Aspiriant's brand. With the communications strategy in place, actual work on the site began in the second quarter.
Doder, whose job it is to introduce prospective clients to the firm — "so that client service people can spend their time serving clients and not work on business development" — says the site is a crucial way for prospects to gain their first impression of Aspiriant.
She says that referrals from family and friends are the most common source of prospective new clients and that the website gives early insight into what "world-class asset management," along with the firm's wealth planning and family office offerings, look like.
Check out 10 Tech Trends That'll Rattle the Advisory Industry on ThinkAdvisor.


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Cooking With The Phillies
OK, there are a few more shopping days left this week.
This just in…..one of the hottest selling items in the Phillies world is the new cookbook: "From Our Home to Yours, A Collection of Phillies Recipes." Over 500 copies were shipped today by the merchandize department staff. Volunteers were needed to process the orders.
You'll get recipes from the players and staff, from Danny Baez ("Cuban-style chicken fricassee) to Shane Victorino (chicken katsu). Plus inside information such as their favorites restaurant, who does the cooking in the family and a player's traditional pre-game or post-game meal or snack.
When asked who does the cooking in his household, Chase replied, "Hahaha…next question." Guess he answered it.
Phillies photographer Miles Kennedy did all photographic work, all outstanding poses. Ryan Madson is wearing a white chef's hat and apron; Sara (wife) and Ella (daughter) are wearing white aprons. Twin sons (Luke and Ryan) are wearing red chef's hats and red aprons. Their recipe: "chicken tacos with green sauce."
Oh, don't worry, not all the recipes are chicken oriented.
Proceeds will benefit the Covenant House Pennsylvania, a shelter for homeless, runaway or at-risk youth. Just another way that the Phillies are reaching out to the community.
The Majestic Clubhouse Store at Citizens Bank Park will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Ordering online or by phone (1-877-GO-PHILS) at this late date may not make it in time for Christmas day but getting gifts after the holiday is more normal than unusual. Well, I've been known to deliver late Christmas gifts so I must be normal.


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While a good majority of the healthcare industry had their industry news pipelines filled with coverage from the mHealth Summit earlier this week, nearly 600 of us in Atlanta were also taking in coverage of the third annual Health IT Leadership Summit, a day-long affair that offered great sessions on a range of topics. Several key themes emerged, based on the #GAHealthIT tweet stream:
- the value of social media in healthcare, especially in the area of patient education and engagement
- the need for innovation, and a viable entrepreneurial ecosystem for that innovation to develop
- the need for better alignment of incentives and
- the increasingly important roles employers, payers and employees are starting to play in the accountable care conversation.
This was one of the few conferences I, personally, have attended that kicked things off with a patient's perspective of the state of the healthcare industry. Ross Mason, Founder of Healthcare Institution for Neuro-Recovery and Innovation (HINRI) Ventures and a quadriplegic. Mason is the real deal when it comes to the patient's perspective. He has a compelling story to tell about the sub-par state of healthcare and he told it well. He pulled back the covers on the educational, emotional and financial helplessness so many patients and their caregivers feel in times of critical care. I highly recommend you check out his story and mission he has created for HINRI here.
Mason was a tough act to follow, but Lee Aase, Director of Social Media at the Mayo Clinic, somehow managed to pull it off. Actually, thinking back on it, there couldn't have been a better pairing. Both men's presentations were a testament to the power storytelling can have in transforming healthcare. Aase's, of course, revolved around stories told via social networking and new media.
I have expressed my enthusiasm for his keynote in previous blogs, and he did not disappoint. He used self-deprecating wit, family pictures, hilarious and at times very dated news footage to tell Mayo Clinic's social media adoption story. I won't go so far as to say I'm his biggest fan (I imagine the three darling grandchildren he mentioned in his address vie for that honor), but I did go so far as to have him autograph his book for me. You can find "Bringing the Social Media #Revolution to Health Care" here.
Here are just a few of some of my favorite slides, out of the 138 he shared with us. You can view the complete deck here.
I'll follow up next week with a more detailed look at the winner of the Intel Innovation Award, which was presented to CardioMEMS at the summit. I was able to take a field trip to their offices, and was amazed at the potential a tiny wireless sensor designed for chronic heart failure patients is likely to have on a number of different areas in the industry.


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Angela's: A Coal-Oven Pizzeria in Massachusetts
Slice mail answered.
I am a devoted slice eater and pizza worshiper from Providence, Rhode Island. I am writing to you from the state of Esprito Santo in Brazil.
Before I left for my trip, I had the pleasure of dining at Angela's Coal Fired Pizza in Saugus, Massachusetts (actually, immediately before leaving from JFK, I stopped at L&B Spumoni Gardens, Nathan's, and Di Fara within a two-hour period). Angela's opened in November, I believe. As far as I know, it's the closest coal oven to my Providence home. It may be the only one in Massachusetts as well.
Slice's Nationwide Coal-Oven Pizza Map »
Angela's is a modern coal oven pizzeria worthy of my respect. Its menu states "Our pizza is cooked well done," making its purpose obvious. My fellow pizza fiends and I ordered a traditional (read: Margherita) and a Melanzana. We also ordered the coal-fired wings, which I won't get into here, but they were amazing.
The element of Angela's which stands out the most is its amazingly springy light crust with abundant charring. It's hard to recall ever experiencing a pizza with such a springy crust. The tomato and basil on the pie was very fresh and flavorful, as it should be.
The biggest downside of this placeno fresh mozzarella by default. The menu threw me off here. Under "Specialty Pies," Angela's does list a sauceless fresh mozzarella pie, however. I am guessing that it may offer fresh mozzaerlla on the traditional if requestedso I will be returning to find out. Since I'm in South America for two months, that will have to wait.
In the meantime, I'll be trying some pizzerias here in Brazil and next month in Argentina. It appears that Brazilians like to put ketchup and mayonnaise on everything, including pizza. I did try some pizza (ordered by native friends) that had corn, ham, and tomato. Interesting combination, but the crust was at the level of U.S. chainsdisheartening to say the least. I did find what appears to be a wood-fired pizzeria in the city of Vitoria, which seems to be closed during the day when I've walked by. There is a lot of interesting food down here, and I plan on eating as much of it as possible. As far as Buenos Aires goes, I have high expectations based on the Italian population; so far I've read good things about pizza there.
Dear Jon, Thanks for the intel on Angela's. I'll add it to the Nationwide Coal-Oven Pizza Map here on Slice. Great to see another coal oven join the ranks.
Keep in touch about the pizza you find in South America. The ketchup-and-mayo thing doesn't surprise me, as I've seen pictures of ketchup and mustard on Brazilian pizza before [shudder].
And when you get back to Angela's again, feel free to report on any new intel you gather!
Hasta la pizza, Adam
Angela's Coal Fired Pizza
Address: 880 Broadway, Rt 1, Saugus MA, 01906
Phone: 781-941-2625
Website: angelascfp.com
Hours: Sun.Wed., 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thurs.Sat., 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Cara Carriveau, NBC Chicago Street Team
Okay so they claim it's more of a "re-birth". Whatever. Creed was one of the hugest bands of the late 1990's, so news of the original line-up of Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall getting back together is huge.
Listen to Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti chat in Cara's Basement about their new album, summer tour and how having kids made them fiinally able to get the band back on track.
Funniest part is when Scott Stapp refers to the infamous Chicago Creed concert where he was so waisted that he forgot the words to all the songs and laid down on stage aparrently napping as a "not-so-great-show". Gee…ya think??? But he does have a point…he's had far more good shows (where he didn't nap and/or forget the lyrics) than bad ones. Let's hope their August 30 gig at The First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre isn't a "not-so-great" show.


text: Flawless HD. Limitless Excitement Flawless HD video quality with built-in Qdeo™ video optimization Dual HDMI for audio/ video outputting concurrently Pristine SNR 115dB Hi-Fi audio 7.1-channel surround sound Most media formats support with built-in media player Wi-Fi built-in Smartphone remote control without software installation Shop Modal header Full HD 3D capable O!Play BDS-700 supports Blu-ray 3D disc and 3D ISO file playback with full Blu-ray menu. A full menu support comes ready so that customers are able to playback their favorite scenes and chapters and choose an appropriate language from a complete list of subtitles.* Flawless HD video quality with built-in Qdeo™ video optimization Enjoy and watch DVDs in higher resolution via upscaling O!Play BDS-500 ships with Qdeo™ video processing to reduce image scatter without adversely affecting sharpness. Color and contrast are also improved and optimized for a more lifelike piecture and increased viewing immersion. Additionally, percision upscaling of DVDs to HD comes ready right out of the box. Pristine audio in the living room - Hi-Fi audio performance with 115dB SNR The stereo digital-analog converter (DAC) on the O!Play BDS-700 puts out SNR 115dB audio, the only device in its class capable of such high clarity and fidelity. Dulby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio standards are offered, with 100% lossless 7.1-channel output that is perfect for movie watching as well as music enjoyment. The embedded gold-plated terminals design prevents the device to age or oxidize and ensure pures signal quality. Smart design for dual HDMI outputs- dedicated HDMI outputs for TV and sound To ensure both true HDMI 1.4 performance and offer unprecedented flexibility, the BDS-700 comes with dual dedicated HDMI outputs, splitting one HDMI 1.4 port for 3D TV, while another HDMI 1.3 port routes just the audio. The dual connection design means the BDS-700 can work effortlessly alongside existing HDMI 1.3 audio receivers with no compromise in quality. Conversely, media players with only one HDMI out have to route all operations through the TV. Twin USBs for intuitive plug-n-play O!Play BDS-700 comes with twin USBs to promote instant connectivity with other devices. Moreover, the front USB input provides convenient access to share your videos, photos, music on a big TV screen. Comprehensive formats Support O!Play BDS-700 supports the most demanding and popular formats. It maintains good compatibility with 45 popular formats and standards, more than any competing Blu-ray players. Furthermore, you may also play recorded digital videos directly from camcorders to revisit those cherished moments.* Stream content from your PC via DLNA certification With Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certification, O!Play BDS-700 lets you easily stream-n-play multimedia files wirelessly from your PC to the big screen TV, cable-free. Integrated Wi-Fi As online-capable media devices, the BDS-700 comes with integrated Wi-Fi. This allows it to become part of a home network with automatic detection and no setup hassles. Dedicated links to Flickr, Internet Radio and a host of music and video streaming services allow you to get in touch with your favorite content quickly at any time. Backlit Remote Control With its large buttons and LED backlighting, this remote control provides an easy to use functions for the whole family. Under any low-light conditions, the lighted buttons can be configured to light up automatically when a button is pressed by the user. Smartphone remote control without software installation Easily turn your iPod touch/iPhone/iPad or any other smartphone into a remote control with no additional software installation. Intuitively type and search through them to control your O!Play BDS-700 with ease. *Due to the variation of encode techniques adapted , complete playback support of every media is not guaranteed


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Buffett, champion of bailout, is also leading beneficiary
SACRAMENTO — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has been lauded for his plainspoken denunciation of the greed and foolishness behind the economic crisis. He's pushed the massive federal bailout of imploding banks as the essential response to an "economic Pearl Harbor."
When Buffett speaks, people in high places listen. He's so highly regarded that in a fall debate, both presidential candidates said they'd consider him for Treasury secretary.
A Sacramento Bee examination of regulatory records has found that his extensive holdings in financial firms have made Buffett, the world's second-wealthiest person behind Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, one of the top beneficiaries of the banking bailout.
Just 28 companies received more than 90 percent of the funds so far disbursed to financial firms by the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, hasn't received any of that federal aid, but Berkshire, based in Omaha, Neb., owns stock valued at more than $13 billion in the top recipients of TARP funds, including Goldman Sachs Group, US Bancorp, American Express and Bank of America, which analysts all thought were in deep trouble before TARP was approved in October.
That total, The Bee found, ranks Berkshire fifth among all investors in TARP-assisted companies. Berkshire's TARP holdings constitute 30 percent of its publicly disclosed stock portfolio, and that proportion reflects at least twice as much dependence on bailed-out banks as any other large investor.
Berkshire, for instance, is the largest shareholder in San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which got $25 billion — 91 percent of the TARP funds invested in institutions headquartered in California.
Buffett increased his bank holdings in September, while he was arguing in the media that Congress should approve the bailout to prevent the collapse of the global financial system.
"If I didn't think the government was going to act, I would not be doing anything this week," Buffett told CNBC after investing $5 billion in Goldman Sachs. "I am, to some extent, betting on the fact that the government will do the rational thing here and act promptly."
The more the bailout props up these financial companies, the more secure Berkshire's and other shareholders' investments in them are. Berkshire shares have risen sharply with the financial sector stock rally in recent weeks, but they're still down nearly 40 percent since September. In Friday trading, they closed at $92,490 a share.
"People can draw their own conclusions" about Buffett's stake in the bailout, said Richard Coppes, an expert in business ethics at the international law firm Jones Day, and a former general counsel of the California Public Employees' Retirement System. "But it shows one reason Buffett is so intensely interested in TARP."
Buffett, whose company is also the largest investor in Goldman Sachs and American Express, declined to be interviewed. In a February letter to Berkshire shareholders, he said that without government intervention, the consequences for the economy would have been "cataclysmic."
"Like it or not," he wrote, "the inhabitants of Wall Street, Main Street and the various Side Streets of America were all in the same boat."
Experts agree that preserving a functional banking system, TARP's goal, benefits everyone. In dispute is whether the bailout was the fairest and best approach.
Some say that large shareholders such as Buffett have been the primary, and perhaps only significant beneficiaries of TARP. Bank stocks have recovered significantly in recent weeks — Goldman's share price has more than doubled since November — and no TARP bank has failed.
Critics, however, worry that TARP propped up Wall Street against bankruptcy at the expense of taxpayers. The Treasury Department expected TARP to get loans flowing again, but the market has barely thawed, and unemployment has surged.
Thomas M. Hoenig, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, recently advocated a government takeover of moribund banks until their balance sheets can be cleaned up.
"Shareholders would be forced to bear the full risk of the positions they have taken," Hoenig said, "and suffer the resulting losses."
Foreign firms also have gained much from the U.S. bailout. The Bee's examination of federal data found that foreign investment firms hold more than $31 billion in TARP-assisted financial companies. That lends credence to U.S. concerns that some European countries should more forcefully stimulate their own economies.
The Europeans agreed to loans and trade guarantees at the G-20 economic summit last week in London, but not to the stimulus package sought by President Barack Obama.
"It shouldn't just be the obligation of the U.S. to bail out the global system," said Richard C. Ferlauto, the governance and pension director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, whose members' pension assets total more than $1 trillion. "Each country has to step to the plate proportionately."
The Bee also found that many of the leading TARP recipient companies cross-own large shares of other TARP banks.
Northern Trust received about $1.5 billion in government investments, yet its holdings in other TARP-assisted banks are about four times that amount. State Street got $2 billion, and holds nearly $24 billion in shares of other TARP recipients.
Each company has a stake in at least a dozen California banks, large and small, that received TARP funds.
Those commingled interests are partly responsible for the financial meltdown, Ferlauto said. "Ownership interlocks among these large financial institutions meant that no one was willing to rock the boat," he said, in the period leading up to the financial meltdown.
"There needs to be a lot more transparency on the part of large financial institutions as to how they act as fiduciaries of other financial companies," he added. "It's collusion of ownership."
To be sure, most of the investments by banks in other banks are investments of private clients managed by the banks. Those clients, however, aren't disclosed to regulators — another way that some beneficiaries of the bailout are shielded from public scrutiny.
When told of The Bee's findings, Robert Kuttner, the author of a recent best-seller on the economic crisis, said they reveal a bailout program designed out of public view, and one that "reeks of favoritism and special treatment."
"TARP was designed that way," Kuttner said, "to concentrate power with almost no effective oversight. That, to me, is the scandal."
The lack of clear criteria for awarding TARP funds continued after the recent change in government, according to Kuttner and other experts.
"The Obama administration said it would offer transparency and openness. But the single most important thing they are doing is being done largely behind closed doors, and the design is by, for and in the interest of large banks, hedge funds and private equity companies," he said. "Because there are no explicit criteria, it's very hard to know if a Citigroup or a Goldman got special treatment."
The Bee's findings follow a recent controversy over some Buffett holdings that may have contributed to the economic crisis.
Berkshire owns more than 20 percent of Moody's, a top credit rating agency, making it by far the largest stakeholder. Moody's has been faulted for enabling the global crisis by overvaluing mortgage assets.
Although Buffett has been outspoken about the need for government intervention in the crisis caused by the mortgage meltdown, he's said nothing publicly about the role of a company in which his firm is a minority holder.
Buffett also has decried "credit default swaps" — which are similar to insurance policies, in which mortgage bonds and other financial instruments are insured against default — as "financial weapons of mass destruction." He criticized the profligate use of these unregulated financial tools, or derivatives, widely blamed as a root of the credit collapse.
Yet Berkshire has issued tens of billions of dollars in derivatives. In a letter to shareholders, Buffett justified derivatives as relatively safe and likely to yield vast profits.
Leading economists, however, said that Berkshire's credit default swaps are much the same as those that sank American International Group, the insurer at the epicenter of the derivative fiasco.
"I assume that (Buffett) is being more responsible than they were," said Dean Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. "But this is a difference in quantity, not quality."
Simon Johnson, a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management and the former chief economist for the International Monetary Fund, said that despite the banking collapse, financial leaders such as Buffett have retained surprising control over the government.
"There's this general presumption that Wall Street knows best. But they may not know best for the taxpayer," Johnson said. "We've gotten into the habit of deferring to them a little too much — including Warren Buffett."
(Phillip Reese of the Sacramento Bee contributed to this article.)
This report is based, in part, on an evaluation of investor filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission as of Dec. 31, the most comprehensive recent data, and on Treasury Department disclosures of federal stock purchases.
For overall shareholder figures, The Sacramento Bee considered the 28 firms that received at least $600 million from the Troubled Asset Relief Program as of March 24 — comprising about 92 percent of TARP outlays.
TARP-assisted California banks were separately reviewed if their market capitalization was at least $25 million. The figures cited exclude federal investments in American International Group and federal loans and investments for auto companies.
The value of investor holdings in TARP-assisted companies was current as of the market close on March 27. Assistance on ownership analysis was provided by Cary Krosinsky, vice president of the research firm Trucost.
References to Berkshire Hathaway's total stock portfolio include a $5 billion investment in Goldman Sachs Group. That investment pays a 10 percent annual dividend and includes the right to purchase another $5 billion in Goldman stock.


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ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at email@example.com.
- Sanft, Alfred C
- Giard, Jacques
- 1 Aisling, Kelliher
- 1 Arizona State University
- 1 Cheung, Hoi Yan Patrick
- 1 English
- video/quicktime
- 1 application/pdf
- Moving Image
- 1 Doctoral Dissertation
- Design
- 1 Communication
- 1 Education, General
- 1 Graphic
- 1 Sound
- 1 Time
- 1 Visual
- Mobile Crowd Sensing in Edge Computing Environment
- The Effect of Disability on Subjective Well-Being across the Adult Lifespan: The Moderating Roles of Age at Disability Onset and Disability Type
- Mechanically Active Heterogeneous Polymer Matrix Composites
- Attribute-Based Encryption for Fine-Grained Access Control over Sensitive Data
- 并购背景下教育行业品牌价值研究
As digital technology promises immediacy and interactivity in communication, sight and sound in motion graphics has expanded the range of design possibilities in advertising, social networking, and telecommunication beyond the visual realm. The experience of seeing has been greatly enriched by sound as visual solutions become dynamic and multi-dimensional. The ability to record and transfer sight and sound with new media has granted the designer more control in manipulating a viewer's experience of time and space. This control allows time-based form to become the foundation that establishes many interactive, multisensory and interdisciplinary applications. Is conventional design theory for print media …
- Contributors
- Cheung, Hoi Yan Patrick, Giard, Jacques, Sanft, Alfred C, et al.
- Created Date
- 2011


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By John Hayes, iContact Business Development Executive
Company Name: Health and Safety for Beginners
Website: http://www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk/
Business Type: Publisher/Online Community
Location: West Lothian, Scotland, UK
Health and Safety for Beginners (HSfB) has been providing a free educational and community resource for health and safety professionals and students online since 2004.
The site was set up by John Johnston, who re-trained as a health and safety advisor following an accident at work that left him seriously injured and living on incapacity benefits. Initially the site was developed to share large files between students using the free web space allocated by his Internet Service Provider. But as more files were added, it started to look more like a "real website" and by complete accident (quite ironically), Health and Safety for Beginners was launched.
The site now acts as a central resource for health and safety information, downloads and study aids as well as providing details of training courses and job opportunities. HSfB also hosts a very active community forum and promotes regular prize drawings for books, training courses, and other health- and safety-related products and services. All of this activity is neatly wrapped up with a regular email newsletter to the site's 5,000+ subscribers.
Finding the right email marketing solution
Johnston said: "HSfB provides a completely free resource for the health and safety community. Our only source of income comes from industry sponsorship, and as such having a targeted and popular email newsletter is vital to our operation."
Initially, HSfB relied on the free email marketing tools that came along with their web hosting package but found them to be cumbersome and lacking in features. Emails would be sent out, but HSfB had no way of understanding how successful their campaigns were or even if they were reaching their subscribers' inboxes. Johnston turned to the Internet and posted a question to an online business forum looking for suggestions for a suitable replacement – and the name that came back to him time and time again was iContact.
Johnston said: "I signed up for iContact's 30-day trial and was hooked. It's an incredibly simple system to use but gives me all the analytic tools I need to run my business. I'm able to track opens, bounces and click-throughs and even monitor individual link success. This lets me, and, equally as important, our sponsors, understand how successful our individual email campaigns are, allowing us to constantly test and improve our strategies. I've been an iContact customer for four years now and I have never looked back."
Continuous Education and Training
HSfB have also benefited from iContact's commitment to continuous education and training via a series of online and classroom-based events.
Johnston said: "It's very easy to become complacent with your email marketing. If you've got a good list and you are producing reasonable content, email marketing works incredibly well. But that doesn't mean it cannot be made better. Thanks to iContact's training initiatives I've focused additional efforts on list growth, segmentation and more frequent campaigns, which are supported by additional, fresh content and am reaping rewards and seeing growth in all areas."


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Most of us have grown up with a plentiful water supply. All we had to do was turn on the faucet and there it was, all the water we needed, all we could want. Unfortunately, throughout our country, through our world, that is fast changing.
The next time you turn on a faucet let the water run a moment. Then put your hand into it, then touch it to your face, feel it on your skin, touch it to your tongue and taste it. Now ask yourself, "If this water were suddenly shut off and were not able to be turned on again, where would I go to find another source of fresh water such as this?"
Please think hard about this as there is no easy answer. Where would it come from? How much would it cost? Would it be as good as this water? Would I be able to let my children brush their teeth or shower with it? How long would it take? So many questions! Only one good answer: Protect what you have! All of you! It's all there is!
So for those who are fortunate enough to live and work above and draw your fresh water from the Michindoh Sole Source Aquifer, please do you and me a favor.
– David L. Blesing
Chesterfield Township resident


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Lane Kiffin called out for 'shady' recruiting at USC
Whether it's the regular season, the postseason or the offseason, negativity seems to find its way to USC coach Lane Kiffin, whose program has once again fumbled an opportunity just shy of the finish line. This time – as compared to No. 1 votes, deflated footballs, six losses and the like – the bad publicity centers around USC's recruiting efforts.
The story:
Kyle Fitts, a four-star defensive end prospect from Redlands, Calif., committed to USC in April and planned on enrolling early, in January. His plan was seemingly confirmed on Jan. 5, when Fitts met and talked with USC coaches at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, one of the nation's premier events for top-tier recruits.
Two days later, on Jan. 7, USC told Fitts that it would not have a spot available for him in the spring. As a result, the coaching staff said Fitts would have to defer his enrollment until the fall semester. While Fitts' scholarship wasn't pulled (see: Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati), it was pushed back. More than that, Fitts received the news just three days before he was set to enroll.
One problem (among the very many): Fitts had already graduated from high school. What was he supposed to do until June, when USC wanted him to enroll? As a result of the late change of heart, Fitts dropped USC and reopened his recruitment, trading in the Trojans for one of Notre Dame, Washington, UCLA or Tennessee.
Folks are upset. Fitts' coach at Redlands East Valley High School, Kurt Bruich, had this to say to The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise:
"Recruiting man, it's crazy. He's wanted to go to USC for as long as he can remember and now he feels betrayed. He did everything he was supposed to do from his end and he was a loyal kid. I think they thought because of that loyalty he'd still want to go there. He said to me 'What am I supposed to do for the next five months?' It seems shady. I think it seems shady to everyone."
Bruich then streamlined his remarks into 140 characters on his Twitter account:
"When people are desperate, their true colors show. Take the USC coach, captain of an underachieving ship. His true color: SHADY!"
I'm not sure if shady is a color, but Bruich's condemnation of not only Kiffin but also USC's entire program (an "underachieving ship") speaks volumes. One can only imagine that East Valley High has become off-limits to USC for the foreseeable future.
Fitts is one of four elite recruits to de-commit from USC since November. The first was safety Max Redfield, whose departure was made doubly painful by the fact he then committed to Notre Dame. The Trojans have also lost defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes and wide receiver Eldridge Massington.


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The Carolina's Lovely April
Our Model Of The Day
The Carolina's Lovely April
Where She's From: Beautiful April Arrington was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina and now lives in Columbia, SC. "The most important lesson I learned from my parents was to never count on anyone but yourself," she tells The Black Star News. "Otherwise, you will get your feelings hurt. I learned the importance of being independent and responsible."
Arrington earned her Associate Degree from Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, in Computer Information Systems four years ago. She also completed an Associate of Arts in 2004. "I graduated with a 3.7 GPA," the beautiful model who is a huge advocate of education, adds. "I quickly realized that it just wasn't the field I wanted to be in. The health field has always been of big interest to me."
Where She's At: After she moved to South Carolina, Arrington began to attend the University of South Carolina and she's currently majoring in nursing. "So, right now, I currently attend school full-time and model part-time. My degree has always been first priority," she says.
In the short amount of time Arrington has been modeling, she's been fortunate to have had a lot of good opportunities and experiences. "I have done promotions, national magazine spreads, and even been on tours," she tells The Black Star. "I would love to do more things on a national level and do more mainstream things; but I am very fortunate to have come this far and I'm appreciative of everything."
Where She's Heading: "My dream is that I can one day be a well-known model that is very successful and travels a lot," Arrington says. "I would also love to one day move into acting because it gives you more of an opportunity to show more of your talent and personality."
"When people doubt me and think that I am incapable of doing something, that's all the more reason for me to go after it and prove everybody wrong," she adds.
Confidence also helps, and Arrington certainly carries a lot of that. "I was proud when I went to my very first model call and got offered the job on the spot--I was offered to shoot a spread in Show magazine, which is on a national level. Not only did I have the opportunity to shoot that fresh in the business, but it was a nine-page spread. It takes some models years to get to do things such as that. I was also honored to have modeled AppleBottom with Trey Songz-Neyo Tour. It was amazing to be on stage while Trey performed; straight adrenaline rush."
"Beauty can only get you but so far," Arrington warns other aspiring young models. "Beauty can be taken away just as easily as it created. A person could be hurt, disfigured, or burned. You have to have more to bring to the table. I have learned that people sometimes look at beautiful girls as not being so bright, or being there more for decoration than for brains. You are respected a lot more when you are an intelligent person. Nobody wants to be looked at as just a hot girl or a 'fine ass.' I like to be viewed as a bad ass chic who also has class and a good head on her shoulders!"
"I am a very easy girl to please-I'm not a big beauty girl," she says, when asked how she dresses to kill. "I don't ever wear makeup and I am not always dressed to impress. I'm more of a comfort girl, but I know how to get jiggy when it's time. I absolutely love Victoria's Secret lotion Endless Love. I only bought one foundation and that is by Mac. My favorite perfumes are all by Estee Lauder. My classics are Pleasures, Pleasures Intense, and Beyond Paradise. I also love Victoria's Secret's Love Spell. Honestly, for clothing and shoes, I do not have a preference. I see things I like by all different designers and brands. I use the motto, 'When I see it, I'll know it.'"
Arrington's Words Of Wisdom: "'That which doesn't break us, makes us stronger.' That quote has helped me get through many tough times."
Arrington's Secrets Of Success: "Confidence, discipline, and being out-going."
Arrington's Favorite Three Movies: "Step Mom, with Julia Roberts; My Best Friend's Wedding; and, Meet The Fockers. Meet the Fockers was one of the funniest movies ever to me."
Arrington's Favorite Three Books: "It's gonna sound corny but Charlotte's Web is my favorite. I also liked A Child Called 'It' and Anne of Green Gables."
Arrington's Favorite Cars: "I have always loved Avalanches for some reason. I also like Hummers. I just have always loved big trucks and SUV's. And all black."
Arrington's Five Favorite Musicians/Entertainers: "Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Mya, and TI. TI is one of the only rappers who can get me krunk."
To find out more about this brainy and lovely model please visit myspace.com/iadoreapril
To contact her for business she can be reached via email@example.com
For your own profile consideration please send us a brief note and headshot to firstname.lastname@example.com
To subscribe to or advertise in New York's leading Pan African weekly investigative newspaper, please call (212) 481-7745 or send a note to firstname.lastname@example.com
"Speaking Truth To Empower."
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