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Blockbuster Report Proves Congressmen Bribing their Way to the Top

If there is any justice in the world, if there are any members of the media who still retain even a shred of dignity, this story will break the news media wide open.

About a year ago libertarian Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) made news when he decried the congressional system of bribery to get ahead.

Rep. Thomas Massie has an unpaid bill for $240,000 sitting on his desk in Washington — a debt GOP leaders say he owes to the House Republicans’ campaign operation.

Trending: Lewinsky Not A One-Off? Clinton’s Crazy Marriage Secret Revealed!

It’s part of the Kentucky Republican’s “dues,” a little-scrutinized but well-known levy that leaders of both parties impose on their colleagues to help fill the Democratic and Republican congressional campaign committee coffers. Lawmakers are supposed to dip into their own re-election accounts to meet these fundraising quotas. Those who make — or exceed — their dues are considered “team players,” a label that lifts their chances of landing plum committee assignments.

“They told us right off the bat as soon as we get here, ‘These committees all have prices and don’t pick an expensive one if you can’t make the payments,’ ” Massie said. “That’s part of the orientation.”

Massie has likened the dues system to “extortion.” Other critics say it gives the most prodigious fundraisers, rather than the best legislators, an edge in getting on the most powerful congressional committees.

Now, veteran journalist Sharyl Attkisson is ready to blow the story wide open and expose the massive hypocrisy that exists in the halls of Congress.

Attkisson recently spoke with the the investigators at Issue One who compiled the report exposing the system wherein members of Congress “buy” power and influence by raising money from the very people, corporations, and interests that they are supposed to be overseeing.

Nick Penniman: It’s not only a powerful position, it’s a perverse system. In fact, it’s the inverse of what we all as citizens should want.

Sharyl: Nick Penniman leads the group – Issue One. Its new report The Price of Power exposes how members of Congress serve as cash cows for their party’s political machinery. The best fundraisers are rewarded with powerful positions that decide the laws affecting all of us. Insiders report both parties have similar systems of “dues” that members have to pay every two years by raising money directly for the party. That’s called “dialing for dollars;” and by giving some of their campaign funds to the party and to colleagues facing tough races. How much they raise determines who gets ahead.

Penniman: What we should want is that people rise in stature because of merit, not because of money. And right now, it’s money over merit.

Sharyl: As an example, ordinary Republicans have six-figure party “dues.” But it takes more to make the ranks of leadership.

Sharyl: How much does a committee chairmanship cost?

Penniman: So, if you want to be the chairman of a major committee in Congress, and you’re Republican, you’ve got to deliver 1.2 million to the Republican National Congressional Committee. Democrats, it’s about the same thing.

Sharyl: It’s almost like paying for the privilege of obtaining a certain position.

Penniman: It is borderline extortion.

Sharyl: It’s a far cry from bygone days. In the 1960s a mere $100 donation could get you not only dinner with congressional candidate Shirley Temple, but also host Bing Crosby. Today, besides the $1.2 million required of “A” committee chairmen, Republicans who chair secondary “B” committees are expected to raise $875,000 in dues. The top Republican in the House, as Speaker, has to raise $20 million dollars. The number two, Majority Leader $10 million. Such details, held tightly to the vest for years, come from some of the 180 former public officials who belong to “Issue One’s” bipartisan “ReFormers Caucus” and say they’re sick of money’s influence in politics.

Sharyl: Former Congresswoman Connie Morella.

Connie Morella: I think we have reached crisis proportions when it comes to money. A member of Congress devotes almost one-third of every day to raising money.

Sharyl: Former Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle.

Tom Daschle: People leave on Thursday. They come back on Tuesday and try to govern on Wednesday these days and you can’t run a country this complicated with the challenges we face and spend so little time doing so.

Sharyl: Former Labor Secretary Bill Brock.

Bill Brock: If you tell me the problem of money in politics, the distortions that it creates is just gonna keep getting worse, shoot me. Shoot me.

Zach Wamp: It’s a flawed system and it’s like a nuclear arms race. The Democrats do more of it because the Republicans do more of it.

Sharyl: Tennessee Republican Zach Wamp co-chairs the ReFormer’s Caucus. He was in Congress from 1995 to 2011.

Sharyl: How are the members told how much money that they ought to raise?

Wamp: So, the committees, usually in the spring, and they just did this a month ago. They come out with a quota and it basically says that if you’re a chairman of a regular committee, it’s X dollars, and if you’re a chairman of an A committee, an exclusive committee, it’s even higher. If there’s enough money in your campaign account, you can just cut a check, or, if you don’t have enough money, you have to go over in what’s called ‘dialing for dollars’. You sit in a little booth, they give you a list, you call people that you don’t know who don’t want you to call them, by the way, and you ask them for money, you tell them we have this spring event coming up, and maybe President Trump is going to be there, and will you please dedicate 10 or 25 thousand dollars or 50,000 dollars to this dinner and they keep a total of it, and you see people advance to committee chairmanships and into leadership, based on how much time they spend during the work day, taxpayer expense, making calls, shaking down the special interests.

Sharyl: With all that pressure to raise money, sometimes these committee members are raising it from the interest they’re supposed to regulate, true?

Wamp: Well, not only do they, they actually intentionally give you those lists of people that have something to do with your committees, because they know that they’re the ones that are most likely to say yes.

Sharyl: Doesn’t that pervert the system by which the members of these committees become beholden to the very people that they’re supposed to regulate or oversee?

Wamp: Of course, yes.

Sharyl: For example, the House Financial Services Committee oversees matters involving everything from Wall Street and insurance to the stock exchanges.

Penniman: The big joke in Washington is that the financial services committee is called the cash committee. Not because it deals with finances, but because just being on it allows you to raise so much money from bank lobbyists and bankers that it’s like an ATM machine. The cash just pours in.

Sharyl: On the heels of the mortgage crisis, as the financial services committee considered new regulations on banking and real estate, money poured in from those industries. From 2009 to 2016, the Republican chairman of the committee, Jeb Hensarling, raised $10.1 million, half of it from finance, insurance and real estate interests. He transferred $8.6 million of it to the National Republican Campaign Committee and other House Republicans. The committee’s lead Democrat, Maxine Waters, raised $3.7 million, one-quarter of it from finance, insurance and real estate donors. She transferred about $798,000 of that to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other House Democrats. Hensarling and Waters didn’t respond to our requests for comment.

Sharyl: If there are members on the Financial Services Committee and they’re having to raise that much money, and they’re taking it from the banks they regulate, who’s going to have the leg up when it comes to the kinds of laws that they support?

Penniman: The kind of sad joke in Washington is you “lean towards the green”. And when you’re on the Financial Services Committee, let’s say, and most of your money or a big chunk of your money’s coming from bank lobbyists that you’re supposed to be regulating, unfortunately you’re probably going to lean more towards what they want.

Sharyl: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and National Republican Campaign Committee didn’t respond to our repeated requests for interviews and comment.

Wamp: The system is so bad that the members hate it. Members of Congress hate to do it. The people they’re calling hate to be called.

Sharyl: What happens if they buck it? If someone says, I’m not going to raise this money?

Wamp: You won’t advance and they’ll put their thumb down on you, they even ridicule you publicly at the meetings; this person is not making the calls. They’re not raising the money.

Sharyl: So, while they might rather be taking care of the people’s business, many spend countless hours catering to the interests that will help them pay their party dues.

Wamp: And I hate to use this word, but it makes prostitutes out of our elected officials. When the leadership says, if you want to advance, you have to demean yourself and go over there at taxpayer time and make phone calls to people that don’t even want to talk to you, asking them for money for your party so that you can somehow advance the cause of good government.

It really needs to change and it’s going to take the country, because I can tell you, they’re not going to change it because they’re stuck in the system and they’re proliferating against each other, the two parties.

Onan Coca

Onan is the Editor-in-Chief at Romulus Marketing. He's also the managing editor at, and the managing partner at Onan is a graduate of Liberty University (2003) and earned his M.Ed. at Western Governors University in 2012. Onan lives in Atlanta with his wife and their three wonderful children. You can find his writing all over the web.

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This Is How You Sell A Used Jeep On Craigslist

Here at Consumerist, we’re fans of Jeeps, especially those of us who are named Meg. Jeeps aren’t the only four-wheel-drive vehicles that you can take off the road, but they are a worldwide icon of outdoorsiness and badassery, both of which should be actual words. When it came time to sell his Jeep, an Oklahoma man opened up a Craigslist posting window and knew exactly what to do.

The resulting Craigslist ad is a thing of beauty, almost as beautiful as a Jeep. Just in case someone clicked on the link but was not a worthy Jeep owner, the seller provides this handy screening test:

f you do not own a toolbox, have never changed your own oil, and are scared of firearms: THIS VEHICLE IS NOT FOR YOU.
If you have been posting on facebook all about how excited you are for pumpkin latte season: THIS VEHICLE IS NOT FOR YOU.
If you get offended easy and often, whine to your co-workers, and bitch a lot: THIS VEHICLE IS NOT FOR YOU.
If you feel you are owed anything in the world & have a bullshit job where you fail to produce: THIS VEHICLE IS NOT FOR YOU.
If you own a bieber album, white oakleys, affliction t-shirts, or those candy-assed stitched-pocket jeans: THIS VEHICLE IS NOT FOR YOU.
If you consider the 2nd Amendment an anachronistic relic and have never owned a firearm: THIS VEHICLE IS NOT FOR YOU.

Well, okay, Jeep Seller, but who SHOULD consider buying this fantastic vehicle? Glad you asked.

If, however, you have BALLS OF STEEL and consider adverse weather an excuse to do stupid shit: THIS IS YOUR JEEP.
Do you laugh at danger, and tempt fate?
Have you ever uttered the words, “Hold my beer and watch this …”?
While bored at work do you pick targets at random and think, “I could hit that from here with the .22 …”?
Have any of your friends quit hanging out because you were too much fun?
Do you have the number of a friend with cash memorized for bail?
When you pass an abandoned flatbed farm truck along a fenceline do you consider taking on another project?
Is your ol’ lady really sick of the random piles of parts, greasy footprints, and empty beer bottles in the garage? Could you not care less?
Do you have Jalopnik saved on your laptop AND smartphone?
Do you own a service manual for every vehicle you ever owned?
Do you still miss your first ride?
Can you carry on a two hour conversation discussing tools, scars, and hi-lift jacks?
Remember when tool companies had the balls to put half-naked beauty queens on their calendars?
Do you consider the Prius an abominable affront to the Gods of displacement, torque, and All Mighty Internal Combustion?

1997 Jeep Cherokee – $1750 (Enid, OK ) [Craigslist] (Thanks, Dan!)

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Adventure Comics #508
Written by Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates
Art by Jerry Ordway
Co-Feature by Johns
Art by Francis Manapul

Grant Morrison’s Animal Man and even the final pages of Legion of Three Worlds were a cool way of bring the readers into the story – but when you hammer it into the story too much the coolness disappears and it just becomes annoying, which is how I felt about this issue. Seeing Superboy-Prime tear up the DC Comics headquarters makes the book written for the people writing it and not the fans. I felt like Johns was really being overly self-important here. I did not like it. Especially considering Geoff Johns used to be my favorite writer, I expect better from him. The Superboy back-up was much better then the Prime story as we discover the Lori character is related to a certain evil bald billionaire. I liked it.

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Cornwall's Living Landscape

The mythology, history and environmental aspects of Cornwall’s rich landscape embracing the inspiring stories of the many locally led initiatives.

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Godrevy Cove

godrevy lighthouse

Everything is magnified today. The Harvest moon amplifies the tides scattering large pounded stones across the top of the beach. A north-easterly wind blows so hard the fresh water in the stream jumps into the air, forced over the large pebbles and is propelled out to sea. The clear lens of the Cornish light enhances everything. Continue reading


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Extra Virgin

Extra Virgin

Recipes and Love From Our Tuscan Kitchen

Book - 2014
Average Rating:
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DEBI MAZAR and GABRIELE CORCOS are ambassadors of contemporary Tuscan cooking. In Extra Virgin, food, family, and style come together in a celebration of the pleasures of the rustic Italian table with 120 recipes for simple yet exquisite meals that are accessible, full of fresh flavor, and easy to prepare. Gabriele is a traditional Italian with a big heart, and Debi is an outgoing, brash New York City girl. Their sassy and playful exchanges illuminate what's important in everyday life: good food and a lot of love.

Ranging from traditional antipasti and soups to their spin on entrees, pizzas, and desserts, recipes include Pecorino and Honey Dip, a sweet and salty way to start a meal; tangy, luscious Grilled Apricots with Goat Cheese Ricotta, inspired by wild Tuscan apricot trees; and Sausage and Beans, which offers hints of fennel in a Tuscan red sauce. Here, too, are Braised Artichokes softened in guanciale-infused oil, Breakfast Pizza, and Coffee Granita just as Italians make it.

So flag these recipes, get sauce on them, let splashes of olive oil mark the pages--and invite Debi and Gabriele's charisma and passion for cooking to spill into your kitchen.
Publisher: New York : Clarkson Potter/Publishers, c2014.
ISBN: 9780385346054
Characteristics: 272 pages :,colour illustrations ;,27 cm.
Additional Contributors: Wolfinger, Eric
Mazar, Debi

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Jun 14, 2014

Lots of great, useful, accessible recipes. While it is very appealing and accessible for those new to cooking, it is also great for the experienced cook.

I love cookbooks that use simple, accessible, seasonal ingredients, which this does.

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Header Image - Watch Dallas Cowboys Live Stream Free Games on Ipad, Iphone, Mac, Tablet PC or Any Devices From Any Where

Cowboys Game 2017: game-by-game predictions

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The Cowboys Game will look to become the first team to repeat as NFC East champion since the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003-04, but they will need to overcome a tough close to the season in order to do it, with three games away from home in the final four weeks and the lone home game coming against the Seattle Seahawks.

Cowboys Game

Cowboys Game

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 10 vs. New York Giants, 8:30 p.m. ET

Dak Prescott lost both of his starts a year ago to the Giants and will be looking for some revenge. And he will get it, thanks to Ezekiel Elliott’s 128 yards rushing and two scores and a defense that picks off Eli Manning twice. Record: 1-0

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET

This would have been a much bigger game had Tony Romo signed with the Broncos, but there will be some intrigue anyway. Remember, the Cowboys wanted to trade back into the first round last year to take Paxton Lynch. They ended up getting lucky with Prescott. But they won’t be lucky this day. Record: 1-1

Week 3: Monday, Sept. 25 at Arizona Cardinals, 8:30 p.m. ET

In their last three trips to University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cowboys have lost in overtime twice and once on a missed point-after attempt. Something strange will happen in this one as well, but this time it will lead to a win. Record: 2-1

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1 p.m. ET

Elliott grew up in St. Louis, the former home of the Rams. Perhaps he remembers the 253-yard and 175-yard efforts DeMarco Murray had against the Rams in 2011 and ’13. Wade Phillips is the Rams’ defensive coordinator, so surely he won’t allow that to happen. Record: 3-1

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8 vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. ET

The talk leading into this game will be Dallas’ divisional-round playoff loss to the Packers in January. The Cowboys feel like they let a playoff run slip away. Blame Aaron Rodgers and his third-and-long completion to Jared Cook. This time, the Cowboys make the late play to seal the win. Record: 4-1

Week 6: Bye

Week 7: Oct. 22 at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET

A year ago, the Cowboys were down 14-0 to the Niners after two series, but they left with a 24-17 win. Kyle Shanahan has taken over for Chip Kelly and has Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley as his quarterbacks at the moment. The San Francisco rebuild will take some time. Record: 5-1

Week 8: Oct. 29 at Washington Redskins, 4:25 p.m. ET

Elliott fumbled twice in his first game at FedEx Field and was replaced late in the fourth quarter. This time he doesn’t fumble and he gets more than 100 yards as the Cowboys roll to a victory. Record: 6-1

Week 9: Nov. 5 vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET

You have to think Romo, the franchise leader in touchdown passes and passing yards, will be calling this game for CBS. With a five-game winning streak, the Cowboys will feel confident, but the Chiefs are a tough out and will present tough matchups on both sides of the ball. Record: 6-2

Week 10: Nov. 12 at Atlanta Falcons, 4:25 p.m. ET

Cowboys fans had hoped to see the Falcons in the NFC title game last January. They have to settle for this game at brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Julio Jones is a matchup nightmare for any defense, and given the Cowboys’ lack of a pass rush and the unknowns in the secondary, he will have a big day. Record: 6-3

Week 11: Nov. 19 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:30 p.m. ET

Prescott struggled in his one full game against the Eagles last year but figured it out in the fourth quarter and overtime to deliver the win. He won’t struggle this time, but former Eagle Nolan Carroll will make the clinching play. Record: 7-3

Week 12: Nov. 23 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 4:30 p.m. ET

Anthony Lynn was a Cowboys assistant coach under Bill Parcells. He has made quite a move up the ranks since his days coaching the running backs here. He earned the job as Chargers head coach the hard way. Unfortunately, the Celina, Texas, native won’t have a happy homecoming. Oh, Romo will be on hand for this one too. Record: 8-3

Week 13: Nov. 30 vs. Washington Redskins, 8:25 p.m. ET

The Cowboys have back-to-back Thursday games for the second straight year. It worked for them last year with two victories. Dez Bryant and Josh Norman get to reacquaint themselves. Remember the last time these teams met and Bryant said Washington needed to get its money back? Norman said essentially the same thing about Bryant in 2015 while with Carolina. As Terrell Owens used to say, “Get ya popcorn ready.” Record: 9-3

Week 14: Dec. 10 at New York Giants, 4:25 p.m. ET

The Cowboys will get a 10-day break leading up to a pivotal NFC East matchup. They don’t fear playing at MetLife Stadium, but they have lost their last two games there. Make it three straight. The Giants’ defense will be on point in the rematch. Record: 9-4

Week 15: Dec. 17 at Oakland Raiders, 7:30 p.m. ET

Maybe the Raiders’ fans will take out their displeasure with Jerry Jones when these teams meet in the preseason, but that’s doubtful. In what could be their last appearance in The Black Hole, the Cowboys won’t be able to slow down Derek Carr. Record: 9-5

Week 16: Dec. 24 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET

This will be a must-win type game when you factor in tiebreakers. Prescott opened a lot of eyes with how he performed against the Seahawks in the preseason last season after Romo went down on the third play. He might like it if the Seahawks trade Richard Sherman. Record: 10-5

Week 17: Dec. 31 at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. ET

Could the division title be on the line? The Cowboys have won six of their last seven games at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles added big-play receivers in Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith to help Carson Wentz. At some point, Philly has to regain home-field advantage on Dallas. Record: 10-6


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Thursday Night Ride - Lifetime Fitness / CRC

  • Thursday, September 09, 2010
  • 5:30 PM - 6:59 PM
  • Franktown Firestone Station - Hwy86 & Flintwood

RIDE DETAILS: This ride is every Thursday night until notified. It consist of rolling hills for 20 miles and is an out and back setup. The ride is sponsored by Lifetime Fitness in Parker, CO, however everyone is welcome.

RIDE ROUTE: The route is called the Bloody Nose

DIRECTIONS:  From the LTF club, go south on Parker Rd. (approx. 10 mi.) to Hwy 86.  Turn left on 86 and go approx. 3 mi. to Flintwood.  Turn left on Flintwood and park in the fire station parking lot.

Camaraderie - Fitness - Community - Charitable - Goodwill - FUN

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CRC/Creekside Bikes Sunday Base Builder Series

  • Sunday, February 03, 2013
  • 12:00 PM
  • Creekside Bikes next to Sprouts Market on Parker Rd, Parker CO
The Ten-Week Base Builder rides SUNDAYs 12 NOON FROM CREEKSIDE BIKES.

Colorado Riders Club (CRC) and CRC RACING invite riders from the southeast area to join together for this series.

We ride the same 48-mile route every Sunday January 27 - March 31 leaving at noon.

The course is mostly uphill out to Safeway in Elizabeth for a coffee stop at Starbucks, returning home via same route.

Riders go at their own pace knowing that everyone regroups at Safeway in Elizabeth then heads back.

Everyone rides at their own risk...suggest being prepared for changing weather conditions (also bring what you need to change flats).

Route:  Cherry Creek Bike Path to North Pinery Parkway, up & over NPP climb, then TURN LEFT ON DEMOCRAT, from Democrat turn right on Flintwood,
then left from Flintwood on to Highway 86 east to Safeway in Elizabeth.

Camaraderie - Fitness - Community - Charitable - Goodwill - FUN

Contact CRC

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Social Media Productivity Coaching Advice from Steve Rubel

Practical Social Media Tips and Lifehacks for Work Productivity

Steve Rubel has a great column at Lifehacker:

Step 1 – Set a North Star

Step 2 – Apply the Pareto Principle

Step 3 – Schedule Time to Be Social

Step 4: Create an information diet. (a la Tim Ferris) One way to do this is to set up Feedrinse to maximize your signal to noise ratio.

Step 5: Pick other social media tools like Jott to increase your productivity.

Step 6: Create a schedule for blogging with your priorities in Mac GTD or similar productivity software.

Step 7: Plan and create guest posting opportunities, including interviews by doing outrearch.
(after all this is what Steve is doing here).

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Monthly Archives: August 2016

To Swim or Not To Swim

This video made me cry today.

Swim season is starting again. The Girl’s sport. She took a break after championships last year. She’s not a competitive person by nature unless it involves one-upping her brother & the stress of championships got to her. While she loves to swim & was proud of what she had accomplished, those moments before she had to get on the block & race were her worst. We watched the Olympics together & as we watched Katie Ledecky & Simone Manuel & the other swimmers, The Girl would say, “I almost can’t watch. I’m nervous for them.”

I knew she was on the fence about returning to the sport this season. She misses her friends on the team & truly enjoys swimming, if not competing. I thought seeing these strong women compete in her sport would inspire her to keep going. I thought she would see her own potential as they raced. I told her all about the three swimmers from her very own team that went to the Olympic trials, thinking that news of someone close to home reaching for that gold would inspire her to continue.

In the end, she decided to stop.

And I had to let her make that decision.

After years of being the decision maker, there comes a time when you have to let them decide on their own. It happens gradually. So gradually that I didn’t notice it sneaking up on me. Little by little they start making their own decisions – being their own person, even! When did that happen?! One day you’re laying out their clothes for morning & making them whatever the hell you want for their school lunch. The next, they’re coming downstairs ready for the day with absolutely no help from you & eating whatever they hell they want.

She told her coach.

The rest of my response goes on to say that she will now go on to rock Health Occupations – the shop she chose as her concentration at her technical high school. Another decision she made all on her own.

She will go on to make many more. Some I won’t agree with, I’m sure. Hell, I don’t entirely agree with this one. It took a lot for me to tell her I was proud of her for making a decision that was right for her when what I wanted to say was, “ARE YOU CRAZY?!? YOU’RE AN AMAZING SWIMMER! DON’T QUIT NOW!”

But as she approaches the second half of her teenage years, I have to hope I’ve done enough to prepare her for a life of making her own decisions.

Because they are no longer mine to make.


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Gladius Network Logo

Gladius Network [GLA]

Gladius is a decentralized solution to protect against DDoS attacks by allowing websites to connect to protection pools near them to provide better protection and accelerate their content.

Symbol:  GLA
Private Presale until November 23
Public Presale: November 24, 2017 – December 30, 2017
Public Sale: January 14, 2017 – February 14, 2017

Public Presale Price: 600 GLA/ETH to 700 GLA/ETH
Public Sale Price: 500 GLA/ETH to 600 GLA/ETH
Total Tokens: 96,300,000
Soft Cap: $2,000,000
Hard Cap: $12,500,000

Token: ERC20
KYC: Yes

We spoke with Gladius Co-Founder Alex Godwin over Telegram. Here are his answers to our questions.

How big of an issue are DDoS attacks for websites?
DDoS attacks are an incredibly common and devastating aspect of the modern internet. As more and more of commerce and communication moves to the web, delays or downtime can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars lost.

What is the main benefit of having Gladius utilize blockchain technology?
The main benefits are resilience, security, and scalability. What we mean by that is that we can have a combination and payment system that is secure and resilient to attack, as well as allowing us to reach more nodes and open the market to a previously untapped resource.

What role does the token play in the network?
The token allows polling ability, payment, and spam protection by requiring a stake in the ecosystem before you can list in a market or become a node.

When do you estimate the network will be fully functional?
We have plans to be functional with a small set of websites by March, however we will be incrementally releasing alpha code to the public before then.

Max Niebylski, Founder and CEO
Alexander Godwin, Co-Founder and CTO
Marcelo McAndrew, Co-Founder and COO
Jim Brinksma, Business Development Director
Ori Levi, Marketing Manager
Roi Dalal, UI/UX Designer

Jeremy Epstein, Marketing Advisor
Joseph Steinberg, Cyber Security Advisor
Frank Bonnet, Technical Advisor
Dori Harpaz, Business and Marketing Advisor
Hansco Leek, Operations Advisor
Ruben Stranders, AI Advisor

Website / Telegram / Twitter / Github  / Facebook / Youtube /  Blog / Reddit / LinkedIn / Bitcointalk


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Why game journalism died with the magazine

There’s a lot of shady dealings in video games media today, and the primary issue is that the internet killed the system established by gaming magazines, and caused readers to expect content for free. That’s fine if you’re expecting to read exclusively from hobbyists, but professionals generally seek money for their work. Money that’s no longer coming from subscription fees and lucrative, straightforward advertisement pages.

This isn’t to say gaming magazines were all on the up and up, because they weren’t. However, there was a lot more red tape, it was harder for just anyone to start writing, and the problems weren’t as far reaching or as easily spread.

When the internet killed the magazine, it brought with it banner ads. For a time these ads were simple and made a lot more money than they do now. Unfortunately, banner ads grew ever more invasive and annoying in their attempts to get clicks, so resourceful people came up with workarounds like adblock. Convenience extensions are now murdering traditional online ads, like the internet killed the magazine.

Consumers and advertisers are in an arms race. Advertisers want as many people to see their products as possible, and consumers just want them to fuck right off. Until relatively recently, consumers had been winning this race.

Then advertisers discovered The Bomb: Native advertising.

Advertisers have now disguised ads as content. News articles, features, editorials, and videos that talk about those great new games or apps sometimes have “Sponsored,” “Featured,” or “Advertisement” placed somewhere on the page. Some will openly announce when content is sponsored, others will bury it in the tags, and others still will completely “forget” to mention they received some form of payment. Journalism and advertising are becoming one and the same, because that’s how you get paid.

This is happening in all industries, but the game industry is particularly susceptible because the general public doesn’t give a damn about serious gaming, Why should they care that Pocket Gamer and other sites are telling small developers to pay them ridiculous amounts of money if they want news coverage? Or that large publishers like Ubisoft will wine and dine smaller sites and personalities to secure a little enthusiastic coverage? It’s just video games.

As long as the majority of mainstream game journalism is paid for by subversive advertising, gamers will have to choose between enduring tinged or outright unethical journalism from notable outlets, limiting their media consumption to features from small hobbyists that aren’t full of shit, or paying for premium content from independents. In the end, money’s the only viable way to truly fix this problem.

Not all of us can get nine grand a month like Jim Fucking Sterling, son.
Not all of us can get nine grand a month like Jim Fucking Sterling, son.

There are crowdfunding platforms like Patreon, which allows journalists and other content creators to break free of the need to advertise or to work for companies that will sell Platinum Partnerships, but they aren’t perfect. There are a lot of people that want to try and make game journalism into more than a hobby, myself included, but there’s not enough open wallets to cover all the good writers that just want to write about games.

Do you want to pay a few bucks a month to just read about games? Most likely not.  While crowdfunding offers an escape to some, it’s got a long way o go until it buoys a significant portion of the games media we consume. It’s hard to make a very successful platform when you’re relatively unknown. People would rather donate to a celebrity name like Jim Sterling, than say a James Wynne (Me). Those that don’t score big on crowdfunding are left to participate in a broken system run by advertising, or just give up on games journalism as a job.

Advertising doesn’t have to be a universal evil. It isn’t bad when it’s clearly separated from journalistic content. This was easier done in magazines because advertisers had a guaranteed, clearly indicated place to focus their efforts on a pitch to the audience. When that system died with the physical media of magazines, the integrity of paid game journalism took a mortal blow with it.

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MCU – Iron Man 2

I wouldn’t call the second production of Iron Man is the most innovative except that they actually showed a lot cooler technology on JARVIS.  The movie continued where it left after Tony Stark confesses in Public that he is Iron Man. He did cause some issue with the US government because they consider his suit is a weapon that’s dangerous and they have to retrieve it. In this part of the movie it was revealed that Tony Stark’s father, Howard Stark was not working alone on the arc reactor. Ivan Vanko — the son of Howard Stark’s previous partner, intended to revenge his father’s death on Tony. He tried to kill Tony during a race, but failed.

Tony Stark on the other hand, having another issues. The arc reactor that keeping him alive on his chest, ironically also killing him. The toxic in his blood keep increasing, even more if he uses the Iron Man suit (since he powering the suit with the reactor). Tony lost his hope and he couldn’t find any element to substitute his current — on his arc reactor. He then gone pretty crazy by throwing up a party for his birthday and destroying stuffs. Nick Fury (director of S.H.I.E.L.D) managed to caught up on him and made Romanoff (S.H.I.E.L.D’s spy) injected him with a temporary solution — undercover inside Stark Industry as legal that then made into Tony’s Personal Assistant that also work for Potts, before she showed herself to Tony with Fury.

Fury then gave Tony his father’s stuffs that hasn’t been opened before. Tony checked out every equation and even watched the video her father left him. Tony figured that his father never hated him, but Howard took his job seriously. Short story Tony found an Expo model that his father made, which Howard did say he made it for him. After playing around with the model, he could recover a new element that is possible to replace with his current.

Ivan Vanko was imprisoned but Justin Hammer freed him to use him as his own engineer. Vanko didn’t do as Hammer asked for but he did arm himself with drones that he could control and showed it to the Expo that Stark shows under Hammer’s name. Stark found out pretty late and he had to immediately use the new element in his chest before JARVIS could do any tests. Stark then suit up and chased Vanko, but Vanko made a suit of his own. Stark then worked together with War Machine – Rhodes’ suit, to distroy Vanko — after Romanoff managed to reboot War Machine’s suit.

All in all, like I said before Iron Man movies is the welcoming wagon for more superheroes in the MCU, or I believe they put Tony’s confession as a point to manage the timeline. Later after credit in the movie, it showed S.H.I.E.L.D was trying to gather superheroes. They called it Avenger Initiatives, and based on Romanoff’s assessment, Iron Man is a good candidate but Tony Stark wasn’t. It was also showed in the movie that Phil Coulson found Thor’s hammer, which lead to Thor’s movie afterwards. I believe though, Dr. Banner a.k.a Hulk happened before Iron Man, but since Dr. Banner will be an important factor of ‘The Avengers’, they have to show what happened to him and how he overcome his powers. If you never watched Hulk, he got caught in a huge of gamma radiation when he was trying to make the chemical that they did with Captain America.

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David Hofman
More ideas from David
D-Resort Göcek, #Turkey - Spa, Relaxation area

D-Resort Göcek, - Spa, Relaxation area

The St. Regis Tianjin Iridium - Dreaming Of A Visit To A Luxurious Spa? ~ http://www.semperey.com/dreaming-of-a-visit-to-a-luxurious-spa/ @Semperey London London London London #Spa around the World!

Business and leisure travelers to China will get an opportunity to pamper themselves at the newly launched Presidential Suite of St Regis Tianjin. There is a lot of buzz around this suite as it is already being touted as the largest and the most opulent

House Guests, My Room, Muji, Guest Rooms, Chinese Style, Guest Bedrooms, Guest Room, Drawing Rooms


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Sonya Sloan, MD

Sonya M. Sloan, MD, aka “#orthodoc,” is a woman on the rise in a male dominating field. Dr. Sloan prefers to be a traveling Orthopedic Surgeon and is certified to practice in over five states. She concentrates on helping her patients understand their problem and get the results they want. Her love is science but her passion is in helping others.

Dr. Sloan is a native of Denison, Texas, she earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Texas Tech University. In 1992, she gained national attention as the first African-American Homecoming Queen at Texas Tech. She received her Medical Doctor degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. Upon graduation from UTMB, Dr. Sloan accepted a residency position in surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

She was the first ever African-American female surgical resident in the history of Baylor College of Medicine. After a year of surgical residency, Dr. Sloan became the first African-American female Orthopedic Surgical resident at Baylor College of Medicine. She has completed several research projects in Orthopedic Sports Medicine (published) and a joint venture with NASA, Johnson Space Center.

In 1992, Dr. Sloan began her first entrepreneur venture with “Not Just Coffee” and later established two nonprofits called, AAA-CP (African American Association for Christian Physicians) and ME & WE, Inc. (Motivating & Empowering Women to Excel), and these organization reaches over 5, 000 women daily.

Due to her passion to impact lives beyond the hospital walls, she is a highly sought after public speaker for health awareness and motivational speaker. Dr. Sloan currently serves on the Houston School Board Committee called SHAC, School Health Awareness Committee and Dairy Max to help youth gain the proper daily nutrition. She is currently working on two books to assist medical professionals and an autobiography book that will disclose her personal failures as a successful doctor. Both book are look to be release in 2015.

Aside from surgical and technical expertise, Sloan was recently chosen for the “Top 25 Women” in Houston and featured in Essence Magazine aside from many other publications. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Mary Susan Moore – Black Female Physicians and multiple academic societies.

Dr. Sloan is the First Lady of “The Luke Church,” in Humble, TX, where she currently is the servant leader for The Luke Women’s Ministry.

But beyond all her success, she’s most proud of her family. She and her husband, Reverend Dr. Timothy Sloan, are raising two beautiful daughters, Sarah and Soren, and one son, Timothy.

National Dairy Council Dairy Good Sonya Sloan

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Arctic Emergency: Top Scientists Explain How Arctic Warming is Wrecking Our Weather and Pushing World To Rapidly Cross Climate Tipping Points

5 08 2014

Another great post from Robert Scribbler, and a must watch video at the link…….

(Must-watch video that includes direct observation and analysis of Arctic tipping points provided by a number of the world’s top climate scientists.)

You don’t want to mess with Arctic warming. It’s an engine of destruction straining to be set loose. A mad burning beast of a thing. One whose fires we are now in the process of stoking to dangerous extremes.

Don’t believe me? Then just listen to top scientists like Dr. Jennifer Francis, Dr. Jason Box, Dr. Jeff Masters, Dr. Natalia Shakhova, Dr. Igor Semiletov, Dr. Peter Wadhams, Dr. James Hansen, Dr. Steve Vavrus, Dr. Ron Prinn, Dr. Kevin Schaefer, Dr. Nikita Zimov, Dr. Jorien Vonk, and a growing list of many, many more (also see above video).

An Arctic that Appears on the Verge of Large Carbon Emissions Adding to an Already Dangerous Human Warming

At issue is the fact that the Arctic is very sensitive to global…

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Editor’s Note: Wow, that sure is a lot of money for a country that’s well over $19 trillion in debt. Must be for all those wars they plan to continue to foment in the Middle East for the next decade.

By The Daily Sheeple

The US has reportedly agreed a $38 billion package to deliver military aid to Israel over the next 10 years, with the pact expected to be signed “within days.” The deal will become the biggest pledge of US military assistance to another country in history.

The new aid package will see Israel receive $3.8 billion per year from Washington, an increase of $700 million from the current $3.1 billion, sources told Reuters. However, the figure fell short of the annual $4.5 billion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been seeking.

Following the negotiations Israel says it will not seek extra funding from the US. A previous agreement that allowed Israel to spend just over a quarter of the aid given by Washington on weapons from its domestic defense industry, instead of from the US, will be also phased out.

The terms of the deal, which is classed as a memorandum of understanding (MOU), will also include money for Israel’s missile defense program. This had previously been funded by Congress on an informal basis. A source told Reuters that the pact is expected to be signed“within days.”

However the new MOU will not be signed between President Barack Obama and Netanyahu, who have had a frosty relationship due to the US leader’s support for last year’s Iranian nuclear deal, which was bitterly opposed by Israel. Lower-ranking officials will sign the paperwork, as has been the case with previous deals.

The plan for an increase in military aid to Israel has enjoyed strong support in Congress. In April, 83 US Senators – 51 Republicans and 32 Democrats – sent a letter to the White House urging an increase in financial support. The effort was spearheaded by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham and Delaware Democrat Chris Coons.

“In light of Israel’s dramatically rising defense challenges, we stand ready to support a substantially enhanced new long-term agreement to help provide Israel the resources it requires to defend itself and preserve its qualitative military edge,” the letter said.

It is believed that Netanyahu agreed to the deal before November’s US presidential election to avoid uncertainties surrounding what will happen when the new leader takes office.

The Daily Sheeple

Contributed by RT.com of RT.com

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Archive | September 2011

Real Wedding: Julie & Dan :: Snippet & Ink

Are you ready to smile? Because these photos from Julie and Dan’s wedding are so full of joy and love and happiness (and smiles and hugs!) – they show exactly what matters most about a wedding day.

Thanks to Summer and my wife for making this happen…

Feels like fall.

Taken at Stuyvesant Town Leasing Office

What do you need? | The Monster In Your Head

Too often each of us abdicates responsibility for our success, our lives, and puts the focus on those whom we assume have more power, more capability. It’s understandable; withstanding the daily pressure of work—especially work in a startup—creates distress. And when we’re distressed, we regress and just want to be told what to do (and then cooperate or not, depending on whether we’ve regressed to being a teenager). But when the company is organized around this central question—What do you need to hit that impossible deadline? What do you need to double your market penetration? What do you need to recruit that top engineer or salesperson?—the regression ends and adults take the field.


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Alemayehu Eshete – Alteleyeshegnem

#NewMusic Alemayehu Eshete is considered the golden voice of Ethopia

Alemayehu Eshete is considered the golden voice of Ethiopia. Since his first hit single ‘Seul’ in 1961 he has become the father figure of the soulful stream of Ethiopian music. In Ethiopia no other musician adapted the newest trends from the US soul scene as consequently as Alemayehu did.

With this new 7″ he continues his soulful approach on Ethiopian music. His funky classic Alteleyeshegnem is here re-interpreted by the Philophon house band in an even funkier way than the original. A tough beat is crisscrossed by mystic harmonies and a pumping bass line. Temar Ledje points out the sweet side of master Alemayehu. This is another classic tune that comes dosed with a rejuvenating cure by the Philophon production team. Just listen!

Alemayehu Eshete ‘Alteleyeshegnem’ is released on 2 June through Philophon on a delightful slice of 7″ vinyl.

Spotted on TwistedSoul. Words by Philophon.


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403-630-0371 [email protected]
True Mettle Enkindling One’s Best Efforts

True Mettle Enkindling One’s Best Efforts

Vigor and Strength of Spirit or Temperament

The quality and capacity of being determinedly able to meet a challenge and persevere accomplishing the goal under demanding circumstances and in a spirited, resilient way.

It is all about the stuff one is made of and that we know takes a whole village to produce. True Grit!

mettle enkindle truth spirit ensure expose

aroused to do one’s best |  Join and Lend a Hand | Need a Hand?

The Village PRO Google Plus Community

The Village PRO Google Plus Community

Everything We Need Almost!

We are all on a mission to serve and we wish you’d join us in the PRO community run by professionals and open for everyone!  We’ll help you get the advice and council you seek and the services you need! You have some questions or you are OK right now and want to help others.  List your services and accomplishments and serve helping others and offer your practice as well for folks to subscribe. The Village PRO Community on Google Plus with you and for you in a supportive pitch-free zone.

#thevillagepro #procommunity

DataLive - The Village PRO OPT_IN FORM

Background Image by William Iven

Free to Join and Get Help in Community With You For You


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Five Questions You Should Ask Your Realtor Before You List Your House

Sell HouseYou are getting ready to list your home for sale. It is time to interview Realtors, but what do you ask them? What do you need to know to help you make this important decision?  Here are some of the questions we recommend you ask, and the reasons why these questions are important.

5 questions you should ask ANY Realtor® BEFORE you decide to sign a listing agreement

1:  Are you a sole practitioner or do you work in a team?

Just working under a Brokerage does not count. What you want to know is do they work full-time or part-time?  Do they have an assistant so you can reach someone when you need them?  When they are not available to deal with offers on your property as you sell your house, who will cover for them?

2. How many transactions do you handle each year?

What you really want to know is how productive they have been every year since they began working as an agent. Some agents who have in business for less than five years can be more experienced than agents who have been in business for over 10 years! You want to know how many different brokerages they’ve worked for (many is not a good sign), and how many transactions they do each year. They should be doing at least 20 a year to grow their experience level and knowledge.

3.  What is your marketing plan?

Do they post your listing on the Multiple Listing Service, install a sign on your lawn, and hope for the best?  What other ways do they promote your property in Kingston, Ontario to ensure it is exposed to current potential Buyers? What print advertising, internet marketing, and promotion do they use and how often? Look for a written plan, so you know they have developed a system for exposing your property to the current market.

4: What systems do you use for keeping track of the activity on my listing and on the market?

When you are a Seller, your number one pre-occupation will become “When will my house sell?” You will want to be regularly updated with important Buyer activity. How many calls came in regarding your home this week? How many other home visits from other agents did you have and what was their feedback? Have there been any changes in the market since you listed your home?  If an agent does not use specific systems for tracking and reporting these items, you should think about working with someone else as you sell your house.

5: Do you offer a Service Satisfaction Guarantee?

Some agents will stare blankly when asked this question. If they happen to do this, you should think about taking your business somewhere else. Why? Because you should be sure that you have the same interests. Is the agent you choose willing to be ‘fired’ during the listing period if you are not satisfied with their performance? Are they willing to commit with a written satisfaction guarantee of the service they will offer you?

You are planning to sell your greatest asset. Ask questions. We welcome an opportunity to be interviewed and evaluated along with other Realtors. Our team has a proven marketing plan and a strong reputation for superior service and results. Contact us to set up an appointment. We look forward to hearing from you.


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Lakefront Brewery Redux, Riverwest

Life is short. I hope you remember that every single day you wake up and start getting dressed for a job you hate in a city you never wanted to live in in a state that has been suffocating you for twenty five years. Life is short. Why are we wasting so much time just going about our routines when there is a whole world out there just waiting to be explored? Well, I will tell you why. Life is short but it’s also the longest thing you will ever do. At the end of life, there is no part two. You’re dead. You don’t get to restart and go for a high score. This is it guys. You will die one day and there is nothing left after that. Your short life will be over and you will wonder What have I even done? Isn’t that the real question, though. What have I even done?

On a personal note, what I will have done is spent hours, days of my short/long life drinking beer and going to breweries and writing about it on a blog that only three people read. Is that what I want to be remembered for? As if anyone would actually remember this about me. But I have said that this blog will be our legacy, and if there is one thing I want to be apart of my legacy it is this. This time I have squandered in my mid-twenties drinking beer with people I don’t hate repeating the same things over and over again until one day one of us gives up and disappears. Did you catch the key phrase in that sentence? The one about how we do the same things over and over again? Just like how every day I do the same thing. I go to work. I look at other jobs. I wonder why I didn’t quit two years ago when I wanted to. Or a year ago when I wanted to. Or six months ago. Or yesterday. I just keep doing it. And that is what life is. Repeating and rehashing past events trying to capture the initial magic until one day you die and realize that nothing will ever live up to the hype. Not adulthood. Not heroin. Not. Even. Beer.

For this post, we fall victim to just this very thing, as you can probably gather from the title. We go to Lakefront Brewery again. I’m not resentful. I had a delightful time mostly, again, but it is just another mark in a life full of rehashed events.

So, this visit brought together a large crew of people who are virgins in terms of the Daze scene. We got some old standards to show (Jake, Ashley, Monica, and me) but along with them came JD, Danny, Claire, and Druecke, none of whom have ever been to a Daze of Beer gathering. In fact, I think this was the first brewery any of them have even visited in Milwaukee? Don’t hold me to that. I don’t know their lives. But in terms of great places to “lose it,” Lakefront is definitely on the top of that list. Not everyone’s “first times” can be special. Sometimes it’s just kinda average and you think to yourself, “Oh, that’s it?” And then you have to try again, and hopefully you figure out what the fuss is about. But Lakefront really brings something. They’re gentle and caring but still know when to throw in a spicy beer with a witty tour guide. They just really know how to take care of a person.

We were also going over Thanksgiving weekend, which is when Lakefront releases their special Black Friday Imperial Stout. Bottles sold out Friday, and we were there Saturday, but they still had it on tap. Limited one beer a person. Does not work with drink chips. And as a good blogger, I really wanted to get one, but as I am not a Good Blogger ™, I kind of forgot about halfway through the visit that I was planning on getting one at the end of the tour.

Here’s a quick rundown of the beers we had without going into detail on anything because there were just to many of us.

Listed in order of how we drank them.

Stranded Coconut Ale, Centennial IPa, Rendezvous
Stranded Coconut Ale, Clutch Cargo, Stranded Coconut Ale
Stranded Coconut Ale, Clutch Cargo
Stranded Coconut Ale, Centennial IPA (traded in two drink chips for one full sized beer)
Oktoberfest, Centennial IPA
Stranded Coconut Ale, Pumpkin Ale, Hulle Melon, Oktoberfest, New Grist Ginger
New Grist Ginger, Pumpkin Ale

A couple of things to note. We all found the coconut ale delightful but strange as it had a very summer-y feel but it wasn’t brewed in the summer, it was made in the fall. But that didn’t detract from it. In the bleak and cold Wisconsin landscape, it’s sometimes nice to have those little reminders that warm weather and joy still exist somewhere, even if it’s not, you know, here. Also, I really did not like the Rendezous. It was a style of beer I was unfamiliar with, and failed to write down so I cannot report back on, but I didn’t like it. I believe Danny and Monica helped me finish it. It was a dark and bitter beer that cut deep to my emotions without being kind, or polite, or helpful in the least.

And so the tour commenced. We had a new tour guide who was a little scattered and definitely still working through his spiel, but once he got the jitters out in the first room, he really came into his own. I know that it was by no means his first tour, but as a person who has professionally given 20 minute long guided walking tours through an environmentally sensitive house, I could definitely see that he was probably within his first ten or so tours. But nonetheless, he was a delight. By no means “underemployed theatre major” levels of delightful, but that probably comes with experience. Also, completely unprompted, but at the start of the tour in the middle of a sentence, another man came running in that works at the brewery with a beer for a tour guide, commanded that he chug it, the tour guide obeyed, and then we all proceeded with the tour like nothing ever happened.

I’d like to believe it is because we have become complacent with life and no long question the absurdity that arises in the day-to-day because the government has conditioned us to no longer see the absurdity. It’s all absurd. Every last moment of life. So no one questions the tour guide being forced to close his eyes, open his throat and just swallow the damn beer because that is what life is now. Just the constant barrage of commands being thrown at us that ten years ago we would never have dreamed of, but are just apart of our daily existence. Cell phones track our every move. Life no longer can continue as status quo. Bitter. Cold. Dark. Absurdity.

So anyways, Danny earned a free beer for participating in a nice glove wave. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, too bad. Go on the Lakefront tour and figure it out.

After the tour, we had another beer, and then pocketed our last tokens and headed over to Stubby’s to grab our free beers with dinner. Does that ending feel abrupt? Well, don’t fret about it because it didn’t really end. Nothing really ended. Life is still continuing. I didn’t cease to exist after our Stubby’s dinner. No one did. We all just kept walking through those moments step-by-step, together and apart. So we went to Lakefront again. And we probably will do it another time. And another.

*note: I didn’t take pictures because life is meaningless. Everything is constantly evolving but also unchanging. If you want pictures, just google Lakefront. You will see that it is all the same. Or check out my last Lakefront post. Life is all the same. Fortunately, we all die. Farewell.

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crafty-books-small - Small-size opening books for crafty chess engine

Distribution: Debian Sid
Repository: Debian Contrib i386
Package name: crafty-books-small
Package version: 1.0.debian1
Package release: 2
Package architecture: all
Package type: deb
Installed size: 1.20 KB
Download size: 516.82 KB
Official Mirror:
Description: unavailable.

  • crafty-books-large
  • crafty-books-medium
  • crafty-books-medtosmall

    Source package: crafty-books-small

    Install Howto

    1. Update the package index:
      # sudo apt-get update
    2. Install crafty-books-small deb package:
      # sudo apt-get install crafty-books-small

    2010-01-08 - Oliver Korff <> crafty-books-small (1.0.debian1-2) unstable; urgency=low * crafty >= 23 reports the book to be outdated, so a rebuild is done * Added a ${misc:Depends} entry to the control file * Changed "Recommends" field to "Depends", the books do not work without crafty * Adjusted Standards-Version to 3.8.3 * Moved the books to /usr/share/crafty. These books are no changing data and should be used in $HOME/.crafty anyway. (Closes: #564121)

    2009-05-16 - Oliver Korff <> crafty-books-small (1.0.debian1-1) unstable; urgency=low * Repackaged the source and added subdirectory to the orig.tar.gz and removed debian directory from source * Removed conffile status from the created .bin files * Removed crafty-books-small.override * Added debhelper (>> 5.0.0) to ensure compat level 5 * Added adopt note to the copyright file * New-maintainer upload. (Closes: #503534) * crafty 22.10 reported book to be outdated, rebuild (Closes: #515023) * There is no use for this book without crafty and it is not working with 20.14, so I added a Depends: crafty (>= 22.10-1) to the control file * Changed file permissions in /var/lib/crafty to 664 * Set compatlevel to 5 * Removed fullstop from short description * Removed empty prerm script * Removed dh_undocumented from rules and changed dh_installmanpages * Removed empty conffiles from debian/ * Removed binary_arch from debian/rules

    2007-03-04 - Thijs Kinkhorst <> crafty-books-small (1.0-2.1) unstable; urgency=high * Non-maintainer upload. * Rebuild for the /usr/doc transition (Closes: #411973).

    2002-08-15 - Eric Van Buggenhaut <> crafty-books-small (1.0-2) unstable; urgency=low * No more binary conffiles

    2002-07-10 - Eric Van Buggenhaut <> crafty-books-small (1.0-1) unstable; urgency=high * Removed the uuencode/uudecode stuff which doesn't give us any real benefit * Closing ITP (closes: #136301) * Priority set to high because crafty, which lives in sid needs this new package (closes: #145919)

    2002-02-28 - Eric Van Buggenhaut <> crafty-books-small (1.0) unstable; urgency=low * Initial debianization. * Originally, the opening books for crafty were included in the same package as the chess engine. Since they are quite large files and we don't want to waste bandwidth everytime we do a change to the chess engine, they now exist on their own.


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A Frustrated American ~ and My Freedom of Speech

Maybe not the biggest problem, it would seem these days, but one really big problem that we face is the ease (read: need to self-preserve some sense of sanity) in which we fall into a sense of complacency due to the fact that every day we see, read and hear (no matter how we may […]

How Fibromyalgia May Ruin My Job at the Gym

Denial, and maybe subconscious pride, kept me from admitting (during the interview process) that my Fibromyalgia would prevent me from performing, what is, for seemingly everyone else, a reasonably easy job at my local gym, where I have been regularly working out for years. I didn’t lie, I just didn’t really consider the physicality of […]

Writing by Marnie Mitchell-Lister

DoubleU = W

Keep Calm, and Have a Hot One

Navigating the post-collegiate world with nerves and a cup of tea.

Poetically Enhanced Entropy

Musings and masterpieces, maybe, on art, lit and life

The WordPress.com Blog

The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.


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deborah media

Unraveling Social Media One Tool at a Time

Instagram inspiration from Bob Dylan

  Today, I receive my Instagram inspiration from my favorite singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Dylan’s folks created a video of lyrics for his new song “Duquesne Whistle” by soliciting   Instagram … Continue reading

October 23, 2012 · Leave a comment

Instagram. Should your news organization use it?

  Even if Instagram does not bring direct page views to websites, many news organizations use it anyway, photographer Richard Koci Hernandez explained at the Online News Association conference in … Continue reading

September 22, 2012 · Leave a comment


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Dear Pennies,

Last Friday, I attended the Japan Fashion Now Symposium at FIT. The symposium ended with a Q&A with FIT’s museum director, Valerie Steele and Japanese fashion designer Hirooka Naoto of the brand h. NAOTO. I decided to dedicate an entire article to Hirooka Naoto because he has really fascinating ideas about fashion and art. This is evident in his primary brand, h. NAOTO and the newly created subdivision, “h EAVEN” which includes brands like “Hangry and Angry” and “GRAMM”.

In the Q&A, Hirooka answered questions from Ms. Steele about his brand and how he views fashion. Hirooka stated that he was inspired by Gothic, Punk, and Lolita culture. He also said that he wants his clothes to be cute but that they must also contain extreme and grotesque elements. When he first began designing, Hirooka said that he found labels like Comme des Garcons to be odd and he started to experiment with Goth, Punk, and Lolita for his own label.

Additionally, Ms. Steele asked Hirooka to tell why he believes his brand & designs have been so successful (h. NAOTO is Japan’s most successful Gothic-Punk-Lolita Empire). Hirooka said that his brand has been successful because his customers use his clothes as a tool to become a different person. When wearing his clothes, a customer can make themselves appear dark/Goth, and be different.

After the Q&A, the symposium ended and I was able to get an interview with Hirooka. Check out the interview transcription below. Also, check out the video presentation of h. NAOTO’s S/S 2011 collection which was inspired by Monsters and the illustrations of GASHICON (the illustrator who also did the Hangry & Angry cartoon cats for h. NAOTO).

Me (Pen) with Hirooka Naoto

DLP (de la Pen): What is your creative process? Do you sketch first or come up with a concept first?

HN (Hirooka Naoto): I brainstorm the collection’s concept first. I have a theme for each collection from 2008 up until 2013, the first collection was the pelvis and birth water, the second was a woman’s womb, the third was crime & punishment, and the current collection is the monster. After this current collection, the themes won’t be revealed until the collection is.

DLP: What motivates you? What inspires you?

HN: Nothing. I don’t find anything interesting so it motivates me to create something new. I want to create something that is interesting so that is why I design.

DLP: What’s the future of h. NAOTO?

HN: To make an h. NAOTO Disneyland in Tokyo. I want to have the outfits and the music, the whole Disneyland will be modeled after h. NAOTO. Everyone who works there will be dressed in all black, zombie, and alien attire. It will be fun to see h. NAOTO characters all dressed up in real life.

h. NAOTO Spring/Summer 2011 Presentation

And there it is. The Fashion and Style of the Pen…de la Pen.

For More Information on h. NAOTO Check Out the Website:


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Tag Archives: exercise

Yesterday it rained and rained as if it wasn’t going to end.  It rained all through the night. This morning it looked as though we were in for more of the same. Until the sun came out.

Nothing for it but to go for a walk, if only to show off what’s emerging on my head.

Sunday 17 August

looking ahead

grevillea - 18 June 2014 - Tokyo & inverted - FX Photo Studio PROI’ve finally come up for air after the last chemo dose, just in time for 20 zaps of radiation over four weeks starting next Wednesday.

What’s exercising my mind, however, is what comes after that.

You’re saying, “Wait, there’s more?”

Yes. Yes there is.

The majority of breast cancers are Endocrine Receptor positive meaning that oestrogen, once a useful friend, has become another F word.

This foe will require 5 years of daily tablet popping. In consultation with my oncologist, I will get to select one or other from a family of aromatase inhibitors. Aromatase is an enzyme responsible for converting androgens to oestrogen. Don’t you think androgens sound a bit like alien life forms?

This seems all very straightforward until you start researching the suite of potential side effects*. These may include but are not exclusive to:

  • loss of bone density;
  • back to the future menopausal symptoms;
  • fatigue (universal to all of the treatments thus far);
  • joint and muscle pain (more common than you’d hope);
  • mood changes (watch out!)
  • poor sleep; and
  • weight gain (really?)

As someone who has low bone density already, I was concerned enough about these impacts to have a chat with my GP yesterday. Thankfully, she didn’t minimise my concerns and took the time to outline a range of potential options.

There’s one word that keeps coming up in conversation and reading.

E X E R C I S E.   That doesn’t start with the letter F so it looks like I’m going to have to learn to love the E word.

*As an aside, nobody mentioned any of this at the start of the treatment planning. I don’t know whether people feel as if you can’t handle too much information up front, but I would have appreciated a heads up a bit earlier.

looking after self: exercise

Some days it feels like all of the messengers in and of the universe are lining up for an intervention. It’s easy to treat them as the enemy rather than signals worthy of your attention.

Yesterday was one of those days. It was Day 9 of the second chemo cycle. My spirit and energy levels were picking up. It was lining up as a fine day, all things considered, until someone near and dear to me, who is reading Jennifer Saunders’ memoir Bonkers, felt the need to let me know that she kept very active during her chemo treatment.

On further investigation, Ms Saunders’ reported high activity levels came as a result of the steroids we take just before and after each chemo dose. This quote about her treatment generally rings more true for me.

“From one day to the next, you never really know how you’re going to feel: some days you can go for a long walk, the next you get breathless after a few steps. Sometimes you stay in bed; sometimes you just have to get up. It is the most frustrating thing: you have the perfect excuse just to lie abed, but you can’t because you feel like you should make an effort”.

Nevertheless other signs about the importance of some level of exercise, as and when the days allow, continued to appear.

Taking a few photographs in the garden pointed to a few balance issues.

I realised that my daily stretching exercises for another condition have fallen by the wayside.

An exercise physiologist named David Miszrahi just happened followed this blog. His work includes developing exercise plans (during and post-chemotherapy) for women with ovarian cancer.

Then last night, I was shocked to notice that the muscle tone in my calves has fallen away considerably over recent weeks. The only real exercise that’s happened thus far is in the final week of the first cycle where I held my own in a clothes shopping expedition.

So the balancing game continues. Do what you can, when you can. Make it a priority. Start slow and build up. And keep the long game in mind. The chemo will accelerate the ageing process. That doesn’t mean it should have all the power.

orchids - Waterlogue - Grungetastic - FX Photo Studio - Color Sun spotsForty-eight hours out from the first treatment and this is what I’m learning about my particular experience thus far. I say particular, because, as I keep being told, everyone responds differently to the chemical cocktail.

List keeping helps.  A few months ago, I started a bullet journal to keep tabs of tasks, ideas and diary dates. It’s suiting the purpose very well for monitoring tasks required with the treatment – temperature taking, oral hygiene, times to take medicines, number of glasses of water etc. Feeling in some level of control of what’s going on is helpful.

Be aware of potential side effects, be ready for them, but don’t go looking because some may not come visiting. Yesterday, Himself (aka Hero) administered an injection to boost my white blood cells in preparation for the low immunity period that’s approaching.  As it goes straight to the bone marrow, we were told to prepare for potential back, jaw or sternum pain. So far so good. The worst that’s come so far is a dull headache that’s being managed well with paracetamol.

Eat what you feel like (at least at this stage of the cycle).  Up until now, things are pretty much normal, although I am enjoying the capacity to feel like, make and consume a berry, banana and yoghurt smoothie at any time of the day.

Drink lots of water.  It’s making a difference.  Can’t say how, but it is.

Be curious about any changes that are taking place. That toasted cheese sandwich I felt like at lunch time? That was no cheese taste between that bread. 🙂  Sweet foods like the rhubarb yoghurt as an after-lunch treat are going down a little better.

Be grateful for the person who’s keeping on top of household chores, including sending out the ironing and shopping for specific requests.

Sleep when you feel like it.  If you’re woken up by the whistling tunes of your 80 year old neighbour next door, all the better.

Move about when you can. I’m about to take my own advice and gear up for a short walk in the afternoon breeze while the sun is out.


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Coven Murdersfront

Amazon– The Coven Murders

Crimson Cloak Publishing

The Coven Murders opens with a horrifying account of a ritual Black Mass with a human sacrifice in an abandoned church. Twenty-one years later, near an old ruined church in an area of outstanding natural beauty, Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team discover the skeleton of a young woman. But what seems initially to be a straightforward case, brings the team into conflict with a powerful Satanist who has plans to offer up to Satan another human sacrifice on the evening of the great Illuminati feast of Lughnasa.

Amazon Reviews:
“Yes, it is frightening. And yes, it is disturbing. But then, it is always frightening and disturbing when men are willing to go to any lengths to fulfill their personal ambitions, regardless of the consequences. This book will keep your eyes glued to the page until the very end. I highly recommend it, along with the first two in the series, and hope Brian O’Hare has more in the works!”
“The Coven Murders is a brilliantly crafted mystery that left me on the edge of my seat right up to the last page.”
My Review:
Five out of five stars
This story caught and held my full attention from the very first scene. I felt like I was right there with the characters as they struggled to comprehend an enemy with ties to the supernatural realm. I’m not sure this is one you’ll want to read at night however. Made me want to look over my shoulder a time or two, afraid the devil himself might be after me. Whether you enjoy murder mysteries or paranormal genres, I guarantee you’ll connect with The Coven Murders. A solid five out of five stars. Brian O’hare is definitely one of my favorite new authors.

The Winds of Revolution by Mark Conte

The Winds of Revolution by [Conte, Mark]

The Winds of Revolution at Amazon

The haunting love story of a young American sailor who falls in love with a girl battling Batista’s evil regime in pre-revolutionary Cuba, this is a fascinatingly accurate snapshot of time and place that will both intrigue and move the reader.

The author has drawn on his own experience of pre-revolution Cuba to set history straight, weaving together fact and fiction. Telling the story of a young American sailor’s ill-starred passionate love for an older woman fighting in Castro’s revolutionary army, historical figures are introduced to paint a graphic picture of the mood of the times and the harsh reality of prevailing living conditions, against which the people of Cuba so valiantly rebelled. The tragedy and the triumph are masterfully set forth, leaving the question as to why the rest of the world so disastrously misunderstood the events that led an entire people to reject the cruelty and abject poverty imposed upon them by a heartless dictator and to wholeheartedly support perhaps the one man who could have united them and saved Cuba for its people.
Fidel Castro’s moving speech at his trial under the repressive Batista regime is a graphic testament to a troubled time, but has been largely ignored in the U.S. Included in the fascinating factual section at the back, it makes this book a very important documentary piece, which coupled with the poignant love story at its heart deserves to be read by discerning readers everywhere.

My Review:

Five out of five stars

Having visited Cuba for mission work in the past, I was very interested in reading this story about pre-revolutionary Cuba. I found the Cuban people to be a warm and extremely friendly group, but I also picked up how difficult life is for them. Downright scary at times. Those of us who live in the States can’t imagine how hard life is for a majority of the people there.

Mark Conte has managed to work a little magic by blending reality with fiction in this story. I picked up some of the Cuba I learned about firsthand told through the eyes of a young sailor who falls in love with an older Cuban woman. There is definitely a love story being told here, but also so much more.

The writing is well edited and easy to follow, told in such a way that I felt like I was right there with the characters. I admire the author for not only giving us a realistic view of Cuba and her wonderful people, but also a realistic look back at history. Kudos.

I think there is something to be found in The Winds of Revolution for every reader, whether you are interested in romance or a just a peek at a piece of history. I definitely recommend it and will look forward to more by Mark Conte.

The Devil’s Lieutenant by Shervin Jamali

The Devil's Lieutenant by [Jamali, Shervin]

Amazon Link to The Devil’s Lieutenant

In the blink of an eye, Michael loses his family. As his life spirals out of control with grief, he is presented with the possibility that their souls might be trapped in Hell. Michael is a good man, a moral man, forced to do terrible things.

Thus begins an unimaginable and nightmarish journey to rescue his family from the depths of Hell, with the Devil as the puppet master pulling his strings.

My review:

The Devil’s Lieutenant is a fast-paced story that managed to hold my interest enough to read in one sitting. It’s about a man who loses his wife and son to a terrible accident and then falls into deep despair, basically trying to drink himself to death. One night Lucifer shows up to inform Michael his family is suffering in hell and he needs Michael to perform a task for him if he wants any hope of rescuing them.

The plot description caught my interest right away as I was curious what type of task Lucifer could have for a man. I did groan a bit at the start with the abrupt changes in the time line. This continues throughout the story and though I’m not sure I cared for it, I did eventually settle in. What Lucifer asks of Michael was interesting and unique. I can’t say I’ve ever read anything quite like it, so kudos to the author for coming up with something original. In today’s world, this is extremely difficult.

I do feel the characters and the story needed to be fleshed out a little more. Though it’s a novella, I personally think it would have worked better as a full novel. I wanted to get inside the character’s head better, feel his pain for myself instead of sitting on the outside looking in. I received hints of awesome with his portrayal of the devil character, but it could have been so much more. The action scenes were interesting. I’m usually groaning because the pace is too slow and I end up skimming, but here, except for one scene with the KKK, I actually craved more detail. It’s hard to explain what I mean without giving anything away. You’ll have to read it for yourself. From the other reviews, most readers were extremely happy with the character development and pace, so I have to assume I’m in the minority here.

I do recommend readers give this story a look. It’s a good, fast-paced read at a more than reasonable price of .99. I think the author is talented and I’ll look forward to reading more by him.

Ghost Warrior (Immortal Warriors Book 2) by [Holm, Denna]

Amanda Cross survives one nightmare only to face another. She’d always thought of herself as a strong woman, but her many trials on the hostile planet Lavina almost break her. After her rescue, it should be an easy decision to return home to Earth, but she didn’t count on her attraction to the tall, handsome shapeshifter.

Tallyn’s parents rule the most powerful werewolf pack on Laizahlia. As heir to the crown, they expect him to mate with a strong female, but he can’t deny his attraction to the short, curvy woman from Earth. He suspects there is more to Amanda than first meets the eye. To learn what, he must first convince her to trust him enough to remain on Laizahlia.

Calem has waited centuries to right a wrong done to his mate and only daughter. Their deaths nearly destroyed him, but he sees a chance for redemption through Amanda. Tallyn was right to ask for Calem’s help, because he is the only one who can guide the petite female toward her destiny. Calem is determined to protect Amanda from facing the same fate as his mate and daughter, even if it ends up costing him his own life.

The Winners of the 2016 Crimson Cloak short story writing competition, along with a selection of the best runners-up, are presented here in a compilation volume entitled THE RIDER.
Writers were asked to write a story of 1500-3000 words based around a stock picture showing a hooded rider in a fantasy landscape. The standard was so high that judging proved very difficult: in fact, first prize was a tie between talented writers Dawn McCracken and Ricky German. Third prize was won by David A. Jones after a tiebreak involving authors James Bruce and Denna Holm.

Buy this book to read the cream of the crop.

Victims of Vanity, Ricky German JOINT FIRST PRIZE
The Crimson Crown, Dawn McCracken JOINT FIRST PRIZE
Of Malice and Magic, David A. Jones THIRD PRIZE
The Good Exile’s Grub, by James Bruce
Spirit Ride, Denna Holm
The Awakening, Nikki Broadwell
What You Wish For, Keith and Jess Flaherty
Ruby’s Return, Rosalyn Kelly
The Switch, Debbie Proulx
Tor Donnach, D.J. Reid
Gray Riders, Rick Stepp-Bolling
Lady Shalamaine, Veronica Taylor
Tineria, Paul Thurston

The judges for the competition are Veronica Castle, Lynne North and Clive West.

Carly McCracken, proprietor of Crimson Cloak will be keeping track of the lists, without judges knowing which story belongs to who.

* Veronica Castle is the chief editor of Crimson Cloak Publishing and loves stories with a good solid structure to them.

* Lynne North is an author of several books and Marketing Manager of Crimson Cloak Publishing.

* Clive West is a busy commercial writer as well as author of a number of books including the blockbuster white-collar crime story, The Road.

First Prize – $150 (this will be increased if there are a high number of entries so watch this space)
Second Prize – $100
Third Prize – $50
Runner Ups – Free entry into the next competition

Competition opening date – Tuesday, November 1st, 2016

Competition closing date – Tuesday, January 31st, 2017

Lower word limit (minimum) – 1,500
Upper word limit (maximum) – 3,000
Entries are welcome from all countries but must be written in English.

Please look carefully at the picture – there are several key features which stand out, these being:
•    The hooded rider
•    The horse with red eyes
•    The body hanging from the gibbet
•    The castle with its single tower
•    The high mountain in the background
•    The lake, sea, loch, or fjord (etc)

Image courtesy of Canstockphoto

CRIMSON TIMELINES BY 13 Crimson Cloak Publishing authors

Crimson Timelines (ebook)

Crimson Cloak Publishing Store– Crimson Timelines

Smashwords– Crimson Timelines

Crimson Timelines is an anthology of engaging stories weaving paths in time and the mind. Enjoy a stroll through the fourth dimension with these diverse authors. A great read with wide appeal.

  1. Stepping out of the Holocube by Janice Clark– A clever paradox story.
  2. Life Within a Stone by Madeline Dow
  3. The Lighthouse by Glennyce Eckersley– A couple tour a fascinating lighthouse, only to later discover it has been in ruins for years  …
  4. Captain Tom’s Trophy Time Safaris by TW Embry– An escape to the past has unexpected consequences.
  5. Second Chance by Denna Holm– Gillian had longed for years to see her lost daughter and husband again. Could her prayers have been answered?
  6. The Certain Path by W.H. Matlack– An antiques expert stumbles upon a mysterious “watch” that appears to be able to turn back time …
  7. The Grass is Always Greener by Lynne North– One should be careful
    when transporting oneself to the past …
  8. The Man on the Beach by Rodney Page– A mysterious encounter proves life-affirming for a despairing man.
  9. The Tattoo by Esma Race– A window in time helps a mother to keep her promise.
  10. A Mother’s Love by P.J. Roscoe– Bittersweet memories of an often-absent parent.
    A story with a twist.
  11. Mail by Patrick Shanahan– Unravels the consequences of a late-delivered letter.
  12. Vladimir Lazorav is Missing by Patrick Shanahan
  13. In the presence of time by Sean Tate– Time is a mysterious thing, that catches up to us in the end …

You can learn more about these authors and other wonderful books here at Crimson Cloak Publishing.

CCP Store

EDO BLOOD by Don McCann

Edo Blood by [McCann, Don]

Amazon– Edo Blood

When a present-day student, on a field trip to Kagoshima, Japan, found an ancient scroll in an abandoned monastery, he unlocked a dark secret that had lain hidden for over 1400 years. As he followed what turned out to be a trail of scrolls all across Japan and China and back, he was shocked to find himself reading about a 16th century feudal lord named Mitsui Hamada—a woman!

Except there were no female feudal lords in 16th century Japan.

Mitsui’s dark history began with a vow of vengeance, then faded into a sweet promise of love. But that promise was torn asunder as that love was ripped from her grasp in one horrific moment. Plunged headlong back into her nightmare of revenge, her enemy’s destruction was the only thing that would satisfy her. At that moment, she embarked on a twisted journey which sent her fleeing her homeland in pursuit of ancient knowledge. At the end of Mitsui’s bloody journey waited an enemy more dangerous and powerful than she could ever imagine.

But, none of this was Mitsui’s secret.

Mitsui’s darkest secret—only told in the scrolls—was that she was a vampire. But, in this tale of blood and vengeance, Mitsui’s was not the only secret . . .

Wow! That about sums up my feelings about this novel. I had a real love-hate relationship going on while reading Edo Blood and actually fought with myself a bit over the stars afterward. I was almost ready to give it four stars, but then the truth is, I couldn’t put this story down, finding it completely captivating. Anything that gives me that kind of rush, the “I’ve got to finish this” deserves nothing less than five stars. So now I’ll get down to the review itself.

At the start of this story, Mitsui is a very young girl in 16th Century Japan, a male oriented society. Her father (a Samurai warrior) is a bully, who ends up raising another bully in Mitsui’s brother. But her brother attacks the wrong boy at school one day, one younger than him, and he is defeated, his father left humiliated. Shamed, their father sends his son to a monastery and then begins to devote his time to training his young daughter. He doesn’t do this because he loves her. He does it because he doesn’t have another son to train. Mitsui puts all the blame for what happened to her family on the shoulders of the boy who defeated her brother, not aware of the circumstances that initiated it. She is determined to train hard and become a strong enough warrior herself one day to kill this boy, vengeance all that matters to her.

Kenji is the young boy who defeated Mitsui’s older brother, but he doesn’t have any idea what happened to Mitsui’s brother or that she grows up hating him. Kenji is a smart young man devoted to his training. He eventually ends up being in charge of the Daimyo’s personal guard, a great honor for a young man.

The story mainly alternates between Kenji and Mitsui, both of them living separate lives, though we know they will eventually come together at some future point. Then we have the vampire element added in, which is completely different from any other type of vampire story I’ve ever read. I’ve held a lifelong fascination with vampires, be they the evil kind, the good kind, or even the sparkly types. Doesn’t matter, I like them all. But this story is unique, a little evil and a little something I can’t quite figure out. What I do know is that once I started reading, I had a tough time trying to put this book down, and it’s one of those rare stories that stays with you long after you finish it. I have a feeling most readers are going to be just as spellbound. Such a wonderful, realistic view of Japan. I can’t give it high enough praise.

So, why the conflict with stars? The author has a way of getting the reader straight inside the character’s head, a talent I wish more authors had. It allows us to experience it firsthand right along with the characters we’re following. Unfortunately, there are a few places where we go off on little side stories, such as with the father of Mitsui. It’s all wonderfully written, but it took me away from the two characters I wanted to know better, Kenji and Mitsui. As a standalone book I would probably have preferred these scenes to be cut. But, because this is a series, I’m assuming these extra bits of information will probably be needed for future books. Regardless, the story is awesome, with vivid descriptions that I swear takes us right to Japan and the era involved.

Am I going to buy the next one? You bet, can’t wait. If you like vampire stories, I’m willing to bet you’ll like this one too. If you like martial arts, you’re going to love this, vampires or not. The same if you enjoy the history of Japan and Samurai warriors. I feel the author either has firsthand experience living in Japan, or he did a bang up job studying Japan’s history before he put pen to paper. Either way, kudos, I’m impressed.

The Doom Murders (The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 1) by [O'Hare, Brian]

Amazon– The Doom Murders

Prominent figures in Belfast are being murdered. The bodies are left naked and posed in grotesquely distorted shapes. No clues are left at the forensically immaculate crime scenes except odd theatrical props and some random numbers and letters concealed at each scene by the killer. How are the victims linked? What is the connection between these killings, the bible, and a famous medieval painting of The Last Judgement?

The Doom Murders has been the recipient of three literary awards – The IDB Award in 2014; The New Apple Award, 2014, for Excellence in Independent Publishing; and the 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards (Bronze Medal Winner).

“The Chief Inspector, Jim Sheehan, is drawn so deftly and with such genuineness, you can feel him breathing.” (Eugene Fournier, novelist and screenwriter, film and TV)

“The most subtle of clues are intricately interwoven into the story line, and even the most astute mystery buff is apt to miss them.” (Donna Cummins, Author of the Blacklick Valley Mystery Series)

“Incredibly addictive page turner.” (Meghan, Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer)

“O’Hare leans toward the human side of his characters, imbuing them with a real world presence that is in turn witty and passionate.” (Roy.T James, for Readers’ Favorite)

I love mystery novels like this one even though I’m terrible at figuring out the clues given along the way. Authors like O’Hare make us think like a real detective as we follow along with the characters in the story. I have to admit that I didn’t connect the title with any sort of religious element, but it does hold a prominent place in the story. Important figures in Belfast are being murdered, the bodies left naked and posed in grotesque shapes. The scenes are forensically immaculate. Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team must figure out how these victims are linked, what is the connection between the killings, the Bible and the medieval painting The Last Judgement?

The character building was excellent here. I felt I had a real look into the minds of these people as they struggled through a difficult case, especially Sheehan. I noticed a few reviewers compared this piece to the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, but personally I thought this was much better. I couldn’t get through Brown’s novel, but had no problem here. It held my interest from start to finish. The scenes are also well described, brought to life in my mind. I like to picture myself there when I’m reading, much like playing a movie in my mind. If I’m not given enough from the author, it makes for a boring and dull story. That wasn’t a problem here.

Points I didn’t like so much. Okay, point. A tad slow to start, though I’d admit the beginning to most novels can be a bit hard to get into.  We need time and patience to get to know these characters and be given an idea of where the plot is taking us. I don’t dock points for a slow start. My stars are judged on how I feel after the first few chapters, whether or not I want to keep reading. Not a problem with this one. The Doom Murders held my interest from start to finish, and the end took me completely by surprise. I admit I’m not the brightest bulb in the pack when it comes to guessing murder mystery, but I’m willing to bet there are few out there who will guess this one.

And I’m not telling you. You’ll have to go out and buy your own copy if you want to learn.  Can’t wait to pick up my next novel by Brian O’Hare.

OBSIDIAN TEARS (Apparition Lake book two) by Doug and Daniel Lamoreux

Obsidian Tears (Apparition Lake Book 2) by [Lamoreux, Daniel D., Lamoreux, Doug]

Amazon– Obsidian Tears

New troubles are stacking up like cordwood for Chief Ranger Glenn Merrill, as Yellowstone’s existence is threatened by earth tremors and an imminent supervolcano. After a series of gruesome deaths claiming animals, tourists, and a ranger, it’s clear that something’s gone terribly wrong at the nation’s oldest national park.

But putting an end to these mysterious deaths is more than just the chief ranger’s job — it may be his end.

Obsidian Tears plunges Glenn, his Shoshone friend, an aggressive young seismologist and an Arapaho healer into a world of Indian mysticism. Will man and nature join forces, or risk losing all of humanity to an ancient evil?

So far I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Lamoreux, (And I think I’ve read them all) so I wasn’t surprised to find myself getting lost in this story as well. It is well written, fast paced, and full of tension throughout. I had a hard time trying to focus on my own work, my mind always drifting back to the story until I could turn that last page. This is the second in the Apparition Lake series and I loved it just as much as the first one. Interesting characters, intense action and Mother Nature. What better setting than Yellowstone National Park? Couldn’t really ask for more?

Troubles hits again for Chief Ranger Glenn Merrill, as Yellowstone’s existence is threatened by earth tremors and an imminent supervolcano. There are a series of gruesome deaths claiming animals, tourists, and a ranger, and it’s clear to Ranger Glenn that something’s gone terribly wrong at the nation’s oldest national park.

Obsidian Tears brings Ranger Glenn’s Shoshone friend Johnny Two Ravens back into the picture, and I have to admit he was one of my favorite characters from the first story. Man against nature, or man and nature joining forces against an ancient evil. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out.