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Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

Okay, I have come to this book late. Late for the book as it was the winner of the Man Booker Prize in 1984.  And later in my life as I was much younger in 1984.
I am not a person who seeks out books that win awards. I know of people who can't wait for the awards to come out and they read them all simply because they won an award.  One hoity toity I know can bore me absolutely senseless with conversations of, "Oh yes dah-ling I read Hotel du Lac years ago. You know it won the Man Booker."  Seriously she really talks like this and she's a Tasmanian. Scary isn't it.

Anyway, I digress....I would not have liked this book had I read it when it came out in 1984.  As it is I liked it. Now.  I liked it a lot but I realise more so because I finished it.

It was on the shelf. I needed something to read for my Century of Books Challenge and as I am a slow reader/book blogger it didn't too long and it has a really appealing cover.

I see many other book bloggers whom I follow have already reviewed this book with mixed feelings and I must agree my own feelings were mixed.  Although as I have stated previously I really love books that take place in boarding houses and small hotels anywhere in the world and this one was no different.

First off I love her writing. She had some of the most beautiful passages that I reread up to three times. You will need to read this to understand.
However as other reviewers seem to concur, the story seems very dated for the time period which is quite recent to the time the book was published. We are in the 1980's. I did flip back a few times to reassure myself the time period was not in the late 1800's or early 1900's.

I thought the characters were good fun. They consisted of Edith who is the main protagonist who is a writer of books that don't really seem to set the world on fire. She has had an incident with a married man in her life named David that really sets her up for unhappiness and her friends have encouraged her to go to this hotel and sort herself out so to speak.

She befriends all of the guests. One is an elderly woman, Mrs. Pusey and her daughter Jennifer. Jennifer is extremely tied to her mother and one can easily think she's in her late teens or early 20's, a bit on the chubby side and quite doting. However we learn more about Jennifer that rounds out the imagination of the reader a bit more. I enjoyed the storyline around these two women but I did shake my head a lot at their interests. I always find it fascinating to read about people who seem to survive perfectly okay inside of a very insular bubble.

I think my favourite character was Mme de Bonneuil.  There are wonderful descriptions about her as she sits in the dining room for tea and her character and manner amused me greatly.  Although she doesn't have a large speaking role in the story she always appears to be nearby and she is quite a sad character really. I felt really happy when she actually smiled at something happening in the hotel. She has ended up in this hotel because her son's wife doesn't care for her and she has been somewhat farmed out to leave them in peace.  I thought Brookner's descriptions of her was excellent.

The character I didn't care about so much was  Monica. She is an anorexic who has no end of issues in life to deal with and is never seen without her dog Kiki who eats most of the food that Monica is served in the hotel. Although she does often gorge herself on cakes in the local cafes.

Edith slowly befriends these characters and also steps out a bit with Mr. Neville which all of the other female inhabitants find endlessly fascinating.  They have a few walks about the village and discuss all matters of relationships, past, present and it is during some of her time with him that some really good thoughts emerge. (Or so I thought).  There is a great deal of reflection upon life and relationships and how people manage or don't, and I enjoyed reading about these.

Loved those 80's shoulder pads.
It is not a book where a great deal happens. I did wait a bit for something dramatic but though my expectations were raised a couple of times nothing really eventuated that made me grasp my throat with my hand and go, "Oh Criminy"... It just didn't happen.

It is a short pleasant read but I feel it is important to go right through it and don't drag it out as I did.  It is less than 200 pages but it did seem a bit longer than that.

I would recommend it. There are many great bits to pick out of it but don't have a great deal of anticipation for exciting adventure or revelations. It just doesn't happen. I found it to be a quiet, very comforting read on a tired day.

Applies to Century of Books Challenge 1984

If someone would like the copy of this book I am quite happy to post it out.  I have decided this year to spend time reading my own books and those I no longer need on my shelves are being released into the wild.  So let me know if you'd like this and I'll happily post it anywhere in the world as it doesn't weigh much.

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Spending Leisurely Time in Maine With Ms. Sarah O Jewett

I remember hearing the name Sarah Orne Jewett when still in school years ago but for the life of me would not be able to talk about any aspect of her or what she wrote except that she wrote short stories.

I recently finished one of her more important works, a novella entitled The Country of the Pointed Fir.
I started it and read it in fits and starts and thought I was going nowhere with it and then put it down, read another book and picked it up again because I really wanted to finish the four stories in the book Four Stories by American Woman (Penguin Classics).
I started it from the beginning once again and gave myself a good couple of hours to really get into it and get into it I did.  Reading this story was like going on a holiday.

Sarah Orne Jewett grew up in Maine and lived during the last half of the 19th century dying in 1909 of a stroke. If a reader didn't know she was an American writer they could easily believe this is an English period novel.

It takes place in a small regional fishing village on the coast of Maine called Dunnet Landing.  The narrator spent her summer there in a local boarding house sparsely occupied. Her objective is to finish her writing. She had spent time in Dunnet Landing previously and came back this summer as she had enjoyed the spot so much.  She becomes quite distracted by all of the goings on in the household as well as the village mainly due to Mrs. Todd's apothecary practice and selling her famous Spruce beer. She rents the old school house as it is summer vacation and attempts to write there in peace and quiet each day.

This is when I got to meet the old retired sea captain, Captain Littlepage who wandered up to the school one day after a local funeral.  He tells tales of his experiences at sea that continue on a bit too long but our narrator is very good at not appearing bored though you do feel it with her until she picks the conversation up again.

I always enjoy stories that take place in old hotels or boarding houses where each room has interesting or eccentric characters.  When first published this book was described as a "series of sketches" that connect and that is exactly what it is.

She befriends Mrs. Almira Todd and eventually several of Mrs. Todd's family members.  Her mother who lived off shore on an island was my favourite character. I just wanted to bundle up for the sea winds and go live on the island with her.  Mrs. Todd is an eccentric wonderful character who spends days picking herbs and making potions to sell the village locals.  She weaves interesting tales about the other residents of the village.
I particularly like this photo of the
I found the writing gentle and although there is rarely much overt action, the descriptions of the days they share alone, with each other or with other villagers keep the pace going. I found myself loving everyone there. I really cared about the characters and their lives.  Descriptions of the village, the occupants activities and the food they eat, their conversations when they visited each other become so real I felt as though I was there living in the village with them. Everyone is so kind to each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful, scenic idyllic place and was sad when I had to leave it.

The novella is only 140 pages long though it did feel much longer than that. Maybe because I read it slowly and savoured every word. I think the writing is very beautiful and doesn't linger too long on any one point.

The following paragraph describes the first day our narrator arrives at Dunnet Landing.

After a first brief visit made two or three summers before in the course of a yachting cruise, a lover of Dunnet Landing returned to find the unchanged shores of the pointed firs, the same quaintness of the village with its elaborate conventionalities; all that mixture of remoteness, and childish certainty of being the centre of civilization of which her affectionate dreams had told.
One evening in June, a single passenger landed upon the steamboat wharf. The tide was high, there was a fine crowd of spectators  and the younger portion of the company followed her with subdued excitement up and down the narrow street of the salt-aired, white-clapboarded little town.

The characters are introduced as they are encountered and a tale then evolves from the meeting.  We learn much of the town's history and the family relationships from the conversations our narrator has with everyone.
Travellin Penguin particularly likes Maine Lobster.
It feels when reading it as if the reader is visiting the town, meeting these people, having tea with them and getting to know them as it would happen in "real life".  Slowly we get to know the characters more and more from continued encounters with them. I found all of the characters likeable and really enjoyed spending time with them.  I would highly recommend this novella and when finished I hope other readers feel as if they have visited Dunnet Landing and enjoyed it as much as I did. I will certainly read more by this author when I can.

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Tasmania Has Been Burning

I haven't put up a blog in a bit so thought it was time.  So far Tasmanians are not having the wonderful summer they were expecting.

Fires that are happening right now.
The blue fires are ones to keep close on
that could flare up at any time
Photo source:
We have been subjected to the great Aussie Bush Fires that hit somewhere in this country quite catastrophically every summer.  Sometimes it is caused by Mother Nature with her lightning strikes, sometimes it is pure carelessness like the camper who recently walked away from his campfire and created a catastrophic result. Then there is always the rampant arsonist creating misery for people.

The fire nearest us is on the east coast of Tasmania, 60 kms down the road but much closer as the crow flies.  We could see the red glow in the sky from our front yard at night and I must say it was the eeriest thing I have ever seen.

A smouldering stump, forgotten combined with a day of 41.9 degree heat C (104 F) and gale force winds  caused it to flare and as a result more than 130 properties have been lost.  People woke up that day, came into Hobart, going about their business and learned they could not get back to the peninsula where Dunalley sits at the top.

Gone were their homes, their businesses, their pets, their flocks of sheep, their histories and livelihoods.

The Tasmanian community has certainly done more than rally.  Everyone not only from Tasmania but from around the world have sent in donations of money and one woman wanted to send a load of hay from Denmark for the animals.  Fences were cut by farmers so their animals could run.

Western Australians have sent convoys of fire fighters as well as Victoria and New South Wales.  It is simply stunning to watch the emergency services come to the fore.  All of the infrastructure for electricity and communication has been lost. Crews are working tirelessly restoring services and I know this town will rebuild.

Dozens of animal welfare groups have been out collecting any animals; farm, pets, wildlife and taking them to the veterinarians who have opened their practices up for free to these burned animals. RSPCA, Dog's Homes, Cat Centres, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary have all been doing their part.

The view from our front yard. (Mercury Newspaper)
As for us we have been on Facebook and when someone posts up something they need we try to help out the best we can. The feeling of helplessness has been difficult for us and our friends who were not affected directly.  Though that statement is probably quite misleading. Whenever one sees suffering nearby   the normal human response is to help.

Can you imagine this in your back yard ?

A child's toy is all that remains here.
We spent a morning at the Food Bank sorting donated food, clothing and bedding and were truly awed at the amount of nice things that have been donated.

The little town of Dunalley lost their life's timber business, their shops,
service stations, bakery and the life of one Victorian fire fighter who came
down to help. Amazingly no other loss of human has been reported.
People ran from this town and took shelter in the water. Fortunately
they were on the coast.
I think I have said enough.  Although I have been reading a bit, it has been more reading online to see what we can do to help, reading magazines that require no concentration and even watching more TV than usual. Anything to escape.  To concentrate on great literature and to read blogs at the moment just seem so pointless.   People sorting their books, discussions of book stores, topics I always love have just seemed insignificant.  But I realise it is important for everyone to get back to their own structures of life that give them comfort and now the adrenaline has worn off, things are settling a bit though tomorrow is predicted to be 30's C and if it is windy again the ongoing fires will flare up.

This little guy was rescued by a fire fighter, burns to 50 % of his
body but he is going to live though will be in hospital
for a long time. His fellow pets weren't so fortunate.
He has been reunited with his owners.
It is going to be a nervous summer because all of us live near bushland and it could just as easily be any of us.

I look at my beautiful library of close to 4000 books and think what would I do if it was us and I lost all these things. But in the end I know it is my family and my beautiful animals that I would pile into the car and take first to shelter.  Everything else can be replaced.    Times like this, as clichéd as it is, really does show you what is important. Next post will be about a book. I promise.

In memory of the brave fire fighter , Peter Cramer from Victoria
who lost his life working in Tasmania's fires

The fire photos were sourced from the Mercury Newspaper Hobart

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

Books from A Smoky Sunday

This week has been sad. Tasmania is on fire. From the east to the north east to the north west to the south west to the south east.
More than 100 buildings have been destroyed and the air is thick with smoke. Big heavy billowy clouds of smoke.  This morning I laid in bed reading a bit and tears ran down my cheeks from the smoke burning my eyes.  I don't like it at all.

It is a catastrophe here and there are many very devastated families.  Even Julia Gillard, our Prime Minister came yesterday and was near tears standing by the school that has been destroyed in  Dunalley on the east coast at the top of the Tasman Peninsula. One small village with only three buildings left standing on their main road. The Tasman Peninsula has always had a dark history. Stories from the penal settlement of Port Arthur were dire.  The mass shooting at Port Arthur was a nightmare some people have never awakened from and now the entire peninsula is on fire.

I also learned on Saturday a dear friend of mine died from her illness she has been battling for two years. Her funeral was yesterday. However, ironically she died a few days before the house burned her home to the ground as she lived in Dunalley. Strangely enough the only thing that survived on the entire property was a tree she bonsai-ed (sp?) that was 30 years old. It was as if her spirit survived in a small way.  Like they say, "It never rains but it pours. "

So as much as I have been reading I find I am re-reading pages of the Penguin book of Four Stories from American Women. I am half way through the Sarah Orne Jewett novella and find myself having to flip back two or three pages to re-read because I am simply not concentrating.  So I am reading Michael Connelly's latest crime book, The Black Box I gave my husband for Christmas.  We like him and have read all of his books and it is really good escapism. I will continue with that as well as the Penguin Classic.

Each Sunday morning is the big market north of Hobart in Glenorchy. I often go there and have a walk around. There is a lot of junk, lots of plants that sell cheaply and quite a few books. I thought I'd get on the scooter and have a ride and do a bit of Penguin hunting as well as see if I could find anything else I just liked.
The  Sunday Glenorchy Market - runs every Sunday year round
I know this is the year I read the books I own. Well stuff that this week. I needed the book retail therapy and it worked a charm.  Found some interesting things for not much money, chatted to people everywhere about the fire, watched the police escort the idiots from the area who had left their dog locked in a hot car and generally forgot about the fires. Of course, except for the incessant smoke.

These are the books I came home with.
Island Affair by Eleanor Alliston:  This was a complete surprise. Years ago I read the first book by this couple, Escape to an Island.  It is the ongoing story about Eleanor and  John Alliston who sold everything they had after World War II, leaving England and settling on Three Hummock Island. This island is thirty miles off the north coast of Tasmania and they struggle yet survive making a new, quieter, if extremely isolated life for themselves and their family. I had no idea the story continued in a second book.
I have had Escape to an island for years, Island Affair is the sequel
I found that I didn't know existed.
The next book is an Imprint Classic called Wild Cat Falling by Mudrooroo (Colin Johnson) It is the story of an Aboriginal Australian youth  a 'bodgie' of the early 60's, who grows up on the ragged outskirts of a country town, falls into petty crime, goes to gaol, and comes out to do battle once more with the society that put him there. It was a literary event with its publication in 1965 as it was the first novel by any writer of Aboriginal blood to be published in Australia.

A vintage Penguin book of Italian Short Stories- Racconti Italiani, Penguin number 2196 published in 1965.
Hey, it's a Penguin. Of course I would pick it up.

The next book I found was They Called Me The Wildman: The Prison Diary of Henricke Nelson by Robert Hollingworth. The inside flap of the dust jacket describes it as "Australian identity has been shaped as much by obscure minorities trying to make their way in a harsh colonial environment as by grand historical figures and events. In They Called Me The Wildman author R. Hollingworth vividly relates a previously untold fragment of this nation's history through the captivating voice of Swedish immigrant Henricke Nelsen.

I also found two books of Natural History. I always find it hard to pass by books about birds. Not so much the identification guides but a book that tells me something about finding the birds, or describing their behaviours.  This one is called Bird Wonders of Australia and looks to have interesting stories of the quirky things birds do whilst mating or nest building. Good to dip into and some nice colour photographs. Published in 1956.

How on earth and why did this bird evolve with these colours?!
Another type of book I always fall for is an old book with an old paper dust jacket about animals. This particular one is a beautiful book, undated but I would guess the 50's about Australian animals. One animal per page with description of it on the opposite page. This one is Animals of Australia in Colour by Lyla Stevens by Whitcombe and Tombs Pty. Ltd. It's one of those books that was registered at the General Post Office of Melbourne years ago and has no copy right details in it.

The final book I picked up I bought for 50 cents because it had the V of Vintage Publishers on the spine, it's not too long and it sounds interesting. Published 1995.  The Unloved by Deborah Levy is described as "set in a French chateau (in a subversion of the English country house murder mystery), it begins with an inquiry into the death of an Englishwoman during a game of Murder in the Dark. An international group of tourists has been celebrating Christmas together, an experience that has involved a great deal of brooding intensity, glimpses of skeletons in cupboards and sexual versatility...Levy attempts to convey the loneliness at the heart of human existence and the damage wrought by the absence of love. It is apparently the novelist's third book.

When I got it home and looked through it more closely I saw it has a lengthy inscription on the inside front cover. I always find inscriptions, especially long ones quite intriguing to read and this one was no different. It made me wonder about the sender of the book as well as the receiver and how it came to end up in a junky book stall at a very dodgy market. I always want to know their tales.

The inscription reads:  "My oldest and dearest friend,  The present is late, unwrapped, no longer a surprise, and pretty damn average!! I apologise for all of these things, and in doing so, have just realised that the indelible words I print on this page also mean if you hate it you'll have to learn to live with it- cos you can't return it!......sorry!
Anyway, I hope you had an excellent Christmas, and your New Year is loaded with Kick-Arse fun!
I love you, and despite the fact I'm an outcast, I hope you love back (me that is!)
May you worship James Bond eternally , king of sex and cool. Love and sexual fantasies, (her name which I blocked out) xxxx(a.k.a. Pussy Galore!)
Lots of exclamation marks.  Well I hope you enjoy perusing this strange acquisition of yet more books to be put onto the TBR pile.  Which one would you read first??

Thursday, 3 January 2013

Four Stories by American Woman- A Penguin Classics book

As I want to get my posts up and running again after being rather slack through the Christmas season I think this book will give me the kick start I need. There are four stories, all that look interesting and I will post them up one at a time over the next week to complete the book.  The book itself will count towards the Classics Club Challenge though I will have to take one book title off my original list and put this one on it.
I think I will probably do quite a bit of this as over the holidays I have made a commitment to myself to spend the next year reading the books I own and some of the classics on my list I will need to get from external sources. So they are going to be exchanged for those books I already have in my enormous TBR pile.

I should also be able to complete the Century of Books Challenge in 2013 (fingers crossed) from the myriad of Penguin books I own as well as my many non Penguins I am really wanting to read. I have many books I want to read and then release into the wild.  I will let people know if they will be giveaways and can happily send them on. Some I will probably sell on eBay.  None of them will be vintage Penguins in the book release program.

So to start off Four Stories by American Women the first one is:

1. The Yellow Wallpaper
I have heard of many American short story writers but I confess I had no idea who  Charlotte Perkins Gilman was.  Ms. Gilman was most known for this short story of all of her published writing. The story is auto biographical in nature.  Charlotte had a most unusual life and although I could put the pieces together about her life it is much easier for myself and readers to quickly visit the very interesting highly informative Wikpedia link (here).

When Ms. Gilman (born 1860)  had her first child (1885) she became very depressed with a depression that lasted for several years.  The doctors treating her at the time believed the best thing to do for depression was to rest as much as possible and do not excite the mind in any way.  She was either actively discouraged from writing, learning or socialising or her claims were out-rightly dismissed as simply being invalid. However she did continue writing.

source: Wikpedia
The result is this story The Yellow Wallpaper.  It is a story of a young woman suffering an anxiety-depressive disorder, if not psychotic after the birth of her child and her husband takes her to a country house insisting she spend three months in the upstairs nursery high above the rest of the household activities.
She is instructed to absolutely not write anything, she is not able to care for her child and she isn't allowed to discuss anything related to her feelings or moods. There is a great deal of patting her arm and tut-tutting. Her husband in this story is a doctor, "Trust me I am a physician" are the words she hears the most. Nothing she can say to him is ever taken seriously or even listened to.

The time frame is the late 1800's when women were often described as hysterical or neurotic. As she suffers out her days in the upstairs nursery, high above the rest of the house, she comes to mentally struggle with the wallpaper which is faded and torn.  She sees a myriad of patterns eventually hallucinating to visions of sets of bars where she sees a woman, especially at night imprisoned within the walls.  As she sleeps during the day making everyone happy, as she "needs her rest," she sleeplessly lies awake at night.  This is the time when the walls come to life, going so far as to finally cause her to believe she is the woman behind the bars and she lives within the wallpaper.

I found this story very engaging yet one can't help feeling a complete sense of frustration for the way men, especially doctors, were revered knowing all that is best for their wives.

The following excerpt gives you an idea of her writing as she describes the wallpaper:

"I lie here on this great immovable bed- it is nailed down, I believe- and follow that pattern about by the hour. It is as good as gymnastics, I assure you. I start, we'll say, at the bottom, down in the corner over there where it has not been touched, and I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion.
I know a little of the principle of design, and I know this thing was not arranged on any laws of radiation, or alternation, or repetition, or symmetry, or anything else that I ever heard of. It is repeated, of course, by the breadths, but not otherwise.
Looked at in one way, each breadth stands alone; the boated curves and flourishes - a kind of "debased Romanesque"with delirium tremens - go waddling up and down in isolated columns of fatuity.
but on the other hand, they connect diagonally  and the sprawling outlines run off in great slanting waves of optic horror, like a lot of wallowing sea-weeds in full chase.
The whole thing goes horizontally, too,, at least it seems so, and I exhaust myself trying to distinguish the order of its going in that direction.
They have used a horizontal breadth for a frieze, and that adds wonderfully to the confusion."

I enjoyed Ms. Gilman's writing very much and would be interested in learning much more about her. Her writing is so expressive I felt as though I was living in this room with her and feeling the same frustration as her relatives hovered around completely trying to patronise her back into the good health they know will happen.
I won't give the ending away. As this story is approximately 20 pages long I'd happily recommend that people seek it out and have a read.

It was a very pleasant half hour diversion from the heat we are currently experiencing in our little state here.


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Saturday, February 28, 2015

Trill: Unjoined

Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume Two
Trill: Unjoined by Heather Jarman
Published May 2004
Read February 9th 2015

Previous book (Deep Space Nine): Andor: Paradigm

Next book (Deep Space Nine): Bajor: Fragments and Omens

MMPB: | |
Kindle: | |

Spoilers ahead for Unjoined and the rest of the Deep Space Nine relaunch!

From the back cover:
They are a people with secrets. For centuries they kept their true nature hidden, even taking disturbing steps to protect the small population of near-immortal symbionts with whom a privileged few Trill are joined, body, mind, and soul. They are a people who hold memory to be sacred, yet deny their own past. Now amid a whirlwind of scandal, accusations, and growing civil unrest, Ezri Dax must penetrate millennia of lies and deceptions, and rediscover what should never have been forgotten, before her civilization rips itself apart.

My thoughts:

One thing that these "Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" stories have done well (so far) is to make the societies they highlight feel very real. This is especially true for Trill. In Unjoined, we see a planet in turmoil. The tension between the joined minority and the unjoined majority seems to be at a boiling point, with unjoined radicals employing violent methods to overthrow the joined.

Trill is also a society of secrets, and Martin and Mangels use that history to great effect in Unjoined. We learn about the origins of the parasites, which have been the primary antagonists of the Deep Space Nine book series of late, and where they come from is a very dark secret indeed. It would seem that their deep-seated hatred of the Trill may be somewhat understandable.

Not only does Unjoined delve into the society of the humanoid Trill, it also showcases and reveals much about the symbionts. These long-lived species are much more than the small slug-like beings we see joined with humanoid hosts; symbiont society exists also in the form of massive beings far underwater on Trill.

A Trill symbiont about to be joined with a humanoid host. These small symbionts, however, are very young compared to the massive creatures who live deep beneath the surface of Trill.

If there is one thing that the writing team of Martin and Mangels excels at, it is world-building. The revelations about Trill's society and past are alarming and very well-written. One criticism, however, is their handling of the relationship between Bashir and Ezri Dax. There were times where it felt very ungenuine. While the final development in this novel between the two of them is not wholly unexpected, it was still disappointing. I feel that these two characters deserve better than what was portrayed here. However, this may just be hurt feelings on my part on behalf of both characters. Relationships are difficult, and not every one turns out the way you would like.

Ezri Dax and Julian Bashir

Final thoughts:

A very good exploration of Trill society that doesn't shy away from examining big issues. Secrets are anathema to open, functioning society, and Unjoined illustrates this beautifully. I enjoy the writing style of the team of Martin and Mangels, and the way they craft their story is fun to watch unfold. For example, at the beginning of the novel, we see Bashir bristling at the way that the Trill hospital he is in is favoring the treatment of joined patients while neglecting the unjoined ones. The reader, of course, agrees with Bashir that this is wildly unfair, and we are left thinking that the protests are overwhelmingly justified. However, later in the story, we learn the reason for this preferential treatment in this specific case, and new light is shed on the situation. The universe is most certainly not black and white, and the authors do an excellent job of showing this.

More about Trill: Unjoined:

Also by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels:

My next read:

Next up is my review of the brand-new TOS novel by Tony Daniel: Savage Trade. Until then, LLAP!

Friday, February 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy - In Memoriam

Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

Outpourings of grief and condolences—from Star Trek fans and non-fans alike—are all over the Internet today as it has been reported that Leonard Nimoy, 83, has passed away. Most well-known, of course, for the role of Mr. Spock, Nimoy will be remembered by legions of his fans.

Mr. Nimoy will always be remembered as a wonderful man with a happy and joyful soul. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a convention in Calgary, Alberta in 2010. He was a thrill to meet and a distinct pleasure to talk to. He was really the first "celebrity" I met in real life, and I remember thinking that he seemed very friendly and open to meeting his fans. I will always remember that afternoon in Calgary and the joy I felt in talking to him one-on-one and listening to him speak to the assembled group of fans.

Star Trek author David Mack put it best on his Facebook page this morning:
"He lived long, he prospered, and he inspired. He was more than Spock; he was someone's son, someone's father, and a friend to many more. He was our fellow traveler. And now he is legend. Rest in peace, Leonard Nimoy."

And finally, I had to share this: Leonard Nimoy's final tweet, a fitting farewell from this treasure of a man:

Goodbye, Leonard. You will be sorely missed.

(Also posted on David Mack's Facebook page today - too good not to share!)

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Release Day! TOS: Savage Trade by Tony Daniel

A brand-new adventure set during Kirk's original five-year mission hits stores today: The Original Series: Savage Trade by Tony Daniel!

Check out the publisher's description below, where you will also find links to purchase Savage Trade from Amazon.

My review: coming soon!

Publisher's description:
The U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, is en route to the extreme edge of the Alpha Quadrant, and to a region known as the Vara Nebula. Its mission: to investigate why science outpost Zeta Gibraltar is not answering any Federation hailing messages. When the Enterprise arrives, a scan shows no life-forms in the science station. Kirk leads a landing party and quickly discovers the reason for the strange silence—signs of a violent firefight are everywhere. Zeta Gibraltar has been completely raided. Yet there are no bodies, and the entire roster of station personnel is missing...

Purchase The Original Series: Savage Trade:

Mass-market paperback: | |
E-book (Kindle): | |

Next Release: The Original Series: Shadow of the Machine (e-book)

Monday, February 23, 2015

Sequel to FROM HISTORY'S SHADOW is on the way!

Good news from Trek author Dayton Ward this evening! On his Facebook page, he announced that the outline for his follow-up to 2013's From History's Shadow has been approved today, meaning we will definitely see his sequel soon.

From his post:
"You know what that means, right? More UFOs! More aliens! More time travel shenanigans!"

While the 2015 Trek book lineup is full, it is likely that we will be seeing it sometime in 2016, just in time for Star Trek's 50th anniversary! Stay tuned!

Star Trek fiction by Dayton Ward:

Star Trek: S.C.E. #4: Interphase, Part One with Kevin Dilmore (2001)
Star Trek: S.C.E. #5: Interphase, Part Two with Kevin Dilmore (2001)
Star Trek #97: In the Name of Honor (2002)
Star Trek: Vanguard: Open Secrets (2009)
"Almost Tomorrow" from Star Trek: Vanguard: Declassified (2011)
Star Trek: Vanguard: What Judgments Come with Kevin Dilmore (2011)
Star Trek: That Which Divides (2012)
Star Trek: Vanguard: In Tempest's Wake (2012)
Star Trek: The Original Series: From History's Shadow (2013)
Star Trek: The Fall: Peaceable Kingdoms (2014)
Star Trek: Seekers #2: Point of Divergence with Kevin Dilmore (2014)

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Literary Treks 92: Good Thing Riker Doesn't Listen to Amy Winehouse

Interview with John Jackson Miller about his new novel, Takedown

Star Trek fans have been pitting captains against each other since Picard came on the scene in 1987. The debate on whether Kirk or Picard is better still rages on internet message boards or any given weekend in any city hosting a sci-fi convention. But what if Picard went up against his protege, William Riker? Who would be the victor?

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther talk to John Jackson Miller about his first full length Star Trek novel Takedown, in which Picard and Riker do go head-to-head. We discuss John catching up with the continuity, inspirations for the story, being concurrent with The Missing, humor in the book, major spoilers, as well as writing Admiral Riker and Captain Dax.

In the news, we talk about the new Almighty Flow Chart on The Trek Collective as well as Gary Seven's upcoming appearance in John Byrne's New Vision comics in issue, you guessed it, seven.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

A Sea of Troubles

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Slings and Arrows, Book I
A Sea of Troubles by J. Steven York & Christina F. York
An e-book exclusive novella
Published October 2007
Read January 18th 2015

Next book (Slings and Arrows): The Oppressor's Wrong

E-book (Kindle): | |

Spoilers ahead for A Sea of Troubles and the rest of the Slings and Arrows series!

Publisher's description:
The USS Enterprise-E has launched, with Captain Jean-Luc Picard in command. In addition to many familiar faces, the new ship also has some new crew members -- among them, conn officer Sean Hawk and security chief Linda Addison.

But soon Picard is devastated to learn that there's a saboteur on board -- in the form of a changeling infiltrator from the Dominion! Picard and his crew must learn who the changeling replaced and stop it before it destroys the fleet's finest ship...

My thoughts:

Slings and Arrows is a six-part e-novella series, released in 2007 as part of Simon & Schuster's celebration of the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Edited by veteran Trek author Keith R.A. DeCandido, the series gives us our earliest glimpse at the Enterprise-E and her crew. You may recall that in Star Trek: First Contact, Geordi mentions that the Enterprise-E has been in space for nearly a year. Personally, I have always wondered what the Enterprise crew was up to for much of that year. Finally, in Slings and Arrows, we find out!

This first instalment, A Sea of Troubles, introduces a new character whom we first canonically met in First Contact: Lieutenant Sean Hawk, the conn officer in that film. I really enjoyed the brief appearance of Hawk in First Contact, and I felt that Neal McDonough brought a lot to the character with only a few small scenes. While his stint in canon Trek was short-lived, we get a few much-needed insights into his character in this novella.

We see Lieutenant Hawk's introduction to the Enterprise in A Sea of Troubles.
Some of the character work with the antagonist of the piece, a Changeling infiltrator aboard the Enterprise, was very interesting. It was fun to get into the mind of one of the Founders and find that (she?) is not exactly what we expected. Granted, much of the interaction between Picard and the Changeling was an attempt by both parties to engage in subterfuge and deception, but it was still interesting to hear the thoughts of one of the Founders beyond the usual "solids are chaotic, we must impose control" rhetoric we usually get.

The year prior to First Contact is one that is full to the brim with political intrigue and huge changes for the Federation. A war with the Klingons, rising tensions with the Maquis, and the fear of Dominion infiltration and attack are only a few of the events that this period of Trek history faced. The Slings and Arrows series finally gives us a chance to see what the flagship of the Federation was up to during this period. and with so much happening, there is surely a lot to draw upon for the writers. I very much look forward to the other books in this series tackling the weighty issues that face the Federation at this time.

Final thoughts:

A solid first entry in the series, A Sea of Troubles was a fascinating story showcasing a Changeling infiltration of the Enterprise. The story truly reflects the tension that was inherent during this period of "cold war" leading up to open warfare with the Dominion. We get a strong introduction to one of my favorite "minor" characters, Lieutenant Hawk, and some insight into an enemy that we were not really provided with before.

As many of you know, I recently began co-hosting the Literary Treks podcast with Matthew Rushing over on That podcast has been doing regular features on the Slings and Arrows series. Look below for a link to the episode in which Matthew Rushing and Christopher Jones discuss A Sea of Troubles. As I make my way through this series on Trek Lit Reviews, I will post links to the appropriate episodes of Literary Treks. Give them a listen, and be sure to check each week for new episodes, which I will also post here at Trek Lit Reviews!

Further resources:

My next read:

Next week, my Deep Space Nine relaunch re-read continues with Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Volume Two: Trill: Unjoined by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels. Until next time!

Friday, February 20, 2015

Armageddon's Arrow gets a beautiful cover!

Happy Friday! Today, we have a cover unveiling for you, courtesy of the folks at They have done a First Look feature on Dayton Ward's upcoming Next Generation adventure, Armageddon's Arrow. Check out the cover!

Beautiful, no? They have also revealed the back-cover blurb for the novel:

It is a new age of exploration, and the U.S.S. Enterprise is dispatched to “the Odyssean Pass,” a region charted only by unmanned probes and believed to contain numerous inhabited worlds. Approaching a star system with two such planets, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew find a massive alien vessel, drifting in interstellar space for decades. Sensors detect life aboard the derelict—aliens held in suspended animation.
Thought to be an immense sleeper ship, the vessel actually is a weapon capable of destroying entire worlds . . . the final gambit in a war that has raged for generations across the nearby system. Now caught in the middle of this conflict, Captain Picard attempts to mediate, as both sides want this doomsday weapon . . . which was sent from the future with the sole purpose of ending the interplanetary war before it even began!

Armageddon's Arrow will be released at the end of May at bookstores and your favorite e-book retailer. Click the links below to pre-order Armageddon's Arrow from Amazon!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Literary Treks 91: Pulaski Fights Crime

Interview with Una McCormack about Deep Space Nine: The Missing

The end of The Fall left the Star Trek universe in a little more hopeful place than it was when the series began. There is a new focus on exploration in the Federation and even with all that the characters have experienced there is still the drive to boldly go.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther are joined by author Una McCormack to talk about her latest book The Missing. She talks about following up The Fall, writing a "day in the life" of DS9, the fun of exploring the new station, writing the character of Pulaski, as well as featuring the women of Star Trek, deepening the Tzenkethi, the themes of preconceived notions about people and atonement, all while reminding us that DS9 is truly a home for the homeless.

In the news segment we discuss Mike Johnson's interview on what coming up for the Star Trek Ongoing comic as well as some well known villains who may make an appearance soon.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Literary Treks 90: Through the Brita Filter

Fade In: The Writing of Star Trek: Insurrection by Michael Piller

When the lights went down in the theater in 1998, we all sat there with trepidation. We hoped that the new Star Trek movie would live up to it's predecessor, First Contact, and when it didn't, many of us wondered what had gone wrong. Jonathan Frakes had directed and Michael Piller had written the script; this should have been a dynamic duo!

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther are joined by Larry Nemecek and Daniel Proulx to discuss Michael Piller's unpublished book Fade In. We wonder why Trek is always trying to relive it's glory days, talk about the first story idea, Star Trek: Stardust, what happens after Rick Berman and Patrick Stewart see the script, the stripping away of the Star Trekness, Ira Steven Behr's thoughts, what the studio wanted, as well as ask the questions of whether fans really know what's best and if this book helps us feel better about the movie.

In the news segment we judge a book by it's cover as well as look forward to James Swallow's newly announced Five Year Mission novel.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Takedown by John Jackson Miller
Release date: January 27th 2015
Read January 31st 2015

Previous book (The Next Generation): Q Are Cordially Uninvited...

Next book (The Next Generation): Armageddon's Arrow

MMPB: | |
Kindle: | |

Spoilers ahead for Takedown and the current post-The Fall novel continuity!

From the back cover:
When renegade Federation starships begin wreaking destruction across the Alpha Quadrant, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are shocked to discover that the mastermind behind this sudden threat is none other than Picard’s protégé and friend: Admiral William T. Riker. The newly minted admiral is on board the U.S.S. Aventine as part of a special assignment, even as the mystery deepens behind his involvement in the growing crisis. But the Aventine is helmed by Captain Ezri Dax—someone who is no stranger to breaking Starfleet regulations—and her starship is by far the faster vessel . . . and Riker cannot yield even to his former mentor. It’s a battle of tactical geniuses and a race against time as Picard struggles to find answers before the quadrant’s great powers violently retaliate against the Federation. . .

My thoughts:

John Jackson Miller made his Star Trek literature debut last year with the e-book novella Absent Enemies, featuring Admiral Riker and the Titan crew. As I noted in my review of that story, I had very much enjoyed his Star Wars novel Kenobi, and looked forward to his take on the Trek universe. I enjoyed the novella for the most part, with the small exception of feeling that he didn't have the characters' voices quite "right." That minor quibble, however, has been completely rectified with Takedown.

Miller has a terrific grasp on the voices of the main characters, with old standbys like Picard and Riker coming across perfectly. And indeed, the secondary original characters that Miller introduces in this novel are a lot of fun to read about as well.

Captain Ezri Dax and the
Aventine feature in Takedown.
This is probably the closest we've come to Captain Ezri Dax of the Aventine having a novel of her own, and Miller proves that such a story can be truly great! I've come to really enjoy reading about her and her crew ever since their introduction in David Mack's Destiny trilogy. Takedown has renewed my interest in seeing more of Dax and her ship in future stories.

The premise of Takedown is an enticing one: Picard and Riker going head to head in a battle of wits and tactics. While the story itself turns out to be much more complicated than that, we do get some interesting scenes seeing these two tactical minds facing off. Miller channels his love and knowledge of Trek into some great plot twists and reveals, making Takedown a fun roller coaster of a story.

While I did enjoy his earlier work, Absent Enemies, I felt that some parts were a little too "silly" or uncharacteristic of Star Trek. However, with Takedown, Miller has struck a perfect balance. The story is rich and compelling, while still having a lightness to it that made it a lot of fun. Many of the current slate of Trek authors will include small winks and nods, such as in-jokes or subtle references that are amusing, but most don't have the perfectly irreverent tone that Miller has managed with Takedown. In this way, Miller's tone in very evocative of that of one of my favorite Trek authors, Peter David. Take, for example, this description of an inept Romulan senator, Bretorius, who turned into one of my favorite characters by the end of the book:

Unfortunately, Bertorius had found mediocrity too high a bar. He had advanced in the fleet the old-fashioned way: he'd stuck around so long they had to give him a command, or muster him out. He'd commanded a vessel that had managed to miss every major engagement the Romulan Star Empire had participated in during his tenure. The critical battle of the Dominion War was waged without Bretorius's ship, when his entire crew came down with food poisoning after an ill-advised prebattle celebration. And during the time that Shinzon was courting allies in the Imperial Fleet for his eventual coup, Bretorius was never contacted once. It wasn't that Bretorius wanted to overthrow the government, but it would've been nice to have been asked.

The risk is that the story will devolve into complete silliness (as has happened with a few of Peter David's works), but that never happens here.

Final thoughts:

A fun and exciting entry into the post-The Fall continuity of Trek novels. It was great to see the continuity touchstones that John Jackson Miller used to craft this story, including the reintroduction of a species from TNG that I've always been curious about (I won't include that particular spoiler here as I feel it guts the story to know it in advance). A definite improvement over Miller's previous foray into Trek literature, and hopefully a portent of many more great stories to come!

Further resources:

Also by John Jackson Miller:

My next read:

Next up is my review of A Sea of Troubles, the first book in the TNG e-book series, Slings and Arrows.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Literary Treks 89: Elephant in the Room

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Slings and Arrows, Book V: A Weary Life

The TNG episode "Second Chances" gave us a duplicate of William Riker and the DS9 episode "Defiant" left that duplicate, Tom, in a Cardassian prison. What we never got a chance to see was the effect all of these things had on Will until the Slings and Arrows' entry, A Weary Life.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther talk about this penultimate book in the Slings and Arrows e-book series. We ask the question of where Tom is, discuss the trio of Riker, LaForge, and Daniels, the genuine emotion of Riker, the news media and Maquis problem as well as our ratings.

In our news segment we remind everyone that Takedown by John Jackson Miller is out, discuss the Axanar announcement of an anthology collection that's on the way, as well as celebrate 20 years of Star Trek: Voyager by discussing our favorite Voyager books.

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Sunday, September 26, 2004

It's Grrrrrreat!

A conversation I had with a six-year old girl today:

(I spot that she has a quarter and so I hand her another quarter from my pocket.)

ME: "Boy, you sure do have a lot of money."
HER: "Yup."
ME: "What are you going to buy with all that money? A pony?
HER: "Nope."
ME: ... a tiger?"
HER: "A tiger AND a lion. And, boy, is my house sure going to be crazy...(long pause)...when they have babies."

I'm pretty sure there's a Zen koan in there somewhere, but I've been knocked into too many new levels of enlightenment (just from hearing it) to know for sure. Roar...

Friday, September 24, 2004

Just Survival?

It's interesting that since my daughter was born, I have been whisked into what I have been referring to (in my thoughts) as Survival Consciousness. It seems as though "living from the level of Spirit" and concerning myself with God, the mystical, etc. has fallen wayside to the urgency of "just getting by". Whereas before I found myself blessed with the time to spend in solitude, pursuing spiritual paths, and reading, I now am engulfed in dirty diapers and "onesies."

Not to say that the two are mutally exclusive - quite the opposite. Ram Das, in "Be Here Now," titles a page: "Drop Out / Cop Out." In other words, if you feel like you need to drop out of everyday living (moving into a monistary, or even just leaving the world behind) in order to pursue Spirit, you're missing the boat and "copping out."

And now as I reconsider, perhaps this is a gentle and gracious reminder that I both (1) have yet far to go and (2) am missing it right underneath my nose.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

about the night

there's something about the night -
when headlights and stoplights
- from a limited perspective -
become North Stars
and gravitational accents
that pull gently on the weight of my
automobile : magnetically
as the moon beckons the tide
and as warm sleepy exhaustion
draws me to a final destination
of enveloped long awaited sleep
and dusty night shadows
of splendor and slumber

Composed that one while taking a movie back at 11:30 pm last week. Probably should start focusing on driving.

Have been gone for a bit. Babies, it appears, are quite dependent. Hmmm...

Updated my Profile - you may want to scope that--->

Sunday, September 05, 2004


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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Baldness Is a Blessing!

HT: Justin Taylor

...For James White, "Dusman," the Dawgs @ Fide-O, and, well, for so many others I know (myself included - I've not had a good head of hair for a least a decade).

Carl Trueman writes:

Yet baldness is nonetheless a great gift from the Lord, in that it imposes a certain dignity on the ageing process by cutting off the various less dignified options (e.g., ponytails, which shouldn’t be sported by anyone over 30; and mullets which, frankly, should not be sported by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Period.). Of course, there are those, even Christians, who fight against this divinely-imposed dignity. Dreadful toupees abound in the church, along with frightful transplants, and the ubiquitous 'comb-over' or 'sweep.' The latter seems predicated on the false notion that, if you have six hairs to stretch across the barren landscape of your otherwise shiny pate, nobody will notice that you have gone completely bald. Or perhaps there is a belief somewhere that, in the country of the bald, the one-haired man is king. Come on, gents, parade your baldness with pride and accept the dignity which your divinely-imposed hair loss brings with it.

  1. Like my old mentor Dr. G.I. Barber in his exposition of The Doctrine of Hairology said "Its not the length of the hair its the location & direction." Comb overs a a great blessing don't knock 'em bro!
    Check out this great sermon & may it bring revival to your cold soul.

  2. I have to agree with Mr. Trueman here. I've always thought that if the day comes, I start balding, and I still have a few hairs on top, I'm just going to shave those suckers off.

  3. Semper Reformanda10/31/2007 5:39 PM

    Only Brock Samson is allowed to wear a mullet.


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Great Ideas, Choice Awards, and A New Giveaway!

By Katie Moosbrugger

Here’s what we’re featuring in today’s Sunday Spotlight…

~ Spring Into Skating Fun at Greensboro Ice House
~ Cast Your Vote with the 2017 Choice Awards
~ Save On Groceries All Year Long with Checkout 51
~ Win a $125 Gift Card to the YMCA Giveaway
~ Find Out Who Won Our Last Two Giveaways!

gso ice houseSpring Into Skating Fun

The Greensboro Ice House is your family-friendly, neighborhood ice skating rink! Packed with cool activities for pre-school aged children through adults of all ages, frozen fun is delivered through public skating sessions, learn to figure and hockey skate classes, birthday parties and more! Learn to skate classes are offered for beginners through advanced skaters beginning at age four through adults. Spring classes begin Tuesday, March 14th and Saturday, March 18th. Classes are taught by highly credentialed professionals dedicated to sharing their love of skating! Their distinctive birthday parties are one of the area’s most popular venues.  Your little princess or hockey star will be a trendsetter with fun-filled, action packed skating parties complete with hostesses taking care of every last detail. Get your cool on and visit your neighborhood ice skating rink!

TMOM Seal 2017Let the Voting Begin!

The nominations from round one of the 2017 Choice awards contest have been tallied, and we announced the finalists on Wednesday! To see the entire list of finalists, click HERE. Voting kicked off on February 15 and will continue though midnight on February 26.  To cast your vote, click HERE. Special note when taking the survey: Use the scroll bar below each question if you cannot see drop downs for all three cities. It will allow you to scroll right to see all three cities and their finalists.

checkout51Save on Groceries All Year Long!

Have you heard of Checkout 51? Checkout 51 is the easiest way to save money on the brands you love! It’s simple to use, and every Thursday morning, Checkout 51 updates you with a new list of offers. When your account reaches $20, they’ll send you a check!

To get started, click HERE to sign up as a member and then….
~Browse the offers that are updated every Thursday
~ Buy the products from any store
~ Take a photo of your receipt to redeem your deal
~ Earn cash back!

ymca giveawayNew Giveaway!

Win a $125 Gift Card to the YMCA of NWNC!

This gift card can be used towards anything and at any branch of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, including membership, youth sports, swim lessons, boot camps, personal training and more! To register for this giveaway, click the link below. Now when you join the Y, you belong to all locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Membership at the Y provides access to pool space, hundreds of group exercise class offerings, gym and racquetball courts, as well as specialty programs including Hot Yoga, CrossFit at three locations, Les Mills GRIT, and state-of-the-art Training Centers at various locations. Members also receive discounts on programs such as youth sports, summer camp, and swim lessons. To enter this giveaway, click HERE.

homepage-giveawaysCongrats to Our Winners!

We have two winners to announce. The first winner is Brandi Deets! She won the family portrait session with Yasmin Leonard Photography. And the second winner is Erin Mitchell! She won the $100 Amazon e-card from Foundations Early Learning Center. Congratulations on your prizes, ladies, and please watch for an email from Triad Moms on Main on how you can redeem. Many thanks to these local businesses for offering generous prizes!

*Today’s Sunday Spotlight is sponsored by The Greensboro Ice House and Checkout 51

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Obama's choice of CIA director to signal course

| Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, 5:48 p.m.

WASHINGTON — President Obama began his first term with a dramatic change of course for the CIA, issuing orders on his second day in office to close the agency's secret prisons and ban harsh interrogation techniques.

As Obama approaches a second term with an unexpected opening for CIA director, agency officials are watching to see whether the president's pick signals even a modest adjustment in the main counterterrorism program he kept: the use of armed drones to kill extremist suspects.

The resignation of David H. Petraeus over an adulterous affair brought an abrupt end to the short tenure of a CIA director who sought to cement the agency's ties with the military and expand its drone fleet.

The list of possible replacements is led by three CIA veterans who have all contributed to the agency's pronounced shift toward paramilitary operations. Obama's choice could determine whether the trajectory continues or begins to taper off.

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, 57, is seen by many as the leading candidate for the CIA job. In recent months, he has expressed concern within the Obama administration that the agency has become too focused on targeted killings, even though he has presided over the sharp expansion of the drone campaign.

The other potential nominees include acting CIA Director Michael Morell, 54, who is regarded as a stabilizing presence more than a proponent of change, and Michael G. Vickers, 59, a senior Pentagon official who is considered the most ardent supporter of the agency's expanded paramilitary role.

Federal officials said Obama has not signaled his choice or even when that decision might come. But senior lawmakers and agency veterans said the next director will face immediate pressure to improve intelligence gathering in places beyond those patrolled by drones.

“I think this is the time for transition,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Counterterrorism will remain the agency's top priority, Feinstein said, but the recent attack on U.S. compounds in Libya and mounting concerns about cyber conflicts underscore other vulnerabilities.

“We have to strengthen human intelligence in key areas,” Feinstein said, “and transition from the kind of Pakistan-Afghanistan intelligence gathering” that has dominated the agency's agenda since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Former agency officials, including those who worked in counterterrorism, cited similar concerns over the need for a balance between paramilitary operations and intelligence collection and analysis.

“As much as there remains a terrorism threat, that can't be the preoccupation of the director of CIA 99 percent of the time anymore,” said Bruce Riedel, a former agency analyst and adviser to Obama.

The fundamental question for Obama, Riedel said, is: “Should the agency be looking to be the principal player in a global drone war versus its more traditional role as the principal collector and analyst of foreign intelligence?”

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Pitt relying on defensive-line depth

| Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

As Pitt staged a comeback against Connecticut earlier this month, Panthers nose tackle Myles Caragein paced anxiously along the sideline.

Caragein, a 6-2, 275-pound sophomore, couldn't wait to get his hands dirty. He wanted to mix it up with one of the best offensive lines in the Big East.

The Keystone Oaks graduate made the most of his minutes in relief of Gus Mustakas and Mick Williams. He helped the Panthers win the trench battle in the second half, enabling Pitt to erase a 15-point deficit en route to a 24-21 victory at Heinz Field.

"I love stuff like that, a tough, hard-hitting game," Caragein said. "I sometimes get anxious, maybe a little too excited. But I get focused during moments like that.

"I had one of my better games against UConn because I was able to get some pressures against a powerful team that has a lot of balance passing and running the ball."

Caragein, who has six tackles for losses and four sacks this season, didn't compile mind-blowing numbers - a sack, 2 quarterback hurries and 2 solo tackles. But his presence strengthens an already impressive defensive front that leads the conference with 33 sacks and limits running backs to 2.9 yards per carry.

More importantly, Caragein's gritty style reflects the tough-minded persona of a defense that overwhelmed a usually productive South Florida offense during last Saturday's 41-14 win that vaulted Pitt to No. 16 in the Associated Press poll.

The Panthers (7-1, 4-0) established control of the game, partly because Caragein constantly harassed Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels. The Panthers are likely to chase after two quarterbacks, Greg Paulus and Ryan Nassib, when they play Syracuse (3-4, 0-2) at noon on Nov. 7 at Heinz Field.

After the Orangemen, Pitt begins a grueling season-ending stretch against No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 20 West Virginia and No. 25 Notre Dame.

Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso is convinced his unit's depth could be the difference down the stretch as the Panthers will try to disrupt the rhythm of some of the nation's top quarterbacks - including Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen and Cincinnati's Tony Pike.

And Caragein could play a significant role in Pitt's success.

"I'm ready to step in and make some plays," Caragein said. "We have things we still have to work on, and there are things that I need to react to quicker. If I can help the team in any way possible, we can win."

TribLIVE commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments either by the same reader or different readers

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

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April 9, 2013 > Suspect in fatal Bay Fair Station shooting arrested

Suspect in fatal Bay Fair Station shooting arrested

Submitted By Les Mensinger

BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey announced homicide suspect Jabrie Bennett was arrested on March 29, 2013 by Oakland Police Officers. Bennett is accused of firing shots near the bus zone at the Bay Fair Station on January 19, 2013, killing Kenneth Lee Seets, an innocent bystander who was waiting for a bus.

On February 13th, BART Police announced it had identified 18-year-old Jabrie Bennett as the main suspect in the case and had been working with Oakland Police Department to determine his whereabouts. "Because the shooting was in broad daylight and in a public area, Bennett was considered armed and dangerous," Chief Rainey said.

On Friday, an Oakland Police Department unit was on patrol in East Oakland when they contacted Bennett for the homicide warrant issued by BART Police. Bennett was taken into custody and was booked at Glenn Dyer Jail on the murder warrant and a narcotics violation. BART Detectives will continue with their murder investigation.

"I offer my deepest condolences to the victims' family and friends. I would like to thank BART detectives and the Alameda County District Attorney's office for their diligent work and Oakland Police for partnering with us in bringing the suspect into custody and off the street," Chief Rainey said.

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• Grass with water sprinkler

    Yards come in all shapes and sizes.

    Ensure that your lawn stays green and healthy all season long with professional irrigation installation and maintenance services from Tri-County Sprinklers.

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Want a well-watered lawn but are unsure about the cost? Give us a call and we’ll provide a FREE new installation estimate and we’ll answer any questions that you have.

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With quality Rain Bird products, you'll receive a long-lasting lawn irrigation system. Benefit from a 5-year warranty against any defect in material or workmanship on new residential installation.

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Count on our years of irrigation installation and maintenance experience to ensure that your lawn stays green and lush. Our work is done right the first time, every time.

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Using any of this site’s content for commercial purposes in any way, including but not limited to reprinting, hotlinking, and copying, without the owner’s permission is prohibited.

If you are interested in using (a) picture(s) from this site for non-commerical purposes, please contact the owner by using the feedback function.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. Infringement of any copyrights in any way is not intended.

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Friday, February 11, 2011

Birds of Maya

"Birds of Maya did what countless garage rock geeks try and fail at: dust off 1968 and bring it back to life without making it look like museum piece. Bringing on the best of 60s power trios like Hendrix and Cream, a whiff of Blue Cheer’s bongwater, Black Sabbath’s bass heavy paranoia, and Stooges bum-out, they were sloppy in all the right places. The jamming never got tired and held everyone’s raptattention..." -

  1. Hey, thanks for telling me about this - it is fucking fantastic stuff!

  2. Indeed, fucking fantastic, I love Polizze's guitar-work, so great, noisy and dirty. :D

  3. How fucking clueless is the reviewer from! To call Birds of Maya a sixties power trio is fucking asinine. This ain't even garage rock, it's straight out power jamming by semi competent stoners who don't have much to say but make a lot of noise saying it....this will have a few spins in car but then out the window it goes....

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10 Turbo Sets

10 Monster Turbo Sets contains a a mix of Strength, Power and Endurance bike sets designed specifically for the turbo trainer. Workouts range in time from 90 mins to a maximum 3 hours. These sets are suitable for both professional and age group athletes alike.

The turbo trainer (wind trainer / bike trainer) is one of the best training tools available. It is:

  • Time efficient – jump on and go.
  • The best tool for developing strength as we can add additional resistance for big gear intervals.
  • There are no stop / traffic lights, or intersections so no unscheduled rest breaks or disruptions when doing hard interval or tempo rides.
  • There are no cars, pedestrians etc so we can focus 100% on the workout, rather than holding back 2% to watch for traffic hazards.
  • It is safe! Every year training on the road becomes more dangerous, and safe locations for training become more scarce.
  • Some winter climates make riding outside difficult for part of the year – snow, rain, etc.


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Archive for July 2014

CfP: 1st Web Audio Conference (WAC) — Ircam and Mozilla Paris, France, 26–28 January 2015

This conference seems interesting:

WAC is the first international conference on web audio technologies and applications.

The conference welcomes web R&D developers, audio processing scientists, application designers and people involved in web standards.

The conference addresses research, development, design, and standards concerned with emerging audio-related web technologies such as Web Audio API, Web RTC, Web Sockets, and Javascript.

Contributions to the first edition of WAC are encouraged in, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Innovative audio and music based web applications (with social and user experience aspects)
  • Client-side audio processing (real-time or non real-time)
  • Audio data and metadata formats and network delivery
  • Server-side audio processing and client access
  • Client-side audio engine and rendering
  • Frameworks for audio manipulation
  • Web Audio API design and implementation
  • Client-side audio visualization
  • Multimedia integration
  • Web standards and use of standards within audio based web projects
  • Hardware, tangible interface and use of Web Audio API

Call for submissions

  • Technical papers – 2 to 8 pages
  • Demo / Poster
  • Web Audio Gig – involving usage of the Web Audio API and “audience devices participation”

October 10, 2014: Deadline for submission -

Please refer to the WAC website for additional information:

Max4Live live.dial widget trick

I’m currently in the process of overhauling the views of all Jamoma stereo audio modules to use Max4Live widgets in preparation for the Jamoma 0.6 release.

In particular live.dial is fast becoming a favourite, as this widget provides a graphical and numerical display of value, as well as info on what parameter it is controlling, and the unit used.

However, I’ve had one problem: If the unit is set to decibels, it only displays decibel with decimals for values in the [-10, 10] range. Today I got a tip from Emmanuel Jourdan. If I instead set the unit Style to Custom, I can use sprintf expressions to get what I want.

The same trick can be used with live.numbox.

Creative Commons License Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Norway License. Web site hosted by BEK.


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The Weather

“The birds in Nicaragua aren’t watching cable news,” the ornithologist said.

“So they’ll migrate the same time as they always do?” I asked.

“Birds determine when to head north by the position of the sun. When they’re in Central America, they have no idea what the weather is in the continental U.S. So this March being one of the warmest Marches on record, they have no clue, and what’s more, they don’t care.”

The ornithologist was correct. The plant world flowered fantastically early this spring, but migrating warblers stuck to a travel schedule drawn up ten thousand years ago.

They’re migrating through Chicago now. On the stop sign at the end of my block, an interesting bird paused for a minute this morning. It was a bright blue indigo bunting, a small, pastoral symbol of goodness and rightness plunked in the midst of gray pavement. I watched a yellow warbler for a while in Jackson Park. And catbirds are back. They sing like mockingbirds, a little of this, a little of that. They’re like stubborn hipster musicians who don’t want their style pegged as belonging to a single genre.

Jill Riddell is a writer in Chicago. She teaches at the School of the Art Institute and has a weakness for nature, magic, and pennies abandoned in sidewalk cracks.


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Owners: Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my tenant’s rent check bounces?

We believe that the ability to pay rent by personal check is a privilege, not a right. Our renters have the ability to pay their rent electronically, which is our preferred method of payment. If a tenant’s rent payment check is returned unpaid by the bank, for whatever reason, the tenant is assessed all bank charges, as well as a handling fee payable to Truckee Meadows Property Management. Our standard late payment policy applies. If the tenant bounces a check twice, they no longer have the privilege of paying rent by check – all future payments must be made via bank transfer or certified funds.


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Monday, December 1, 2008

Taco Soup....

This has become a family favorite and great to have on a cold winter night. Hope you enjoy....

Easy Taco Soup -
1 lb. hamburger browned with small onion (I sprinkle 3-4 tbls. dried onion cause doug doesn't like real onion)
Drain meat and pour in remaining ingredients:
28 oz. stewed tomatoes chopped
16 oz. kidney beans with liquid
17 oz. canned corn with liquid
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
Bring to boil and than reduce heat to medium/low and simmer - the longer the better (about 1/2 hour). Top with toppings similar to tacos, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, olives, and use Fritos to scoop with or crumble in soup. Enjoy!!

This is great the next fact we think it's better! I usually make it the day before and heat in crock pot the next day!


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Tag Archives: tibco tutorialspedia

15 Most Popular TIBCO Tutorials on TutorialsPedia

Step by step TIBCO tutorials written by me on tutorialspedia.com have got a great public response and thousands of people have visited the blog posts and benefited from the tutorials so far. I have received a huge number of messages as well as comments from the audience with valuable inputs, suggestions and some great post… Read More »


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Hobbes Plays: Fire Emblem 7

Chapter 6: Blood of Pride

Chapter 6's intro gives us some more worldbuilding. The nation of Lycia is a federation of territories, each ruled by a marquess. Lyn's group has passed through the first of these in their path, Araphen, and is about to encounter Lundgren's troops for the first time.

Entering the map, Sain announces that they are in the city of Araphen (even though the opening narrative just said we'd already passed through it), which is the second largest city in Lycia after Ostia, which I recall Serra naming in the last chapter as her destination before deciding to sink her claws into Lyn.

Kent went ahead of the group to visit the castle, and returns with news that the local marquess has agreed to resupply them, as Araphen and Caelin have had good relations with each other for a long time. Kent hopes for an escort of Araphenian (Araphenese? Araphens?) soldiers to ease the remainder of their journey, which makes me anxious to see the upcoming chapters. If The game not only thinks that my current troops are insufficient to take on the enemy in the upcoming battles, but thinks that I need more troops, I should actually be in for some challenge.

Kent apologizes for the difficulty of the trip so far, but Lyn dismisses his concerns and compliments his abilities. An outburst from Sain prompts her to add him as an afterthought.

The group sets off for the castle, but is suddenly swarmed by townsfolk. Someone cries out that the castle is burning (weren't those things usually made out of stone?), and the civvies flee as the enemy appears on-screen. Lyn is immediately accosted by a Mercenary, but a rider appears from the far side of the screen and eliminates him with a bow, prompting a still image of Lyn looking back over her shoulder at a man on horseback with the dead Mercenary at her feet. Very nice, but wasn't the Mercenary between Lyn and the rider?

Lyn and Kent try to thank the rider, but he starts to back away. When pressed, he admits to interfering because he was a Sacaean being attacked. Judging by his clothes, he's Sacaean himself. The rider is surprised to learn Lyn is a Lorca, having been under the impression that none had survived the bandit attack.

The rider warns Lyn to flee now, and says that he's the captain of the castle guard, which raises the question of what he was doing leaving the castle to come down here if he needed so desperately to rescue the marquess. Lyn volunteers to help, given that the enemy is here because of her. The rider introduces himself as Rath of the Kutolah tribe, and he and Lyn exchange some Sacaean blessings. Meanwhile, a cloaked unit invades a nearby house and offers the resident woman some gold to remain in her home to observe the fighting. She accepts and heads into the basement while he starts sizing up the two sides to see which has more to offer him.

Rath reveals the existence of a Secret Underground Passage leading directly to the throne room of the castle, which is glaringly stupid for obvious reasons, even moreso because it's opened from the barracks outside the castle. Which, of course, has been captured by the enemy, who have locked us out. I need keys or a Thief to open the doors. Hmm. Where have I seen a shady figure like that recently?

Lyn wants to visit the house that cloaked man went into before. The man inside, Matthew, immediately offers his services, which Lyn insists she doesn't need despite just going over our group's lack of ways to open the doors a moment ago. Matthew points this out (which both Lyn and myself want to know how he knew about), and agrees to hire him. Matthew opens the nearest door and Rath throws the switch by standing on the right space, and then the scripting is over. There aren't many enemies visible yet, but there are several more hidden areas.

On my turn again it seems the scripting isn't over, after all, as Matthew wants to break into a conveniently located treasure chest. My character is critical of Matthew's greed, but goes along with it. The chest yields an Angelic Robe, which Matthew explains to be a magic item that increases the max health of any unit that uses it.

Interesting. Matthew's move put him within striking distance of an enemy unit, a Soldier, wielding a spear. Matthew is a sword-user, and I had no units within range to block the Soldier's path, so I moved Serra over to heal him on my next turn after he gets attacked, and was offered the same "Talk" command I got when Lyn recruited Dorcas a few chapters back. In this case, however, the conversation was purely a plot teaser. Serra stood around complimenting herself on her looks, but after she left, Matthew revealed that he not only knew Serra, but had reservations about letting her find the secret passage. So, Serra has a past association with a thief who is anxious to keep secrets from her. This seems promising for later.

Moving Serra turned out to be unnecessary, though, as the Soldier didn't move from his position. The room behind him yields another chest containing a sword called an Armorslayer, which Matthew explains to be designed for taking on heavily armored enemies, then goes off on the importance of giving such weapons to the units that would get the most benefit from them.

The next door is on the outside of the building I'm currently in, which is annoying as I have to spend several turns just getting Matthew over there. I went ahead and had Lyn take and use the Angelic Robe, since her health is a bit on the low side for a direct combatant. The last switch opens the door to a boss of a new class, Knight. This one is named Bool. This is clearly why they gave me the Armorslayer in that chest, which I did pass to Lyn already, but Erk's magic works just fine against this guy, who can't even counter attack due to lack of a ranged weapon and the disinclination of bosses in this game to move from the spots they start out on.

These soldiers are no more of a challenge than the bandits were, and their numbers were pitiful. This game's turning out to be disappointingly easy. What were IQs like a thousand years ago, seriously?

With the third switch hit, Rath leads the castle's troops to drive out the rest of the enemy and rescue the marquess, to whom Rath introduces Lyn. The marquess dismisses Rath to speak with Lyn alone, and Lyn explains Lundgren's involvement in the attack. The marquess claims that Lyn is responsible for the damage to his castle, and withdraws the support he offered at the beginning of the chapter (so much for the close friendship between their provinces). Kent is appalled that the marquess would break his word to Kent, but the marquess is just as angry that Kent didn't tell him that Lyn was "tainted with the blood of Sacae." Ooooh yeah, that's the good old stuff.

Lyn is understandably angered. Sain objects, but Kent holds him back and again petitions the marquess for aid. The marquess suggests that the current Marquess Caelin may not even live to see the girl, in which case his best interest is in coddling up to Lundgren. Sain is still angry, Kent still hopes for aid, but Lyn declares that they're leaving. She is proud of being Sacaean, and would refuse the aid of this racist ass even if he were still offering it.

Outside, Sain applauds Lyn's performance while Kent apologizes for being too focused on getting help that he ignored her feelings. Lyn dismisses his apology and thanks him for his dedication to her safety.

Back in the castle, the marquess is raging to himself about Lyn's stubbornness, even saying he would have aided her if she had cried before referring to her entire race as "savages." Ah, privileged Jerkassery at its finest! Unfortunately for him, he's currently pacing back and forth in the Castle Hall of Overheard Insults, and who should be standing behind the next pillar but his Sacaean captain of the guard, Rath?

The marquess tries to play his racism off as nothing for Rath to concern himself over. Rath isn't buying it and Calls the Older Man Out on it. The marquess takes offense at Rath's attitude. After all, he pays Rath well and treats him "better than [his] kind deserves." Rath tells him to shove it.

Outside of Araphen, Lyn is concerned about the marquess's report of her grandfather's failing health. Kent says things will be getting more difficult now that they're getting closer to Caelin, and I certainly hope so, because I haven't seen anything resembling a challenge since Chapter 4. He, Sain, and my non-character repledge our aid to Lyn, for which she thanks us. Shortly after, Rath catches up to us and asks to join our group. He also brings with him 5000 gold, which is a welcome recruitment fee. Lyn doesn't want to accept it, but Rath insists that he can't take the offer back once made.

Here's to a tougher chapter in the near future.

I drink to a harder chapta.

Fusionman 8th Mar 11 (edited by: Fusionman)
"This game's turning out to be disappointingly easy"

"Here's to a tougher chapter in the near future."

Oh you poor unsuspecting sod.
Emperordaein 9th Mar 11
(OoC: I'm actually on chapter 21 of Hector's hard mode at the same time that I'm doing this LP. It may be coloring my view a bit. :P)
Wryte 9th Mar 11


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BuzzFeed is Looking for Writers

A very positive looking post about an available gig, found at BuiltinNyc.Com:

BuzzFeed Entertainment Group is looking for a pop culture obsessive to write about movies and TV! We’re looking for someone who has a vast knowledge of movies (old and new) and watches television religiously that can channel their knowledge into shareable content that’s entertaining and engaging for fans of the entire pop culture spectrum. (More light hearted, to-the-point, and fun posts rather than essays, reviews, or cultural critiques). You should feel comfortable writing about fan theories, easter eggs, and other incredulous details that fans know and love. You should be able to write from the POV of a fan, as you’ll be creating content for them.

We’re looking for those who truly know the deepest corners of the internet, consume pop culture like air, and have a passion for telling stories in a unique voice.

This is a full-time, staff role based out of our New York or Los Angeles offices, available to start immediately. Must have a flexible schedule as working weekends might be required.

Read it all HERE

Oh, and if you’re a New York City based startup, builtinnyc looks pretty damn cool too!


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Grow Your Twitter Free
Want To Grow Your Twitter?
We help other people find and follow you on Twitter.
Key Info:
Started in 2009
Over 4.5 million signups
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PM Theresa May: UK terror threat level raised from severe to critical, which means further attack may be imminent
Retweeted by BBC News (World)
"We can react in anger. Or we can react by doing" - powerful interview with blood donor Ian in Manchester
Retweeted by J.K. Rowling
More egg. More fruit. More than 20 grams of protein in the new Eggs & Cheese #ProteinBox.
Thousands have registered by we still need YOU in Saint Louis this September! Register today and save at
In response to last night's tragic incident in #Manchester - we have all the blood required for hospital patients at the present time.
Retweeted by Phillip Schofield
Police say the Manchester attack was believed to have been carried out by one man. Latest developments:
Dr. Rush tá na área! 😎#RushNaGloboo3
Ehhh Trending Topics ♥ #PapoDeSegundaNoGNT
Sabrina Sato e Rodrigo Faro vão te ajudar a mudar de vida com a Promoção #MegaPremiado 🤑4
Retweeted by Sabrina Sato Rahal
Him: I'm coming over Me: babeeeee I don't have makeup on and I just took a shower Him: idc I'm coming over Him: [knocks on door] Me:
.@jordanklepper weighs in on the "common man's" inability to keep a secret.
We cooked up some good stuff with @unclemurda but it's top secret so stay locked into our posts for more info. 📸: Randy Smith/BETy
Juventus es campeón de la Serie A y no es novedad. La noticia es que Dani Alves es el jugador con mas títulos en la historia. Llegó a 35 🏆.r
Retweeted by Daniel Alves
Pretending you're going to have a mellow Friday night like... #KUWTK
Retweeted by Khloé
Hei kamu ikutan "RCTI Broadcasting Day" 2017 di Gedung Pascasarjana FIKOM UNPAD (untuk mahasiswa/i) Ada job hiringnya jg loh (untuk umum) ;D
Twiends uses the Twitter™ API, displays it's logo & trademarks, and is not endorsed or certified by them. These items remain the property of Twitter.


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Grow Your Twitter Free
Want To Grow Your Twitter?
We help other people find and follow you on Twitter.
Key Info:
Started in 2009
Over 4.5 million signups
Country targeting provided
We never auto tweet to your timeline
We never auto follow others
We actively moderate our community
Please Share
Please upgrade your browser to make full use of twiends.  chrome

This page has no updates. What else is happening...?
Apple takes a step toward lightning fast 5G
In a first match full of innovative moves, AlphaGo held strong against Ke Jie and won by 0.5 points → #AlphaGo17
“Special.” #PL pundit Darren Bent on @_Pedro17_'s stunner at Everton VOTE for your Goal of the Season: #PLAwards
Happy 64th anniversary to my mom and dad. Love always wins at the end of the day! @bobbyshriver @mariashriver @TimShriver @AnthonyKShriver
Retweeted by Maria Shriver
My cousin saw this from their home; allegedly the Marawi City jail. All detainees were freed by ISIS.
Retweeted by Bianca Gonzalez
Please retweet for those still looking for their little ones 🙏�#ManchesteresH
Retweeted by Sarah Silverman
*Fashion Week by @Wale starts playing* Friend 1: 👀 Friend 2: get it biiittccchh Me:V
Retweeted by Wale
My heart goes out to everyone affected in Manchester.
Ariana Grande is speaking out after the explosion at her Manchester concert that left multiple dead & many injured:
.@RogerMooking joins @ChefDPhillips and @fitchefeddie at the judges' table on tonight's #KidsBBQ @ 8|7c.
@LanaDelRey & XO @theweeknd take on life and climb to the top of the Hollywood sign. Ascend with them ➡
Twiends uses the Twitter™ API, displays it's logo & trademarks, and is not endorsed or certified by them. These items remain the property of Twitter.


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Grow Your Twitter Free
Want To Grow Your Twitter?
We help other people find and follow you on Twitter.
Key Info:
Started in 2009
Over 4.5 million signups
Country targeting provided
We never auto tweet to your timeline
We never auto follow others
We actively moderate our community
Please Share
Please upgrade your browser to make full use of twiends.  chrome

yuko akb48

This page has no updates. What else is happening...?
Apple takes a step toward lightning fast 5G
Leo #Messi's Golden Shoe, up on the link for an interactive infographic:
Manu has a message for his fans.
Retweeted by SportsCenter
Galera! No próximo dia 27 de maio, farei um seminário de técnica na Tropa Thai -Rio de Janeiro, para informações liguem para (21) 99911-9121
.@ManUtd squad hold minute's silence for victims of Manchester Arena attack
Thank you for all your supports! It means a lot to me! Thank youuuuu ❤❤
Heidi Hemblys & her two daughters were at the Manchester Ariana Grande concert; she describes the confusion in the arena after the explosion
Deborah Hutchinson is appealing for information about her daughter and partner who were both at the gig.…
Retweeted by michelle keegan
Twiends uses the Twitter™ API, displays it's logo & trademarks, and is not endorsed or certified by them. These items remain the property of Twitter.


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Breaking Dawn Filming Dates Updated

Nov 5th, 2010 | By | Category: Featured Articles, Movie News

Production Weekly has just Tweeted an updated filming schedule for Breaking Dawn!  Here are the new dates according to the site:

Production schedule for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”, filming begins Monday, November 8, 2010 and wraps photography April 22, 2011.

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TwinBranch | Delivery
page,page-id-15692,page-template-default,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-6.6,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-4.3.5,vc_responsive

Affordable and Convenient Delivery

Twin Branch Nursery Delivery Services

Our Trucks

Twin Branch Nursery has a total of four delivery trucks for different purposes.

  • A small dump truck with enough maneuverability to get a load of bulk material to a convenient location on your property. (Driving on lawn may require a waiver)
  • A flat bed with side gates delivers a large amount of plant material, container or balled and burlapped.  It is equipped with a crane to lift off heavy B&B material and small boulders.  It also holds around 120 bales of pine straw.
  • An enclosed box truck is perfect for plants with sensitive foilage (like Japanese Maples).  It also offers a lifting gate to accommodate urns, pots and small boulders.
  • Our Crane truck is used for transporting large loads of plant material or pallets of stone and boulders.  Our crane has an extensive reach on a flat surface.  Reach of the crane is dependent on weight and the dynamics of the land.  Crane truck is a seperate delivery charge.  See below.

Delivery Definition

Delivery is the safe loading and transport of purchased materials from the nursery to the best case scenario of your property. This includes parking vehicle and unloading plants at truck location. We do not drive on lawns or areas that could 1) cause damage to property, 2) create unsafe conditions for worker, customer, truck or property, or 3) cause a condition of being unable to depart safely.

Delivery Fees

Standard Delivery is $45 for locations within 7 miles of the nursery. Locations past 7 miles will incur an additional $3/mile after the initial 7 miles.

For example: Delivery location at 10 miles will be charged as follows:

  • First 7 miles: $45
  • Additional 3 miles at $3/mile: $9
  • Total: $54

Crane Truck Delivery

Crane truck delivery is $75 for locations within 7 miles of the nursery. Locations past 7 miles will incur an additional $3/mile after the initial 7 miles.

Exceptions: If we have to move the truck for additional drops, each additional truck relocation will be incur additional charges.

If over 30 minutes labor is involved with moving plants to a specified area, placing boulders, etc., a labor charge of $30 per hour will be charged with a minimum of 1 hour labor.

Rates are subject to change at any time.

Delivery Times

Most deliveries can be scheduled within 1 week. We offer an approximate time of day if available, but do not guarantee. We are in constant contact with the customer about the delivery time.