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The Islanders by S.V. Leonard #TheIslanders @SVLeonard @CaneloCrime @canelo_co @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Title: The Islanders by S.V Leonard

Publisher: Canelo Crime

Date Published: 11th March 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Her dream escape is about to become a nightmare…

Kimberley King has spent the last five years trying to outrun the reason she left the police force. Her life is a mess and she’s desperate for change. So when she is randomly selected for the new series of the hit show LoveWrecked, she can’t pass up the chance to win the £100,000 prize. All Kimberley needs to do is couple up with one of her fellow contestants, win the infamous LoveWrecked challenges, and she will have enough cash for a fresh start.

But the island isn’t the paradise she was promised and within hours, one of the contestants is dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die.

The game is rigged, everyone is hiding secrets, and time is running out…

An addictive and unputdownable crime thriller, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and T.M. Logan.

You can buy your copy here:

Amazon UK:

Amazon US:

I want to thank Emma at Damppebbles blog tours for inviting me on this tour and the publisher for providing me with a copy of The Islanders in exchange for an honest review.

Kim is desperate for money, barely keeping hold of her bar job, reliving guilt from her past and drinking too much. The answer, to her money problems at least, comes when she’s invited on the reality TV show LoveWrecked, but that’s when the nightmare really begins.

The Islanders is a fantastic debut novel that combines reality TV with a classic locked in scenario, think Love Island meets And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

Each of the Islanders are not all that likeable, yet they feel authentic. Everyone of them is hiding a secret and you’re really not sure who you can trust, really amping up the tension as more bodies turn up.

What I enjoyed most about the story was I didn’t know who was going to die next or who the killer might be, I literally suspected every character at one time or another.

The story is told mostly from the point of view of Kim, with a few snippets from a website called, social media and a mysterious blog called JustDeserts. It’s obvious from the start that Kim’s a troubled person, wallowing in the past and punishing herself. I think she was the perfect main character as I ended up really rooting for her to solve the mystery and get herself to safety.

Yes, the storyline wasn’t all that believable, but to me it gave me that feeling of escapism I’ve been craving lately.

The Islanders is a fast-paced read, packed with shocks and surprises, that kept me entertained from beginning to end. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author in the future!

About The Author:

S. V. Leonard grew up in the little coastal town of Formby, a suburb of Liverpool. She studied Classics at Oxford University and has been lucky enough to live in Australia, Poland, and Malaysia. She is now based in London. When not writing, she can be found breaking out of escape rooms; doing historical walking tours of London; or drinking wine.

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Under The Bridge by Jack Byrne #PublicationDay #BookReview

Title: Under The Bridge by Jack Byrne

Date Published: 18th February 2021

Publisher: Northodox Press

Genre: Mystery/Historical

2004 – The discovery of a skeleton in the Liverpool docklands unearths long buried secrets. Reporter, Anne McCarthy, is keen to prove herself and dives into the case with abandon where she finds Michael, an old Irish caretaker who knows far more than he’s letting on and may have a connection to the body.

Meanwhile, Vinny Doyle, is starting a postgrad degree, researching Liverpool’s immigrant history and a burgeoning Scouse identity. But Vinny has been neglecting his own family history and stranger Michael might know about his father’s disappearance in the 70s.

1955 – Escaping violence in Ireland and fresh off the boat, Michael falls in with Wicklow boys Jack Power and Paddy Doyle, who smuggle contraband through the docks putting them at odds with unions while they rally the dock workers against the rackets and the strikebreakers. A story of corruption, secret police, and sectarianism slowly unravels. But will the truth out?

As the conflict heightens, Michael questions the life sprawling out ahead of him. In the present, Anne races to solve the mystery, but is she prepared for what she’ll find?

I want to thank Northodox Press for providing me with a copy of Under the bridge in exchange for an honest review.

I was so intrigued by the blurb for this, and I honestly don’t read that many novels set in my hometown, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Under the bridge is a mix of historical drama and mystery which really teaches you something about the history of Liverpool!

The story centres around Garston, a suburb in the south of Liverpool, and a place I don’t believe I’ve visited, but it has a long and interesting history. Now I’ve lived in and around Liverpool my entire life and I used to think I knew a thing or two about the place, but after reading this novel I realise I’m woefully uninformed! Seriously, I think I learnt more about my own area reading this book than I ever did in a history class.

There are some powerful themes throughout the novel, including immigration, racism and religion (in particular the Catholic/Protestant divide which has been prevalent for a long time). The author really doesn’t shy away from those tough subjects.

There were some interesting characters, but I liked Anne the best. She’s a smart, ambitious, if a little naïve, journalist trying to make it in the newspaper business that even back in 2004 was shrinking.

There were several different points of view in the book, along with the back and forth in the timeline that I found it a little hard to keep everything straight in my mind. Also, I felt it was a little heavier on the drama rather than the mystery, but of course that’s just my opinion.

Under the bridge is a gritty debut that really doesn’t pull any punches!

About The Author:

Jack Byrne was born and raised in Speke, Liverpool to an Irish immigrant father and grandparents. Under the Bridge is his debut novel and follows reporter Anne and student Vinny around Merseyside, as they become involved in a story of unions, crime, and police corruption after human remains are discovered at a construction site.

#Extract Rise of One by Dixon Reuel @DixonReuel @RandomTTours #RiseofOne #BloodBrute #RandomThingsTours

Hello lovelies, today I have a fantastic extract from the debut novel Rise of One by Dixon Reuel as part of the Random Things tour organised by Anne Cater. But first a little about the book:

Title: Rise of One by Dixon Reuel

Publisher: Thunderloft Press

Date Published: 15th December 2020

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic/Paranormal

When a zombie apocalypse ravages the world, the vampire Rise rescues human survivors to feed his coven. But apocalypse survivors are not the type to be merely food. Nor could they ever befriend the coven’s lone human, the beautiful and pampered Cypriot.

When Warwolves, an ancient order of vampire hunters, infiltrate the rescued survivors, Rise resolves to purge all threats to his vampire race. The world, although decimated, seems ripe for rule. Rise could set history on a new path, with the rise of one individual.

You can buy your copy here:

Chapter 1

A Fresh Pulse

The outbreak began in springtime rumours.
Then, the airways and cables of the world charted the outbreak and panic, as the disease overwhelmed every population. Bombs and walls of fire tried to contain it. Chemical purges charred cities indiscriminately. In all, Rise counted barely five months from the beginning of the outbreak until everything was stilled, from late spring to mid-autumn. A lone SOS in Morse code was the last they heard from the human race, before Rise and his coven packed away their broadcast equipment, their radio, computers, and TV, putting it all into the depths of the root cellar. He waited a further full month, October. Then, and only then, did Rise leave the house.

An earlier shower of hail had studded the courtyard’s cobblestones. Crimson leaves brightened the hedges that Rise had planted long ago to shade the kitchen windows. Once, Rise heard birdsong and the hum of the countryside the moment he stepped from the kitchen into the yard. But today, like so many days that came before, no sound.

The rest of his coven were still on the roof, just finished with the dawn incantation. While the disease had overwhelmed all beyond Owl Court, every dawn, Rise and the two other vampires, Ogrim and Salter, spoke an incantation to conceal their little farmstead from the world. Even smoke from the nearest village of Dunsinann, or the hazy curtain on the horizon from Larnde City, never reached inside their walls. The coven always used the oldest names for such places; Ogrim joked that if they were to rename cities and towns as often as humans did, the coven would never get anything done.

Rise wanted to slip away into the world and hoped to return with good news, to return with someone still human. The coven needed a fresh pulse. If he could achieve this, Rise reasoned as he stood on the back doorstep, the residents of Owl Court would surely forgive him for leaving. Hiding indoors, they saw footage of how the human dead now rose and walked. Rise had trawled the internet, when they still had it, watching feeds from around the world of corpses alive, of terrifying creatures that knew only brute and base destruction.

“Where’re you going?” Ogrim spoke from the kitchen’s shade, so as not to let the weak sun touch his old body.

“To find survivors,” Rise answered, as plainly as possible.

About The Author:

Irish award-winning writer, Dixon Reuel is the author of her debut Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal novel, Rise of One.

Dixon lives and writes out of her home base in Dublin, and holds a First in History & Early Irish Studies and another First in Creative Writing. She is a lifelong nerd and devoted hobbyist of cosplay, video games, and other surely worthwhile pursuits.

Dixon cannot stand monkeys or phone calls, and to receive a phone call from King Kong would definitely be her greatest fear.

Twitter @DixonReuel

#HappyPublicationDay Sins Of The Father by Sharon Bairden #SinsoftheFather @sbairden @RedDogTweets #RedTour

I want to wish Sharon Bairden a happy publication day for her debut novel Sins of the Father! Read on to find out more about the book:

Title: Sins of the Father by Sharon Bairden

Publisher: Red Dog Press

Date Published: 27th November 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Lucas Findlay thinks he has struck gold when he marries Rebecca, but she married him for one reason only – to destroy him.

Trauma runs deep

When her past comes back to haunt her, Rebecca begins to disconnect from herself and the world around her. As secrets are unearthed, she begins to fear for her sanity … and her life.

Truth will out

With her world unravelling around her, Rebecca clings to her determination to make Lucas pay, whatever the cost.

Forgive his sins

But someone must pay for the sins of the father…

Sounds great right? You can buy your copy here:

About The Author:

By day Sharon Bairden is the Services Manager in a small, local independent advocacy service and has a passion for human rights; by night she has a passion for all things criminal. She blogs about books at Chapterinmylife and is delighted to be crossing over to the other side of the fence to become a writer. Sharon lives on the outskirts of Glasgow, has two grown up children, a grandson, a Golden Labrador and a cat. She spends most of her spare time doing all things bookish, from reading to attending as many book festivals and launches as she can. She has been known to step out of her comfort zone on the odd occasion and has walked over burning coals and broken glass – but not at the same time!

There’s also a blog tour running right now if you want to check it out:

#BlogTour Snow Light by Danielle Zinn @DanielleZinn4 @darkstrokedark @BOTBSPublicity

Hello lovelies! Today I’m resharing my review for Snow Light by Danielle Zinn as part of its re-release blog tour organised by Sarah Hardy at Books On The Bright Side Publicity. First a little about the book:

Title: Snow Light by Danielle Zinn

 Date Published: 1st June 2020

Publisher: Darkstroke Books

Genre: Police Procedural

When Detective Inspector Nathaniel Thomas encounters a man attacking a young woman in a local park, the DI is unable to save her. Out of guilt, Thomas quits his job at Homicide Headquarters and relocates to the tiny village of Crottendorf, where he regains control of himself and begins to enjoy life again.

However, a year later, all the guilt and shame of the park incident re-emerges when a local hermit, Ethan Wright, is murdered with an unusual weapon and left on display in the centre of the village.

For Thomas, the situation gets worse when Detective Sergeant Ann Collins, a colleague from his past, appears to help with the case. But things become complicated when the victim’s identity is put into question.

Who is the victim? And why was he murdered?

Whilst Thomas and Collins find themselves trying to solve the unusual case, they may have more in common than they could have ever imagined.

DI Nathaniel Thomas comes across a murder in progress but is unable to stop. He quits his job and moves to the small village of Turtleville in the Ore Mountains. His quiet life is thrown into chaos when Ethan Wright, the local oddball and hermit is murdered and placed on public display. But Ethan Wright is not who everyone thinks he is. With the help of DS Ann Collins, he must find out who Wright really is and catch the killer.

The opening to this book was fantastic, you’re thrown right into the action, when we relive DI Thomas’s memory of him comes across a murder in progress. It skips to a year later with Thomas being called out to another crime scene, this time in a sleepy little village.

I loved the setting up in the snowy mountains, which was so realistic it made me shiver at times. I’m just glad I don’t live there myself, I don’t think I could live with all that snow!

I liked the character of DI Thomas. You really feel his guilt and pain throughout the book as this murder brings up a lot of his unresolved issues. There is also an extra complication because he is acting guardian/surrogate dad to his friends’ 11-year-old daughter Sky, who is full of sassiness and is constantly trying to break the rules (She reminds me of a cheekier version of my son). His partner DS Ann Collins was not overly likeable, she’s quite blunt and moody (which makes a change it’s usual the men who are the taciturn ones), but she was a fascinating character and played off DI Thomas well.

It is fairly slow to start off but there were a few twists I did not see coming once the story got nearer the end, which made me not want to put it down until I finished it.

My only issue was it was quite a complicated story line and I got a little bit lost in the middle with who was who and who were the suspects.

A great debut novel and is the perfect wintry read for crime fans.

About The Author:

Danielle holds a BA (Hons) degree in Business and Management from New College Durham/UK and has settled down in Leipzig/Germany, where she works as a Financial Controller at an IT Consultancy.

Born and raised in a small village in the Ore Mountains/Germany Danielle was introduced to the world of English literature and writing from an early age on through her mother – an English teacher.

Her passion for sports, especially skiing and fencing, stems from her father’s side. Danielle draws her inspiration for writing from long walks in the country with her partner as well as circumnavigating the globe and visiting friends scattered all over the world.

Mix everything together and you get “Snow Light”, a detective mystery combining a stunning wintry setting in the Ore Mountains with unique traditions, some sporty action and lots of suspense.

Find Danielle Zinn on:

Twitter: @DanielleZinn4

Facebook: Danielle.zinn.7

#ThePatienceofaDeadMan by Michael Clark @MikeClarkBooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Title: The patience of a dead man by Michael Clark

Date Published: 22nd April 2019

Genre: Horror/Ghost Story

He just spent everything on a house in disrepair, but he didn’t know someone was waiting inside.

Tim Russell just put his last dollar on a handyman’s dream; a quaint but dilapidated farmhouse in New Hampshire. Newly single after a messy divorce, his plan is to live in the house as he restores it for resale. To his horror, as soon as the papers are signed and his work starts, ghosts begin to appear. A bone-white little boy. A woman covered in flies. Tim can’t afford to leave and lose it all, so he turns to his real estate agent Holly Burns to help him decide whether he has any shot at solving his haunted problem. Can they solve the mystery before he loses his investment…or maybe his life?

You can buy your copy here:

Amazon UK:

Amazon US:

Amazon CA:

The Patience of a Dead Man banner V3

I want to thank Emma at Damppebbles blog tours for inviting me on this tour and providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The patience of a dead man was a fantastically spooky and enthralling read! It has the right balance of scary and creepy with that air of mystery too.

I love a haunted house story and I really enjoyed reading Micheal Clark’s different slant on the old horror trope.

The majority of the story is set in 1971 and we follow Tim who after a messy divorce that leaves him almost broke, he decides to buy a fixer-upper to try and make some money. From the very beginning there’s something not right about the property and the strange happenings grow ever more dangerous. He asks Holly, the estate agent who sold him the property to help him solve the mystery and before his investment goes down the drain.

The other parts of the story are told through journal extracts and spooky visions (I can’t say too much about these in case I give away spoilers!) and were expertly weaved throughout the story.

There were a few sudden changes of POV during the chapters which threw me off a little and I would have liked there to be a few more seventies references as parts of the story are meant to be set in the 1970’s but of course they’re just minor things.

While it does wrap up most of the story in this book, it does leave it open for a sequel which I personally can’t wait to read!

The patience of a dead man is a spine tingling ghost story that will both spook and entertain you in equal measure.

About the author:

Michael Clark was raised in New Hampshire and lived in the house The Patience of a MikeClark-55-smallDead Man is based on. The bats of the barn really circled the rafters all day and there actually was a man-made grove hidden in the forest. He now lives in Massachusetts with his wife Josi and his dog Bubba.

The Patience of a Dead Man is his first novel. Dead Woman Scorned is his second. More to come.

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#BookReview The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith @evecsmith @OrendaBooks

Title: The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith

Date Published: 9th April 2020

Publisher: Orenda Books

Genre: Thriller

Decades of spiralling drug resistance have unleashed a global antibiotic crisis. Ordinary infections are untreatable: a scratch from a pet can kill. A sacrifice is required to keep the majority safe: no one over seventy is allowed new antibiotics. The elderly are sent to hospitals nicknamed ‘The Waiting Rooms.’ Hospitals where no one ever gets well.

Twenty years after the crisis takes hold, Kate begins a search for her birth mother, armed only with her name and her age. As Kate unearths disturbing facts about her mother’s past, she puts her family in danger and risks losing everything.

Because Kate is not the only secret that her birth mother is hiding. Someone else is looking for her, too.

Sweeping from an all-too-real modern world to a pre-crisis South Africa, The Waiting Rooms is epic in scope, richly populated with unforgettable characters, and a tense, haunting vision of a future that is only a few mutations away.

I want to thank Orenda Books and THE Book Club Reviewer Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Waiting Rooms is a captivating, if slightly scary, read.

So I decided what better book to read during a pandemic is a book about a pandemic! As it happens this novel turned out to be so much more than that, the pandemic sort of fades into the background and it becomes more of a tale of love and loss.

Eve Smith has created a believable world not too far off from our own world, where the overuse of antibiotics had led to disease or injury, once easily treated, has become deadly. Over seventies are denied medication or treatment, they have the option to either end their lives or suffer their illness until the end. They are sent to ‘waiting rooms’ if they’re lucky they end up in a top notch nursing home, the less lucky ones end rotting away in flats.

The main story revolves around three women. Kate who’s adoptive mother has just died leading her to look for her birth mother. Lily, who is just coming up for her seventieth birthday and is afraid that someone from her past is coming back to haunt her. Then there’s Mary whose POV starts before the crisis and goes to the root of what happened.  Each character is really fleshed out and flawed, you almost think that they’re real.

The parts that were set in Africa were amazing and descriptive, I could almost picture myself there while I was reading.

If I’m going to nitpick here, certain aspects of the story were a little predictable but of course that’s just my opinion.

The Waiting room has realistic characters and an evocative story line that makes it an almost hypnotising read.

About The Author:

Eve Smith’s debut novel The Waiting Rooms was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize Firsteve c smith Novel Award. Eve writes speculative fiction, mainly about the things that scare her. She attributes her love of all things dark and dystopian to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and black-and-white Edgar Allen Poe double bills.

Eve’s flash fiction has been shortlisted for the Bath Flash Fiction Award and highly commended for The Brighton Prize. In this world of questionable facts, stats and news, she believes storytelling is more important than ever to engage people in real life issues.

Eve’s previous job as COO of an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places. A Modern Languages graduate from Oxford, she returned to Oxfordshire fifteen years ago to set up home with her husband.

When she’s not writing, she’s racing across fields after her dog, attempting to organise herself and her family or off exploring somewhere new.

Follow Eve: @evecsmith &

Instagram: evesmithauthor

#BookReview The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd @samlloydwrites @TransworldBooks @ThomasssHill #TheMemoryWood

Title: The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd

Publisher: Transworld

Publication Date: 20th February

Genre: Thriller

The must-read novel of 2020. Chilling, moving and unputdownable, The Memory Wood is a thriller like no other.

Elijah has lived in the Memory Wood for as long as he can remember. It’s the only home he’s ever known.

Elissa has only just arrived. And she’ll do everything she can to escape.

When Elijah stumbles across thirteen-year-old Elissa, in the woods where her abductor is hiding her, he refuses to alert the police. Because in his twelve years, Elijah has never had a proper friend. And he doesn’t want Elissa to leave.

Not only that, Elijah knows how this can end. After all, Elissa isn’t the first girl he’s found inside the Memory Wood.

As her abductor’s behaviour grows more erratic, Elissa realises that outwitting strange, lonely Elijah is her only hope of survival. Their cat-and-mouse game of deception and betrayal will determine both their fates, and whether either of them will ever leave the Memory Wood . .

I want thank Thomas Hill at Transworld books for sending me an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

And the award for first book hangover of the year goes to…you guessed it The Memory Wood.

What can I say about this book??? It was such an atmospheric read, with the right blend of creepiness and intrigue that gave it an almost fairytale like quality. In fact when I started reading it, I felt like I’d fallen into some sort of dark twisty fairy story.

The story is told from three different perspectives, Elijah, Elissa and Mairead, each one of them giving a different dimension to the story. Elijah is a troubled twelve year old boy who’s hiding a terrible secret. Elissa is a smart, mature (sometimes she seems a little too mature), thirteen year old. Mairead is the detective in charge of investigating Elissa’s disappearance but has a lot of personal problems that threat to interfere with the case.

I can’t say too much more in case of spoilers but I will say it was a fabulously twisty read.

The only real issue I had was I felt there were a couple of inconsistencies or things that were just kind of smoothed over, which slightly bugged me.

The Memory Wood is a definite must read for anyone who loves a psychological thriller. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

About The Author:

Sam Lloyd grew up in Hampshire, making up stories and building secret hideaways in his local woods. These days he lives in Surrey with his wife, three young sons and a dog that likes to howl. He enjoys craft beer, strong coffee and (rarely) a little silence. The Memory Wood is his debut thriller.

#BlogTour #Review Are You Watching by Vincent Ralph @VincentRalph1 @PenguinUKBooks @annecater #AreYouWatchingMagpieMan

Title: Are You Watching by Vincent Ralph

Date Published: 19th December 2019

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: YA Mystery

Ten years ago, Jess’s mother was murdered by the Magpie Man.

She was the first of his victims but not the last.

Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she’s using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man.

Are You Watching BT Poster

When Jess was seven her mum was killed by a killer dubbed The Magpie Man. Ten years later he still hasn’t been caught, killing every nine months. She’s determined for justice, so she joins a YouTube reality series that will follow her around one day every week.

She wants to provoke a reaction, get him out of the shadows but is she ready to face him?

What a fantastic debut Are You Watching is!

I absolutely devoured Are You Watching. It combines two of my favourite genres, mystery and young adult, to make an absolutely sensational story. There’s the sort of young adult contemporary aspect where we have a damaged character who goes on an emotional journey of self discovery, then we have the mystery which was both intriguing and nail biting to satisfy a crime addict like myself.

I warmed to Jess from the start. Yes, she was a little selfish and reckless but losing her mum at a young age in such a violent way is bound to have a bad effect on someone. I also appreciated that the author showed the ripple effect of how a crime can affect someone, especially if they’ve had no sort of justice.

A nice surprise for me was I had no idea who the Magpie Man was until it was revealed which is a hard thing to do to an avid crime reader like myself!

Are You Watching is utterly compelling and addictive, I just couldn’t get enough! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

About The Author:

Vincent Ralph has been writing in one form or another since his teens and always Vincent Ralph Author picdreamed of being a novelist. He owes his love of books to his mother, who encouraged his imagination from an early age and made sure there were new stories to read.

Vincent has lived in London, Cornwall and Chester but he now lives in his home county of Kent with his wife, son and two cats.

#BookSpotlight Men of the Year by Colleen McMillan @btwnthelinespub @RRBookTours1 #indiepub #romance #Promo #Excerpt

Welcome to the blog tour for Men of the Year by Colleen McMillan! Read on for an exclusive excerpt from Colleen’s debut novel!

MofY digital cover

Title: Men of the Year by Colleen McMillan

Publication Date: 8th October 2019

Genre: Women’s Fiction/ Romantic Comedy

Publisher: Willow River Press

Cassie doesn’t want your pity. She doesn’t want your sympathy. And she certainly doesn’t want to date you.

When perpetually single Cassie McTiernan agrees to her friends’ online dating scheme, she thinks she’ll go on maybe two dates then bail before things get uncomfortable. She’s turning 30; might as well give it a shot, right? Little does she know that they’ve devised a contract, binding her to date one man per month for one year. Sure, if she finds Mr. Right she doesn’t have to complete their challenge. How hard could dating be?

Jumping through an increasingly long list of hoops, Cassie realizes that she might have to endure the entire tortuous year with twelve strange men beside her. What could go wrong? Why does her first date need two cell phones? And is the man who broke her heart years before lurking behind that shadowy bush?

Purchase on Amazon:

“We have a proposition for you,” says Alicia, suddenly in let’s-make-a-deal mode.  Her tone fits a power suit more than her jeans and sequined top.

“More of a bet, you guys said it was a bet,” says Keeley in a much more anxious voice than Alicia.  There better not be a male stripper waiting at my apartment building when I get home. Hopefully they didn’t shave my cat like last Fourth of July.

“You’re such an ass Keel,” says Lindsey, in no way helpful.  “She won’t win anything if she does it.”

“Oh, she’ll do it.  She’s curious already.”  Alicia’s grinning now too, but I feel my smile fading.  It’s like I’m in front of a court-marshal hearing.

“What did you do?”

“It’s really awesome!  I think it’s a really good idea!  Lindsey and Alicia thought of it.”

“Great, so what is it?”  The bar music changes to the Dropkick Murphys’ thudding beats, and I notice how many people are in the bar.  A public place. Somewhere I can’t lose it and scream at them. “What is it?”

They all talk at once, cutting each other off.

“Don’t be mad—”

“Who cares if she’s mad, she’s doing it—”

“It was a good idea, right?”

“Enough you guys!”  I pound the table with my mug, sloshing beer.  It spills on my hand and I reach for some napkins.  “Did you get me something stupid like a pony?”

“You wish,” says Alicia.

“It’s better than a fucking pony.”

“It’s a boyfriend!”  Keeley’s exclamation startles me.  She covers her lips with her fingers.  “Sort of…”

“Not very easy to wrap,” I say and cross my arms over my chest.  Please not a blow-up doll, please not a blow-up doll, not in front of all these people.

“It’s not the sort of thing Macy’s gift-wraps for you with a sprig of mint or whatever,” says Alicia as she waves her cocktail straw back and forth in a motion that suggests scolding one of her children.  “We got you something thoughtful this year. Something you actually need.”

“I need a new loofa,” I mumble.  And maybe some nice bath soaps.  Is it too much to ask for nice bath soaps?  Maybe honeysuckle-scented?

“Stop bitching and listen,” says Lindsey.  “Alicia, Keeley, and I got together and really thought this through.  Step one: you need to stop moping about dating and just get on with it, or ‘get it on with it’ if you will, you’re not getting any younger or thinner.”

“Thanks a lot.”

She ignores me and goes on, “Step two: stop whining about your job and get a better one.”

“She means start writing again,” whispers Keeley, trying to sound supportive.

“So basically, what you got me is an inspirational rant from a divorcee whose sole purpose in life is to sleep with as many men as she can before her vagina falls off.”

“Ha ha.  Listen. We signed you up for an online dating service.”

“You did what?”

About the Author

Colleen may be a writer, but she’s also a dater. Many of the events in this novel happenedcolleen to her or someone she knows, both male and female. Who hasn’t felt the harsh slap of an unanswered email on Who hasn’t narrowly avoided an oncoming mouth with its tongue sticking out and drool tendrils forming in the corners? She wrote this novel because her fellow online daters needed a voice, or at least a fun read to get them through the day after their online crush quit the website because he “found someone else.” She has been published in Iconoclast literary magazine as well as in her college literary journal, Prologue. She lives in Minnesota with her faithful cat, Duncan.

My love life is disastrous, mainly because it’s nonexistent. What dates I did go on in my twenties went well enough, or so I thought. After a long string of first dates with men who weren’t too keen on my opinions once we actually met in person, I wondered if my other friends were having the same issues. Hint: they were. This was before rampant “dick pics” emerged, and most online dating sites were pay only. I signed up for Plenty of Fish, a free matchmaker site my friend recommended, which was an even bigger school of sharks masquerading as tropical fish. I had a terrible relationship stemming from that site, which prompted me to finish the little novel I’d been working on for years.

-Colleen McMillan

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Monday, November 2, 2009

Sydney Food and Wine Fair 2009 - Fun in the Sun

Q: What do you get when you cross a perfect Spring day with a city that is in the midst of an International Food Festival?
A: A perfect Sydney Food and Wine Fair, that's what!

Believe it or not, this is the first Food and Wine Fair that I've attended, because in previous years, I've been away on holidays or the weather has been rainy and windy (not too good for outdoor events).  This year, the event was calling out to me, so I made a last-minute effort.  It was held on Saturday, October 31.

Before we get there, here are some pictures taken while waiting for the bus.  Spring has definitely sprung, and it's good to know that my council rates are going towards the upkeep of the local floral displays.  Aren't they gorgeous, especially the jacaranda trees in the church where Balmain markets are held.

I finally arrived at north Hyde Park, where the Fair was on, and it seemed that many others had the same idea as me - to see what food and drink was on.  The Fair was like a more civilised version of the Night Noodle Markets in that the queues at the food stalls were fairly short, maybe because I arrived at 1.30pm, and the food was supposed to be on from 12-2pm.

They use the coupon system for paying for the food, with each coupon worth $3 though they come in sheets of five.  So, armed with my 5 coupons, I toured the stalls looking for something tasty.

The stalls are quite spread out, from the Macquarie Street end of the park down to past the fountain.  You can sit on the grass or on provided seating, though on a great day like Saturday, the grassed areas were popular.  Also popular was the Ben and Jerry's ice cream van, because they were giving out free ice creams - the queue for it was the longest of them all!

There were even tables set up around the Archibald Fountain, though you may have gotten sprayed by water when the breeze swung around.

Some of the stalls had run out of food when I got there, though some were still serving after 2pm.  Restaurants like Quay, Longrain, Ocean Room and Jonah's were represented, serving mini-dishes that cost 3 to 4 coupons each.

I scored a delicious sausage sandwich from Brasserie Bread (2 coupons).  The bread was lovely, as was the salad which included red slaw and walnuts.

Some stalls served desserts (2 coupons), though I didn't have enough coupons to get anything... I had spent another 2 of my coupons on a Vogue Entertaining showbag which, it eventuated, contained a back issue of the magazine that I already had.... things that make you go 'hmmmm...'.

By this time, I'd finished my sandwich and walked around the park a couple of times.  I had one coupon left, enough for a piece of Rocky Road from Bondi's Brown Sugar.  It was a sweet way to end my quick tour of duty at the Food and Wine Fair.
This was also the final event of the Sydney International Food Festival, and by most accounts, a successful month all round.

  1. Everything looks gorgeous Belle! Do you live in Balmain?

  2. Yay! Spring! Looks like a beautiful day :) And what a gourmet sausage sanger!

  3. what a beautiful day in the sunshine! those macarons look so pretty!

  4. Missed out! But loving these outdoor food gatherings this year, especially with the great weather.

  5. Ahh, that looks like a lovely day out! Was there anything else in the Vogue Entertaining showbag apart from the back issue of the mag?

  6. Like you, I've always missed out on the Sydney Food and Wine Fair, and this year was no different. I'm glad you made it though! I had to choose between this or Jazz in the Vines :-P

    I'm making a better effort next year. Spring, sun and those gorgeous desserts. Mmmmm...

  7. Look at all the macarons!!! Oohhh I love Sydney in Spring... and I love Sydney even more during SIFF!

  8. Great coverage Belle! I missed out on it this year. Did the VET showbag have anything else in it or just the issue?

  9. My goodness! Looks like you had a marvelous time! What great photos, food, and LOVE that scooter! Love catching up on your life!

  10. Oh man, there were plates of macarons? Talk about totally missing out!

    Great post! This was my first Food & WIne Fair too. Will have to try and see if I can catch the food next year :)

  11. Oh no! I missed out on this. The weather looked perfect for an outdoor festival. The Noodle Market was crazy the lines were sooo long. A pity about the Vongue bag and giving you a back issue :S

  12. Ooh, that purple tree is so pretty! Is that the Jacaranda tree? Haha, I know nothing about plants!

    It looks like a beautiful day to have the festival. The sky looks so blue!

  13. hi Trissa - yes, I am another Balmainite!

    hi mlle delicieuse - aren't the pastries lovely? I wish I had gotten some.

    hi Conor - the sandwich was gorgeous, really good sausage and bread.

    hi chocolatesuze - the colours are great, though I can't remember which restaurant they were from!

    hi Howard - yes, it was lucky the weather was so fine on Sat. I wouldn't have gone otherwise!

    hi Agnes - the showbag also had samples of pink Murray River salt, some chai mix, lavosh and choc biscuits. So it wasn't a total loss!

    hi Jen - I'm sure the Hunter was fabulous as well - it always is, lucky you!

    hi Trisha - SIFF was particularly good this year, wasn't it? I didn't get out that much although the Food and Wine Fair was pretty good.

    hi Lorraine - yes, there were some food samples as well. The 'delicious' bag had similar stuff, too.

    hi Tiffany - good to hear from you again! Likewise, I love to keep up with you through your beautiful blog.

    hi Simon - we'll definitely make more of an effort to go earlier next year (ie. more food!)

    hi clekitty - I didn't go to the Noodle Mkts this year because of the queues. Did you go? I'm sure the food would have been good, though.

    hi Rilsta - hehe, yes, the jacarand has purple flowers. And it was a brilliant blue sky day!

  14. apart from the food aren't the jacarandas just glorious!!


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LibertopiaFestival | The idea of society without government can give people a sense of vertigo. We often think of government as a framework or structure that holds society in place and keeps it orderly; remove it, and everything becomes chaotic!

But there’s something odd about this way of thinking. Because government isn’t some kind of external constraint on society, separate from it and free from its limitations. It’s just a particular way (a fairly nasty way, unfortunately) that people interact.

By contrast, imagine a government run by Superman. Now there’s a ruler who really could enforce his will on millions of people by his own personal might. He could hear your whispers of dissent with his super-hearing, zip over in an instant with his super-speed, incinerate you with his heat vision or level your building with a blow of his fist – and be back home within a minute.

But we’re not ruled by Superman. No ruler has the ability to impose his or her will without the support of lots of government employees – and those employees, being vastly outnumbered by those they rule, cannot impose their will without the acquiescence of the populace. All that maintains the powerful in power is a generalised habit of deference.

We libertarians sometimes say that government is maintained by violence. That’s partly true and partly false – partly insightful and partly misleading.

It’s true that those who disobey the government’s edicts, even when the disobedience is peaceful and harms no one, are repaid with cudgels, bullets, or prison bars; this is why government is such an uncivilised mode of human interaction. (The use of force should be reserved only to combat those who initiate force themselves.)

But governments can coerce the few only because the many go along with it. If the populace were to ignore the government en masse, the rulers would be reduced to the status of crazy people shouting on street corners – as in the Monty Python sketch where Hitler returns from the dead, changes his name, and runs for office in England, giving his usual style of speeches, attended by only a handful of bored, puzzled spectators who watch his antics for a bit while passing by.

And what that shows is that the idea that government is necessary to maintain order is a myth. They’re not maintaining order. We – all of us – are. And we can keep doing it without them.

But aren’t the rulers necessary to coordinate our activities? On the contrary: voluntary, distributed networks – markets, internets, etc. – are far more effective at coordination than are coercive, centralised command-and-control systems. And there is a long history of voluntary associations of individuals efficiently providing even judicial arbitration and security services for themselves, without government or in defiance of government.

As Thomas Paine wrote in The Rights of Man:

Great part of that order which reigns among mankind is not the effect of government. It has its origin in the principles of society and the natural constitution of man. It existed prior to government, and would exist if the formality of government was abolished. The mutual dependence and reciprocal interest which man has upon man, and all the parts of civilised community upon each other, create that great chain of connection which holds it together. The landholder, the farmer, the manufacturer, the merchant, the tradesman, and every occupation, prospers by the aid which each receives from the other, and from the whole. Common interest regulates their concerns, and forms their law; and the laws which common usage ordains, have a greater influence than the laws of government. In fine, society performs for itself almost everything which is ascribed to government. …

If we examine with attention into the composition and constitution of man, the diversity of his wants, and the diversity of talents in different men for reciprocally accommodating the wants of each other, his propensity to society, and consequently to preserve the advantages resulting from it, we shall easily discover, that a great part of what is called government is mere imposition. …

For upwards of two years from the commencement of the American War, and to a longer period in several of the American States, there were no established forms of government. The old governments had been abolished, and the country was too much occupied in defence to employ its attention in establishing new governments; yet during this interval order and harmony were preserved as inviolate as in any country in Europe. … The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act: a general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.

The only amendment I would make to what Paine says here would be to eliminate the phrases “[a] great part of” and “almost.”

It’s common for people to distrust noncoercive solutions to social problems, because such solutions don’t guarantee that the problems will be solved. That’s true enough; but what the objection misses is that governmental mandates don’t guarantee anything either. Government doesn’t stand outside of society, shaping patters of human interaction; it is itself just one more pattern of human interaction. Whatever government mandates is enabled and sustained by voluntary cooperation. And since centralised, coercive, monopolistic systems are notoriously beset by informational and incentival perversities, what the government decrees is actually far less guaranteed than the services that a freed market would provide.

Rulers have power only because we all continue to act as though they do. And what we thereby maintain in existence is a system in which powerful elites (both those holding actual government office, and the nominally private corporate plutocrats who benefit from governmental privilege) regulate our lives, drag us into sanguinary wars, and expropriate the products of our labour.

In the words of Gustav Landauer, just over a century ago: “The state is a relationship between human beings, a way by which people relate to one another; and one destroys it by entering into other relationships, by behaving differently to one another.”

By Roderick T. Long


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OPC Offers Press IDs With Chinese Script

The OPC is pleased to be able to offer OPC press IDs labeled with “PRESS” in Chinese characters. This new option is in addition to IDs that are available with “PRESS” in Arabic script. Both options are available for the larger government-style badges for $40, as well as the credit-card sized press IDs.

The OPC press IDs have been a popular benefit for OPC members since we launched them a few years ago.

You can read a testimonial from Anand Gopal about his experience using one in Afghanistan here.

All members who have paid their dues for 2019-2020 can order either or both of the OPC IDs by emailing patricia@opcofamerica.org and attaching a color, high-resolution, close-up face shot. (No profiles or black-and-white photos, please).

As always, the credit-card sized press ID is available for free upon request. The larger badges are printed in batches of 5 or more. You can pay $40 via the link below.

Purchase a larger OPC Press Badge


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Fox Sports' Columnist Compares Johnny Manziel To Rosa Parks

Manziel case was tipping point

Jen Floyd Engel
UPDATED AUG 9, 2013 8:55 PM ET
Once upon a time in this country, there were ugly, racist, tyrannical rules dictating where a black person could sit on a bus. There were all kinds of these laws, actually, created and defended by the racists who benefited from them.
What kick-started change was an average, everyday woman named Rosa Parks, who had grown tired of being tired. Hers was not the first protest, nor was it particularly the best. It was merely the tipping point for many Americans long since tired of these immoral laws.
On a much less historically significant scale, so it is with Johnny Football — and no, this is not intended in any way to compare the vast evil of Jim Crow to an incompetent NCAA investigation, or to slings from TV commentators.
It is intended to say, wrong is wrong.
Why so many came to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel’s defense after a ticket broker went to ESPN with allegations that Manziel had broken NCAA rules and accepted payment for his autograph was because we recognize the immorality and absurdity of a system where everybody can make money off these kids except these kids.
This includes, but is not limited to, in the case of Johnny Manziel: Texas A&M University, dirtbag autograph brokers, sports networks and, of course, the NCAA — the biggest hypocrite in the group.
Texas AandM Johnny Manziel
Johnny Manziel has galvanized opinion against the NCAA’s hypocrisy.
Nor do I buy into this “a rule is a rule” reasoning being touted by a few lonely souls on Twitter. This goes against the very heart of civil disobedience, against anybody who has ever stood up against an unjust law and said, “No thanks, I’m done following that BS.”
Whether Johnny Manziel meant to start a movement or simply wanted new rims for the Benz mommy and daddy bought him matters not in the least. His “autograph” situation provoked ESPN analyst Jay Bilas to depants the NCAA on Twitter with regard to its using athletes’ names to boost jersey sales, thus leading the Association to announce Thursday that it plans to exit the jersey-selling game.
This is not about defending a white kid after standing idly by as kids such as Terrelle Pryor were pilloried. This has absolutely zero to do with race. What I believe to be true is, after years of watching black kids, white kids and mostly poor kids of all colors villainized for accepting a free sandwich or plane fare to go home and attend a funeral or, God forbid, wanting a cut of the billions of dollars they make for people not doing much in the way of heavy lifting, this was America’s tipping point.
We no longer could tolerate this hypocritical, ineffective idiocracy we have governing “student athletes.”
Johnny Football is not the hero whom disenfranchised college athletes and all of us who side with them would have chosen. But he is the hero we need. This marks the first time more people said “what a crock of …”  instead of “toss him out of college …” when confronted with one of these “athlete broke the rules” stories.
What it proves is those of us who love watching college sports have finally tired of the hypocrisy, of how unfair the whole setup is, of what is really the immorality of not sharing the profit with the laborers.
The “free scholarship” education argument is tired for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, the fact there is nothing free about it. They earn that money and billions more.
And if it took a hard-partying, flawed and polarizing Johnny Football to finally wake us up, that is OK. It was never really about him anyway. He was merely the tipping point, the final straw, that moment when people finally said: “We are mad as hell and we’re not going to take it any more.”
My comparison of Johnny Football to Rosa Parks, a brave and willing American hero, is based only on Manziel’s role as a tipping point.
Wrong is wrong, and Johnny Football unwittingly may have accomplished what reasonable people have been unable to — a necessary change to how we treat college athletes.

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CM Naveen Patnaik writes to PM Narendra Modi seeking interim assistance of Rs 1000 crore to expedite #CycloneTitli restoration works

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik writes to PM Narendra Modi seeking interim assistance of Rs 1000 crore to expedite Titli restoration works. Odisha govt submits memorandum to Centre estimating requirement Rs 2770 crore including Rs 2014 crore from Centre for rehabilitation works.

In a letter to PM Narendra Modi, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, said, “As you are aware, the state of Odisha has been intensely affected by the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm “TITLI” that made landfall on 11th October, 2018 at Palasa of Andhra Pradesh near Gopalpur of Ganjam district in Odisha. The storm and the subsequent flood have caused damage and destruction in 17 districts of Odisha. A non-coastal district namely Gajapati has been the worst affected.”

“Besides, the cyclone and floods, a massive landslide occurred in Mahendragiri hill which completely destroyed one village namely Baraghara under Gangabada G.P of Gajapati district. As many as 57 persons lost their lives in different districts and 10 persons are reported missing due to landslides, wall collapse and drowning. About 60.11 lakh people have been affected,” he added.

Patnaik further said, “Besides the loss of lives, there has been extensive damage to both private and public properties. 57.131 private houses have been damaged and standing crops in about 2.73 lakh hectares of land have suffered extensive damage. The damage to the electrical infrastructure in Ganjam and Gajapati districts is immense. Also, extensive damage of roads in rural and urban areas has occurred. These need to be repaired on an urgent basis.”

The CM further said, “We have submitted a Preliminary Memorandum to the Government of India estimating the requirement of funds as Rs 2770.28 crores and seeking central assistance of Rs 2014.09 crores from the National Disaster Response Fund over and above the funds available in the State Disaster Response Fund for the year 2018-19.”


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Zidell family envisions a neighborhood

As the last barge built by the Zidell Companies is launched from the barge house in June, the Zidell family turns their full attention to developing the family’s 33 acres on Portland’s South Waterfront into a mixed-use development with a sense of community and green space.

“Because we are a small family and own the land, we have the flexibility to develop it our way and wait till we can carry out our vision,” says Charlene Zidell, director of corporate relations and communications for the companies founded by her grandfather, Sam Zidell. “We have a vision of creating a community where people care about one another.”

Charlene and her brother, Jay Zidell, the third-generation leader of the Zidell Companies, have long followed in the philanthropic footsteps of their late parents, Emery and Min Zidell. Education, health, the arts, job development and the Jewish community have all benefited from the family’s generosity. Through financial and volunteer contributions, they have followed the instructions Charlene says her father gave her when she was 14.

“My dad loved work,” says Charlene. “He was a visionary and entrepreneur and was sick a lot, suffering from headaches.” Emery also developed breast cancer, a disease that is now a focus of the family’s philanthropy. So she says she clearly remembers the day he spoke to her very seriously. “When I was 14, he called me in to his room and said, ‘Don’t ever forget where you came from – nothing. You have an obligation to give back and take care of those less fortunate.’ ”

The Zidells are continuing that commitment to community with their development plans.

In 2001 Charlene, Jay and their sister, Vicki French, and their mother Min, z”l, began a visioning process for the property. Vicki’s son, Matt French is now a director of the family’s ZRZ Realty Co.

Zidell Yard, as the development will be known, will include retail, office, parks and housing (rental and owned; luxury and affordable). One of the parks will include river access, and the Willamette Greenway Trail will extend through the property.

“We are the missing link to the greenway completion,” says Jay.

In 2013 the first building in the development plan opened. The Emery Apartments offer a preview of some of the values the family wants to share. Well-designed, eco-friendly apartments are located over ground-floor retail that opens onto a social front-porch setting and gathering areas designed to create personal connections to the neighborhood.

Jay says the family journey from industrialists to developers actually began much earlier – in 1994. “We received a letter from DEQ (Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality) inviting us into a voluntary cleanup program.”

Jay says the family spent the next 23 years dealing with the environmental issues that had arisen from more than 100 years of varied industrial activity on the site. It was the largest privately funded environmental remediation project in Portland’s history. The only remaining cleanup, which Jay says will not impede development, is at the barge construction site, where cleanup will begin as soon as the last barge leaves.

Jay has been part of The Zidell Companies “since birth – I was born into it. When I was 8 I had my first job filing for my father’s secretary.” Jay spent summers during high school and college working in the business and joined the company full time in 1971. Charlene joined the family business in 2012 on the 100th anniversary of her grandfather’s immigration from Russia to Oregon. Sam Zidell started selling goods and equipment soon after arriving in Portland; in 1928 he leased the waterfront property that is part of the 33-acre tract the family is now developing.

The next buildings are expected to be completed in 2020. Continuing development will be driven by the market.

The development will include a nod to the past.

“We have significant interest by retail tenants who like what the barge building stands for and looks like,” says Jay. “We hope to repurpose it for their use.”

A heritage park located next to the barge building will feature some industrial artifacts, such as immobilized Whirley Cranes and Gantry Cranes, to preserve the legacy of the property.

“We think they are a material component of the legacy of the use of the site,” says Jay.

The new development will fit into a South Waterfront neighborhood anchored by OHSU Wellness Center and Collaborative Life Sciences Building. Transportation includes the aerial tram, light rail and bike paths.

Charlene says the new development will tie into the area’s health and transportation ecosystem. “We are intentionally developing a community where it is easier to think about health and wellness. People will be able find a place in the 33 acres where they can walk and be a community.” Incorporating arts and culture into the neighborhood’s social structure is another goal. “I want to create performance space and find ways to provide programs in nonprofit housing.”

Charlene says they hope to recreate the sense of community largely lost in today’s busy world. She wants the development to be a neighborhood where people gather, know each other and look out for their neighbors.

“This property was special for our family, so whatever we do has to be special to the family and to the people of Oregon,” says Charlene.

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'Zidell family envisions a neighborhood' have 2 comments

  1. July 5, 2017 @ 3:08 pm Jo McIntyre

    It is a wonderful idea to include industrial artifacts in the heritage park. On my travels to Belfast, Ireland last year I truly enjoyed the giant cranes, named Samson and Goliath, plus a gorgeous museum celebrating the builders of the Titanic, Harland & Wolff. I envision a smaller version of this exciting place.

  2. July 22, 2019 @ 11:14 am Lea Gates

    I applaud the vision of the Zidell family for philanthropy and development for healthy living and for the well-being of the people in the beautiful city of Portland on the waterfront!

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Why Addressing COVID-19 and Maternal Health Is Important

The COVID-19 pandemic is a historic and unprecedented public health crisis. COVID-19, short for “coronavirus disease 2019,” is caused by a novel (new) coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). [1]  It is not yet well understood how this novel virus might affect women’s fertility, time during pregnancy, postpartum period, and life course. Therefore, the influence of factors such as sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and age on the virus requires great attention. In addition, the interaction between these factors and social determinants of health—conditions in environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age [2]—must be considered. Recognizing the influence of these interactions on women’s health is necessary to ensure a holistic understanding of the disease and its effects. For example, not only should we seek to understand how women’s physical health is affected by the implementation of recommended public health guidelines for reducing viral transmission during this pandemic. We also should increase awareness about the effects of this pandemic on women’s mental health and the unintended consequences of adopting certain behavioral change techniques, particularly among the most vulnerable populations. As we continue to learn more about the nuances of this disease, it is critical for the scientific community and public to understand how the virus that causes it uniquely affects maternal health across the life course.

Understanding mental health needs during the pregnancy and postpartum periods is essential to the health of women. Researchers and clinicians should remain vigilant in addressing these same needs in the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies are being conducted to determine how public health guidelines recommended to help reduce transmission of the virus, such as social distancing and quarantining, have produced unintended mental health consequences among pregnant women. One study used the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS) to assess COVID-19-related concerns among pregnant women by measuring three factors: (1) preparedness stress, (2) perinatal infection stress, and (3) positive appraisal. [3]  Findings showed that nearly 22% of the surveyed population reported severe symptoms of anxiety, underscoring the need for increased focus on the stress levels of pregnant women during this pandemic.

In addition to increasing focus on mental health care and health outcomes, we must also continue to address and combat health inequities among our most vulnerable populations as we navigate this pandemic. Rampant health disparities across maternal health care and health outcomes already exist and are well documented. [4][5][6]  This disproportionate impact on underserved populations has prompted scientists and researchers to focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate these existing health disparities. Many are providing resources and developing materials that are necessary to address the reverberating effects of this pandemic.

This webpage provides current science-based information on COVID-19 and maternal health, highlighting research and key Federal resources; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health’s (ORWH) role in addressing the pandemic’s effects on maternal health; and NIH-wide efforts that incorporate consideration for maternal health in the pandemic response.

What We Currently Know

Below are links to a few key resources that share evidence-based insights and findings on pressing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health’s Role

ORWH is committed to advocating for research that addresses the health of women across the life course and promoting research on underserved populations. Ensuring maternal health concerns are included in efforts responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is one of ORWH’s top priorities. ORWH is participating in the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, one of the many NIH-wide efforts addressing the pandemic. RADx Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) is a two-phase, $500 million program focused on understanding factors associated with disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Within this program, ORWH is co-funding projects such as “Social Stressors and Inflammation: A Mixed Methods Approach to Preterm Birth.” Another COVID-19 maternal health–related project co-funded by ORWH—though not a part of the RADx initiative—is a study titled Availability, Accessibility, and Structure of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Maternal and Child Health Outcomes.” As our understanding of the effects of the disease grows, ORWH will continue to support community-engaged research projects, strengthen available data on disparities in infection rates, and identify strategies to reduce these disparities in COVID-19 diagnostics in underserved and vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and postpartum women.

The National Institutes of Health’s Role

For a broader understanding of how NIH is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic—including treatments, vaccines, funding opportunities, and the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for COVID-19 Research—visit the “NIH COVID-19 Research” website. This site contains up-to-date information about the agency’s key pandemic initiatives, such as RADx, Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), and the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. Also visit this page, which details NIH’s COVID-19 treatment guidelines for pregnant women, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s COVID-19 research webpage.

Additional Federal Resources on COVID-19 and Maternal Health

We’ve compiled a list of additional Federal resources that provide science-based information regarding COVID-19’s impact on maternal health.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 1). About COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cdcresponse/about-COVID-19.html

[2] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Social determinants of health. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health.

[3] Preis, H., et al. (2020). Social Science & Medicine. PMID: 32927382.

[4] Petersen, E. E. et al. (2019). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. PMID: 31487273.

[5] Agrawl, P. (2015). Bulletin of the World Health Organization. PMID: 25838608.

[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, May). Pregnancy-related deaths: saving women’s lives before, during and after delivery. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/maternal-deaths/index.html


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nokia lumia 928
Nokia recently introduced their latest 4.5 inch display Window driven smartphone earlier this month, the Nokia Lumia 928. This version of Lumia smartphone is simply an upgrade to the Lumia 920 version and is exclusively reserved for Verizon.

I’ll give you a rundown of the important specs of the Lumia 928 Windows phone and the current price you should expect to getting it from Verizon.

nokia lumia smartphone

Nokia Lumia 928 Specs

  • Network: Verizon
  • OS: Windows Phone 8
  • CPU: 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4
  • Screen: 4.5-inch 1280×768 PureMotion OLED (334PPI)
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 32GB
  • Camera: 8.7MP rear / 1.2MP front
  • Battery: 2000 mAh
  • Dimensions: 5.24 x 2.71 x 0.44 inches
  • Weight: 5.71 ounces
  • Price: $100 with a two-year contract

I simply hope you would love to get the Nokia Lumia 928 Windows smartphone for yourself.

You can BUY Nokia Lumia 928 Now for N80,000 from Konga and have it delivered to your house. Happy Shopping!

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Ottawa Museum Network

11 museums, countless opportunities for adventure.

Réseau des musées d'Ottawa

11 musées, d’innombrables possibilités pour une aventure.

Keep up to date with OMN activities and new exhibits

How to Make the Most of Your Visit

Digital Activities

on a per-museum basis, Available 24/7

Featured Activity:

Beyond Bytown: Virtual Lecture Series. Click here >>

* In-Person Visits

NOTiCE: Currently all museums are closed.

Due to the government closures, our museums are currently closed for in-person visits. We will abide by these orders until it is safe to reopen.

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Introduction To Surf Fishing!

Surf fishing! A Ton of Fun for Your Next Vacation!

Growing up in the South, I’m no stranger to the old Zebco 33 and fishing every pond I could find as a kid.  Not being a salt-water dweller, the idea of fishing in the ocean to me has always been one of finding the right captain and chartering a big boat to go out in the middle of the ocean and fish for these large monster fish I had only seen on TV.  Honestly speaking, it sounded down right expensive.

On a recent trip to the beach I ran across a Youtube channel of a guy who focused only on surf fishing…fishing off the beach. I had always seen guys doing this but just assumed this a futile way to spend some time. However, after watching this video from my condo living room, I decided to give it a try. So, I ventured out to a local tackle shop and purchased just enough gear to give it a go.  I spent awhile talking to the store clerk at the tackle shop, making sure I got just what I needed to do the job. After spending about $40 on tackle, I was ready to hit the beach.

Let me say, I can’t begin to explain how wrong my thoughts were on beach fishing. My first time out was an absolute joy of an experience. Sad thing was, I had no idea what I was even catching, but all I know is there a lot of fish in sea! Before I knew it, I was pulling in fish left and right, sometimes even two at a time. It was the most fun I had with a rod and reel in a long time.

This is the reason I wanted to write this article. I want to share with our readers how I surf fish, and hopefully your next adventure to the beach can be as enjoyable as mine was.

First let’s examine the set up. What type of gear do you need?

To be honest, any old rod and reel will work on the beach; however, a surf rod and a decent real with about a 15-30lb test braid line is usually my go to. However, I did see my wife reel in about 15 fish one morning on my old Zebco 404, so when I say anything will work, it’s true. I just typically like to be a little more prepared in the event I do hook up with a larger species of fish. One additional thing I do want to point out here is always keep reel oil with you. I prefer Lucas Reel oil and I always keep some in my tackle box. Try very hard not to get your reel in the salt water and keep it out of the sand. No matter what you are using, those two things will be do some major damage to your gear.

Lucas Fishing Reel Oil is a must have in any tackle box!

This is the important part of surf fishing. Unlike fishing freshwater, beaches have a lot of current, so you want to be sure you use substantial tackle in order to insure your bait stays where you want it. I have found using a Pompano Rig to be the best way to catch fish. Basically, the Pompano Rig is a set up where you use a weight at the very bottom of the line, and above that weight are two offset lines for your hooks. See the photo for a detailed view.

I like using a 3-ounce diamond shaped weight. This weight will give you maximum sand penetration and should allow your bait to stay somewhat secured when your cast lands.

When it comes to hooks, I like using a circle hook. Ocean fish tend to swallow the bait, and most fish in the ocean have teeth. The circle hook, helps prevent this from happening.

I use a small swivel at the top of the Pompano rig and attach the other end to my braid line using a Palamore knot. If you don’t know what a Palamore knot is, it is worth your time looking that up. If you use braid line, the fisherman’s knot will not work.

Fishbites is an easy way to catch fish from the surf. Excellent quality product, that works!

This to me is the easy part. Ocean fish love 2 things…shrimp and sand fleas. My first time out I simply purchased some frozen peeled shrimp and it worked like a charm. The only problem I had with the shrimp is you lose a lot of bait.

Then I ran across a little company in Florida that makes a product called Fish Bites. It’s synthetic bait and comes in Shrimp or Sand Flea flavor. It works like a charm, and many times I can catch 2-3 fish while the bait is still on the hook. It’s a lot less mess than real live bait, and to me works just as good. I highly recommend giving it a try. You can order it online at

What Type of Fish Can You Catch

Honestly, I have caught all kinds of species of fish off the beach. Sometimes you just never know what is swimming by and decides to nibble on your bait; however, here are a few of the most common fish and some you can probably expect to catch your first time out.

Hardhead Catfish

First and foremost, you will catch catfish…yes catfish. These fish are saltwater cats, and taste pretty much just like freshwater cats. Many fishermen toss them back because you will catch a lot of them. Be careful of the dorsal fin barb, it is somewhat poisonous and can hurt if you get stuck by it.

This is the most sought after fish on the surf. Having to be 12” long to keep, the Pompano is one of the tastiest fish in the ocean. Fun to catch and delicious to eat…what more could you ask for?

Whiting fish are fun to catch and delicious to eat as well. When you get a school of Whiting, there isn’t anything more fun to reel in. They only have to be 10” to keep so you can catch a cooler full and the feed the family with ease!

Pin Fish

The Pin Fish will probably be one of the first little fish to jump on your bait. Fun to catch and eager to take a bite makes the Pin Fish an assured show. The best thing about the Pin Fish is larger fish love them, so, add them to a larger hook, and go for larger fish!

A Whiting is a fun fish to catch from the beach…and tasty too!

Try It Out!

Next time you are visiting the beach, I would encourage you to try surf fishing. It’s an absolute ton of fun, and you can come away with some pretty good groceries!

Looking for that perfect fishing rod and reel, check out PISCIFUN for some really awesome deals on everything you need for surf fishing!

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Monthly Archives: May 2019

Interest rates Australia: the outlook for 2019

This post was first published in In The Black on 8 March 2019 at

When the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) last changed interest rates Malcolm Turnbull was still prime minister, Donald Trump had yet to seize the White House, the UK had just voted for Brexit and house prices were booming.

During all the subsequent turbulence locally and abroad, the RBA cash rate has been a rare constant. In two and a half years it has not budged from a record-low 1.5 per cent.

However, markets and economists increasingly believe this period of policy stability is coming to an end, though views diverge sharply on whether the next move will be down or up.

The Reserve Bank recently indicated that it has shifted from a bias towards increasing interest rates to a more neutral stance. Governor Philip Lowe said in a recent speech that “over the past year, the next-move-is-up scenarios were more likely than the next-move-is-down scenarios. Today, the probabilities appear to be more evenly balanced.”

Unemployment falling

CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman.

Some, such as CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman (left) and ANZ’s co-head of Australian economics, Cherelle Murphy, think the time is coming when the RBA will be able to raise interest rates.

Despite weakening house prices, the employment rate was steady at 5.1 per cent in January, supported by strong participation in the labour force, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The trend ratio of employment to population rose to a 10-year high of 62.4 per cent.

Felsman says the central bank will look past the continued slide in house prices and unexpectedly soft growth in the September quarter to developments in employment.

“The labour market is the key indicator going forward as far as interest rates are concerned,” he says.

Demand for workers has been building – about 284,000 jobs were created in 2018 and the unemployment rate has dipped to 5 per cent – and Felsman expects this pressure to gradually force wages higher and enable households to increase their spending.

Eventually, he expects wages growth to reach 3.5 per cent, which would be consistent with an inflation rate of about 2.5 per cent – the mid-point of the Reserve Bank’s 2 to 3 per cent target band – “which the RBA has previously identified as a level they would like to get to before they lift interest rates”.

Interest rates to rise in November?

ANZ’s co-head of Australian economics, Cherelle Murphy.

Felsman thinks this point will most likely be reached in November, convincing the central bank to lift the cash rate to 1.75 per cent.

Murphy (right) shares Felsman’s upbeat outlook for the economy but foresees a more gradual improvement.

She does not expect the RBA to lift the cash rate until August next year, followed by another increase in November 2020 to take the cash rate to 2 per cent.

Murphy says national income is holding up. Businesses are being buoyed by good profits, encouraging them to invest and hire, and feeding more company taxes into government coffers.

Just as important, tighter credit conditions are working to cool the once-rampant property market without triggering widespread mortgage defaults.

While homeowners may see a peak-to-trough fall of 20 per cent in house values before the market stabilises, Murphy says the fact that mortgage rates are stable means few are being forced to sell.

“This helps explain why consumer confidence has not fallen in a hole, and instead has stayed at pretty high levels,” she says, along with the strong jobs growth.

Given the importance of private consumption for economic activity (accounting for almost 60 per cent of GDP), this is an important plus for growth.

Further interest rate cuts

AMP Capital Markets chief economist Shane Oliver.

AMP Capital Markets chief economist Shane Oliver (left) and Market Economics principal Stephen Koukoulas are much gloomier about the economic outlook and believe tepid growth, elevated global risks and inflation that is stubbornly below target will leave the Reserve Bank board with no choice but to cut official interest rates in 2019. Oliver tips the rate to drop to 1 per cent by the end of this year; Koukoulas reckons it will hit a record low 0.75 per cent.

Both forecasts are more aggressive than financial market estimates which, which nonetheless have fully priced in a rate cut to 1.25 per cent by the end of the year.

Concerns about growth, falling house prices, stagnant wages and soft household spending have been underlined by the release of figures showing underlying inflation has been below the RBA’s 2 to 3 per cent target range for most of the past four years.

China’s slowing economy

Internationally, China – Australia’s largest export market – has slowed. In the 12 months to the December quarter it expanded by 6.4 per cent, its weakest pace in almost three decades as consumers eased the pedal on major purchases such as cars. The unresolved US-China trade war has deepened concerns about Chinese growth.

Against this, the Chinese Government has pledged to support the economy and is expected to unveil tax cuts and relax bank cash reserve requirements.

Nonetheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the US economy to soften in the next two years as the effects of the Trump tax cuts fade, recent Federal Reserve rate hikes bear down on activity and the trade war with China rumbles on.

These developments are buffeting other economies. In Europe, the IMF expects Germany to be hit particularly hard. The euro zone’s largest economy is heavily reliant on exports to the US and China, and the Fund has sharply downgraded its growth prospects, forecasting it will expand by just 1.7 per cent this year.

Slowing European growth

Add to this mix the Brexit fiasco, and the IMF thinks the euro area as whole will struggle to grow by just 1.9 per cent in 2019 – and that is assuming Britain and the EU reach agreement on an orderly exit.

While these issues have been on the Reserve Bank board’s radar for some time, Oliver says the way they have evolved in the last few weeks will have it worried.

“I think they would be feeling more nervous about things than they were in December when they last met,” he says. “We have seen another round of volatility in markets, and a lot of the issues around that haven’t been resolved. Locally, the housing downturn has worsened, [and there are] more concerns about tight credit conditions.”

Despite this, Oliver does not expect the central bank to be in a rush to cut the cash rate and will instead want to see spending measures in the April Federal Budget and the promises made by both the major parties in the lead-up to the federal election before moving.

Amidst such uncertainty, the RBA and its counterparts around the world appear poised to act meeting to meeting, examining data in forensic detail for the faintest hints of how key aspects of the economy are faring.

As Felsman says, “Every policy meeting is now live.”

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Attack of the zombies

This post first appeared in In The Black, 5 Dec, 2017

Zombie firms – dud businesses that refuse to die despite not being commercially viable – are not only surviving but multiplying, and acting as deadweight on productivity and growth.

In the hit American schlock-horror show The Walking Dead, the sweaty heroes make killing off zombies look sickening but easy, casually shooting, bludgeoning and slashing their way through swarms of mindless goons to get out of trouble.

Alas, that is not how it is proving to be in the real world.

Across the globe, zombie firms live on, creating a headache for competitors and governments.

Here come the zombies

In well-functioning competitive markets, firms are under constant pressure to perform or lose market share and eventually go out of business.

Contradicting that notion, researchers at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have identified a disturbing trend for chronically under-performing companies to survive.

The OECD study found that between 2003 and 2013 the proportion of all European firms that were zombies (defined as older enterprises chronically unable to meet interest payments) almost doubled from 3 to 5 per cent.

Much of this increase has occurred since the global financial crisis (GFC), and the OECD researchers think they know why.

Usually recessions have a cleansing effect, brutally killing off enterprises which are no longer viable so that only the robust survive.

OECD researchers, however, say that the nature of the GFC and the policy responses to it has blunted this process. Thanks to persistent ultra-low interest rates, carrying high levels of debt is no longer the death sentence it once was. In addition, banks are showing greater forbearance in dealing with debtors, and governments have increased business support to protect jobs.

Zombie firms globally

Zombie firms are not just a European problem. The IMF warns that the Chinese economy is also being weighed down by zombie firms.

In its most recent assessment, the IMF found that China could increase productivity by making better use of resources that are going to zombie firms as well as to industries with overcapacity and state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

It is urging the Chinese government to intensify its efforts to reform the economy, including allowing underperforming firms to fail, reform SOEs and reduce over-capacity.

Professional Development: CPA Q&A. Access a handpicked selection of resources each month and complete a short monthly assessment to earn CPD hours. Exclusively available to CPA Australia members.

Low productivity growth

Economists have puzzled over why productivity growth in recent years has been so lacklustre, and particularly why the practices of the most productive firms are not disseminating through industry in the way that they used to.

The OECD researchers believe that zombie firms are a large part of the problem.

By surviving despite using outdated equipment, processes and practices, zombie firms not only drag down aggregate productivity, they also make it harder for new entrants into the market and hinder the efficient allocation of jobs and investment.

Businesses trying to crack markets congested by zombie firms are forced to clear a much higher productivity threshold to compensate for the lower profits they are able to earn because of the inflated wages and lower prices driven by their zombie rivals.

The researchers estimate that investment in productive enterprises would have been 2 per cent higher in Europe in 2013 had there not been an increase in the number of zombie firms.

An IMF working paper on China estimates that getting rid of zombie firms could generate significant gains of 0.7-1.2 percentage points in long-term growth per year.

It says the Chinese government has made zombie firms a key priority in its strategy to address corporate debt vulnerabilities and improve resource allocation, but finds zombie numbers have increased since 2011.

“Implicit guarantees and the government’s desire to support growth encourage these firms to invest excessively, raising already-high leverage while weakening performance on profitability and debt service capacity,” says the paper.

Zombie firms and Australia’s car industry

When the final car rolled off the Holden assembly line in Adelaide in October 2017, it marked the end of a decades-long effort by successive Australian governments to foster a viable local automobile industry, initially using high tariff walls and later by providing billions of dollars of taxpayer assistance.

Professor Roy Green.

For Professor Roy Green (pictured right) University of Technology Sydney innovation adviser, Australia’s car industry offers a cautionary tale of how zombie-like firms can soak up attention and resources at the expense of much more promising opportunities for growth.

The big car-makers, he says, never had a real interest in transforming their Australian subsidiaries into viable, globally competitive operations.

“These companies were controlled by global headquarters which had no particular interest in creating an export-oriented business in Australia,” Green says.

The tragedy of it is that the big car-makers dominated the policy agenda for so long, to the neglect of the potentially much more viable and vibrant components sector.

“If we gave as much attention to them as to the car assemblers, our car industry would be in a much healthier situation,” he says.

Killing off zombie firms in the real world is much more difficult than annihilating fictional ones in the movies, but the experience in Australia, China and Europe shows that allowing them to continue can perpetuate the pain to economies.

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Protected: Employee Portal

Overdrive Logistics is a strong growing transportation solutions company. As a family we are continuously striving to reach a higher standard. Our pursuit of more efficient and innovative methods leads to success for both our customers and staff. We push to exceed our customer and carrier’s expectations every day. It’s the Overdrive way! If you are interested in becoming part of the Overdrive family you may submit your resume and application to fax 678-390-5708 or contact HR at 470-892-3036 to discuss career opportunities.

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NEBULAR - 150mm Mini UFO

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Shipping calculated at checkout.

The OZIGRIP Nebular Mini UFO

The second smallest size of the OZIGRIP UFO collection.

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Hanging Method

We recommend the OZIGRIP Nylon Sling.

High-quality M10 Stainless steel bolt with a welded eye for extreme corrosion resistance, far superior to cheap galvanised or zinc plated hardware.

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Unmatched quality. Made in Australia.


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Go Back   Wrox Programmer Forums > ASP.NET and ASP > ASP.NET 2.0 > ASP.NET 2.0 Professional
ASP.NET 2.0 Professional If you are an experienced ASP.NET programmer, this is the forum for your 2.0 questions. Please also see the Visual Web Developer 2005 forum.
Welcome to the p2p.wrox.com Forums.

You are currently viewing the ASP.NET 2.0 Professional section of the Wrox Programmer to Programmer discussions. This is a community of software programmers and website developers including Wrox book authors and readers. New member registration was closed in 2019. New posts were shut off and the site was archived into this static format as of October 1, 2020. If you require technical support for a Wrox book please contact http://hub.wiley.com
Old February 4th, 2009, 08:06 AM
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Default Problem accessing function from Repeater

I've got a repeater with an external template, which I load using ITemplate.LoadTemplate. I want to run on of the dataitems thru a function, but I'm getting an error saying "Name 'returnImage' is not declared."

Anyone have any idea?
Old February 4th, 2009, 10:23 AM
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The error is very clear. You have something that is not declare.

We can't help you more without seeing the code. Not all the code, just the important for this matter.

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Read this if you want to know how to get a correct reply for your question.
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Webinar: Making the Pitch – ROI on CSR Initiatives

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September 30, 2021
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For multiple registrants: A discount will apply to the standard member/non-member rate for organizations that register two or more participants for the same meeting. The first registrant will pay full price, the second participant will receive a 10% discount and each additional registrant will receive a 15% discount. To register multiple participants, you may either register online or download the print and fax registration form.

Member discounts: Discounts for members are applied to all Public Affairs Council meetings.

Non-members: Join the Council today, and save by registering at the member rate and using the $200 new-member coupon you will receive. Contact our membership team for information about joining the Council.

Questions? Contact us at 202.787.5950.

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