text:
Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

Teddy’s Wedding in Kitwe

where all Zambia adventures begin

We hopped on the early bus and shot through the cool Zambian morning northward to the Copperbelt. We were going to Kitwe, where our friend Teddy Sampa was getting married. It was to be my first Zambian wedding.

broke down bus-skis

broke down bus-skis

But we were waylaid. The bus had trouble, and we could smell the burning rubber of a brake problem. The bus slowed to the side of the road then stopped. After some minutes on the phone with head office, the conductor informed us that another bus was on its way. We were already 200km plus from where we began, so it would be a wait.

Deciding to brave the noonday sun, we went walking in search of lunch. We bought four plain buns, but plenty of sweet potato, though none of it was cooked. Back at the bus, we drank the complimentary soda that we had earlier declined. It was hot, and we read or novels and dozed, and sure enough the other bus came a bit shy of three hours later.

Late in the afternoon we arrived in Kitwe. What a nice place: broad streets, well-kept (though small) city parks, and a lively downtown. At After Ten, an Indian owned restaurant chain, a shy waitress served us the best Greek salad and chicken biryani to be found in Zambia. We walked to find a cheap but cute rest house, Lynda’s Lodge, and showered before slipping into our dress clothes.

Teddy with a big ol' smile

Teddy with a big ol' smile

The wedding was lots of dancing, frequent power outages, and pleasant food. Teddy beamed throughout, showing he was truly happy as most Zambian wedding grooms, as a customary rule, fix their most stern scowls for the duration of the reception. None of our photos turned out due to the low light and my camera’s low battery.

All was finished by 10 PM for weddings end early here. So we scooped up the bridesmaids, slipped back to our lodge where we had one or two, and hopped a cab for the closest club. For a dollar’s cover charge we entered La Frontier (reminding us of our closeness to the Congo) and danced to rhumba and Zam-pop until our freshly-pressed wedding attire was sweaty and disheveled.

The bus ride back the next morning was uneventful, which was a restful ending to a great weekend of fun and friends.

We are suffering

For my first two months back in Zambia this year, I stayed in a small house of the address 540 Kabwata. The neighbourhood is a little medium-density suburb of Lusaka close to the centre of town. This was where I was living from September up until going home at Christmastime. But while last year at 540 Kabwata were great, these two months back were grim.

The reason: way too much rain.

And so our home lost it street address for a new moniker: Swamp Kabwata. Swamp was so much more fitting given that

  1. our main street was now completely destroyed—formerly gravel, it was now long pools of stagnant water broken up lumpy rocky outcroppings;
  2. standing water ran right up to our doorstep (though thankfully no further);
  3. concrete stepping stones were required to get from our doorstep to the main (non) road;
  4. the ditches were all silted in;
  5. any trees remaining from the deluge were now trampled by people searching for a dry place to walk;
  6. stuck automobiles were commonplace;
  7. I wore gumboots to work.

It was enough to make you cry. Or make you angry. Critters started rooming in our house to stay dry. Flies seemed to have no where else to go. I became completely lethargic: just the thought of journeying to the road sapped my ambition. Our Zambian flat-mate, Marvin, who owns a construction company and can’t help but bring his work home with him, seemed mostly unperturbed: the welding and metal grinding of his makeshift machine shop continued un-abated on the porch (nevermind that his power cords were submerged in water).

It was all summed up very well one day by a shopkeeper whose canteen had been washed half a block down river (down road).

“We are suffering.”

If it doesn’t say Harvetile

I am certain that this must have been blogged about before. It’s almost too good to be true, too easy. Maybe they even meant to do it, you know, as a prank.

Whatever the history, I give to you Exhibit A: How a Marketer Loses His Job.

Maximum Tolerance to Failure v. Idiot-Proof

A wee bit overwrought for you business types

In a meeting with Dunavant, Zambia’s largest cotton producer, the managing director cuts me off in the middle of explaining our mobile payment system to say:

“Just do whatever you want as long as it’s idiot-proof.”

Considering that I was explaining a roll-out of this system to his field staff and shed managers, that could’ve been taken as a bit of a slight. Instead, I take it as a bit of classic business realism: even the simplest things will be screwed up by well-intentioned fools and it pays to be prepared for it.

Nothing mind-blasting here. But the reason it’s so refreshing is because so often the development sector just doesn’t get this. They’re more concerned with possibilities than what they can actually pull off.

This was duly noted by a crusty English development worker, Eric Dudley, when he wrote in his book “The Critical Villager” that development ideas should be engineered for “maximum tolerance to failure”. In effect, he was exhorting his readers to make their designs idiot-proof so as to actually achieve some success instead of swept away in delusions of what could have been.

“Maximum tolerance to failure” v. “idiot-proof”. The second is some much pithier. Leave it to ‘development’ as a whole to over-complicate things. Leave it to business to get things done.

It’s one more reason why the methods of most modern NGOs are hopelessly unsuitable to making things happen: it takes a veteran author coining an elaborate phrase to sum up an idea every mediocre businessperson already knows.

Probably looked better on paper

this probably looked better on paper

this probably looked better on paper

Um, ye-ah.

“Well, really, you see the thing is, Sir… we’ve had a down-turn in our last quarter.”

“A down-turn?”

“Yeah, and, um, well finances have dried up, Sir, for the most part.”

“For the most part?”

“Yes, that’s what I said, for the most part. So, you see, we’ve had to put construction on temporary hold. We’ll refinance our debt, secure new lines of credit, and be back on track next month.”

“Well, actually, no. We’ve flat run out of money from betting the farm on copper prices. Those have tanked. So now I suggest we liquidate assets and get the heck outta dodge. The market for Zambian high-rise office space just fell of a cliff, and it’d be best if we weren’t the last ones to leave the party, if you catch my drift… Sir.”

“Um, ye-ah.”

“Ye-ah, Sir. This whole thing probably looked better on paper, huh?”

It’s Independence Day and the power’s out.

Too few sightings todayIt’s Independence Day and the power’s out.

Not a big surprise, really. The load shedding schedule in the newspaper is really just a small fraction of the daily brown outs. Though it does make me wonder on this 45th birthday of Zambia’s, just how do Zambians connect to this holiday that celebrates the birth of their nation?

Talk to the old timers and you can hear about when crowds flocked to Independence Stadium in the tens of thousands for a raucous celebration with Coke and scones freely handed out to everyone. Bursting with pride and excitement were the Independence Days of back then.

But those are the same old timers that’ll tell me that our neighbourhood’s dusty road used to be paved and lined with streetlights with electricity flowing non-stop like Vic Falls after the rainy season.

A young Zambian co-worker, when I asked her what her Independence weekend plans would be, told me they’d be nothing out of the ordinary. “I don’t really connect with this holiday anymore,” she said. “Not many of my generation do.”

That seemed to sum up the situation in Lusaka today: the nation’s capital was celebrating the nation’s birthday with all the bravado of a laundromat’s Grand Opening. Hardly a flag or a banner to be seen in town, though sure, a few more people than normal were sporting Zambia’s green, black, red and orange. Maybe the bravado of a regular season hockey game.

Though I don’t know the flow of Zambian history like a local does. Did celebrating Independence Day quickly change from lively to not-so-much once copper prices tanked in the 80s? Or was it a gradual decline from exuberance to this? I’m still trying to calibrate—maybe I shouldn’t have such a foreign look of shock at the low-key nature of this national holiday. Maybe the Chez Ntemba dance club will be particularly lively tonight, like July 1st on Whyte Ave.

For now, though, power’s off, dinner’s on hold, neighbourhood’s quiet, mosquitoes are out—Independence Day, check.

Working to include smallholder farmers in agricultural markets, we know there are no easy answers. This blog is a place to ask "What does it take to make it work?" and to share what we're seeing and learning.
>> more

Twitter (Hans)

Twitter (Graham)

Twitter (Thulasy)


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
Ad Clicks : Ad Views :

Good Friday, and what it means to me.

I’ve been a Christian for over a year now having converted in January 2010 but this is the first time I will be properly recognizing and doing something on Good Friday. In those early days, before I had finished reading the Bible, I did not observe it in a suitably Christian manner because i felt i was not yet fully appreciative of the events that had transpired. This year I intend to rectify that and do something appropriate. Despite conflicting opinions as to the date when Jesus was actually crucified many scores of people still don’t realise why we have this day off at all. It is treated by the masses as a free holiday with no significance attached to it.

It is also important to mention here that I am not a Catholic. If I had to label myself I would consider myself a Baptist although I have yet to be baptized. I consider myself a Christian first and foremost (as we all should, right?). The various denominations and churches that exist ultimately share the same base foundation otherwise they would not be Christian but something else. Because I am not a Catholic I see no need for all the pomp and ceremony involved in commemorating this day some 2,000 years ago. I see no harm in it whatsoever but is it something we absolutely must do?

I am still somewhat new to Christianity but I plan to observe a quietly faithful day tomorrow. I will spend time reading the word of God, praying and thanking God for the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and will focus on similar such activities. It would be wrong of me I think to fast all day or avoid manual labour (I need to do some physical chores as I am selling my house). I think the day is an massively important day of deep personal reflection instead of the necessity to do something approaching penance or over the top worship. Am I wrong to think in this way? I love Jesus and am eternally grateful for what he did for us all and will earnestly offer my gratitude throughout the day. Is this enough?

Your feedback, advice and thoughts are most welcome.

This div height required for enabling the sticky sidebar

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2019-04
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for January 2019
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-145-104-113.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 0.11-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


text:
Skip to main content

Dr. Sciascia Honored with Membership to the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

EKU Athletic Training Faculty Dr. Sciascia

EKU Athletic Training faculty member, Aaron Sciascia, PhD, ATC, PES, has been elected as an affiliate member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES)! ASES is a society designed to "support quality shoulder and elbow care through the ethical practice of leadership, medical education, research and qulity and patient advocacy."1  An affiliate member is characterized as a person who is a physician or recognized expert, who has contributed to the understanding of the shoulder or elbow and who is a resident of the United States or Canada.  This person with rare exception will hold an advanced educational degree such as Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Medicine.
Membership in the Society is a privilege and is by invitation only.  Dr. Sciascia’s nomination for membership came from one affiliate member and one active member.  Sponsor forms were submitted on his behalf and he was required to complete a membership application denoting all contributions to shoulder and elbow literature and understanding over the past 5 years.  After consideration of the supporting letters and membership application, the Membership Committee recommended to the Executive Committee that Dr. Sciascia be considered for affiliate membership.
Dr. Sciascia is only 1 of 3 athletic trainers who has been honored with this status, 1 of 7 members that comes from Kentucky and is the only AT who is not dual credentialed.

More regarding the purpose and "inner workings" of ASES can be found on their website.

Contact Information

Dr. Aaron Sciascia

Published on July 03, 2018

Open /*deleted href=#openmobile*/


text:
US pending home sales rose in February

by Claire Brennan

National pending home sales increased 3.1 percent from January to February, according to the Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors. Despite this increase, the index is still down 4.1 percent from last year to 107.5, likely held back by home prices, which are up 5.9 percent so far this year.

“Contract signings rebounded in most areas in February, but the gains were not large enough to keep up with last February’s level, which was the second highest in over a decade (112.1),” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.

One of the biggest factors for the housing market this spring will be “how both buyers and potential sellers adjust to the steady climb in mortgage rates since late last year,” Yun added.

In the South, pending home sales rose 3 percent to an index of 125.7 in February, yet this increase still puts the index 1.5 percent lower than last February’s.

“Buyers face two headwinds in the market — rising home prices and higher mortgage rates — that make finding an affordable home a challenge. Younger buyers, who are often less-well positioned to compete with more experienced, cash-rich older buyers are the most impacted. For this reason, in spite of the improvement from last month, signed contracts fell behind last year’s pace and suggest that home sales will struggle to finish ahead of last year’s pace unless inventory improves,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist for realtor.com.


text:
Attack of the Fanboy

PlayStation Plus Members Get “Video Unlimited Preview” on PS Store

by William Schwartz

A new application is now available on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation Plus subscribers called the “Video Unlimited Preview”.  It’s a new way for users to browse content and interact with  videos that are available on the PlayStation Storefront.

Right now, it seems as if Sony is testing the way that PlayStation Plus Subscribers search for content on the network, as you can browse via genres, actors, series, and other categories.

It appears to be a much more streamlined approach to finding what you want on the PlayStation Store, and is set to roll out to all members of the PSN on October 11th.

You May Like


text:
Attack of the Fanboy

Red Dead Redemption 2 Will Offer “A Big, Sprawling, Optimistic View Of America Again”

by Mike Guarino

Red Dead Redemption 2 quickly became one of the most highly-anticipated games of 2017 following its announcement recently, seeing as its predecessor was considered as one of the best games of the last console generation. While details continue to be sparse on the next game, we’re now getting a bit more information on what direction the game is headed in.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke recently at a MKM Partners event, where he mentioned the huge positive response to the sequel and the direction it will be taking. He begins by talking about how the first game was a risk seeing as it was a western, though the times were right for it and the times are right for a sequel. He said the following:

“The conventional wisdom was of course that a western wouldn’t work. We took a different point of view, which is that very occasionally westerns capture the imagination of the public. When we launched Red Dead, it did. And those times were right for that. And I think the times are right for a big, sprawling, optimistic view of America again–and that’s not meant to be cute.”

He also adds that the game will have great story elements with incredible emotional depth, as well as great gameplay elements. Red Dead Redemption 2 will launch for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Fall 2017.

You May Like


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
This promotion (this "Promotion") is brought to you by Platinum Play Online Casino (the "Casino") and is open to first time Players ("Player/s") at the Casino who open their first Real Money Account during the Promotion.

Welcome Bonus Offer:   $800 Free

1st Deposit - 100% Deposit bonus up to $400
2nd Deposit - 100% Deposit Bonus up to $200
3rd Deposit - 100% Deposit Bonus up to $200

  1. The Casino is a member of the group of online Casinos proprietary to us (the "Group"). At any point in time the Group may offer Sign-Up Bonuses at any or all of its member Casinos.
  2. All new players have 7 days from the date their account was opened to claim their new player sign-up bonus. Thereafter the Sign-Up bonus will be unavailable. Subsequent promotions will be available to the player but the Sign-Up bonus will be considered forfeited.
  3. Please note that for the purposes hereof, a “Currency Unit” is a unit of the currency nominated by the Player at the time of his/her registration of his/her Real Account to be the currency to be utilized by such Player when transacting with the Casino.
  4.  For these promotions ‘Desktop’ refers to an application that runs stand alone in a desktop or laptop computer.
  5. Contrast with "software," which requires the Web browser to run and ‘mobile’ applications that run on HTML5 on smartphones and tablets.
  6. The Welcome Bonus will automatically be credited to the Bonus Account upon a successful purchase of 10 currency units or more.
  7. Where the Casino does not offer the primary Currency Unit in your country, you will be eligible to play and receive bonuses in any currency of your choosing.
  8. If you open multiple accounts you will not be eligible for the Sign-Up Bonus on each account. This and any other Sign-Up Bonus/es are only available once per Player and/or per environment where computers are shared and/or per email address. This offer is not transferable.
  9. Once you have received a Sign-Up Bonus at any of the Group's member Casinos, you are required that to meet additional minimum Play Through Requirements before you are eligible for additional Sign-Up Bonuses at any of the other member Casinos.
  10. If a Free Spins Offer is granted to you it must be played through 50 times (50x) before you will be able to withdraw any winnings made using the bonus money portion of your balance. ("Play through Requirement"). For example, if you deposit 100 and receive a 100 credit bonus, the Play through Requirement will be 50 x 100 = 5000. Any winnings attributed to the Cash portion of your balance can be withdrawn at any time, subject to meeting all of these terms and conditions. In the event that a Player has a positive cash balance after the 50x wagering requirement is complete and such Player attempts to make a withdrawal, the withdrawal of winnings derived from the Free Spins will be capped at 100 Casino Credits (in the Player’s currency of play) and the remaining cash balance will be forfeited.
  11.  The Bonus amount is subject to a minimum play through (wager) of 50 times (50x) by you before it can be transferred from your Bonus Balance to your Cash Balance ("Play Through Requirement"). For example, if you deposit 100 and receive a 100 credit bonus, the Play through Requirement will be 50 x 100 = 5000.
  12. You may thus not claim or receive a Free Spins offer at this Casino if you have previously claimed or received a Free Spins offer from another Group member Casino and have not yet wagered such previously claimed or received a Free Spins offer and its associated initial deposit at least 100 times at the Group member Casino that granted you such Free Spins offer. If your Account at this Casino has been credited with a Free Spins offer for which you (in our sole and unfettered discretion) are ineligible, the Casino shall retrospectively void such Sign-Up Bonus and any winnings received by you after the Free Spins offer has been credited to your relevant accounts.
  13. Wagering on all games except Roulette, Sic Bo, Craps, Baccarat, Table Poker, Casino War & Red Dog will count towards meeting the Play Through Requirement; however the percentage of the Sign-Up Bonus which may be wagered on certain games will vary as follows*:
    • - 100% All Slots, Keno & Scratch Card games
    • - 8% All video/power Pokers (excluding All Aces and Jacks or Better video pokers), all blackjacks (excluding Classic Blackjack)
    • - 2% Classic Blackjacks, All Aces video pokers, all Jacks or Better video pokers
    • - 0% all baccarats, all craps, Red Dog, Sic Bo
    • - Wagers placed using the gamble feature 0%
    • - All game play MPV (Multiplayer Tournaments) 0%
    • - If you play on the excluded games (0%) before meeting the playthrough requirements, then you agree that the casino holds the right to void any winnings made from these games at our discretion.
    • - IMPORTANT: the contribution percentages and playthrough requirements may differ per promotion and/or geographical location. In this instance, the percentage amounts and playthrough requirements quoted in the promotion's Terms & Conditions will apply. Please always refer to the specific Terms & Conditions associated with each promotion to avoid any misunderstanding *Progressive games will contribute to the Play through Requirement as per the game type. For example, Progressive Slots will contribute 100% to the Play through Requirement. ** Please note that wagers placed using the gamble feature will not count towards the Play through Requirement. *** Please note that all game play on MPV (Multi Player Tournaments), will not count towards the Play through Requirement.
  14. After fulfilling the total Play through Requirement on your first Sign-Up Bonus you can withdraw from your Cash Balance at any time.
  15. This bonus offer expires upon cashin. Any claim made to this bonus after a cashin has been requested, whether pending or paid, will render the bonus void. Where a Sign-Up Bonus has been granted to you, subject to you being required to have met all wagering requirements, you will be limited to a maximum withdrawal value of 6 times your first deposit amount and any remaining balance will be forfeited. This clause will only be applied at the discretion of casino management. All progressive wins are exempt from this clause.
  16. Should a withdrawal be submitted before the free Spins Bonus is credited to the Bonus Account, the bonus will be forfeited.
  17. You will be unable to withdraw any amount from your account until you've either met the wagering requirements or played through all funds in the Bonus Account. Winnings on bets from the Bonus Account, after the wagering requirements have been met, go straight to the Cash Account.
  18. If you do not want any Sign-Up Bonus which has been deposited into your account by the Casino then you are entitled to request that the Sign-Up Bonus be reversed out of your Casino account, subject to no Play Through having taken place on either the initial deposit or associated Sign-Up Bonus. You can do this by contacting Customer support by way of email or live chat, where after the Sign-Up Bonus reversal will take place. If any Play Through has taken place, then that Sign-Up Bonus may not be removed from your account (either by means of withdrawal or a request to the support staff) until the Play through Requirement associated with that Sign-Up Bonus has been met.
  19. Before any withdrawals are processed, your play will be reviewed for any irregular playing patterns e.g. playing of equal, zero margin bets or hedge betting, which all shall be considered irregular gaming for Sign-Up Bonus Play Through Requirement purposes. Other examples of irregular game play include but are not limited to, placing single bets equal to or in excess of 30% or more of the value of the bonus credited to your account until such time as the wagering requirements for that bonus have been met. The Casino reserves the right to decide in its sole discretion which activities constitute "irregular play" for Sign-Up Bonus Play through Requirement purposes from time-to-time and to withhold any withdrawals where irregular play has occurred to meet Sign-Up Bonus Play through Requirements.
  20.  In the event that the Casino believes you are abusing or attempting to abuse a bonus or other promotion, or you are likely to benefit through abuse or lack of good faith from a gambling policy adopted by Us, the Casino Group may at its sole discretion, deny, withhold or withdraw from you any bonus or promotion, or rescind any policy either temporarily or permanently, or terminate your access to the Services and/or block your account. In such circumstances, the Casino shall be under no obligation to refund to you any funds that may be in your accounts other than your original deposit amounts.
  21. If the Sign-Up Bonus remains unused in your Bonus Balance for two (2) months or longer from the date the claim was made, the Sign-Up Bonus will be forfeited to the Casino.
  22. The Casino Rules, Terms and Conditions apply to this Promotion. In the event of a conflict between these Promotion-specific Rules, Terms and Conditions and the Casino Rules Terms and Conditions, the Promotion-specific Rules, Terms and Conditions shall prevail but only to the extent that the Rules, Terms and Conditions conflict with one another.
  23. In the event of any dispute, the decision of the Casino management will be considered full and final. No correspondence will be entered into in this regard.
  24. The Casino management reserves the right to end or amend this Promotion at any time without giving notice.

Last updated: 21st of August 2018

Digimedia Ltd (C45651) is a Maltese registered company registered at Villa Seminia, 8, Sir Temi Zammit Avenue, Ta’XBiex XBX1011. Digimedia Ltd is licensed under the Malta Gaming Authority, license number: MGA/B2C/167/2008 (issued on 1 August 2018).


text:
160th E Rio Verde Drive $1,250,000

    160th E Rio Verde Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85262

    • 10.00 Acres
    • Land
    MLS# 5680166 | Active

    Request Info
    Days On Market: 447 849 Views
    Add to Favorites Share

    Go Tour This Home

    Schedule A Showing

    Property Details

    This ten acre parcel is located one mile NORTH of McDowell Mountain Regional Park. A rolling property with desert vegetation and surrounding mountain views. A great location EAST of Scottsdale with no HOA and with horse privileges. With the scarcity of land in the main Scottsdale area for custom homes and ranches, Rio Verde is an excellent option for these uses.

    • General Features
      • County Maricopa
      • Existing Land Use Residential Acreage, Ranch
      • For Sale/Lease Sale
      • Potential Use Single Family, Rural, Ranch
      • Presently Zoned Single Family,Ranch,Rural
      • Special Listing Conditions N/A
      • Tax Year 2017
      • Taxes $1,050
    • Property Features
      • Approx Total Acres 10
      • Electric SRP
      • Fencing Wire (SRmks)
      • Gas None
      • Land Features Corner Lot, Mountain View(s), Dual Street Ftg
      • Lot Size Error: ClassID in tblMLSFieldPropertyType is null.
      • Sewer No Sewer/Septic
      • Vegetation Natural Vegetation, High Desert
      • Water None
    • Schools
      • High School Cactus Shadows High School
      • School District 093 - Cave Creek Unified District

    Aubrie Jones

    Goodyear Office

    Cell: 602-292-7317

    85262 (Scottsdale) Demographics

    57Median Age
    84Population Density (per sq. mile)
    70%College Educated
    $129,564Estimated Median Income
    4,274Estimated Total Home Owners
    421Estimated Total Renters
    91% / 9%Estimated Owner / Renter Divide
    3Estimated Average Household Size
    10,575Total Population

    Market Last 30 Days

    $588,500 Median Sales Price
    38 Homes Sold
    93 New On Market

    Average Days on Market

      Properties for Sale

        Property History

        Date Event Price Percent Change
        -- Current Price Source New Value: $1,250,000
        10/28/2017 1:44:00 AM New in Database Source

        Payment Calculator

        $0 per month
        Year Fixed, Interest
        Principal and Interest
        Property Taxes
        Homeowners' Insurance

        Home Price
        Down Payment
        Copyright 2019 Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. Data last updated 1/17/2019. The ARMLS logo indicates a property listed by a real estate brokerage other than Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona Properties.


text:
Patrick McCaw - Golden State Warriors - 2018 NBA Finals - Game 1 - Game-Worn White Jersey

Patrick McCaw - Golden State Warriors - 2018 NBA Finals - Game 1 - Game-Worn White Jersey

  • Closing Bid: $2,621.00
Number of Bids: 24 (Bid History)
Bid Increment: $20.00
Quantity Available: 1
Listing #: 2339496
Open Date: Jun 1, 2018 02:00:00 PM EDT
Close Date: Jun 21, 2018 10:40:52 PM EDT

Date Bid
Jun 21, 2018 10:35:52 PM EDT $2,621.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:35:06 PM EDT $2,601.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:27:21 PM EDT $2,550.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:34:36 PM EDT $2,501.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:32:10 PM EDT $2,401.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:29:11 PM EDT $2,058.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:29:03 PM EDT $2,018.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:01:31 PM EDT $1,978.00
Jun 21, 2018 02:13:32 PM EDT $1,576.06
Jun 21, 2018 10:15:49 PM EDT $1,005.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:11:27 PM EDT $965.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:11:22 PM EDT $925.00
Jun 21, 2018 11:54:11 AM EDT $900.00
Jun 21, 2018 11:48:29 AM EDT $826.00
Jun 21, 2018 11:53:59 AM EDT $640.00
Jun 15, 2018 07:53:44 PM EDT $600.00
Jun 21, 2018 10:40:50 AM EDT $599.00
Jun 9, 2018 10:07:33 PM EDT $551.00
Jun 15, 2018 07:53:26 PM EDT $540.00
Jun 9, 2018 07:37:36 AM EDT $500.00
Jun 6, 2018 09:33:29 AM EDT $400.00
Jun 8, 2018 01:39:14 PM EDT $365.00
Jun 8, 2018 01:39:07 PM EDT $325.00
Jun 6, 2018 09:24:49 PM EDT $270.00

Item Description

The NBA and MeiGray are proud to offer fans and collectors across the globe the opportunity to own a piece of history... a jersey worn during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, by #0 Patrick McCaw of the Golden State Warriors.

McCaw wore this jersey during the Warriors' 124-114 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 31, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, CA.

He played 3 minutes and registered 2 points with 1 steal.

The Warriors' jerseys have the 'NBA Finals' patch on the back of the jersey above the player's name.

This white jersey, a Size 46+2 inches extra length, is registered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program as number GSWW00758.

MeiGray Group, the Official Game-Worn Source of the NBA, offers collectors the highest standards of authenticity for an exciting array of game-worn items. Every item comes directly off the backs of the NBA's greatest players and directly off the courts from the league's most exciting events under the watchful eyes of an NBA or MeiGray representative.

Visit for the best and latest in NBA game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia items.

Conditions of Sale

  • All bids are binding.
  • Items are sold in "as-is" condition.
  • Due to the unique nature of each item, all sales are final.
  • Buyer acknowledges that Seller shall not be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages or lost profits (however arising, including negligence) arising out of or in connection with the sale of items on this site.
  • These Conditions of Sale are subject to change without prior notice.
  • Seller reserves the right to extend or cancel the auction at any time.

Payment Terms

To prevent fraudulent bidding, we require a credit card to place a bid on any auction item. Payment types accepted include American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

The credit card will be authorized to ensure it is valid. A temporary transaction will appear on the card for approximately $4.00 from NBA Auctions. This authorization is temporary and will be automatically deleted within 7 days as determined by your financial institution.

The credit card on file will be automatically processed to pay for the auction item if you are the successful auction winner.

Buyer pays all shipping costs as determined at the time of sale.

Buyer pays all applicable, tariffs, duties and any additional costs associated with shipping inside or outside of North America (if any).

Buyer is responsible for paying all applicable taxes to the proper jurisdiction (if any).

Shipping Terms

We ship to the US, Canada, and Internationally. Shipping charges will be added to the final bid price of each item. The shipping rates are:

Standard Shipping rates:

  • Continental U.S. = $20.00 for single item
  • Alaska, Hawaii = $30.00 for single item
  • Canada = $40.00 for single item
  • International = $60.00 for single item

Customer Service

For MeiGray customer service inquiries, please contact:
Call: 1-888-463-4472

What is a Reserve Price auction?

In a Reserve Price Auction, the seller has set a Reserve Price, which is a price below which the listing will not sell. The Reserve Price is higher than the Opening Value. A reserve price allows the seller to start the auction with an opening value below the reserve price to initiate bidder interest and determine the fair market value of an item. If the seller as set a Reserve Price you will see either a "Reserve Price NOT Met" or "Reserve Price Met" message on the listing page depending on whether the current bid is below, or at or above, the reserve.

Reserve Price NOT Met- The current amount of the highest bid is below the reserve price and the item will not sell at auction close.

Reserve Price Met - The current amount of the highest bid is equal to, or greater than, the reserve price and the item will be sold.

If the highest bid at the auction close does not meet the seller's Reserve Price, the seller is not required to sell the item unless the seller chooses to do so. In this case, the seller will have a period of 48 hours after the auction close in which to contact the highest bidder whose offer was below the reserve price. Bidders who are contacted under these circumstances, however, are under no obligation to purchase the item.

Why does a seller use a Reserve Price?

In a Reserve Price auction, the seller starts the auction at a value below the lowest price at which s/he is willing to sell (the Reserve Price) to capture the bidder interest. This way, the bidders are not forced to bid at fair market value from the start of the auction. Also, many sellers prefer Reserve Price auctions when they are not sure of the market value of an item, and want to find an audience by enticing multiple bidders' interest.

What is an Open auction?

In an Open Auction, buyers bid until the auction ends. The item is then sold to the highest bidder at the end of the auction period. There is no reserve price in an Open auction. The seller must sell the item to the highest bidder. Bidding can start as low as the Opening Value (minimum price or starting amount) of the auction.

Once the auction closes, email notification providing contact information is sent to the buyer and seller automatically so that arrangements for payment and shipment of the item can be determined.

What is a Dutch Auction?

A Dutch Auction occurs automatically on Major League Baseball Auctions when a seller has multiple, identical items offered for sale. The seller specifies the minimum price (the Opening Value) and the number of items for sale. Bidders can then bid at or above the minimum price for the quantity of items they which to purchase. At the close of the auction, all Closing bidders purchase the items at the same price, which is the lowest successful Bid.

How are Closing bids determined in multi-item listings?

In some auctions, a number of identical items are offered for sale at the same time. When the listing closes, the highest Bidders win the available inventory. Bids are sorted in order with priority given to price, the quantity bid for, and then finally to time a bid was placed. The time of a bid is determined by based on its records. If bids are tied for price, the Buyer who has bid in the greater quantity wins. If there are two bids at the same price for the same quantity, the early bid wins.

What is a Fixed Price auction?

Fixed Price Sale listings or "Buy it Now" auctions have a fixed price set by the seller. Buyers simply choose to buy the item at that price. Fixed Price listings will remain active until all items have been sold or the close date and time set by the seller has been reached.

What is Auto Bid Extend?

The Auto Bid Extend feature ensures that bidders will always have a chance to challenge bids placed in the final seconds of an auction. When indicated on a listing page, if a bid is placed during the last 5 minutes of an auction, the auction will automatically extend for an additional 5 minutes from the time of the latest bid. The auction will close once all bidding activity has stopped for a period of 5 minutes.

NOTE: Current Bid Amount and Countdown Timer are not "live." Click Refresh to update them or to see if the auction has been automatically extended by a last minute bid.

Email a Friend

This auction item requires a valid PIN code in order to place a bid.


text:
Marley Brooker Take Me Alive (War Ready)

  • Feat. D. Jones
  • Album: Heartbreak Marley: King Crookz [Book 2]
  • Added on: Apr 22nd, 2014 by Marley Brooker

Uploaded by:

Marley Brooker

  • Followers: 4
  • Uploads: 20
  • Total Plays: 7,509

song Description:

“Take Me Alive” is a song off Marley Brooker’s new #HeartbreakMarley double disc mixtape. It's the opening song on the second disc. Book 2 is more aggressive, militant and ruthless. #HeartbreakMarley is a great reflection of the different sides of one crazy Gemini, Marley The Misfit.

Recent tracks and albums from Marley Brooker

Featured Music


text:
Freeza Tuen on the lights

  • Feat. n/a
  • Producer: Big Face Dunny
  • Album: n/a
  • Added on: Jan 14th, 2014 by wearenobrakes

Uploaded by:

  • Followers: 0
  • Uploads: 9
  • Total Plays: 3,519

song Description:

freeza drops another freestyle jacking all industry beats showing different flows and styles. follow freeza on twitter @freeza1600 and instgram fros_nobrakes also follow his label mate zone on twitter @thezone012 or instagram iamzone #nobrakes #reddcharter #betterstyle #bsmg

Recent tracks and albums from wearenobrakes

Featured Music


text:
six perfect dates and then… goodbye

Date 1: Monday, February 19th. Sigh.

Date 2: A chilly Wednesday evening.

We were both lying on our backs, looking up at the stars. He was talking about meteorites and asteroids and the vague differences between them.

“But honestly,” he interrupted himself, “I really just like talking about black holes.”

 I laughed into the deep navy blue. “Yeah? My German Shepherd IS a black hole. She’s depressed all of the time,” I explained, smiling up at a star, or a planet. He can tell you the difference between them, but I’m not sure yet. “Tell me about them.”

 So he did, and he also mentioned that I could use him as a pillow, if I wanted, since neither of us had brought one.

“Yeah?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” he said.

So I did, and when he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him, I could have just DIED from contentment.

Date 3: Sunday, Feb 25th 2018.

 I got in his car and he drove us to a coffee shop downtown. I ordered the usual and he ordered what I now understand to be his usual: a hot chocolate with soy milk as its base.

We took our drinks with us on the road while he showed me his childhood home, situated in a woodsy area just outside of Birmingham. The home still had its 1928 swing, its perfectly antique windows, and the same old mailbox; I asked him if he’d like to buy it back someday, and he answered, quickly, that he definitely would. I wondered if we’d live there together someday and then slapped myself on the wrist for thinking too far ahead again.

 We continued on to Ruffner Park, hiked a solid mile in (to the rock quarry), and then climbed up, up, up until we decided on a good resting point.

“I keep thinking about the other day,” he said suddenly, shaking his head as we sat on a shared rock together. “I should have kissed you.”

“Well don’t feel bad about it!” I laughed reassuringly, beginning to feel all nervous and throw up-y (you know what I mean? Like, you like someone SO MUCH that you just feel like VOMITING all of the time?).

“I’d like to kiss you now,” he continued.

“I’d like to kiss you, too,” I said.

“Yeah?” he said.

“Yeah!” I said, laughing.

And then he held my hair back and smooched me on the lips.

Afterwards, there was tofu and noodles and cilantro swimming around in two matching owl bowls at the old, red diner table back at the house, but neither of us could eat much of it.

Instead, we walked upstairs, cuddled in bed, whispered to each other with nobody else around and kissed each other like a thousand times, the dogs barking outside and the rain tapping softly at my window.

Date 4 = Chipotle picnic at the park and some kissin’ in his car. Pretty perfecto.  ❤

On date 5, we rode our bikes for several miles, launching from the Innovation Depot and then landing at a park near Seasick Records (where I stepped inside to pee). We leaned our bikes against a tree and explored the surrounding neighborhood on foot together — passing by quaint, old houses I knew he’d like to see.

Back at the park, as it was growing dark out, we people-watched, his arm draped along the back of the bench and resting on my shoulder. I tucked his right hand under my chin and watched as a little girl (several yards away from us) suddenly spiked a football into the ground. Her tiny frame, messy ponytail, and wiry little arms told me she was seven, maybe eight.

I studied her as she marched across the lawn. When she passed a boy near her age, she offered: “I’m going to kick it off.” He nodded agreeably. I smiled.

“SHE’S going to be just fine,” I laughed, and felt like crying.

Back at my house, our bikes relaxed and so did we — having a picnic on my bedroom floor and playing a word game that he love-hated: he was an ice cream cone, and I was “starting a fire.”

Before he left, he handed me a necklace he’d found in his car after our fourth date — a tiny, black pendant of mine featuring a shimmery green fox.

Date 6: Goodbye

We had a great time together last night… a homemade dinner with his best friend (and her fiance) and then cuddling back at my place.

But when it was getting late and we both knew that he almost had to go, we parked ourselves at the doctor pepper table for a little while and sipped on mugs of orange juice. We talked about his socks and the ocean’s sharks and my outsider syndrome and then I asked him the thing that I hadn’t really wanted to ask, because I knew that he wouldn’t lie to me.

And he didn’t; yes, he did have romantic feelings for his best-friend-since-childhood (who he lives with), but they were never going there. She was happily engaged and, even in some hypothetical future where she wasn’t, it still probably wouldn’t happen. Probably. Probably. I hated the word. And his honest face — his hopeful eyes — and his busy hands were just too easy for me to read.

My heart broke; you’re smart, and sweet, and goodhearted, and creative, and outdoorsy, and we have SUCH chemistry… but I can’t keep on (FOOLISHLY) liking you more and more with the very-real possibility of you someday leaving me for this longstanding “big” love.

Deeply understanding the dilemma of forever loving someone who doesn’t love you back, I took his hand, kissed him gently, and then hugged him “goodbye.”

“Don’t worry — you aren’t going to be alone,” I reassured him. “It took me two weeks to fall in love with you — the next girl, maybe two days? Who knows!” I smiled into his neck. We were both crying. “There are so, so many wonderful, remarkable souls out there… please stay open to them. Because one day, you’re going to brush against someone and it’ll just click. Just like that, they’ll make you forget all about her — rather, about imagining her in that light.” I just wish it could have been me, I thought to myself.

After we promised to stay friends, he left. I cried downstairs and then upstairs, texting my best friend Shelby first and then calling my other best friend Charlie.

When Charlie got home from his closing shift, he sat with me on my bed for a while… we took turns talking and being quiet and listened to one of Daniel Johnston’s best songs together. He brought me a cup of water, tucked me in, and promised we’d have dinner together the following evening.

“Salad and pizz?” I asked hopefully.

“Yep. Salad and pizz. And I bet you don’t regret falling in love with him,” Charlie offered, just before heading back downstairs.

I didn’t even have to think about it. “No,” I sighed, burrowing deeper underneath a comforter that looked like Indian food and still smelled like him. “I don’t. He was really special. And I’m glad I got to know a new soul.”

Still here,

Aun Aqui

PS, I couldn’t handle listening to it last night, but Daniel Johnston’s very best song is actually this one


text:
Monthly Archives: January 2013

The Tale of Thomson and the Two Questions

The allegations surrounding Craig Thomson have never been far from the headlines. In fact the Thomson saga has been one of the most constant topics raised during the 43rd parliament. Today, the long-running investigation took a dramatic turn, as we all know, with the Member for Dobell arrested by New South Wales police on 149 charges of alleged fraud. The former Labor MP  was arrested at the request of Victorian police and was today bailed before being required to appear next week in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Of course today’s events triggered a flurry of discussion about just what the arrest and charges will mean, not just for Craig Thomson himself, but for the Labor Party, the parliament and the election. Much of this debate has played out in the past, particularly after the Fair Work Australia report was released and when the police investigations commenced. But it does seem that some of us have forgotten the state of play.

First and foremost it is extremely important to reiterate that today the NSW MP was charged, and, like every Australian, is entitled to be subject to due process. That means that the Member for Dobell is innocent until proven guilty, regardless of what our personal opinions and political predilections are.

There were two common questions being asked today as the debate ensued after Thomson’s arrest. The first was: ‘what will this mean for Labor now and in terms of the election?’ The second questions was ‘hmm, is it just a coincidence that Julia Gillard called an election yesterday and now, today Craig Thomson is facing criminal charges?’.

The answer to the first question remains exactly the same as it was when it was first raised as the investigations into the matter began. The Australian Constitution has this to say in s44 (ii):

“Any person who –

(ii.) Is attainted of treason, or has been convicted and is under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, for any offence punishable under the law of the Commonwealth or of a State by imprisonment for one year or longer…

shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.”

So that makes things pretty clear for those who have missed the point again today. A conviction needs to be recorded against Craig Thomson first before his parliamentary future is affected in any way. Further, the offence has to be punishable by imprisonment for one year or more. Well, there is no problem with the latter if the MP is convicted.

In terms of the election, Craig Thomson’s arrest is likely to mean absolutely nothing except, as you would imagine, certain electoral defeat. It is extremely unlikely that any trial involving the now Independent MP will be concluded before the 2013 election which we now know will take place on September 14th. The only way it would be possible for action to be required under the provisions of s44 is if Mr Thomson were to plead guilty and he has already indicated that will not happen.

In terms of the election and Labor’s prospects, even the charges alone will surely prove to be yet another nail in the electoral coffin for Labor. They will add to the narrative, already well constructed, of distrust.

Above all, Labor will survive until the election.

The second question is an interesting one. It posits that the Prime Minister knew of the impending arrest of Craig Thomson and therefore decided it would be best to call an election.

It is entirely possible that the Prime Minister knew that Craig Thomson was going to be arrested. The media were indeed tipped off so it is understandable to question whether or not the PM was aware of the imminent charges against Craig Thomson. Julia Gillard denies that she was made aware of the arrest before it happened.

Even if Prime Minister Gillard was aware that charges were about to be laid against Mr Thomson, and then decided to call an election as the conspiracy theory posits, one simple fact remains – there is absolutely no benefit, political or otherwise, to be gained from the PM calling an election early because of the Craig Thomson matter.

The charges are a sensational development, but frankly, almost nothing changes.

Myths and Realities About the 2013 Election

Today at the National Press Club the Prime Minister revealed something quite surprising and very rare in Australian politics. An election has now been called – well unofficially, but official. Not since Sir Robert Menzies was Prime Minister has an election been called so early. In fact today Julia Gillard broke Menzies’ record. Robert Menzies, on three separate occasions, informed the voting public of his intention to have an election in 3 months time. Today Prime Minister Gillard bettered that mark by more than double the time.

We can now look forward, or perhaps not, to an election on Saturday September the 14th after the longest campaign in Australian political history. In 225 days we will know the exact results of the 2013 election, seat by seat.

Out of the announcement today and the ensuing robust and at times acrimonious discussion, particularly on social media, arose multiple myths which need busting. False assertions were made. Of course, you are saying ‘well that’s politics’, but the realities of the political situation are what they are underneath all the spin.

The first myth is one perpetrated by the Prime Minister. In making the unexpected announcement of the 2013 election date, the PM asserted that it was not to kick off the world’s longest election campaign.

The Prime Minister  is right in a sense. Julia Gillard has not kicked off the world’s longest election campaign with her announcement today. The campaign effectively began way back in 2010 after Australian’s almost handed government to the Coalition. It has already been the world’s longest election campaign and we now have almost eight more months of it before the big day arrives.

But the Prime Minister is also very wrong in her assertion. Now that there is an election date, the campaigning will just continue to accelerate and become an even more regular part of our daily existence. Politicians will increasingly crisscross the country and seek out as much media attention as possible in the coming months.

The second myth was again brought to us by Julia Gillard. The PM contends that now the unofficial campaign which she did not want to commence has indeed begun, the opposition will now have to begin submitting their policies for costing. Ms Gillard could not be more hypocritical in this assertion.

The reality is that all oppositions, regardless of political hue will often delay submitting and revealing their costings for as long as possible. This is both a political move and a sensible policy move. The budget is an ever-changing and challenging beast, so political parties in opposition need to adapt their political priorities to deal with fiscal realities. In any case, to submit a wide array of budget items for review so far out from an election is, to be frank, unheard of.

Today a few MP’s have pointed out that the election day will fall on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. And they are not particularly happy with Julia Gillard for choosing the holy day for the 2013 election.

It is a myth that this will drive down the Jewish vote. Everybody has to attend a polling booth. People have been able to vote before election day in the past and will be able to again this year. And funnily enough, pre-poll queues are actually significantly shorter than those you can expect on election day. To top it all off, senior Jewish officials have today said that there will not be an issue with Ms Gillard’s choice of election date.

The situation does however get a bit tricky for Jewish MP’s and there has been a mixed reaction, with Michael Danby issuing a statement saying that in accordance with his faith, he could not take part in election day activities. Effectively this rules out a day on the hustings greeting voters at polling places. However, it is unlikely to make a difference to the vote of any member of parliament if they happened to not be visible on polling day.

Fans of football have raised similar concerns with the choice of election day. Preliminary finals will be on, both in the afternoon and evening. Suck it up football fans. You can vote early if you are concerned that you might miss out on attending your precious game of football because you are performing a much more important duty.

So there you have it, some election myths busted and realities revealed.

The path to the 2013 election has already been a long one, but now we know when it will all end.

It’s Not All Bad Mr Mathieson

Australia’s first man told a joke today and it did not go down at all well. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s partner, Tim Mathieson was speaking at a function welcoming the West Indian cricket team to Canberra, the topic: prostate cancer. You could just how rapidly the Prime Minister’s facial expression changed. Very quickly Ms Gillard’s expression shifted from a wide smile and a twinkle in her eye to a look of ‘oh my this is going to create headlines’.

The so-called joke, went a little like this:

“Get a blood test for it. But the digital examination is the only true way to have, to get a correct reading on your prostate so make sure you go and do that and perhaps look for a small, female Asian doctor is probably the best”

What Mr Mathieson said was wrong on a few levels, but it is entirely possible that his ill-conceived joke may have drawn more attention to prostate cancer than if the speech had just reached its Canberra audience. At least in some oblique way, the topic of prostate cancer prevention has been aired in the general community. Perhaps the joke might have even made some men feel more at ease with the whole process and could lead to them having their prostate checked at the recommended intervals.

What was completely right about the short quip from the first bloke was telling the audience, and now Australia, just how easy the testing process can be. We all knew that a prostate examination is important, but perhaps fewer people would have been aware that there is a blood test for the cancer, though of course doctors already know that. But some men probably do not.

There are three elements of the gag which were wrong and completely unnecessary.

The first being the use of a stereotype: that women, particularly Asian women, are small. Not entirely untrue, but a needless generalisation.

The second unfortunate element of his public service message was the unnecessary reference to a particular gender: women. Male doctors can and do give prostate examinations if you are comfortable with that.

Finally, the gaffe would almost certainly fit into the category of casual racism. There was no need to single out a particular group of people. There are small people in all races.

What the Prime Minister’s partner should have said was something like this:

“Get a blood test for it. But the digital examination is the only true way to get a correct reading on the health of your prostate. So make sure you go and do that and perhaps look for a doctor with smaller hands, because it might feel a little uncomfortable”

There you have it, a non-racist, non-sexist gag without any silly generalisations. Hey, the little joke at the end would have probably made the PM laugh a little.

Today’s blunder should serve as a reminder of the need for the spouse of our nation’s leader, whomever it may be in the future, to be a little more dignified in the way they approach speaking in public. Australia’s reaction was probably rather muted to what would have happened if the same tasteless and tactless verse was used elsewhere in the world.

But hey, if it got the message across then it’s not all bad.

A Gradually Building Election Campaign

The Leader of the Opposition has launched the Coalition’s so-called “mini campaign”, the setting being the outer western suburbs of Sydney. That western Sydney is the focal point so early in an election year should come as no surprise given just how crucial the area is in any election. A mix of polls have shown that the Liberal Party could pick up a number of seats in the area. Lindsay, McMahon, Barton, Reid, Parramatta, Greenway, Watson, Werriwa, Fowler and Banks are all in play for the Coalition according to internal Labor polling from November last year.

The new year in politics has already been conducted at a frenetic pace. Amid natural disasters, we’ve already had a number of issues play out. But it is the election that matters. The election is due any time from August onward, but the tactical moves and campaigning, sound or otherwise, have started early. That’s what we have come to expect from Australian politics.

Looking at the mini campaign itself has the right move been made tactically? And in terms of the election campaign as a whole, what are the political realities and what is required from the opposition now, and as the election day hurtles toward us?

In an election year, it’s too early even for a short, but clearly forensic and politically calculated bombardment of electorates. The week ahead is clearly about trying to reverse the negative perceptions of Tony Abbott. That is fine, but it is too early for a political blitzkrieg. It gives off the wrong vibes. A short burst of campaigning is usually something associated with the final days of a campaign, especially when there is a late surge required.

Instead, what should be favoured is, at the present time, a similar yet different campaign method to the one deployed almost from the 22nd of August in 2010, the day after the surprise election result. What should be similar is the constant campaigning. However, it should be different in that it must have less of a campaign feel about it. The campaign should be much more muted – campaign fatigue has well and truly set in.

This short burst of election campaigning too, because of how early in the year it is, must be more about Tony Abbott listening to the concerns of voters than preaching to them. Yes, broad themes must be sold, but now is still a time for Tony Abbott to lend his ear to the voters of Australia rather than chew it off. Both leaders have been doing a lot of the latter.

From a public relations perspective, it might well have been better too, if the term ‘mini campaign’ was jettisoned. To have rephrased it as a listening tour would have been better, though in politics, both have negative connotations.

In the prism of the broader campaign, there have been complaints, as their has been throughout Mr Abbott’s leadership, that he has not released much policy. In any case it is still too early to release a broad range of fully-costed policies. But there must be a drip feed of policies and the refinement or jettisoning of existing ones – think paid maternity leave.

There is another reason why complaints about dearth of policy should not hold much weight. Because of the nature of the budget, a campaign lacking in major policy commitments, other than pre-existing ones, is a political reality. So the Opposition Leader can be forgiven in that sense too. The election will be one where a measure of austerity is the norm, even though Labor have been trying to frame it as otherwise in order to try to dent Coalition prospects.

The campaign will continue to evolve over the coming months. It will be testy and it will be tough. You can expect that there will be further campaign fatigue suffered by the community and that’s why the mini campaign and the early part of this year needs to involve more listening to the voter than speaking at them. It needs to build gradually.

And ultimately, because of the fiscal situation, there won’t be much in the way of substantive argument dominating the political discourse.

How Not to Start an Election Year

It has not been a pleasant week for Katter’s Australian Party, losing two candidates because of hate-filled comments in both the traditional media and on social media website, Twitter. And it would not have been a particularly good week for the gay and lesbian community in Australia, the target of these unhinged outbursts vilifying gays and lesbians. Now the Katter party candidate for the Victorian electorate of Wannon, Tess Corbett and Queensland Senate nominee Bernard Gaynor, a former party national general secretary, will no longer be representing the party at the 2013 federal election.

The first unforgivable, hateful and just plain baseless barbs came from Tess Corbett. The lower house candidate made the headlines for comparing homosexuals to paedophiles and added that it would be a sad day if equal rights for gays and lesbians were granted.

There is absolutely no chance that if homosexuals were given the right to marry, that paedophiles would naturally be given the right to marry children. For anyone to actually suggest that just beggars belief. Where was Tess Corbett found? There is no politician in the history of this country that would have ever countenanced such a move, let alone a majority of parliamentarians in the present day, ready to legalise such a heinous criminal activity.

Tess Corbett, in making such a statement, is quite clearly comparing or at the very least implying, that being a homosexual or engaging in homosexual sex is akin to a criminal act. In case she has not yet noticed, the latter has been outlawed for a while, though granted, it took Tasmania a little while longer than the rest of the country to repeal laws relating homosexual sex. But still, that battle has long been lost.

And then, as if Tess Corbett’s comments were not hostile enough towards the GLBTI community, Queensland Senate hopeful Bernard Gaynor chimed in with some textual diarrhoea. After an earlier tweet backing Tess Corbett after her comments to the media, Mr Gaynor said:

“I wouldn’t let a gay person teach my children and I’m not afraid to say it.”

This tweet at first glance appears to be linked to the debate over whether religious organisations should be allowed to discriminate against the gay and lesbian community in terms of employment. But other tweets make it clear that Gaynor believes parents should have the right to choose whether or not their son or daughter is taught by a gay or lesbian.

Whether a teacher is gay or lesbian will not make a shred of difference to the way a child is taught at school. The curriculum is the curriculum whether the teacher in question is same-sex attracted or not.

And Bernard Gaynor seems concerned too, by implication, that if his son or daughter had a gay or lesbian teacher, they might somehow magically persuade them to be of the same sexual orientation. Well, to put it in the clearest possible terms, being gay is perfectly natural. No amount of lessons from a gay man or a lesbian will transform anyone’s son or daughter into someone attracted to people of the same gender.

Katter’s Australian Party has a history of taking an anti-gay rights stance. Before the Queensland election the party ran an ad campaign which railed against Campbell Newman due to his personal support for same-sex marriage.

To top it all off, the party’s namesake tonight made a ridiculous statement on The Project tonight. Bob Katter claimed he was unaware of any homosexual having committed suicide in north Queensland. He also claimed not to care about the issue. Of course, Bob Katter has a history of wedging his foot firmly in his mouth, so we really should not be surprised.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Katter’s Australian Party are the most socially conservative political party, even to the point of being regressive in their views on the matter.

The rights that the gay and lesbian community have won, particularly over the last 5 years should not be threatened by any political force. We should all be equal under the law.

Thankfully, the electoral prospects of Katter’s Australian Party were not particularly good in the first place. In Queensland, where they had expected to do well electorally they only managed to have two candidates elected to the state parliament.  Then one LNP MLA defected just recently, making the party a band of three in the 89 seat Queensland parliament.

That’s not to say that the party will not go without success at the election. It is certainly a strong possibility that the new party will taste victory in a Senate contest or two, perhaps more. There might be success for Katter’s party in the lower house too, other than Bob Katter winning in Kennedy. Support anything like the levels reached in Queensland is however, almost certainly an impossible prospect.

The election year drama, faux pas and discriminatory statements have already started. There is still at least six months of these unedifying events ahead.

The Scary Role of Fear in Politics

In an election year there are a number of things that you can expect: promises,lies, aspirations, grand narratives, ho-hum narratives, pork-barreling, lies, lots of baby holding and frenetic campaigning, just to name a handful of things. But there is at least one other thing that is always present during election campaigns, and it’s a four letter word beginning with ‘f’. No it’s not that naughty word your parents told you never to say and then went ahead and used it themselves countless times. The word is fear and it will play a central role in the 6-10 months ahead.

But it would be naive to think that fear is simply a feature, perhaps even a creature born of elections. It’s not. Fear is an ever-present and mostly unfortunate reality when it comes to politics. It’s there, present almost daily in the political discourse in one form or another. And it will remain a major feature of politics, even if a slightly obscured one at times.

If there is anything of which fear is a creature, other than elections, it’s power. The overwhelming hunger for power has the ability to make politicians do a number of things and that includes creating and manufacturing fear. Fear is an all-powerful thing in politics. It can shift votes. Fear can sometimes mean the difference between taking government and staying in opposition or between staying in power and relinquishing the government benches.

The way fear is used during election campaigns is much the same as when it is taken advantage of in day-to-day politics. First and foremost, politicians want you to fear the opposition. So there is a relentless campaign from left and right to scare the pants off you, the undecided voter, because, well, clearly the rusted on supporters of a party are not going to be willingly sucked into believing the other side’s nonsense.  And this is often done by political leaders asking you, attempting to persuade you, by cajoling you into to fearing the future under their political enemies.

There are also politicians, unfortunately, who want you to fear others – to fear the outsider. Interestingly though, most politicians will not illuminate that fear, will not advertise their attempts at this kind of fear-mongering to the world in black and white for all to see. Instead they will subtly prompt you in a slightly tangental way.

In one way or another, in 2013 we will be asked to, or it will be subtly suggested, that we need to fear where jobs and the economy are headed and what the other side of politics might well do to jobs and the economy. And we will be asked to fear other factors external to Australia. For instance, we might be prompted with such loaded phrases as “peaceful invasion”.

As a voting public, we really should know that our politicians are trying to appeal to human emotions. We should be able to realise when we are being fed fact and when we are being force-fed fear. Some of us do know and we go along with that fear. Some of us illuminate the fact that we are at different but often regular points in the electoral cycle, being subjected to scare campaigns. And there are some of us who are just plain naive and like to think the best of everyone, even politicians engaged in a game of power.

The good news is that fear, even subtle attempts to imbue it in us, can be countered with facts. This requires heightened political engagement and a little research.

Above all else, know that even when you think you are not being played, you may well have actually fallen into the trap of believing something that falls into the category of fear.

Doing a Good Thing in a Terrible Way

We all know it’s an election year. With an election year comes the introduction of some key candidates in the media. And don’t we know it after yesterday’s events. Yesterday we learned that the Prime Minister plans to ask the national executive of the Australian Labor Party to endorse sports star and proud indigenous Australian Nova Peris, for the Labor Senate ticket in the Northern Territory. The trouble is, the process wasn’t exactly clean, and the internal ructions in the Labor Party have again been given more than a bit of a nudge.

It emerged today that the Prime Minister last night asked Senator Trish Crossin, a fifteen year veteran of the Senate for the Labor Party, to stand aside for Nova Peris. And as you would expect, Senator Crossin is not the slightest bit at ease with the merciless decision. The Senator made those feelings clear too, in both a written statement and on camera.

There are many things that can be said about the decision taken by the Prime Minister. But first and foremost is that the move was handled abysmally by a Prime Minister who should know better, though Julia Gillard herself was a player in the unceremonious dumping of a sitting MP – a Prime Minister no less – so perhaps we should not be surprised.

At the same time though, in general, we should not be surprised. It is politics after all and reasonable processes are often shirked and politics played with the pre-selection of candidates. But this does not make this brain snap at all forgivable.  How can we not continue to remain cynical about politics when such unsavoury acts continue to happen in politics?

But let’s get positive for a moment – just a moment. And only half positive. The idea to increase indigenous representation in politics is a good one. If this move succeeds, Nova Peris will become the first indigenous representative in the parliament from the ALP. The trouble is that the Prime Minister has still trodden all over a long-time servant of Labor.

Ms Gillard had a real opportunity after the February leadership spill last year to appoint the ALP’s first ever indigenous parliamentarian, Warren Mundine, under much better circumstances after machine man and apparatchik Senator Mark Arbib resigned from the parliament. Instead she chose a political has-been.

There has been speculation that the move may have been in some way, retribution for Senator Crossin’s forthright support of Kevin Rudd in terms of the Labor leadership. That argument is certainly not without foundation. One only needs to look at the way the careers of both Robert McClelland and Kim Carr, both ministers at one time, have suffered after being very public friends of Kevin Rudd.

But it’s also possible that it’s just a very badly thought out plot from the Prime Minister. Again, there’s a history there. So we could quite easily put this sorry excuse for process down to bad judgement.

Senator Crossin has made no bones about her intention to fight the move as hard as she can. But can she beat the machine?

There will be a ballot after nominations close on the 28th of January and Senator Crossin will nominate for that poll. But the National Executive of the ALP, who today approved Nova Peris’ membership of the party, will be the group that decides the outcome of this ugly affair and not the Northern Territory branch.

In the meantime, the spectacle will not become any more gratifying. The sniping will continue and the political benefits of the lack of internal cohesion in the Labor Party will continue to flow the way of the Coalition. The Coalition too will also be able to use this further example of internal division as prime election material.

If there is one key thing that can be taken from this whole mess, it is that Nova Peris was ‘selected’ as part of a dodgy process. And that is all that most people have talked about in the debate that ensued.

The actions of the Prime Minister have resulted in the Labor Party receiving a very public political drubbing. The vocalised discontent does not help paint a pretty picture of Labor in an election year.

It’s Deprivation of Liberty Whatever the Court May Say

The asylum seeker issue is never far from the headlines. And that has proven to be the case so early in the new year. Parliament has not even returned, and the full complement of political players have not resumed regular hostilities, yet refugee policy has again been raised in the media. On Friday we had Malcolm Fraser chastising both the government and the opposition over their treatment and demonisation of asylum seekers in an interview. And today we learned that the political opposition in Papua New Guinea launched a legal challenge on Friday to the immigration detention facility recently re-opened by the Australian Government on Manus Island.

There have been multiple challenges to elements of asylum seeker policy and practice over the last few years in Australia. But this is the first challenge launched overseas. The appeal was launched by Opposition Leader Belden Namah in the National Court and seeks to have the Australian immigration facility overturned on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

In bringing this case, Mr Namah wants the imprisonment of asylum seekers on the island to permanently cease. While the case is being heard the leader of the opposition has also sought a temporary cessation of the transfer of asylum seekers to the Manus Island detention centre.

The PNG Opposition Leader has spoken out about the immigration facility before. He has made the point that asylum seekers have not broken any laws and as such, should not be imprisoned in the Manus Island complex.  And so it follows that Mr Namah has brought this challenge because he believes the processing centre deprives asylum seekers of their personal liberties.

On this point, regardless of the legal outcome in the context of the legal system in Papua New Guinea, he is absolutely correct. Being detained and imprisoned for something that is not a criminal offence does deprive asylum seekers of their liberty. Such an act of unwarranted cruelty is in no way justifiable, especially when used as a political weapon by government.

Whether or not the challenge in a legal sense is successful is a completely different story and frankly irrelevant. Asylum seekers have been sent to Manus Island before, under the former Howard Government. This was not subject to a legal challenge from anyone in PNG  so there is nothing to compare the present situation to.

And opinions on the merits of the case appear divided, though it must be noted that the probability of success appears more than even, with the Constitution of Papua New Guinea having a list of rights enshrined within it.

The government of Papua New Guinea has however said that the centre is being run within the laws of the country and that of international treaties. The former might be correct in terms of the asylum seeker issue and it may not be, but the latter most certainly is not.

But we know of course that the debate over the detention of asylum seekers involves more than just the deprivation of liberty and the breach of international law.

Detaining asylum seekers can both exacerbate pre-existing mental illnesses and create new ones. Why would we want to be known to endorse a practice which results in diminishing the welfare of already vulnerable people?

Unfortunately there is an answer to that question and it is a disgraceful one: fear. For some reason there is an underlying fear of difference for which some trace the genesis back to the White Australia Policy. With the right checks and balances undertaken in a sensible manner by authorities, we have nothing to fear from people trying to seek asylum in Australia.

There simply is no valid reason for Australia to continue to embark upon such a barbaric course of action in trying to tackle a policy concern which, despite that barbarity, is still and will continue to be an issue.

A date has not yet been set for the hearing of this case. But we do not need a court case to tell us what we already know, and that is that people being held in immigration detention are being deprived of their liberty, whatever the courts may say.

The Trajectory of Politics According to Malcolm Fraser

The most recent episode of One Plus One, a one-on-one interview based program was thought-provoking and delightfully honest. It was all about politics, past and present- though it was mainly about the present day political situation. The whole half hour show was about politics in the Australian context and where it is headed. The guest on the show was a former Prime Minister, an outspoken former member of the Liberal Party- Malcolm Fraser. And as always he was willing to tread where few dare when it comes to commenting on and critiquing the political discourse.

The half hour program identified four key issues in the front of Malcolm Fraser’s mind when it comes to Australian politics. Two of these issues are policy-based concerns and the other two about politics in a broader context. In short, the former Prime Minister is concerned about the treatment of asylum seekers, Australia being a dependent nation, career politicians and  that the Liberal Party and the Labor Party are becoming closer. More specifically on the latter point, Fraser is concerned about the Liberal Party and their eroding liberal values.

Malcolm Fraser, as a former Liberal Prime Minister, is perhaps the most well-known in terms of support for refugees and asylum seekers. During his time as the nation’s leader from 1975-1983, Australia took in nearly 250,000 Vietnamese refugees during and after the Vietnam War in which Australia participated.

Since leaving the parliament, Fraser’s commitment to the refugee cause has been maintained, if not expanded. He constantly lambasts Liberal and Labor alike for their unfortunate and often inhumane convergence on the asylum seeker issue.

And he is right to do so. To put it simply, the asylum seeker ‘issue’ is not an issue. There is no “peaceful invasion” and we are not being overtaken by undesirables. What is happening is that we are dealing with a world where regions are in significant conflict. That conflict is either within or between countries. And people movement is an impact of that disruption to peace.

We should take more refugees and can afford to. In the long-run, taking in more refugees will prove a cheaper option than pursuing and locking up those that arrive on our shores, like they have committed some heinous crime- which they have not.

And we need to treat asylum seekers better. There should be no rubbish talk or actions involving turning boats around or issuing Temporary Protection Visas. And we should not send asylum seekers to foreign lands to languish in truly atrocious conditions. These are all concerns held by Malcolm Fraser and he is right to be worried. Australia too should be worried.

There is another policy that worries the former PM and that is what he sees as an increasing dependence on the United States of America in terms of security and Australia’s broader foreign policy. He is both right and wrong.

Australia has had a long-held relationship with the United States of America, dating back chiefly to the signing of the ANZUS Treaty. And we have had strong diplomatic ties since. Our relationship too has escalated, particularly since the September 11 terrorist attacks with our commitment in Afghanistan and Iraq and the recent move to station US Marines in the north of Australia.

But is this immediately a bad thing? Are we immediately, by extension, too dependent on the US? The answer to both questions is no, not necessarily. A number of nations enjoy similar relationships with allies. The trick here is that we not neglect our regional neighbours in the Asia-Pacific more generally and more specifically, in the Indo-Pacific. Australia can pursue an abiding relationship with the US and in our regional neighbourhood.

It is at this point where we begin to look at politics in a slightly broader sense, delving into the world of party politics and the modern politician, both of which Malcolm Fraser is wary of.

A significant concern of Malcolm Fraser’s, particularly in the last decade, has been the trajectory of the Liberal Party. Indeed it proved the catalyst for his resignation from the party he so proudly represented in the highest office in the land.

In short, Mr Fraser believes the Liberal Party is no longer the party of Robert Menzies. And he is largely correct. Over the last decade and a half the Liberal Party has become progressively more conservative in social policy, to the point of being regressive at times. Social liberalism has long given way to social conservatism and the remaining adherents to the former ideology are continuing to disappear.

The Liberal Party was set up, in the words of its founder, Sir Robert Menzies, “to be a progressive party, in no way conservative, in no way reactionary”. And indeed that is what it has largely become. There is still an allusion to individual rights and freedoms, but the conservative viewpoint within the party is clearly in the ascendancy. There needs to be a shift in the opposite direction, as the two theories are largely incompatible.

It is of not much concern that the Liberal Party are economically conservative. It is inherently sensible for government to live within its means and the Liberal Party has a long-established association with this particular ideology, most strikingly, in the Howard years.

Economic liberalism, in terms of support for public goods, is something that the Liberal Party should rediscover. The glory days when the Liberal Party were much more concerned about the provision of education and healthcare in particular have long passed.

The final concern Malcolm Fraser elaborated on during the interview with Jane Hutcheon was about the increasing prevalence of so-called ‘career politicians’. These are people who have little or no experience in the world outside of politics. These are people who have usually studied politics at university and gone to work as staffers of MP’s soon after graduation.

The ‘career politician’ Malcolm Fraser argues, is fast becoming a major issue for our democracy as political parties begin to favour party operatives more than talented candidates.

The major issue for present day politics however is the narrow skill set of our political representatives. Most are lawyers and former union officials and then business people. The latter is fine, particularly if they were small business owners in a previous life and so is a mix of former lawyers and union officials, but the point is that a broader skill needs to be represented in the parliament.

It is unquestionable that politics needs to be on a different trajectory. Right now we are headed even further toward rampant voter apathy and that is not healthy for a democracy such as ours, where to at least turn up to a polling booth on election day is compulsory.

A shift in ideology and in some public policy areas is also necessary.

The Struggle Ahead for Obama on Gun Control

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Mar 032012

Thought-Provoking and True

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

In her modern-day retelling of Persuasion, author Isabelle Solal takes readers on a sojourn from London, England to Paris, France, to a Mediterranean villa in the south of France, as her heroine, Alina Marin (Anne Elliot), strives to figure out how to fix her life. As a confident and intelligent attorney, Alina’s career is everything. Nothing is more important than her success and her ambition to make partner at her firm. Even a great love affair cannot withstand her drive to succeed. But Alina’s confidence and drive is severely shaken when one of her important clients just inexplicably discards her. Will she ever be able to make partner? Is the sacrifice of working eighty hours a week worth the lack of family and friendships? Is she making the right choices in her life? Is she happy?

Due to a nervous breakdown/panic attack Alina is granted a six-month leave of absence from work. Helping the despondent and lost Alina cope with her exhaustion, depression, and confusion is her work colleague, Rachel (Lady Russell) and her younger sister, Margot (Mary Musgrove). Yes, believe it or not, the Mary Musgrove character in this book does not suffer from imaginary complaints and is in fact a caring and devoted sister!

As Alina’s life slowly begins to mend in the exquisite and picturesque country of France she runs into Will Fredericks, an adventurous independent field journalist whom she ended a love affair with seven years ago. An affair that was fervid, tumultuous, complex, and life-changing. With Will, Alina experienced true love. But in the end, Alina didn’t have the perseverance to hold onto it. Does she regret this decision? Is this serendipitous meeting mean something significant?

What I loved most about this thought-provoking novel was how the author, through a series of flashbacks in reverse order, displayed all the major moments in Alina’s and Will’s past relationship. The story about Alina’s self-discovery occurs in present day, but at the end of each chapter we travel back seven years and witness the history between Alina and Will. I thought this was extremely creative and skillfully executed. And having the flashbacks in reverse order was brilliant! I took great pleasure in all the flashbacks. It was a very realistic depiction of how two diverse people in love deal with the fact that they want different things out of life.

Another element I greatly enjoyed was finding all the subtle nods and allusions to Jane Austen’s Persuasion. This isn’t your typical modern-day Austen retelling. Not all of Jane Austen’s characters are represented and many of plot events don’t mirror the original. I like that the author did this, her novel isn’t an exact carbon-copy of Persuasionwhich makes it all the more interesting.

However, I occasionally found myself to be unsympathetic towards Alina, and often wished she was a little more likable. Unlike Anne Elliot, Alina doesn’t have a copious amount of good qualities; it seems she takes after Sir Walter a bit, as she is sometimes selfish, arrogant, and mean. I think I would have liked her better if she had just a few more redeeming qualities.

Readers should be prepared for an ambiguous ending à la Inception. The close of the story is very open-ended, realistically reminding the reader that not all stories end with everyone living happily ever after. Even though I am decidedly romantic, I appreciated this insightful and unique conclusion. Isabelle Solal’s story of a modern-day woman’s struggle to have it all is something many readers can understand and identify with. I took great pleasure in Ms. Solal’s writing style and interpretation. She is most definitely an author to keep your eye on!

Note: Due to some slightly intimate scenes (very brief and mild), I would recommend this novel for Mature Audiences.

GIVEAWAY!!! Thanks to Isabelle Solal, I have one BRAND NEW copy of In the Past Imperfect to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this review!  (To save your inbox from unwanted spam, please don’t leave your email address.) Just check back to see if you win! Fortunately for our interntational friends, this giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Isabelle!!

This contest ends March 10th. Thank you for entering and best of luck!

Follow My Reviews!

No spam guarantee.

I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )

  27 Responses to “In the Past Imperfect – Isabelle Solal + GIVEAWAY!!!”

    I *love* Persuasion retellings, and this one looks really interesting. I’d love to win!

    There are less Persuasion-themed novels in the market compared to P&P. I’m glad this is one that I would like to read should I win. Normally I do not like open endings but I’m keeping my mind open. Please enter me to this giveaway.

    i have yet to read JaneAusten’s Persuasion, but i have read Persuasion variations… i’m excited about this one!!!!
    i would love the chance to win this book!!! thank you?!!!

    Im ready for a great ending in a book! I’m hoping to win this one! Thanks

    Persuasion is one of my favorite Austens. This sounds like a great variation on it! Hoping for a win so I can check it out myself 🙂

    I’d never heard of this one– thanks for the heads up with your review, and for the giveaway opportunity!

    Laura Hartness

    Persuasion is my favorite. I was interested in that this novel isn’t just in one location. I’m not sure about the open ending. I’d enjoy giving it a try.

    Persuasion is second only to Pride & Prejudice for me. I love Anne Elliot, and when she and Captain Wentworth reconnect, well, it’s swoon worthy.

    Persuasion is one of my favorite Jane Asuten novel! I cannot wait to read this one. Thank you for the giveaway!

    Persuasion is my favortite novel, and I’m pleased with the number of Persuasion retellings coming out lately. This one sounds even more intriguing for not following the story so closely!

    sounds interesting!

    This sounds really interesting! I´m just reading a modern version of Persuasion (Saunders´ “A Modern Day Persuasion” which I really like) and my fav. modernization up to know is Juliet Archers “Persuade me”.
    I´m always on the look-out for more versions!

    This sounds like a very unique retelling of Persuasion, my favorite JA novel! What a wonderful review, and I am very curious to see how the story was written with the flashbacks that are in reverse – what a curious plot device! Thanks for the chance!

    I enjoyed this lovely review and this book would be a treasure for its special appeal. Many thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    What a delightful retelling of a beautiful classic. This book would be memorable reading. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    I am always on the hunt for a good Persuasion story. This modern version has me intrigued. Thank you for the giveaway!

    Lovely review! This book sounds very interesting. I love retellings of Persuasion! Thanks for the giveaway!!=)

    I enjoyed reading your review. I am in love with the cover of this book and I am sure I am going to read it.

    The cover is gorgeous, and I’m excited even more than ever to read this one. Thanks! 🙂

    the storyline looks amazing !
    I cannot belive it, she is a workholic ! That is unexpected but great.
    such a shame . I cannot be part of it..mature content is too much for me -___-
    But good luck to all partipants !!

    This book is on my wish list! Looks like a great read!

    Looks very interesting! Thanks for the review!

    Thanks for the review Meredith, I’m so glad you enjoyed the book – and good luck to all your readers on the giveaway!

    Isabelle S.

    I love Persuasion and hate that there are so few modern adaptations. Look forward to checking out this new book. Thanks for allow us to potential receive one as part of the giveaway!

    I love and have loved Persuasion , will I love this novel too? Hoping to have soon an answer I want to thank you for giving me the chance

    Persuasion being my total fave, I am anticipating this contemporary novel with fascination… TY Isabelle for offering your fine work and Meredith for providing your insightful review!

    I have had this book on my TBR list for some time now! Love Persuasion! Thanks for the giveaway!

Your conversation and participation are always welcome; please feel free to "have your share."