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ANSONIA -- The fans at Nolan Field have filed back into the bleachers, a second half of inevitable history about to get underway.

Here over the south end zone, they have a perfect, unobstructed view of the goal line that Ansonia will surely cross at least three or four more times. It's 34-14 Ansonia, a close halftime score by Chargers standards. Two long Masuk touchdowns have kept this supposed showdown semi-competitive, assuring Arkeel Newsome of some second-half carries.

Halfway up the metal bleachers sits former Ansonia tailback Alex Thomas, sporting a gray thermal and jeans. He came to this game, his first look at his alma mater in 2013, as Connecticut's all-time leading rusher. But he's sure he won't leave with that title.

"You going on the field after he breaks your record?" a friend asks.

"No, I'm going to put my hood up and run out of here," Thomas says, laughing.

Another friend enters the stands, providing Thomas with the update.

"They've got him 40 yards away, Al," he says.

"I know, man," Thomas says.

"He had 251 in the first half," the friend says.

Thomas' reply: "Pretty absurd."

Behind him, a voice joins the conversation: "He might break the single-game record!" Thomas nods. He's only seen Arkeel Newsome two or three times, but he saw Thursday's first half, so he knows as much as everyone else: Anything is possible with this kid.

As it turns out, Newsome didn't break the single-game record, a mark that Thomas held for six years before Montville's Jeremiah Crowley racked up 526 yards three weeks ago. On Thursday, Newsome ran for 396 and six touchdowns. He was pulled late in the third quarter of Ansonia's 56-21 thumping of Masuk. The headliner of the SWC-NVL challenge, this was expected to be a close game. It wasn't.

Newsome, who entered needing 291 yards to surpass Thomas' career mark of 8,279, was expected to break it on this night. That was the consensus in the press box an hour before kickoff. A handful of the Ansonia faithful, guys who had watched Newsome and Thomas and all the other great running backs come through this program, were damn sure he'd rush for more than 291. Crazy as it sounds, they were right.

"I've never done anything like that before," Newsome said afterward, clutching a commemorative plaque. "It was a really good feeling."

Those who know Arkeel Newsome describe him as humble, quiet and really, really, really fast. He doesn't say much. He just abuses high school defenses.

"I don't know what else the kid can do," said Ansonia coach Tom Brockett. "He broke runs, he cut back, he ran through people, he outran people. He did it all."

Coming out of halftime, Newsome didn't know how many yards he needed to break Thomas' record. Until the game's final minute, he didn't know Thomas was there.

"He's a good back himself," Newsome said. "I'm just happy he came to see me today."

Two of the greatest runners in Ansonia's history have never actually met, just once in passing at a banquet. Thomas, who played at Yale from 2008-2011, didn't attend many Ansonia games during his college years. He coached at Sacred Heart last fall, making it to only one Chargers game -- the Thanksgiving rivalry versus Naugatuck.

"I've been pretty distant," Thomas says.

He adds: "I'm sure I'll get more of an interest as this year goes on."

Thomas loves football. He misses it. A bull of a running back, 5-foot-9 with bulky shoulders and a thick neck, Thomas last played in France, joining a club team this past summer that accepts only a few American players. Post-college, he wanted to travel. This league, which he discovered from the website, gave him the chance to do it while extending his football career.

But his body is a little beat up, and he realizes he "won't make a ton of money playing the sport." So for now, he's working at Yale and living at home. He's bound to attend more Ansonia games when state playoffs approach.

"It's good to come back and learn about the new kids and see them have success," Thomas says.

On Thursday, he watched Newsome go 63 yards on his first three carries, the final of which was a 27-yard score off left tackle. He watched Newsome stay inbounds, sprinting a 30-yard tightrope down the right sideline on his final touchdown.

In the first half, he watched Newsome bounce to the outside, backtrack a few yards and turn the corner on three perfectly positioned Masuk defenders, proving that there is no correct angle against this kid. It was the most prolific 18-yard touchdown run you'll ever see.

"That just shows how much faster he is than everyone," Thomas says. "He'll be good at UConn. He has the speed and the ability to run downhill."

Entering Thursday, he had 39 touchdown runs of 50 yards or longer. And as the crowd settled back in for the second-half kickoff, you got the feeling he was going to add one more.

It's the opening play of the third quarter, and Ansonia has called "47 power," which Newsome later notes is the team's "bread-and-butter." Newsome starts left, then reverses the field once he sees the edge. He gets to the sideline, only one Masuk defender between him and that south end zone.

"There it goes!" exclaims one fan.

The Masuk safety can't force him out of bounds. He can't get there quickly enough. From where he's sitting, Alex Thomas has the best view in the house.

"That's it," Thomas says.

A 57-yard touchdown has sealed it. The record that Thomas knew would fall has officially gone down. He's happy for Newsome, happy that it's staying in Ansonia.

The entire crowd stands, clapping as Newsome comes off the field following the two-point conversion. The announcement is made on the loudspeaker, and Newsome pumps the ball over his head with both arms. Then he keeps it held high with his right arm.

The fans, all who had come to witness history, begin to sit back down. Thomas continues to clap as he takes his seat.

"First play of the second half," he says. "Not bad."; @KevinRDuffy


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Goodreads announced yesterday that it has acquired Discovereads, a site that uses an algorithm to recommend books to people based on their preferences and on the preferences of users with similar tastes. The Bits blog at the Times notes that the business of determining taste has become a lucrative one: in 2007, Netflix held a contest offering a prize of a million dollars to whoever figured out how best to improve its recommendation system. The winning team called itself BellKor’s Pragmatic Chaos, and in their submission they wrote:

Our experience is that most efforts should be concentrated in deriving substantially different approaches, rather than refining a single technique. Consequently, our solution is an ensemble of many methods.

Yes, there is strength in numbers, in this case the number of different algorithmic approaches used: BellKor’s number was 107, which were “blended into a single prediction,” and which boosted Netflix’ system by ten per cent. The Discovereads team was inspired by the Netflix Prize to create a similar solution for books, and now, after three years, they’ve won a prize of their own with the Goodreads acquisition. They also take a blended algorithmic approach, one that—hooray!—will allow advertisers to better target us with books we’re likely to like.

Now, I think this is great, on the whole: even though my Netflix recommendations are sometimes baffling (I often want to shake the computer and tell it, Computer, based on my interest in “Bright Star,” I do not want to see “Revenge of the Bridesmaids.” Can’t you see that the algorithm I run on is: based on my interest in good movies I would like to see other good movies?), part of the fun is clicking through all the crazy stuff Netflix thinks I should watch. Netflix is like a rather dimwitted but well-meaning robot-friend with whom it’s amusing to waste a little time. But while it makes sense for Netflix to rely on this automated recommendation system (because it’s essentially a video-rental store), it makes less sense for Goodreads, which is a community first and foremost. What I like about it is the updates I get telling me what my buddies are reading. The recommendations (and the ads) don’t matter so much to me, but if they are going to be there, I would like them to be the result of the best algorithmic cocktail known to mankind.

It all got me thinking about how book and movie recommendations work in the offline world. I have one buddy whose taste in movies I trust completely, because in twelve years of friendship he has never once failed me; and I have one buddy whose taste in books I trust completely, for a similar reason. Whatever algorithm God put inside these two people is the right algorithm for me. Otherwise, though, I have to engage in a little pragmatic chaos: I have to listen to the opinions of a few buddies and a few good reviewers, and sort of wait to get wind of the general opinion (it’s mystical), and then I can decide whether to jump. And it’s a great system! It’s unbeatable, even by a clever machine. I do wonder, though, about my dimwitted Netflix buddy and the new-and-improved Goodreads buddy I’m about to meet: Will they one day grow so good at reading my mind that they’ll be interchangeable with my real-life friends?

(“Friendship Algorithm,” by MnGyver.)

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This essay is from the anthology “MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction,” edited by Chad Harbach, which will be published later this month.

Todd Solondz’s Storytelling famously features an encounter between a writing instructor and a college student. He has just eviscerated both her and her boyfriend’s work, calling the boyfriend’s story “a piece of shit.” When she sees him at a bar, she claims that she agrees with him, she’s “really happy with the class,” and she’s “a great admirer of [his] work.” He says almost nothing. So she asks, “Do you think I have potential as a writer?” “No,” he says.

In the next scene she follows him, with obvious terror, to his apartment. In the bathroom she finds an envelope that contains nude photos of the student he says has talent. He tells her to take off her clothes and, in the one note of complexity that enters the story, is able to dominate her partly by exploiting her fear that she may be latently racist. (She’s white and he’s black.) His other tool of domination is the workshop dynamic. Despite having told her she’s hopeless as a writer, here he’s willing to be prescriptive.

Predictably (the script itself is self-consciously modeled on a “workshop story,” with carefully articulated motivations and a neatly turned ending) she reads aloud in class a fictional account of what she describes as rape. The student whose photos she found says the story is dishonest. “Jane pretends to be horrified by the sexuality she in fact fetishizes.” The instructor agrees. “Jane wants more, but isn’t honest enough to admit it.” Still, he says, this story is better than her last one. “There’s now at least a beginning, a middle, and an end.”

Solondz has written a workshop story in more than one respect. The first rule of writing about workshop is that there should be some sex. One student should be sleeping with another or with an instructor or ideally both. How could a story get by with characters who only want to write fiction? Some other desire has to intervene to make it interesting.

Theresa Rebeck’s play Seminar revolves around a famous instructor who, for a substantial price, agrees to lead a workshop for four young writers. The instructor, Leonard, is charismatic, demanding, and not only seduces one of the women but incessantly talks to all of them, men and women, about sex. As soon as the play appeared, in New York in 2011, critics made the connection between the Leonard character and the highly influential, erotically fixated longtime writing teacher Gordon Lish. Like Lish, Leonard evaluates his students’ writing after having heard a single sentence, and does so almost entirely in terms of its capacity to seduce. The one story he praises, written by the young woman he goes to bed with, has “a lightness, a touch, a sexual edge to the language which is I got to say, it got me on board. Va voom.”

Rebeck doesn’t appear to have taken one of Lish’s classes (if she had, she could probably recall a more articulate response than “va voom”), but basically she knows the score. Lish—who taught and edited young writers from the 1970s through the ’90s, editing fiction at Esquire and Knopf and teaching at universities and private apartments—asked students to write to seduce him, and when female students succeeded he often took them to bed. Once he became an editor at Knopf he often bought his students’ work as well, sometimes midsemester and sometimes, or so it seemed, midclass. So in two ways his workshop extended beyond the established boundaries of the classroom: if he really liked what you were doing, he might sleep with you, or he might publish your book.

* * *

Lish figured out how he wanted to run his workshop when he started teaching undergraduates at Yale in the early 1970s. He had just turned forty and had earned a reputation as a dynamic young fiction editor. One afternoon a week, he came from the Manhattan Esquire office full of a sense of power. He asked each student to read from her work but stopped her as soon as he lost interest; usually this was before she finished the first sentence. Then he took advantage of the silence to describe, in intensely eloquent monologues that could last hours, how to write work he would want to hear read aloud. “Remember, in reaching through your writing to a reader, you are engaged in nothing so much as an act of seduction,” former student Tetman Callis recalls him saying. “Seduce the whole fucking world for all time.”

Lish’s willingness to be bored and show it was one of his strengths as an instructor. He created a situation in which each student had to approach him, like a stranger at a party or a bar, to see if she could catch his attention. Lish shot down these nervous suitors one by one, not even bothering to hear out the pickup lines they fretted over. Then he shifted in an instant to a masculine role: talking endlessly, enacting his charisma, awing his listeners into submission.

David Leavitt was one of the Yale undergraduates who took an early Lish workshop. Around that time Leavitt wrote his great story “Territory,” which appeared in The New Yorker and then in many anthologies, forever marking him as having been a precocious writer. Leavitt later wrote a novel, Martin Bauman, about this period of precocity. His descriptions of the Lish character, Flint, show how eros, writerly ambition, and the writing teacher get bound up together:

I suppose now that I was a little in love with Flint. And why shouldn’t I have been? He was a good-looking man, lean and surly, with hands like broken-in leather gloves. Nor did his reputation as a womanizer in any way detract from the effect he had on me. On the contrary, it served only to intensify my idea of him as an avatar of masculine virility. For what I wanted from Flint, I told myself, wasn’t so much sex as permission—to write, to think of myself as a writer. Today I recognize the degree to which this need for his approbation encoded a desire I had heretofore never admitted: the desire for men—and more specifically, for older, fatherly men who didn’t desire me.

* * *

Lish, always a troublesome employee, was fired from Esquire in the late 1970s; the same thing happened at Yale in 1980. By then he had become an editor at Knopf, where within the next few years he would publish Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Barry Hannah’s Airships, and Mary Robison’s Days. He became the man who made experimental fiction (only later did it come to be called literary minimalism), and it no longer mattered what anyone thought of him.

After leaving Yale, Lish started teaching a class at Columbia for adult students. He taught in the continuing education program, which meant the class was open to anyone who was accepted and willing to pay for it. These students came to class knowing how he taught and how he wanted them to write, and they wanted to meet his expectations. In this environment, Lish became more than a demanding teacher—he made himself into a guru of fiction. His classes went from three hours, as had been the case at Yale, to five or more. He developed an eccentric outfit he wore to class, composed of a cowboy hat, khaki shirt and pants, and gleaming leather boots. The novelist Lily Tuck, who has written about being his student, thought he bore “more than a passing resemblance to Steve McQueen.”

His waxing power at Knopf added a new charge to the classroom. In early 1983, Anderson Ferrell, a former Broadway dancer, “read two paragraphs he had written about a tobacco farm in North Carolina, near the place where he was raised,” Lish’s longtime student Amy Hempel later wrote in an article for Vanity Fair. “Lish found the work so good as to be ‘disabling.’ The next morning Ferrell had a contract with Knopf.” Lish had never signed up a student, and as word spread he wrote to Hempel (who hadn’t been in class lately) to ask if she was hurt. She claimed not to be, but at that moment the rules of the workshop had changed.

Lish told his students to seduce the world, but in practice they wrote to seduce him, and he became adept at playing them off one another in order to maximize their interest. From one session to the next, he knocked down students he had praised, always in the strongest terms. Lish himself was an expert seducer: he worked hard to make his students want to please him, and to make their literary and erotic motivations impossible to extricate from each other. Here is how Callis recalled his “show, don’t tell” lecture:

It’s just like sex—you don’t say, “OK, now I’m going to lean in and kiss you on your mouth, and my mouth is going to be open so I hope yours is too, and I’ll touch my tongue lightly to your lips, then kiss your closed eyes, and, oh, while I’m doing this, I’ll reach one arm around you, brushing your nipple and breast as I move to pull you closer, and while I’m doing all this, you’ll shift in your seat and reach one hand between my legs …” Sounds like great fun, but you don’t say it, you just do it.

We are not supposed to want to sleep with our instructors (or our students), but it happens in fiction and in fact, and very often the appearance of erotic desire makes us produce better work. A charismatic instructor suggests that students could seduce him with a great story, and a confident student plays up her own charisma, in class and on the page, to hold his attention. Neither may have any intention of breaking the rules, but the idea of breaking them is attractive, and to really write for someone you have to want to do more for him than turn in ten pages by the end of the day Friday.

So the best instructors learn to cultivate and deflect the interest of their students, and the most attentive students are able to play along, to everyone’s satisfaction. Both teachers and students create the possibility of seduction in the workshop, as a way of heightening its potential, but most often an understanding is maintained that nothing may happen between them. The workshop, like the psychoanalytic session, is meant to be a space where seduction is rehearsed but specifically not enacted. Actual sex is forbidden—but the most successful workshops often are the ones most charged with erotic potential.

Some straight male teachers can produce this kind of spark with male students, some gay male teachers with women, and so on, but most often we’re best at drawing others out when we feel real erotic potential: not in a situation of sexual solidarity but of sexual tension. A male teacher working with a young female student is the most familiar, most common, and not the least compelling situation. It combines the archetypally masculine narrative of striving to surpass a father figure with the more ambivalent feminine one of obtaining an older lover. The student may surpass her instructor as an artist, and as she does so she may bring him various kinds of pleasure. This makes for a complicated narrative in which coming into power is not necessarily an escape from domination; it can also be a deeper and more rewarding form of complicity with it.

What’s particular about a writing workshop is that another kind of desire is omnipresent: the desire to become known, viable, famous, great. In other words, to publish. In most workshops, the expression of this desire is forbidden too: of course you’re supposed to want to have sex, and to publish your work, but you’re not supposed to weigh down the workshop with the messy specifics of either. In workshop, this second taboo often takes the form of a strict emphasis on “craft” and “art”: you are simply there to write, and the less pure world of publishing can be entered later, if at all.

Lish is now best known for the work he did in the late 1970s and early ’80s with Raymond Carver. For cutting most of Carver’s best-known stories to half their intended length, turning a deeply traditional writer into a groundbreaking minimalist, he is remembered as one of the most controlling editors on record. But the more characteristic story of Lish as an editor and teacher is not a battle of wills, as was his work with Carver. Rather, it’s an emotionally fraught collaboration with a most likely female student.

What was it like to begin his workshop? It was, for one thing, to enter an extreme imbalance of power. Each student came to the class willing to remain still and silent for hours on end, to read her work when called upon but be cut off without protest, and eventually in the private classes to pay thousands of dollars for twelve sessions. She agreed to this in return for the privilege of learning to please Lish and getting several chances to please him; because of his extraordinary combination of personal authority and editorial power, most students probably understood “please Lish” as having the same meaning as “produce literature.”

At the first class Lish established just how much he would demand of his students. He started at least one term at Columbia by asking them to tell their most shameful secret, “the ineffable, the despicable, the thing you will never live down,” as Hempel wrote in Vanity Fair. One student admitted to having run someone over; another may have for the first time come out of the closet. When the exercise was over, Lish smiled. “Did I say,” he asked, “that this secret doesn’t have to be true?”

Hempel said that this exercise set the stakes of the workshop: students would have to give everything they had to even attempt to please him. It also set the terms: Lish wanted students to approach him from a position of complete vulnerability. The effort to satisfy Lish would be about more than literature—it would be personal. Pleasing him would not only affirm their worth as writers but put them back on tolerable footing with him as human beings.

How did Lish tell his students to do this? By using their vulnerability to perform a feminine seduction. Like all writing instructors, Lish told his students they must have authority over their material, Lily Tuck wrote. But authority for a writer “is not just possessing what you speak but being possessed by it.” A writer maximized her authority by choosing a subject she knew intimately and that made her feel helpless. “The best writers are those who put themselves at risk—first destabilize yourself, then restore yourself,” Lish said. How did they restore themselves? By dramatizing their confessions in a way that commanded attention: that was tense, taut, and confident, that had the feeling of an emotional striptease about it. “Mystery is at the very center of what engages the fictional transaction,” Callis recalls Lish saying. “Writing is not about telling; it is about showing, and not showing everything.”

There was an archetypal student for whom this approach worked best. She was a woman, and most likely an attractive woman with some confidence, who intuitively understood the tactics Lish described, and was able to translate them from life to the page. She felt some uncertainty about the direction of her life but had real financial security—a young woman from a wealthy family, or a middle-aged one who regretted giving up work for her family—and this combination allowed her to commit totally to the workshop. Like most of us, she possessed a reserve of personal trauma, which she could have explored as easily in therapy as in workshop. But she was in workshop, which meant that she would dramatize her reckoning in tense and enticing sentences. Simply coming to terms with the more difficult facts of her life would not be enough; she would have to come to terms with them in a way that made her vulnerable, attractive, compelling. Within this framework, Lish became, in various combinations, teacher, analyst, correspondent, editor, lover, and publisher.

This method helped to produce any number of books, among them Amy Hempel’s Reasons to Live (1985), Yannick Murphy’s Stories in Another Language (1987), Sheila Kohler’s The Perfect Place (1989), Diane Williams’s This Is About the Body, the Mind, the Soul, the World, Time, and Fate (1990), Noy Holland’s The Spectacle of the Body (1994), Dawn Raffel’s In the Year of Long Division (1995), and Christine Schutt’s Nightwork (1996). One difficulty with the method was that it only really worked once. Most of us have only so many secrets, and after a certain point we lose interest in telling them. The Lish workshops produced many good first stories, and many good first books, but they have been less successful at launching careers. Those who have persisted have made clear in the transformation of their work that they are drawing on different resources.

* * *

What does it sound like when many writers are appealing to one person—and that person fundamentally understands writing as seduction? The results are more different than they are alike, but they sometimes have a goofy brazenness that feels like it’s aimed at a shared target.

Holland, “Absolution”:*

Me and him, we’re lovers. Sure, I know, he’s a crazy motherfucker. And I’m the Banana Queen of Opelousas.

Williams, “My Highest Mental Achievement”:

Baby, I will miss you with your common sense, and with your blindness to psychology. My prediction for you is that you will have a fascinating life and that you will stay eternally young, and that you will never lack for love. I am interested in all aspects of you.

Hempel, “Housewife”:

She would always sleep with her husband and with another man in the course of the same day, and then the rest of the day, for whatever was left to her of that day, she would exploit by incanting, “French film, French film.”

When I read Diane Williams’s best stories I feel, as she must have when she completed them, exuberant. One complicated aspect of learning to write to seduce is that for many women it was a form of empowerment. Williams was a suburban Chicago housewife, a former editor, and a dissatisfied amateur writer when she traveled to take one of his classes. She was looking for something to change her life, and this was it: within a few years she had moved to New York, where she became a professional writer and teacher and founded the literary magazine NOON.

In an interview with The Review of Contemporary Fiction, Williams said, “I studied with Gordon for two semesters in New York because I understood what he was offering—the special chance to become hugely conscious of how language can be manipulated to produce maximum effects.” For her, language became a source not only of literary but of real personal authority. “So often, in our naturally powerful speech, we only understand dimly how we are doing it, so that we are deprived of the good fortune of being in charge of it, rather than the other way around.”

By the mid-1980s Lish was completely engaged with cultivating new writers, to the point where the actual work of publishing books came to seem a distraction. So he threatened to quit unless he was, like editors at a few other publishing houses, given his own literary magazine to edit. Random House (of which Knopf is a division) assented, and so The Quarterly: The Magazine of New American Writing was founded. From the start, it served as the publishing arm of Lish’s fiction program, and his career rose and, before long, fell with it.

The first issue of The Quarterly opened with a new story by Hempel, “The Harvest,” which would become the standout story in her next collection. The rest was filed with the work of Lish students, among them Peter Christopher, Nancy Lemann, Yannick Murphy, and Janet Kauffman, all of whom would eventually publish books at Knopf. Only about half their contributions, however, were presented as finished, titled stories; the rest, usually shorter pieces, were always called “To Q.” These were mostly works in progress that a student had brought to class or simply sent to Lish. Lish, of course, was Q.

During this time, Lish was as powerful as he would ever be. Journalists wrote feature stories about New York’s most powerful and charismatic fiction editor. Esquire printed an elaborate chart of the publishing industry that placed its former editor at the “red hot center.” As soon as the great claims were made, however, the backlash started, and was compounded by Lish’s having produced compilations of his work in the form of The Quarterly. The patterns across his students’ work were easy to point out, and what made them seem contemporary when considered separately suddenly came across as a weakness. Critics began to speak about the School of Gordon Lish—meaning both the classes and the work itself—probably most perceptively Sven Birkerts, in his article of that title, which appeared in The New Republic soon before the founding of The Quarterly. After surveying the works of Ferrell, Hempel, and several others, Birkerts wrote,

The writers are, as I say, outwardly various enough. But from a certain angle, taking a tight noon-hour squint, one can discern a common style. It is all very modern, or postmodern. The byte-sized perceptions, set in an eternal present, are the natural effluence of an electronically connected, stimulus-saturated culture. In a sense, they are what we have earned for ourselves: these writers may satisfy themselves that they have, intentionally or not, mirrored our world to us, mimicked the sensations of contemporary experience. Still, in another sense, their work represents an abrogation of literary responsibility.

Birkerts, as usual, was astute—and as usual, he channeled his critique through his preoccupation with technological change. But there’s another way to read this “common style” that’s less electronic than erotic. To call a piece of fiction “To Q” is to understand story as seduction, and fiction-writing as love letter to a particular person. Perhaps it is. Or perhaps this can be, at least, an extremely useful way of thinking. If fiction is about possibility, then the best workshop is the one in which anything seems possible, and the best teacher is the one who makes everything seem possible, sex and love and literary fame not excluded.

But to call a hundred stories “To Q” is something different. Instead of possibility, there is only Q—a kind of constant to be solved for. A teacher, an editor, even a lover isn’t supposed to become the world, but rather to point the writer toward it.

* Holland starred in what may have been the most remarkable Lish workshop. She brought to class an eighty-page novella, “Orbit,” that so entranced Lish he allowed her to read it from start to finish.

Carla Blumenkranz is an editor of n+1.

Photograph by Bill Hayward.


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Books  Physical Sciences  Cosmology & Astronomy

The Stars of Heaven

Out of Print

By: Clifford A Pickover

320 pages, Half-tones, line illus

Oxford University Press

Paperback | Jun 2002 | #131532 | ISBN: 0195148746
Out of Print Details

About this book

Entertaining and accessible introduction to astrophysics.

Stellar parallax and the quest for transcendence; the joy and Paschen of starlight; spectral classes, temperatures, and doppler shifts; luminosity and the distance Modulus; Hertzsprung-Russell, mass-luminosity relations, binary stars; last tango on the Heliopause; stellar evolution and the helium flash; stellar graveyards, nucleosynthesis, and why we exist; some final thoughts. Appendices: stars in the Bible; updates and breakthroughs.

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Books  Zoology  Ornithology  Africa

Birds of Seychelles

Field / Identification GuideOut of Print

By: Adrian Skerrett, Tony Disley and Ian Bullock

320 pages, colour plates, distribution maps

Christopher Helm

Paperback | Dec 2001 | #116115 | ISBN: 0713639733
Out of Print Details

About this book

This is the first comprehensive guide to the birds of the Seychelles, a spectacular archipelago of 115 islands north of Madagascar. It describes and illustrates every species for the first time--more than 250 in all--and gives extended species accounts for all 66 breeding species. These accounts cover breeding biology and, for all indigenous species, threats and conservation. The volume also offers the first detailed accounts of all 26 Seychelles' endemics, including their origins, in popular form.

Given the archipelago's location, almost any European migrant can turn up in the Seychelles. This makes it all the more remarkable that the authors consider every species recorded to date, as well as unrecorded potential vagrants. Beautiful color plates and clear plumage details, as well as information on confusion species, are included to aid identification by sex and age.

This is a valuable reference for anyone contemplating a trip to this popular birding destination or anyone with an interest in the natural history of the western Indian Ocean region. There is simply no other choice for either the serious ornithologist or the casual birder.

An updated, but condensed, version was published in 2011.

Tell your bulbuls from your sunbirds with the help of local writer Adrian Skerrett's 'Birds of Seychelles'.
- Evening Standard (2010)

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Books  Physical Sciences  Cosmology & Astronomy

Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing

Handbook / ManualPopular Science

By: Robin Scagell (Author)

320 pages, colour photos, colour illustrations, colour maps

Hardback | Oct 2015 | #215401 | ISBN-13: 9781849073431
Availability: Usually dispatched within 4 days Details
NHBS Price: £24.99 $31/€29 approx

About this book

In a new flexi-paperback format, Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing is an inspiring introduction to astronomy, providing all the information you need to explore the night sky. This is a comprehensive guide to an increasingly popular leisure pursuit. Author Robin Scagell first introduces the wonders of the night sky and explains how and why the sky changes during the night and through the seasons. He describes the various items of equipment you can use (binoculars, telescopes and accessories), and gives practical advice on what to choose and what you can expect to see. There are plenty of tips, too, for observing just with the naked eye.

Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing continues with chapters devoted to the Moon, the Solar System, the stars and deep sky objects, illustrated with photographs and observational drawings made by talented amateur astronomers, as well as spectacular images returned by spacecraft or taken by large telescopes. The month-by-month guide to the constellations features maps showing the constellations on view each month from both northern and southern hemispheres, and is applicable to any year and any place on Earth. A complete set of star charts presents the whole sky in a series of maps that show stars down to magnitude 5.5. These maps are drawn with black stars on a white background, so that observers can pencil their own observations on to the charts. Opposite each map is a 'photo-realistic' image which shows how the same portion of the sky typically appears to the eye.

Completing Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing is an illustrated A-Z dictionary of astronomy, covering the planets, stars and galaxies, cosmology, amateur astron-omy and professional observatories, space exploration, famous astronomers, scientific terms, theories and much more, and is illustrated with photographs, artworks and diagrams. Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing is an invaluable reference source for astronomers of all levels.

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Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing

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Robin Scagell is a long-serving Vice President of Britain's Society for Popular Astronomy. A lifelong stargazer, he has worked as an observer and photographer, and as a journalist has edited a wide range of popular-interest magazines. Robin is the author of several popular astronomy books, and has contributed to many other publications. He often appears on television, commenting on events in space and astronomy, and runs an astronomical picture agency.

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Calendar of Events

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The Craftworkers' Guild Harvest Craft Shop 2014

Oct 5, 2014 to Oct 13, 2014
10:00 AM

This event occurs daily, every 1 day(s).

Just in time for fall foliage tourist visits with family and friends, the seasonal shop will be open daily from 10am to 4pm. We are thrilled to offer our customers a wide variety of high quality crafts. Work presented in the Harvest Craft Shop is juried by the Guild to maintain a high standard of unique, best quality offerings. Many items are one-of-a-kind and include photography, fine art and prints, cards, gourmet treats, shaker boxes, woodworking and scroll saw art, fiber and fabric, sewn and knitted specialties, stained and fused glass art, jewelry in several medias, doll clothes and more. In addition, the Guild will host an Autumn Fest Night on Thursday, October 9 from 4 to 8 pm with special offerings and treats available on that night only. The Guild will also hold Gourmet and Goodie weekends with homemade items for sale in the Harvest Shop on October 4-5 and October 11-12.

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5 Meetinghouse Road
Bedford, NH

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Ways to Celebrate This St. Patricks' Day

Find different ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year. With numerous events ranging in varying categories, NH has a line up of fun activities stretching throughout mid March.

The Best Upcoming Comedy Events

Leave the April fooling to the professionals with these five side-splitting shows.

The 10 Best Free Events Happening in March

Art shows, lectures, and a Maple Month tour of a functioning sugar shack: here are 10 ideas for having zero-cost fun this March.

Good Cause of the Month: CFS SleepOut

Play your part in the fight to end youth homelessness by participating in or donating to Child and Family Services' third annual SleepOut.
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The National Institute for Computational Sciences

Kraken Becomes First Academic Machine to Achieve Petaflop

The National Institute for Computational Sciences’ (NICS’s) Cray XT5 supercomputer—Kraken—has been upgraded to become the first academic system to surpass a thousand trillion calculations a second, or one petaflop, a landmark achievement that will greatly accelerate science and place Kraken among the top five computers in the world.

Managed by the University of Tennessee (UT) for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the system came online Oct. 5 with a peak performance of 1.03 petaflops. It features more than 16,000 six-core 2.6-GHz AMD Istanbul processors with nearly 100,000 compute cores.

In addition, an upgrade to 129 terabytes of memory (the equivalent of more than 13 thousand movies on DVD) effectively doubles the size of Kraken for researchers running some of the world’s most sophisticated 3-D scientific computing applications. Simulation has become a key tool for researchers in a number of fields, from climate change to materials.

“At over a petaflop of peak computing power, and the ability to routinely run full machine jobs, Kraken will dominate large-scale NSF computing in the near future,” said NICS Project Director Phil Andrews. “Its unprecedented computational capability and total available memory will allow academic users to treat problems that were previously inaccessible.”

For example, understanding the mechanism behind the explosion of core-collapse supernovas will reveal much about our universe (these cataclysmic events are responsible for more than half the elements in the universe). Essentially three phenomena are being simulated to explore these explosions: hydrodynamics, nuclear burning or fusion, and neutrino transport, said UT astrophysicist Bronson Messer.

At the terascale, or trillions of calculations per second, Messer and his team were forced to simulate the star in 1-D as a perfect sphere and with unrealistic fusion physics. “Now, however, we are getting closer to physical reality,” said Messer. “With petascale capability, we can simulate all three phenomena simultaneously with significant realism. This brings us closer to understanding the explosion mechanism and being able to make meaningful predictions.”

From the physical makeup of the universe to the causes of global warming to the roles of proteins in disease, Kraken’s increased computing muscle will reach far and wide.

As the main computational resource for NICS, the new system is linked to the NSF-supported TeraGrid, a network of supercomputers across the country that is the world’s largest computational platform for open scientific research.

The system and the resulting NICS organization are the result of an NSF Track 2 award of $65 million to the University of Tennessee and its partners to provide for next-generation high-performance computing (HPC). The award was won in an open competition among HPC institutions vying to guarantee America’s continued competitiveness through the next generation of supercomputers (systems greater than 10 teraflops and into the petascale).

“While reaching the petascale is a remarkable achievement in itself, the real strides will be made in the new science that petascale computing will enable,” said Thomas Zacharia, NICS principal investigator, professor in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Tennessee and deputy director for science and technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “Kraken is a game changer for research.”

For more information contact:
Gregory Scott Jones
(865) 574-6944


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In an interview with Australia’s Sunday Night host Melissa Doyle, James Hewitt who has been rumored to be the biological father of Prince Harry, put the rumors to rest by stating in no uncertain terms that he is not Harry's father.

James Hewitt,58, and Princess Diana had met in 1986 when he became her riding instructor. At that time, Princes Diana and Prince Charles were reportedly having a strained relationship and Prince Charles was rumored to be seeing his former flame-turned-wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
So when Prince Harry was born a while later, it was assumed that Hewitt was the father, considering the rift in the royals' relationship and how close Princess Diana was to James Hewitt.
During the interview, Melissa Doyle asked Hewitt: “Are you Harry’s father?”
“No, I’m not,” he replied in the interview that aired today, March 12. He revealed the rumors have persisted over the years becasue “It sells papers. It’s worse for [Harry], probably, poor chap.”
Speaking on his relationship with the late Princess, Hewitt said he wished he could whisk her away from the spotlight. He revealed that they had wonderful moments and enjoyed long walks along the beach.
“It’s a gradual period and then, you know, suddenly you can’t get enough of each other or see each other as much as you want.

He added, “Well, I’d cook and she’d wash up. Just dinner and relaxing and laughing.”
Their relationship ended when Hewitt was deployed to serve in the Gulf War and the press exposed their affair.

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If ever you've sat down to calculate exactly how much you need to spend to secure that must-have item in Club Nintendo, you'll know it's a frightening prospect. Not as frightening as seeing the global totals for Club Nintendo coins in spreadsheet form, though.

David Dayton has collated all the facts and figures for Club Nintendo coins: for example, buying every game eligible would run you $9,384.62 and there's a total of 16,910 coins available at the moment. It's staggering stuff but seriously useful if you want to calculate the best way to fill your digital coffers.

Check out the Club Nintendo coins spreadsheet, which is also useful for seeing which games are no longer available for download.

Thanks to David for the tip.

[via codebook.potchgult.com]


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You are in site section: Exhibitions

Helicopter story

Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route

Warning: This website includes images and names of deceased people that may cause distress to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Helicopter story

We saw this helicopter coming, up in the sky. We ran into the trees, frightened because that thing, like a windmill, might cut us up.

Josephine Nangala, Natawalu, 2007

Aboriginal men in front of helicopter

The survey helicopter at Natawalu with (from left): Wimmitji Tjapangarti, Mickey Candle, Ngangu, Brandy Tjungurrayi and Dick Cowboy. Ngangu was the leader of the group, and later came to be known by the name ‘Government’. Many children and women were also present but are not depicted here. Photo: John Veevers, John Veevers Collection, Audiovisual Archive, AIATSIS.

Desert people moved away from their homelands for different reasons and at different times during the 20th century. Not all families followed the drovers or the stock route. And not all people ‘walked’ out of the desert, as the story of ‘Helicopter’ Tjungurrayi reveals.

In 1957, a mining survey party came across a group of people living near Natawalu (Well 40). Some of these people had never seen white men before. None had seen a helicopter. They thought it was a giant wasp or dragonfly, manurrkunnurku. The survey crew shared food with the family group and encouraged their trust. But they were soon able to help them with more than just food. A 10-year-old boy, Tjungurrayi, was seriously ill and the family asked the white men to fly him north to Balgo mission for medical attention. According to Tjungurrayi:

I was walking around long time, but I got sick … that’s when that helicopter got me. He came [in a helicopter] and put it down at my father’s camp. He spoke to me not in Kukatja, but in English. I was sitting there puzzled. I spoke to him in Kukatja, ‘Take me to Balgo to the medicine’. They put me on the helicopter right there, me and my mother.

The young boy was flown to Balgo where he recovered. He has been known as ‘Helicopter’ ever since.

Wirlki ('number 7' boomerang), about 1950s
Wirlki ('number 7' boomerang), about 1950s. Donated by James Ferguson.

This wirlki, sometimes referred to as a hooked or ‘number 7’ boomerang due to its shape, was collected by helicopter pilot James Ferguson when he was surveying around Natawalu in 1957. He came upon what seemed to him an abandoned camp, and picked up this boomerang as a souvenir. He left some bullets at the camp in return. When Helicopter and Brandy Tjungurrayi visited the National Museum of Australia in 2010, they held this wirlki and suggested that it most likely belonged to their leader Ngangu (the older man in the centre of the photo above).

You can find more information, including an audio interview with the curator, on the ABC News website.

Click on the images below for a larger version and more information. Please note these images are not to scale.
  • Natawalu by Helicopter Tjungurrayi
    Natawalu by Helicopter Tjungurrayi
  • Nyaru by Brandy Tjungurrayi
    Nyaru by Brandy Tjungurrayi
  • Nyaru by Charlie Wallabi Tjungurrayi
    Nyaru by Charlie Wallabi Tjungurrayi
< Previous Next >


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In the Quiet Moment

May 23, 2016 Family Stories, Kristi, port wine stain, Sturge Weber Syndrome, Vascular System 1 Comments

On March 20, 2009 I spent the quiet moments of nap-time looking at waiting child programs with various adoption agencies. Home from China just four months with our second child, we weren’t ready to expand our family just yet, but as a planner I wanted to have ‘all my ducks in a row’ for when …Read More

40 fundraising families. And a challenge for you.

December 20, 2014 affording adoption, fundraisers, fundraising for adoption, Kristi, Stefanie, the little light project 1 Comments

Last week we shared the organizations working on behalf of the fatherless in China. 19 incredible organizations that I hope you’ve had a chance to read about and consider how you might partner with one. Today we are featuring fundraising families. 40 of them. Whew. The too-many-to-count hours spent compiling and formatting the information for …Read More

November 11, 2014 co-sleeping, cocooning, Kristi 2 Comments

Thump. pitter pat, pitter pat, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, pitter pat, pitter pat. Glancing at the clock I note it is 3:57 AM, a little later than usual. In automatic response to the oh so familiar sound of little feet jumping to the floor and then making their way across the house to my room, …Read More

I like you be my mommy

June 11, 2014 heart defect, Kristi, Trust Based Parenting, vision issues 2 Comments

“I like you be my mommy.” Those six little words, spoken with a beaming smile no less, from my four year old nearly made me come undone recently. Her heartfelt statement spoke volumes about the positive change in our relationship over the nine months we’ve known one another…because on September 2 of last year, things …Read More

what time?

April 11, 2014 heart defect, Kristi, vision issues 0 Comments

Difficult conversations. They happen in every house from time to time. Sometimes they are easy to see coming, other times they can hit just about blindsided. And then there are the times you lay your own trap… Last year I turned 40. The morning of my birthday one of my kiddos came in to wake …Read More

the need is great

March 12, 2014 heart defect, Kristi, vision issues 2 Comments

This month I meant to share with you about a difficult conversation one of my kids and I have been dancing around for months now. And I will share that conversation at some point. But it won’t be today. Today my heart is broken, my thoughts are disjointed and my emotions are raw. I just …Read More

wounded heart

February 11, 2014 heart defect, Kristi, vision issues 1 Comments

Character band-aids. They seemed to me like a colorful slice of a pacifier that we ever so gently stick on our children’s wounds…sometimes they even actually even cover blood. I have in the past had what you could call a ‘love/hate relationship’ with character band-aids. That is until a Mother’s Day tea in one of …Read More

Are you ready?

August 11, 2013 heart defect, Kristi, vision issues 7 Comments

Our sweet Natalie. It’s been over two years now that we’ve prayed for her to find a family and nearly one year since we’ve been racing to make her part of ours. In pictures I’ve watched her go from a baby to a toddler to an adorable preschooler. While it seemed the wait would be …Read More

Best friends

June 11, 2013 heart defect, Kristi, vision issues 0 Comments

This school year one of my closest friend’s daughters has helped keep Daniel and I company one day a week. Our Mondays together have included some preschool lessons, lunch time, rest time and of course plenty of play time. Two precious kiddos, born on different continents in 2008. These “built-in best friends” now live in …Read More

Everyday girl

April 11, 2013 heart defect, Kristi, port wine stain, vision issues 3 Comments

I watch her run across the yard, her straight, black ponytail bouncing over her self-selected outfit (which today, for once, is rather tame) and from the back she seems like just any other, everyday, six year old girl. Then something grabs her attention and she turns around. As she glances past me her face breaks into …Read More

super mom

June 11, 2012 glaucoma, Kristi 3 Comments

I have a confession to make. On those (thankfully rare) crazy busy days, when we have more places to be at one time than I have hands, when we somehow survive the day in one piece AND I manage to get a healthy meal on the table for dinner, the kids all get a bath …Read More

I passed.

May 11, 2012 Kristi 14 Comments

I distinctly remember one of the questions that someone I once considered a close friend asked me when I told her that my husband and I decided to grow our family by adopting. “Once you get home, will you try to have ‘your own’ children so that you will really know what loving a child …Read More

At nine months

April 11, 2012 heart defect, Kristi 4 Comments

Back in July I wrote about sleep (or lack thereof) in our house with our new addition. It seemed pretty dismal back then. For those in the midst of sleepless nights, I thought that a look at the light at the end of the tunnel may offer some encouragement. Sleep.  Such a precious commodity. I …Read More

the unknown

March 12, 2012 Kristi 1 Comments

Suddenly I realized that I’d gone from smiling to wiping away tears. It all started innocently enough. I was sitting in a stuffy school gymnasium with around 100 other proud kindergarten parents watching my precious one and all of theirs in her first school performance. The first few numbers were cute enough; a celebration of …Read More

My baby

February 11, 2012 Attachment, Kristi 0 Comments

Last Sunday we celebrated five years since our oldest child was placed in my arms in a hot room in southern China.  That means that I’m precisely five years and six days into this glorious adventure called motherhood. The learning curve was vicious at first, but I’ve come a long way.  I feel that I …Read More

December 11, 2011 amblyopia, Kristi, vision issues 0 Comments

A few months ago we assumed that our oldest son had perfectly good vision. Then I took him to his yearly check at the pediatrician’s office.  He rocked out the vision chart using both eyes, and then again with his left eye.  But when it came time for his right eye, he just giggled and …Read More

Learning to love dangerously

October 11, 2011 heart defect, Kristi 0 Comments

Special needs. There’s a whole lot of weight to those two words. I’ve written a few times about how having several children with so called “special needs” doesn’t define our family.  We have more specialist appointments than some and less than others, but overall the family life of the “M6” is mapped by four active …Read More

Not much to say

August 13, 2011 Kristi 0 Comments

Today I don’t really have much to say about special needs adoptions. Actually, that isn’t really true. I have plenty to say about special needs adoptions.  It’s just that I have this adorable little quad that keep me away from my keyboard more and more these days… You want to talk SN adoptions?  Come by …Read More

His heart

July 11, 2011 adoption realities, heart defect, Kristi 0 Comments

I’ll never forget meeting our Daniel for the very first time.  We had met both Caleb and Darcy around the same age and while Ian and I were thrilled, it could be said that neither of them were…  I was prepared for a similar reaction from our youngest. As we approached the courtyard, the red …Read More

and we love

May 13, 2011 Kristi, Laine 0 Comments

There is something unique about the international adoption community ~ specifically the SN group. It is not uncommon for us to sacrificially give to help raise the ransom for our children. We celebrate with one another during each step of the process and especially when our children come home. Yet with great joy comes deep …Read More

New perspective on loss

April 11, 2011 adoption realities, Kristi 0 Comments

It has been almost a month since my grandfather died.  Long past the the initial shock, and the trip “home” to Ohio for the funeral, the tears have continued to come, usually at unexpected times.  Most recently it was over selecting a bunch of asparagus at the grocery.  Standing there in the produce section I …Read More

Finding peace

March 13, 2011 Kristi 0 Comments

I find it funny how sometimes by the end of the day that I can hardly remember what I had for lunch, yet I know EXACTLY what I was doing three years ago right around lunch time.  To understand that day, I need to back up to 24 hours prior.  At the time we were …Read More

Conversations at Bedtime

February 11, 2011 Kristi 0 Comments

Ever have one of those nights when you’re pretty sure your kiddo(s) is(are) stalling at bedtime with random questions? Yeah, me too.  If I’m going to be honest, around here that happens pretty frequently. Take the other night’s conversation for instance. Caleb ~ “Mommy.  Hey Mommy.”Me ~ “Yes Caleb?”C ~ “What amoebas eat?”Me ~ “Um.  …Read More

My free spirit

January 12, 2011 Kristi 0 Comments

It wouldn’t take much to convince me that it was my youngest daughter who the person that coined the phrase “happy-go-lucky” had in mind. DQ at her free-spirited best just after a beach wedding we attended last fall She not only rolls with the punches, she embraces them.  Getting two busy siblings overnight after three …Read More

The one that came between

December 11, 2010 Kristi 0 Comments

My youngest child will probably not have concrete memories of her birth mother.  Today we are 9 1/2 months into a lifetime of making memories together with me as her forever mother.  And while I’m the one she will have permanent memories of, I will do all I can to help her keep memories of …Read More

A matter of the heart

November 11, 2010 Kristi 0 Comments

I was sixteen when my cousin’s son was born with a hole in his heart.  Back then I had no idea that such things were actually rather common.  Or that it was likely that the hole would close up on its own ~ which actually ended up being the situation.  All I knew was that …Read More

Mixed emotions

October 11, 2010 Kristi, port wine stain, Sturge Weber Syndrome 0 Comments

A week from today my beautiful girl will have her first appointment with the laser surgeon.  The procedure itself will last less than fifteen minutes from the time anesthesia starts until I’m called back to recovery.  Much less complicated and involved than the two eye surgeries she’s had so far. And yet I find myself …Read More

Just your average mom

September 20, 2010 Kristi, Parenting Special Needs 0 Comments

Since I’ve become a mom to a child with a visible special need, I’ve noticed something interesting about the way some people perceive me. Many people, from our guides in China to friends who know our schedules with various specialists to random strangers in grocery lines, want to promote me to sainthood. They say things …Read More

"What's wrong with him?"

August 18, 2010 Kristi 0 Comments

I have three delightful children. When I have them all in tow, we get a lot of politely curious question in public. A LOT. We hear, “Are they all siblings? Are the girls twins?  Are they all triplets? and Are they all yours?” (especially when my blond haired, blue eyed husband is with me) almost …Read More

A surprise gift

July 11, 2010 Kristi 10 Comments

I have a son. Every now and then that statement still surprises me. When my husband and I began the road to building a family through adoption from China, we simply assumed that we’d have daughters. (At the time we were oblivious to the fact that there were boys who were waiting for the love …Read More

US 35 North ~ revisited

June 11, 2010 Kristi, port wine stain, Sturge Weber Syndrome 3 Comments

I bet that I’ve ridden the stretch of US 35 North between Charleston, WV and Dayton, OH at least 100 times in my life.  It’s familiar.  I know where to expect the power plants, glimpses of the river, the convenience stores, and the grand farm houses as we make our way “home” to western Ohio. …Read More

A new look on life

May 11, 2010 congenital glaucoma, Kristi, vision issues 2 Comments

Well, the most recent eye exam didn’t give quite the results we were hoping for. At the last visit three weeks ago Dr. F was encouraged by the reduction in pressure in our little one’s eye and hoped that we’d be able to avoid further surgery for months, possibly even years. But the pressure has …Read More

Reflections from my first time in "the waiting chair"

April 11, 2010 congenital glaucoma, Kristi, port wine stain, surgery, vision issues 7 Comments

Welcome to Kristi, our newest contributing blogger. Kristi has three children adopted from China and her newest daughter, Darcy, joined their family in February. Kristi blogs about their family at Fireworks and Fireflies. Wednesday of this past week I joined a club. A club I never would have imagined myself in just a few short …Read More

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The content found on the No Hands But Ours website is not approved, endorsed, curated or edited by medical professionals. Consult a doctor with expertise in the special needs of interest to you.


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Guidotti and Lee

Firm Overview

Firm: Guidotti and Lee
Trusts, probate, estate planning and estate taxes, small business, real estate and contracts.
In its current form and location (Orinda), the firm was established in 1989. Prior to that, we were in North Oakland with another partner for many years.

Example cases

Bulk of time spent is presently in estate planning and probate, and trust preparation and administration, including some sizeable matters. We also provide ongoing services to some businesses which are fairly sizeable but not publicly owned.

Main Office
1 Bates Boulevard
Suite 300
Orinda  CA  94563
  • (925) 254-3450
  • (925) 254-6411

Free Initial Consultation?
Yes; flexible depending on subject, but generally around 1/2 hour.
Services Offered For Fixed Fees?
Not fixed, but estimate is usually close.
Hourly Rates

Office Information

Office Hours
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Office Manager
Barbara Torrey
Emergency After Hours
Languages Spoken
Partner, Aldo Guidotti, speaks Italian.

How did your firm decide on the primary area of practice(s)?

We were originally a very general civil practice, including litigation, touching on most fields except criminal and bankruptcy. We were in the Italian neighborhood in Oakland where our former partner grew up, and would handle most problems for the neighboring families and businesses. As the age of specialization evolved and clients themselves grew older, we became more focused on estate matters.

What is your firm's point of view regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?

I am for it, provided that they are cautious about undertaking anything significant on their own.

Is your firm willing to review documents prepared by clients?

I am willing, but would advise if it is quicker and cheaper to use our own form than to fully review theirs.

Is your firm willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?

Depends on the case. This is usually OK for Small Claims Court, but I would be very cautious about doing this in other matters.

Charles A. Lee

I started in our predecessor North Oakland office in 1967.

Experiencing a wide variety of clientele and problems from all walks of life, especially when we were in Oakland at a neighborhood office. Original mentoring and continued support by a senior partner with outstanding academic credentials and professional accomplishments. Experiencing a personal family life with four children, basically close, but with some significant problems to overcome, which was valuable in dealing with others' challenges including life and death matters.

My style is to try to put the client at ease and to resolve his/her matter in a manner with the least stress and cost. I attempt to minimize the client's expense while being thorough in the preparation and services needed. I strive to explain everything clearly and completely. Generally, legal writing is probably my strongest technical point.

Personal interests:

Charitable/Community: Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise (past president), Lamorinda Sunrise Endowment Fund (director), St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley (elder), Orinda Czech Sister City Program (director), Contra Costa Performing Arts Society (counsel).
Personal: Music (I perform classical piano); sports generally, especially hiking.

  • Bar Number: 37562
    California , 1966
  • UC Berkeley School Of Law (Boalt Hall)
    L.L. B. , 1965
    Berkeley, CA
  • Pomona College
    A.B. , 1965
    Claremont, CA

* Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the state agency that licenses lawyers. Any past disbarments and suspensions (with possible exceptions for minor violations or nonpayment of dues, in our discretion) will be indicated accordingly in the badge. Member attorneys are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency.


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The Burmese

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I was a Burmese for one night and promoted Buddhism during the same night. It was my first time setting my feet under the limelight of Luce Auditorium, being watched by hundreds of people, viewed by thousands, and laughed at by the total (bwahaha).

It was fun, fun, fun, fun. Time sure was goldest when we got to rush over to change our outfits. We didn't care who was behind us, in front of us, with us, with them, in them, whatsoever--babae, lalake, bakla, bahala na---we had to change fast--magkahubaran na kung magkahubaran! Haha.

The backstage was the noisiest area of the stage. Girl, boy, bakla, tomboy, bata, matanda, crew, stage manager, o stranger ---everybody was shouting. We panicked, tripped over wires, bla bla. We even got lost one time and went through the other side of the stage in front of the audience haha.

As we all agreed, we made a great show. We never missed a dull air facing the crowd. Everyone seemed to have blown off their throats to attempt the loudest cheer. The show ran for like 3.5 hours, and the audience, I think, was satisfied.

From the Land of Golden Pagodas: BURMA

Huwag na pansinin ang date. bnas

1 comment:

alex said...

hey mr burmese! ang cute mo hehe

wow that sure looks fun!


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Want to know where The Merchant Of Venice is set? Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice is set in renaissance Venice, with a few scenes in a town called Belmont. The setting is important – Venice was one of the wealthiest towns in Europe, as it was right on the sea, with excellent shipping facilities for  trading with the east. There was a big Jewish population, and a ghetto, where they lived. They were hated by the Christian community although its members went to the Jewish money lenders when they needed to – as  occurs in this play. The play is partly about the relationship between Jews and Christians who have to live side by side in a very small space. The story springs from that clash in Venice.

The map below shows all the locations Shakespeare used for The Merchant Of Venice, and below the map is a text list of the locations. When you click a pin on the map it opens to show all of the settings used within the location, using Shakespeare actual wording. You can zoom in on the map for a more detailed view of an area, click the icons on the map for more information, or use the list of all map pins below the The Merchant Of Venice settings map:

Please take a moment to review this content!

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On August 14, 2013 the Novato Charter School began a 3-year-long program with Dr. Kim Jon Payne, Director of the Center for Social Sustainability. Click here for additional information of the launch of the Program.

There will be many steps to the school’s Student Support Program as part of its continued efforts to strengthen its compassionate community and culture. The first step was the formation of the critical Student Support Team.

The goal is to foster an environment of openness in which children, with the support and guidance of adults, feel empowered to work through conflict. The beauty of the program is that it calls upon each individual to look within and rise to a new level of compassion and understanding.

The result is a culture where positively-guided conflict is recognized as part of the equation in the healthy development of social emotional intelligence of each student.

For the Student Support Informational Brochure CLICK HERE

© Copyright 2017 Novato Charter School, Novato Unified School District | 415-883-4254 | Site Map | Site Credits | facebook

Alliance for Public Waldorf Education

Public Waldorf is a service-mark of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and used pursuant to a license


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Bulgarian Solar/Wind-Powered Irrigation System Sparks Int'l Interest

Business | April 11, 2014, Friday // 13:55| Views: | Comments: 0
  • Send to Kindle
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Solar/Wind-Powered Irrigation System Sparks Int'l Interest Photo by vesti.bg

An irrigation system running renewable energy developed by a Bulgarian company sparked interest from Qatar, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

A prototype of the system has already been installed and is functioning in the southeastern village of Polyana, Yambol district, where the technology services a farm of 50 decares, according to reports of Capital daily.

The irrigation system is an installation of solar panels or windmills which supply energy to the pumps extracting water from the ground, thereby saving electricity costs and the need to access energy infrastructure.

The system was built by an engineering team of the company Green Technologies Industry with EU funding under operational program "Competitiveness" amounting to BGN 300 000.

The irrigation system was exhibited at an international forum in March, after which international entities expressed interest, according to Martin Ganev, a member of the team which created the device.

In an interview for Capital daily, Ganev explained that the efforts of the company in 2014 would be focused on the commercialization of the innovation so as to make it more affordable for agricultural producers.

He informed that the current price tag of the technology amounted to BGN 10 000 - BGN 100 000.

Ganev was positive that the technology would be used extensively in 6-7 years' time, adding that it would prove its efficiency and economic viability in the conditions of constant climate changes on a global scale.

Business » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
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Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria


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NPR logo Introducing 'It's All Politics', The Blog; And NPR's 'Election Scorecard'

Election 2010

Introducing 'It's All Politics', The Blog; And NPR's 'Election Scorecard'

They've been long in the making. Lots of hours have been put into them. And now they're real.

Starting today, on, we’re adding a lot of things for all you … political junkies.

Elections Scorecard promo

First, there's this new blog — It’s All Politics. Hosted by my colleague Frank James (a veteran blogger on The Two-Way and at the Chicago Tribune's political blog The Swamp), it will have all of my Political Junkie rantings, including ScuttleButton, as always. Ron Elving's Watching Washington columns will be here too.

There's more. There will be links to the It's All Politics podcast and the Wednesday "Political Junkie" segment on Talk of the Nation. And Frank will be scanning the media universe for the best political reporting — from NPR and elsewhere — to pass along to you.

But wait, that’s not all.

We’re also launching the Election Scorecard – all my picks for all the important races in the battle for control of Congress, and in the critical contests for governor. Plus, you’ll get to see how my forecasts compare to those of some other prognosticators. Who'll end up looking smartest? Well … we’ll see.

Here's an overview of Ken's ratings. See all the races we're following at the Election Scorecard. hide caption

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We're excited about the launches of these endeavors. We think you will be too. And we hope you keep returning to the blog and our other features — through Nov. 2 and beyond.

Welcome to It's All Politics, the blog.


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NPR logo July 7th Show

July 7th Show

Why do we get lost? Psychologist Colin Ellard argues that humans have lost the instinctual ability to find our own way. mitjamavsar hide caption

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Deadliest Day In A Year For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan
Yesterday marked the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan in almost a year. Seven Americans were reported killed. NPR's Jackie Northam joins us from Kabul with the latest on the continuing U.S. offensives in Afghanistan, and the Taliban response.

You Are Here: Why We Get Lost
You are here. Just thought I'd let you know in case you got lost. According to experimental psychologist Colin Ellard, ants and hamsters have a better sense of direction than we do. Ellard helps us navigate the subject of navigation (and explains why we're so bad at it) and talks about his new book, You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but Get Lost in the Mall.

Michael Jackson's Final Act
Today, hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend a public memorial for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles. Countless more will watch news coverage of the event. Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal, editor Bill Wyman and author Nelson George talk about the magnitude of Michael Jackson, his music and his memorial.


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Nanyang Technological University

Food & Beverage

North Spine

You'll find the widest variety of F&B at the North Spine. Local favourites, international cuisine, fast food... read more

South Spine

There's something for everyone at the Koufu @ the South Spine. read more

If there isn't a canteen at your hall, chances are you'll find one at a neighbouring hall. read more

Around Campus

There are a number of cozy cafes and eateries all over campus. read more

North Spine Plaza

Visit the North Spine Plaza. read more

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Code of conduct

The following document was produced by IRFU and the Leinster Branch. It has been passed and accepted by NUIM Barnhall. It outlines the clubs responsibility with regards to behavior towards match officials.

Clubs are responsible for the behavior of their members, players, coaches and supporters towards Match Officials, and are expected to take steps to protect Officials from any form of abuse. Abuse of Match Officials is defined as;

‘Individual perception of personal degradation be it mental or physical, before, during and after the game including (but not limited to)

  • Verbal or physical assault
  • Intimidatory conduct
  • Racial or sexual harassment’

The IRB Code of Conduct Regulation states that a person

‘- shall not abuse, threaten or intimidate a referee, touch judge, or other Match Official, whether on or off the field of play (20.1.10) and

  • Shall not use crude or abusive language or gesture towards referees, touch judges or other Match Officials or spectators (20.1.11)’

Failure to comply can result in the player (if during the match) or the Club (if members, coaches, players off the field or supporters) being bought before the Branch Disciplinary Committee. Sanctions include suspensions, loss of league points, fines or loss of International Tickets. All the above sanctions HAVE been handed out to different players and Clubs in the past.

All NUIM Barnhall members and visitors are expected to adhere to the code.

Yours in rugby

Seán Kirby

Hon. Secretary


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Back to Back Issues Page
Nursery-Rhymes-Fun News, Issue #115 --
July 14, 2016

FREE TODAY 7/14 and TOMORROW 7/15/2016 ONLY

It's being sold through Amazon, but I've arranged for my readers to get a free copy today and tomorrow only. Hope you will take advantage. I'm sure you and your children will enjoy learning about the elephants. Kids love animals and "Can You Touch Your Toes With Your Nose" playfully compares the lives of the elephants to things we as humans do on an everyday basis. Hope you enjoy it.

Don't worry if you don't have a Kindle. Amazon offers a free app for ipad, iphone and kindle for PC. You can download it for free. Just click the link under my book. It says "Read on any Device." Very easy!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a review, please. Amazon reviews are the lifeblood for all authors and it helps others know which books are worth the purchase. I hope you'll help me out with a quick review.

For all who took advantage and downloaded the free play “THE HARE AND THE HEDGEHOG” I hope you are enjoying your production. If you would be so kind, I would so much appreciate if you could take a moment to give it a testimonial and if you would approve of my publishing your testimonial. As you may know testimonials are a great way to tell others what a good experience you have had in purchasing my products. Also as you may know I support my website through the sale of these playscripts, so they are an integral part in my being able to keep my site up and running. I would never print your entire name in any testimonials, so don’t worry about your privacy being compromised. If you haven’t already taken advantage of our free play offer for your summer fun you can download it here.

Just click HERE FOR A FREE PLAY SCRIPT and download.

It isn’t being made available anywhere else for free, I am extending this offer only through this newsletter to my loyal readers. Enjoy your summer.

Thanks Pat

click here to leave a testimonial. Here.

Did you see our newest books? PLUS KINDLE BOOKS TOO! Here.

Did you get your free bonus book? Download Here.

Interested in some truly creative play? Playscripts are the ultimate in creative hands on play. We have a great assortment for all ages and interests. Check them out Here.

Back to Back Issues Page


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Nursery Rhymes

Oh, where, oh, where

Has my little dog gone?

Oh, where, oh, where can he be?

With his ears cut short

And his tail cut long,

Oh, where, oh, where can he be?

Viewed By 1505 Kids is a free site offering lyrics and music to hundreds of popular nursery rhymes that have been passed down through the ages. Use our site to keep kids entertained, find lyrics to a nursery rhyme that you can't remember, or bring you back to a happy time when you were child.


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Warranties to cover new technology

Car warranties – what will and won’t void them?

So you’ve got a new car and been given a 3 year warranty (or some other time), or you’ve purchased an extended warranty for your current car, now you’re hearing horror stories about what you can’t do if you don’t want your car warranty to be void, well let us help you out.

Generally, car warranties DO have a clause in them which will state exactly what will void them, red that clause carefully just in case your chosen provider has any additional voidable “offences” within their contract, however, in general reasons for voiding will be things such as;

-Using your road vehicle for off-roading.

-Damaging your car during a race event / otherwise in a manner which would be reasonably expected of a road going car.

– Modifying your car in a way which may cause damage or reduce the life span of a part covered by warranty, this could include things such as modifying or removing certain sensors, making modifications to the cars ECU or onboard computer, for instance a remap – remaps often change the fuel/air ratios and could cause damage to the engine (this is of course highly unlikely, but if there is a chance that it caused the damage then it will be seen as your fault, and will not be covered).

– Not sticking to an agreed service schedule. If you don’t have your oil, or belts changed, and as a result your engine seizes or breaks its valves, then you would not be covered under warranty, however, the services must be carried out correctly, but DO NOT need to be carried out by a main dealer, a local independant garage is completely fine, as long as you can prove it was carried out, for example with a stamp in your service book, or with receipts for the work.

Things which will not (unless explicitly stated in your contract) void your car warranty include;

Changes to the physical appearance of your vehicle, such as paint, stickers, window tints, bodykits etc, unless they can be proved to have contributed to the fault.

Interior changes such as new headunit, leather seats, lighting upgrades etc (if these items break they are unlikely to be covered under warranty though!)

So don’t let people misinform you, it’s harder than you think to void a car warranty, if you use your car in a normal manner and don’t do any crazy engine mods, you should be completely fine.

Why purchase when you can hire?

Before you think about hiring a crane, you will need to ensure you fully understand all aspects of the hire – including who is liable in the event of any accidents. A crane can potentially be very dangerous. Generally, a crane hire company will also send a crane operator/supervisor who will be responsible for all aspects of the crane’s use, meaning you won’t be liable if something goes wrong, but it is important to be sure. The hire company should be insured for loss or damage of the crane equipment in an accident, however, unless the operator was negligent, damage to your property may not be covered – check this when hiring.

Be certain that you read all small print as generally you will be required to ensure that the ground is stable and suitable for a crane, and that all information about what you are lifting, and where you are lifting it to is correct – the provided crane operator will not perform any lifts which he deems unsafe or too much of a risk to either the public or the crane hire equipment.

Any lift with a crane comes with its risks, ensure you have planned out the lift in the best possible way to ensure that the lift(s) go without any issues or unnecessary risks – if you identify any potential risks, either resolve them, try to find another alternative method to perform the lift, or in the worst case, ensure you are insured against any damage or loss caused by the lift.

Ensure there is good access to your site for the crane, as many crane hire contracts will state that you are responsible for the crane and related equipment once it leaves the main road and joins part of your site, whether that be your access road or the building site itself.

You should plan well in advance and do a full risk assesment on all aspects of the lifts you need completed, and be sure to follow all of the latest guidelines and standards. If you’re hiring from a reputable company such as ldncranehire.co.uk they will be able to advise you on the latest standards and guidelines and provide relevant advice where required. Remember, if you do not adhere to the required standards then the crane hire operator is highly unlikely to carry out the lift for you.

Be sure to make enquiries if you’re unsure about the type of crane required, the crane hire company won’t be liable if you order the wrong equipment to the site, and you will likely still have to pay at least part of the fee.

A good hire company will be able to assess your needs and advise on the best machine for your requirements if you give them detailed information over the phone, otherwise it may be worth having an on-site survey performed – it’s better to pay a little extra to get the right machinery, than pay out for something which will not suit your needs.

Web Development

Web development is big business, it is used to develop websites and online applications, every time you browse the internet you are using multiple examples of “web development” even this website you’re reading right now used web development to get it online!

Although the terms are often used together, or in place of each other, web development should not be confused with web design, likewise, search engine optimisation, whilst linked, is not the same. – web design is the art of physically designing a website, the images and the look of the website, whilst the web development part of the process puts the website together and makes it work. Search engine optimisation does what it says – optimises the website for search engines, to encourage better rankings.

Do you use Google or Bing to search for the answer to questions, or to find a website covering a topic you’re interested in? If so, you’re reaping the rewards of thousands of hours of web development time, not only the website itself, but the workings behind the scenes, the databases, the scripts and the calculations that take place in order to serve you the most relevant accurate results possible all take place because of web development.

Ever used a website to find out when your favourite game is being released, or to organise matches with friends, or even play in Online Fifa Leagues? Those websites have had countless hours of development put into them too!

If you’re an amatuer when it comes to web development, there are many systems out there which take out all of the hard work – one such system is WordPress (this website is built using WordPress). With thousands of pre-built themes, and plugins to add any functionality you could think of, you can have a website up and running out of the box within a couple of hours from start to finish.

If you choose to build a website using WordPress you have a choice to make – WordPress.org or WordPress.com. What’s the difference? I hear you ask!

Simply put, WordPress.com is slightly simpler to use, however, it is a hosted solution, you will need to host your website over on WordPress.com and if you wish to use a domain name you own, you’ll need to pay them extra. Some plugins are included for free, as are a selection of themes, however if you wish to use custom plugins or themes you would need to pay extra again.

WordPress.org can be used on any webhost (as long as it supports the minumum requirements – PHP 5.6 and MySQL 5.6, we strongly recommend that mod_rewrite is also supported) and has no restrictions on which plugins or themes can be used, you will also be encouraged to use a custom domain name as with any standalone hosting, so you will not be stuck with the WordPress.com domain.

Should you decide to go with WordPress.com and switch to WordPress.org down the line, you should note that whilst moving your posts and images is easy enough, it’s trickier to move custom themes and plugins, and you may need to manually install these and configure them to look like your old WordPress.com hosted website.

So you’ve chosen WordPress as your website’s platform – either .com or .org, you now need to install a theme (or go with the default!) and add your content.

WordPress has 2 main content types, “pages” and “posts”. I’ll quickly explain the differences between the two so you can decide which is more suitable for your requirements.

A page;

A page in WordPress is basically what it says on the tin, we generally use these for the main pages such as About us, Contact Us, Home etc – these are static pages and would not show up in a blog or news feed.

A post;

Posts should be used for news style content, for example announcements, industry news, random musings, all of your posts will show up on your “posts” page in a blog style format, you can then click on these posts to read the full post.

Once you’ve added your posts and pages, your theme, and any plugins you wish to use, your basic website is complete, the actual web development involved was minimal, but why is this?

Well quite simply, the majority of the development work itself has been done by the team of coders who work on the WordPress core, WordPress themes and WordPress plugins – if you needed some form of custom functionality then you would need to get into the real gritty side of web development – writing custom code, and that is certainly a lot less achievable than setting up a basic WordPress website for most people.

So if you’re looking to develop a website from scratch, take a look at a pre-built content management system such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal before you think about considering expensive custom development, you might be surprised just how versatile these systems are!

Product Development

When we hear the word development, we think about the technical side of things, whether it be web development, software development or application development, but did you know, development goes into almost everything around us from the food we eat, to the sofas we sit on, to the TVs we watch whilst sitting on our sofas, to ensuring we get the best dash cam video quality.

One local company has gone through multiple development processes when bringing their Smart TV Box to market. Talking to the head of marketing, he gave us an insight into exactly what was involved, and the various different development processes which came together to make the product what it is today.

“Firstly, we knew what we wanted to market, where we wanted to market it, but we weren’t set on the how” he said, continuing “We knew we wanted to retail Android TV boxes to the mass market, to do that we had to stand out from the crowd, and thats where the Starbox name was born.”

“The name itself was chosen and we knew we needed to develop a recognisable brand around the name, with the products themselves, our website, our stationery and invoices, and indeed our shop livery all going to feature the logo, we had to get it right”.

The guys over at DroidStar Electronics had a logo created by a professional team of designers, both for their DroidStar Electronics brand, and also the StarBox brand too.

“Next up, we had to do some work on the product itself, we worked with a trusted group of manufacturers we’ve used over the years to make sure the product was of the highest quality, and could be the best value for money possible”

So the business was born, with the product in production and the logos and brand rady to go, the next stage was to market the product.

“We have a team of in-house web-designers and developers so this part was fairly painless for us – we could create our vision exactly as we wanted it, and we soon had a website online accepting orders from across the globe”

Something that not all products and brands require, but DroidStar did, was a custom Android firmware for their TV boxes, this was also created in-house.

“We didn’t want our boxes to run a stock version of Android, we wanted our customers to feel the love we’d put into our product, all of our Starbox range runs a fully customised version of Android, with each new box we add to the range having the same level of development time put into it to ensure we keep everything truely StarBox”.

So to market a product, not only was product development involved, there was also brand development, website development, electronics development and Android development all required. We asked if knowing what they do now, they would do it all again.

“Absolutely – in fact, we’re still developing new models and Android versions, we’ve just re-developed our website, and we always have some exciting new projects in the pipeline too!”.