It has been a while since I posted, so I just sat down to do a "catching up" post. And, I saw that Lynne is working on a post with most of the same info. So, I'll just bring you up to date quickly and she'll fill in the details.
I usually do an April Fool's Day post to our blogs. In the past, the post was usually about our dogs and was targeted at the Bernese Mountain Dog community.
For example, I once did a post about how much Margaux, one of our female BMDs who is no longer with us, enjoyed our hot tub as long as it was set to 102.5°. And, that any temperature below or above that was not acceptable to her. You'd be amazed at the hostile replies I got telling me that putting our dog in the hot tub was not good for her (or the tub). We have actually never even owned a hot tub.
Another time I posted about how the rug we had in our living room, which was made from spun hair from our nine Bernese Mountain Dogs, always made the house smell like wet dog when we shampooed it. A few months later a BMD breeder visited us and ask to see the rug!
Some people got the joke right away. But, some were fooled I guess. The post was shared a couple of dozen times and viewed about 2200 times (last I checked).
The death threats are slowing down now, ten days later.
There is a lot more going on. We've had a couple of heavy, wet spring snows. One of about 8" and another with about 12". They seem to come on Tuesdays. Of course, this time of year the snow only lasts a couple of days due to the warm, sunny days and warm winds. We did have to take the Ranger out after the last storm because we had an appointment to pick up the travel trailer. So, we drove the tracked vehicle to our tow truck's location at Mr. H's house near the CO/WY border. When we got back, a logging company had plowed the county road, so we ended up driving 5 miles on dirt and mud instead of snow.
When it is bad outside, we work on our weaving. Lynne will show photos of the "mug rugs" I'm working on for the trailer.
We are not yet seeing wildlife: deer, elk, moose. However, we have seen the fox around lately and we've seen lots of hawks and eagles now that the prairie dogs are out and about.
That's about it for now. We are in that transistion between Winter and Spring, and can hardly wait for full-on Spring. (It is snowing as I write this.) I'll try to do a better job of keeping things up-to-date!


text:
Posted inFeatured
N.C. Docs Weigh in on Concealed Weapons Permitting
by Rose Hoban April 23, 2013 October 19, 2021
Photo by KOMU news, courtesy of flickr creative commons
By Rose Hoban
What are the responsibilities of doctors who are asked to sign off on a permit for a concealed weapon?
In the wake of high-profile shootings, that's a question that several local physicians began bandying about among themselves.
The result of their musings ended up last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Photo by Robert Nelson, courtesy flickr creative commons
UNC-Chapel Hill family doctor Adam Goldstein said that in the wake of the December shootings that killed 26 children and their teachers in Newtown, Conn., he started getting requests from his local sheriff to sign off on concealed carry weapons permits.
"In certain various jurisdictions in various states, to get a concealed carry license you have to exclude those with mental or physical conditions that could impair that person's use of a concealed handgun," Goldstein said during an interview.
He explained that in many places, the applicant only needs to self-disclose any problems and go through a criminal background check.
In North Carolina, at least 240,000 people are permitted to carry a concealed weapon. Between 30,000 and 40,000 people apply for new applications annually.
Goldstein said checking on a criminal background is pretty straightforward for law-enforcement agencies that grant the permits, but the mental and physical health part is trickier.
According to Goldstein, for medical clearance, an applicant puts down his or her physician's name and contact information. Sheriffs can send off the application to the doctor for approval.
"After December, a number of my colleagues and I started getting these requests from sheriffs to sign off on these applicants. So we didn't know what to do with it," he said.
That got him thinking, and talking. Goldstein pulled in doctors, a medical ethicist and an attorney from the Duke University School of Law who specializes in medical issues.
The result of their discussions is the article, which teases apart some of the ethical, legal and policy considerations of doctors signing off on concealed weapons permits.
"Federal law, for example, prohibits gun sales to felons, persons found to abuse controlled substances, persons with a history of domestic violence, and persons deemed dangerously mentally ill," Goldstein wrote. "But it's … difficult to assess mental competence and current or future risk for violence. Even with drug testing, it's often difficult to detect clinically whether a person is abusing illegal substances, controlled prescription drugs or alcohol."
Goldstein and his colleagues wondered what would happen to a doctor who signs off on someone who then commits a heinous crime, or commits suicide, using the weapon. Is that doctor liable?
"There's no evidence that physicians can accurately assess patients' ability to use weapons competently and safely," Goldstein and his colleagues wrote.
They pointed out that over a five-year period in North Carolina more than 2,400 permit holders were convicted of crimes, including more than 900 offenses for driving while impaired and more than 200 felonies.
"There's no evidence that doctors know anything unique of gun safety," Goldstein said. "It's not a part of our training."
Establishing competency, protecting privacy
"Doing this is unlike things such as a physical to get a commercial license or sports physicals or even camp physicals, where you're given guidance," Goldstein said. "How do you establish competence in this case?"
During his research on the issue, Goldstein found a tremendous variation between North Carolina counties when it comes to approving permits. In some counties, it seems, sheriffs routinely contact the physicians listed on the permit application. In others, that's not the case.
"You'll find a county where the approval rate is 10 times another county," Goldstein said. "One believes that the distribution of illness is somewhat even, so it seems that the sheriff or the law-enforcement agency responsible for approval is using radically different standards.
"In some circumstances, they're relying on doing deeper checks, and in some counties it's almost never denied."
Goldstein and his co-authors concluded that lawmakers need to clarify a doctor's responsibility when it comes to approving a concealed carry permit.
"There are not independently licensed doctors who do this for a living," and perhaps there should be, Goldstein said. Legislators should at least establish standards for doctors to follow, he added.
Goldstein and his co-authors also considered the problems of maintaining patient privacy.
"What happens if I know but don't want to disclose that this person had a trauma as a kid, and I don't want to approve the application?" Goldstein asked. He said it's unclear if disclosing that kind of information could violate patient privacy laws.
"What about if their heart rate isn't controlled? Or if they're taking an anti-depressant or Ambien? I can't tell you what's the right answer," Goldstein said.
Doctors need more guidance from policy-makers about what constitutes mental and physical competence to carry a concealed weapon, he said, and those policy-makers need to set standards and protocols to help guide physicians' decision-making.
Photo courtesy KOMU News, flickr creative commons
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by Rose Hoban, North Carolina Health News

N.C. Docs Weigh in on Concealed Weapons Permitting

by Rose Hoban, North Carolina Health News
April 23, 2013

By Rose Hoban

What are the responsibilities of doctors who are asked to sign off on a permit for a concealed weapon?

In the wake of high-profile shootings, that's a question that several local physicians began bandying about among themselves.

The result of their musings ended up last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Photo by Robert Nelson, courtesy flickr creative commons

UNC-Chapel Hill family doctor Adam Goldstein said that in the wake of the December shootings that killed 26 children and their teachers in Newtown, Conn., he started getting requests from his local sheriff to sign off on concealed carry weapons permits.

"In certain various jurisdictions in various states, to get a concealed carry license you have to exclude those with mental or physical conditions that could impair that person's use of a concealed handgun," Goldstein said during an interview.

He explained that in many places, the applicant only needs to self-disclose any problems and go through a criminal background check.

In North Carolina, at least 240,000 people are permitted to carry a concealed weapon. Between 30,000 and 40,000 people apply for new applications annually.

Goldstein said checking on a criminal background is pretty straightforward for law-enforcement agencies that grant the permits, but the mental and physical health part is trickier.

According to Goldstein, for medical clearance, an applicant puts down his or her physician's name and contact information. Sheriffs can send off the application to the doctor for approval.

"After December, a number of my colleagues and I started getting these requests from sheriffs to sign off on these applicants. So we didn't know what to do with it," he said.

That got him thinking, and talking. Goldstein pulled in doctors, a medical ethicist and an attorney from the Duke University School of Law who specializes in medical issues.

The result of their discussions is the article, which teases apart some of the ethical, legal and policy considerations of doctors signing off on concealed weapons permits.

"Federal law, for example, prohibits gun sales to felons, persons found to abuse controlled substances, persons with a history of domestic violence, and persons deemed dangerously mentally ill," Goldstein wrote. "But it's … difficult to assess mental competence and current or future risk for violence. Even with drug testing, it's often difficult to detect clinically whether a person is abusing illegal substances, controlled prescription drugs or alcohol."

Goldstein and his colleagues wondered what would happen to a doctor who signs off on someone who then commits a heinous crime, or commits suicide, using the weapon. Is that doctor liable?

"There's no evidence that physicians can accurately assess patients' ability to use weapons competently and safely," Goldstein and his colleagues wrote.

They pointed out that over a five-year period in North Carolina more than 2,400 permit holders were convicted of crimes, including more than 900 offenses for driving while impaired and more than 200 felonies.

"There's no evidence that doctors know anything unique of gun safety," Goldstein said. "It's not a part of our training."

Establishing competency, protecting privacy

"Doing this is unlike things such as a physical to get a commercial license or sports physicals or even camp physicals, where you're given guidance," Goldstein said. "How do you establish competence in this case?"

During his research on the issue, Goldstein found a tremendous variation between North Carolina counties when it comes to approving permits. In some counties, it seems, sheriffs routinely contact the physicians listed on the permit application. In others, that's not the case.

"You'll find a county where the approval rate is 10 times another county," Goldstein said. "One believes that the distribution of illness is somewhat even, so it seems that the sheriff or the law-enforcement agency responsible for approval is using radically different standards.

"In some circumstances, they're relying on doing deeper checks, and in some counties it's almost never denied."

Goldstein and his co-authors concluded that lawmakers need to clarify a doctor's responsibility when it comes to approving a concealed carry permit.

"There are not independently licensed doctors who do this for a living," and perhaps there should be, Goldstein said. Legislators should at least establish standards for doctors to follow, he added.

Goldstein and his co-authors also considered the problems of maintaining patient privacy.

"What happens if I know but don't want to disclose that this person had a trauma as a kid, and I don't want to approve the application?" Goldstein asked. He said it's unclear if disclosing that kind of information could violate patient privacy laws.

"What about if their heart rate isn't controlled? Or if they're taking an anti-depressant or Ambien? I can't tell you what's the right answer," Goldstein said.

Doctors need more guidance from policy-makers about what constitutes mental and physical competence to carry a concealed weapon, he said, and those policy-makers need to set standards and protocols to help guide physicians' decision-making.

Photo courtesy KOMU News, flickr creative commons

This article first appeared on North Carolina Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Tagged: concealed carry permits, injury control, injury prevention
Rose Hoban
Rose Hoban is the founder and editor of NC Health News, as well as being the state government reporter. Hoban has been a registered nurse since 1992, but transitioned to journalism after earning degrees... More by Rose Hoban
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3 replies on "N.C. Docs Weigh in on Concealed Weapons Permitting"
BigBearCarolina says:
But these weren't gun crimes, and had nothing to do with the fact that they were permit holders. Over that same 5 year period, thousands more non-permit holders commited the same crimes. What has one got to do with the other? Oh that's right, nothing.
Silicon29 says:
Get convicted of a felony, guess what happens to your concealed carry permit? Which answers your last question and begs to differ with your final assumption…
Ned Buntline says:
Hmmmm… 200 out of 240,000. That's 0.0008 percent of concealed carry holders gaining felonies. Sounds like a pretty law abiding bunch to me, and WAY below NC's general population crime rate.
Republish our stories for free!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ber  is a village and commune of the Cercle of Timbuktu in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The village lies 8 km north of the Niger River and 53 km east of Timbuktu. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 9,128. The commune is mainly sand dunes and extends for 35,280 km2.

References

External links

Communes of Tombouctou Region

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"We use video and paper to make complex ideas easy to understand. We present subjects 'in plain English' using short, unique and understandable videos in a format we call Paperworks."
I love the way they merge visuals from the analog world to tell stories digitally. They are fantastic storytellers. I'm sure you can apply a trick or two from their creative style to one of your future presentations in slideware, etc. The video below is their latest one which explains what Twitter is. It's very timely for me as I have just begun to use Twitter myself (I know, I'm slow. But I didn't really see the need personally. Now I am beginning to get it. Here's my Twitter page. You're welcome to follow me. I'll also post more links on Twitter from time to time that don't make it into the Presentation Zen website.) Below are a couple of samples from Common Craft.
• The Common Craft YouTube page (all their cool video presentations).
Thanks for posting this. These are good visuals I tend to understand information better if it's presented with a visual. It's creative way to communicate.
Thanks for posting this. These are good visuals. I tend to understand information better if it's presented with a visual. It's a creative way to communicate.
Agreed. They are quite brilliant. Their idea is sound and a lot of us are hit with that why-didn't-I-think-of-that-feeling. They really know how to tell a story effectively and I'm sure they put a lot of work into making it seem so obvious.
brilliant! I saw many examples in their website. Note that their work has nothing to do (visually) with the visual identity of the brands they work for. They use their own look (branding) - not the brand's. This is different and interesting.
Thanks for linking to Common Craft, I hadn't realized that there were a number of videos beyond "Wikis in plain English", which I have already used for introducing the topic to different groups in our company.


Web Corridor offers a complete package of affordable website design. From the initial process of taking inputs from clients, planning on the basis of such inputs to final implementation and testing, all are done using latest web designing techniques and skills.
We provide custom website design services tailored to your requirement. We are a one stop solution for designing, developing and maintaining a web presence that matters to your business. You can select the most appropriate service(s) for your business from those mentioned below. In case you are not sure how to make the right choice, we are here to help you understand the technical aspect of the scope of work and estimate its cost. We would love to hear from you. Share your contact details so that we can get back to you at the earliest.


Hypoglycemia is not the only cause of loss of consciousness. Stroke, heart attack, a sudden drop in blood pressure, and even a bump on the head can render you unconscious. In fact, very high blood sugar (above 400 mg/dl) over several days, especially in a dehydrated individual, can also cause loss of consciousness. We will assume, however, that if you are carefully observing the treatment guidelines of this book, you will not allow such prolonged blood sugar elevation to occur.
If you're found unconscious by someone who knows how to rapidly check your blood sugar, a measurement may be made. Treatment should not be delayed, however, while people are scampering about trying to find your testing supplies.
may be given through clothing provided it is not too thick (for example, through a shirtsleeve or trouser leg, but not through a coat or jacket).
Under no circumstances should anything be administered by mouth while you are unconscious.
emergency medical service, or you should be taken to the emergency room of a hospital.
may experience convulsions. Signs of this include salivation, tooth grinding, and tongue-biting. Although the last can cause permanent damage in the mouth, no attempt to intervene should be made. Your heroic savior will not be able to help you if you bite off her fingers. If possible, you should be turned to lie on your side with your head positioned so that your mouth is downward. This is to help drain excess saliva from your mouth so you won't breathe it in and choke.
glucagon injection. You should fully regain consciousness and be able to talk sensibly within 20 minutes at most. If steady improvement is not apparent during the first 10 minutes, the only recourse is the emergency squad or hospital. The emergency squad should be asked to inject 40 cc of a 50 percent dextrose (glucose) solution into a vein. Individuals weighing under 100 pounds (45 kilograms) should receive proportionately smaller amounts (e.g., a 70-pound child would receive 20 cc of the dextrose solution).
target. This is important, because if your blood sugar is kept normal for about 24 hours, your liver will rebuild its supply of glycogen. This glycogen reserve is of great value for protection from possible subsequent hypoglycemic events.
same day, the second shot might not raise blood sugar. This is possible because liver glycogen reserves may have been totally depleted in response to the first injection. Thus, monitoring and correction of blood sugar every 5 hours for 1 full day is mandatory after the use of glucagon.
2. hours to make sure that you're not again hypoglycemic, but do not correct for high blood sugars every 2. hours; wait the full 5 hours since the last shot of rapid-acting insulin (see page 305).
frightening, remember that this is an extremely rare event, and usually results when a type 1 diabetic makes a major mistake, such as those included in the list on pages 319–320. I know of no case where a type 2 diabetic experienced severe hypoglycemia when using any medication that we recommend.
Previous articleHypoglycemia – How family and friends can help when you are conscious but unable to help yourself.


text:
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
#include <CoreGraphics/CGGeometry.h>

@interface NSAttributedString (FFKit)

/** Returns an NSAttributedString object initialized with the characters of a
    given string and no attribute information.

    @see NSAttributedString#initWithString:
*/
+ (instancetype) stringWithString: (NSString*) str;

/** Returns an NSAttributedString object initialized with a given string and
    attributes.

    @see NSAttributedString#initWithString:attributes:
*/
+ (instancetype) stringWithString: (NSString*) str attributes: (NSDictionary*) attrs;

/** Returns an NSAttributedString object initialized with the characters and
    attributes of another given attributed string.

    @see NSAttributedString#initWithAttributedString:
*/
+ (instancetype) stringWithAttributedString: (NSAttributedString*) attrStr;

/** Calculates and returns the bounding rect for the receiver's text drawn
    using NSStringDrawingUsesLineFragmentOrigin | NSStringDrawingUsesFontLeading
    options and display characteristics, within the specified size in the
    current graphics context.

    @see NSString#boundingRectWithSize:options:attributes:context:
*/
- (CGRect) boundingRectWithSize: (CGSize) size;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
//// [importAliasAnExternalModuleInsideAnInternalModule_file0.ts]
export module m {
    export function foo() { }
}

//// [importAliasAnExternalModuleInsideAnInternalModule_file1.ts]
import r = require('./importAliasAnExternalModuleInsideAnInternalModule_file0');
module m_private {
    //import r2 = require('m'); // would be error
    export import C = r; // no error
    C.m.foo();
}

//// [importAliasAnExternalModuleInsideAnInternalModule_file0.js]
"use strict";
exports.__esModule = true;
var m;
(function (m) {
    function foo() { }
    m.foo = foo;
})(m = exports.m || (exports.m = {}));
//// [importAliasAnExternalModuleInsideAnInternalModule_file1.js]
"use strict";
exports.__esModule = true;
var r = require("./importAliasAnExternalModuleInsideAnInternalModule_file0");
var m_private;
(function (m_private) {
    //import r2 = require('m'); // would be error
    m_private.C = r; // no error
    m_private.C.m.foo();
})(m_private || (m_private = {}));


The sun sets, the moon rises in the smoky, Colorado sky.
By now I'm sure you're aware of the wildfires here in Colorado raging their vicious wars upon the forests and mountains I hold so dear. The fiery sun sets and an orange moon rises through an angry haze of dense and acrid smoke which burns the eyes and scorches the throat, turning the light such otherworldly hues of blood and rust that I'm quite sure Armageddon is fully upon us. I'm anticipating the day when the sun returns - clear and pure - and the air is clean once more. Soon, hopefully soon!
And so we wait. Still nature charges on, and we're amazed by what we find on our evening walks. From the thorny spines of the cacti, growing in the most barren, rocky soil, spring delicate flowers, like an oasis, in the most dainty shades of pale green and yellow. They remind me of the inside of a tender, early summer leek. So, while we're waiting for the sun I decided to cook up some magic in the kitchen, like a personal ray of sunshine streaming in through the window of my stove. The early leeks are magic in themselves. Plump, crisp and zesty, they fill the shelves at my local market. Braise them in wine and add a few specks of smoky bacon and something truly extraordinary happens. They become creamy, rich and softly mellow. Like a bed of velvet and satin on which the chicken rests.
Want to help those affected by the wildfires? Buy a shirt. All proceeds benefit wildfire emergency relief efforts in Colorado.
In a large pan with a lid cook the bacon until crispy. Remove and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown on both sides in the bacon fat. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Add the leeks and garlic with a pinch of salt and stir, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken broth and bay leaf. Place the chicken pieces on top of the leeks. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over med-low heat for 35 - 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.


The wheels fitted with 17" sporty tyres make the SX one of the most effective 125cc bikes on mixed runs; lightweight and snappy, it is able to offer the emotions of a higher-powered engine capacity. SX 125 is equipped with a refined single-cylinder 125 cc engine, an Aprilia engine that has been able to further refine the four-stroke engine, allowing it to enter the strict Euro 4 standard without compromising performance or driving pleasure. With their high efficiency, increased safety, SX is equipped with advanced suspension and a new ABS braking system with anti-roll-over, which guarantees precision and total braking control and adjusts the rear wheel lift in the most decisive braking.


Underground Drainage for Gutters is done by routing rainwater underground and away from your home rather than along the surface of your landscaping. There are a number of reasons to choose underground drainage and these systems need to be installed with care. Installers must ensure that they drain to the correct location, and that they are installed with sturdy materials that will be able to withstand incursions such as roots.
In some cases, the natural design of a property provides enough surface drainage that rainwater is not a major problem. In other instances, people may notice pooling, soggy soil and other signs of a water drainage problem. Poor water drainage can compromise the foundations of a home, damage landscaping, cause soil erosion and cost thousands of dollars in repairs.
Underground Drainage for Gutters generally consists of the gutters terminating into a solid pipe to move water away from the homes foundadtion, followed by a perforated section of pipe that allows water to disperse into and under the ground. The perforated section is "socked" to keep the pipe form clogging. An overflow basin completes the system to allow for unusually hard rains or tropical storms.
Gutters and downspout collect rain water as usual.
Water is directed into an underground solid pipe.
The solid pipe runs away form the homes foundation.
Water then flows into a perforated catch basin .
Water is distributed evenly into the ground.
During heavy rain, excess water is expelled through an overflow onto the surface, away from the home.


People don't like to think about what will happen if they become too ill or infirm to manage on their own. Experts say that partly explains why sales of long-term-care insurance policies are so anemic; only about 10 percent of seniors have such coverage.
Given the complexity of these policies, experts agree it's tough to decide whether they're right for you. The policies have many moving parts: After a waiting period, they generally pay a set daily benefit for a certain number of years. They typically cover care in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or at home.
Video: Should You Buy A Long Term Care Insurance Policy?
They also tend to have high premiums. A 60-year-old might pay $200 a month for a policy that pays $150 a day for a maximum of three years, according to a 2009 study by Avalere Health, a research and consulting firm, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Kaiser Health News, which produces this column, is a program of the foundation.) Purchasing at a younger age can help trim premium costs.
But since people typically don't make a claim until they're 80 years old or so, that can be a long lead time, especially when you've got college tuitions to pay or may be worried about losing your job.
Recent turmoil in the long-term-care insurance market adds further uncertainty. MetLife, one of the largest carriers, announced it will no longer sell the policies starting next year, and John Hancock, another major issuer, has asked regulators for premium increases averaging 40 percent for 850,000 policyholders.
In the future, people may be able to take advantage of the Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act, or CLASS Act. This is a program created under the new health-care law to help people with functional or cognitive impairments pay for nonmedical services to help them stay in their homes. The money can also be used to cover nursing home care.
Premiums and benefits have yet to be set, but one estimate, by the Congressional Budget Office, suggested a cash benefit averaging $75 a day. Enrollment won't begin until 2012 at the earliest, however, and people will have to pay premiums for at least five years before they're eligible to receive benefits.
What's a consumer to do in the meantime?
Unfortunately, existing government programs aren't much help to middle-income people. Medicare provides only limited nursing home and home health care coverage. Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income people, pays for about 70 percent of nursing home patients. But in order to qualify, people must generally have no more than a few thousand dollars in assets.
"People need to think about it very holistically," says Anne Tumlinson, senior vice president for long-term care at Avalere Health. For many people, that's going to mean patching together a safety net that consists of savings, caregiver help from friends and family, support from local community services and perhaps long-term-care insurance.
Care isn't cheap. In 2009, the average cost for a home health aide was $21 an hour, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. A private room in a nursing home cost $219 daily on average, though there are wide variations depending on location. A one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility was $3,131 per month, on average.
Two years ago, when her mother was in the last stages of Alzheimer's disease, LuMarie Polivka-West's parents sold their home and moved to an assisted living facility in Tallahassee. After her mother's death last year, Polivka-West and her two brothers moved their father, now 96, to another assisted living facility a bit closer to LuMarie's home.
LuMarie and her two brothers help supplement their dad's $1,600 monthly Social Security check and the money left from the sale of his home to cover his living expenses, including the $3,400 monthly charge at the assisted living facility. As a nurse practitioner, her younger brother is able to manage their father's medications, saving him the $600 a month that the assisted living facility would charge for this service.
The family discussed buying long-term-care insurance at one time but decided against it, partly because of the cost.
"My parents planned well, but they lived longer than expected," says LuMarie. Her father's assets will run out in two to three years. "We'll help maintain Dad in the assisted living facility as long as possible," she says.
About 10 years ago, Charline Hines and her husband also discussed buying a long-term-care policy. But they made the opposite decision: They bought one. Hines says the policy was useful when her husband was dying of Parkinson's disease a few years ago and had to go into a nursing home near their home in Grand Prairie, Tex.
But Hines, 78, just received a notice that her premium was going up in January, from $2,772 a year to $3,132. Now she's seriously considering dropping the policy.
"I feel it's time to just let it go," she says.
For people who are considering buying a policy, call a few local facilities to get an idea of costs in the area. Since the average stay in a nursing home is about 2.5 years, many experts advise buying a policy that will provide benefits for about that long. Inflation protection is also key, to keep pace with rising costs. A policy with 5 percent compound inflation protection is the gold standard.
Look for a company with strong financial ratings and a history of stable rates. New York Life and Northwestern Mutual, for example, have never raised premiums on existing policies. Those companies are the exception, however. If you buy a long-term-care policy, expect that premiums will go up.
"I'm telling people now that they need to build a 50 percent rate increase into their planning," says Bonnie Burns, a specialist with California Health Advocates, an advocacy organization.


text:
package com.sl;

import java.util.ArrayList;

import static sl.util.Log.log;

public class TestMain {

  static String LTCFNIBP = "LTCFNIBP";
  static String LTCFSOP2 = "LTCFSOP2";
  static String LTCFFBG = "LTCFFBG";
  static String LTCFTEMP = "LTCFTEMP";
  static String LTCFHR = "LTCFHR";
  static String LTCFECG = "LTCFECG";
  static String LTCFSTE = "LTCFSTE";
  static String data =
      "\"diastolic\":65,\"heartrate\":80,\"systolic\":106,\"testuser\":\"13400640907\",\"time\":1477885555381";

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    ArrayList<TestBean> list = new ArrayList();
    list.add(new TestBean("diastolic", "65"));
    list.add(new TestBean("heartrate", "80"));
    list.add(new TestBean("systolic", "106"));
    log(doDataHeader(LTCFNIBP, data, list));
  }

  public static String doDataHeader(String dataType, String data, ArrayList<TestBean> list) {
    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
    Integer length = dataType.length();
    byte dataTypeLenth = length.byteValue();
    log(dataTypeLenth & 0xff);
    sb.append(dataTypeLenth);
    sb.append(dataType);
    Integer dataLenth = data.length();
    byte[] dataTotalBytes = intToByteArray1(dataLenth);
    for (byte b : dataTotalBytes) {
      sb.append(b);
    }
    Integer size = list.size();
    sb.append(size.byteValue());
    for (TestBean test : list) {
      String name = test.getName();
      Integer name_lenth = name.length();
      String detail = test.getDetail();
      Integer detail_lenth = detail.length();
      sb.append(name_lenth.byteValue());
      sb.append(detail_lenth.byteValue());
      sb.append(name);
      sb.append(detail);
    }
    sb.append(data);
    return sb.toString();
  }

  public static byte[] intToByteArray1(int i) {
    byte[] result = new byte[4];
    result[0] = (byte) ((i >> 24) & 0xFF);
    result[1] = (byte) ((i >> 16) & 0xFF);
    result[2] = (byte) ((i >> 8) & 0xFF);
    result[3] = (byte) (i & 0xFF);
    return result;
  }

  public static class TestBean {
    private String name;
    private String detail;

    public TestBean(String name, String detail) {

      this.name = name;
      this.detail = detail;
    }

    public String getName() {
      return name;
    }

    public String getDetail() {
      return detail;
    }
  }
}


The Food District is officially open, but not every vendor is serving customers just yet.
But some are worth the wait.
Earlier this year, Build it by Design, a Mississauga-based contracting company that's worked on a number of acclaimed restaurants throughout Mississauga and the GTA, confirmed that the MidiCi: The Neapolitan Pizza Company, will be opening a brand new location inside the shopping centre's newest food area.
MidiCi's Square One location will be its second in Canada. As of now, residents who want to sample the brand's beloved pizza have to travel to the Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket to do it.
As far as MidiCi goes, the L.A.-based company says it's all about socializing, social responsibility and, of course, pizza.
"Everything we do is motivated by our will to make the world a friendlier place, and to serve fine authentic Neapolitan pizza," the brand's website reads.
As far as the menu goes, MidiCi offers antipasti (think warm olives, garlic knots, bruschetti, baked burrata, calamari and more), meat and cheese boards, salad, bread and, of course, pizza.
Some pizza varieties include margherita, marinara (which is vegan), pesto, tartufo, diavola, tropicale (Hawaiian), chicken bruschetta, egg and bacon and more.
According to Square One, the restaurant should open sometime in May or June.
The Food District itself opened on April 1 and focuses on offering local, handmade and high-quality foods in a setting that embraces both new- and old-world food emporiums.
It offers a ton of acclaimed vendors, including La Carnita, Sweet Jesus, Bake Three-Fifty, Pier 87, Seed to Sausage, the Pie Commission and more.
With more than 34,000 sq. ft., the Food District will offer residents space to meet, explore and share the love of food through tastings, cooking classes, dinner parties, book signings and other special events.
Will you be eating at MidiCi this spring?


text:
Date : Fri, 27 Aug 2010
Four-time Grammy nominees Queensryche have signed a multi-album, worldwide deal with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records. The band's label debut –their twelfth studio album overall- is tentatively scheduled for a Spring 2011 release. Singer and founder Geoff Tate remains the creative nucleus of the band, which continues to make relevant, against-the-grain hard rock that entices fans, both new and diehard.
"We are very happy to be signing with Roadrunner/Loud and Proud. This is the rock label and a place where they are as excited about our music as we and our fans are," Tate said in a statement.
Queenryche's 1988-issued album Operation: Mindcrime is universally respected as a classic concept release about rock, revenge and redemption. It is ultimately regarded as one of the most important and essential hard rock records in the genre's expansive canon. 1990's follow-up, Empire, yielded a #1 single, the Grammy-nominated ballad "Silent Lucidity," which the band performed at the 1992 Grammy Awards accompanied by a supporting orchestra. Yeah, Queensryche are metal legends.
Are you a Queensryche fan?
—Frank TJ Mackey


text:
Orava (deutsch Arwa, ungarisch Árva, lateinisch Arva, polnisch Orawa) ist eine Landschaft im Norden der Slowakei und im Süden der polnischen Woiwodschaft Kleinpolen. Von ihr abgeleitet ist der Name des ehemaligen ungarischen Komitats Arwa, der Name selbst ist von der Hauptburg des Gebiets, der Arwaburg abgeleitet.

Die Landschaft liegt in der nördlichen Mittelslowakei und der slowakische Name "Orava", der vom gleichnamigen rechten Waagzufluss herrührt, wird heute als inoffizielle Bezeichnung für dieses Gebiet und als offizielle Bezeichnung einer Tourismusregion verwendet.

Die Tourismusregion Orava (slowakisch Oravský región cestovného ruchu) erstreckt sich über die Bezirke:
Námestovo
Tvrdošín
Dolný Kubín

Von 1918 bis 1947 war die Region ein Gebietsdisput.

Siehe auch
Liste traditioneller Regionen der Slowakei
Liste der Tourismusregionen der Slowakei
Komitat Arwa
Tschechoslowakisch-polnische Grenzkonflikte
Liste von historischen Territorialstreitigkeiten

Region in Polen
Region in der Slowakei

Grenze zwischen Polen und der Slowakei
Umstrittenes Territorium


Oh my goodness what a wonderful weekend I had back home with family! I had been looking forward to it for such a long time as spending time with my family and on the farm is never dull. There's always stuff to do and though we found time to relax the best time were when we were out "playing" on the farm.
There's so much I could blog about and so I think I may end up staggering a few of my photos and post over the week so I don't have to mash everything together.
To start with Friday evening my siblings (minus Caleb and Carrie) all gathered for a campfire and later in the night fireworks.
Early in the day Elizabeth and I prepped some food. She made these amazing veggies on a stick wrapped in tin foil and cooked over the fire. Everybody loved them! Not only did they look great but they way she cooked them gave them a real smoky, outdoors taste.
For dessert, I brought out the a few cake pops we made early that afternoon. None of my family had actually tasted these balls of cake on a stick before but found them rather tasty, incredibly sweet but oh so good!
The rest of the night was spent around the fire, some went to the barn to try and find the the wild kittens and then when all was dark we set off the fire works.
What a fantastic night it was!


Spinal cord injury affects the heart, that's what research published in Experimental Physiology and carried out by researchers from University of British Columbia, Canada has found.
(HealthDay)—Yet again, the nation's leading authority on preventive medicine says postmenopausal women should avoid hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
(HealthDay)—SERPINA1 DNA sequencing can identify alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), according to research published online Nov. 28 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
(HealthDay)—Atopic dermatitis (AD) disease severity is associated with immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses against Staphylococcus aureus antigens, according to a study published online Nov. 30 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
(HealthDay)—Allopurinol prescribing is more likely if patients meet eligibility criteria at diagnosis, according to a research brief published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.


Other insects go through a four-stage life cycle, too.
While they follow the same basic pattern—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—the details of their lives can be very different. For example, honeybee larvae don't go off on their own and fend for themselves like butterfly larvae do. Adult honeybees care for wiggly, wormlike larvae in nurseries inside their hive. The larvae are fed literally hundreds of times a day and they grow FAST.


text:
Tag: Karen Marie Moning
Book Review: Feversong
Before getting into tonight's review, I made a small change to the format of this blog. Now when you go to the home page–instead of my blog post feed–you will be taken to a static page where I will post general updates about what I'm working on, followed by a list of my current books and links if you want to grab a copy. Right now the update is very vague and general since I'm working that out, lol, but it will become more detailed as I figure that out.
A list of recent blog posts is available on the right hand menu.
I decided to do this as a quicker and more general way of keeping readers and those who may stumble upon this blog up-to-date with what I'm working on. I don't really blog as much as I used to, nor do I usually have the time and/or desire to blog that much, haha. February is an exception because I released a novella and then Reclaim, but I'm going to try to keep update posts to once every month, or even every two months. Until I'm well underway with a project, there's usually not that much to say, and I end up repeating myself a lot.
With that said, onto my review of Feversong, the final installment of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series (at least as we know it!).
I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to KMM's Fever series, although I'm super bummed this is the end for Barrons and Mac's story, at least, it seems, for now. I believe Ms. Moning is planning additional books set in the fever world, only centered around other characters, so I'm interested to see where that goes.
Honestly, I was nervous at the beginning of the book that I wouldn't like it. At the end of Feverborn, to save herself and Jada/Dani, Mac basically opens her inner Sinsar Dubh…and sure, it gets them out, but it also turns Mac into a psychopath, haha. The parts written from Mac/the Sinsar Dubh's perspective got old for me, fast, but luckily it's only the first quarter of the book or so. And she does some REALLY horrible things while she's possessed. I mean, dear God, lol.
But I loved the rest of the book, and I felt like everything that happened after that was a natural extension of Mac's story. Also, and I may be in the minority here, but I really like Dani, and I liked seeing her become her old self more and more as the book went on. And I LOVE her and Dancer and get a little annoyed when KMM seems to be trying to appease the Dani/Ryodan shippers while also giving Dani and Dancer the time together they deserve.
I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Dani's time in the Silvers with Shazam. (I love Shazam.) We get to find out more about him, too.
All in all, KMM brought this second part of the Fever series to a satisfying and admirable close, while still leaving the reader with a bit of a sense of mystery, particularly around the destinies of Barrons and Mac. (If you're curious or confused, she did write a blog post about this. It's on her Facebook page, but don't read it until you finish this book because there are spoilers. But it might clear up any confusion you may have.)
There was also a scene in Feversong that made me cry. 😦 Overall, well done, Ms. Moning!
February 23, 2017 by S. L. Categories: book review, books, currently reading, The Fever seriesTags: books, Fever series, Feversong, fiction, Karen Marie Moning, paranormal romance, reading, urban fantasy 2 Comments
Book Review: Feverborn
Last night, I stayed up until two in the morning reading Feverborn, the latest installment of Karen Marie Moning's bestselling Fever series. In typical Moning fashion, she really blew me away in the last 150 pages or so of the book, and I couldn't put it down. That being said, I had some issues with the first part of the book. But I'll get to those in a second.
I would say the "big picture" plot point in Feverborn, and this phase of the series in general, is repairing the damage that has been done to Earth since the walls came down. Small black holes (that are only getting bigger) have cropped up all over Dublin–including the one steadily growing towards the abbey–and the squad (Mac, Jada, Barrons, Ryodan, Christian, and Dancer) have figured out the reason and a theoretical remedy. So, part of Feverborn are these very different characters, with strong, and at many times clashing personalities, forming an unlikely alliance to save Earth. This is complicated by the fact that many outside characters and groups want one or the other of them dead for various reasons.
There are a few other interesting subplots interspersed throughout the book as well. We find out what happened to Dageus after Burned and a near-fatal mission to rescue his nephew, druid-turned-Unseelie prince Christian, who was being tortured by the creepy Crimson Hag. Mac's past also comes back to haunt her, in more ways than one. We even get a few insights into what Cruce, the Unseelie prince trapped underneath the abbey, has been up to, and he's starting to reemerge as the "big bad."
That all being said, what Feverborn is really about is Mac and ice-cold Jada, formerly Mac's energetic, impulsive bff, Dani. This was my favorite part of the book. Through Jada's impersonal third-person narration, we learn bits and pieces of what happened to her while she was in the Silvers, and–although she never divulges everything–it's enough to paint the bleak, heartbreaking picture. I actually have to say that, this time around, I enjoyed Jada's plot thread considerably more than Mac's. And I love how Moning has challenged their friendship, and the healing process for both of them that starts to take place in Feverborn.
I have to admit, though–and I hate saying this about one of my favorite authors–that the first half of the book was a bit of a mess. I felt like the book didn't know what it itself was really about (Mac and Jada) until about the halfway point, maybe even further along. Moning often switches between points of view within books, and I usually admire her ability to do so effortlessly and convincingly. I never question whose head I'm in, and each plot thread typically stands well on its own while still advancing the overall plot.
But this style didn't work for me as much in Feverborn. I have to agree with other reviews I've read saying that Mac's part is basically a rehash of her old problems–issues I thought had been wrapped up by the end of Shadowfever. Also, the strain Moning placed on her and Barrons's relationship in Burned seems to have completely evaporated now, and they've reverted to slamming their walls back up whenever they're not having insanely hot sex (really, if Barrons can't just call her Mac all the time at this point instead of Ms. Lane, fts). It's like all of the progress they've made in their relationship throughout the course of the series has been unraveled for no reason.
Further, there are some random chapters written from Christian and Lor's POVs for seemingly no reason. Okay, Christian's sort of had a point (although it's not carried throughout FB like in past books), but Lor's didn't give any significant insight into his or Jo's characters and didn't advance the plot. I guess it was sort of amusing, but it really should have served some other function than comic relief. I did, however, enjoy the parts with Cruce and Papa Roach, and I really hope Cruce is coming back as the major evil player in the next book (which I think is supposed to be the final, final book?).
By the way, I hate that I have to write this. As a writer myself, I know that criticism can be a good thing and very helpful, but I hate sounding overly critical or mean about a series and author that I love. I still think Karen is an excellent writer. I love the language she uses, the settings she creates–I can picture everything vividly in my mind, and I'm still highly invested in all of the characters. It's just this book felt like a lot of filler material before the next book. (A lot of readers said that about Burned as well, although it didn't feel that way to me for some reason. But this book did.)
The last fourth of the book really saved it for me, though. I wish the entire book had just focused on Mac and Jada and their friendship, because those parts were really touching. There are enough mysteries planted throughout FB that keep you hooked and plenty of twists and surprises–toward the end, they just kept coming. The battle at the abbey sort of works as a climax for the good guys/bad guys conflict in the book, but I think the real climax happens right after that, when you find out why Jada goes running back into the burning abbey. It just shows so much about what she must have went through in the Silvers and the person she has become now. Those parts actually brought tears to my eyes, they were so heartbreaking. I'm still intrigued to see where Moning is going with all of this and how she'll tie up the loose ends she left at the end of FB.
So, in summary, while I felt like Feverborn had trouble finding its footing, the last part of the book saved it for me, and that's why I'm giving it four stars. I will still probably pre-order the next book and binge read it when it comes.
January 24, 2016 by S. L. Categories: book review, books, currently reading, The Fever seriesTags: book review, books, Burned, Fever series, Feverborn, Jada, Jericho Barrons, Karen Marie Moning, MacKayla Lane, paranormal romance, reading, Ryodan, urban fantasy Leave a comment
Return of the Mac: A Review of Burned
There have only been a few authors in my life that have left me almost not able to function until their next book comes out. That I read it as soon as I get my hands on it. In high school and part of college, that author was J.K. Rowling. Now, in my adult life, I have Karen Marie Moning.
It was actually my mom who discovered the Fever series seven or so years ago. I think back then there were already three or four books out, so I didn't have long to wait until the next installment. (Now, the wait is longer, harder, but still totally worth it.) I was immediately sucked in to the seedy underbelly of Ms. Moning's Dublin, where the Unseelie lurk and dark forces are at work to bring the walls between our world and the Fae's down. I crushed on Jericho Barrons, a sexy, enigmatic antihero equal parts elegant and wild. And I loved the fever world's kick ass heroine, MacKayla (Mac) Lane, who, over the series, transforms from a blonde, pink Southern girl without a care in the world to a fierce Unseelie fighter and a protector of Dublin, the city she's grown to love even though it took her twin sister, Alina.
The first five Fever books are primarily from Mac's point-of-view. Fans of the series know that the last book, Iced, was Dani "Mega" O'Malley's time to shine, with some insight into Christian MacKeltar's life as he made the agonizing transformation from sexy, Highlander druid to insatiable Unseelie Prince, as well as Kat's POV and life with the sidhe-seers at the abbey. I feel like not too many people were thrilled with a book that was told mostly from Dani's POV, and, although perhaps not my favorite in the series–I think that honor still goes to Shadowfever–I enjoyed Iced, and Dani's story was definitely one that needed to be told.
In Burned, "Mac is back," as it quotes on the front cover–and I think Ms. Moning's got her groove back. The book was fun, sexy, packed with action and suspense, and I couldn't put it down. Well, somehow I managed to for a few hours to get some shut-eye, but this morning I was right back reading, and I finished it within the day. Like I said, not many books have sucked me in quite like the Fever and Highlander series have. I devoured it, and when it was over I was in some sort of book haze/coma, wanting more but knowing that more probably won't come for another year, maybe longer.
I'm not sure what to even say about this book–like Shadowfever, there are so many twists in it–and so many inklings of things to come–I'm not sure I can talk about it without accidentally giving something away. I can say, though, that it centers mostly around Mac and Dani's relationship, which–if you've read the series–you know was tried when Mac found out Dani, of all people, was the one who killed her dear twin sister, Alina. (You find out even more about the circumstances surrounding this in Burned.) Mac and Jericho's relationship, which was sort of wrapped up nicely enough at the end of Shadowfever (I will always remember the quote, "I will always be priya for this man."), is also tested in this latest installment.
Although most of the story is told from Mac's POV, we get glimpses of Barrons at the very beginning, the Unseelie king, Christian as he's being tortured by the Crimson Hag, Kat as she struggles to maintain leadership of the sidhe-seers at the abbey, and even Lor. (I have to admit, out of all the POVs, I think I enjoyed Lor's the least, although I guess he was kind of amusing. I just didn't find it very convincing–it was a little too much for me, although he and his budding love interest were sort of cute towards the end.) We also get glimpses of a new, ultra kick ass assassin, Jada–who, even though her dialogue is reminiscent of Seven of Nine's in Star Trek: Voyager (everything is inefficient), she turns out to be oh so important. The transitions between the first (and third) person POVs works well for the book and, even though Ms. Moning conveniently labels each chapter with the character's name, the styles are different enough that I think you'd be able to tell them apart, anyway–something I hope I can master.
There are also some very old friends in this book–namely, twins Drustan and Dageus MacKeltar from the Highlander series. They're pivotal to the mission to save Christian from the clutches of the Crimson Hag. New troubles are also brewing in post-apocalyptic Dublin–problems even the Unseelie king may not be able to fix (and it's questionable whether he even wants to). Although some issues leftover from Iced are resolved, and Mac comes to term with some demons from her past, there are still lots of loose ends at the end of Burned and a slight cliffhanger, which will leave you yearning for the next book.
This book got me right in the feels, and I know I won't be able to shake it all week. I even called my mom to fangirl about it…which, in retrospect, was kind of mean because she won't read it until I bring my copy home with me, lol. If you're a fellow Moning Maniac, I know you will love Burned. If you haven't read the Fever series–do it. Immediately. And the Highlander series, too–or at least the Immortal Highlander.
January 25, 2015 January 25, 2015 by S. L. Categories: Book of the Week, book review, books, currently reading, The Fever seriesTags: books, Burned, Fever series, Highlander series, Iced, Jericho Barrons, Karen Marie Moning, MacKayla Lane, paranormal romance, reading, urban fantasy 1 Comment
Only two more weeks until Relapse comes out…..eek!!!!! Why did I decide to release it right after Thanksgiving again? Oh, right, because I love you guys, and I want you to have something to read over winter break. 😉
Before we go on with today's post, I thought I'd mention I got a little (very, very little) writing done this weekend…335 words, to be exact. I'm working on a novella from Anna's POV. The novella takes place somewhat parallel to the events in Reborn. I don't know if I'll do anything with it, or if it will become part of the next book. I'm mainly doing it to find her voice and flesh out her back story, since I want to incorporate more from her POV in future books.
But, anyway, that's not what today's post is about. I want to talk about influences: the authors, themes, and types of characters I've become obsessed with over the years. This may turn into a two-part post…we shall see…
1. Mischief and Mayhem
As a reader and writer, I've always been intrigued by the idea that there could be these otherworldly, always mischievous (and often malevolent) beings sort of lurking in the background, in worlds adjacent to our own, influencing it in ways we don't realize. (Or sometimes, as they do in Reborn, they get very mixed up in our world.) It's a totally freaky, even creepy idea–one I think is so much fun to explore in fiction, but nothing I actually believe in real life. When I was first playing around with the story that would eventually become Reborn, this is the concept I knew I wanted to capture. I wanted my supernatural beings to be volatile, mischievous, and manipulative–characteristics often embodied by The Fair Folk. I'm talking about the devious Fair Folk of Irish lore, or like Puck et al in A Midsummer Night's Dream, not the Disney fairies like Tinker Bell, lol. To be quite honest, I don't know a lot about Irish folklore besides what I've seen other authors use–and they've incorporated it quite well already into works of fiction, so I wanted to do something a little different.
I think Karen Marie Moning's Fae are the best–but, as she is my favorite author, I'm probably biased. In Moning's Highlander and Fever series, the Fae are arrogant, devious, and lethally seductive. Back in the day, I wrote a book review of The Immortal Highlander–my absolute favorite of her Highlander romance novels. Immortal's antihero, Adam Black, is a good example of this type of character, although he's not mischievous in a cruel way. The Seelie Queen places a curse on Adam that strips him of his immortality and makes him invisible. His is a hopeless case until he meets Gabby, a sidhe-seer–gifted with seeing beyond the glamour used by the Fae, and the only one who can see Adam. Since Gabby seems to be his only hope, Adam ingratiates himself into Gabby's life and eventually convinces her to help him. It's been awhile since I've read this book, but I remember Adam perched on Gabby's desk at her law firm while she tried to get work done, nagging her. Obviously, that kind of behavior would be super creepy and annoying in real life, but the love-hate dynamic between Adam and Gabby made for a very entertaining book. It didn't help that Adam's glamour was that of a sexy Scottish Highlander, making it almost impossible for Gabby to resist him.
Moning went on to write the Fever series–a sexy urban fantasy series in which the walls between our world and that of the Fae become even thinner. The Immortal Highlander isn't an official prequel to the Fever series, but it's definitely where her books about time-traveling, sexy Scottish Highlanders start to get much darker, and it sets up the conflict for her later books. I think the Fever series was a pretty daring one–primarily, I'd call it an urban fantasy, but Moning combines elements of a bunch of different genres and just makes it work so well (mystery, sci-fi, romance, and they're funny as hell). I'd say for marketing purposes, it's a good strategy to choose one or maybe two genres that your work fits into, but her books have taught me that it's okay to push the limits of a genre and mix things up a bit.
A very much related type of character is:
2. The Trickster
You didn't really think you'd get through this post without a picture of Hiddles, did you?
The Trickster is, according to TV Tropes, which I can't stop reading lately, a type of character that "plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior." This is definitely related to what I've described above, but I'm separating them out. We can depict these qualities in an entire race, like the Fair Folk (or the Olympians…), or in an individual character (whose peers may or may not embody these traits). I prefer the darker, more anti-hero-ish tricksters who use outright manipulation and deception to get what they want, without (much) remorse. They also pretty much pop in and out of places and situations as they like without a whole lot of consideration for rules or puny humans other people. Recent examples include Rumpelstiltskin on ABC's Once Upon A Time and Loki in the Thor franchise. Another classic example (teehee) is Jareth from Labyrinth.
One of my other favorite trickster types is Julian from L.J. Smith's The Forbidden Game. I've most definitely fan-girled over this trilogy before on this blog, but it's one of my all-time favs. One of my friends introduced me to L.J. Smith back in freshman year or so of high school, and my life was changed, forever. (Dramatic much?) These books were already ten years old or so when I originally read them, and now…yes, I just confirmed on Wikipedia, The Forbidden Game is twenty years old. Aaaaaand now I officially feel old.
Anyway, I reread them this summer (they were first published as separate books, but since they're short, they're published now in an omnibus edition), and…they were still good. Sure, they're written at about a middle school reading level, and, since they are so short, I noticed some of the repetition. Smith is a fan of the epithet, which, in a longer book, may help you remember each character–but, in a shorter book, it gets repetitive. Even so, there's just something about Smith's writing I've always loved. It almost has a beat to it–like poetry.
The Forbidden Game is an urban fantasy trilogy with a tiny blonde-haired, green-eyed protagonist named Jenny Thornton. Jenny starts out as an innocent, naive girl still dependent on her childhood sweetheart, Tom. (I mean, Tom's nickname for her is Thorny. You don't get any more disgustingly cute than that.) There's mystery and magic from the start of Book One, The Hunter, when Jenny, who is being followed by two delinquent-types, takes refuge in a strange store called "More Games." She buys a game in a plain white box, simply called "The Game," from the even stranger boy running the shop. Of course, with his white-blonde hair and otherworldly blue eyes, he's über attractive–and, despite his seeming indifference towards her, Jenny feels a strange connection to him.
That night, Jenny, Tom, and the rest of their friends start to play The Game, setting up a paper house and drawing their worst nightmares on sheets of paper. The next thing they know, they're inside the paper mansion, transported there by the cyberpunk boy from the More Games store. His name is Julian, and he's the youngest of an ancient race called The Shadow Men. In order to win Julian's twisted game, Jenny and her friends must confront their worst fears–and, if they lose The Game, they lose their lives. Julian is a predator and master of manipulation (and very Jareth-esque). Of course, as the series goes on, you find out that Julian maybe isn't the ultimate big bad he claims to be.
The Forbidden Game includes one of L.J. Smith's favorite themes (and, okay, one of mine): the love triangle. Ms. Smith's love triangle is usually set up as the relatively innocent girl caught between the good guy/hero type and the seemingly bad boy/antihero. In this case, Jenny's good guy is Tom, and Jenny's bad boy is Julian. Jenny knows that sweet and caring Tom is the guy for her, but she can't help but be tempted by Julian's beauty and charisma. These books are also about obsessive love: Julian is obsessed with Jenny and will do anything to have her.
Which brings us to one of my other favorite topics, and the final one for tonight:
3. Forbidden Desires
Two of my favorite themes in fiction are sin and temptation (well, what is perceived to be sinful by that character). Often, this takes the form of fairly-innocent-girl-gets-tempted-by-dark-sexy-mysterious-man's-dark-world-of-…..darkness…..okay, I'm becoming less and less articulate as this post goes on, but you get the gist. 😉 Let's just call it forbidden love/lust. This theme probably at least in part stems from the idea of sex as a sinful or evil act–perhaps a very Western/Christian notion. In some of these stories, the innocent heroine, initially intrigued by the sexy, devilish antihero, ultimately resists temptation and does the "right" thing. Going further with this interpretation, maybe it has something to do with the antiquated notion that women retain their virtue and innocence for as long as possible. And, even though I don't agree with that, it's a fun theme to explore in fiction. This is probably why Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was big on writing about sin, temptation, and the hypocrisy of the Puritans, remains one of my favorite classical authors.
Like I said, The Forbidden Game is the perfect example of this. Throughout the series, Jenny has to battle against her attraction to Julian in order to do the right thing and save her friends. But Julian's influence on her isn't all bad: Jenny transforms from the innocent girl who still relies on her boyfriend for everything into a more independent and confident young woman who thinks for herself. This theme of the allure of darkness is also a major theme in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. And in a certain 80s children's fantasy movie.
With the relatively recent explosion in popularly of paranormal romance and other darker forms of romance and fantasy, the above types of characters and themes are fairly common right now–although not every author approaches them in quite the same way. These otherworldly characters, whether they're the Fae, gods, fallen angels, vampires, etc., may be charming and alluring, but they're also cunning, dangerous, predatory, and don't play by our (human) rules. Of late, they're also typically inhumanly beautiful, which further emphasizes their almost irresistible pull and maybe plays a little bit into the notion that not everything attractive is good for you.
When I think of what a paranormal romance is–just what exactly the genre encompasses–these types of characters and themes are what come to my mind. I think everybody is a little bit different with regards to this. Although many paranormal romances still have that major, initial element of forbidden love, some authors go on to develop a story that is a little more traditionally romantic/lovey dovey, and it's this type of story a lot of readers are used to now. Since I've been marketing Reborn as a paranormal romance, I think a few people have been confused by how I chose to approach Siobhan and Jasper's relationship. It's not traditionally romantic–it's passionate and intense, but also a roller-coaster ride, and even a bit scary at times. That's because the, er, "classic" paranormal romances, like L.J. Smith's work, combine themes from the romance and horror genres. I'm not even sure "romance" is the right word, except that it captures the passionate relationship between the two lead characters. But these stories are also about temptation, forbidden desires, obsessive "love," good and evil, dominance and submission, predator and prey. The settings are dark, mysterious, and sinister–as are some of the characters.
If you've read Reborn, you may see now how the above ideas have influenced it. My Olympians are, for the most part, volatile, capricious, mischievous, and manipulative. And even the ones that aren't completely devious have a dark side (as the tagline for Relapse says, everybody has one…although perhaps not quite to the extent that my characters do, lol). Siobhan isn't completely innocent in the conventional sense, but she's a bit of a small-town girl thrown, thanks to Jasper, into the darker, alluring world of the Olympians. Jasper is her forbidden fruit–Siobhan knows he's dangerous, but is tempted all the same (and Jasper will go to any lengths to keep her). And, unlike the strong, "virtuous" ladies described above, Siobhan isn't as good at resisting temptation. In Relapse, Siobhan's struggle against this forbidden world is taken to a new level as she begins to realize she's more like the manipulative, control-freak Olympians than she thought. As a final tease, you'll also meet a new character in Relapse–a sexy, silly, trickster-type like Jareth or Julian. I'm excited for you to meet him. 😉
November 18, 2014 by S. L. Categories: books, inspiration, L.J. Smith, Reborn, Relapse, The Fever series, updatesTags: books, fiction writing, forbidden love, influences, inspiration, Karen Marie Moning, l j smith, paranormal romance, Relapse, The Forbidden Game, The Immortal Highlander, urban fantasy 3 Comments
Book of the Week: The Immortal Highlander
I actually read The Immortal Highlander (Book 6 of Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series) a few months ago, but I never got around to reviewing it (a.k.a. going on an obsessed, fangirl rant), so it is this week's book. You may remember that Adam Black and Darroc made my list of the Top 10 Bromances awhile back. But this post is dedicated to the entire book -every delicious page.
Summary: "BEWARE: lethally seductive alpha male of immense strength and dark eroticism, do not look at him. Do not touch him. Do not be tempted. Do not be seduced.
"With his long, black hair and dark, mesmerizing eyes, Adam Black is Trouble with a capital T. Immortal, arrogant, and intensely sensual, he is the consummate seducer, free to roam across time and continents in pursuit of his insatiable desires. That is, until a curse strips him of his immortality and makes him invisible, a cruel fate for so irresistible a man. With his very life at stake, Adam's only hope for survival is in the hands of the one woman who can actually see him.
"Enter law student Gabrielle O'Callaghan, who is cursed with the ability to see both worlds: Mortal and Faery. From the moment she lays eyes on this stunning male, Gabby is certain of one thing: He could be her undoing. Thus begins a long, dangerous seduction. Because despite his powerful strength and unquenchable hungers, Adam refuses to take a woman by force. Instead, he will tease his way into Gabby's bed and make her want him just as he wants her.
"Now, no matter how hard Gabby tries to avoid him, Adam is everywhere, invisible to all but her—perched atop her office cubicle in too-tight jeans, whispering softly from behind the stacks of the law library, stealing her breath away with his knowing smile…all the while tempting her with the promise of unimaginable pleasure in his arms. But soon danger will intrude on this sensual dance. For as Adam's quest to regain his immortality plunges them into a world of timeless magic and the deadly politics of the Faery queen's court, the price of surrender could be their very lives. Unless they can thwart the conspiracy that threatens both mortal and Faery realms…and give them a shot at a destiny few mortals ever know: glorious, wondrous, endless love."
Before reading Immortal, I did read The Spell of the Highlander. (Yes, it's Book 7. Yes, I'm reading them in reverse order. More about that later.) But I didn't post anything about Spell because, although I enjoyed it and it still showcased Moning's talent for expertly combining elements of romance, fantasy and mythology, it wasn't my favorite of her books.
Immortal is a different story. (Pun intended?) It has the traditional formula of a romance novel, of course, but it lays the framework for her Fever series, which means it's a little bit dark and full of meddling Fae. I was really disappointed when I read Spell and the Fae only cropped up a few times. Immortal was exactly what I was craving. In this case, our Highlander is actually a Fae trapped in his Highlander glamour when Queen Aoibheal punishes him by taking away his immortality. Gabby is a sidhe-seer and is the only one who can see Adam. She tries to resist him, but Adam Black is persistent in getting Gabby to help him so that he can return to his immortal form -and in getting Gabby for himself. Their dynamic is so entertaining, full of that typical love-hate tension, but the way Moning develops it, it feels fresh and exciting.
And in the background, we have Darroc trying to get Adam Black and his little sidhe-seer out of the way so that he can blinde-side Aoibheal and free the Unseelie from their prison. It was so much fun reading about Darroc as a Fae and the threads of what later transformed into Moning's much beloved Fever series. I guess one could call it a prequel. I just love how Moning's Fae are these majestic, epic characters operating in the background, tinkering (and sometimes more than tinkering) with the order of things on Earth, unbeknownst to humans. I don't know why, I'm just obsessed with the idea, and I love how Moning incorporates it.
There's an unexpected twist towards the end of Immortal, and also a few pages that made me really scared and nervous for the ending, even though it's formula fiction and we know how it has to end. But still, it scared me. Not only does Moning nicely wrap things up, at the end there's a scene that will just make you "awwwww." Ugh, again, so perfect. I want to be able to write like her…
Beyond the fantasy and sexual tension, there's a nice touch of "reality" in it, so to speak, because Gabby's dealings with and feelings for Adam go against what she was taught as a young girl -go against everything she's read about Adam in her family's books. Namely, that her fantasies about a sexy Fae prince are wrong -that the Fae are to be avoided, and Adam Black is especially to be avoided. This element actually makes what is definitely a fantastical book feel a little more down-to-Earth. We have a young woman who is learning firsthand the truth about a person she was taught to fear. Sure, some of what her family said about the Fae is true, but there's much more too it than that, and some of it stemmed from their own prejudice.
So, what did I not enjoy about this book? That would be nothing. Seriously, nothing. It was epic, and it made me want to read the Fever series again. Which needs to happen this summer. After I get done reading all of the other books on my summer reading list…
As a last note, although the Highlander books aren't as connected as the Fever series -each book is distinct and focuses on a different couple -characters from past books do show up in the later books, mostly brothers Drustan and Dageus. I read Spell and Immortal first because they were available at the library, and she gives you enough background information that you don't get confused when she brings in these old characters. So I personally don't think it's super necessary to read them in order; however, this would probably bother many of you, so of course go ahead and read them as they were meant to be read. 😉 My OCD did kick in and I realized I should read them in some order, so it looks like that will be reverse order. No, really, I have The Dark Highlander (Book 5) sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read…
Upcoming Books of the Week (in no particular order): The Dark Highlander, The Gathering (Kelley Armstrong), City of Bones (Cassandra Clare)
Related Reads:
The Urge to Write: Isn't it Bromantic?
The Urge to Write: Sunday Showdown: Fever versus Iced
The Readist: On Saying Goodbye to Your Favorite Characters
LittleDallilasBookshelf: Darkfever
Pure Textuality: Burned release date
May 5, 2013 May 5, 2013 by S. L. Categories: Book of the Week, book review, currently readingTags: books, entertainment, fantasy, Fever series, fiction, Highlander series, Karen Marie Moning, literature, paranormal romance, reading, romance, science fiction, time travel 3 Comments
Genre-Bending
What genre do I write?
In my About page I loosely call myself a smut romance writer. But I've come to realize, I don't really write that much smut -do I? Some of my fanfic ideas pretty much revolve around S-E-X, but, while there are sex scenes in my other stories, I wouldn't necessarily say that the plot depends or revolves around them.
I'm not even really a "romance" writer, paranormal or other. Romances follow a formula: Two people meet, usually hate each other but have undeniable sexual tension, stuff happens, it looks like they're not going to wind up together, but then they do. (I'm not saying this is a bad thing, at all -sometimes you want a predictable ending, and it doesn't mean you don't enjoy yourself on the journey to get there.) But while I would say that love and romantic relationships are very important themes in my stories, I don't think they really follow this formula. So calling myself a romance writer could be misleading.
I throw around the term "urban fantasy" a lot to describe my novel-in-progress. I think it's a pretty fitting description: It's a fantasy or paranormal book, and the setting is in the city. My author idol Karen Marie Moning identifies her Fever series as being urban fantasy. But I've also heard the genre "urban fantasy" used to specifically describe stories or books that combine African American main characters and culture with fantastical elements. Most of my stories or even mere ideas for stories involve sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal themes, so I think they're still fitting descriptions for my work. And obviously, if the main characters are of high school age, you can stick it in the "young adult" category.
I'm just trying to find a niche for myself, to be able to succinctly describe my work to other people. To be honest, I'm not even sure I want to stick a specific genre on my stories. I want to borrow elements from different genres, although as I said all of the categories I've mentioned above do fit. I don't want my work to follow a formula. I want my books to be sexy, but I don't want the whole point of the book to be waiting for the two main characters to have sex. I do love a good love triangle, though, which unfortunately has also become a popular formula as of late. This also isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just I've always loved this device, but now that it's in every single immensely popular book that's out there, it's overdone. Now it'll just seem like I'm joining the crowd.
My WIP The Fallen has a love triangle developing, but again, that wasn't the point of my writing it. It's really about this girl who is forced to confront some demons from her past and who is trying to reconcile that with her new life in college. Although the book is certainly not supposed to be anything super profound -it's meant to entertain -I did want it to follow Siobhan's journey of self-discovery, which is why it takes place in college. She's trying to unravel the mystery behind these powerful new people in her life. And sure, all the while she has three hot guys who all want her: Her college hook-up Max, her high school beau and sexy punk rocker, Jimmy, and her handsome but manipulative TA, Jasper.
Sorry, I know this is a weird post -I'm just typing as I think this over. I guess I'm trying to get in marketing mode so if/when I write some query letters, I can be very persuasive. 😉
What genre do you classify your own work as? Or do you like drawing from a variety of influences? What genre do you think I write (lol)? Feel free to sound off in the comments!
March 27, 2013 by S. L. Categories: fiction, random, writingTags: books, fiction writing, genre, Karen Marie Moning, marketing, paranormal romance, random, reading, science fiction, urban fantasy, writing, young adult 4 Comments
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
Let's discuss character names.
This has been on my mind because I'm considering eventually changing (among probably many, many other things) Siobhan's name in my work-in-progress, The Fallen. To be honest, I chose the name Siobhan simply because I like it. I'd like to name my daughter Siobhan one day. But I realize that this could potentially be misleading, since it is an urban fantasy book -at least that's the genre I would best categorize it as. Someone might think it's going to incorporate Irish folklore in some way. It doesn't. On the other hand, I do like the name of Siobhan's mysterious teaching assistant, Jasper Mars, and it holds some special meaning, as you will find out if you're following along. 😉
I definitely don't think it's necessary for names to symbolize something specific, although I like to do that sometimes. Another one of my own favorite character names from another story is Celeste Lowe; I both like how her first and last name sound together, and she's an alien, so her first name reflects her otherworldliness. Rather than be a symbol, it is important for a character name to make sense with the setting of the story, time and place, especially if the story relies extra heavily on these elements. For example, if the story takes place in nineteenth century England. Maybe this is quite obvious, but I think it's important to keep in mind.
Also, I think that characters can have "cool sounding" names even if they're not especially reflective of anything profound. One of my favorite examples would be J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Ms. Rowling is fantastic at character naming in general, but although a simple name, Harry Potter is just somehow catchy. Its simplicity may be purposeful on her part since Harry is supposed to be an unlikely hero (scrawny kid, brown hair, glasses), but she could have gone with something else equally as simple. John Smith and the Sorcerer's Stone? Besides being an English explorer, John Smith just doesn't seem to have the snap to it that Harry Potter does.
Karen Marie Moning, one of my favorite paranormal romance/urban fantasy authors, is also a name-machine. Mackayla Lane. Jericho Barrons (who owns Barrons Books and Baubles). Dani O'Malley. Adam Black. Drustan, Dageus, Christian MacKeltar, you name it. And I can't forget L. J. Smith: Elena Gilbert, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, Julian, Faye Chamberlain, to name a few. And no matter how you feel about the Twilight saga, Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black are memorable names. From the world of indie publishing, I always thought Dmitri Maximus from Emily Guido's Light-Bearer series was a great name.
So, what are your thoughts on character names? How do you come up with your own? (What do you think of mine?) Please share your comments below!
March 22, 2013 March 22, 2013 by S. L. Categories: characters, fiction, inspiration, Opinion, randomTags: character names, fantasy, Fever series, fiction writing, Harry Potter, J K Rowling, Karen Marie Moning, l j smith, paranormal romance, reading, urban fantasy, young adult 7 Comments
Dirty Words
Soil? Soot? Mud?
No, not those dirt-y words.
I can't even believe I'm writing this as I'm doing it. This post is rated M for Mature and N for Naughty.
I started to ponder this because I'm currently (finally) reading one of Karen Moning's Highlander books. (I don't know which number it is…but I know it's not the first one. So it looks like I'm going to end up reading them out-of-order.) As much as I love Ms. Moning's work, she uses the word "impaled" (for, you know) a lot in this book. And for me it's just not a sexy word.
I'm not being prudish…there are other great words and phrases out there to describe sex, whether it your characters are making love or just plain ol' fucking. Depending on what atmosphere you're creating, a man can enter a woman, ease/slip/slide/slam into her, pump in and out of her, grind against her. (I'm sure you can think of other/better ones?) But impale just sounds painful.
And what should we call the tool with which he pleasures/takes/fills her/brings her to the brink? (She could also shatter/dissolve/unravel/come undone.) Although there are many rather obvious choices, sometimes the possibilities sound silly as you're reading. On the other hand, for a smutty book penis sounds a bit medical. How about his cock/manhood/hardness/shaft? (I can't believe I'm coming up with these without using the thesaurus on Microsoft Word. The smut is just pouring out of me tonight.)
Wet is of course often used to describe when the woman is ready for her man to impale her. But use its synonyms with caution because they can end up sounding icky rather than sexy: moist/damp/clammy (wait, no, don't ever tell your man that you're clammy for him.)
Romance writers: What do you think? What are the best words/phrases to use when writing about s-e-x?
January 29, 2013 by S. L. Categories: currently reading, inspiration, random, romanceTags: fiction writing, Highlander series, humor, inspiration, Karen Marie Moning, paranormal romance, random, reading, romance, writing 9 Comments
Sunday Showdown: Fever v. Iced
In case I haven't made it clear on this blog, I am a huge Karen Marie Moning fanatic, and over my break I finally read her newest novel set in the Fever world, Iced. For tonight's showdown, I thought I would do something similar to what I did for P. C. Cast's two very different series, House of Night and Elphame's Choice: I will give a small summary of both and then give a little more detail about what I liked and didn't like about Iced. However, the Iced review does contain some Fever spoilers, so it is more geared towards those who have read Fever but have yet to read Iced. The Fever series is going to be a tought act to follow, so I will reserve judgment about which series wins until she's finished Dani O'Malley's tale (but so far, so good!)
1. The Fever series follows MacKayla Lane and her transformation from a Southern, carefree blonde bombshell into an ass-kicking sidhe-seer/Fae hunter. In book one (Darkfever), MacKayla departs for Ireland to investigate the murder of her twin sister Alina, who was studying abroad in Dublin, and her journey there (sorry for the cliché) drastically changes her life forever. She gets drawn into a world parallel to our own where the Seelie (light) and Unseelie (dark) Fae courts clash, and becomes the puppet of Jericho Barrons, the enigmatic owner of Barrons Books and Baubles, on his hunt for an ancient tome. And that's just a brief summary of Darkfever -so much happens in this series that it's impossible to cram it into one measly paragraph of one blog post. I wouldn't want to ruin the many twists and surprises Moning has in store for her readers, anyway. I will add though that it's an expert merging of genres: Fever starts out as a murder mystery until it sweeps the reader up into a world where Irish folklore is real while also incorporating urban fantasy and even science fiction elements. If you haven't, I highly recommend the Fever series -it rises above formulaic genre fiction (not that there's anything wrong with formula fiction).
OK, I need to stop myself before I get even further invested in this tangent and move on to:
2. Iced is the first book in Moning's series dedicated to Dani "Mega" O'Malley, Mac's volatile fourteen-year-old ex-bff. (If you haven't read the Fever series yet, I recommend to stop reading this review. Now. OK -I warned you…)
It picks up right where Shadowfever leaves off: the sidhe-seers have just trapped Cruce, the Unseelie Prince who has absorbed the Sinsar Dubh, beneath their abbey. The charismatic Scottish Highlander Christian MacKelter is undergoing a painstaking transformation to replace the fourth Unseelie prince. And Dani and Mac are on the outs ever since Mac found out that Dani was involved in her twin sister's death. When Dani isn't slaying Unseelie with the Sword of Light, you may find her spying on the "sidhe-sheep" at the abbey, hanging out with teenage genius Dancer in one of their many well-stocked hideouts around Dublin, ad avoiding Mac. Dani has also been avoiding Ryodan, the morally ambiguous owner of Chester's club, ever since he offered her a job -but as we know, it's pretty much impossible to avoid Ryodan. So in much the same way as Mac started out as Barrons' Sinsar Dubh tracker in Darkfever, Dani becomes Ryodan's helper in solving their own mystery: Why are parts of Dublin being mysteriously "iced," and who is responsible? Is the perpetrator human? Fae? What do these places, if anything, have in common? Again, the mystery, urban fantasy and sci-fi genres merge in Iced.
I would say the most obvious difference between the Fever series and Iced is that Fever was the story of the events that led to the creation of this new world where the walls are down and human and Fae coexist; now, Moning is delving into this world more deeply. Her characters face the problems of living in a post-apocalyptic world (someone is hoarding all of the food that was left in the grocery stores) and encounter new mysteries and enemies, while still trying to keep Cruce confined below the abbey. The book is primarily told from Dani's perspective, but Christian and the new leader of the sidhe-seers lend their POVs as well. I was worried that Dani's narration would be entirely written in her accent and slang, which worked in Fever but might get annoying in an entire book, but it's toned down and very readable. Her grammar is still atrocious (I guess because she's young and missed out on school?) and some of the slang carries through. In these aspects Moning maintains Dani's unique voice.
Unfortunately, I don't think Dani is a very believable character, especially as the protagonist of Iced. It worked when she was simply Mac's rather reckless sidekick, but I didn't buy into the whole arrogant, self-absorbed preteen act as much in this book. It's almost like Moning takes it a bit too far for it to be believable, even though Dani isn't your average fourteen-year-old. Now that I'm reflecting on it, Dani may be a bit of a sociopath in the beginning (perhaps this is too strong of a diagnosis) since she doesn't seem to feel remorse or think about how her actions affect other people. However, you can tell she starts to grow out of this, especially where Mac and Alina are concerned.
I also didn't care for the fact that Ryodan and especially Christian, both adult men, seem to be infatuated with Dani. It's a little something I like to call creepy. Saying that (sorry, I don't have the book in front of me, so this is not a direct quote) they can see the incredible woman Dani will be one day does not make it okay. And anyway, it's pretty clear that their fascination with her doesn't stop there; there's a scene when she's in her underwear and both of them are, uh, clearly aroused. At one point Christian even says to Dani that he isn't a pedophile, and she isn't a child -except that she is. (Although Christian is turning into a lecherous Unseelie prince, so perhaps this is all part of his spiral into evil.) I am certainly not saying that I think the author condones pedophilia, just that it was a very controversial and, to repeat, creepy element in the book. (To add to the creepy, I've decided that Into the Night is Christian and Dani's theme song, because everything should have an 80s theme song.) It also becomes clear (if not to Dani, at least to the reader) that Dancer has a thing for her as well, which is decidedly less creepy since he is seventeen.
Now, on Dancer (on Prancer, on Vixen…no, wait…): Dancer is becoming one of my favorite characters in this world. I love that Dani looks up to Dancer, who reminds me of a younger version of Big Bang's Leonard if he were thrust into Dublin after the walls fell. As Dani narrates, Dancer doesn't have any "superpowers" like her and Ryodan, but he's survived the wall crash through his resourcefulness and "super brain." Moning hints that Dancer has some secrets of his own, which I hope we will unravel as the series continues. As a scientist, it also makes me happy that Moning's explanations of some of the science-y elements of the book are not totally off the mark. (I'm not proud of it, but I've become one of those people who ruins movies for other people when they are scientifically inaccurate. Which is like all the time.)
I also really enjoyed how Moning played with Jo's character. In the Fever books Jo was supposed to be plain, maybe even borderline dowdy, but in Iced she starts working at Chester's -Ryodan's tactic for keeping Dani in line. If Dani screws up, she has to worry about Ryodan taking it out on Jo. Thus, Jo transforms from a plain Jane into a sexy waitress with "glitter between her boobs," and it all seems kind of glamorous until you remember that she's dressed up in what sounds like a Catholic school girl uniform catering to Chester's seedy Unseelie patrons. One image I loved is when Jo watches Ryodan on the staircase nodding to whichever lucky gal he chooses to, um, make love to that night. (I know that Ryodan doesn't "make love," but I don't really feel like using a certain verb today.) I kind of want Ryodan to nod at me, even though he's not quite Jericho Barrons. In fact, I had a much more vivid image of Barrons in my mind than I have of Ryodan. He has some big shoes to fill.
And throughout the search for whatever is "icing" Dublin, Christian's obsessing over Dani, Dani's slaughtering of Unseelie and Ryodan's nodding at attractive waitresses, Moning still interperses some very humorous moments. One part that had me laughing at loud was when Dani, Jo, Ryodan, Lor, etc. are arguing over Dani's Ipod playlist. What a great moment Moning dreamed up: Humans and supernatural beings fighting over whether to listen to Linkin Park, Adele or Jimmy Hendrix (and at a point in which they have much bigger things to worry about.)
Finally, unlike some other reviews I've read, I didn't really mind Dani being fourteen for this book, although I hope she grows up in the rest. Then Moning can pursue her relationship with Ryodan without it being so, again for lack of a better word, creepy. I'm sure Ryodan is going to turn out to be the Barrons to her Mac, so to speak. All in all, and despite parts of my above critique, I really enjoyed Iced. Dani's storyline and the various subplots (I haven't touched on all of them here) really drew me in; it was fast-paced and had a very creative premise.
January 13, 2013 January 13, 2013 by S. L. Categories: book review, fantasy, paranormal, romance, science fiction, Sunday ShowdownTags: books, Fever series, Iced, Karen Marie Moning, paranormal romance, reading, science fiction, urban fantasy Leave a comment


The experiments were conducted at the LLNL's National Ignition Facility (NIF). NIF, the world's largest and most energetic laser, can deliver up to 2 megajoules of laser energy over 30 nanoseconds and provides the necessary laser power and control to ramp compress materials to TPa pressures. The team's experiments reached peak pressures of 1.4 TPa, four times higher pressure than previous static results, representing core conditions found with a 3-4x Earth mass planet.
"Equation of state of iron under core conditions of large rocky exoplanets"


Past Amigos de UCLA volunteers and past directors have gone on to do great things in service and education post-graduation! Here are some of the amazing things that Amigos alumni have done, along with opportunities for you to get involved in service and education outside of Amigos de UCLA!
"Amigos introduced me to the wonderful kids of Los Angeles and the challenges they face on the path to academic success. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to teach and lead as an undergraduate."
Aiming towards the ideal of enabling all people to achieve maximum benefit from their educational experiences, the Stanford Graduate School of Education seeks to continue as a world leader in ground-breaking, cross-disciplinary inquiries that shape educational practices, their conceptual underpinnings, and the professions that serve the enterprise. The school also seeks to develop the knowledge, wisdom, and imagination of its students to enable them to take leadership positions in efforts to improve the quality of education around the globe.
Reading Partners is a nonprofit literacy organization that recruits and trains community volunteers to provide one-on-one reading tutoring to students in under-resourced schools across the country. Our highly-effective program has helped thousands of children master the fundamental reading skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.
In schools. In classrooms. In neighborhoods. City Year corps members serve full-time at one of 24 locations across the United States as tutors and mentors, running after-school programs and leading youth leadership programs.
TFA is a national teacher corps of college graduates and professionals who commit to teach for two years and raise student achievement in public schools.
The UCLA Volunteer Center's mission is to inspire the more than 400,000 members of the extended UCLA family, as well as the community at large, to create social change through lifelong participation in volunteer programs and civic engagement.
The Community Service Commission at UCLA is the largest student-run, student-initiated service organization in the nation.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than 4 million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and the Social Innovation Fund, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.