text:
Author: Jessica Norrie
writer, linguist, teacher, mother
When lockdown unlocks writers
Last year I was one of many who wrote a guest blog post for Chantelle Atkins, an author, writing group teacher and mentor with a similar teaching background to mine. She was collecting articles on experiences of the first lockdown (how long ago that seems! Yet a rerun remains a distinct possibility given how poorly the Westminster government have managed the pandemic). Don't groan, that's not the theme today. Instead, this interview with Chantelle celebrates the creativity she, her fellow writers and mentees, child and adult, demonstrate in this anthology just published. Like me, she enjoys encouraging children's writing and storytelling and links it with adults' creativity too. As we emerge into a changed world, do enjoy this varied set of approaches and reactions.
Hi Chantelle. Please start by telling me how you planned the anthology.
The first three sections came about from posts I wrote for my personal blog. I then asked other writers and bloggers to join in and write under the same themes. It was in my head from early on that if I got enough content, we could put a book together under Chasing Driftwood. Lots of contributions came from the writing groups and clubs we run and via word of mouth. Many others were writers and bloggers I'd connected with previously and who wanted to participate.
Which is your favourite piece and why?
I think I have to say the poems on Hope written by the children. Not to say the adult poems aren't amazing, because they are, but I felt like the hope theme really caught fire with the children and we had lots of wonderful entries. Each hope poem really made me smile and a few brought tears to my eyes. The children are also particularly proud and excited to be published for the first time!
Was putting "Stay Home" together an individual task or a team effort? Would you like to acknowledge any special help here?
We couldn't have done it without the contributors so a huge thank you must go to every one of them for participating first in the blog posts and then allowing us to publish their work in the anthology. Myself and my business partner Sim did the work between us, putting it together, formatting the ebook and paperback, editing and proofreading. We were extremely lucky that a talented friend of Sim's offered to do the front cover design for free! So we are very grateful for that.
It's a great cover! Did it take the designer many attempts or come right straight away?
Law Baker is a friend of Sim's and we gave him a bit of a brief, wanted something with a house and windows and different people gazing out. It was his own idea to add the nurse on the street which I think is absolutely perfect.
How will the proceeds will be used?
They will all go straight into the bank account of our Community Interest Company (CIC) and will be used to fund our next community writing projects which will benefit young writers. The company is called Chasing Driftwood. The name came when I had two old songs in my head one day when walking. Driftwood by Travis and Chasing Rainbows by Shed 7. I combined them for something unusual!
A community interest writing group? That sounds interesting…
I started as an adult writing group, adding children's writing workshops in 2015. Because my youngest was only a baby at the time, I was limited to running workshops in school holidays but it started to take off and in 2017 I applied to become a CIC. Once my youngest started school I reached out to local schools about running writing clubs and they were very keen. The local home education community approached me two years ago for clubs to accommodate them, and Sim joined in 2019. It's gone from strength to strength.
Describe a typical children's and/or adults writing workshop. Are they online only?
With the clubs, four are online via Zoom and four are in person, within schools and libraries. Workshops can be online or in person. Adult workshops include sessions on developing characters, how to build an author platform, whether self-publishing is right for you and more. The children's clubs and workshops cover many things! Poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, article writing, blogging, journaling, comic books, developing characters, how to plot, how to use literary devices and much more!
What's the next project for you personally and/or for Chasing Driftwood?
I'm working on a four-book YA post-apocalyptic series, among other things! I'm also co-writing a YA series with Sim. As well as the many clubs and services we already offer, we're hoping to launch a new Chasing Driftwood community writing project soon. I can't say too much yet but it will involve putting together a climate and wildlife themed anthology written by young people, and will also involve another project that aims to connect children with nature through writing.
Thank you. It's been a pleasure to play a part in Stay Home and to hear about Chasing Driftwood and your personal writing projects. Good luck with everything as 2022 approaches!
You can buy the ebook of Stay Home here and the paperback is here
Find Chasing Driftwood on facebook and Instagram
Find details of Chantelle's books on her blog here or find her on Facebook or Instagram
And here are Sim's Facebook page, Instagram and blog
By Jessica Norriein authors, Blog post, bloggers, children, indie publishing, Interviews, writing courses October 29, 2021 916 Words26 Comments
In last night's disturbing dream my phone was useless and I couldn't communicate. Partner said: "Good premise for a crime novel." I don't want to write a crime novel, but as always a title came straight to mind. No signal covers 1) my blog hiatus 2) the rural disadvantage of partner's house 3) physical and metaphorical aspects of lockdown, and 4) the event that stopped me blogging much and writing at all.
In January a dear relation, not elderly, had a stroke clinicians labelled catastrophic, overnight losing independence and professional, social and cultural involvement to massive brain damage, semi paralysis, and total speech loss. For weeks she had "no signal". Now she smiles, shrugs, raises her eyebrows, taps one hand, and cries.
For two months we could barely signal back. Covid allowed only three hospital visits, justified to management as therapeutic. Discharge was to an understaffed, pack-em-in uncare home with photos of forty Covid victims prominent in the foyer. At my first "visit", I balanced on a steep grass bank and gurned through a closed double-glazed window, probably terrifying a confused, pain-racked, depressed, non-verbal Charlotte. After two weeks, strictly timed fifteen-minute visits were allowed, when she cried and cried. I have told the regulating authorities…
Finding urgent, pleasanter, safer care with no previous knowledge of the sector, was difficult. It's a buyer's market, nursing homes having lost so many residents, but judging suitability when you can't go inside to witness staff and residents interact is tricky. There's the selling agent's word for it, pre-Covid inspection reports and glossy brochures with more chintz than people. You can tell a lot from the smell, mutters a district nurse friend. In normal times.
Nor could we access the typically £82000 pa fees of a good home because Charlotte hadn't appointed Lasting Power of Attorney (have YOU done this? It costs £80/£160 online and takes just a few weeks to come through). She couldn't agree to LPA because she'd lost mental capacity so our only avenue was the Court of Protection. Even with an excellent solicitor this takes seven months and £4000+. So whatever your age please apply for LPA today, for your loved ones' sakes! Without it, we can't deal with Charlotte's bank, maintain her house, access her phone or computer… or shut the bailiffs up. But hooray for the social worker who organised interim payment of home fees!
Identifying, informing, updating friends, navigating legal, financial and medical protocols takes hours. Though still without CoP status, a contradiction requires me to advocate for Charlotte as her Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard representative. Therein lies a moral minefield.
Amid the pandemic, all NHS staff dealt professionally and kindly with Charlotte, as far as we know. Yet it's compartmentalised and random. Some individuals communicate with next-of-kin; others won't until CoP is formalised. Doctors spent two days saving Charlotte's life. Then she became the therapists' responsibility. The excellent hospital team discharged her to the community team who visit rarely and tell me nothing. Emergency hospital admissions for IV treatment open communication black holes. True to form, our Etonian government guidelines for care homes are delayed, illogical and impractical. So Charlotte, who can currently be visited immediately during her frequent hospital stays, suffers ten lonely days of self-isolation whenever she returns "home" (which is a good and caring place, but, obviously, not the lovely house she can no longer access). Each time, the private speech therapy I've sourced is postponed and even on her birthday she couldn't leave her room.
This prolonged whinge is my entirely selfish point of view. Writing from Charlotte's would mean exploring the wrenching experience of a loved one more deeply than I can bear – it's an imagined state of mind to be visited only in the small hours or small, safe stabs of trying-to-understand. So I divert my thoughts to all that must be done. To write her POV would also mean experimental language even more demanding than McGregor's (below). There'd be pages of wailing pain, of being bypassed and misunderstood, occasional enjoyment of tastes (dysphagia permitting), embarrassment, exhaustion, depression – very common post stroke, frustration, boredom and loneliness and where's the happy ending? Disabled readers might cancel it and they'd probably be right.
But this is a books and writing blog! Poignantly, my last chat with Charlotte was about a book review here. Stroke is common in life, less so in literature. The only one more physically serious than hers that I've read of is in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, also filmed. Dominique Bauby, in his forties, was riding a professional wave as editor-in-chief of Elle magazine when a stroke paralysed him almost completely. He could only dictate this memoir, letter by letter, by flicking his left eyelid. I could quote the whole thing… For obvious reasons it isn't long, but it's beautifully written/translated and extraordinary.
Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight is inspiring – see her TED talks on YouTube. This American brain scientist had a major stroke aged 37 and viewed her eight-year recovery as a unique research opportunity. She explains the medical jargon and her own psychology and cognition with clarity, humour and joie de vivre. A helpful checklist of carers' dos and don'ts highlights the devastating damage stroke can cause. "Recovery was a decision I had to make a million times a day. Was I willing to put forth the effort to try?" If this exceptionally positive and informed young woman found it so exhausting, what hope is there for others? But at least our NHS, beleaguered though it may be, means a stroke victim needn't try to remember which hospital her health insurance covers, mid-stroke.
In the UK the Stroke Association have cheap communications aids for recovering stroke victims, though little for Charlotte's more severe condition. Bolte Taylor happily relearned from children's books; others may feel patronised which is where the SA booklets come in.
I've reviewed Jon McGregor's precise and moving writing before. In a happy coincidence for me, his latest novel, Lean Fall Stand provides the reassurance of finding my experience reflected in good fiction. I won't name the stricken character as he's introduced in a different role, the stroke a deus ex machina for the reader as well. Quoting McGregor's language play would need more context than my space permits, but, never obscure, he has surprising fun with a victims' conversation group, light relief (not parody) after the grimmer initial weeks. There's sympathy for his carer's reaction too, the weary, questioning love/unlove of a mostly absentee partner when sudden responsibility strikes hard at her own life.
Which is more or less where I started this post. As I write, the stroke related emails drift in… I hope that explains the recent absence of signals from me. Take care all.
By Jessica Norriein Blog post, contemporary living, diversity, Reviews, themes August 27, 2021 August 29, 2021 1,155 Words29 Comments
Oyez oyez
I marked my 5th blogiversary and promptly disappeared from the blogosphere. Ongoing family stuff, you know how it is… So this is a have-to-write-one-now-or-may-never-make-it-back post. It's a miscellany of announcements. Are four items enough for a miscellany? A mini-miscellany, perhaps.
First, my enterprising German translator Michaela Pschierer-Barnfather persuaded me to record an extract from The Infinity Pool – me in English, she in German from Der Infinity-Pool. This is for the YouTube channel TranslatorsAloud – also on Twitter @LoudTranslators. It's a great site showcasing literary translators and my debut novel is privileged to provide their first item of translation out of English! Literary translators (indeed all translators) are an overlooked and undervalued breed. In the days of foreign travel I often used to marvel at the number of bookshops and the size of their translated stock, the evident enthusiasm of overseas readers for the words of other cultures and languages. Meanwhile we in Brexit Britain point our stubborn, leaky boat vaguely towards Australian harbours that probably don't want us. I invite you to be the judges of my recording as I can't bear to watch more than a few sentences of myself. Michaela's came out really well and I do wish this hard working, professional translator and everyone else on this fascinating site good sales and many enjoyable projects to follow. Here we are in all our glory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDq9QFu2NrQ&t=4s
Second, I promised fellow author and blogger Gail Aldwin I would publicise her blog on mine. Gail has many gifts – writing, teaching, warm encouragement of fellow human beings – but also one problem. For some reason Facebook will not let her post items from her blog, which is just rotten for an author. Anyway, back in March Gail approached me for a review of her book This Much Huxley Knows. I snapped that I don't take review requests. She apologised for asking and offered to review The Magic Carpet instead and to interview me on her blog. I took her up on both offers, and the review was great. How generous is that? I said – in some shame – I would reblog my guest post from her blog. Then WordPress wouldn't let me. The social media gods really do have it in for this blameless person. So she suggested I copy and paste it. But I think it's better read in its original home on Gail's blog because then you can also explore her books and the writer services she offers. Thank you again, Gail, for the opportunity, and I wish you good luck with your books and better luck with social media.
Item three. Many indies dream of getting a "proper" publisher, but fate can still intervene against mainstream publishers and authors. You may have read a rave review I wrote of Kevin Sullivan's first-in-a-new historic Glasgow crime series, The Figure in the Photograph, published by small but historic firm Allison and Busby. Sullivan writes a jolly good detective yarn with engaging characters, interesting themes and evocative settings. This series opener should have been launched at Glasgow Waterstones in Spring 2020. Does anything about that ring a plague warning bell? Waterstones had put up their Covid shutters and didn't reopen for months. The stylish hardback edition was destined for a library market but libraries closed too. When the paperback and follow-up hardback, The Art of the Assassin appeared in early Spring 2021 the bookshops and libraries were still shut and launches and festivals were online promise only. Some new books have found a voice via social media but I'm sure these are not the only new books which have gone under the general radar. Anyway – three cheers for another grand yarn of Edwardian wrong doing in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Juan Cameron the Scottish/Spanish detective-photographer hurtles round gracious riverside houses, stations, theatres and slums as he mixes with Viennese professors, Cuban exiles and women who on the whole are brighter than he is. Do track this slightly bumbling sleuth down. We all need good reads this rotten May as hailstones replace lockdown to keep us still indoors.
Sacré bleu! The last laugh lies with my fourth item. Comedian Ian Moore 'as also created a new detecteev, wiz apologeez to ze French. Death and Croissants will be published on 1st July and already comes recommended by Alan Carr, Josh Widdecombe, Sarah Millican, Adam Kay… If you can't get to France this summer this may be the next best thing. It's even been compared to Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club, although I'm too jealous to read him so I can't comment. I wish Ian every success, and if you can't wait there's a free prequel available here, with a quiz thrown in. Amusez-vous bien!
It's nice to be back, but for now au revoir.
By Jessica Norriein authors, Blog post, bloggers, comedy and tragedy, indie publishing, Interviews, My novels, publishers and booksellers, Reviews, themes, Travel and books to read in location May 21, 2021 May 21, 2021 824 Words12 Comments
Five glorious years!
WordPress tells me I'm five this week! Not a message I expected to see when I wrote my tentative Welcome in 2016. Right now I'm very preoccupied by what's best described as a Demanding Family Event so will keep this post brief (at last! you sigh). It's a quick rundown of the posts you and I liked best every year. Thank you for travelling with me; do please revisit and return, and I'll do my best still to be writing for you (and me) in 2026.
2016: My most popular post with (for me) a whopping 1,357 views obviously struck a chord with the teaching profession I was about to leave. Read my thoughts on teaching writing at Back to the Writing Bored. I haven't changed my mind! But the post that pleased me most was The Great Amazon Dinner Party because my first novel The Infinity Pool had done so well. If Shakespeare had sat SATs was aimed at the same audience as the writing bored. I'm also pleased to reread my memories of a wonderful workshop with Professor Marina Warner at Dartington, which led eventually to The Magic Carpet.
2017: Most popular post: The Best Independent Bookshop in London. Could be subtitled How to Bring up a Bookworm. If you are more or less raised in a good bookshop, your welcome to the world of words is assured. Runners up in my own mind are diversions into UK travelogue: an exploration of "my" corner of East London called The World in Four Short Blocks and Marsh Frogs Sing Loudly in the Ditches which came from a trip to the ancient Sussex town of Rye. I also wrote a little about cultural appropriation as I worried my way into The Magic Carpet. I wouldn't dare start writing that book now, but it has its merits and I hope Getting It Right expresses the sensitive dilemma so many authors face.
2018: Most popular post: I was surprised but pleased for my German translator to find this was Sought and Found in Translation, after the publication of Der Infinity-Pool. But I also enjoyed exploring an unusual POV In a Nutshell, and was humbled and proud (if you can be both at once) to be asked to start a fortnightly books column for Smorgasbord, one of which is here. I kept that up for a year or so before asking to contribute more occasionally so that I could get on with my own writing. But I was so pleased to be asked and Sally and her crowd of co-bloggers have become good and supportive friends. Finally, although sometimes along with many of you I feel as though I Can't be Bloggered, I did have a bit of fun giving a backward glance to Prologues.
2019: Most popular post: The Magic Carpet – Standby for Landing. This is one flight that hasn't been cancelled so if you haven't bought it yet… I also had the interesting experience of a blog tour in 2019, and there are a couple of posts about that. Not sure what I was doing otherwise, there seems to be a six month gap in blog posts.
2020: Most popular post: What Authors Don't Bargain For. As when I struck a chord with all those angry teachers, I seem to get the biggest audience when voicing a collective grievance. Hope it makes people think! It was a sad spring, 2020, and here I am saying Au Revoir to Europe and just two months later worrying about how to write fiction in an age of pandemic. I hope you've all stayed safe and well into…
2021: …when as I say an ongoing family event has taken most of my time and attention, and my most popular post so far is from people revisiting my Easter Eggheads quiz of a previous year. My post on a workshop with Sophie Hannah did well though, and if you look back through there are others on writing courses each year. I've learned a lot in five years. Please stay with me, even if we're both erratic, for the next five.
By Jessica Norriein authors, Blog post, bloggers, children, contemporary living, diversity, education, Europe, My novels, publishers and booksellers, quiz, Reviews, themes, translation, Travel and books to read in location, writing courses, writing craft and style April 9, 2021 April 10, 2021 676 Words26 Comments
Titles seek book
The Italian dramatist Pirandello wrote a play called Six Characters in Search of an Author, which is the best title ever. I'd make the bestseller charts if all a book needed was a title. I love titles. They come to me throughout the humdrum day and I think: Yes! Great! I forget many, but some stick. My problem is I haven't written the stuff that comes next.
Trying to get through to the hairdresser reminds me I could channel Steig Larsson with The Girl with the Lockdown Hair. And another good phrase has rung through our house since March 2020. A glass or two of wine with olives and vegetable crisps saved the lockdown day with a semblance of structure. We knew we were drinking too much, so partner stopped referring to it specifically and substituted an invitation to The Things That Go With Wine (or on special occasions, The Things That Go With Fizz). These adapt easily. How about The Things That Go With Love or The Things That Go With Death? One Day I May Be Sorry for giving those away, but there's no copyright on titles, so Be My Guest. Idioms make great titles.
Mrs Hellebore and Her Son Primrose sprung to mind on the first day of Spring. This will (or won't) be humour – think The Diary of a Nobody and Lupin Pooter. Maybe Persephone will publish it when I'm a forgotten authoress. When? Who am I kidding?
Building without Dust came when I was mopping endless daily plaster residue from my keyboard during building work. I did once use it to head a review of Rachel Cusk's work. Like Cusk, I love writing and reading about houses and homes, along with Kate Summerscale, Jane Christmas, Ann Patchett and hundreds of others. My eventual Building without Dust will be heavy on metaphor – tearing down the old to replace it with the new and then is the new any better? How long does the joy in it last? What's the fallout from the process? It all sounds so grim I'd better just stick with the title.
Stealing Winston is my cosy crime idea. "Where are you moving to?" asked the removal man giving an estimate. "Near the Winston Churchill statue," I said. He gave a great sigh of satisfaction. "AH! That's my favourite statue in all Essex. Solid bronze, it is. Can't think why no-one's nicked it." I stopped packing to scribble ideas about ne'er-do-wells saddled with storing and selling a whopper of a statue wot they'd pinched one night for a larf. Ideas ARE copyright so if I see this in the bestseller lists in years to come, watch out.
Hooray for poetic titles. A beauty came up recently in an article about either the Anglo-Saxon burial ground at Sutton Hoo or the additional bits of Stonehenge they've found in Wales. Among the ancient remains were Traces of Ancient Sunlight. How lovely; sorry that's the only trace of information I've retained.
Drinking in the Atrium/ Gin in the Atrium? The Counter Tenor in the Umpire's Chair? Back to the Hammerklavier? What's the genre? asks long-suffering agent. Well, it's a bit niche…
The Infinity Pool was set in an alternative holiday settlement, whose management sold out in the minds of its eco guests by building a snazzy alternative to swimming among the local jellyfish. It also felt vaguely philosophical, giving my title a bit of extra heft. When we translated the title to French the philosophical side perhaps took too much precedence and the German translator added an explanatory sub-title. The Magic Carpet – which won't be translated but would be easier – featured in one of the stories my child narrator drew inspiration from. Unfortunately feedback shows people think it's a children's book because of the title.
Thanks to Anete Lusina on Pexels.com for photo
In a recent thread in Book Connectors, my favourite Facebook group for bloggers, authors and readers, a writer complained her publishers always changed the titles she gives her books. If a commercial publisher took my books, they could call them what they like. They'd be entitled, for showing such faith in me. I just have to write the books first.
By Jessica Norriein authors, Blog post, My novels, themes, writing craft and style March 26, 2021 723 Words21 Comments
Inspiring Reading for Pleasure
I really liked this post from school librarian and children's author Rachel Coverdale about reading for pleasure whether you're a child or an adult. After the year we've had, reading should be about enjoyment, enjoyment, enjoyment (and any year…)
Rachel Coverdale
A child who consistently reads is a child who consistently learns. About anything, not just the school curriculum. In "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell, you learn all about horses pulling carts and all the relevant technical terms – you don't get that on the curriculum. In "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson, it's amazing what you learn about mountain climbing – you don't get that on the school curriculum. In "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell, you learn all about dragons – you definitely don't get that on the school curriculum!
The question is – how do you get your child to be interested in reading in the first place?
Well it starts in the womb. Really! Of course, Erin the Embryo cannot understand what you are reading, but she can hear the sound of your voice and the rhythm of your words. At the same time she…
By Jessica Norriein Blog post March 20, 2021 39 WordsLeave a comment
My Work in Progress and I languished, less WIP than RIP. But all was not lost, with the opportunity of advice from a bestselling writer. Sophie Hannah was giving a Guardian Masterclass last Tuesday. When my previous books were ailing, doses of professional writer wisdom revived them. Another Masterclass, days at Jane Austen's house and RIBA/The British Library, and evenings in Bloomsbury were just what the doctor ordered.
I've been mired in familiar worries, explained in previous posts, that my poor plot and sluggish pace will yield an unpublishable book. Hannah was having none of that. Her PhD in Positivity trumps my Diploma in Negative Thinking. I once met another course leader who allowed "Yes, and…" and banned "Yes, but…" They'd be soulmates.
First Hannah had us write one thought about "our thriller" in the Zoom chat box. Participants wrote of frustration, being stuck, dead-ends, plot knots, losing faith, lack of time/inclination, and not having even started. Clearly I wasn't the only one stuck in the mire.
Hannah runs a 14-week course called Dream Author. These two hours were a brief introduction. Anything in italics is a direct quote from her.
The facts about your book are less loaded and awful than your thoughts about it. You maximise your chances of the desired result if you realise the difference between facts and thoughts. Facts are neutral, objective. We have thoughts about them, and we can choose to have positive ones. We can audition our thoughts, only casting the helpful ones. Thoughts lead to better feelings. Positive feelings drive our actions. Actions get results.
Fact: I have written 30,000 words of Novel 4. Thoughts: "What great material from which to edit the best parts" OR "Shapeless waffle". Audition: reject second thought. Feeling: I like editing (this is true). It's a chance to select the best I can do. Action: I'll edit maximum ten pages a day (manageable goal). Result: tight start that's easy to build on.
Yes, but… was in my head. Yes, and… cut in Hannah. Discover the things that work by trying out the things that don't. Even unsuccessful things are useful.
To get started, imagine your ideal reader. The instinct is to think of groups (women/animal lovers/YA). Hannah prefers to envisage an individual, an avatar, perhaps yourself. Write the book you'd read, themes and characters that fascinate you, with the writers you enjoy in mind.
To generate idea, you need to regard everything with curiosity, as a possible starting point. Yes, and there are so many: overheard conversations, tiny one line news stories, a glimpse of a church from a train. My third novel starts with a pub sign. Hannah's right, stories come from small beginnings. You can take an everyday situation and just change a few details to make it weird.
Start by writing the blurb! Yes, but a blurb's meant for the cover of the finished novel.
Exactly! Writing the blurb helps you visualise the final product. PLUS it provides the overriding question the story promises to resolve for the reader. I do like this idea. As Hannah says, writing the blurb makes YOU aware of what you're undertaking – tone, setting, characters, mission statement. Put the character in an intriguing plot situation, and as you write keep referring back to that central question. Her blurb for her most successful book, Haven't They Grown, promises to show how an impossibility can appear possible. (Her description had me so hooked I ordered one.)
Now the planning. This is where famous bestselling author Sophie Hannah, and I – indie author with just a few exclusive fans – differ. Her planning takes her at least two months. The novel's 80-100k words then take her about 4 weeks (!) and her revisions 3 days (!!) because she's solved structural and editorial problems at the planning stage (!!!) My planning, er, happens as and when. My first draft takes me around nine months and as for the subsequent drafts…. I ignore, er, consider, er, solve problems when they derail me or someone points them out.
Yes, but I really ENJOY writing whereas planning is a necessary evil. Although, supposing I did want to try, how would such a detailed plan look?
Right. It may run to 100 pages, full sentences describing the chapter rather than the chapter itself. It includes dialogue. It's effectively a plan and first draft in one. You can depart from it, but it's like a handrail on steep steps. If you know it's there, you can relax and not use it. Relaxed, you'll write better. Successful books usually have a solid, shapely structure – readers don't realise but structure is what keeps us hooked.
Hannah's plans are plot led. Realistic characters aren't fixed, they react to events. Hannah puts them through the same fact, thought, feeling, action, result sequence she described in the coaching session. This method of developing characters is not at all "me", but I'll try it. I'll embrace it! Yes, and I'll follow her other advice, to address "plot knots" by noting them, identifying what's NOT working and taking the least worst alternative. Believe in advance your decisions will be right, and commit. If I decide planning's fun, it will be! I'll give myself achievable goals, celebrate success and trust myself to create something good.
So, a jolly practical pep talk. Yes, and in other news, my lovely German translator has a project for an online reading of The Infinity Pool / Der Infinity-Pool. Yes, and a delightful fellow author/blogger/creative writing teacher has offered a guest post and review for The Magic Carpet. Yes, and in a hopeful sign for Novel 3, the editor at the publisher I dream of working with has informed my agent that her long silence is because she hasn't yet read it, not because she's ruled it out. Opportunity knocks!
Jessica Norrie 2021
By Jessica Norriein authors, Blog post, My novels, plotting, storytelling, themes, writing courses, writing craft and style March 12, 2021 983 Words20 Comments
By Jessica Norriein Blog post February 19, 2021 February 19, 2021 86 Words9 Comments
In the 1980s, our bookshop had no computerised systems and often customer requests were vague ("It's about history, and it's green").
Customer, irritable manner: Do you have a shelf on bereavement?
Me: Er, let's try the General Non-Fiction or Psychology sections? (Self-help, even in Hampstead, didn't have its own shelf then.)
Customer, impatient: That's not what I had in mind.
Me (hauling volume one of British Books in Print from under the counter): I'll look under B for Bereavement but do you know a title or author's name…?
Customer, tearful: How could I know a title, I didn't know I was going to need it!
A wiser colleague took over. I'm still ashamed of my insensitive response and not sure my youth was an excuse.
In this New Year without fireworks there are many more bereaved. Here's children's author Shirley Hughes on widowhood in the Oldie:
"(After 12 years it's still hard), but I've kept working. I go to my studio every day at half past nine and I'm on deadlines. Working keeps your brain in your head. During the week I was holding it together but you can't work all the time and weekends were, and still are, absolute hell without John. But I started writing a novel and… it kept me going. What really kept me going was my three grown-up children… and my seven grandchildren; I see a lot of them."
But what about bereavement during a pandemic, without extended family visits? (What's the right verb – do we negotiate/manage/undergo/suffer/survive bereavement?) My first read of 2021 was Good Grief, by journalist and activist Catherine Mayer and her mother Anne Mayer Bird. They were both widowed within six weeks at the turn of 2019/2020, supporting each other through the aftermath as Britain entered lockdown. Anne found herself writing to her husband John, telling him about current events and how she missed him, her difficulties and successes, setbacks (including falling victim to cruel fraud) and support, the government's Covid failures and how John's garden was pushing ahead into spring without him. Catherine wraps these letters with her own reflections on losing husband Andy Gill. She describes how his loss undermines her day-to-day functioning, notes how she can mourn, plan and celebrate, tries to eat healthily, exercise, work and maintain morale. It's all additionally affected by lockdown. Anne and Catherine dislike the common "keep busy" advice given to the bereaved. I remember my father and the widower of a very close friend both swearing by it. accepting all invitations, travelling, theatre-going, having friends to stay. The Mayers couldn't, whether or not they wanted to. Their memories of coping with previous bereavements are comparative studies of a different society.
Good Grief is a thematic but not a chronological account. We meet two funny, clever, kind men several times, and they are repeatedly taken away. Two funny, clever, sad women celebrate them during and after bereavement. Some of the (welcome) humour is laugh-out-loud funny, some wincingly awful – the condolence message sent through a courier service that kept Catherine awake with postponed delivery alerts; the unbelievable crassness of an aeroplane passenger's remark to the suddenly widowed woman in the next seat. But most of the humour here is humour in the old-fashioned sense – an imbalance of body and mind. Bereavement is a physical and emotional upheaval, no matter how expected and even when a "blessed release". Those left behind change inside and out; they experience heat and cold differently, their digestion alters, their reactions slow and may be inappropriate; their thoughts take surprising paths. There are questions, what-ifs, guilt, regret, memories galore. Grief's ambush can't be quelled; it just bursts out elsewhere.
These are two very personal takes on becoming a widow. Some reactions will resonate more than others, as Anne's worry did with me: how, without John, to reach the top cupboards and master the TV remote? Meanwhile Catherine creates the hashtag #lovelydead to celebrate Andy. Using social media may support many and let's hope they're not trolled as she has sometimes been. Some potential comforts disappoint: Anne wants to revisit the film Truly, Madly, Deeply, whose laconic hero (Alan Rickman, himself now among the #lovelydead) haunts a mourning Juliet Stevenson. This time round, Catherine and Anne find it mawkish, fictional grief that can't comfort real grievers. (I think Stevenson's acting could illuminate a shopping list and was disturbed by their dismissal of my favourite scene, but then I've been lucky, my own 2020 more frustrating than grief-filled.)
The Mayers struggle with what Catherine calls "sadmin" and "dread tape". So, everybody, please: write and update your will; make your funeral/memorial wishes known; tidy your financial affairs and tell someone you trust your passwords. These loving acts reduce the practical burdens of death.
Faced with such pain, why "Good" Grief (apart from the professional journalist's knack for a punning headline)? Welcome it, was the message I received. Grief discards trivia and reminds us what really matters. Grief puts the dead centre stage and celebrates them. If they hadn't been so loved, we wouldn't be so sad. Without grief, we can't continue living.
It so happens my third novel describes bereavement from the point of view of the dead. My main character can't RIP until problems are resolved and conversations finished. I'm still hoping she'll find a publishing home in 2021. Meanwhile, or as well, if Good Grief had been available in the 1980s, I'd have suggested it to my customer, to perhaps reflected some feelings, help her pause for breath and support her moving forwards.
By Jessica Norriein authors, comedy and tragedy, contemporary living, publishers and booksellers, Reviews, themes January 15, 2021 January 20, 2021 957 Words24 Comments


text:
Amélie este un film francez din 2001, regizat de Jean Pierre Jeunet. Filmul este o comedie cu puternice influențe new wave, freecinema și dogma prin faptul că spectatorul nu este lăsat să-și imagineze nimic, acesta primește informații precise constant de la narator (a cărui voce se aude în off) precum și datorită stilului neconvențional în care s-a filmat.

Au fost utilizate numeroase filtre creând o varietate cromatică filmului, mișcări de aparat și încadraturi specifice cinematografiei post moderniste precum și utilizarea de efecte speciale (privirea de rămas bun a peștelui și topirea lui Amélie) deși nu este un film S.F. sau basm. Bruno de Bonne a fost director de imagine.

Numele original "le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain" al cărui scenariu a fost scris și de regizor prezintă o viziune idealizată a vieții contemporane pariziene, mai exact din Montmartre. Filmul a fost considerat rasist de Kaganski, deoarece nu apar negri sau alte etnii în film, însă regizorul a declarat că în caietul cu fotografii apăreau persoane variate etnic precum și actorul care l-a jucat pe Lucien este de origine africană.
Inițial filmul a fost refuzat de Gilles Jacob, cel care selecta filmele pentru Cannes, pe motiv că era "neinteresant", însă acesta a vizionat un montaj prematur fără coloana sonoră, fapt ce ilustrează marea importanță a sunetului în film. Muzica de film a fost compusă de Yann Tiersen care a fost și premiat; acesta a mai compus și pentru Goodbye Lenin.
Amélie a câștigat 4 premii César (regie, imagine, muzică, decor) 2 BAFTA și 5 nominalizări la Oscar și multe altele în anii ce au urmat. Chiar și o nouă specie de broască semitransparentă descoperită în Amazonia a fost numită după film, biologul declarând că inspirația i-a venit de la modul în care filmul acordă atenție și pune accent pe detalii.
Regizorul, inițial intenționase să o distribuie pe Emily Watson, dar nereușind, a rescris scenariul pentru o actriță franceză. Amélie a fost jucată în final de Audrey Tautou, al cărei tată este medic dentist, iar mama educatoare asemeni părinților personajului ei. Audrey este cunoscută în afara Franței mai mult pentru rolul ei din ecranizarea controversatului roman Codul lui Da Vinci.

Note

Legături externe

Filme din 2001
Filme de comedie
Filme de dragoste
Filme franțuzești
Filme în limba franceză
Filme în limba rusă
Filme regizate de Jean-Pierre Jeunet

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Travel tweeps in Belgium tweeting on Twitter.
See also: Belgium Tourist Information; for official tourism sources of places to visit and things to do in Belgium.
Africafreak - Michael Theys - Belgium.
African safari and wildlife specialist at your service. Has had the chance to live in Africa for almost 24 years.
IsabellesTravel - Isabelle Kenis - Belgium.
I'm a passionate traveler who wants to help others make a memorable vacation.
eurapart - John Williams - Brussels.
Travel faces the dual challenge of the credit crunch and the fragile environment. My blogs and website try to address these issues.


Wednesday, March 27, 2019 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Flip turns on the front and back are introduced. This course provides an intense interval training Swimming workout. This is a great course for competitive swimmers. Lessons occur weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays.


ODOT has nothing on OAR! Our very own crew of bridge workers turned the bridge into a blue and yellow wonderland. Check it out when the sun goes down….or in your case, since you are rowers, before the sun comes up!


text:
Daniel Raischl (* 19. März 1997) ist ein deutscher Fußballspieler.

Karriere
Raischl begann seine Karriere in der AKA Salzburg. Sein Profidebüt fürs Farmteam FC Liefering gab er am 18. Spieltag 2014/15 gegen die SV Mattersburg.

Im Januar 2017 wechselte er zum Ligakonkurrenten Floridsdorfer AC, bei dem er einen bis Juni 2017 gültigen Vertrag erhielt.

Zur Saison 2018/19 wechselte er zum Regionalligisten ATSV Stadl-Paura. Für Stadl-Paura kam er in der Saison 2018/19 zu 24 Einsätzen in der Regionalliga. Zur Saison 2019/20 wechselte er zum Salzburger AK 1914 in die Regionalliga Salzburg.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Fußballspieler (FC Liefering)
Fußballspieler (Floridsdorfer AC)
Fußballspieler (ATSV Stadl-Paura)
Fußballspieler (Salzburger AK 1914)
Deutscher
Geboren 1997
Mann


text:
The mighty Status Quo are without doubt, a global household name today, adored by millions and the guilty pleasure of many more worldwide. Quo Motion the Status Quo tribute band have gone to great lengths to ensure that their live performances are spectacular, both musically and visually, recreating the excitement and raw energy of Status Quo in their prime, making sure that the music played live is as powerful, melodic and authentic as it can possibly be, ensuring an unforgettable show.
Based in the West Midlands, Quo Motion have established themselves as the most authentic and definitive Status Quo tribute band in the United Kingdom today, performing at many high profile events to date, QUO Motion bring you the hits, The look and the unmistakable sound that we all recognise, and they're confirmed in the Line-up for Rock The Beacon 2019!
Check them out!!
https://www.facebook.com/QuoMotion-144335772276379/
Rock The Beacon
https://www.rockthebeacon.co.uk/quo-motion-status-quo-tribute
© 2018 by Rock The Beacon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you have been involved in an accident, the car accident report will be the record that collects all the information from the crash. Even if you don't intend to become involved in a lawsuit and there are no criminal charges pending, it is important to make sure that the crash report is correct and that the information contained on it is accurate.
You may want to get the help of an attorney or a law enforcement officer to look at it with you if you don't understand your report. There are multiple pages and sections, and it can be confusing. The bad effect from wrong information may not show up until a year later when your insurance is canceled or something else happens.
Are Accident Reports Public Record?
Law enforcement officers, including prosecutors, are allowed to look at crash reports, and your insurance company will be allowed to have a copy of the accident report so they can evaluate any claims that will be made. Some media members will be allowed access, too, for legitimate news reasons.
In Arizona, you are otherwise not allowed to view an accident report unless you were either involved in the accident or you have a relationship with the person involved in the accident. There are people who would misuse the records, and people who would attempt to use the records to pursue a business or commercial relationship with someone involved in a crash.
In order to protect the privacy of those involved, it is illegal for anyone to order an accident report without a reason. Violators can be prosecuted criminally, as the reports contain sensitive personal information.
Arizona doesn't require you to report every accident; if no one is injured and property damage is less than $1,000, you may not have a legal requirement to report. However, if you don't report, you may be leaving yourself open to more serious liability if the other party files a dishonest claim against you.
It's important to remember that the crash report is written from the investigating officer's point of view, based on all the evidence collected. When there are criminal charges or civil lawsuits, the crash report will be a key piece of evidence, and the officer may be a key witness.
injuries to yourself and to any passengers listed.
The Accident Information Exchange Form is basically a preliminary crash report, so it's important to make sure the information is correct. Something as simple as an incorrect year or of the vehicle could cause problems when processing insurance claims.
Sections 10 through 24 have boxes where the officer can give details about the weather, road surface conditions, lighting, and the actual manner of the crash impact. After that, the officer will show where the damage is on the vehicles involved, and there should be a short narrative describing the accident and a crash diagram. More serious accidents, including fatalities, require more extensive investigation and supplemental reports.
How Can You Get a Copy of Your Car Accident Report?
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the central repository for several kinds of records, including crash reports by Arizona State Troopers. The Department Records Unit (DRU) will have the records for collisions investigated on a state highway or interstate.
The DRU will also allow you to get copies of any photographs taken at the scene by the officer. When you are trying to obtain a crash report from a county or city road, you will need to communicate with the local authorities in the location of the crash.
Troopers are required to turn in their reports within 14 days, but other jurisdictions may have different rules. The completed report may not be the same as the one you got when you were participating in the original exchange of information. You shouldn't expect to have access to your completed crash report for at least 2 weeks.
If you have been in an accident, you have rights. Especially if you suffered any kinds of damages from the accident, you need to protect your rights and any claims you have against other parties.
An attorney can help you obtain your accident report and understand it. If you are the victim, your attorney will help you get just compensation. You may be able to recover for your medical bills, lost wages, rental car expenses, and several other kinds of expenses. If you have any questions or just want someone to assess your claim, don't hesitate to call today.
Previous PostWho's At Fault After A Chain Reaction Car Accident?


text:
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lovely on the water.
in the 90s i lived in allston MA on brighton ave. it was life amid the transient free ranging rage filled savages. drunken assholes from BC and BU flowed out of the plentiful bars at closing time, slapping their girlfriends, puking on the sidewalks, and very often beating the shit out of each other. my accidental apartment, high up above the street over looking the corner where women disappeared, last seen alive. the central building fire alarm was forever going off.
in 1995, orla benson, a student from ireland, was viciously raped and murdered a few blocks away , found in ringer park. the beast that killed her had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping, beating, and raping a woman, a crime to which he had pled guilty. he was released on probation inexplicably after serving only 2 years and change. while on probation, he kidnapped, beat and raped a woman at knife point. he was not sent back to jail. he committed an unarmed robbery in cambridge. his probation was not revoked. he was caught driving without a license. his probation was not revoked instead he was fined with community service which was fulfilled at a community center for teens. the city center did no background check and was unaware they had placed a sexual predator deemed by the courts to be at a 'high risk to re-offend' in charge of vulnerable young people. pedro 'tony' rosario was in fact a blossoming deadly sociopath about to take that leap from serial power assertive rapist to serial killer.
as explained by the useless tool boston stupidly keeps rechristening mayor, tom 'mumbles', menino, "We never thought we needed it [it being free background checks that could have in 7 days or less given the city a complete run down of rosario's long violent criminal record including all pending charges.]". as to the parole board's gross negligence in not following up on where their little rapist pet was working and why his having been fingered in a brutal sexual assault wasn't enough to stuff him back in the pokey for violation of his parole, then attorney general scott harshbarger 'could not be reached for comment'. the parole officer in charge of rosario's case could not comment because of 'privacy' concerns. the family of orla benson would later sue the parole board.
having done such a great job with the city's youth while slaving away serving out his community service, rosario would be given a recommendation from the city and an actual job with the parks and recreation department- overseeing another pool of potential teen victims. he then proceeded to rape a 15 year old special needs employee. again, his parole was not revoked. any of the crimes he was even just alleged to have committed- the robbery, the driving without a license, and the rapes- were enough to have sent him back to prison to be forced to serve out his previous 10 year sentence if any judge had a mind to do it. if this had been done, orla benson would be alive today. but this was in massachusetts, which doesn't even care enough about your children to ensure they are not placed in the care of serial rapists and child molesters. because that would be mean to the rapist who must be protected and kept out of jail at all costs, even the cost of other innocent lives.
orla benson was by all accounts a wonderful person who was about to graduate from college. she was in boston on a work visa, due to return to ireland days after her murder. after a night out with friends, she was last seen on the corner of brighton ave and allston street, right under my window, near the silhouette lounge which was on her way home. she was stabbed over 30 times, her throat slit. she had been savagely bitten. DNA and the bite marks would fit pedro rosario. in 2004, nearly 10 years after he was convicted of killing orla, his DNA would be further matched to 2 additional rapes in boston and brookline in 1990 and 1989 previous to the 1991 crime for which he had been on parole. seeing how rape is the most under reported of all crimes, there is no way of knowing how many women rosario violated before the death of orla benson finally stopped him.
pedro 'tony' roasrio is serving 2 life sentences for his brutal rape and murder of orla benson. he is currently in mci norfolk, a medium security prison. a whiny cowardly bitch as all such predators once caught prove to be, his lawyer at the time of the trial complained that " his client is 'scared to death' because he was ' threatened by some Irish nationals' at Old Colony House of Corrections"....
have at it boys. well done. here's hoping there are still some ' Irish nationals' with long memories in mci norfolk.
"My wish would be to exterminate this creature as one would put down a crazed animal." orla's brother, aaron benson.
several years later, rita hester would last be seen alive at the very same corner.
january 7th marked the beginning of egyptian new year, the birthday of the dreadful beloved Sekhmet, the Destroyer, who gives life eternal.
when the world became unspeakably evil, Sekhmet, an aspect of Hathor, was sent to destroy the evil humans. she raged ceaselessly. she was only stopped when the fields were flooded with beer tinted red which she mistook for the blood she craved.
oh, thou who lives on the water, goddess of judgement... so lovely on the water...
... justice is love. bring it forth.


text:
from __future__ import unicode_literals

from django.db import models, migrations

class Migration(migrations.Migration):

    dependencies = [
        ('taskmanager', '0002_auto_20160530_2132'),
    ]

    operations = [
        migrations.CreateModel(
            name='Tag',
            fields=[
                ('id', models.AutoField(verbose_name='ID', primary_key=True, auto_created=True, serialize=False)),
                ('name', models.CharField(max_length=100, verbose_name='Name')),
                ('user', models.ForeignKey(to='taskmanager.Profile', related_name='tags', verbose_name='user')),
            ],
            options={
                'verbose_name_plural': 'Tags',
                'ordering': ('user', 'name'),
                'verbose_name': 'Tag',
            },
        ),
        migrations.AlterUniqueTogether(
            name='tag',
            unique_together=set([('user', 'name')]),
        ),
    ]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Do you end up buying something to reach a certain amount that makes you eligible to get a free gift (or any offer)? Well, I end up doing that a lot of time. Bad Habit. I Know!
This time, it was a set of three beautiful heart shaped pink jewelry box (maybe I will show you that someday) from L'Oreal. Somehow, I could not find anything else to buy. Finally, I saw this. I remember reading somewhere that Argan Oil is a magical product and so, I thought of giving this a try. I am happy that I got this!
I try to keep away from sulphate and silicones products and so, I used to use hair serum very sparingly. I have a bottle of Matrix Opti Smooth serum for more than 1.5 years and still a lot of it left. But, the ingredient in this does not look that dangerous.
1. Does not feel like anything! Not at all greasy. It actually seems to seep into your hair strands. They look naturally moisturized and soft – not the slippery kind! For a person with dry hair – BIG HAPPY NEWS.
2. A very little amount is required. I use something around the size of a coin. Rub it on my palm and spread it on my hair. VOILA. Manageable bouncy hair.
4. Have not caused any hair fall.
5. Perfectly priced at 240 INR for 100 ml.
1. I do not know how much Argan oil is there in the product or if it actually does the benefit that it is supposed to do. But, luckily it works so I do not have any particular complaints.
Overall - Loved it! Will definitely repurchase it as it has done everything it has promised, nicely priced and on top of all - Smells good.
lol!!! me too have the habit of buying things just to get free gifts.
I love this serum...all other serums make my hair greasy.
yup dear, thanks for pointing out :), but I said 'does not look that dangerous' because compared to other serums out there in market, the number of chemicals is far less.
You know I used this too but didnt quite like it :( Maybe just not for my hair type.
This serum works even better smooth intense shampoo and the conditioner range. I have tried livon, Silk and shine and matrix. This is the best leave in conditioner.
Shop Boots Products In India - ONLINE!!!!
Maybelline Baby Lips in India for INR 125/150!!!


CITeR works with its affiliates to advance identification technology through cooperative definition and completion of highly leveraged research, education of the next generation of scientists and engineers, and effective knowledge transfer.
The CITeR Research Portfolio spans a comprehensive topic set across biometrics and credibility assessment. The CITeR Research Portfolio is cooperatively defined by the Centers Affiliates and funded by the Affiliate Fee pool. Center Affiliates pay yearly affiliate fees that provide each with voting privileges on the Affiliate Advisory Board and thereby direct influence in the selection of projects being funded from the Affiliate fee pool. Project results are shared among the membership at semiannual meetings effectively, the CITeR Affiliates pay for the cost of one research program but reap the benefits of many. Understanding the importance of the Industry-university relationship, all university indirects are reinvested by the participating universities to the research activity for its use. Affiliates often find expertise within the Center that allows them to focus on specific basic and applied research needs. As a result, Center Affiliates may fund separate sponsored research on proprietary projects for which they alone receive the research results.
Center Affiliate fees contribute directly to the support of affiliate driven master and doctorate level research projects. In addition, the Center actively involves undergraduate students on projects through summer research internships, academic year research, and senior capstone projects. Students work on research projects selected by the affiliates making the training they receive well aligned to student and affiliate interests alike.
The results of the centers highly leveraged research are formally disseminated to members at twice yearly meetings. Informally, transfer is continuous over the course of a project for all affiliates and especially those serving as Project Monitors. In addition to reports, papers, and site visits, access to the student researchers as potential future employees represents perhaps the most important long term means of knowledge transfer.


text:
Кулушево (, ) — присілок у складі Учалинського району Башкортостану, Росія. Входить до складу Уразовської сільської ради.

Населення — 151 особа (2010; 249 в 2002).

Національний склад:
 башкири — 100%

Примітки

Посилання
 На Вікімапії

Населені пункти Учалинського району
Присілки Башкортостану


text:
Мотузенко Володимир Іванович (* 1936) — заслужений майстер спорту СРСР, заслужений тренер УРСР зі спортивної акробатики
 Мотузенко Олександр Олексійович (* 1967) — український веслувальник. Заслужений майстер спорту СРСР, срібний призер Олімпійських ігор у Сеулі 1988 року, чемпіон світу 1987, 1989, 1990 років.
 Мотузенко Олена Олександрівна (* 1969) — український фізико-географ, кандидат географічних наук, доцент.

Примітки

Прізвища на -ко


text:
Chrysopa wagneri is een insect uit de familie van de gaasvliegen (Chrysopidae), die tot de orde netvleugeligen (Neuroptera) behoort.

Chrysopa wagneri is voor het eerst wetenschappelijk beschreven door Esben-Petersen in 1932.

Gaasvliegen


text:
William Shurniak was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston (right), former Governor General, at a ceremony in Rideau Hall in Ottawa on June 23, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Sgt. Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall)
Remembering a USask supporter, successful financier and art aficionado
From small-town roots to the world of international banking, William Shurniak became a prominent successful business executive who was also passionate about art and never forgot his Saskatchewan roots.
Throughout his global business travels, Shurniak amassed a truly unique private art collection, including works from the influential Group of Seven artists, and built the impressive Shurniak Art Gallery in Assiniboia in southern Saskatchewan. Shurniak, who passed away on August 8, has also been a supporter of the University of Saskatchewan (USask), which will assist family members in sharing stewardship of the collection in the coming months.
"Mr. Shurniak was visionary in all that he did: Detail oriented but always aware of just where everything fit in his much bigger picture," said jake moore, head of University Art Galleries and Art Collection. "The same attributes that drove his luminary success in business fed his collecting practice. He assembled art and objects from all over the world as well as key Canadian and Saskatchewan works into his namesake gallery in Assiniboia.
"From its inception, the University of Saskatchewan has shared in the governance of Shurniak Gallery. Now that Bill has passed, we enter into an even deeper relationship of stewardship of this legacy. Art will continue to connect us and serve as the underpinning of a very strong Saskatchewan cultural legacy. He always brought everything home. "
Shurniak, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws at USask in 1998, has been a strong supporter of USask students through the Shurniak Memorial Scholarship Fund that he established in 1999, and has also provided financial awards to USask music students through the Shurniak Concerto Competition held every second year.
Among his major awards, Shurniak received the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal from the Lieutenant Governor in 2005, Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2009, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and awarded the prestigious Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada in 2016.
Born on the family farm in Limerick, Sask., in 1931 in the Dust Bowl era of the Dirty Thirties, Shurniak joined the Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) out of high school, starting out as a junior clerk, soon distinguishing himself with his born-in-Saskatchewan work ethic. He would go on to spend the next 35 years in advancing roles, working throughout Canada and internationally in Jamaica and Hong Kong.
Shurniak later returned to Hong Kong to join the Li Ka-shing group of companies, later working with gas and power companies based in Australia and the United Kingdom, and at the time of his passing was serving as Deputy Chairman of the Calgary-based Husky Energy Inc.
In 2019, he reached a major milestone of 70 years of working in the world of finance, a truly Made-in-Saskatchewan success story.


Biochemistry professor Dr. Tiffany Mealman always had a positive attitude even though she had reasons not to. Her joyful disposition, her faith and her dedication to her students is what those students and her fellow faculty members in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology will remember most about her. Mealman passed away Sunday after a five-year battle with cancer.
GCU is flexing its latest recognition as an Exercise is Medicine campus. What that means is that, in addition to the typical questions at the health clinic, students will be asked about their exercise habits and may get a prescription for exercise. The idea is to improve the health of students on college campuses.
The first of four online commencement ceremonies convened Friday morning in GCU Arena, and Pam Aydelott sure stood out — she was wearing a 1940s-era nursing outfit. It took her nearly a year to put it together.


text:
Culture /// News & Politics x October 19, 2016
Gary Johnson: The Wrong Man for the Right Job
Jeffrey W. Cope, Texas State University
In an election year where the third party candidate may actually have a chance, we've been given just another poor option from the libertarian party.
By Jeffrey W. Cope, Texas State University
Culture /// News & Politics x August 24, 2016
Surprise! Nobody Is Actually Going to Win the 2016 Election
Tim Philbin, College of the Holy Cross
Until social issues at home are worked out, the body politic will continue nominating fringe candidates instead of effective ones.
By Tim Philbin, College of the Holy Cross


Yummy chile-spiced pinto beans rolled into soft tortillas, baked until good and crispy, and served with the easiest 2-ingredient guacamole you'll ever meet—you are going to fall in love with these vegetarian baked taquito flautas with simple guacamole.
Taquitos flautas? Are you wondering why I gave this recipe two names that basically mean the same thing? Right, the distinction is subtle. And confusing, in that the differences dissolve depending on where you are in Mexico. Or Texas. Or California.
Generally, taquitos are skinny fried tacos made with corn tortillas. Flautas, on the other hand are usually filled and fried flour tortillas, long and slim, like musical flutes. Flautas–Spanish for flutes—love that image!
Spread a couple tablespoons of filling–nutritious fiber-rich cooked pinto beans mashed with chipotle pepper, onion, cilantro, and a bit of cheddar cheese–inside a softened tortilla. Fold over and roll up like you would a rug, spray the rolls with healthy cooking spray, and then bake into crunchy spicy meatless taquito flautas. Baked, not fried–much better for us!
While the filled rollups bake, mush avocado and purchased green salsa into guacamole. Two ingredients, three minutes. Easy-tasty.
Serve your crispy baked taquito flautas with simple guacamole and shredded lettuce, as appetizers or a light supper. They are plenty sturdy for travel—I tucked them in a Tupperware container to share at an outdoor summer concert not too long ago. Serve with refreshing Ginger Beer Mexican Mules, with or without tequila.
I started out naming them flautas, but then wavered, thinking you–more people–would know these skinny Mexican snacks as taquitos. The double-barreled name came when I accidentally picked up Mi Rancho's organic artisan corn tortillas, thinking I was buying pure corn tortillas. Whoops! Mi Rancho's "artisan" tortillas are made with both corn and wheat–they are perfect for taquito flautas!
The easiest way to soften your tortillas for rolling is spray them with cooking spray and pop in the oven for a minute, like for chard enchiladas. Alternatively, brush the tortillas lightly with avocado or olive oil.
Make these vegan: Omit the cheese.
For baking spray, I've converted to Chosen Foods avocado spray instead of canola oil spray. There is no comparison in flavor and quality. Plus, I've been reading about canola oil and am steering away from it. Definitely avocado oil is a healthier oil. You can also use a quality olive oil spray.
I make these super easy with canned pinto beans, cooking spray, and purchased salsa verde. If you're planning ahead (so rarely me), cook your beans and salsa verde from scratch.
Make it a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and cook something quick and easy!
For more vegetarian recipe ideas, peruse my Pinterest boards. I save Mexican recipes here.
These baked vegetarian snacks are a fun appetizer! For a light supper, serve 3 or 4 taquito flautas with the lettuce salad. Makes 8 taquito flautas.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil on medium flame in a medium skillet. Sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, chipotle pepper, cheese, and cilantro. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the mix so the beans are broken down into a spreadable mix. It's ok if the beans aren't completely mashed.
Lightly spray both sides of the tortillas with avocado spray and arrange on baking sheets. Heat in the oven just until they are pliable, 3 to 5 minutes.
Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bean mixture down the middle of a softened tortilla, leaving about 1-inch on either end. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the tortilla as tightly as possible. lay on the baking sheet seam side down. Lightly spray with the avocado oil.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a bit crispy. They will get crisper as they cool.
While the taquito flautas are baking, make the guacamole. Mash the avocado with enough salsa verde to make a spreadable guacamole.
Arrange the shredded lettuce with jicama and radish on a platter alongside the taquito flautas. Serve with guacamole.
•For chipotle oil, puree a 7-ounce can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce in a blender with avocado or olive oil until smooth, adding a bit more oil, if needed, for a smooth paste. Keep in a small container in the freezer and use as needed.
• Mi Rancho's artisan corn and wheat mixed tortillas roll quite tightly and stay rolled very well. If you can't find them, use a quality corn or a quality wheat flour tortilla. When softened with cooking spray, corn tortillas roll up fine—hold with a toothpick if they try to unwind.


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We adjust the design to the target country, making it easy to achieve cultural immersion. We adapt your projects, both technologically and linguistically, to get you to where you want to be.
And lastly: TESTING. All our projects end with thorough checking and revision, from both a linguistic and a technical point of view and in terms of layout, so that everything says what it should say where it should say it.
What file types do we translate?
Documents, articles, blogs, web content, and any other kind of communication and format.
If you can't find the format you're looking for in the list, please contact us.


While a volunteer placement during your career break or time off is a very worthwhile and fulfilling experience, it is also very stretching so why not relax afterwards and treat yourself to some once in a lifetime experiences!
MondoChallenge, the career break specialist, offers career break volunteers placements in 9 countries around the world. Projects include teaching, care work and business placements in Tanzania, India, Nepal, and Ecuador. After taking the time to travel to a country and applying yourself to a project, it is important to reward yourself and take some time to see everything a country has to offer.
One volunteer has spent 12 weeks teaching in a Nepalese village school, but during exam time took the opportunity to do an exhilarating 21 day trek through the magnificent Annapurna national park. Travelling during your volunteer experience not only recharges your batteries, but supports local economies and helps your understanding of local culture.
Other opportunities may include a safari to the endless Serengeti after helping widows set up small businesses, or travelling to the glorious Taj Mahal and spotting tigers after working with disabled children in Delhi.
MondoChallenge believe it is important that their volunteers experience all they can during a career break, so they now have a new specialised travel department that can help those on a voluntary placement plan excursions and adventures, be it trekking, sight seeing or relaxing.


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An organic transistor paves the way for new generations of neuro-inspired computers
For the first time, CNRS and CEA researchers have developed a transistor that can mimic the main functionalities of a synapse. This organic transistor, based on pentacene and gold nanoparticles and known as a NOMFET (Nanoparticle Organic Memory Field-Effect Transistor), has opened the way to new generations of neuro-inspired computers, capable of responding in a manner similar to the nervous system. The study is published in the 22 January 2010 issue of the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
In the development of new information processing strategies, one approach consists in mimicking the way biological systems such as neuron networks operate to produce electronic circuits with new features. In the nervous system, a synapse is the junction between two neurons, enabling the transmission of electric messages from one neuron to another and the adaptation of the message as a function of the nature of the incoming signal (plasticity). For example, if the synapse receives very closely packed pulses of incoming signals, it will transmit a more intense action potential. Conversely, if the pulses are spaced farther apart, the action potential will be weaker.
It is this plasticity that the researchers have succeeding in mimicking with the NOMFET.
A transistor, the basic building block of an electronic circuit, can be used as a simple switch - it can then transmit, or not, a signal - or instead offer numerous functionalities (amplification, modulation, encoding, etc.).
The innovation of the NOMFET resides in the original combination of an organic transistor and gold nanoparticles. These encapsulated nanoparticles, fixed in the channel of the transistor and coated with pentacene, have a memory effect that allows them to mimic the way a synapse works during the transmission of action potentials between two neurons. This property therefore makes the electronic component capable of evolving as a function of the system in which it is placed. Its performance is comparable to the seven CMOS transistors (at least) that have been needed until now to mimic this plasticity.
The devices produced have been optimized to nanometric sizes in order to be able to integrate them on a large scale. Neuro-inspired computers produced using this technology are capable of functions comparable to those of the human brain.
Unlike silicon computers, widely used in high performance computing, neuro-inspired computers can resolve much more complex problems, such as visual recognition.
Source: CNRS (the French National Center for Scientific Research) Press Release January 22 , 2010
Click here for more about Nanotechnology in Electronics.


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Tag: campaign
Inside Soccer's Campaign To Save The Recreation
So you're internet hosting a 50th birthday party for a group that likes to have enjoyable, but cannot determine what video games to play. In some circumstances, the participant turns into that character. In other video games, the participant merely guides an already present character. In both case, the story bible can outline what the principle characters desires! That is the key. Your complete sport story should be constructed round what the principle character or hero wants and wishes. Once that is pinpointed (be it the damsel in misery, a magic amulet, or the enemy capital), a designer can construct an entire sport round that quest. Battles in the cold reaches of area. Races by monster-stuffed mazes. Puzzle-fixing via a haunted library. Anything that makes the game extra entertaining can stand between the hero and the purpose. But, the aim have to be clear, ever-present, and motivated. The story bible will help a design crew try this.
Show the players learn how to toss the "ball" backwards and forwards to each other, catching it on the spoon. Then, they have to start out transferring slowly to the opposite finish of the room while tossing forwards and backwards. At this time, most video games are delivered to life utilizing the Substance toolset. With a non-destructive workflow wrapped in consumer-friendly functions and supported by a big group, Substance helps 3D artists obtain their full potential. Escape a cruel mansion alongside a woman words can not reach, in an escape-the-room adventure sport that can solely be skilled in VR. Players must work to flee a mansion filled with hidden dangers with a mysterious girl that seems earlier than them.
Consideration Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and video video games had been the topic in a recent news story the place a boy who had been playing a violent online game shot and killed his father. Did the violence within the online game worsen the aggressive urges of the boy and drive him over the edge or was it much more likely that there was an abusive component in the home and the father-son dynamic? For the reason that single father is dead and the boy was solely ten years previous, we might never absolutely know the truth.
Inside Football's Campaign To Save The Game
Cease, drop, and play with EA's roster of Free-to-Play video games on console, COMPUTER and cellular. Piracy – There was incidences of breaching copyright laws, scandal, and letting users to pirate video games illegally. And these conditions have introduced an enormous problem for the world of online gaming. In reality, the scandal brought on loads of controversies so there are some video games that were shut down. The web provides these sorts of games that will really get your youngsters excited. An example of free on-line games for kids is Dora the Explorer. You may have seen Dora the Explorer on TV. And, it's possible you'll discover how your youngster can really find out about math, music, physical coordination and even learn how to speak some primary Spanish language with Dora the Explorer.
Unleash the wrath of the Gods in a mythical Norse adventure that may solely unfold in VR. Forge your future as both a mortal hero and living god in an motion role enjoying game of unworldly depth. 1. Hunt a Bible Verse: Based on the game of Treasure Hunt, this sport is a good workforce builder that can renew curiosity within the Bible amongst your congregation. Get the people into teams of three to 5 members. Give a Bible and an inventory of clues for a verse in it, to each group. Among the clues could be straightforward tips that could the verse. Each group ought to hand of their list of verses throughout the stipulated time.
Dora the Explorer online video games, just like the TELEVISION present will let your baby work together with Dora and her pet monkey, Boots, to assist them resolve completely different situations and problems. And, just like the TV present, your child can study a little bit of Spanish language. Which ever workforce finishes first wins. Ask the youngsters: "Who ought to get the prize?" They need to answer that the profitable team should. Players underneath 18 shall be banned from enjoying on-line between 22:00 and 08:00. They can even be restricted to 90 minutes of gaming on weekdays and three hours on weekends and holidays.
Inside Football's Campaign To Save The Recreation
I know that Mexican Train is a friendly game, often performed with family and associates, and that winning isn't essential or terribly important. That these males felt compelled to show the gathering, an annual assembly of the National Soccer Basis, into a method session for pushing back towards the forces threatening their sport illustrates the dramatic disruption football has undergone in the past decade. Over that time, the public's awareness of football's role in some types of long-time period mind damage has probably develop into the sport's kryptonite. Discover the method of most enjoyable and engagement with these science video games! This assortment includes a bunch of physics quizzes covering subjects like vitality, astronomy, legal guidelines of motion, and more.
Even for many who are solely occasional players or where just a few games in particular are sought, downloading Wii games is still viable. There is a per-obtain online choice at solely a fraction of the cost of the discs from the game stores. But by and huge, Wii fanciers go on for extra after a while even if they began out lukewarm and fairly sometimes upgrade to unlimited access membership sooner or later. Total we felt that the Substance toolset helped us to ship the game in time, with good quality, and with a relatively small setting artwork group.
At this time kids start out as very babies with learning DVDs, TELEVISION leisure and as they grow there are all the video video games that eat up hours and hours of their time. It's then, the opposite gamers turn, to throw the cube and the game continues as above. The game is a relic of the nineteenth century, when criminals obtained the final word penalty for committing the last word crime. It's used these days to make studying phrases fun and to assist people become familiar with a brand new language. Dora the Explorer free on-line recreation is out there in a number of websites where you may easily entry it and let your child begin playing the game. All it's important to do after the play web page load is to read the instruction and orient your youngster find out how to play with Dora the Explorer on-line game.


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Travellers Vote Qatar Airways Middle East Airline of The Year
Photo: prnewswire.com.br
International business travellers have once again chosen Qatar Airways as the Middle East Airline of the Year applauding the airline's global network, modern aircraft, and luxurious Business Class service for providing them with an exceptional travel experience.
The accolade, presented at the 10th annual Aviation Business Awards held in Dubai, encapsulates passengers' pleasure in flying with Qatar Airways and further reinforces the airline's leading position in the Middle East. Travellers commended the airline's growing network and continued performance in flying them to more than 150 places across the world.
Passengers celebrated the airline's Business Class service and new Qatar Airways Premium Lounge for providing them with a consistent and exceptional experience every time they fly.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: "We are honoured to be recognised as the best carrier in the Middle East at the 2016 Aviation Business Awards. This award demonstrates our unwavering commitment to delivering an exceptional product and service to provide our customers with the very best travel experience.
"From our outstanding new Premium Lounge in Dubai and Al Mourjan Business Lounge at our hub at Doha's Hamad International Airport, to our award winning cabin crew and the World's Best Business Class, we are determined to continue providing the sophisticated and luxurious experience that our customers demand to remain the first choice for travellers in the Gulf region. I would like to extend my gratitude to our staff for their continued dedication to providing the very best travel experiences for our customers."
This award is the latest traveller accolade praising Qatar Airways' premium products and services. Whether travelling for business or leisure, Qatar Airways Business Class passengers can take advantage of a dedicated check-in facility at its state-of-the-art hub at Hamad International Airport, Doha.
With fast access to the airline's Business Class Lounge, Al Mourjan, passengers can enjoy an array of dining options inspired by celebrity chefs, a fully equipped business centre or a relaxing spa treatment.
Qatar Airways travellers can keep on the move with convenient transit times and one of the industry's best on-time-performance scores, while on-board Wi-Fi ensures business continuity or keeping in touch with family and friends.
Qatar Airways operates one of the world's youngest fleets, with an average fleet age of five years. As part of its commitment to providing the very best travel experiences, the airline was the global launch customer for the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world, the Airbus A350, while also being the Middle East launch customer for the ultra-modern Boeing Dreamliner.
Qatar Airways recently announced a landmark commitment with Boeing for up to 100 aircraft as part of its fleet expansion and renewal programme, taking the airline into the next decade and beyond.
The carrier is one of the fastest growing airlines in the history of aviation and 2016 has seen Qatar Airways launch routes to Adelaide (Australia), Atlanta (USA), Birmingham (UK), Boston (USA), Helsinki (Finland), Los Angeles (USA), Marrakech (Morocco), Pisa (Italy), Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), Sydney (Australia), Windhoek (Namibia) and Yerevan (Armenia). Over the next few months, the network will grow further with Krabi (Thailand) and Seychelles.
Source: albawaba.com
Airbus A350Akbar Al BakerAviation Business AwardsBoeing Dreamlinerbusiness classmodern aircraftQatar Airways


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The story of Romero
Let us take you on a journey back in time; the year 1921, a young doctor by the name of Fausto Tesio established the Italian Hospital in the heart of the new city near the ancient Roman Amphitheatre. Deeply inspired by her father's great passion for Jordan, Flavia Romero took her Italian roots and planted them in Amman by opening Romero Restaurant in 1979. Flavia continued to add pieces of her culture to the restaurant, which grew to become a haven for Mediterranean cuisine in Jordan.
In 1988, the legacy created by Romero was handed over to Mr. Zaid Goussous, whose passion and love for fine cuisine continues to drive his inspiration today. Goussous extended Romero's legacy by growing the menu of homemade Italian recipes to include flavors from each of the country's provinces. He had successfully maintained a small piece of Italy in the heart of our beloved Amman with its enchanting ambience and indulging cuisine.
Romero Group @ 2015. All Rights Reserved
Discover your mood


I like that our country has a tradition of gathering with family and friends for Giving Thanks. Even though like all other aspects of American life it has been commercialized, there is still a strong feeling of appreciation in the hearts of many who gather for this holiday. For me, it adds an extra impulse to notice and express what is of value. Tops in my list is appreciation of the exceptional woman who joined with me and our friends and family on this spot some years ago.
When we're walking, driving or flying past and I see people gathered around that bench at the east end of the park, it brings back warm memories of that day and a renewed enjoyment of our marriage. We've always appreciated our good fortune in discovering Santa Barbara and managing to move here. Even more so since our incredible luck in starting to fly and have our hearts expanded by scenes like this.
Most of all on this holiday, I appreciate Love. The love of strangers, but of course even more the love of friends and family. In a deeper sense the love of Life that's evoked by appreciating the efforts of our ancestors who nurtured and advanced our opportunities. As we steadily approach the end of this beautiful life, the colors of appreciation fill our hearts to overflowing.
May this holiday bring you many warm moments, happy memories, and ever more appreciation as our lives continue to unfold.