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by Thomas Mills | May 10, 2013 | Editor's Blog, NC Politics, NCGA
The protests at the General Assembly seem to be picking up steam. Those arrested are not just the usual suspects of serial protesters and young idealists. They include middle-aged professional people who are dismayed and disturbed by the direction that the General Assembly is taking the state.
Republicans are dismissing the protesters as disgruntled Democrats who are having a difficult time accepting that the GOP now controls state government. They might want to take a second look. In the summer of 2009, a lot of people (yours truly included) dismissed the Tea Party protests at Congressional offices as a small, vocal group who would soon go away. Same with the Occupy movement that started in New York in September 2011.
Both movements had major impacts. The Tea Party became a force within the Republican Party and, while its influence is now waning, set the stage for the ascendancy of Rand Paul and the GOP's dramatic shift to the right in Congress. Occupy never entered into the political mainstream but it changed the national conversation. When the protests began, the country was talking about reining in the debt. By the time it began to fizzle, the country was talking about income inequality and the financial sector's responsibility for the recession. They set the stage for Elizabeth Warren's U. S. Senate run.
The key for the North Carolina protesters is to maintain the momentum and keep the middle-class, middle-aged protesters showing up on the front page of newspapers. They also need to work on their message. The name "Moral Monday" is self-righteous and condescending. If it comes down to a battle of who is more moral, left-leaning bible thumpers or right-leaning bible thumpers, the non-thumping general public will lose interest.
Politics is about self-interest. They need to make the protests about the day-to-day lives of average North Carolinians and begin to put personal faces on the victims of Republican policies. Let's hear from a parent whose child will be denied daycare or a sick person who can't get health care. Then let's see them go to jail. Most people in North Carolina understand the old saying, "There but for the grace of God, go I." The protest organizers need to make sure their message hits close to home.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >


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Marc Stein: Nets in "a bigger ditch than we've ever seen"
By Net Income May 26, 2015, 11:48am EDT
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If you're a Nets fan and expected a dose of optimism from ESPN's post-season "summer scoop" series, fuggedaboutit as they say in Brooklyn (and New Jersey).
In the Nets "summer scoop," Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo paint a dark portrait of the team's prospects. The "summer scoop," is in effect, "winter is coming." Stein and Mazzeo write...
They went all-in as far as any team we've ever seen over the past few years -- and we're typically all for boldness in the cyberspace -- only to wind up in a bigger ditch than we've ever seen when the big swings whiffed. There are simply no preferred scenarios for them to pursue in the short term. There are downsides even if things go as planned this offseason.
They answer a series of questions, but in each they come down to a bottom line that looks ugly. For example, even if they sign Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, "The far greater source of uncertainty is the size and scope of the contracts they would command as free agents, given that Brooklyn risks cutting into its July 2016 spending money if it lavishes too much on the incumbents."
Their best hope is that Lopez and Young opt in for another year, hoping for a huge bonanza next July when TV rights money shows up, but Stein and Mazzeo say sources tell them it's more likely both will opt out and look for big raises and long contracts now.
The ESPN writers don't think the Nets will stretch Deron Williams and leave them with $9 million on the cap for the next five years. Nor do they think trading Joe Johnson's $25 million expiring will be so easy. They also think the Nets might have second thoughts about not trading Mason Plumlee back when his value was high in December and January. Some may have forgotten, but over a 25-game stretch, he averaged 15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds, then retreated into Lionel Hollins dog house. They suggest Plumlee could be on the block again.
There's more if you can stand it. Bottom line for Stein and Mazzeo: "The Nets can only hope. There really is no alternative scenario for them."
Summer Scoop: Brooklyn Nets' offseason priority - Marc Stein & Mike Mazzeo - ESPN

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Category: Action Adventure
Doom Patrol: The Silver Age #1
On January 17, 2020 January 17, 2020 By DerrickIn Action Adventure, Science Fiction, Superhero, Superhero Prose FictionLeave a comment
The Obligatory Disclaimer:
This is a work of fanfiction. It has not in any way been authorized by DC Comics, DC Entertainment or Warner Brothers. The characters in this story are the property of their respective creators and there is no intent to make any financial profit whatsoever from this work. It has been written for entertainment purposes only. If this work is deemed an infringement of copyright by the legal owners of said copyright, contact the author and distribution of this story will cease and desist in accordance with the wishes of the copyright holder.
In other words, folks. It's just for fun. Enjoy.
Chapter One: "ALL TOGETHER NOW"
The bars in Midway City's downtown area were soon packed on a Friday afternoon promptly after 5PM. Filled with the workers from the multitude of office buildings and shops in that bustling, hustling business district. The mood in those bars were usually that of merriment and celebration as the end of another work week was celebrated. But not this Friday. The bars were packed as usual, yes. But the mood in each and every watering hole was that of grim tension. Every eye focused on the huge flat screen televisions. Drinks were ordered quietly and every boisterous newcomer that entered was promptly admonished to shush and take a seat.
The popular Feria Bar located on the corner of Davis and Nero Avenues was well known in Midway City as the favorite watering hole of the city's artistic and entertainment community. Novelists, playwrights, actors, directors, poets and various practitioners of the arts gathered there on a regular basis and on Friday it was a place of grand storytelling and good times. The usual crowd was unusually quiet, hanging onto every word of the pretty, petite blond woman on the 40-inch television screen.
"…and we're into the third hour of the hostage situation here at the opening of the new Midway City Technological Center. Quite frankly, it seems to this reporter that the police are stumped as to how to take the building without jeopardizing the lives of the innocent hostages within. To recap for those of you who have just joined us: The Midway City Technological Center has been taken over and everyone inside held hostage by the notorious international terrorists known as Monsieur Mallah and The Brain."
The picture split-screened showing Monsieur Mallah on the left, a savage looking giant gorilla with bristling, spiky silvery black fur and The Brain on the right. A human brain suspended in a clear tank of nutrient fluids atop a tombstone gray pedestal disturbingly fashioned in the shape of a cylindrical skull.
"Monsieur Mallah is an African mountain gorilla whose intelligence was increased to genius level thanks to genetic modifications performed upon him by The Brain. There's very little information on The Brain's origins but it cannot be disputed that its intellectual power has few rivals on the planet. The pair have been wanted for years by law enforcement agencies in just about every country on Earth as their crimes are too numerous to mention here."
The picture returned to the woman and the logo at the bottom of the screen read:
Tammy Albright
Channel 6 BSY NEWS
"The opening of the Technological Center was attended by the cream of Midway City's political, artistic and scientific communities. Among the notables here; Mayor Matthew Bell and his wife. Members of the Vauciss family. The publisher and Editor-In-Chief of the Midway City Herald, Gregory Dunn. Carter Hall, world renowned archeologist and curator of the Midway City Museum of Natural History. Dr. William Milton Magnus, creator of The Metal Men. And Dr. Niles Caulder, the founder and organizer of The Doom Patrol, that world-famous team composed of whose members have all suffered terrible accidents that in the eyes of some have made them 'freaks.' The genius of Dr. Caulder enabled The Doom Patrol to utilize the abilities they acquired in these accidents in the service of mankind. The Doom Patrol is based right here in Midway City so it isn't too far of a stretch to surmise that the attack by Mallah and The Brain has something to do with Dr. Caulder's presence here at the Technological Center.
"The entire building is encased in a strange, transparent substance that to my eye looks for all the world like…well, like Jello. All efforts by police to break through the substance and enter the building have been futile. Repeated requested for assistance from The Doom Patrol have not been answered and although contact has been made with both The Justice League and The Justice Society, they have informed authorities that they continue to monitor the situation but will not take action as yet until all options have been exhausted."
The five hundred hostages were gathered in the Reception Hall of The Technological Center. Only three hours ago they had been dining on lobster and caviar, steak and shrimp, sipping the finest champagne and cognac. Now they were a cowed, terrified mob, shrinking in fear from the hideous creatures surrounding them.
The beings were humanoid in shape, five feet tall all of them. Their transparent limbs and torsos rippled as they walked. In consistency they appeared to be constructed of the same jelly-like material that encased the entire building. Inside some of them could be seen half-digested flesh, bones and clothing which were the remnants of the few poor damned souls who tried to put up a fight. There were maybe seventy of these beings. After the initial demonstration of their deadly speed and abilities nobody else wished to test them.
A small group of special hostages were separated from the others and sequestered at the end of the hall furthest from the exits. They were guarded by four gibbering chimpanzees brandishing AK-47's anytime the humans made even the slightest move.
One of these special hostages sighed, removing his unlit Dunhill pipe from his mouth. "If the situation wasn't so desperate, I'd probably give myself an aneurysm from laughing so hard." He whacked his pipe against his right leg, provoking a shriek of alarm from one of the chimps. It scrambled closer, thrusting the muzzle of its weapon upwards at the man's groin. Dr. Will Magnus frowned and said; "Take it easy, Cheetah. I'm not doing anything."
The tall man standing at Magnus' side cautioned, "Just don't make any sudden moves, Will. It's a sure thing they've had their intelligence modified by The Brain but not to the degree of Mallah's. That makes them dangerous and unpredictable." Carter Hall looked positively regal in his black tuxedo with a paisley vest, his golden hair slicked back tightly against his head. But then again, Carter Hall always looked like royalty, no matter what the circumstances. Six foot six and impossibly handsome with diamond blue eyes and the hawkish, well-sculpted features of a prince, he appeared completely unruffled by the events of the past couple of hours.
Magnus stuck his still unlit pipe back in his lipless slash of a mouth. "Forgive me for not wanting to be stuck up by a band of refugees from 'Planet of The Apes', Carter! If Mallah hadn't taken my communicator, my Metal Men would have been here by now to deal with this."
Another of the special hostages spoke. This man sat in a custom designed wheelchair capable of smooth independent movement simply by moving his finger on the left armrest's touchpad. Swept back virile red hair crowned his slightly larger than normal head and he favored wearing a thick crimson beard and mustache. All of which gave him a majestic, leonine aspect. His eyes were deep pits of lethal genius that burned with laser intensity.
"Unless I'm way off the mark, William, that would be the last thing you would want to do." Niles Caulder said. "You've been careless again or I'm no judge of your work."
Magnus frowned at Caulder. Few men were as close as these two. They'd been friends for years, way before the set of freakish circumstances that had deprived Caulder the use of his legs. But they were also professional rivals.
"How so?" Magnus demanded.
Caulder gestured at the transparent creatures. "Unless I miss my guess, these things are constructed of a variant of the polymer you used to create your Metal Men. Look at the neutronic filaments running through their limbs. Look at their throats and midsection…aren't those biostatic carrier arcs?"
Magnus bit down on his pipe so hard Caulder heard it crack slightly. "Dammit, Niles…do you honestly think I'm that careless or that lazy? Biostatic carrier arcs have been a standard component in commercial robotics for the past dozen years or so."
"Yes, but your unique innovation on that technology is unmistakable to those familiar with-"
"Gentlemen," Carter Hall said softly but forcefully. He had been associated with the two of them for more years than he cared to admit and knew that if allowed to go on, they'd argue even as innocents were being machine gunned to death around them. "You can play your private game of Can You Top This later. We can't count on The Metal Men. Will's got them too intimidated to take independent action without his say-so. And both The Justice League and Justice Society are going to wait for Niles' team to take action."
"Why is that?" Magnus asked.
"An agreement among what the press has dubbed 'the superhero community.'" Hall's lips quirked as he said the phrase. Superhero. The word always sounded so juvenile to his ears. "The Doom Patrol and Hawkman are based here in Midway City, therefore they have jurisdiction here. Both The Justice League and The Justice Society will wait a few hours before they move in."
"But they've killed people already!"
"Nobody on the outside knows that. But once that information is made public or if a significant amount of time has passed and they hear no word The Justice League will move in and take charge of the situation."
"How can you know that?"
Carter Hall smiled. "A little bird told me."
Back in Malachy's, discussion on who would save the hostages inside the Technological Center raged in various passionate tones.
"Hawkman and Hawkgirl will show up anytime now and give them the what for. You'll see"
"Isn't she called Hawkwoman now?"
"If she isn't, she should be. Did you see that picture of her in NEWSTIME? Man, if I was partnered with her, I wouldn't need wings to fly."
"The Doom Patrol will take out the monkey. They fought before, right?"
"Prob'ly. The Doom Patrol always gets to fight them weirdos…but, hey, birds of a feather, right?"
"I never did take to them freaks. That girl is a looker, though. She didn't do too bad marrying that rich guy. What's his name again?"
"Dayton, I think. How much is he worth, anyway?"
"I dunno, but I hear that him, Bruce Wayne, Simon Stagg and Bill Gates get together to play Monopoly with real buildings. The guy don't even know himself how much he's got."
"That mummy guy's still on the team, right?"
"He saved my little girl a couple years back. He's nice enough, but them bandages are creepy as hell."
"Remember when the robot guy went on a rampage a few years back? Didn't they drop the charges?"
"You think it's true he's got a human brain in there? I never bought that yarn, meself…."
A black Ford Expedition SUV stopped some three blocks north of the police perimeter surrounding The Center and three figures disembarked. All were garbed in identical black leather dusters. The driver got out first. Tall for a woman at about five ten, with thick auburn hair kept back from her narrow face by a white bandana. She had the feistiness and mannerisms of Sandra Bullock and indeed, based on their resemblance, Bullock had played her daughter in one of her last films before her accident. Back when she was a major Hollywood star. An entire lifetime ago.
She sized up her companions. One of the men appeared to be a mummy as his head and hands were completely covered with blindingly white bandages, a pair of stylish nylon frame sunglasses covering his eyes.
Her other companion climbed out of the SUV slowly and as he did so, the vehicle lifted a good three feet higher, the specially re-designed suspension hissing with an almost human sigh of relief as it was relieved of nearly a quarter ton of weight. His feet clanked on the pavement as he took his place next to his friends. As he turned and moved, they could hear the hum and whirr of servomotors and the quiet trill of microhydraulics. The woman spoke to the bandaged man; "Larry, we need recon. That's your department."
Larry Trainor nodded and bent his head in silent concentration. His body convulsed as a dark man-shaped figure tore itself free from his body. It stood next to its host. Black as intergalactic night and outlined in a crackling, snapping, fizzing azure aura of electromagnetic energy. It looked at the woman, nodded and flew off toward the captive building.
Negative Man flew into the building, disrupting the jellylike substance as it did so, causing it to flow like water. Negative Man flew through the Center, passing effortlessly through walls and floors, until coming to the Reception Hall, where it stuck only it's head through the floor, noting the number of creatures, the location of the hostages….
Where was Mallah and The Brain? Negative Man could feel the thoughts of his host, urging him not to allow himself to be seen. But it was vital that they knew where…ah! There they were!
The huge gorilla shambled into view from an office, following the pedestal floating on a doughnut shaped crystal blue anti gravity field. Monsieur Mallah had a red bandana tied around his head with bandoliers of ammo criss crossing his massive, silvery-black chest. A machine gun of his own design, one that no human could possibly lift, let alone fire slung from a shoulder.
The gorilla and his master approached Caulder, Magnus and Hall. Negative Man had seen enough. It was time to return to his host. He could feel the urging of his host to return quickly. Negative Man dived back through the floor and flew at dizzying speed back to where his host lay. Larry looked up at the crackling energy being. He smiled weakly and nodded. Negative Man slipped back into Larry's body as easily as he left. Larry Trainor, once more filled with vitality and energy, got to his feet. He informed his partners of what waited for them inside. "The Chief and the others look okay. But those Jellymen…there's an awful lot of them."
Rita Farr Dayton looked thoughtful as she stroked her chin with a white gloved hand. "Negative Man disrupted the jelly covering the building, right? Then we'll just have to gamble that he'll have the same effect on The Jellymen. Cliff, you run interference. I'll grab Mallah. Once he's out of the picture, The Brain's no problem."
As one, they shucked off their black dusters. Larry and Rita wore form-fitting jumpsuits of red with a white triangle insert on the front. Their partner was revealed as an orange-bronze statue of metal. Cliff Steele, dubbed Robotman by the press was the ultimate product of bionics currently in existence. A living, functional human brain in a mechanical body.
The Doom Patrol moved as one, running toward the Technological Center.
In the SUV, a cat peeked out of the open left rear passenger door. A most unusual cat, since it was lime green in color. It hopped out of the van and in a burst of emerald energy, turned into a fifteen-year-old boy, garbed in a uniform identical to Larry and Rita's. And his skin and hair were still lime green. Closing the door, he muttered, "And they call me irresponsible."
The vehicle secured, the boy grinned and leaped into the air. Again, energy burst from his body and now he was a lime green hawk that flapped furiously after The Doom Patrol, striving to catch up before the action started.
"If you'll end this madness right now, Brain, you have my word I'll use my influence to make sure you get the help you need." Niles Caulder, The Chief of The Doom Patrol sat nose to dome with the bubbling tank that contained The Brain.
<Caulder, Caulder, CAULDER!> said the electronically enhanced voice of The Brain. <When will you learn that there is nothing you can offer me that will satisfy my cravings? Except perhaps your life and that of your Doom Patrol?>
"Refuse to end this and you'll get my Patrol sooner than you expect. I suspect that the reason the lights were flickering a minute ago was due to Negative Man's disruption of the Center's electrical systems."
Carter Hall sighed wearily. The sheer arrogance of the man never failed to amaze him.
"What's the real reason behind this, Brain?" Caulder insisted. "You must know you'll never get away with this."
Magnus rolled his eyes and whispered to Hall, "I can't believe he said that."
Mallah roared, "ENOUGH! Master, we have the building and we have the ones here who betrayed us! Let us have done with this useless baiting of Niles Caulder and slay the ones we came to slay!"
<I will say when the time is right, Mallah. And the time has not yet come.>
One of the far windows exploded inwards. A massive white glove hand and arm thrust inside the Reception Hall to grab Mallah in a firm grip. The gorilla cursed in French and tried reach his machine gun.
And the same time, the modernistic glass doors were smashed inwards by the entrance of Cliff Steele. Moving with a speed that belied his metal weight, Cliff grabbed up one of the Jellymen and flung him into his brothers. They slammed together and oozed into one single form that grinned at Cliff.
"Damn," Cliff said. He turned his head to Larry, who was right behind him. "You wanna call out the calvary before-" a gang of Jellymen swarmed over Cliff, cutting off his words.
Larry took a step back as the rest of The Jellymen advanced on him. Once Negative Man left his body, he was bereft of strength and vitality and would be at their mercy. Larry watched one Jellyman as it reached inside itself. With a disgusting sucking sound, it pulled free a half-digested head and threw it at Larry. He ducked, resisting the urge to vomit. He'd done it before and it was no fun having to walk around in vomit-soaked bandages until he could get back to headquarters and change them.
The hostages dashed for the exit, screaming and stampeding each other in their mad scramble to escape. Magnus and Hall both attempted to push The Chief to safety, but he put the locks on his wheels.
Rita yanked her arm out of the Center. She had expanded to almost three stories tall and Mallah was a toy in her gloved hand. The genius gorilla promised all sorts of dire threats in English, French and now, Mandarin as he tried to reach his gun. Rita sighed and called down to the waiting police. "I'm going to give him to you now. Think you're ready to handle him?"
Larry decided to make a try at freeing Cliff when a lime green Arabian stallion galloped into the Hall and stopped in front of him. "Get on, Uncle Larry!"
This was no time to wonder just what the hell Garfield Logan was doing here. The irrepressible Beast Boy always showed up where he wasn't supposed to be, but Larry was grateful for his appearance right now. Larry swung up on the horse's back and Beast Boy galloped away.
The chimps fired their AK-47's wildly at any and everything that moved. Several of the hostages were hit and lay on the floor in pools of blood, moaning. "Gar! Put me down somewhere safe and then get those monkeys!"
"Why can't we ever fight demons or Earth devouring aliens?"
"Garfield!"
"Okay! OKAY!" Gar bucked, sending Larry flying into a nearby Internet access kiosk. Larry closed the door, concentrated and Negative Man burst forth.
Cliff, thrashing around inside the giant Jellyman, opened a panel on the inside of his left wrist and pressed a button, sending an electromagnetic pulse through his metal skin. As the Jellyman collapsed in a gelatinous pool, Cliff thought that he would never again complain about The Chief's endless seminars on how his robot body worked.
Negative Man streaked around the huge hall, right through the bodies of The Jellymen, collapsing them where they stood.
Gar Logan transformed himself into a lime-green octopus and with all eight arms plucked the automatic weapons from the paws of the chimps and snagged said chimps all the same time. The triumphant Beast Boy held monkeys and guns up in the air, yelling, "Eight is most DEFINITELY enough!"
Rita ran into the Hall just as Negative Man returned to Larry's body. "The police have Mallah. Where's The Brain?"
Larry got to his feet. "He's right over…" His voice trailed off. "Well, I'll be damned. Where'd he go?"
Cliff walked up to his partners, his metal steps echoing on the marble floor. "He couldn't have moved by himself. Unless he grew feet when we wasn't lookin'" Cliff slammed a fist into a palm, producing a sound not unlike a giant gong. "I hate it when he does that!"
Rita looked at Gar, still in octopus form, juggling the chimps and their weapons. The chimps screamed in fear as they arced through the air. "GARFIELD!"
Cliff looked from Rita, running over to the green octopus juggling monkeys, to The Chief arguing with Will Magnus and looked down at the marble floor, now sticky with the residue of Jellymen. He looked up at Larry and sighed. "I'm pretty sure this never happens to the Justice League."
"…despite the fact that The Doom Patrol did indeed save a majority of hostages, there was loss of life which Mayor Bell states could have been avoided if The Patrol had acted sooner. The Justice League and Justice Society have both refused to issue statements on the incident. Sources have said that Hawkman himself endorsed The Patrol's handling of the entire matter and filed his report of same with The Committee On Metahuman Activities in Washington.
"However, that still leaves a larger question…what happened to The Brain? I'm Tammy Albright for Channel 6 News. Have a good night and I'll be seeing you."
"Off." The Chief commanded and the 65-inch flat screen television obediently obliged and turned itself off. The Chief swiveled his chair around to face his team.
The Doom Patrol's headquarters were located in the northern section of Midway City. Most of that part of the city was given over to industrial parks and they made their base there, in a city block of warehouses converted to their use.
"Yes. That's my question. What did happen to The Brain. Why didn't one of you capture him?"
Cliff, sitting in a chair designed to support his weight said, "I dunno, Chief. Maybe we were too busy working to save your life. By the way, don't thank us." It was amazing how much sarcasm Cliff could put in his artificial voice. But of course, they had all been together long enough that his partners could tell. "He'll show up again, you know that as well as we do. And when he does, we drop the hammer on him once and for all. Now, if you're finished with the TV, Larry and I want to watch."
Larry pushed himself off the couch. "Not me. I'm for bed, man. I'm bushed."
Cliff waved his shiny metal arm. "Ahhh, c'mon, man…Harris and Roback are fighting tonight. Middleweight belt on the line."
"I've had enough fighting for today, Cliff. All I want to watch is my bed as I climb into it."
"And you're not watching any fight, either, Cliff. Will Magnus is staying the night and we want to run some diagnostics on you. Will has some interesting ideas on how to increase the efficiency of your Plasmic Mobilizer by forty percent" Caulder looked at Rita. "Are you staying here tonight, Rita?"
Rita shook her head. "I'm taking Gar back to Steve's mansion. You know, Niles, you should call him and thank him for using his Mento helmet to disrupt the polymer covering The Brain put over The Center."
Caulder shrugged. "Once I realized that the polymer The Brain used was similar to Will's polymer that he used to create The Metal Men, it was only logical that it would be subject to mental commands. And whatever else I think about Steve Dayton, his Mento helmet is the most powerful amplifier of psychic abilities on the planet. And it was only The Brain's arrogance to think that even though he had taken my communications devices from me, I still wouldn't have a way to communicate with my Doom Patrol. You thank him for me, Rita."
The Brain regained consciousness in a room of purest white. He sought information with his sensors and found that all his scans were bounced back, giving him nothing.
The Brain was not given to panic, but he felt fear without his loyal bodyguard Mallah at his side.
<Where am I?> He called.
Silence answered him.
And in a room not far away, General Immortus watched The Brain on a monitor and smiled with his ancient, withered face. He had The Brain. And with the power locked inside of that hideously powerful intelligence, he would achieve two goals: Life Eternal. And the deaths of Niles Caulder and his Doom Patrol.
Update For October 2019
On October 16, 2019 October 16, 2019 By DerrickIn Action Adventure, African-American Adventure Fiction, New Pulp, Podcast, WritingLeave a comment
October? Really? Already?
Seems like it was just last month that I was shoveling snow off the sidewalk in front of the house and Patricia and I were popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly to celebrate New Year's Eve. I honestly think this must be a symptom of getting older as just about everybody around my age says that it seems as if time is speeding up. All I know is that years ain't lasting as long as they used to so I better stop being lazy and get busy.
How have you been? This is another one of my updates which are supposed to be a regular thing but usually end up being in the nature of me doing it when I look at the date of my last post and go, "Holy shit…has it been that long?" So here I am to catch up to date on what's going with me and what you should be on the lookout for as far as my work goes. So let's dive in, shall we?
Hopefully by now you should have your copy of STRAIGHT OUTTA DEADWOOD, the Weird Western anthology edited by David Boop. The story I have in there; "The Relay Station at Wrigley's Pass" was one that I originally had written for my collection of Sebastian Red stories; "The Trail of Sebastian Red" which will collect the following stories:
"Of All The Plagues A Love Bears"
"The Tale of The Baron's Tribute"
"Storms of Blood and Snow"
"Sorrowful Are The Souls That Sleep With Gold"
"The Cost of Employment" by Brent Lambert
"The Bloodstained Trail"
Most of those stories have appeared in the "How The West Was Weird" anthology and most of you guys reading this have read them. I wanted to have at least two or three new stories in the book to make it worth getting for those who already have all the "How The West Was Weird" volumes. Brent Lambert was good enough to offer to write a story as he's a huge Sebastian Red fan and a marvelously talented writer so I'd have been worse than foolish to not take him up on it. The downside is that it's taken me so long to get this book together the brother has probably forgotten he wrote it. But never fear, I'll make sure I do the right thing.
So anyway, I had "The Relay Station at Wrigley's Pass" all done and was in the process of finishing up "The Bloodstained Trail" which is definitely going to be the longest Sebastian Red story to date. At least until I get around to writing "The Seven Guns of Sebastian Red" which is going to be a "Magnificent Seven" homage. Don't ask when I'm gonna do that one. I'm trying not to lie to you guys. David Boop contacted me and asked me would I like to contribute something to the anthology and I jumped at the chance. I actually had to cut the story down considerably due to word count restrictions and that took me about a week.
So now my dilemma is this: should I go with the stories I have ready and publish "The Trail of Sebastian Red" or write another story in place of the one I gave David Boop?
By now I hope you've discovered SUPERHERO CINEPHILES, the podcast I'm co-hosting with Perry Constantine. If not, look to the right and you'll see a link there in the sidebar that will take you there. We're going to be talking about, dissecting and debating about our favorite superhero movies. So far we've tackled "Superman: The Movie" 1989's "Batman" Wes Craven's "Swamp Thing" from 1982 and "X-Men" is coming up soon.
Already I've got people asking me via email and on Skype; "Why aren't you guys doing the MCU or the DCEU movies?" There's a simple answer to that: we didn't want to. At least not right away. You can find hundreds of podcasts about the current wave of superhero movies and eventually Perry and I will get to them. But we wanted to have some fun with revisiting old favorites that essentially laid the foundation for the superhero movies we're enjoying now.
As for myself, I've been having more fun than I thought I would have and that's a good thing. For awhile now I've had the urge to get back into podcasting but I had no idea what I wanted to talk about or what my podcast should be. It was a blessing that Perry came along at this time so that I could ease back into podcasting and exercise that particular set of creative muscles. I'm still thinking about doing my own podcast and my wife Patricia and I have talked about doing one together as well. I'll keep you posted on that as well.
But in the meantime, I've been doing some 20-30-minute audio posts on my Patreon. I've done three so far and there will be more to come. There's no real structure to any of 'em. They're just thoughts I have about my stories and my work. Just some insights into how I think about what I do. If you're interested, again, just look to the right. And the three serials over at Patreon are still going strong; "Dillon and The Island of Dr. Mamuwalde" "Shadows Over Cymande" and "One Night In Denbrook"
Speaking of Dillon, there just might be a new Dillon Christmas story this year. It's an idea I had last year but it involves another character belonging to another writer and I had to get his permission to use him. We'll see. I'm also thinking of giving the Dillon website a whole new facelift and update. There's information there that badly needs updating and the best time to do it is when I'm in the mood. And right now I'm in the mood. So there.
What else? Oh, I'm also working on a new Bass Reeves story for the latest volume in Airship 27's BASS REEVES-FRONTIER MARSHAL anthology series. I missed Vol. III but Ron was good enough to invite me back for Vol. IV so be on the lookout for that.
I guess that's it for now. All my contact information is over on the right if you want to get in touch with me as well as links to everything I do online so feel free to check out everything else I'm doing. As always, I thank you with all my heart for your kind attention and support. It sustains me in more ways than you can imagine. Until next time, watch some good scary movies and be good to yourself and others. Take Care and God Bless.
Kickin' The Willy Bobo With…MARK BOUSQUET
On July 27, 2019 July 29, 2019 By DerrickIn Action Adventure, New Pulp, Science Fiction1 Comment
Derrick Ferguson: We haven't done one of these in years so we have to get the obligatory introductory stuff outta the way: Who is Mark Bousquet and why are you being interviewed here?
Mark Bousquet: I was tempted to go back and grab whatever I wrote for an introduction to the last time we did that and just paste it here, but I suppose that would be cheating, eh? Who I am is a writer. Why I'm being interviewed here is because I'm a published writer.
As we do this interview in mid-2019, I've recently relaunched my Gunfighter Gothic series in six new shiny editions, and just released THE MASKS OF SATURDAY MORNING, which is the first Spooky Lemon Mystery.
DF: Where do you live and what do you do to keep yourself in cheese and crackers?
MB: I'm as Assistant Teaching Professor at Syracuse University, teaching writing. Not the fun writing that we're gonna talk about in this interview, but the obligatory writing classes that students are forced to take. I try to make it fun and try to open up the student's eyes as to what "writing" is: it's not just the 5-paragraph research or opinion essays they likely got burned out on in high school. I try to give them assignments that have them create visual projects like comic books or infographics and "beyond writing" projects like podcasts and documentaries, where writing is a tool to get you to the end product.
I've recently moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, so I'll be looking at a 2-hour commute to and from work this fall. That sounds rough, but the nice thing about teaching college is that I'll be able to work from home 2 or 3 days each week.
DF: How's Darwin doing these days? What is he up to?
MB: Darwin is still going strong. He's 12 and a half years old now, and while he can be an old man inside, he's still his old energetic puppy dog self when we're outside. Moving to a new city means everything is new to him and he loves little more than going someplace new. We've got a nice public park that we walk in most mornings that always gets his day started right.
DF: You're still writing but it seems as if your output has decreased. Why is that?
MB: A combination of factors. My current job is way more intensive than my previous jobs, so there's less time to write, and I found that when I made time to sit down, the stories just weren't flowing like they used to. Some of that was because the job was leaving my brain extra tired, but it was also because I didn't know who I was as a writer, anymore. I got myself into trouble by creating series instead of stand-alone stories and so even in creating something new, I was adding another brick onto my back, committing me to writing some future project. I needed to take some time to clear the decks and while that's an ongoing process, I feel good about putting an editing shine to the Gunfighter Gothic books.
I'll write more Gunfighter Gothic stories but it's also good, as is. I haven't left anyone hanging. I need to do the same for ADVENTURES OF THE FIVE and STUFFED ANIMALS FOR HIRE, two kids' series that each have 2 books published but need to have a third to close those stories off.
DF: In what direction do you see your writing career going?
MB: A greater balance between writing things that I'll publish through Space Buggy Press and submissions to outside presses. I like having the control over a project that Space Buggy affords me, but I also like to be challenged by trying to write for different editors and publications.
DF: You wrote some of the best movie reviews I've ever read. Why did you stop? And are you ever going to start writing them again?
MB: Thank you, that's very kind of you to say! I stopped because it was taking up too much of my writing time. When I was really cranking out the reviews, I was living in a new city, with only a few friends, no social life to speak of, and no car. I spent most of my time between walking Darwin and working. I didn't have cable. I was doing Netflix by mail. So I had enough time to write creatively and write reviews and do some travel writing, but as the workload increased, as I bought a car, and entered into a fantastic relationship, there just wasn't the time to produce the same amount of words. Something had to give and it was writing reviews. I don't think I'll ever go back to writing them full-time, but I still love talking about movies and TV shows.
DF: Speaking of movies, what are some of your favorite movies you've seen in 2019 so far?
MB: With the move, I haven't watched as many movies this year as I normally do and I don't have any lesser-known gems to herald. In fact, looking at the Top 50 films of 2019 through mid-July, I've only seen seven of them: "Avengers: Endgame" (loved it), "Captain Marvel" (liked it), "John Wick 3" (liked it), "Shazam" (blah), "Godzilla: King of Monsters" (loved it), "Alita: Battle Angel" (awful), and "Fighting with My Family" (pleasant enough).
I have spent more time reading for fun this year than I have in recent years. I've just worked through a run of Robert Parker (Pale Kings and Princes), Ace Atkins (The Redeemers), Clive Cussler (The Chase), Ace Atkins writing as Robert Parker (Lullaby), and I'm currently reading Jo Nesbo's The Devil's Star.
These were not random choices. Between February and a week or so ago, I binged all 20 seasons of "Midsomer Murders", which is the kind of detective show that's cozy instead of hard-boiled. I got the idea that I wanted to write a cozy mystery set in Middle Earth but as I started to develop that idea, I realized that I already had a main cozy character in Spooky Lemon. I also had a novel finished that had been sitting on my computer for years. When I started self-publishing, I let too many books out too quickly but in recent years, I've held on to them too long, tinkering endlessly with them.
I decided to get Spooky out and work on that as my cozy and then take that other character and keep it in a fantasy setting, but write it more like a crime novel than a cozy mystery. I devoured the Robert Parker Spenser books as a teenager, so I started there and reread Pale Kings and Princes (I chose it for the simple fact that it was the oldest Spenser book my local library had on the shelves). Then I read Ace Atkins' The Redeemers because I knew he'd written a bunch of Spenser novels. Then I took The Chase off of my shelf to read Clive Cussler's historical pulp before coming to Lullaby, to see how Atkins adapted his style to Parker's Spenser universe. And now I'm reading Nesbo, for a touch of non-American crime.
I noticed several things that have helped inform me about my current WIP. For instance, in the Spenser novels, the focus is always on Spenser. Atkins doesn't put that weight on Quinn Colson, and in Redeemers, he spends nearly as much time with the bad guys as he does his main character. Cussler spends the bulk of his time with Isaac Bell, but isn't afraid to leave him out of chapters and spend time with the bad guys and (to a lesser extent) secondary characters. Atkins' Spenser book is written in the Parker mold — in other words, it's not Ace Atkins' take on Spenser, it's Atkins channeling Parker's take.
Who to spend time with is a critical decision because it will inform what kind of crime book you're writing. In the Colson and Bell stories, there is no mystery, at all. We know who the bad guys are. And the main characters quickly figure out who the bad guys are, too. They might not have all the pieces to the puzzle, but they can see what the puzzle is gonna look like when it's finished. They aren't mysteries, at all. They're pursuits. (With a healthy dash of subplots about the protagonists' personal lives thrown in, too.) With the Spenser stories, there is a mystery to solve, but the emphasis isn't on solving the crime nearly as much as it is simply hanging out with Spenser and Hawk and Susan. There's a case to solve, but I'm always amazed how much time is devoted to following Spenser doing ordinary things: making dinner, sitting in his car on a stakeout, talking with Susan, driving around Boston.
The treatment of the protagonists' masculinity was also telling. Spenser is completely comfortable with who he is. Colson knows who he is, but isn't entirely comfortable with it. Isaac Bell is almost comically old school masculine. Nesbo's Harry Hole is an emotional and physical wreck.
The same goes for the style of prose: Parker is quick and light. Cussler drowns in historical detail. Nesbo is as much literary as he is case-focused. Atkins sits somewhere in the middle, writing a contemporary western inside William Faulkner's South.
With all this swirling in my head, I sat down to bring my character to life. All I really had was an idea for an opening scene. I knew how the scene would start ("A number of years ago, a green-skinned man walked out of the Wilds to stand before the King.") and I knew how it would end ("The green man said, 'I want to be a cop.'"). But that was it. I didn't know what else would happen and I didn't know what kind of story he would be in, but I kinda thought I wanted to do a "fantasy western." But I wasn't sure.
So I sat down and churned out 2,500 words to find out. I lost the character's cozy first name (Aldous) and gained a more western name (Bridger). I came up with a basic plot. I gave him deputies and a witch for a pathologist. I built him a world to work in that's more Scandinavian than Deadwood. I think I know that I want to write a crime story that's more mystery than pursuit, but I also want to spend time away from the main character.
I think.
But that's what the first draft is for, ain't it?
MB: The Sheriff Bridger Skunk fantasy crime book is where I'm living at the laptop most, but I'm also plotting out the second Spooky Lemon mystery in journals and working through the details of the long-promised World War II book, BLACK RHINOS.
DF: Can we expect to see more of AMERICAN HERCULES?
MB: Yes, but not as the stand-alone episodes that I published last time. I'll finish off the modern spin on Hercules' labors as individual episodes, but I'll just release them all in one collection instead of dropping them one at a time.
DF: Do you have any more children's books planned?
MB: I've been trying to write the follow-up to THE BEAR AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS for a good two years and can't seem to settle on a story that I like, so that's back-burnered at the moment. I would like to get one kids book out in time for Christmas, but whether it will be the sequel to BEAR or an ADVENTURES OF THE FIVE book or STUFFED ANIMALS FOR HIRE book, I can't say. I'm hoping one of those stories grabs me and demands to be written.
DF: What can we expect to see from Mark Bousquet in 2019?
MB: I don't know if I'll have another novel published this year, but I'll be writing like mad behind the scenes.
I'd like to do more travel writing, too, but even working on 4 – 6 hours of sleep a night, there's only so much time in the day.
DF: What's a typical Day In The Life of Mark Bousquet like?
MB: I used to be the kind of writer who did his best work between midnight and 4 AM, but now my best work seems to come in the 6 AM to Whenever I Take Darwin For a Walk AM or late afternoon. So, it's usually get up around 6, write, go for a hike with Darwin, breakfast, work stuff, lunch work stuff, errands, reading or writing, dinner, reading or writing, and spend as much time with the partner as possible.
That'll change once the fall semester starts up again, but for now, I've got time to write and I'm taking advantage of it.
Mark Bousquet: 've got a website at themarkbousquet.com where people can sign up for my free newsletters: one for my kids work and another for my genre work. Signing up for each of them gets people a free digital novel as thanks.
I think that covers it! Thanks, Derrick!
Kickin' The Willy Bobo With…TIMOTHY MAYER
On July 9, 2019 July 9, 2019 By DerrickIn Action Adventure, Horror, Kickin' The Willy Bobo, Mystery, Science Fiction1 Comment
Derrick Ferguson: Who is Timothy Mayer?
Timothy Mayer: I'm a 61-year-old business owner, novelist, freelance writer, seeker of adventure, husband, father, former armored combat fighter, ex-chemist (or did I play one on TV?), former Zine publisher, past film society organizer, one-time saxophonist in a rock band, expert on obscure cinema, and did I miss anything?
DF: Where do you live and what do you tell the IRS that it is you do for a living?
TM: I live 35 klicks up the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia. I was sent here for my sins, but the place grew on me over the years. I list myself as a chemist for tax purposes because I formulated the resins my company sells.
DF: How would you describe your style of writing?
TM: Direct. I like to get into the plot right away. No reason for long, meandering openings. These days, the reader wants to know in the first sentence why he or she should buy the book.
DF: How long have you been writing?
TM: Professionally? For the past five years. As something I liked to do? Since I was 12.
DF: Have you found an audience yet? If so, how did you do it? If not, why haven't you?
TM: I'm still working on that one. I think my Code Name Wolfgirl books are a step in the right direction. At least the letters I've received from the readers indicate it.
DF: I would say you enjoy writing in a variety of genres. Do you agree?
TM: Definitely. I've written in noir mystery, science fiction, epic fantasy, post-apocalypse, and horror.
DF: What keeps you motivated to write?
TM: The knowledge that I'll be paid when I turn the work into the publisher
TM: I work on my yard, read, hike, hang out with some local friends, and read some more. I'm a big reader, always have been.
DF: What is the one novel or story that you would recommend to anyone who doesn't know a thing about you or your work for them to start on?
TM: Wolf Mountain. It's the first in a trilogy that I wrote two years ago. Charted on Amazon, too. I was hired to write a litRPG series and this one was the flag ship. I'd wanted to write that book for years. This was my excuse to do it.
DF: Drop some Words of Wisdom on all the aspiring young writers reading this and thirsting for your knowledge.
TM: Get it done. Nobody cares about your inner torment or lack of motivation. Grind that sucker out because you can't edit a blank screen.
DF: What's a Typical Day In The Life of Timothy Mayer like?
TM: I get up, read the news, take care of whatever I need to do for my business, and then I hit the keys. I'll go to a coffee shop, buy some java, plug in my ear buds and start to work. My goal is always to generate 5000 words a day when I'm working on a novel.
Timothy Mayer: Find someone who'll pay you to write. Knowing that the green will be transferred to your bank account for something you wrote is a wonderful feeling. But don't sell yourself short. Make sure you get your name on the work. It's alright to play Casper the Friendly Ghostwriter at the beginning for peanuts, but you need to make decent coin to survive in this world.
Want to read Timothy's stories? I sure hope so, otherwise I've put in a lot of work on this interview for nothing. Go HERE to peruse Timothy's Amazon page.
Three More Examples of Today's New Pulp
On June 24, 2019 June 24, 2019 By DerrickIn Action Adventure, New Pulp, Science FictionLeave a comment
Hopefully you will have read my previous article where I presented three examples of what I consider to be prime examples of New Pulp in today's popular media. You didn't? Pfui. Don't worry. I gotcha. Go here and check it out. I'll go get myself a sandwich and a Coke while you do that.
You done? Cool. I can continue then. My purpose with these articles is to hopefully show that the Pulp tradition never really went away and is alive and well. It's just that the tropes of Pulp have been conscripted by Action Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction and many other genres. But there's New Pulp aplenty all around. You just have to look for it:
CONGO: This is one of the most spectacular examples of New Pulp. And when I say spectacular I'm talking about the sheer audacity of the story which is primarily a jungle adventure with a diverse and eccentric band of explorers looking for The Lost City of Zinj and the diamond mines located there. It's a strictly 1930's plot successfully transplanted to the 1990's and enhanced with modern day technology.
The movie is directed by Frank Marshall, who frequently collaborated with Steven Spielberg and written by John Patrick Shanley. It's based on the novel by Michael Crichton but take it from me, the movie is way better than the novel. Which is the case with most of Crichton's novels. Probably because Crichton really wasn't interested in characterization. Crichton was more interested in the technology and the effects of science going wrong. But CONGO is the stuff of Saturday afternoon cliffhangers way more than most of his other stuff and that's what Marshall and Shanley wisely decided to focus on. 'Cause trust me, this movie moves. There's enough fights, captures, escapes, close shaves with death and breathtaking action to give Lester Dent on his best day a run for his money.
That's not to say they throw out the technology entirely. One of Our Heroes is Dr. Peter Elliott (Dylan Walsh) a primatologist who has taught a gorilla named Amy how to speak using sign language. Her sign language is translated into digital speech by means of a special backpack and glove. Peter decides to return her to Africa and is funded in this endeavor by Herkermer Homolka (Tim Curry) a shady character who has led unsuccessful expeditions to Zinj in the past and thinks that Amy may be the key to this one being successful.
Also joining the expedition is Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney) a communications expert who needs to get to the Congo to find her fiancé (Bruce Campbell) who was looking for a rare blue diamond that can only be found near volcanoes. Guess where the Lost City of Zinj just happens to be in the neighborhood of?
Along with The Great White Hunter Munro Kelly (Ernie Hudson) And yes, I do know he's black. But that's how he always introduces himself and it leads to one of the movie's funniest lines later on, they set off to find the Lost City of Zinj which is guarded by killer gorillas.
There's no adequate way I can tell you just how much sheer fun CONGO is. Just let me say that if you don't want to see a movie where Laura Linney is blasting away with a laser at killer gorillas while fleeing from an exploding volcano, then we obviously have nothing in common.
DIRK PITT: Described by his creator, Clive Cussler as a modern day homage to Doc Savage, I've always admired Cussler's unashamed love of Classic Pulp and his enthusiasm for it. A good case could be made that Cussler was writing New Pulp long before the title was ever coined. He's certainly the most successful at it and the character of Dirk Pitt is by now as well-known as Doc Savage and James Bond, another fictional grandfather of Pitt's.
So far there have been 25 Dirk Pitt novels written. The last 8 Cussler co-wrote with his son Dirk. No mystery there who he was named after.
When it comes to branding Dirk Pitt as New Pulp one has only to check out a few of the novels to see that he comes by that legitimately. Despite working as marine engineer for the National Underwater and Marine Agency, in every novel Pitt finds himself battling megalomaniacal supervillains with world conquering schemes that would wring gasps of envy from Fu Manchu or Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In the course of his adventures Pitt has recovered Captain Nemo's 'Nautilus', raised the 'Titanic', discovers the existence of a secret base on the moon, finds Atlantis, stops a plot by a race of genetic supermen to destroy civilization and create a Nazi empire… need I go on?
Dirk Pitt hasn't had much success outside of the novels. He's been in two movies so far. He was played by Richard Jordan in 1980's RAISE THE TITANIC! which you should avoid as if it were Ebola.
But 2005's SAHARA with Matthew McConaughey as Pitt and Steve Zahn as his sidekick Al Giordino is way better and even though Cussler was very unhappy with the movie I think it's a lot of fun and great Saturday afternoon entertainment. Only thing I can complain about it is that McConaughey and Penelope Cruz have zero chemistry together on screen.
THE SIMPSONS Episode #150: "RAGING ABE SIMPSON AND HIS GRUMBLING GRANDSON IN 'THE CURSE OF THE FLYING HELLFISH'"
Written by Jonathan Collier and directed by Jeffrey Lynch this is not only an hilarious SIMPSONS episode but an outstanding pulp action adventure story as well. Don't believe me? When was the last time you saw an episode of an animated show where the plot hinged on Nazi art treasures and a tontine?
We find out in this episode that Abraham J. Simpson was the commanding officer of "The Flying Hellfish", a gung-ho infantry squad in WWII whose members included the fathers of Chief Clancy Wiggum, Seymour Skinner and Barney Gumble. The laziest and most cowardly member of the squad is Corporal Montgomery Burns.
During the final days of WWII, The Flying Hellfish take a German castle and discover it's full of priceless artwork. Through quick talking, Burns convinces the others to enter into a tontine. Upon the death of the others, the treasure, now called The Hellfish Bonanza goes to the last survivor.
Burns and Abe Simpson are the last two survivors and Burns hires Fernando Vidal, the world's most devious assassin to kill Abe. Naturally pissed off by this, Abe, with the help of his grandson Bartholomew J. Simpson determines to go get the Hellfish Bonanza before Burns gets his hands on it.
From start to finish this is a delightful episode that plays out like a miniature summer action movie. And it's downright touching how Bart and Abe bond together while on this wild treasure hunt and see Bart gain a new found respect for his grandfather who he had previously only thought to be a nutty old coot.
That's three more examples of New Pulp for you and I hope you enjoyed them. If any more occur to me, you'll be the first to know. Peace!
From The "Making An Impression" File by Sean E. Ali
On April 19, 2019 April 19, 2019 By DerrickIn Action Adventure, African-American Adventure Fiction, Gothic, Grindhouse, Mystery, New Pulp, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Urban Western, WritingLeave a comment
So, FINALLY, Tommy Hancock over at Pro Se has done his reveal of three author imprints where I got to do the initial logo designs…
The plan was to reveal them over the weekend at the convention that hosts the annual Pulp Factory Awards in Chicago.
Not that I've ever been, but I've won one to my complete surprise.
So the three authors involved with this part of the reveal were Kimberly Richardson, Frank Schildiner and my good friend and partner-in-virtual crime Derrick Ferguson. All three are authors in something called "New Pulp" but really that's kind of a narrow definition of their particular brands of storytelling. All three are well regarded, they're unique in their own rights, they all have their followings who eagerly await their latest projects and all of them have happened to be offered a chance to exercise their prodigious imaginations under their own brands with Pro Se.
And lucky me, I get to contribute by building the first part of that brand with these imprint logos…
So, though you're probably not asking, how does that work? Well I'm glad you didn't ask, let me tell you the intricate planning that went into each one of these and the meticulous work we in the independent publishing game go through to make our talent shine…
Last weekend, Tommy hits me up on Facebook with no warning whatsoever and says he needs some author imprint logos for this show in Chicago: "can you do it?" I ask for details because obviously I'm just getting to a party already in progress, and he kicks out the rough ideas for Kimberly and Frank…
…which, BTW, for a guy so full of ideas and stories and plans was woefully light on details just generalities, and he turns me loose after I inform him I'll talk to Derrick who had already contacted me. Derrick and I do all our stuff more like a couple of guys shooting the breeze on the front stoop on a Sunday afternoon. Yeah we work, it's just more of a relaxed thing where we kick back and chat and at some point we, usually accidentally, hit on the right thing. I love our process because when we do chop it up, I never fail to end our conversation without a smile at the end and at least two good belly laughs from the soul.
Which is pretty much how his brand POWER PLAY! was done. I, in the course of our discussion run an idea of what I'd like to use as his look and he shows me the very thing I had in mind, which in an odd bit of coincidence was sitting on his desk: a gold clenched fist with that 1960s/70s Soul Brother/grindhouse film vibe as the logo. In my head, what you see as the POWER PLAY! logo was a black light velveteen poster stuck to a ceiling between some mirror tiles with a fish net full of fake starfish.
It was the 70s, you had to be there.
So he was easy and POWER PLAY! was done in one. There are colored variants and, as a last minute thing, I added the tag line "Old School New Pulp" which is what Derrick does. He's got an updated Men's Adventure/Action Hero/Thriller feel to a lot of his projects, so it felt right.
Now Kimberly's came with the most detail from Tommy. Crossed guns, gothic mansion, emboss this, something something that…
So I did that first and like an old "Men On Film" sketch: "Hated it!" It didn't matter how many ways I crossed the 20 pistols I put together, none of them looked right. So instead I went to work on the manor house bit and abandoned the guns. Nice… but generic. The house was sitting on a cliff, so I pulled the cliff, threw in a really basic shield, colored it all black… better, but still needed something. I uncrossed the guns, used them as a frame and was there.
But then I wanted to make it hers. Any schmuck could build a lady a house but it needs to be HER house. So I took a look at the lady I was building the house for since I've never had the pleasure IRL or online of getting to know her. First thing I noticed, which is the first thing I notice about a lot of women in photos, were her eyes…
…that, kids was the hook, she's got great eyes. I stared at those eyes and attempted to be as accurate as I could be despite simplifying them for an illustration. Stared at them for so long, I think I owe her dinner and one failed rom-com running through the airport scene. I tossed an oversized moon in the background added the eyes and I was in love…
…with the final product.
So PULP GOTHIC gave me the Lady of the House, a touch of Stephen King in the mansion, got the guns in and it all was an echo of the old paperbacks that used to come with the mapback covers telling you about the location of the story.
Last, but not least, came Frank Schildiner. His was done first, I really didn't like it but I took Tommy's rough idea too literal. Frank and I aren't online running buddies, but he and I enjoy decent fight techniques, he's a martial artist and instructor (in addition to being an author) and I'm immensely impressed by his focus and skill. Unfortunately the logo I came up with didn't really reflect Frank or his work. It was sort of a hero shot that reminded me of a rejected logo for the old fitness guru Jack LaLanne. It was passable, but it wasn't Frank. As Friday rolled around I still wasn't happy with it and it's hard to put out something I'm not in love with as I send it out. Tommy's looking for logos and I'm one short. But it was also something Tommy said that sparked an image early on: "Frank's work goes everywhere." The image that invoked was pure Jack "The King" Kirby. If you don't know Jack and his work in changing the face of comics as we know them with Stan Lee…
…move out of that cave so I can get you some help.
So the image I came up with was a complete re-do which is inspired by guys like Kirby and the late Darwyn Cooke and we had something worthy of Frank in particular and his work in general.
And I FINALLY learned how to DIY the famous "Kirby Krackle"…
…yeah, whatever, it's a big deal to me.
So SCHILDINER'S WORLDS final look is probably more due to Tommy's summation of Frank's work than anything else. I had the image in my head, but thought I had to do the other thing based on his explanation of what he said the look should be.
So I did what he said over what he asked.
I submitted both though, as I did with the manor only version of PULP GOTHIC, because you should give a guy options…
I'm glad he chose the ones he did.
Bet you're wondering where that planning aspect went that I mentioned at the start, right?
Tommy and I refer to this as the "Butch and Sundance"…
If you've ever seen how BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID ends for them, you'll get it.
Sometimes we just have to take a leap, man…
So, if you follow these folks and missed Tommy's press releases…
…big things are coming from some of your favorite folks…
Get ready to have your minds blown.
The rest of you, as you were…
…and move out of that cave so I can get you help.
Be good to yourselves and each other.


Remember the 5 D's of Dodgeball: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge.
For 10v10 teams average 14 players.
We allow individuals, small groups and teams to all join our leagues. JAX Fray reserves the right to add additional players to ANY team that is under the official roster size for the league. During registration captains can pick up free agents or mark their group as ready to merge via commish. After registration closes JAX Fray goes through and finalizes rosters by placing free agents, merging groups and deleting unpaid players. Being a promoted team does not mean you may not receive additional players. Teams who want to "lock" their roster may prepay for a team at the official roster size. Example, rubber dodgeball is 14 players officially but your team only wants 10 players. You can purchase a team spot for a roster of 14 and only fill your desired number but those additional spots are technically used and are not refundable.
1. All players must be at least 21 years of age prior to participating in any Match and must be registered and in good standing JAX Fray.
1. JAX Fray Dodgeball is played with 6 balls per Game.
5. Teams are encouraged to wear the t-shirts provided by JAX Fray during League play.
1. JAX Fray Dodgeball is played on approximately volleyball sized courts.


"Wonders & Worries came at such a perfect time for our family! I just received news that I had breast cancer and was scheduled to have a double mastectomy. The kids started going to their first group meeting 5 days after my surgery with the news that I was stage IIIC. They were in a safe environment to learn, process, and just be around people who understood how breast cancer effects your whole world and everyone around you.


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Home Small Business Sun, TI Unveil Copper Interconnect-based UltraSPARC III
Sun, TI Unveil Copper Interconnect-based UltraSPARC III
By Thor Olavsrud | July 31, 2001
With help from long-time partner Texas Instruments Inc. , Sun Microsystems Inc. is taking its UltraSPARC III 64-bit workstation-server processor -- unveiled last fall -- to a new level as it migrates the chip to high volume copper interconnect-based versions.
The two companies unveiled the new chip -- built with TI's 0.15 micron process -- Tuesday, adding that it has passed all internal qualification tests and is planned for shipment in Sun's Sun Blade 1000 workstations within the next 90 days.
The new 900 MHz processor combines copper interconnect with low-K dielectric and a 100 nanometer gate transistor, enabling a clock speed increase while dissipating the same amount of power as the aluminum interconnect technology used in the 750 MHz UltraSPARC III chip.
"Implementing copper, low-K dielectric and a new transistor deliver a triple play in giving us enhanced flexibility to field new variations of the UltraSPARC III chip that offer higher clock speeds, lower power consumption, greater reliability, lower memory latency and other features essential for workstation and server computing," said David Yen, vice president and general manager of the Sun Microsystems Processor Products Group. ""While clock frequency speed bumps have their benefits, working with TI, we focus our engineering program on developing processors that deliver real-world application performance and end-customer value."
One of those benefits is a reduction in manufacturing costs and improvements in reliability. Because the copper interconnect technology consumes less power, it reduces the need to build extensive heat management subsystems into products.
Analysts like what they're hearing, and suggest that the move to copper interconnect puts Sun on better footing to compete with IBM Corp., the 800 lbs. gorilla on the block.
"Sun continues to migrate its product line to new UltraSPARC III offerings, with the most difficult part of the transition behind the company," said Goldman Sachs & Co. Analyst Laura Conigliaro. "Both the new product line and the Sun/TI announcement of 900 MHz copper chips bode well for Sun in terms of potential future demand and profitability, as these enhanced offerings will carry higher gross margins. We expect meaningful volumes of the new copper-based chips in the current quarter."
Conigliaro went on to praise Sun's move to make copper interconnect-based chips available.
"The enterprise systems market increasingly appears to be a two-player game," Conigliaro said. "We believe that the availability of a copper-based interconnect is critical for Sun from a competitive standpoint. Until recently, IBM, which has evolved into a formidable competitor for Sun, was the only company with the ability to manufacture copper chips at high yields. As we have noted previously, copper-based processors will allow Sun to offer similarly competitive chips with enhanced performance and higher clock speeds."
Conigliaro said Sun could potentially ship tens of thousands of the new chips in the current quarter and ramp to hundreds of thousands by the end of the calendar year.


According to the CDC*, microbial contamination of food (Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, etc.) is the most serious and most frequent cause of food contamination in the U.S. Each year, 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick from, and 3,000 die as a result of food borne diseases. The CDC estimates that preventing a single fatal case of E. coli infection would save an estimated $7 million.
As a result, the CDC, FDA, and USDA all work together to develop regulations and recommendations whereby food production, transport and service are monitored and reported back for quality control and overall safety. HACCP programs, which consist of frequent and accurate temperature measurements, are an essential part of controlling the outbreak of harmful microbes that cause food borne diseases.
While thermometers, and the temperatures they take, are an integral part of any food safety plan, they can often be the direct cause of bacterial cross-contamination. Checking the temperature of food items without cleaning the probe between readings can, and often does, lead to microbes being transferred from contaminated items to those that are thought to be safe.
A simple, efficient and cost effective way to combat problems associated with this type of cross-contamination is the use of probe wipes between temperature taking. Designed specifically for food thermometers, probe wipes are pre-saturated with an effective cleaning solution whose sole purpose is to rid the probe of harmful bio-contaminants.
Wiping the probe of a thermometer clean before and after each measurement will significantly reduce the risk of cross-contamination. ThermoWorks' probe wipes have an odorless cleaning agent that drys quickly and won't taint the food it's being used to protect.
More importantly, training team members to clean the thermometer's probe between each use will develop better food handling practices, and help them understand the importance of food safety. Probe wipes are a small investment that can protect your business - and customers -from the hazards associated with foodborne diseases.


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The Atlantic: Conservative Students Really Do Self-Censor on Campus
AFP PHOTO/Josh Edelson
Tom Ciccotta
A column published in the Atlantic on Sunday provided evidence for the claim that conservative students engage in self-censorship on campus. A new survey out of the University of North Carolina revealed that many students censor themselves in the classroom to avoid facing academic or social repercussions.
According to a column in the Atlantic, a new research study backs up the claim that conservative students censor their own opinions on college campuses.
The study, which was highlighted on Sunday by columnist Conor Friedersdorf, was conducted last spring by three professors at the University of North Carolina. The professors surveyed more than 1,000 students about their willingness to express their political beliefs on campus.
Summarizing the study's finding, Friedersdorf said that the survey revealed that there actually is a faction of students that believe it is permissible to shut down speech that they find offensive. More importantly, the survey revealed that students across the political spectrum engage in self-censorship. Conservatives, in particular, might be more inclined to do so because the survey revealed that disparaging comments about conservative viewpoints are common on campus.
While majorities favor more viewpoint diversity and free-speech norms, an intolerant faction of roughly a quarter of students believe it is okay to silence or suppress some widely held views that they deem wrong.
Students across political perspectives engage in classroom self-censorship.
Students harbor divisive stereotypes about classmates with different beliefs, and a substantial minority are not open to engaging socially with classmates who don't share their views.
Disparaging comments about political conservatives are common.
Concerns over self-censorship on college campuses are not new. Breitbart News reported in October 2016 that on a Yale student survey that revealed that students felt that conservative views were "unwelcome" on campus. An astonishing 75 percent of Yale student respondents said that Yale does not "provide a welcoming environment for conservative students to share their opinions on political issues."
A survey by College Pulse found that 73 percent of strongly conservative students self-censor to protect their grades.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.
EducationPoliticsTechAcademic InsanityFree Speech on Campusself-censorshipUniversity of North Carolina
DeSantis Calls for Leadership Change at RNC After '3 Substandard Elect


Steven Alan y Ben Boutwell han hecho este curioso cortometraje de sí mismos tomando fotos con un cuadro mágico. Se titula "Frame of Mind".
Ben and I taking photos in different locations in Hawaii.
Video inspired by opening scene from Modern Family and the HP commercials from a while back.


Comedy-news personality Stephen Colbert testified before Congress Friday on illegal immigration, an issue that hit its boiling point in the Arizona desert and Deep South but has no greater impact than in Los Angeles.
"America's farms are far too dependent on immigrant labor," he said. " ... The obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables."
Colbert cited America's obesity problem and was encouraged by the fact that "many Americans have already started" on the non-vegetarian diet.
"Maybe the easier answer is just to have scientists develop vegetables that pick themselves."


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Digital TransformationStrategy & LeadershipHow 3 retailers are looking ahead in the wake of Toys 'R' Us
How 3 retailers are looking ahead in the wake of Toys 'R' Us
Earlier this month, Toys 'R' Us shut its doors for good, proving once and for all that retail is incredibly disruptable. Three brands that don't plan to follow in its footsteps are L'Oréal, Macy's and Home Depot, all of which are investing heavily in digital transformation.
Mike O'Brien
Date published March 26, 2018 Categories
Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is making strides to improve its online presence by investing in technology and ecommerce. At the same time, the opposite side of that coin, Amazon, is increasingly moving offline, even opening an automated grocery store in January. One needs to look no further than Toys 'R' Us to see how much (and how fast) the retail landscape is changing.
The Internet keeps asking, "What can we learn from Toys 'R' Us?" Its closure may not be shocking, but Toys 'R' Us is still a brand with a huge legacy. You can probably still recite its jingle from the '80s. One thing that keeps coming up is the retailer's failure to integrate the omnichannel experiences today's consumers crave.
In 2018, there's not a tremendous need to visit any physical store—unless you want to. Was Toys 'R' Us ever going to become enough of an ecommerce player to compete with Amazon? Probably not. But the brand could have done more to evolve beyond simply being a place to buy toys. Compare that with Disney, which is working to bring the magic of its parks to its retail locations, creating fun, immersive environments for kids to explore and play (and beg their parents not to leave, increasing the likelihood that they'll spend more).
Embracing technology to improve shopping experiences—on- and offline—will help savvy retailers stick around in the age of Amazon. Toys 'R' Us isn't the only brand to make omnichannel-related headlines over the past few weeks. Plenty of other retailers have been in the news for that, only the stories have been more positive and hopeful. Here are three of our favorite examples of retailers looking toward the future:
1. L'Oréal
Sephora is lauded for its excellent app, features of which include an augmented reality "fitting room." That's key for a beauty brand since everyone has their own unique skin type, coloring and features, so it can be difficult to guess how makeup will look on you.
Moving in that direction, L'Oréal recently made its first technology acquisition: AR platform ModiFace. ModiFace has worked with L'Oréal for the past decade, though they've also worked with competitors such as Sephora and Ulta.
By taking the platform in-house, L'Oréal demonstrates the dedication to digital transformation necessary to survive and thrive in the beauty space. As Sephora's VP of Marketing told The New York Times, "the lady at the counter has been replaced by hundreds of people on YouTube.
2. Macy's
With traditional department stores being particularly disruptable, Macy's could follow Toys 'R' Us into the retail graveyard. However, CEO Jeff Gennette is determined not to let that happen. During the Shoptalk retail conference in Las Vegas, Gennette told attendees the current retail landscape gave Macy's a wake-up call to redefine its purpose.
Later this year, Macy's plans to launch a mobile checkout feature, allowing consumers to purchase in-app. By summer, the retailer also plans to bring virtual reality to 60 different stores. In-store VR has already helped Macy's sell furniture, giving shoppers the opportunity to see how different pieces look in their house (and save a ton of space on the salesfloor).
So far, betting on digital transformation has helped Macy's. After 11 consecutive bad quarters, the brand's sales were up 1.8% as of February.
3. Home Depot
Search is crucial for Home Depot, a store with the potential to be incredibly overwhelming. Home Depot is banking big on that, dramatically expanding its partnership with Pinterest.
Home Depot will have more than 100,000 shoppable products on Pinterest's Shop the Look feature, which combines visual search and people's recommendations. Tapping a circle under a pin, shoppers can see similar items available in the store, including vanities, faucets, lighting and décor.
The deeper presence on Shop the Look is designed to better help consumers connect the dots between that table they saw on Pinterest and the Home Depot they're standing in. This is all part of Home Depot's pledge to dedicate $5.4 billion to omnichannel shopping experiences, as 45% of the brand's online purchases are picked up in-store.
AR and VR
instore pickup
Digital transformation: Top challenges to success in 2019
Digital Transformation Digital transformation: Top challenges to success in 2019
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: "Know where the world is going. You have to bet right, long before it's conventional"
Industry Developments Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: "Know where the world is going. You have to bet right, long before it's conventional"
Super Bowl ads cost millions of dollars. Are they worth it?
Digital Advertising Super Bowl ads cost millions of dollars. Are they worth it?
Survey: What digital skills training do brands need for employees
Digital Transformation Survey: What digital skills training do brands need for employees
What marketers can learn from the Amazon six page memo
Strategy & Leadership What marketers can learn from the Amazon six page memo
Walmart is the world's largest retailer. Is it also one of the most innovative?
Strategy & Leadership Walmart is the world's largest retailer. Is it also one of the most innovative?
Can omnichannel deliver? Only with the right strategies
Strategy & Leadership Can omnichannel deliver? Only with the right strategies
10m Rebecca Martin
Q&A with SAP on digital transformation and search
Digital Transformation Q&A with SAP on digital transformation and search


The Clarets will play Premier League football next season following a 1-0 win over QPR at a packed Turf Moor.
Sam Vokes' priceless goal on the hour mark ensured the Clarets all three points, and a return to England's top division at the first time of asking.
The win also extended Burnley's unbeaten league run to a staggering 22 games, and earned a 19th clean sheet of the season in the process.
It was a fitting day to clinch promotion, 56 years to the day that the club won the First Division title in 1960.
However, it was not a day without nerves.
It was a stuttering start from the Clarets, and the visitors enjoyed the possession and chances early doors.
Sebastian Polter, who could have easily been shown a red card for an early lunge on Joey Barton, then teed up the first effort of the match.
The German forward cushioned down a header to Matt Phillips, and the former Blackpool winger arrowed a strike to the far post, where the Clarets' captain Tom Heaton brilliantly kept the score level with a fine save.
The Clarets responded six minutes later, as full-back Cole Kpekawa's headed clearance fell for Sam Vokes at the edge of the box – who chested down – but a block from Clint Hill denied him.
Blackpool-born defender Kpekawa then had a tame strike from range, that Heaton was equal to.
Heaton was then again called upon, as Kpekawa's long-ball forward found Michael Petrasso almost through on goal, only for a last-ditch claim from Heaton to deny the Canadian winger.
The second half, however, belonged to the Clarets, as the pressure slowly mounted.
Barton's free-kick caused mayhem in the Rangers' box and eventually fell to Scott Arfield, who emphatically curled his volley past goalkeeper Matt Ingram, however the dipping strike was agonisingly inches wide.
The Clarets then continued to apply the pressure, when Stephen Ward's ball down the channel played Gray in-on goal, the forward opted to lob Ingram, but got his angles wrong.
However, the magical moment arrived on the hour mark!
Barton again provided the delivery with an in-swinging free-kick to find Vokes six-yards out, and the Welshman's glancing header nestled into the far corner to send a packed Turf Moor into raptures!
The Clarets knew the job wasn't done, however, as the visitors showed eight minutes later, when Alejandro Faurlin's long-range effort clipped the far post past the outstretched Heaton.
But with 10 minutes to play, the Clarets had a glorious chance to double their advantage.
In a packed area, Vokes cleverly back heeled to Arfield, whose strike looked goalbound only for another brilliant save on the line from Ingram to set-up a tense last period.
However the Clarets hung on with no further drama to the seal the win and clinch promotion back to the Premier League!
BURNLEY: Heaton, Ward, Mee, Keane, Lowton, Arfield, Jones, Barton, Boyd, Gray (Barnes 76), Vokes.
QPR: Ingram, Hall, Onouha, Hill, Phillips, Henry, Faurlin, Hoilett (Washington 63), Polter (Gladwin 70), Petrasso (El Khayati 70), Kpekawa.


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Six Examples of Solid Facebook Marketing
January 27, 2019 by Jessy Troy 1 Comment
Facebook is a very powerful, extremely viral social networking and micro-blogging platform that has catapulted many businesses to new levels. It has enjoyed a famously popular online exposure and an ever-increasing appeal to corporations, social networkers, and online entrepreneurs.
Some companies who recognize the Facebook effect experience enormous brand recognition and success that accompanies their marketing efforts. These six companies are currently enjoying successful social networking, high traffic to their sites, and a branding experience that they credit to Facebook.
The famous potato chip snack company is quite popular on Facebook – something to the tune of over 3 million fans! The site's attraction is more than the snack lover's interest in their wares, but for their comedic and crafty use of their product videos.
The videos are a mixture of professional, commercial-style shoots and others that were taped possibly using personal video recorders. All of the videos are entertaining and funny, but without fail in each video, Pringles brands themselves very effectively through visual marketing.
2. Dell
If Facebook fans ever needed a reason to love a computer manufacturer, Dell has given them one – if not several. With over 100,000 fans and several niche Facebook pages, Dell is the company who proudly embraces a green campaign and makes a conservation commitment to their Facebook followers.
Each time one of Dell's fan's picks a friend, Dell plants a tree on their behalf. This effort is a part of their commitment to creating a healthier planet, additionally making a donation to The Conservation Fund to plant up to 150,000 trees. How's that for social interaction?
3. LawListings
LawListings has a very engaging Facebook page that is a good example of visual quoting: They put together well-branded visual quotes and engage their Facebook audience with that content.
This Facebook Page is a great example of effective Facebook marketing even in tough niches.
4. Pizza Hut
The pizza chain giant has over one million fans on their page. What makes their site so viral? Their generous interaction with the pizza community. They tag other users on Facebook, make it fun and very sociable by allowing fans to upload various pictures, images, photos and artistry depicting their brand in various ways.
Some of the fan photos are with family, creating a visual imagery of unity, while other photos that are incorporated onto their page are snapshots of different Pizza Hut restaurants or paraphernalia.
5. Harley-Davidson
The motorcycle giant has over 700,000 fans on their Facebook page and use several marketing methods to attract and retain those fans. Much of the information on their site consists of photos and videos, but there is a heavier focus on information and updates about their product and the motor bike industry at large.
Fans flock to their pages to sneak a hopeful peek at what the upcoming bikes will look like and to read about any changes in their current bike line. Harely-Davidson is definitely an industry leader with a proven track record. Facebook has helped their online marketing efforts by reaching a technical aspect of their customer pool.
With one of the highest number of fans on Facebook, Starbuck's remains at the top because of their frequent and engaging interaction with coffee lovers everywhere!
They are very involved in the local communities and abroad, and use videos, blog posts, surveys, and coffee giveaways to appeal to their customer base. Starbuck's takes the time to carefully groom their social networking page to be sure that they effectively reach their customers, making them an outstanding industry leader.
Further reading and resources:
Social Media Promotion Guide
Persistence is Key to Success
Social Media: The Free Beginner's Guide from Moz
My Personal Productivity Guide
Any other great Facebook marketing case studies? Please let us know!
Filed Under: Marketing, Marketing /Sales / Social Media
Loretta says
Everyone is always talking about Oreo and Burger King as examples, I hadn't seen the Pringles stuff. Thanks for sharing this round up 🙂


In the awkward phase between childhood and adolescence, preteens need guidance from their parents to develop the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle. There are countless ways for preteens to get active, but busy schedules, social responsibilities and distractions such as television, videogames and computers can make it difficult for older kids to find time for physical activity. Preteens who are loaded with homework, studying and volunteering need to have time to relax and unwind, but when video games occupy most of their downtime, it can be a problem. "There's a lot of pressure for students to focus on academics in school and not physical activity," says Dr. John Dwyer, physical activity expert and Heart and Stroke Foundation funded researcher. "They are missing out on learning the value of a physically active lifestyle. And they may be developing unhealthy habits at the same time." The Heart and Stroke Foundation encourages kids to be active 60 to 90 minutes a day for healthy hearts.
Creating a fitness contract or physical activity plan may guide preteens and their parents to find time to schedule in sports or other enjoyable activities, lay out physical activity expectations as well as help parents understand their responsibility to provide the opportunity for that activity. This is especially important now because many high schools don't require students to attend any physical education classes after grade 10.
It's a good idea to start by having your preteen write out a list of activities he or she enjoys or would like to try, says Dr. Dwyer. This may include sports, adventurous group outings such as laser tag and paint ball, or free-play such as bike-riding, swimming and playing Frisbee. "I think it's healthier to try a variety of things and see which ones your child enjoys and would be likely to continue with," he adds. Also, have your child mark off any days when after-school activities or other responsibility may make it difficult to be active.
When you are planning out your own responsibilities, determine how much money you can budget to sports or fitness classes for your child. When budgets are planned out ahead of time, it can be easier to negotiate alternatives with your son or daughter or make plans to buy used sports equipment that you may not otherwise be able to afford.
Agreeing to spend a certain amount of time being active yourself can help your children see that activity is something that really matters to you, and not just something that you are preaching to them about. Depending on your child's age, that may involve agreeing to spend one or two days a week participating in an activity alongside them, such as playing a sport or riding bikes together. Older teens may not be as eager to hang around with their parents in a social setting, but they may still be open to the idea of active family excursions (as long as none of their friends will see them). Regardless, Dr. Dwyer says that it's important for kids to see their parents being active. "Research shows that when parents set an example by living an active lifestyle, their kids are more likely to be active, too," he adds.
Get together with son or daughter and then negotiate what is reasonable to both parties. Remember that you also have a contract to stick to, and that may involve agreeing to provide transportation to sports games, the community centre, a pool or other facility. Also, incorporate any rules you have on limiting television, video game or other sedentary time.
Preteen portion I agree to be physically active three times a week for 30 minutes or more. I also agree to limit the amount of time I spend doing inactive things such as watching TV, a video or DVD, using the computer for fun and playing video games. I will engage in these activities for a maximum of one hour on school days and a maximum of four hours over the weekend.
Parent portion I will support my child's efforts to be physically active three times a week. When needed, I will provide transportation to the swimming pool, park or other recreational facility for my child and up to two friends. For agreed-upon activities, I'll pay for the necessary equipment (clothes, shoes and protective gear). To manage TV time, I'll develop a schedule with my daughter or son to determine how to spend that time. I also commit to being active myself to show I am a good role model.


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Kushner selling four Astoria buildings
for $76M
The buyer, Karan Singh, also just bought two Jackson Heights rentals
Mar.March 29, 2017 07:00 AM
By Mark Maurer
Clockwise from left: 23-15 30th Avenue, 23-05 30th Avenue, 21-81 38th Street, 21-80 38th Street and Laurent Morali
Kushner Companies is in contract to sell a four-building Astoria portfolio to Queens investor Karan Singh for $76 million, or $615 per square foot, sources told The Real Deal. The buildings marked Kushner's only major Queens venture to date – and a brief one at that.
The package holds 143 rental apartments and six retail spaces, and spans 123,500 square feet. The buildings have climbed in value in just four years. RockFarmer Properties bought them in 2013 for $32 million and then sold them to Kushner for $51 million in January 2015. Kushner opted to sell all but one retail condominium at 21-81 38th Street with five retail units.
The addresses are 21-80 38th Street, 21-81 38th Street, 23-05 30th Avenue and 23-15 30th Avenue.
About 60 percent of the apartments are free-market. Kushner invested about $10 million in the buildings over the past two years, sources said. Kushner's profit from the sale of the buildings is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $15 million.
Singh entered contract late December, and is slated to close in April, sources told TRD. The sales price clocked in almost $10 million below the $85 million asking price.
Before signing for the Kushner deal, Singh entered contract for another set of Queens properties, which just closed Friday.
71-05 and 71-11 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights
Singh acquired a pair of contiguous rental buildings at 71-05 and 71-11 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights from the Benson Company for $31.5 million. The six-story elevator buildings have a combined 106 apartments and span 85,856 square feet. The average rent at the properties is $1,477 per square feet. The buildings have a total net operating income of $1.2 million, according to marketing materials obtained by TRD.
Singh and his partners Rajmattie Singh and Rajmattie Persaud occasionally buy small single-family and multifamily properties in Queens and the Bronx. But those sporadic acquisitions are leagues away in price from these recent deals. One source said Singh recently "woke up" after years of small-time plays.
For that deal, Singh operated under the entity, 590-600 One Realty Corp., and was represented by the law firm Wachtel Missry.
Aaron Jungreis
Rosewood Realty Group's Aaron Jungreis, who brokered both deals, declined to comment, as did Kushner. Singh could not be reached.
Laurent Morali became head of Kushner Companies in January after Jared Kushner, who had been the CEO of the development firm for over a decade, stepped down from that position for a senior adviser role at the White House.
Prior to resigning, Jared Kushner negotiated with Anbang Insurance Group to redevelop the 1.45 million-square-foot office tower at 666 Fifth Avenue, which Kushner Companies said could result in its value climbing to as much as $12 billion.
Commercial Real Estatekushner companiesQueens
The Real Deal celebrates 250 issues
TRD's founders share war stories from over the years
Kushner Cos. buying 1,000-unit suburban apartment portfolio
Whatever happened to the city's largest vacant lots?
AOC joins in fight against Cuomo's $2B LaGuardia AirTrain project
Queens landlord dies after tenant knocks him down stairs: police
City's oldest bar, of "Goodfellas" fame, gets last-minute lifeline


GC-FS-series of large hammer crusher is a kind of crushing machines of GEMCO. It belongs to large scale large hammer mill crusher, and that means it has large yield. GC-FS series of large hammer crusher is a main part of the whole pellet mill production line or the briquette production line. It can process many kinds of raw materials, such as wood chips, peanut shells, rice stalks, corn stalks, etc. This kind of large hammer crusher has the conveyor belt and dedusting system, so the feeding is uniform and dust is collected to reduce dust pollution. The main parts is hammer, toothed plate, mesh pieces and rotor.
The large hammer crusher has the conveyor belt and dedusting system, so the feeding is uniform and dust is collected to reduce dust pollution.