text:
See what our customers have to say about us
See below some testimonials from our customers who have had their loft conversion or house extension done by SMA Lofts. All of these loft conversions and extensions have been carried out in and around London.
Mr Roger Sillence
We are extremely pleased with all aspects of the work, from the planning to the final decorating. I strongly recommend using SMA lofts if you're thinking of a loft conversion.
Mr John Holliday
Excellent, very professional.
Mrs Hannah Stringer
All tradesmen were courteous and completed their work to a high standard. We are really pleased with the result. It was completed with minimal fuss or disruption to us. I would definitely recommend SMA.
Mrs Tilbury
We highly recommend SMA Lofts. From the initial quote to project sign off, the service we received was brilliant. Builders, electricians, tilers, plumbers, plasterer, carpenter, roofer were all very professional, knew what needed to be done and got on with it. They were also really friendly and helpful. It was a well-oiled machine. The finished loft bedroom and en-suite bathroom look amazing. To say it was a big job, it was very hassle/stress free for us. Thanks SMA Loft!
Mr Sam Austin
The SMA team were excellent. They were prompt, tidy and brilliant at keeping us in the loop/ updated with what was going on. The team completed the work on schedule, to a high standard and to the design/ spec we agreed. They were also able to flex their delivery dates to get the work done before the birth of our daughter. I would highly recommend them.
Mr Anthony Brampton
A highly professional job from start to finish.
Mr Jeffrey Musgrave
I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of work SMA did. Everyone, the builder, plumber, electrician, plasterer, carpenter, sales, Sam and office staff were totally professional in everything they did. We were given advice and options throughout the process and gave us ideas about things that we had not even thought of. The builder explained things as the build progressed. The quality of the plasterer made decorating easy. The electricians asked and advised about positioning lights and sockets. The carpentry and plumbing was fantastic quality. I would highly recommend this company.
Ms Katy Sawyer
Excellent work by really knowledgeable and trustworthy workmen. They also went out of their way to ensure relations with the neighbours were good throughout the build. The entire team were exceptionally determined to get the work done quickly and in time for my baby to arrive – which they did, and maintained a really high-standard of craftsmanship throughout. It must be a rarity in the industry: it was finished early and under-budget. We love our loft conversion and would recommend SMA Lofts to anyone.
Mr Iain Reilly
All in all an excellent experience. From initial consultation through to final walk around we were well looked after by all the SMA team. They really understood the specifics of the loft build and often offered advice to help ensure that we were really getting what was required, not just what would have been the simplest outcome for them. I would not hesitate to recommend SMA to anyone looks for a loft conversion in London, you won't be disappointed.
Dr Louise Allnutt
SMA are a very organised and reliable firm. The finish of the loft is exceptional and we are very happy. The main benefit of hiring SMA is their ability to trouble shoot and resolve issues within a very short time frame. We really recommend SMA.
Mrs Hooftnan
Very happy with the work and the communication with the company. All very clear and no unexpected additional charges. Efficient and approachable.
Mr & Mrs Mankowitz
Ealing W5
This is the second loft that we have constructed through SMA, which says it all, really. We had no hesitation in using them after our first loft conversion, as the service that we received was absolutely first class. The process was made clear and transparent from the start, and the whole team were an absolute pleasure to deal with. Whenever there were any snags to deal with, (of which there were very few!) Sam was always available to problem solve, and really showed an attention to detail that was very much appreciated. I recommend SMA to anyone who is thinking of doing a loft conversion.
Mr & Mrs A Foster
Twickenham TW2
We are so very happy with all the work you have done for us recently. The loft is amazing; the standard of work from day one was second to none, from organisation, quality of work, politeness of all the men, always leaving the site tidy every evening. The downstairs extension – kitchen was far from straight forward for you; however nothing was too much trouble for Sam & his great team. Scott McCabe Associates (SMA) stands for quality & expertise. We are so happy we were recommended to your company and will recommend you to anyone who asks who did our work. The kitchen space is more than we could ever envisaged, the result is truly amazing, thank you.
Mr & Mrs Beckett
Brentford TW8
We'd like to thank you all at SMA for the successful completion of our project, on time and to budget. All you associates were courteous and polite and the work was finished to a good standard.
Mr & Mrs Thackery
London W12
We are delighted with the result. The whole process ran very smoothly and efficiently with minimal disruption to our busy household. Craig was excellent and worked unbelievably fast at the start of the build. He was great fun and always cheerful. Andy (Sparky) was also great, and nothing was too much trouble for Sam who project managed everything and always came over at the drop of a hat if something needed sorting.
Jean-Luc Eberlin
London NW6
The loft conversion was done to a very high standard and I am delighted with the end result.
Paul Dixon
We are very pleased with the final result. Everyone who worked on site were very helpful and professional. Very happy with all of them.
Fiona O'Reilly
The process of doing the conversion was as painfree as such a major structural change could be. I was kept fully informed about what to expect at each stage and the team were a pleasure to work with. They were highly professional, stuck to their commitments and went to great trouble to keep thing tidy as they went. The final snagging list was small and all the items were dealt with immediately and professionally. I was delighted with the overall result. All four were also genuinely lovely to deal with, explaining clearly what needed to be decided by when and what all the options and tradeoffs were (a real bonus for a single woman).
Will Hurst
London W7
The conversion went extremely well. It was done incredibly fast we thought with less disruption than we imagined. The final result is truly superb and lots of people have commented on what a good conversion it is.
Mr & Mrs James
Ealing W13
What can I say? Thanks so much for all the hard work on the loft, it's been a pleasure having the team around. From day one, everything happened both smoothly and efficiently. I'd prepared myself for there to be so much more disruption and mess, however it never materialised other than what would normally be expected on a project of this size. A big thanks to everyone involved for giving us such a beautiful loft conversion. I will most certainly be recommending you to our friends and family in the future.
Colin Dolphin
Northfields W13
Thanks to you and all the gang for a job well done.
Bowden & Ms Cooner
Chiswick W4
Thank you very much for your teams hard work, the loft is great and we are very happy with the outcome. Sam was excellent and we would be happy to act as any reference for your customers.
Mr & Mrs Richie
Wimbledon SW19
In general, we are delighted with the result of our loft conversion. The quality of workmanship was outstanding and the cooperation and willingness of your team were exemplary. Neighbours in Dora Road have commented on the speed and efficiency of the external build as well as the very high standard of finish and minimal degree of disruption to themselves.
If we were to do the conversion all over again, I don't think that we would change anything significant.
In so far as individual contributions are concerned, we would like to mention in particular Teresa Mahon, whose help and advice in preparing the initial specification and offer document was quite outstanding. No details were overlooked or left to chance and her meticulous attention to detail resulted in a very smooth running project. As far as the build itself was concerned I cannot commend Craig more highly. The initial build was completed in only 3 weeks which was remarkable and disruption to our domestic life was considerably less than we had expected. His work ethic, commitment and willingness were absolutely first class. I should also mention Sam whose role as coordinator and trouble shooter was much appreciated, especially considering the obvious demands on his time from other ongoing projects. Brian Covell in the office was also most helpful in the latter stages of the project. The individual craftsmen were all first class, in particular the 2 Roofers and Sean the Carpenter.
For all that, we would have no hesitation in recommending SMA to anyone considering a similar project. in fact, we have already sung your praises to a number of our friends.
London N4
We were delighted with the Dorma SMA built for us. The work was completed within the specified time frame and the price quoted at the start was the price we paid at completion. The work was carried out with an absolute minimum of disruption and to an extremely high standard.
Annabel Askham
Teddington TW11
We are really delighted with our new loft and shower room and the experience was so much better than we anticipated! All your team without exception, are extremely hard working and thoroughly professional.
Jacqueline A
I would like to thank you all for the excellent work and service you provided over the summer months in relation to my loft extension. The new space is just wonderful and just what I dreamed of. I have had lots of admiring comments and praise from both family and friends.
I particularly appreciated the way the team worked together and the 'can-do' attitude and professional work of all involved from the very start of the project. Although everyone worked very hard to meet my deadline at the end of September, good humour always prevailed. When some minor problems occurred, they were resolved swiftly and efficiently. I have nothing but praise for your company and would certainly recommend you to anyone thinking of extending into their loft. I shall also contact you in January to organise some other ground floor extension work I would like to do in my house in May or June 2014.
May I especially commend the work of David Ward at the design stage, of Bobby and Sam whose supervision was excellent and, last but not least, of Laura without whom the wheel would grind to a halt. She was extremely good at co-ordinating, very patient with me throughout the project and acted fast and efficiently, for which I would like to thank her.
I wish you all a very happy end of the year and well-deserved rest over the holiday.
Mrs Nicholas T
Fulham SW6
This project was my first loft conversion, and in fact the first time I had ever employed a builder for any significant amount. I went with SMA, even though their quote was slightly above the other two, because their people were very supportive, and appeared more experienced than the others.
This decision was justified by events, as the project progressed smoothly, being completed on time, to budget and to a very high standard of workmanship.
My aim was the maximise value on the property prior to sale, and the property was sold at a very favourable price within three days of being put on the market.
Mr Mark W
Hampstead NW6
It went well, and I'm very pleased with the result. We had discussed at the beginning of you quoting for the works downstairs (e.g. the new kitchen), we didn't really follow up on it. In hindsight it would have been great to have had a single contractor for all the work. Emmet and Phil were superb. It was very good, I would highly recommend SMA.


The third largest and the fastest swimming of the penguin species the Gentoo penguin inhabits the rocky outlying islands of Antarctica. These penguins are distinguished by the white stripe above their eyes. You can find our Gentoo penguins in Helzberg Penguin Plaza.
Since they are in captivity do they lay eggs and have little ones?
Yes – We have had 5 Gentoo and 2 King penguin chicks hatch since we opened the exhibit in 2013.
What is the temperature in the enclosure?
The air and water are both kept at 45° F.
How often/much do you feed the penguins?
They are fed twice per day and they get to eat as much as they want.
Do the penguins have names?
Yes – All of the penguins have names, and we can tell them apart by the bands they wear on their wings. I am not sure how good the definition is on the camera but some of the penguins have bands that have their names written on them.
What penguin species do you have?
King, Gentoo in this exhibit and Humboldt in our indoor/outdoor exhibit.
How many penguins do you have?
We currently have 16 King penguins and 38 Gentoo penguins in the exhibit you can see on the web cam. We also have 19 Humboldt penguins that live in a different exhibit.
How much space does one penguin need?
Penguins actually live in very large groups in the wild. They like to live together in close quarters, but need space to swim, nest, and rest, all of which we have at the Kansas City Zoo.
There is a penguin that looks like it has has a hole in is stomach…what is that?
That is Elvis one of our King Penguins. He wears the feathers in that spot down every year. We believe it is from him rubbing his belly on the ramps as he gets out of our pools. He tends to be one of our chunkier penguins.


A macro is a function that is not part of the standard set of ER/Studio functionality, which automates or simplifies complex or repetitive tasks. For example, there is a macro in ER/Studio that allows you to convert all names to uppercase or lowercase. ER/Studio comes with over 50 macros and you can also create your own. We will talk about running, creating, editing, deleting, and renaming macros in this chapter.


The peaceable and safe city of Gaborone is Botswana's capital city and economic core. Headquartered here are the country's key financial institutions, its major utilities and its stock exchange. Here too, are the country's major universities and leading schools.
At the heart of this progressive sub-Saharan city, a pedestrianized central business district and several major shopping precincts give way to an ecological park with organic gardens, recycling centers, cafes and playgrounds. Beyond the city's borders lie the Limpopo Game Reserve, the Gaborone Dam, the Mokolodi Nature Reserve and Kgale Hill.
This almost pristine natural environment, coupled with Gaborone's low crime rate and inexpensive, yet relatively high standard of living, make the city an agreeable expat destination.
Welcome to the very best part of Africa, a destination of myriad beauties, rich cultures, wonderful scenery and, most importantly, a very peaceful and stable country. Botswana is a country better known for peace, tranquility, diamonds and beef. It is a land of rich heritage, diverse cultures and the place where the wonderful waterways of the world-renowned Okavango Delta meet the Kalahari thirstland. You have to see it for yourself.
Newcomers will find Botswana and its people to be warm and friendly. It is a fast-growing, busy and modern city, but one that might, at first, seem so spread out that you can't identify the city center. It's diverse and tranquil, and safe.
Some impressions will change. Time and adaptation to the culture and local customs will give a true perspective on the country.
The two most widely spoken languages are Setswana, the national language of Botswana, and English.
English is commonly used because it is the language of business and everyday life. Most people in Botswana are well educated and able to communicate in English.
Botswana's climate is semi-arid, which means that although it is hot and dry for much of the year, there is a rainy season (usually lasting through the summer months) when rainfall tends to be erratic, unpredictable and highly regional. Often a heavy downpour will occur in one area, while 10 or 15 kilometers away there is no rain at all. Showers are often followed by strong sunshine so that a good deal of the rainfall does not penetrate the ground and is instead lost to evaporation and transpiration. Until you become accustomed to it, the weather might cause dehydration. It is recommended that you drink plenty of water and fruit juices (at least three liters of liquid) daily.
Botswana is full of many friendly residents and it is common to say hello or to help each other. However, just like any other city, there are some neighborhoods that are unsafe. With that in mind, avoid unlit areas at night and seek safety in numbers and you will be just fine!


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Regulatory Focus™ > News Articles > 2 > FDA Adopts ICH Good Clinical Practice Addendum
FDA Adopts ICH Good Clinical Practice Addendum
Posted 28 February 2018 | By Michael Mezher
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday finalized its version of the addendum to the International Council for Harmonisation's (ICH) good clinical practice (GCP) guideline.
The addendum, referred to as E6(R2) Good Clinical Practice: Integrated Addendum to E6(R1), updates the previous version of the E6 guideline from 1996 and was adopted by the ICH Assembly in November 2016.
According to FDA, the guideline was amended "to encourage implantation of improved and more efficient approaches to clinical trial design, conduct, oversight, recording and reporting, and also updates standards regarding electronic records and essential documents."
FDA also says the updated standard will "improve clinical trial quality and efficiency, while maintaining human subject protection and reliability of trial results."
Shortly after its adoption by ICH, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) finalized their version of the guideline, which came into effect for the EU in June 2017. Switzerland has also amended its Clinical Trials Ordinance (ClinO) to refer to E6(R2) as of 1 May 2017.
Additionally, Health Canada announced last May that it plans to fully implement the addendum in April 2018, though Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) has not yet said when it will implement the new guideline.
FDA, Federal Register Notice

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dental Care Testimonials Collinsville CT | Read our dental patient reviews!
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"Very pleasant office, staff is friendly and helpful."
"I'm very pleased with everyone's professionalism and courtesy here: will continue to enjoy my dental care here."
"Dr. Bielawski is very thorough and explains what is to be done. She is compassionate about her work."
"Dr. Bielawski is gentle and compassionate with her patients."
"Nice comfortable transition from Dr. Bogucki to our new loving dental provider Dr. Bielawski."
"The cleaning was done by Marci with care and a lot of concern was given to me in how I was experiencing what was happening at each step."
"Everyone in this office is extremely friendly and sensitive to patient's individual needs. It takes the anxiety out of going to the dentist!"
Certainly helped me to feel comfortable and confident"
"Today's visit was totally pain free. Marci is so friendly and personable, as is the entire office – plus very understanding and accommodating."


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Search And Rescue News from the FIRE Project
RNLI – Portsmouth Lifeboat Station, Hampshire, UK
Posted on August 7, 2013 by News Editor
Station address:
Portsmouth Lifeboat Station
Station telephone:
Station opening times:
11am–2.30pm Sunday
Visitor contact:
Visitor contact telephone:
Situated in the City of Portsmouth, England, the lifeboat station is located at Eastney Point, at the entrance to Langstone Harbour.
Portsmouth is the RNLI's 10th busiest lifeboat station with around 100 launches a year.
The station is entirely managed and operated by volunteers. The crew are on a paging system providing standby cover 24 hours a day 365 days a year and will man the lifeboats when requested by HM Coastguard via the pagers (yes, we have been called out on Christmas Day too!).
A lifeboat station was first established in Portsmouth in 1886, located on Southsea seafront, and the fine tradition of our past lifeboatmen continues to be upheld by our present lifeboat crews at Eastney Point.
1902 lifeboat day southsea – heyland_small The RNLI's first Lifeboat Station on Portsea Island, the 'Southsea Lifeboat Station', was completed in 1886, 62 years after the founding of the RNLI in 1824, after the need for an additional lifeboat in the Solent area was identified by the committees of Bembridge and Hayling Island Stations in 1884. The first of the station's three lifeboats, 'The Heyland', was a ten-oared, wooden, self-righting vessel 37 feet in length and a beam of 9 feet. She served for 22 years, during which time she was launched on nine occasions saving six lives in dramatic rescues.
These were the days when boats were powered by strong arms, sheer determination and bravery! Her gallant lifeboat crews were highly regarded by those they rescued or stood by in their time of need. The exposed Southsea shore made it difficult to launch the boats in rough seas, and headwinds hampered progress of even the most hardened oarsmen.
Southsea lifeboat station was closed after thirty-two years of service because it was now considered that the Solent would be adequately served by the existing Hayling Island lifeboat and the proposed motor propelled lifeboat to be introduced at Bembridge in 1922. For the following 47 years Portsmouth lacked its own lifeboat.
1950's and 1960's
During the 1950's and 1960's there was a significant increase in the popularity of all forms of leisure pursuits on the waters of the South Coast and a corresponding increase in calls for assistance by the amateur sailor. At this period very few RNLI lifeboats exceeded 9 knots and they required a crew of 7 to 8 people to man them and a team of launchers.
The RNLI introduced its first inflatable rescue-boats, the 'D' Class, which required a crew of two and a light-weight launching trolley. They were propelled by a single 40hp engine that gave them a speed of 20 knots. The success of this revolutionary and altogether more effective inshore lifeboat, and its derivatives, led to the establishment of many new inshore lifeboat stations.
An inshore lifeboat station was established at Eastney Point, at the entrance to Langstone Harbour. The new station was supplied with its first D Class, 'No. 48', and in May that year Dr McLachlan, who had campaigned for the reintroduction of a lifeboat station at Portsmouth, was appointed its Honorary Secretary.
li8495aerial view of portsmout On 27 October, 1991 the present building, built to accommodate a 'D' class and an Atlantic 21 lifeboat, was officially opened by Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham, an ex-director of the RNLI. The £90,000 building was funded by a special appeal started in the 1980's by the then Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Alderman Wyn Sutcliffe.
The name of the station was changed to 'Portsmouth Lifeboat Station' on 1 September, 1995.
An extension to the boathouse was completed, providing a separate crew changing room, improved toilet facilities, a mechanics store, fuel storage bunker, and an operations control room.
The fine tradition of our past lifeboatmen continues to be upheld by our present lifeboat crews.
This entry was posted in Stations/Bases by News Editor. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Q: Any good way to write mathematical induction proof steps in LaTeX? I need to write some mathematical induction using LaTeX.
Are there any packages that I can use for that purpose?

A: What I do is just to use a description environment, with Base: and Induction: labels.

A: I think this is a work for the alignat. Some comments about the code:

*

*The package enumitem provides the label key which I have used to modify the label for the inner itemize environment.

*I have manually added some space (v. \medskip in the code) so that the output resembles the scan copy.
\documentclass{amsart} % http://www.ctan.org/pkg/amsart
\usepackage{enumitem}  % http://www.ctan.org/pkg/enumitem
\begin{document}
\begin{itemize}
\item \emph{Induction Principle}: The formula $\phi$ may be derived by proving the formula \medskip
\begin{itemize}[label=$\lozenge$, itemsep=2ex]
\item \emph{Base Case}:
\[\texttt{(implies (and (not }q_1 \texttt{)} \dots \texttt{(not }q_k\texttt{)) }\phi\texttt{)}\]
\item \emph{Induction Step(s)}: For each $1 \leq i \leq n$,
\begin{alignat*}{5}
\texttt{(implies} &\quad&&\texttt{(and} &\quad& &&q_i \\
                  &&     &              &&      &&\phi/\sigma_{i,1}\\
                  &&     &              &&      &&\dots\\
                  &&     &              &&      &&\phi/\sigma_{i,k_i}\texttt{)} \\
                  &&     &\phi\texttt{)}
\end{alignat*}
provided that for terms $m, q_1, \dots, q_k$, and substitutions $\sigma_{i,j}$ ($1 \leq i \leq h_i$), the following measure conjectures are theorems.
\item \texttt{(EO-ORDINALP} $m$\texttt{)}
\item For each $1 \leq i \leq k$ and for $1 \leq j \leq h_i$,
\[\texttt{(IMPLIES } q_i \texttt{ (EO-ORD-< } m/\sigma_{i,j} \quad m \texttt{))}\]
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\end{document}

Thanks to egreg who has kindly gifted me these and agreed not to steal my green tick, I have learnt atleast two different ways of doing this:

*

*a quick reference for tabbing could be this one.

*There is one other important fact that he told me here: If a minipage contains only a tabbing environment, the minimum of width of the tabbing environment and the specified width would be the width of the minipage.
The Code Snippets
\[ % works without \[ and \] as well.
\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}
\begin{tabbing}
\texttt{(implies}\quad\= \texttt{(and}\quad\= $q_i$ \\
                      \>                   \> $\phi/\sigma_{i,1}$\\
                      \>                   \> \dots\\
                      \>                   \>  $\phi/\sigma_{i,k_i}$\texttt{)} \\
                      \> $\phi$\texttt{)}
\end{tabbing}
\end{minipage}
\]

\[ % works without \[ and \] as well.
\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}\ttfamily
\begin{tabbing}
(implies\quad\= (and\quad\= $q_i$ \\
             \>          \> $\phi/\sigma_{i,1}$\\
             \>          \> \dots\\
             \>          \>  $\phi/\sigma_{i,k_i}$) \\
             \> $\phi$)
\end{tabbing}
\end{minipage}
\]

Please note that, I have added the comment:
 % works without \[ and \] as well.

to bring to the fore that, you may therefore align this to the left, as in the scan by dropping the \[...\].

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Why Read Books in Translation
"Sure, I'd dabbled in some Kafka and Garcia Marquez, but those were acclaimed writers who'd, deservedly, long been translated to English and had earned their proper due. Bolaño was my introduction, or perhaps initiation, to the canon of international literature. Naturally, I came to wonder: What else have I not been exposed to?"
"Do other Americans ask themselves similar questions when stumbling upon the work of gifted international writers? Or are the majority of us content with being fascinated by our own nation's mythology? These questions are worthy of our pondering. In my case, it was an issue of broadening a somewhat narrow worldview. And literature from countries outside of my own, from Chile and France and Japan and Russia, began the work of providing a more holistic education—one concerned with making sense of the entire world, not just a small portion."
"It's simple, really. If we're only paying mind to the storytellers of our own country, we're robbing ourselves blind of something rich and meaningful."
From: prospect.org/article/why-reading-globally-matters
http://www.facebook.com/spywriter http://www.twitter.com/spywriter
http://www.spywriter.com
Tagged America, Americans, Books, Literature, Reading, World
"Reading is not necessary"
From the Conservative corner:
"Last week from another quarter came what may be the final solution to the schools' reading problems. According to Dr. Juanita Chambers, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta, reading isn't even necessary."
"As technology advances, Dr. Chambers says, people can get along very well without reading. If you are just digesting information, you don't need to read. After all, that's what television, radio, and tape recorders are for. "Perhaps literacy is not the only form of education," she says. "It could be something that will be eventually left to scholars.""
"What is ever so much more important than reading books, in her view, is learning how to "read people." "
"High-priced, incandescent nonsense has its effect. Today a sizeable segment of the American population has regressed to the Pre-Phoenician stage. According to a study recently released by the National Science Foundation, over 25% of Americans are Pre -Copernican, believing that the sun goes around the earth, less than half 48%, are aware that humans evolved from early species, 42% believe that astrology is either "very scientific" or "sort of scientific," in sharp contrast to a study in China where 92 per cent of people there believe horoscopes are unscientific."
Read More: http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/03/14/forty-years-plus-of-confusion-complacence-and-incompetence-in-albert-schools/
Tagged America, Books, Canada, Literature, Reading, Television, USA
Writers in a Surveillance State
Writers are ducking their calling in Surveillance State Amerika:
"A new report from the PEN Center and the FDR Group entitled "Chilling Effects: NSA Surveillance Drives U.S. Writers to Self-Censor" finds that 85 percent of surveyed writers are worried about government surveillance of Americans, and nearly three-quarters (73 percent) "have never been as worried about privacy rights and freedom of the press as they are today."
"Sixteen percent of writers have avoided writing or speaking about certain topics due to threatening privacy concerns, and an additional 11 percent have seriously considered such avoidance."
"Nearly a quarter of the writers surveyed (24 percent) reported deliberately avoiding certain topics in phone or email conversations, and an additional 9 percent have seriously considered such action. A small portion of respondents said they had even declined opportunities to meet with people deemed "security threats by the government" because of privacy fears."
From: washington.cbslocal.com
Read the report: http://www.google.com/gwt/x?wsc=bf&u=http://www.pen.org/sites/default/files/Chilling%2520Effects_PEN%2520American.pdf&ei=zxCEUq2HF4PSwAKGpYDIBQ
Tagged America, Censorship, freedom of speach, Police State, surveillance, USA, Writers, Writing
Dumbing down literature
"From Reader's Digest to Cliff's Notes to No Fear Shakespeare, simplified novels have infiltrated American society over generations. They seem innocent enough, flaunting an "easy to read" nature meant to appeal to those less versed in complex literature and language. However, while these watered down novels may be convenient for the busy, story-oriented adult reader, they are hardly appropriate for a class focused on critical reading. They're a skewed kind of censorship that removes students from the benefits of difficult, close reading and dumbs down the English classroom.
Words are taken out that set the entire mood of the piece; phrases that define the moment and add depth to the author's style are taken out. Removing these aspects eliminates the experience of analyzing the author's intent and figuring out why that phrase or scene was deemed necessary."
From: http://tigernewspaper.com/wordpress/2013/03/14/the-dangers-of-watering-down-literature/
SpyWriter Jack King, the author of:
Agents of Change, WikiJustice, The Black Vault, and The Fifth Internationale.
A new Pope. A new Church. A new world:
Tagged America, Books, Censorship, Literature, Reading, School, USA
The Dirty "S" Word
The dirty S word is back, and gaining popularity. Young Americans (ages 18 -29) are growing disillusioned with the capitalist system post 2008 crash, and look more favorably upon… socialism. The ideas put forward by Karl Marx are back in mainstream. Listen to podcast: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/shows/2013/02/24/is-marxism-facing-a-rebirth/
The survey by Pew Research indicates shift in perception on social policies, despite decades long propaganda war of vilification:
"powerful and wealthy private interests and special interest groups have taken almost full control of most democracies, their money and influence increasingly dictating the political and social agendas for these nations, agendas beneficial to them alone.
All democratic governments to some extent, but again primarily the US, have essentially abandoned their responsibility as "managers" of their nations and societies, have lost the thread of "management for the people", and instead have relegated their nations to a condition of "management for the benefit of private interests". …
The management of these nations for the benefit of special interest groups has become so embedded that 'socialism', which is nothing more than a concern for the overall welfare of the nation and its people, has become a dirty word.
As evidence, most Americans are energetically, and sometimes almost violently, opposed to socialism though few appear to have any understanding of the term's actual meaning.
Socialism – caring about the people of a nation and about their welfare, is equated in the American mind to a hateful dictatorship with no rights or freedoms – in fact, to the precise opposite of the term's real meaning. Such is the power of propaganda." From: http://www.spyghana.com/democracy-and-income-inequality-america-the-worlds-richest-banana-republic/
Tagged America, Capitalism, Karl Marx, Propaganda, Socialism, Society, USA
Stop arguing, start reading
We can't get along because "People who belong to different communities —with different ideas, experiences, and values— will hold different standards of reason." However, reading has the power to unite us:
"The political divide in America can be seen as a geographical problem: Red and Blue Americans disagree deeply … when you don't share experiences with someone — when you lack a common perspective — it's easy to think of their opinions as arbitrary and wrong. …
Reading fiction has the power to change it…
"To create a more inclusive society you need to expand community boundaries; you can't use reason to expand those boundaries because reason itself is parochial; fiction, however, has the power to cross communities and make strangers intelligible to each other; and once a community has been enlarged, it becomes possible for the members of the expanded community to practice politics together using shared standards of reason.
The power that Rorty ascribed to fiction led him to conclude that the novel is "the characteristic genre of democracy."
And indeed, if there's an opening in the literary fiction market right now, it might be for a novel that translates across the partisan gap.
That may seem like a lot to ask of a story, but Rorty, who admired Uncle Tom's Cabin, would have said that fiction has moved bigger mountains before."
More: http://mobile.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/2013/01/the_political_d
Tagged America, Books, democracy, Literature, People, Reading, Society
Too fat to fight
"At the intersection of fat-shaming and war-mongering comes a bizarre public health campaign: an effort by retired generals and admirals to ban sugary sodas and snacks from public schools. The kids today, say the former brass, are too fat to fight for their country.
Welcome to the sum of all libertarian fears: a Nanny State that packs an M4 rifle.
Those officers, part of a group called "Mission: Readiness," argue in a new report called "Still Too Fat to Fight" that unhealthy snacks, particularly in schools, endanger national security. "No other major country's military forces face the challenges of weight gain confronting America's armed forces ," they fret.
"It's clear to us that our military readiness could be put in jeopardy given the fact that nearly 75 percent of young Americans are unable to serve in uniform," write two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff…"
More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/too-fat-for-war/
The Election. The Coup. The Black Vault. http://www.SPYWRITER.com
Tagged America, Children, Food, Military, Obesity, War
America reads
"Poverty in no way stops anyone from being literate. You can see that in the immigrants who work they way up the ladder by reading books. Remember that author Ray Bradbury was too poor to go to college. So he sat most of the day in the public library and read as many books as time permitted.
And other authors in the literary world did the same. It doesn't take a lot of money to create a world of literacy in your environment. Literacy is an enriching experience as far as life and experience because it opens doors and inspires imagination."
Here are some of the most/least literate cities in America:
"The nation's capital has scored top literacy honors for the second year in a row, ranking No. 1 as the "most literate" city in America. But when it comes to literacy, not many people in Congress read all those laws from first to last page, because many prefer action novels based on factual possibilities, it has been said.
New York city is not the most literate in spite of the publishing industry centered in NYC for decades. For example, if you want to meet writers and see ads for writers from agents and publishers, there are associations and societies in New York City with so many literary contacts regarding publishers, that New York has become a hub for publishers and writers to connect.
San Francisco has numerous book clubs made up of both authors and readers. And San Francisco is listed pretty high on the list of literacy as number 6, compared to Sacramento, a two-hour Amtrak train ride east, as Sacramento was listed low on the scale of literacy at 45. Who reads more Sacramentans or San Francisco residents? Observe the difference in numbers. Is it being near the ocean that helps people relax over books, newspapers, or magazines?"
More: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/11385961-usa-cities-ranked-as-the-most-and-least-literate
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Tagged America, Authors, Books, Life, Literature, Poverty, Reading, USA, Writers
America, the House of Mirrors
"In this house of mirrors where endless war has made guilt and innocence or even facts irrelevant, the U.S. has left the realm of science and empiricism and entered a realm more mystical than real. It is a realm where ideology dictates plans and programs and not logic and empirical evidence. It is a realm where ideology dictates who dies and who lives and is populated by men and women who can neither be understood nor reasoned with outside the confines of their own internal and hermetically sealed logic.
From its inception during World War II, America's military/intelligence apparatus has acted more as a subculture of America's ruling elite than a bureaucracy dedicated to the nation's security. It was said of America's first spy agency the OSS that its initials stood for Oh-So-Social because of its abundant staffing with New York's high society blue bloods. Victor Marchetti and John D. Marks even titled their 1974 book on their life in the CIA and Foreign Service as The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence.
But over the last forty years and especially since the events of 9/11, that "Cult," and its sister organizations in the military/intelligence community have emerged from behind the curtain to become a ubiquitous and forbidding presence.
In effect, 1974's American "Cult" of intelligence has grown to become in 2011 the dominant American "Cult-ure." But what that culture really is and where it's leading us remains a frightening proposition that each and every American needs to understand."
Continue: http://m.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=306786
Thrillers, Suspense, Espionage, Conspiracy: SPYWRITER.com
Tagged America, Brainwashing, CIA, Endless Wars, Ideology, Military, OSS, Politics, Religion, USA, War


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Welcome to the Elliott House InnIntimate. Romantic. Indulgent.
With its tranquil cobblestoned courtyard, original hardwood floors and breezy piazzas, the Elliott House Inn invites a fresh, yet historically rich, Charleston experience. Once a private residence, our Queen Street inn effortlessly pairs the comfort and intimacy of a bed and breakfast with the chic style and contemporary services of a boutique hotel, delighting first-time visitors and charming returning friends.
Order delicious, Lowcountry cuisine with a dash of happiness from Charleston's renowned 82 Queen. Located next door to The Elliott House Inn.
After a day of sightseeing around Charleston, wind down with fellow guests at our complimentary evening Wine & Cheese reception.
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My wife & I took a quick getaway trip from our Savannah home to spend the night in Charleston. We stayed at one of our favorite inns, the Elliott House Inn. We first stayed there in 1984 and have gone back numerous times over the years. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. The staff is always very friendly. Within walking distance of the historic area, the Inn is only a few yards from King Street.
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