Are you looking for a new air conditioner or heater? Do you want to make sure that your plumbing system is routinely cleaned? Does your water heater fail to work as it should? When it comes to taking care of your air conditioning, indoor air quality, heating and plumbing service needs in Huntington Beach, CA, you can rely on our team of trained professionals to take care of your home or commercial space. Give us a call today to schedule HVAC and plumbing services in Huntington Beach, CA and the surrounding area.
Are you in need of fast and reliable HVAC services? Total Comfort, Inc. offers professional heating and cooling services in Huntington Beach, CA, including installation, repair and maintenance for air conditioners and whole house heaters.
If you want to make certain that your new air conditioning system is installed correctly, then you need to hire a professional HVAC technician. We can take care of your air conditioner correctly from day one, including all aspects of installation, replacement, repair and air conditioning maintenance. We also provide a wide range of auxiliary components, such as thermostats.
All air conditioners run into problems at some point. There is simply no escaping the fact that you will need AC repair service. Call us if you want it done right. If you need to schedule air conditioning repairs in Huntington Beach, contact us today!
If you find that your air conditioner no longer works as it should, then you may need to consider air conditioning replacement. You can count on our team to take care of your air conditioning installation needs, whether you seek a conventional unit or a new ductless air conditioning system.
If your home suffers from poor indoor air quality, then you may require an air purifier or UV air purifier to ensure that your indoor air is cleaned thoroughly and efficiently. These devices are highly effective and efficient and require little to no maintenance.
We provide exceptional humidifier installation, replacement, repair and maintenance services throughout the Huntington Beach, CA area. We can make sure that your low humidity problem is solved.
If you find that you have excessive moisture in your home, then you may need to look beyond portable dehumidifiers. We install and service quality dehumidifiers that can drastically improve your indoor air quality.
Are You in Need of Heating Services in Huntington Beach, CA?
Do you find yourself hampered by inefficient or ineffective heating? Do you want to make sure that your new heater is installed correctly the first time? Whatever your heating system needs, we can make sure that the service is done right the first time. We offer exceptional heating services in Huntington Beach, from installation to replacement, heating repair to maintenance. Call us today to schedule an appointment. We also install and service ductless heating products.
The furnace is one of the most popular ways to heat a home, as it provides exceptional comfort, pairs nicely with a central AC, and is also cost-effective. We install and service both gas and electric furnaces in Huntington Beach, CA.
Are You Looking for Insulation Services in Huntington Beach, CA?
If you want your home to be as energy efficient as possible, then you need to make sure that your home has sufficient insulation. It not only needs to be comprehensively installed throughout your household, but it also needs to be installed correctly to ensure that it is used to its full potential. We can do just that with our insulation services.
Are You in Need of a Local Plumber in Huntington Beach, CA?
If you find that your plumbing system does not address your needs and has become a problem, then just let our plumbers know. We offer comprehensive plumbing services throughout the Huntington Beach area, including the installation of new equipment and materials, including supply and drain pipes, garbage disposal units, water heaters and much more. Our plumber repair and maintenance services can keep your home in good working order for years to come.
A garbage disposal unit is a great way to support your local environment and add some convenience to your kitchen. We install and service quality garbage disposal units throughout the Huntington Beach. Whether you're in the market for a new model or you want to make sure that your existing model is fixed properly, you can count on us. We provide garbage disposal repair, garbage disposal installation and garbage disposal replacement.
Maintaining high water quality is of vital importance to your health and comfort. While municipal water treatment efforts are often sufficient to keep anything truly dangerous out of your water supply, there are plenty of other contaminants that can still make it into the system. Make sure that you take advantage of our full water treatment services if you want your water quality to stay as high as possible. We install and service a full range of water filtration systems, including HALO water filters.
Are You in the Market for a New Water Heater in Huntington Beach, CA?
You depend on your hot water supply every day to make sure that your showers are hot, that you are able to operate your dishwasher properly and that you have clean clothes. It's also one of the major energy expenses in the home, so you need to make sure that yours is both powerful and efficient. We can do just that with our water heater services, including water heater replacement and water heater maintenance. We service a wide range of water heaters types, including the tank water heater, hybrid water heater and heat pump water heater.
If you're shopping for a new water heater, then you need to make certain that you choose wisely, as it's a decision that will last for some time. We can make sure that you wind up with a great system. Let us handle your water heater installation.
Over time, every water heater suffers from wear and tear, and this may eventually mean that you need water heater repair services. We can make sure that your system is properly handled every step, whether the problem is large or small.
A tankless water heater works, as its name suggests, without a large storage tank that can cause high energy bills. Therefore, this type of system is highly efficient and also powerful enough to give you sufficient hot water year-round.
When it comes to taking care of your commercial HVAC services in Huntington Beach, CA, you can count on the team at Total Comfort, Inc. for help. We will ensure that your commercial heating, commercial air conditioning, commercial humidifier and commercial dehumidifier needs are taken care of, whether you need a new product installed or your existing system needs to be repaired or serviced. Call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our courteous professionals.


Google. It's the black box that no one really knows what goes on in there. But it's also the largest search engine in the world. When people search on the Web you want to make sure they find you if they "google" your name or your book.
The science of optimizing content for search engines is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Here are 7 ways you can use the power of SEO to make your books more discoverable in 2018.
Having a blog is important because it's the key way that people find out about books. When you type in an author's name you want to make sure that the author's website shows up on the first page of search results. You can control the message you send to people and have all the information about you and your books available to anyone who is looking.
It's a good idea to blog to add value and not just to blog for the sake of blogging.
Two great examples of authors who blog effectively are David Gaughran and Joanna Penn.
Linking (links from one site to another) is another critical element of SEO.
You want to make sure that people link back to your content, and that you link to theirs. A general rule of thumb I tell authors is to link to 3-5 sites in every blog post.
You want to let the folks you link to know you've linked to them so they can link back to you, too. When someone links back to your blog posts it's basically a vote for your content.
Different sites are weighted differently. For example, if TIME.com happens to link back to you or Buzzfeed.com happens to link to you, that's a huge vote for your blog.
A tool I love using is the Moz Link Tool. It tells you who is linking to your content.
Here's a sample email template to send to a potential blogger who might link to you. Remember, keep it short and sweet and to the point.
I saw that you tweeted about Bibliocrunch's NANOWRIMO inforgraphic on how to to stay motivated and write. I'm writing a similar blog post that will teach you how to stay motivated and write every day.
Would love to drop you a line when it goes live.
Sure, would love to know when it goes live.
As promised, here's my article on how to stay motivated and write 10 minutes a day with a sample tweet.
Guest blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an expert. You can always link back to your book or site in your bio that accompanies your article (like the bio at the end of this article).
We had an author, Hym Herself, who wrote a blog post on 10 Misconceptions about Mental Institutions for Cracked.com. She linked her book in her bio on the article and sold 1,000 copies in a few days.
She then wrote about her experience on Bibliocrunch.
You want to make sure that your blog is optimized for Google and gets "crawled" or visited by all the major search engines. You can download plugins like Yoast that will help you set up tags, title, keywords, and metadata. Another way to optimize your blog is with sitemaps.
A sitemap is a structured listing of all the pages on your blog or website that tells Google and other search engines about the structure of your site. A sitemap also lets Google know when a new post is published so it can index it and add it to search results.
Having a good title tag that tells what the blog is about will help make your content easy to search. I used to work at TIME and was in charge of all the SEO and one of my responsibilities included training journalists in SEO.
Writers love using titles that don't say anything about what the content is about.
Because a lot of users now read on smartphones and other mobile devices, Google changed their algorithm in April 2015 to penalize any sites that are not optimized for mobile devices.
A good way to test if your site is mobile-friendly is by leveraging another of Google's tools: You can just go to the link here and make sure to follow all their instructions.
Make sure you have an Author Central account with your bio and picture filled out. Having an Author Central account will help you rank higher on Amazon.
Connect your social media accounts to your Amazon Author Central page.
Make sure your book has the relevant keywords you would use to find a book like yours.
There are no guarantees about mastering SEO as authors, but using these tips will definitely help you rank higher and make your books easier to find. Also check out this helpful infographic to keep all the information straight. Making Your Author SEO Work.
Miral Sattar is the CEO of Bibliocrunch, an award-winning marketplace that connects authors with vetted book publishing professionals like editors, designers, and marketers. Miral also runs an online video course series titled LearnSelfpublishingFast.
Miral will be presenting on this topic during our weekly teleseminar series on April 18, 2018.


I am on very strict bed rest with my second pregnancy and only allowed to be up 5-10 minutes total per day. I have a house under construction, a working husband, and an active 19 month old. What do I do? Help!
Bed Rest with a Toddler?!
When I was due to give birth to my third son and had two very active boys (ages 4 and 6), I didn't have time for the bed rest prescribed by my doctor. I was knee deep into repair projects and remodeling to my house and big housewarming party I had already sent out invitations for.
After the initial shock, I decided I could see the restriction of bed rest as a prison sentence and sulk through it OR I could see it as a gift and look for the blessings that bed rest had to offer. I asked myself, "When will be the next time I can lie around, day after day, and have my husband's blessing as he does the dishes and shuttles the boys everywhere?" I took a deep breath and laid down (as prescribed).
The adage of our age seems to be "get more out of life!" and we do our best to obey. Grab a snack, round up the kids, and we're out the door – to do, or buy, or learn something more. We do too much and savor too little. We mistake activity for happiness, and so we stuff our children's days with activities, and their heads with information, when we ought to be feeding their souls instead." Just as our children depend on us for three meals a day, they also need us to prepare peaceful spaces for them in the midst of this busy world.
One of my favorite suggestions given by the author is to "create pause in our days." Even if we can't or won't change the entire pace of our day, we can build in the little space of time to stop and exhale. Creating a broader margin in our days can take the form of arriving at piano lessons ten minutes early and sitting under a tree to watch the clouds. Or someone suggests tea before bed and the family gathers around the table, lights a candle, and drinks tea in the evening. As I neared the end of my bed rest, I renewed my personal commitment to leave some space around the edges of my days and build the margins to keep my days from being inscribed too densely.
The second big gift I received was from the amazing people around me who displayed how to truly help another person. The most comforting, supportive words that I heard were "How can I help?" What a different ring that has than "Let me know if there's anything I can do." When someone said, "How can I help?" and then waited for an answer, many times there actually WAS something that my family or I needed.
Several friends simply assumed different roles, without asking, saying things like, "I'll be here to pick up the kids for school on Tuesday morning." or "Have your grocery list ready for me tomorrow." One friend was persistent, asking what I missed and craved, and finally found out how much I missed the treat of a bagel and coffee from the bagel shop – something I would have never asked someone to bring to me. But oh, how my friend lifted my spirits that morning when she dropped them off.
The biggest appreciation I had while on bed rest was for TIME. Time to reflect. Time to appreciate. Time to feel grateful for all the meals made, the errands run, the playdates extended, the projects done around the house.
So, knowing that it may be hard to let go of some of the responsibility you are currently holding onto in your life, being on bed rest can offer you something that you would have never otherwise gained – precious, illusive, ever-moving….. time.


Welcome to the laid back lifestyle of the Caribbean. White Gold is going to take you through a relaxing but vibrant olfactory experience.
We started with one of the Seven Wonders of Barbados - grapefruit - to give the aroma a citrusy, fresh, and sweet body. Sandalwood complements it with deeper notes of wood, while vanilla contributes to an airy base. Finally, overtones of clove give White Gold its spicy signature scent.
Some may say the White Gold beard oil smells like an orangy tangy cocktail - we say it smells like the spirit of the island on your beard.


text:
James Owens named 2020 Outstanding Senior for the College of Engineering
James Owens
Opportunity. Perseverance. Luck.
For James Owens, these words define his time at Virginia Tech.
The chemical engineering major from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is now being honored as the College of Engineering's 2020 Outstanding Senior. He is among four chemical engineering students to receive the award in the past eight years.
A member of the Virginia Tech Honors College, Owens knew early that he wanted to be involved in research. He approached chemical engineering assistant professor Michael Bortner during his first semester at Virginia Tech, emphasizing his strong desire to pursue polymer-based research. Owens joined Bortner's group and quickly gained the trust of each member while becoming involved in their projects.
As he dove into research, Owens discovered an interest in the practical challenge of implementing solar cells and conductive coatings. He endeavored to use his experience as a scientist and an engineer to solve problems at the intersection of clean energy research and manufacturing, including making innovative technologies more accessible and affordable for the communities that need them most.
"James is incredibly passionate about his research and is extremely energetic and excited to pursue new research areas," said Bortner. "His ability to grasp and master new and complex concepts has been refreshing, and a welcome addition to spark new and creative approaches to addressing challenging research areas."
Having gained valuable research experience, Owens' persistence and curiosities afforded him the opportunity to travel to the University of Cape Town in South Africa as a recipient of the Honors College Class of 1954 Odyssey Fellowship. He worked on a field study and literature review that evaluated the effectiveness of solar panel maintenance programs in underdeveloped areas with Jiska de Groot, a researcher at the South African university.
"The progress and resilience of the communities I worked with were incredible," said Owens. "Through my interactions with them, my motivations for pursuing energy-focused research were reaffirmed."
The fellowship also enabled Owens to attend the 2017 and 2018 MIT Energy Conferences in Boston, where he spent two summers learning about green electrochemistry and carbon capture research under Professor Alan Hatton. He was also able to complete a chemical engineering Unit Operations Lab course at the Technical University of Denmark. Both experiences equipped him with global and cultural engineering insights. He has been fortunate to present his research at conferences across the country.
Loading player for https://video.vt.edu/media/College+of+Engineering+2020+Outstanding+Senior+Jim+Owens/1_17z0fjp6/91884811...
In 2019, Owens was awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering in the United States, as well as an Astronaut Scholarship, established by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts.
In addition to a strong foundation in research, Owens knew his goals would require knowledge of manufacturing skills and the ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams. He completed co-op rotations with ExxonMobil, developing a model that would predict changes to oil properties in different engines. Owens collaborated with programmers to adapt and launch his model on a site-wide cloud platform. His work helped engineers mitigate their "trial-and-error" processes leading to designing oil formulations more sustainably.
Owens also had the opportunity to lead teams in planning improvement projects, monitoring daily processes, and completing a complex-wide contaminate investigation as a process engineer.
As the chemistry sub-team leader on the Virginia Tech Chem-E-Car Team, Owens mentors a group of students who model and prepare three chemical reactions used to control a car and stop it at a predetermined distance. The team competes against other universities, and they won first place at a Mid-Atlantic regional competition in April 2019 in addition to winning an international competition in Orlando, Florida, in November 2019.
Owens is the chemistry sub-team leader on the Virginia Tech Chem-E-Car Team.
Owens is engaged in tutoring services at a family shelter in his hometown of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and has brought that passion with him to Blacksburg. He shares his enthusiasm for science and engineering as a mentor for over 20 mentees for the Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity at Virginia Tech. Meeting weekly, he helps them prepare for career fairs and exams, discusses ways to get involved on campus, and helps them work through difficulties they may be facing.
During his sophomore year, Owens was selected to be a resident Apartment Fellow and mentor in the Honors College Residential Commons of East Ambler Johnston. He and his suitemates planned fellowship events for dorm residents and worked closely with first-year students to ensure a smooth transition to college.
In addition, Owens serves as a tutor with Omega Chi Epsilon, a chemical engineering honor society. He has tutored students in general chemistry and organic chemistry with Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity. He was also a notetaker for the Services for Students with Disabilities office.
Owens has enjoyed participating in service and STEM outreach events, like Relay for Life and local FIRST Robotics tournaments alongside other members of the Chem-E-Car Team and Alpha Chi Sigma.
In addition to his selection as this year's Outstanding Senior for the College of Engineering, Owens has received the 2020 Phi Kappa Phi Medallion Award. Only one award of its kind is given to each college at Virginia Tech. Phi Kappa Phi is the only national honor society that recognizes excellence across all disciplines.
Owen plans to pursue a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While he has tirelessly worked to pursue his professional and educational goals, Owens has found that nearly all of his opportunities and achievements resulted from someone taking a chance on him.
"As I learn to become a leader and mentor on our campus, I am learning that I should measure my impact in terms of opportunities that I and other students have created or amplified for others to excel and succeed," said Owens. "My time in Blacksburg cannot be distilled to the lines of a transcript or resume. I have grown from setbacks, realized and pursued my goals, and made lifelong friends and mentors. With all that Virginia Tech has provided me, I hope that my efforts have helped to foster a collaborative academic community for my peers and students to come."
- Written by Tina Russell
Suzanne Irby
2020 Outstanding Seniors
Class of 2020 profiles
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Rachel Kanefsky named 2020 Outstanding Senior for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences , article
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My Name is Nathan Goldsworthy; I have decided to stand in the elections as an Independent for Bridgend and Brackla on May the 4th with the support of Change for Bridgend.
Originally from Tenby, I have been a resident of Brackla since 2012, I have 2 young children who attend Brackla Primary School and for the last 14 years I have been in the Royal Navy Submarine Service as a Communications Information Specialist working from Plymouth and at the Headquarters in London.
I've had experience of working directly with BCBC, during my resettlement phase of leaving the forces, with the uncertainty of the job market I established 2 businesses. One of them working in Bridgend Bus Station. I'm sure a lot of you will recognise me from there if you have used it.
During this time my eyes were opened to the goings on of what happens in BCBC and things I strongly disagree with regarding how the council operates. But more so the local social issues we have in our community – the issues I had been shocked to learn about such as Drugs misuse, Unemployment, Mental Health, Housing and what appears to be a massive problem in every aspect of modern living – Cyber Bullying.
These are all issues which need to be addressed from the grass root level in local politics. I feel let down by the current councillors in their behaviour from what I've seen online and in the local community.
My friends, Family and previous colleagues will vouch for me on this, I refuse to accept answers such as "that's the way it is"," that's the way it's always been done" and "we don't have a choice". Coming from a disciplined service where you could say my mentality may be against the grain I held people to account for their actions regardless of rank or seniority I confronted several issues from breaking working time regulations to bullying and I changed practises which others said I couldn't.
Now finally living at home full time I feel I can represent our community and be the voice of reason to make our area the place it should be.
My Goals if elected are to put a more structured plan in place to maintain the appearance of our home and control the fly tipping and litter issues rather than relying on residents to clean up the community.
To Change the way we run our local events, which always have fantastic local support, and listen to the public on how we can improve them to make them more beneficial to the community rather than the cherry-picked companies who are now invited to attend.
Cyber bullying – This is a problem which is growing every day, claiming more and more victims with the age range extending both ways. With a massive variety of people, even in public positions, also utilising this method as a weapon of choice, a lot of people are almost oblivious to the knock-on effects it has. I would like to raise the awareness for this to educate in what is potentially happening to their loved ones without them knowing so.
If elected on May the 4th I will be the local voice to challenge, the voice to represent and the councillor to listen to our community with the community always as a priority for the full duration and not just on the build up to elections.


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Grail's Discount, Pfizergan & Pricing Plans: Notes from the JPM Vortex
Alex Lash
@alexlash
Xconomy National —
[Editor's note: Deputy Biotechnology Editor Ben Fidler co-wrote this story] The week of the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco kicked off with a rousing, sleeves-rolled-up defense of the drug industry's pricing policies by Ron Cohen, CEO of the multiple sclerosis drug maker Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ACOR) and new chair of the industry's top trade group, the newly named Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Cohen on Monday joined other industry boosters at a lunchtime panel discussion called "The great pricing debate: Navigating through an industry sea change."
There was little debate. The panelists spent much of the time defending the drug industry's record and lashing out at critics—the media, the public, government, politicians, insurers, and so on.
To be sure, the industry has its detractors, and many of them are trying to score points. But except for a bit of crowing that BIO, the trade group, excommunicated price gouger Martin Shkreli in September, there was little acknowledgment that the drug business has many of its own problems that need a fix.
We'll have more on this issue in days to come. But this week it wasn't hard to find people within the industry who were happy to speak openly about some of these systemic problems. Which brings us to our first roundup item.
—Talking A Different Game About Pricing: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALNY) CEO John Maraganore is thinking a lot about drug pricing these days. In less than two years, his company could begin selling its first product, and he says Alnylam plans to do something biotech and pharma companies usually don't do. It's going to be very open, and talk publicly, about its pricing strategy. "This is not something that we will hold back on," he told Xconomy.
He wouldn't say exactly what Alnylam plans to do. But late last year he spoke publicly about a piece former Merck CEO Roy Vagelos wrote for Science two decades ago, in which Vagelos said price increases from a moral drug corporation should be tied to inflation.
Maraganore swore that Alnylam wouldn't institute a price increase just "because the calendar turned over," a fairly common practice in healthcare.
"We ought to be more reliant on our productivity to grow our business, not arbitrary price increases—I think that's going through the minds of many companies," he says, then adding, specifically regarding Alnylam: "We're willing to hold ourselves to that."
Maraganore isn't specifying exactly how Alnylam will do this just yet—"stay tuned," he says—but that "many" companies will have to think the same way going forward.
—Where Are the San Francisco Bears? Despite this writer's meteorologically dire tweet a few days before J.P. Morgan kicked off about a looming monsoon, the only thing falling throughout the week were the biotech indices—until the final day, Thursday. (Which is also when it finally began raining in earnest. Go figure.)
Public investors obviously weren't in a good mood; you can't argue against stock prices. But when taking the temperature of private company executives and others—admittedly an unscientific exercise—no skies were falling, literally or figuratively. Selection bias? Possibly. People feeling pessimistic aren't as likely to agree to talk to reporters.
—The Pfizergan Shadow: The pending $160 billion merger between two of the drug industry's most deal-hungry companies couldn't help but be a big topic of conversation this week. As we reported, biotech VCs joined Allergan executives for a private breakfast and came away convinced that CEO Brent Saunders would be driving the bus soon enough after the merger. Saunders also told Xconomy that, unlike most other pharma mega-mergers, this one would not be about cutting costs, but about growth.
Executives from both companies then held court at a joint appearance to say largely the same thing. They spoke glowingly about the prospects for innovative science within the labs of the combined company, once the merger goes through.
With all the talk of an innovative "Pfizergan," a couple outspoken guys from Queens couldn't hold their tongues. At the mention of Allergan, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN) chief scientific officer George Yancopoulos told Xconomy that … Next Page »
Alex Lash is Xconomy's National Biotech Editor. He is based in San Francisco. Follow @alexlash
More from EXOME
Bio Roundup: Senate Trumpcare, FDA On Cancer, Alzheimer Review & More


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Homeshare Answer to Growing Cost of Aged Care - Report
Thursday, 5th November 2015 at 11:20 am
New research by independent think tank, The Australia Institute, shows that around 80 per cent of Australians are worried that they won't be able to afford aged care services.
Thursday, 5th November 2015
And the report suggests that one solution to the problem of keeping older Australians in their own homes is the introduction of homeshare programs.
Report author and Director of Research, Rod Campbell is presenting the findings of the research at World Homeshare Congress in Melbourne. The Congress is examining the intergenerational challenges of ageing populations, housing affordability, social and disability services and global policy responses.
Among lower income earners, over 40 per cent said they are "very concerned", with another 37 per cent said they were "concerned" about the future cost of aged care. Even among people earning up to $150,000 per year, 82 per cent of survey respondents felt concerned or very concerned about the costs of staying at home.
Campbell said that against this concern about the affordability of aging at home, the new report assesses the economics of Homeshare programs.
"Homeshare programs match older householders who live alone with younger homesharers," Campbell said.
"Homesharers live with householders rent free and in return keep the householders company and perform ten hours per week of basic chores.
"It is a major benefit for young people struggling with rental markets, but more importantly, this is a way to help older Australians continue to live independently in their own homes.
"The concern about affording retirement care is palpable. Even the highest income earners are worried, with only 55 per cent of people earning over $200,000 salaries confident they could afford the services they will need.
"In addition to the powerful economic argument to support more Homeshare programs outlined in this report, there is also an excellent opportunity for intergenerational engagement between young adults and our mature citizens."
Homeshare programs already operate in several Australian cities. Campbell said one program in Melbourne's south east has been running for 15 years.
"It has generated a net economic benefit of $11 million. A newer program in Canberra has provided a net benefit of $600,000 in just over two years," he said.
Homeshare Australia President, Shirley Anderson, said it's important to look at success stories from overseas.
"While Australia has concentrated on implementing the Homeshare model in the aged care and disability sectors, there is much to learn from our international colleagues who have broadened the reach of their programs into student housing, social housing and an amazingly creative homesharing pilot with homesharers being offered free accommodation in a nursing home," Anderson said.
"This speaks volumes for the economic and social benefits of homesharing."
The Australia Institute is funded by donations from philanthropic trusts and individuals, and commissioned research.
Tags : homeshare, The Australia Institute,
New Policy Centre Encourages Australia to Look Abroad for Tax Reform
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Wednesday, 2nd May 2018 at 6:17 pm
Minerals Council 'Backflips' on Environmental Advocacy Position
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Environmental Charities Engaged in Bitter Stand-Off with Mining Lobby Over Advocacy
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Our alert, friendly on site staff can assist in any traffic management system put in place by the event organisers.
Whether it is a one off service you are looking for or a contract to be fulfilled, we are able to assist.
From door supervision to event security, our fully trained staff will be there to maintain the safety of you.


A new fiction anthology combining the genres of noir crime and urban fantasy, edited by the team behind the DARK FAITH anthologies.
330 backers pledged $9,324 to help bring this project to life.
"You know you don't look like a man who'd be interested in first editions."
It's always great when things get started with a whirlwind - and reaching a fifth of our goal in one weekend is awesome. Thank you! Your support is a vote of confidence in Maurice, Jerry, and myself, and we appreciate that so much.
If you've been involved in one of Alliteration Ink's crowdfunded projects before, you know that doing things ethically and transparently is a really big deal for me. That's great for you as backers - you know what you're getting, and you know that it's going to be good.
It also means that you're going to be informed of all developments - both good and... not-so-good.
The initial press release (and elsewhere) announced that Chuck Wendig would be part of this project. Unfortunately, Mr. Wendig will not be appearing in Streets of Shadows. It's my mistake: His name was supposed to be on the "interested but probably can't" list. I accidentally cut-and-pasted him onto the "interested and participating" list. Chuck was very gracious about it, and there's no hard feelings there - it's simply a schedule conflict. And while you might not have even noticed the error - it was fixed within 18 hours - it's important to me that I not promise you anything I can't deliver.
Whew. Okay, so that's the not-so-good news out of the way.
The good news? That we now have an artist attached for that line art stretch goal: Steven C. Gilberts. Steven's artwork has appeared in a number of places, including the frontispiece of Dark Faith and as the cover for What Fates Impose.
Our goals - and stretch goals - are all about giving more to you and giving more to the artists and authors working on this project. And all you have to do now is to help spread the word - just point people at http://bit.ly/kickshadows on Twitter, G+, Facebook, and all your other social media networks.
Too bad about Chuck, but thanks for letting us know! Looking forward to the project as it starts to shape up.


You can study to be an Associate Polarity Practitioner (APP/EPP) and incorporate polarity therapy into your work as a massage therapist, Ayurvedic Practitioner, nurse, DOM/acupuncturist, chiropractor, counselor, hypnotherapist, home healthcare worker or geriatric care nurse or tech. Or you can try out a single course.
There are 4 levels of certification in polarity therapy practice, the APP, RPP, BCPP and RPE. Visit APTA's website for more information. The APP is the gateway to hands-on practice.
in Santa Fe in 2019.
Polarity Therapy is a potent medicine for these times.
Empower yourself with holistic nature-based techniques in bodywork, nutrition, communication, and movement. Integrate Polarity Therapy into your healing work and life.
Work at your own pace! This on site AND on line program has a strong 5 Element Focus, working directly with the lineage of teachings from Dr. Randolph Stone, founder of the practice. Harmonize with nature as you learn dynamic healing practices.
In person you study: Energetic Evaluation & Integration 5 hrs, includes pulse; Polarity Therapy Energetic Touch 50 hrs; Polarity Stretching Postures 5 hrs; Energetic Nutrition 5 hrs; and Communication & Facilitation 5 hrs; Receive Guided Feedback for your sessions 15 hrs.
In addition to in-person learning, there are online classes. You can schedule the bulk of online course hours at your convenience. Some course hours are also accessed in bi-weekly online group meetings. Bi-weekly optional Q & A support sessions are also available online and encouraged.
Online you can study: Theory & Basic Principles 10 hrs; Energetic Anatomy & Physiology 10 hrs; Orthodox Anatomy & Physiology 10 hrs; Professional Ethics & Law 5 hrs; Energetic Nutrition 5 hrs (online and/or on site option); and Stretching Postures 5 hrs (online and/or on site option).
Stay posted for affordable 5-hour online courses in Energetic Nutrition OR Stretching Postures.
Sarah McDaniel Valencia, RPP, PTP, CWK, LMT #7447, has been practicing somatic bodywork and healing arts for 15+ years, with experience teaching a variety of subjects. She served as the director of the APP and RPP programs at the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts, for three years, until 2015.
Amadea Morningstar, MA, RPE, RYT, author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Polarity Therapy,has taught nationally and internationally, including APP and RPP programs for the past 22 years. She actively integrates Polarity Therapy into her private practice and life as a powerful way to relieve stress and lift energy.
See our Zoom Call to Deepen with practical ways to bring healing into your life, even more info on our classes and a special offer on February 27, 2019!
For more information about Polarity Therapy and our training offerings in 2019, watch this 20 minute video.


text:
The Secret Mathematic - Chapter Seven
The Secret Mathematic is a science-fiction novel told in an indefinite number of chapters, posted serially by me, your renormalized host, Cheeseburger Brown.
Chapters: 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|...
Multimedia: Listen to the The Secret Mathematic Overture in MP3 format, by Syntax Error.
Related reading: Three Face Flip, Stubborn Town, The Long Man, The Extra Cars
And now, our tale continues:
Piroska has a tired arm, but a tireless spirit.
She props the arm up on a book and then, when it chafes, uses her opposite elbow as a lean. When she shifts the resettling of her dress releases blooms of perfumed air, scented jasmine and girl, and its diffusion can be tracked by the subtle sniffs and slight lifts of the head from the other students around her.
(The others are, of course, boys. They smell like rubber erasers and toothpaste, tobacco and coffee, perspiration and stale laundry.)
When the boys put up their hands they're called on immediately. Some of them don't even have to use their hands -- a raised brow will suffice to catch the professor's attention. "Mr. Szabo, you look like you have an answer for us..."
Piroska wags her hand insistently, watching the professor's eyes slide right over her as he picks out another boy in the row behind her for the follow-up. "And if Mr. Szabo were correct in this case, what transform would we be obliged to apply to the tensors at X and Y?"
"We wouldn't be obliged to apply the transformation if --"
An exasperated sigh. "Miss Fodor, please wait until you are called upon. My hall is an orderly place; help me keep it that way."
"But --"
The professor fixes her with an acidic look. All chatter in the lecture hall dies. Everyone is staring at her: three hundred boys, some smirking, some indignant, all against her. Slowly, reluctantly, Piroska lets her arm sag, her face pinched into a paint-peeling scowl.
The lecture continues.
Piroska sits in imitation of stillness for another thirty seconds. She bites the inside of her cheek, whispers a dark oath to herself, and then abruptly stands and begins gathering her things: baby blue pencils topped with white puffs of feather, pens with sparkling ink, binders of scented paper decorated along their mastheads with curlicues of leafy vines, and a furry scientific calculator done up to resemble the face of a kitten. These items are thrust aggressively into her flowered tote bag, zipped and secured over her shoulder, splotches of blush rising to visibility on her pale neck and cheeks.
She leaves beneath a mantle of the lecture hall's studied indifference. The professor rolls his eyes. As the door hisses shut on its hydraulic stop he mutters, "Women!" The boys titter.
Piroska is cut a wide berth through the corridors. Her ruby-red shoes click on the linoleum, the rhythm impatient and uneven. Heads turn in the wake of her perfume. She pushes out through the double doors to the quadrangle, the ancient looming faces of Eotvos Lorand University's towered buildings staring down at this little square of green amid the cobbles and glass and concrete.
(Beyond these walls is the noise and stink and pall of the city -- here, however, there are trees. Here, nothing smells like industrial disinfectant or sweat. Here, being female is no inherent liability.)
The clumps of students are few and far between. She chooses a tree the furthest and the farthest from any of them, then sits beneath it heavily and wonders if she might cry.
It would make her feel stupid, so she wills herself not to.
Instead she withdraws from her tote a hot pink tin case inscribed with images of sparrows hunting worms. Like a sparrow she puts her mouth to the box and withdraws a stiff stick of gum. She huffs, pushes hair out of her face, and settles into a tight, body-hugging pose with her back against the bark. She closes her eyes, chewing.
She jumps when a voice sounds nearby. "You forget this, yes?"
Piroska's eyes snap open. A skinny boy in a rumpled, oversized T-shirt is standing over her. In his outstretched hand he holds Piroska's little bottle of jasmine perfume. She searches his face for signs of mockery, but finds none. Like her, the boy has a beauty mark. His eyes are brown, flecked with green, steady and without pretention. "Thank you," she says, accepting the perfume. She can't quite bring herself to smile, so she redoubles her gum chewing efforts instead.
"You run away so fast," the boy continues. "It's hard to catch you. Can I sit down? I'm losing my breath."
Piroska humps her wide bum aside, making room by the roots. "My name is Piroska Fodor," she says.
"I'm Drago," says Drago.
Drago picks a spot on the grass, settles in cross-legged. He looks at his feet. His shoes are covered in dense webs of chess notation. "How do you know me?" he asks.
"Everyone knows you," says Piroska, blowing and then recapturing a translucent pink bubble. "You're the Mad Serb."
Drago looks up. He isn't offended. He smiles. It's a charming, child-like smile. "Why are you never called on to answer questions, Piroska?"
"Because I'm a girl, Drago," she says, eyes narrowed. "Girls don't make good maths majors. Or didn't you know?"
"How can that be true?"
"It isn't," she says with forced carelessness. "But that's what the dean thinks. He told me as much when I was accepted. 'It'll be a trial by fire for you, miss, if you insist on going through with this questionable course of study.'"
Drago laughs, because Piroska's imitation of the dean's stuffy, gravelly tone is spot on. "I don't mean to laugh. That's absurd. Why should the dean want to discourage us?"
Piroska pauses in her gum chewing, watching Drago oddly. She purses her lips, and there is a hint of a smile at the corners. "I like that," she says finally.
"You like what?"
"I like that you're the first person at this school to ever discuss the idea of my earning my degree in maths while using the term us, as if I were no different than you."
"Well...you aren't, really, are you?"
She pulls out her gum and squashes it against the tree. "When I first came here, nearly three years ago, I knew they didn't think girls belonged. I tried to hide myself. I tried to dress like a boy, to talk like a boy, to fade into the background of boys." She looks up at Drago. "But it didn't work."
"Why not?"
She shrugs, then looks down at her own ample body stuffed inside a floral-print summer dress. "I'm too fat to hide my bosoms, Drago. No matter what I tried, they still thought of me as a female first and a student second."
"I don't mean to stare at them," confesses Drago, colouring.
"They're there. It can't be helped," says Piroska. She sits up straighter and shrugs again. "So I decided there was no point in denying who I am. I gave up any disguise. I decided to be every inch the girl, and to hell with them all. It's the maths I'm here for, and the maths are the fairest judges there can be: all they care about is whether you're correct." She smiles. "And, when it comes to maths, I am always correct."
Drago smiles back. "They hate me too, at school. You know this. But numbers do not hate anyone."
Piroska pauses again, considering something. She twists a loose lock of strawberry-blonde hair in her stubby fingers. "Drago, would you like to come to lunch with me? Being upset makes me hungry."
Drago hesitates. "This is...this is like a date?"
Piroska shrugs. "I don't know. I'm not an expert. I'm too ugly and too clever to have much experience in the field."
"I think you're very pretty," offers Drago.
"Well, that decides it," she announces, standing up and slinging her tote bag over her shoulder. Her cheeks dimple. "It's definitely a date."
At Karma Cafe they sit on a patio overlooking the smoky city, the air above the haze a bold azure stroke peppered with cotton-wads of drifting cumulus. Between them: traffic helicopters, small planes, whorls of birds oriented like spills of iron-filings across the sky. Down below the Danube glimmers. The waiter brings two steaming coffees and a plate of Viennese pastries.
"So are the stories they tell about you really true, Drago?"
Drago considers this, stirring his coffee. "What do they say about me?"
"They say when you can't find paper you carve your notes into the walls."
"Well, that's true."
She blushes. "And they say you get...aroused when you're doing maths."
Drago blushes, too. "I can't help it. Numbers are exciting."
"And you've really changed residences over a dozen times?"
"That's not strictly true, actually," he counters. "Sometimes they just change my roommate, but not the room itself."
"Do you have trouble getting along with people?"
"No, I am happy to meet everyone," he claims. "But often they find me trying, and they complain. Blah-blah-blah, the Mad Serb wrote on my pillow, blah-blah-blah, the Mad Serb won't put on pants. It's always the same. I try to accommodate them, but my efforts come up short in their estimation."
"I know that feeling," says Piroska darkly. She pulls the wad of gum out of her mouth, sips her coffee, then puts the gum back in.
"Why do you always chew the gum?" asks Drago.
"It stops me from eating," she says, holding the gum aside again as she selects a mini apple strudel from the plate and devours it.
"Ah."
"They say you're a prodigy," continues Piroska, swallowing away the strudel and licking icing sugar from her lips. "That's why the school tolerates your...eccentricity. They say you're a natural. They say you'll one day do great things."
"My grades are not good," confesses Drago sadly. "I struggle, yes, like everyone."
Piroska shrugs, chin in her hand. "I don't struggle."
"Maybe it's you who is the prodigy, then. I don't claim anything for myself. I am just Drago."
She smiles. "Alright, Just Drago. Now I know I have a lesson for you. Piroska has something for everyone. I too might once have said I am 'just Piroska' but those days are gone. I will never be just anything again. And, when I am done teaching you, you will also refuse to belittle yourself."
"Is it belittling to say I simply am who I am?"
"It is if it's a matter of just or merely or simply. Take me, for instance. I will never consent to be 'simply Piroska.' I am Piroska! Do you hear the difference? One is a concession, the other a declaration -- a challenge to the world."
"You are Piroska!" echoes Drago, grinning throug his coffee steam.
"Yes!" she cheers. "I am. And you -- well, you know I only know you by reputation and the look in your eyes right now across this table, but even so I would wager any amount that you are Drago! See? Try it with me."
"I am Drago!"
"That's a reasonable start. I can see in the skin around your eyes how you don't believe it. Even so, given time you will certainly improve." She pops another pastry into her mouth as she holds the wad of gum aloft. "You've begun your paper for Dr. Lupescu?"
"Yes..." says Drago guardedly.
"How is it?"
"It's terrible."
"Then I shall be your tutor. If you are a prodigy, I'll find out why your work doesn't show it."
"And if I'm not?"
"And if you're not, I will learn the secret of the misapprehension. If being seen as a prodigy is a reproducible error, I want to learn it because no matter how consistently correct I am I cannot manage to impress upon our professors the fluidity of my facility. If your genius is a lie, Drago, I wish to know how to tell it for myself."
Drago smiles. "Because you are Piroska?"
"I am Piroska!"
"That's somewhat better. See? You're coming along already." She spits her gum over the edge of the railing, then perfumes herself and snaps closed her tote. "I need to see your notes. Let's go to your dormitory."
"Is this still part of the date?"
"If we walk arm in arm it is, yes."
Arm in arm they scuttle up the dormitory steps and then pad down the corridor to Drago's door. Drago's current roommate has changed the locks again, so Drago is obliged to pick it. Taped to the door is a pink carbon-copy of a notice of a formal complaint launched against Drago, commanding him to appear before the dean at 18:45. Piroska reads it aloud as Drago saws a carefully bent paperclip back and forth through the keyhole, cocking his head as he listens to the clicking tumblers.
The latch springs. Drago pushes open the door and walks inside, ignoring the notice. It flutters in the breeze as he swings the door shut behind Piroska.
She slows, brow furrowing. She is suddenly considerably less certain of her course of action, clearly aware that the Mad Serb is essentially a stranger to her. She draws her tote protectively close.
Drago's side of the room looks like it's been exploded. Everywhere is crumpled clothing, torn papers, discarded pens, broken pencils, tissues and towels, crusts of hardened food, half-empty cups filled with liquids long turned foul beneath a bobbing head of mold, rulers and binders coated from edge to edge in scratched chess notation, single shoes, single socks, a bewildering array of knives and chisels...
This is down below. Up above, around the bed, on all sides of the window, there are photographs of a raven-haired girl thrusting out her artfully tapered breasts or coyly spreading her labia. Everywhere Piroska looks there is another image of the girl staring back at her, eyelids heavy, licking her lips, tracing a finger along the contours of her own nudity. Her stomach is flat and taut, like a fashion model; her anus is pink and soft-looking, like a child's.
Piroska's mouth goes dry. "So..." she says in a small voice, "you're a big fan of pornography, I see."
"Pornography?" says Drago, shaking his head. "No, no. Not at all. You don't understand: this is my sister."
Piroska coughs. "What?"
"She's a model, yes," he claims. "Isn't she beautiful?"
"Um," says Piroska, eyes involuntarily lingering on a photo involving a frighteningly bestudded dildo cast in garish green plastic. She blinks and turns her back to the display. She bites the inside of her cheek and looks at the floor.
"Does it make you feel funny?" asks Drago.
"A little," admits Piroska.
"I should not have brought you here."
Piroska turns to face him again as he sits on his unmade bed. "Don't say that, Drago. You allowed me to come because you trusted me not to judge you. It's me that's being foolish. Forgive me." She takes a breath, scans the papered walls again. "You love your sister."
"Yes," whispers Drago. He's looking past her, eyes unfocused. "Very much."
"Then that's all that matters," decides Piroska. "Does she live here in Budapest?"
"She doesn't live anywhere, really."
"Because she travels for her work?"
Drago looks up, his face slack. "No, Piroska. Because she has died."
"Oh, God," says Piroska, blinking again. "I'm so sorry, Drago."
"Don't be sorry," he replies cryptically. "She's not altogether gone."
This statement flummoxes poor Piroska but she affords herself no time to dwell on it: her habitual reaction to confusion is to take charge. She stands up taller and puts her hands on her broad hips. "Show me your notes for Dr. Lupescu, Drago."
Drago nods, then reaches to three corners of the bed and retrieves balled wads of papers from each. He smooths them out on the yellowed sheet, squinting to read his own scrawls. Piroska walks over and kneels by the bed, taking the papers from Drago. She frowns, looks up. "This is...a chess game?"
He shakes his head. "Not directly, no, no. The chess-like manifold models the topology --"
"Well, clearly."
Drago pauses, blinking. "Okay, yes. So you can see: the two-bishop here, he is defining the subspaces while the five-king, this one, when he's in check puts the stationary points into relief, yes? This knight array moves along the higher-order mappings between the non-intersecting subspaces here and here. My queen..." He hesitates, fingers hovering over the notes reverentially. "My queen she defines the realm of solutions, and her trajectory along the hypersurface squares reveals the corresponding functions."
"But, why..."
"Look again. The extrusions fall away up-left and inverse-right. We can abelianize the topological space of checkmates, and also connect each one with a unique higher-dimensional board structure, and nothing changes when you unfold it. It's much easier to calculate that way, and the products are still valid. Do you follow?"
She sniffs around a half-smile. "Of course I follow," she says. "I am Piroska!"
Drago nods, handing her the next sheet. She pores over it, lips twitching slightly. She looks up again. "Drago," she says slowly, "you are a genius. That much is apparent. But," she adds with a frown, "you're also an idiot."
"It's been suggested before, yes," he admits. "I will fail."
She shakes her head. "You're an idiot because you're being asked to deconstruct Hellenic ballads and you're doing so using Japanese haiku. Is it any wonder Lupescu can't follow?"
"My method is succinct and pliable, yes. I am fluid, like this."
"Your method might as well be in Basque. You would be better off handing in your papers as Morse Code dots and dashes...or, at least, no worse off. Either way your arguments are lost, essentially meaningless to anyone but you, Drago."
"The information is there. It can all be reduced to first principles. Surely Lupescu's brain is nimble enough to make the leap into more crude notation if he feels that's desirable, no?"
"No!" cries Piroska. "That's why you're an idiot, Drago. You ask too much of him. He can't be bothered to translate your paper in order to read it."
"My calculus is superior."
"Maybe so, but it's personal. Mathematics is the only truly universal mode of communication, Drago. You've managed to get by in Hungarian -- can't you concede to also learn a standard way of manipulating numbers so that you might be understood?"
"My Hungarian is awful."
"I can follow you well enough. It gets the job done, doesn't it?"
"People make funs of my accent."
"So? Since when are people a reasonable measure of civility? It's how people don't behave that we consider laudable -- the default is barbarism, tribalism, nationalism, creedism. The default behaviour is to separate. Maths, on the other hand, bring us together. With maths we can discard accents and idioms, and agree upon what is correct. If you can't communicate that to someone else, you might as well never open your mouth. You might as well live exclusively inside your own brain."
Drago opens his mouth, says nothing, then closes it again. He nods.
Piroska puts his papers aside, then cracks her knuckles. "Are you ready to learn, Drago? I am confident that together we can build a bridge that will allow you to work with your notations but to output something meaningful to the faculty. Will you try?"
Drago nods again. "Yes. Help me, Piroska. I will try strongly, yes."
"In exchange, you are obliged to take me on another date. Perhaps to a concert?"
He nods again, eyes flitting. "Yes, yes. Now you will show me how to stop being an idiot in this way?"
"I will," she says. "Let's begin with an example problem. I want to see how you work it through."
"Okay..."
Piroska opens her tote and withdraws a sheet of scented paper and a feather-tipped baby blue pencil. She takes them over to his roommate's pristine desk and jots down a few lines, then hands the paper over. Drago scans it quickly. "This is a child's problem," he says.
"It is," she agrees. "Show me how you solve it."
He does so. She nods over the paper again, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Interesting..." she declares after a moment. She flips the page and writes down a more complex problem. "Now this. It shouldn't take you long. I've already solved it in my head."
Drago reads the problem. "So fast?"
Drago takes the pencil, scratches his head with it as he thinks. In another moment he jots down the solution. Piroska hands it right back to him. "And now the proofs, please."
"But it's obvious!"
"Just do it, Drago. Take it back to axioms. Omit nothing."
He snatches back the paper, frowning at it as he paces the room, his lanky form bobbing. His tongue moves inside his mouth, his gaze roams. A film of sweat breaks out across his brow, but he catches it before it runs into his eyes. In a flash he's jumped on the bed and he studies a scrawl of rudely-etched figures carved into the plaster, fingers running over the edges and causing little cascades of dust to trickle down onto his pillow. He drops from the bed again, shaking his head. "I can't do it -- it's simply too tedious and it obfuscates everything I'm trying to say..."
Piroska just looks at him.
Drago sighs. He wipes his brow again, sitting on the floor cross-legged and rubbing at his neck. He focuses in. He clutches the pencil, chews it, stabs at the air with it, and then finally begins jotting hurried lines of scratchy, barely legible notes across the page. She hovers nearby, only once or twice pointing out an easy translation from his system to the conventional one. Drago begins to nod. "Okay, okay, okay..." he mutters. "Yes, I can see it now..."
He catches himself as he unconsciously begins to peel the loose T-shirt off his sweaty back. He pauses, looking at Piroska.
"Go ahead. I know your reputation."
"My clothes bind me," he explains lamely.
"Take them off. I don't mind."
"But, you are a girl..."
"So now suddenly the shameless Mad Serb develops shame?"
Drago gives her a hard but lost look.
"Very well," says Piroska. "I will join you. Will that make you feel less vulnerable?"
"No," he decides quietly. "But it might make me feel less alien."
Piroska unbuttons her dress and lets it drop, releasing a cloud of perfume. Her alabaster body is squeezed into a matching set of pink brassiere and underwear. Across the front of the underwear is the cursive word WEDNESDAY. She has beauty marks that are not usually apparent. Drago finds himself involuntarily transfixed as she unsnaps the bra and then bends double to kick off her Wednesdays. She straightens, her cheeks colouring, twisting a strand of hair by her ear that's dropped loose from her elaborate braids.
"Okay?" she says.
"Hufph," says Drago, his jaw slack.
She snaps her fingers. "Drago! The maths!"
"Oh yes!" he cries, and then seizes the paper and pencil once more, his eyes flashing with a new and profound hunger. He scribbles furiously. She watches over his shoulder, feeling out blindly behind for her tote in order to secure a fresh stick of gum.
She grimaces suddenly. "Now why would you do that? You're going to end up with all sorts of messy infinities."
"The infinities go away. Look now."
"That operation makes no sense!"
"It does, it does. You just have to use actual numbers."
"Actual numbers? Do you mean real numbers?"
"No, no: actual numbers, yes. Not the dumb symbols people push around -- I mean the numbers nature uses when she counts. Look: like so, like so, like so. Presto: the disjointed becomes contiguous, the infinities are vanished."
Piroska's eyes widen. "Show me that again."
He does so. Again she points out the nodes of consanguinity with conventional algebraic algorithms, piece by piece bridging the gap between the Mad Serb's insanely complicated system of calculation and the way the rest of the academic world counts. She reels as she tries to digest his processes, now beginning to catch glimpses of the titanic iceberg of idiosyncratic but deeply insightful calculus hulking beneath the bizarre glimmers of multidimensional chess shown on the page. "It's...beautiful," she gasps.
He looks up, one brow cocked. "Yes," he agrees breathlessly. "That's how I know it is true."
"This is deep. I can't believe you try to use it day to day. It's like putting in a nail with a wrecking ball."
He sniffs, sweat dripping from his nose. "I don't go in for half measures, Piroska," he says, then smirks. "I am Drago!"
"Indeed," she nods seriously, eyes locked on his. "You certainly are." She looks down at the densely-scribbled page again. "Now, bring it all home, Drago. Make it something even Lupescu could read."
"I'm not sure that I can..."
"You must. The burden is on you. Do you want to live alone inside your mind, or do you want the world to count with you?"
"I'm not all alone there --"
"Drago! Translate!"
This imperative is high-pitched and sure, like his mother's commandments to put his head between his knees or flee. Drago reacts automatically, his hand flying across the page as he scrunches up his face painfully. He stands to begin pacing anxiously again. "But here I will lose information --"
"No!" she shouts, grabbing his shoulders and arresting him in place. "Merge tables L1 and L2. Watch what happens. You'll see the symmetry."
"Do it!"
He mashes the page between her pendulous breasts and she feels his jotting pencil tickle across her sternum: probing, wandering, scratching out and starting again. Suddenly he looks up, his brow open, his mouth loose. "Yes," he whispers, "yes, yes I see it now!" and then lays into another ferocious bout of scribbling. The paper tears. The pencil digs into Piroska's skin but she doesn't flinch.
He stops. The pencil wavers. "I'm hurting you."
"Finish!"
"But if I --"
"Finish!" she commands, reaching out and grabbing him by his most prominent and intimate appendage.
Drago is erect. His eyes pop open wider. His face colours. He writes, then drops the pencil, breathing hard.
They stare at each other, glistening faces just inches apart.
Piroska peels the torn paper from her chest and reads his last figures, then nods curtly and smiles, her cheeks dimpling. "You've done it, Drago. Welcome to a wider world."
His expression changes, eyelids fluttering. She feels a warm splash on her belly as he ejaculates.
It is at this exact moment that Drago's roommate, Sandor, opens the door and his boisterous conversation with his friends cuts off mid-sentence. Sandor's gaze is unwillingly riveted by the image of the skinny, sweaty, naked Serb standing in the middle of the room with a pencil between his feet.
"Oh my God!" cries Sandor.
His friend swings open the door the rest of the way, revealing Piroska's ample nudity as she continues to clutch Drago's rapidly softening, dripping member in her chubby hand.
"Oh my God!" cries Sandor again. "My eyes!"
Piroska turns to face him with her hands on her hips, her round stomach thrust out carelessly like a child. "What?" she says lightly. "Haven't you ever seen someone doing their homework before?"
"I'm sorry, Sandor," stammers Drago. "We were simply --"
Sandor is looking at the wall as his friends dodge their heads sideways to see past him, flinching dramatically when they do. "This," yells Sandor at the wall, "this is why I lodged my complaint with the dean! God! What is wrong with you people?"
"The dean?" blinks Piroska. She checks her watch. The tips of the hands are little crimson hearts. "Drago, your appointment! It's nearly quarter to seven!"
"What?" says Drago, eyes narrowed in bewilderment.
"The dean! You have to see the dean!"
"Yes," adds Sandor darkly. "So he can expel you, freak."
Sandor's expression changes from derision to fright when he finds himself backed into the corner behind the door as Piroska surges at him. She jumps at him aggressively, her large breasts pinning him against the wall, her face drawn in so close he can smell her gum. "Listen, asshole," she hisses, "if you've got a problem with him, you've got a problem with me. Got that? And I promise you right now I can break you over my knee like a toothpick if you force me to."
Sandor's face says he believes her. His mouth moves but he makes no words.
"Now get the hell out of here," she adds.
Sandor squirms out along the door and then hurriedly disappears into the hall, his friends following after casting uncertain glances back at the two naked mathematics students. Piroska slams the door and then spins to face Drago again. "Get dressed," she advises.
"That was amazing!" he says, stumbling into a pair of jogging pants.
She raises her chin haughtily. "And are you surprised?" she asks, brow arched. "I am Piroska!"
Drago grins. "And thank goodness for it."
She checks her watch again. "You're late! Go, go, go!" She throws a T-shirt at him and scoops up her tote, quickly jotting something on a small square of pink paper then jamming it into his pocket. "This is my address. You'll come calling when you're done?"
"I will," he swears earnestly, still grinning.
He runs across the quadrangle, dodging other students and calling apologies over his shoulder. He takes the steps of the administration building three at a time and then nearly wipes out on the recently polished linoleum in the lobby. People stop to stare in anticipation of the crash but he recovers, shoes squeaking, and then inexplicably knocks his heels together as he jumps into the elevator. The doors rumble shut lazily while he stabs at the buttons.
"I was quite prepared to send you packing today, Mr. Zoran," growls the dean from the far side of his immaculate desk. "But it seems someone else has already relieved me of that pleasure."
"Sir?" prompts Drago, wiping perspiration from his face with his T-shirt.
The dean folds his hands on the blotter. "Against all reason, your application to the Sorbonne has been accepted."
"But, sir, I do not have the means..."
The dean pushes a letter to the edge of his desk. The masthead carries an elaborate seal circumscribed with wiggly Arabic worm-letters. "You have been awarded the Anwar Scholarship, Mr. Zoran," he pronounces carefully. "It is a very generous scholarship: accommodation, tuition and travel."
Drago is speechless. He clutches the damp front of his T-shirt, mouth agog.
"You don't seem pleased," says the dean. He smiles smugly. "Goodness knows I am."
Drago takes a deep breath, slinking slightly lower in his chair. "I shall have to cancel my date," he concludes sadly.
I have never been so enthralled by a description of mathematics in my life, CBB. (And I've read Hawking and Sagan, to boot! Neither of them is a slouch at the turn of a phrase to appease the layman regarding complicated science.)
And here we see how the Shah gets involved in the genesis of the Secret Math. So this happens very shortly before the Three Face Flip, when Drago is actually studying at the Sorbonne.
Drago's simplicity is nicely countered by Piroska's audacity, both of which seem larger than life when presented as they are in this chapter.
I also think it's incredibly cool that all this is tied in back as far as Stubborn Town. The grand coming together is going to be a blast, I know.
Dear Simon,
To be fair, props go to reader Brian Pascal for providing some valuable editing of the mathematics passages, equipped to do so by his own studied mathematical background.
I took most of his suggestions, but I'm also a stubborn idiot so I ignored a few, too.
As for the scope of the story, I think it's pretty funny (read: misguided and stupid) that I originally thought I could communicate the essence of this plot in just four chapters. What was I thinking?
The truth is that in many ways I'm not telling this story: it's telling itself.
All I did was set up all the elements (mostly in other stories, some held close to the vest), and now I'm executing the programme and letting everything come together as it may. This plot is on "auto."
I sure hope it all works out. I'm anticipating the climax as eagerly as you (hopefully) are!
CBB, your plot description reminds me of a far less corpulent Tim sitting astride your chair, pounding out chapters like he did encrypted poems, a manic gaze on your face as you try to keep it all together. Only it's not the demise of the solar system you'd erroneously blame yourself for, more like a crappy ending to a good story. And we all know that's not going to happen. The quality has seriously been ramping up. My anticipation metre is dialed up to 10.
And yeah, total props to Brian for giving you the maths edge there. Still, storytelling props to the Burger.
Fortunately I am largely spared any "climax anxiety" (um) for this particular ending because, in a way, you all already know the ending: the Secret Mathematic becomes tangible at the hands of Dr. Zoran.
Since I can't surprise anyone with how it wraps up, I'll just have to try to pack extra value into how we get there.
I think this needs fixing:
"double to kick off her the Wednesdays"
The math jargon seems fine to me. I've gotten suspicious lately of people who appear to see too much in math, but this is a good story. I'm in physics, and I haven't used the math GR except in classes, so if math doesn't actually yield better understanding or 'calculability' of physical phenomena, it doesn't help me. There's also a lot of math that is just categorization of concepts, almost like a taxonomy, rather than something particularly meaningful.
Of course, I think this is Drago's core issue, fitting his mathematical concepts into the existing taxonomy of math.
Math is just physics with lawyers.
Physics is just math with wrenches.
My perceptions of Piroska were that she was extremely egotistical at first, but by the end of it I liked her. Maybe it's cause she took her clothes off for the awkward, shy geek...
Remarkable, I loved the math reference. Pretty much all of it went over my head, naturally, but that can happen.
I was interested at his description of "actual numbers", the numbers that nature counts with. I wonder if that set would have any basis on the concept of e, which is found prominently in nature.
I wonder if, when translated to english, the actual number is translated as active?
And what a pity, that he had to cancel his date with her! But we all know he didn't wind up with her - he marries Nicole Gavrilovna.
So...i think soon we'll get a serious meeting with the Shah of Anwar! We saw him, for only a little bit, in Long Man, and I believe it's been revealed that he's also long, so I'd like to meet him.
Also, it was given away that the Shah of Anwar was ALREADY on Mars by the mid-20th century in Long Man. I really ought to put all this in a timeline or something...
You're scaring me. My training was originally in physics, and now I'm in law school. Admittedly, I did way more than my share of math.
Are you me, from some alternative timeline, cycling five years behind ours?
Cah-reeeeeeeepy.
-- (other?) Brian.
well, new job is keeping me very busy so wish I had more time to read and comment, but at least it's paying off my debts.
Loving the new story, particularly uncle Miss and his father chapter and this chapter. This one was originally very charming but now I am thinking we just met Dr Zoran's nemesis.
my heart melted here: "No," he decides quietly. "But it might make me feel less alien."
and i was waiting nervously for the roommate to come in the whole time they were in the room, so i was only half paying attention to the math. :)
Coed Naked Maths.
That was an extremely exciting chapter (in more ways than one) and I was almost breathing hard by the time I finished reading it (get your mind out of the gutter.)
I don't know if I'll ever look at a math book the same way again.
As always, Bravo sir, BRAVO.
Brian/other Brian,
heh...yeah, I figured there was another Brian physicist hanging around here.. I generally posted as 'fooburger', but I think my account has changed or something. I'll see if I can switch the name back to avoid confusion.
Good luck, and good job keeping CBB reasonably honest. :)
Remember... divergence is just the contraction of the covariant derivative of a first rank tensor!
okay... looks like I'm back to posting as fooburger again... less confusion with the other Brian.
- brian... err fooburger...
Orick, that would be Cassandra, if I assume correctly. Piroska is someone previously unknown who had a great impact on Zoran's development, but (I think) not someone who would ultimately oppose him.
I had to try very hard not to use "just" or "merely" in my description there.
"It's...beautiful," she gasps.
Kind of like a knot, eh?
Masterful storytelling, if a bit... unorthodox. But then again, this is Drago we're discussing here.
Bridget said...
I do hope we see Piroska again. After all, she has glimpsed - and actually understood enough to translate - Drago's computational system. She has seen The Math, and found it beautiful. Her story can't possibly stop there.
And she's a natural (ahem) teacher:
"Drago," she says slowly, "you are a genius. That much is apparent. But," she adds with a frown, "you're also an idiot."
It's funny - the only Hungarian I remember, from a short course taken in German (long story) is how to introduce myself with, "I am [name]" as "[name] vagyok" (I'll skip the morpheme-by-morpheme analysis before my linguist starts showing too strongly). Because the important thing is that as I was reading this, I found myself hearing, "Piroska vagyok!" and "Drago vagyok!"
Now my CoWorkers think that I'm crazy for laughing out loud from in front of my computer. Totally worth it :-)
sheik, you might well be right but I prefer my theory better :)
Do you mean Cassandra the student of Zoran or Cassandra the patient in the taste of blue? Are they the same person?
Either way, I think Piroska makes a much better/interesting nemesis.
This story is certainly for the long time fans, CBB. You are tying up a lot of things together here. I am still awaiting a return of the atomic badgers if that's at all possible. If I don't see them again soon, I will just have to make up my own stuff. And I will probably mangle it horribly. :)
Orick, I don't see how or why we'd see the atomic badgers again, neat as it would be. When Felix visted them I think he left their world with the express intent of leaving them outside solar influence, given their relatively juvenile development, relative to humanity's. They were on their own, assuming they could survive past their preternatural nascent ability to wield nuclear power. No reason for "us" to go back there, and no way for them to travel off planet for quite some time.
Some threads are best left to dangle, rather than being neatly tied up. Makes for a more interesting tapestry.
Orick: I'm pretty sure its the same Cassandra.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're the same... especially since when I guessed that they were during Blue, CBB said I was right :)
Wouldn't it be bizarre to find out that she was also Cassie-Ten?
In all the great drama, it's easy to overlook the funnies in this chapter:
"...they complain. Blah-blah-blah, the Mad Serb wrote on my pillow, blah-blah-blah, the Mad Serb won't put on pants. It's always the same."
Dr. Hollister's eyes went wide, her mouth barely moving as she spoke in a disconnected, distant way. "If only we could read the writing on the wall..."
"We can," insisted Mr. Mississauga, the pace of his narrative accelerating. "They're numbers. One, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen..."
"They're primes."
"No, sixteen is not prime. It's a string of primes interrupted by a pattern of non-primes. Twenty-three, twenty-nine, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-seven, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-seven..." Mr. Mississauga trailed off, his eyes darting randomly as if in REM sleep, his features strangely slack.
Numbers nature counts with?
Also, same chapter...
"Someone's here."
Mr. Mississauga did not stir from his seat. "White sport utility vehicle?"
"That's...right."
"Florida plates?"
Dr. Hollister opened a wider gap in the blinds and squinted past her reflection in the glass. "Yes." She swivelled back to face him. "Someone you know?"
"Who is it?"
"The forces of evil."
My god...the Scientologists are here!
Just stuff I found while digging for Cassandra, who I'm a QUITE sure is not Cassie-Ten. C10 was...large...and also annoying.
Dear Formerly Fooburger Brian,
I've gotten suspicious lately of people who appear to see too much in math, but this is a good story.
This is a fanciful tale, so of course seeing too much into things is part of the fun. But I think I know what you mean none the less: it might be similar to the way I feel about spiritual grooming methods whose precepts are peppered with vague and deeply broken allusions to quantum mechanics.
Here is a short, short story for you, and the best part is that it's true: the first seed of the secret mathematic was a conversation between my Serbian friend and I -- eleven years ago we were sitting on the balcony of my apartment, overlooking sunset midtown, drinking beers and wondering about a system of numeracy in which pi and e were integers.
I really ought to put all this in a timeline or something...
I think my brother was working on one of those. I might have distracted him from the project by foisting the overture assignment on him. There may also be an empty entry for it on the wiki.
Dear Brian Pascal Brian Not Fooburger,
Are you me, from some alternative timeline...?
Well, which one of you has the goatee? The one with the goatee is always the evil copy.
Dear Orick,
I'm glad the job is fulfilling a worthwile function! As suggested elsewhere in the thread, Piroska is definitely not Zoran's nemesis but I found the idea very interesting. Still, I have to confess, that's not up my sleeve.
This story is certainly for the long time fans, CBB. You are tying up a lot of things together here.
Definitely. This is the payoff for paying attention for the last couple of years. I hope this behemoth will work as a stand-alone adventure, but it is definitely designed to be extra juicy for the long-time reader.
I am still awaiting a return of the atomic badgers if that's at all possible. If I don't see them again soon, I will just have to make up my own stuff. And I will probably mangle it horribly.
I, for one, welcome our new atomic badger fanfic overloads.
Dear gl.,
And i was waiting nervously for the roommate to come in the whole time they were in the room...
Cool! I wasn't sure whether there was any tension built-in there, but I'm glad that's how it seemed to you. I had been debating foreshadowing it, but it seemed heavy-handed.
Dear SaintPeter,
Thank you kindly, sir.
Dear Sheik,
Dear Bridget,
I do hope we see Piroska again...Her story can't possibly stop there.
Yeah, you wouldn't think so, eh? To be candid: I have no idea what happens to Piroska after this chapter. But, like you, I feel confident that she'll crop up again.
"Piroska vagyok!"
Thanks for the genuine Hungarian tidbit!
Dear al,
That's high praise -- thanks!
I go out of town a few days for work, and I fall woefully behind on my CBB reading. I don't like to comment before reading all those before mine.
I was math-averse in my school days, but I admit I ate up this chapter (even before the nude parts, I swear).
I had a cute math tutor girl in high school. Had we ever disrobed and she grabbed my schlong, I'm quite sure my interest in "maths" would have be renewed. Or, at least my memories of it would have been a little more positive.
I didn't notice anyone else mention this, but Piroska sticks her gum onto the tree while talking to Drago. Later, she pulls out a piece to take a bite of food. There's no part in between where she inserts a new piece. Just curious if that was a slip, or there's an assumed gum reload.
My favorite non-funny passage:
Since when are people a reasonable measure of civility?
I wondered -- was Drago's sister (and by extension, her family) duped into believing she was a respectable model, when in fact she was a soft-core porn model? So he keeps the photos thinking they truly are modeling pictures, and honorable?
...Piroska sticks her gum onto the tree while talking to Drago. Later, she pulls out a piece to take a bite of food. There's no part in between where she inserts a new piece.
Yes, we skipped the part where she reloaded, presumably sometime on the way to the cafe or perhaps while waiting for the waiter to tend to their orders.
There are a few other examples of this kind of "cut" in this chapter, because I've been experimenting with this and similar cinematically-inspired techniques more broadly. I say "cinematic" because I'm thinking of the jumps using the exact same part of my brain I employ to make decisions about picture cuts while editing video.
Can jump-cuts work in prose? Clearly, they sometimes can but their use runs the risk of confusing the reader. "Wait -- where are we now, all of a sudden?"
Note for comparison Drago's journey to the dean's office. Piroska makes him promise to contact her, then there's a jump-cut and he's running up the steps of the admin building and running to the elevator, then there's a jump-cut and the dean is already talking to him.
I tend to "create" these chapters (before I type them, that is) by visualizing them as little movies. The use of cinematically-inspired techniques is a product of this process, and I've been debating how much of it to let bleed through. Since I've been taking a very cinematic approach to the narrative on this story overall (overture, omniscience, cutaway-style details), I figured I could push the envelope for myself a bit.
From another perspective, such techniques may simply be seen as an inevitable consequence of my age: I grew up in a world where my notion of narrative was shaped by screenplays and teleplays first, theatre and literature second.


The chairman of the committee planning the commissioning of the submarine New Hampshire next month said he hopes to persuade Gov. John Lynch to kick in $50,000 for the celebration.
Bruce Clark, chairman of the Community Commissioning Committee for the submarine, said no monetary donation will be forthcoming from the city of Portsmouth, although he did make a pitch to Mayor Thomas Ferrini and City Manager John Bohenko.
To bolster his argument to both the city and state, he said the city of Wilmington, N.C., and the state of North Carolina both made substantial contributions to the commissioning ceremonies of the USS North Carolina, another Virginia-class submarine, last April.
The New Hampshire will be commissioned on Oct. 25 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard amid great pomp and circumstance. Dignitaries including the secretary of the Navy, Gov. Lynch, U.S. senators and representatives will be in attendance. The sub will arrive at the yard the week prior to the commissioning, and a number of events are scheduled that week.
The local commissioning committee still needs to raise at least $65,000 of a total $300,000 toward the cost of the ceremony and other events. Its fund-raising efforts have been hampered by the fact that the New Hampshire was built eight months ahead of schedule, so the turnaround time has been tight.
Moreover, many businesses and corporations have already spent their charitable dollars by the fourth quarter. Add in a tough economy, and the committee's task has been challenging, Clark said.
He plans to sit down with Lynch soon, in a meeting that he said is being arranged by state Sen. Jack Barnes, R-Raymond, who championed a resolution passed by the Legislature in support of the commissioning.
"We will tell him in spades that we're trying desperately to raise funds," Clark said. "We would like as much as the governor can see fit to give us — at least $50,000 from the state. This is going to help the state, the Seacoast, the city and the yard. The whole thing is for the officers and the crew. That's what we're doing this for. There's no benefit that accrues to us."
Colin Manning, spokesperson for Lynch, said Friday so far no meeting with the governor has been scheduled. He declined further comment until the governor had more information or a proposal before him.
Clark said the costs of the celebration are varied and many are in-kind. However, the committee has to pay for more than 3,000 meals at a luncheon after the commissioning, breakfast for hundreds of people that morning, the lion's share of the cost of a commander's reception at Wentworth by the Sea the night before, and other activities and items for the crew of 132.
Many of these events are required by the secretary of the Navy when he chooses a site for a commissioning, Clark explained.
As for the city's contribution, Ferrini said the city has been "happy to provide support" in the form of extra police and fire detail and any other crowd-handling activities needed during that week. "We believe that's meaningful assistance."
Ferrini made it clear that a monetary donation to the commissioning was above and beyond what the city was prepared to contribute.
Clark readily agreed that the city and City Manager Bohenko in particular have been helpful in terms of approving events in the city, such as the firing of a cannon on Four Trees Island and the installation of a Jumbotron television set at Prescott Park so the public can watch the commissioning. Still, Clark said, he had been expecting the city to pitch in financially.
"We told them we were going to need a lot of money from the city and state, but the crux of the response was that money was not available," Clark said of his conversation with Ferrini and Bohenko.
That's an appropriate response, said state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth. Clark said she doesn't think "municipal or state government, as much as they may like to, are in a position to pick up any cost" of the commissioning.
Rather, she urged businesses from around the entire state and not just Portsmouth to "step up to the plate" to make up the difference. She said she realizes many have already spent their charitable contribution funds, "but I can't believe they don't have public relations or marketing dollars they can spend."
Bruce Clark, however, looks to the example of Wilmington. A city of 100,000, its City Council voted earlier this year to contribute $50,000 toward the commissioning of the USS North Carolina and New Hanover County also kicked in $50,000. The state Office of Tourism donated $25,000.
Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said the vote of the council was "unanimous, and we have a very politically diverse council here."
The contribution was in addition to any costs incurred by the city in connection with the commissioning.
"It was money well spent," Saffo said. "It was a great event for our community. People are still talking about it."
Clark said he's hoping for a positive reception from Lynch.
"It is the USS New Hampshire, after all. This is important for our state."


text:
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Home Music Music News
December 15, 2005 5:00AM ET
The Book of Jay
Jay-Z is hip-hop's most valuable player: a former street hustler turned microphone god who has applied his business genius to everything from sneakers to vodka. Now he wants to become the game's greatest record executive
Touré
Touré's Most Recent Stories
Below is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared in RS 989 from December 15, 2005 . This issue and the rest of the Rolling Stone archives are available via Rolling Stone Plus, Rolling Stone's premium subscription plan. If you are already a subscriber, you can click here to see the full story . Not a member? Click here to learn more about Rolling Stone Plus [link to benefits page].
President Carter got up this morning around eight, watched SportsCenter and worked out in the gym at his place in New Jersey with a personal trainer, then slid into his Mercedes Maybach and let his longtime driver Romero take him over the George Washington Bridge and into Manhattan to the Universal building at Eighth Avenue and Fiftieth Street.
Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, has been the president of Det Jam since January 3rd. 2005. 'Soon as we came back off of vacation I was here, ten o'clock in the morning," he says with pride. His L-shaped corner office is on the twenty-ninth floor, and he's usually there by ten or eleven, but on this particular Friday he arrives at 12:20 P.M., BlackBerry to his ear as he zips past security and up the escalator, wearing a diamond-heavy Roc-A-Fella chain; a white-and-red European-soccer-inspired polo shirt from his clothing company. Rocawear; baggy Rocawear jeans; and white S. Carters with blood-red tips, all of which make him look about ten years younger than his thirty-five years.
He goes straight into an emergency meeting. A new song from Young Jeezy — the twenty-five-year-old Atlanta rapper whose debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation, entered the charts in August at Number Two — has been leaked to radio. Jeezy's A&R man is afraid this will screw up plans for Jeezy's next single. Jeezy has sold more than 1 million records and has become the hottest new rapper of the year, making him Jay's first major success as a record executive. Still, Jay fails to see the leak as an emergency. He's always been panic-averse. His persona, in life and on record, is cool and in control — the same even, authoritative tone whether the subject is sex, survival, wealth or vengeance. "His thing is, just make it simple," says Be-Hi, Jay's cousin, who grew up with him in the Marcy projects in Brooklyn. "People make obstacles for theyselves when shit ain't really no obstacle. He'll just show you the simpler way to do it."
At the not-so-emergency meeting, Jay explains that the leaked song is a club record, not a radio record, meaning most radio stations won't want to play it. "Manage your heat," he tells Jeezy's A&R man. "Get your Joe Torre on, nigga," which means, become a brilliant manager and navigate the situation, nigga.
Jay-Z has navigated a variety of situations brilliantly for more than twenty years. In the Eighties, when crack was dominating America's inner cities, Shawn Carter was a teenage street entrepreneur selling crack and other drugs. In his twenties, he escaped the street and turned his business skills to the world of hip-hop. When no label would sign him, he co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records in order to release his first album. As hip-hop moved into the Get Big Money era and rappers maximized their earning potential by diversifying into clothes, movies and bottled water, Jay-Z became one of hip-hop's most successful entrepreneurs. "Every black kid in America looks up to Jay as a role model," says Kanye West.
On December 4th, Jay turns thirty-six, and there's no midlife crisis anywhere in sight: He's worth more than $320 million and he is the president of the most important label in the history of hip-hop, Def Jam. Founded in 1984 by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin, the label has been home to several generations of major rappers: LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy in the Eighties; Jay, Method Man, Redman and DMX in the Nineties; and, more recently, West — whose first major break came in 2001 as a producer for Jay — and Young Jeezy. "Def Jam is the number-one hip-hop label in the world," says Antonio "LA" Reid, chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group. "Having Jay says that the legacy continues. If you're a sixteen-year-old rapper in Brooklyn or Atlanta or Houston, and you know that Jay-Z carries on the legacy of hip-hop, then Def Jam becomes your preferred destination."
Jay's deal with Universal reportedly pays him between $8 million and $10 million a year. He's also the president and part owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, the proud owner of a small piece of the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets ("I was happy to cut that check!" he says) and owner of two multi-million-dollar Manhattan apartments, one of them a 10,000-square-foot loft in Tribeca worth $7.5 million and the other a penthouse at the Time Warner Center near Central Park worth more than $10 million, from which he can see a penthouse owned by his girlfriend, Beyoncé. He is also, sometimes, an MC. "My life is crazy," he says, in awe of his own journey. "I'm not jaded. I'm on the board of the Nets. I'm the only black guy and I'm the youngest one there. I'm a fuckin' president-CEO of Def Jam. That shit still sounds crazy to me even to this day. What the fuck does that mean?" Then he gets all philosophical. "And I'm outside of it, too, baby. I'm outside of it, like, goddamn — that's some crazy shit. And it's not stopping. It's gonna get even crazier."
To read the full article, you must be a subscriber to Rolling Stone Plus. Already a subscriber? Continue on to The Archives. Not a member and want to learn more? Go to our Click here to learn more about Rolling Stone Plus.
In This Article: Cover story,	Jay-Z


Announce the baby shower details with this unique jungle theme invitation. Whimsical watercolor style animals on a solid blue-grey design that is sure to amaze your guests. Adventure theme baby shower invitations offer a unique way to coordinate your jungle theme baby shower. Ideal invite for a baby boy, baby girl or gender neutral celebration. Additionally, the wild welcome baby shower invite can be used for a baby sprinkle, coed shower, or even a birthday party.


text:
Pymble train station 1968
[A1200, L70906]
Commuting Railway stations Trains
Granted to Robert Pymble, a free settler from Hertfordshire, the area which was to become Pymble was farmland and orchards for most of the nineteenth century. Development followed the railway line, and Pymble became a desirable leafy suburb.
Northern residential suburb named after free settler Robert Pymble (1788–1861) who acquired a land grant in 1823. Subdivision began in the early 1880s in anticipation of the building of the north shore railway line in 1890.


The current deadline is 10.59 PM GMT, or 22:59 GMT (+00:00) in your timezone.
The deadline is subject to change prior to the game beginning if enough players find the current deadline inconvenient.
Game has 48-hour days and 24-hour nights.
All night actions should be sent in 30 minutes before deadline. Any actions sent after this will not be accepted.
Any votes with 23:00 GMT (+00:00) time-stamps will not be accepted.
The minimum activity requirement is 3 posts per cycle.
Replacements are accepted until Night 2 after which your slot will be mod-killed.
If you require a replacement, please refrain from posting about this in the thread.
Please refrain from talking about replacements in any context.
Use the following format (##vote: Calix or ##unvote) when posting your vote in the game thread, because there is no separate voting thread.
Votes that are not in the correct format will not be counted.
Votes that are hidden in spoilers are not allowed and will not be counted.
Plurality lynch is in effect. In the case of a tie, the person who reached the highest number of votes first will be lynched.
- Mafioso, Roleblocker, Medic vs 3 Medics, 7 Vanilla Townies.
- If multiple Medics target the same player on the same night then that player will die.
- Healed players are not notified.
- Medics cannot target themselves, nor can they target the same player on consecutive nights.
- Mafia cannot hold their shot.
Choose one player to heal from one attack every night.
If you heal the same person as another medic that night, that player will die.
You cannot target the same player on consecutive nights.
You have next-to-nothing going for you in life.
Please note that all voting will be done within this game thread. There is no separate voting thread.
You are responsible for being aware when the game starts. No confirmation PMs will be sent. If you cannot check the game thread every so often to see when the game starts then do not play.
My bad. I figured that having normal roles = normal game.
This setup is annoying, i am trying to figure out strategy but i can't.
The strategy is to just use it as a vig shot each night?
Idk it looks extremely town favoured to me unless the mafia medic works differently.
Not necessarily, but swingy for sure.
Evens (2 or 4 medics) target dies.
That should be less easy for town to break I think.
I am not sure how you break this game but if you can, i'd like to hear how?
Yeah that's why i thought just swingy instead of town favored. I mean, it's like in any game, if you look scummy you get lynched as scum.