Tuesday, April 30, 2013

O'Connor suggests misgivings over Bush vs. Gore (cbsnews)

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Conversion from 'bad' fat to good fat

Apr. 28, 2013 ? Scientists from ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that brown and white fat cells in a living organism can be converted from one cell type to the other. Their work, using mice as a model organism, provides important new insights into the origin of brown fat cells, which is a prerequisite for the development of successful anti-obesity therapies.

Two types of fat cells can be found in mammals and hence in humans: White fat cells function mainly as highly flexible energy stores which are filled in times of calorie abundance. The fat is stored in the form of lipid droplets, which are mobilized when energy is needed. Diametrically opposed in function are the so-called brown adipocytes: These cells specialize in burning energy in the form of fat and sugar to produce heat. New-born babies possess substantial amounts of brown fat and utilize it to maintain body temperature. Since it was recently shown that brown adipocytes also exist in adult humans, research has focused on understanding how brown adipocytes are formed. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to increase brown adipocyte number and activity in obese humans, allowing them to burn excess calories and thus reduce weight.

Against the current belief

It is known that both humans and mice can adapt to cold temperatures by forming brown fat cells within their white fat depots. These cells are called "brite" fat cells (brown-in-white) and are less common at warmer versus colder temperatures. However, the origin of these special brown adipocytes has remained a matter of debate. The prevalent hypothesis was that brite cells are formed from special precursor cells and are removed when no longer needed. The alternate idea of a direct interconversion between white and brown fat cells gained less attention. By demonstrating that this interconversion does occur and is one of the main contributors to brite fat cell formation, the current belief has been challenged.

Genetically labelled fat cells

To demonstrate how brite fat cells are formed the researchers in the laboratory of Christian Wolfrum, a professor at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, generated mice that allowed them to genetically label specific fat cells. These animals were kept in a changing environment: starting at 8?C for a week and for several weeks afterwards at normal room temperature. During the cold exposure, the mice formed brown adipocytes in their white fat depots -- a process called "britening." After warm adaptation the fat tissue turned white again. Using the genetic markers the scientists concluded from these experiments that white fat cells can convert into brown fat cells and vice versa. As humans have the same type of cells as mice it is likely that the same process occurs in humans upon cold stimulation.

Treatments against obesity

"To develop new treatment strategies we need to find ways to convert white into brown adipocytes," says Wolfrum. Most of the research has focused on identifying the precursor cells for brown fat cells, an approach that may be insufficient. Future work will address the question of how to manipulate this interconversion process either by pharmacological or by nutritional means.

This approach would represent a novel strategy. "Current anti-obesity therapies target the energy intake side of the equation by controlling appetite and the uptake of nutrients," says Wolfrum. The pharmacological treatments that are available are not very efficient and usually are associated with side effects. In contrast, this novel approach to treat obesity would target the energy expenditure side of the equation by promoting brown fat formation.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by ETH Zurich, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Matthias Rosenwald, Aliki Perdikari, Thomas R?licke, Christian Wolfrum. Bi-directional interconversion of brite and white?adipocytes. Nature Cell Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ncb2740

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/3LfJOKXIqoE/130428144925.htm

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"Ugly stuff" may emerge in Jackson wrongful death trial

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An attorney for the concert promotion company AEG Live warned jurors they would see a very different view of the charismatic Michael Jackson as the company seeks to prove it was not liable for the pop star's death.

Marvin Putnam, making his opening statement in what is expected to be an emotional wrongful death trial, said AEG officials had no idea that Jackson was taking the surgical anesthetic that led to his death.

He said the three-month civil case would bring to light "some ugly stuff" about the singer's private behavior.

"The public Michael Jackson was very different from the private Michael Jackson," Putnam said. "He erected a wall between himself and his family. Even his family wasn't sure what was going on at the house. He kept those who might have been able help him at a distance."

He said Jackson had been using the powerful anesthetic propofol for years to help him sleep "and almost no one knew."

"AEG, like everyone else, was an outsider," Putnam said. "They had no idea. It was going on behind locked doors."

The "Thriller" singer's mother, Katherine, is suing privately held AEG Live, promoters of a never-realized series of comeback concerts by Jackson, for negligence in hiring Dr. Conrad Murray as his personal physician.

Murray, convicted in 2011 for the involuntary manslaughter of Jackson with a propofol overdose, was caring for the singer as he rehearsed in Los Angeles for a series of 50 "This is It" shows in London in 2009.

Brian Panish, representing Jackson's family, said AEG Live ignored red flags when it hired Murray and should have been aware that the singer had addiction problems years before he agreed to perform the concerts.

Jackson, 50, drowning in debt and seeking to rebuild a reputation damaged by his 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation charges, died in Los Angeles in June 2009.

In his opening argument, Panish said AEG Live failed to do proper background checks on Murray, who asked for $5 million to care for the singer. Background checks would have revealed Murray was in debt and was a cardiologist even though Jackson had no known heart issues, Panish said.

"When a red flag comes up, do you turn away or do you look into it?" Panish said. "AEG ignored the obvious red flags and they hired Dr. Murray."

AEG Live contends that it did not hire or supervise Murray, saying that a proposed contract with him was never executed. The concert promoters also have said they could not have foreseen that Murray posed a danger to Jackson.

"This case is about the choices we make and the personal responsibilities that go with that," Putnam said on Monday.

Katherine Jackson, 82, along with her children Randy and Rebbie, were among family members attending Monday's packed opening of the trial. Jackson's three children, who could be called as witnesses later, were not there.

Panish said Jackson had known problems with prescription drug addiction dating back to use of the painkiller Demerol following a burn injury when he was shooting a Pepsi commercial in 1984.

Jackson in 1993 announced he was canceling a world tour to seek treatment for his painkiller addiction.

In the days before the trial began, Panish denied the Jackson family is seeking $40 billion in damages from AEG Live, as some media had reported this month.

The final amount will be determined by the jury should it hold AEG Live liable for negligence.

A handful of Jackson fans gathered outside the court, saying they were hoping for justice for the "King of Pop."

Jackson fan Julia Thomas, 40, an office worker from Colton, California, said she hoped the trial would demonstrate what she said were the wrongs AEG Live committed against Jackson.

"They're about to be exposed because they bullied Michael, they stressed him into the grave to the point that he needed sedatives to sleep," Thomas told Reuters. (Editing by Jill Serjeant, Andrew Hay, David Gregorio and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aeg-warns-ugly-stuff-michael-jackson-wrongful-death-005839687.html

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Friday, April 19, 2013

Japanese casino mogul Okada gets California license

By Sue Zeidler

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kazuo Okada, locked in a legal battle with Wynn Resorts International and the subject of a federal bribery investigation, said on Wednesday his wholly-owned Aruze Gaming America obtained a California gaming license and this shows he is suitable to conduct business in the casino sector.

"I am pleased the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) granted a Gaming Resource Supplier license to Aruze and its principals," said Okada, noting he has obtained licenses in 18 new jurisdictions and several license renewals since Wynn brought a suit against him in February 2012. Wynn claimed Okada engaged in improper conduct with cash payments and gifts to Filipino gaming authorities.

Altogether, the company, which provides electronic gaming machines, has about 150 gaming licenses, including multiple tribal licenses in several states.

"Each of these new licenses and renewals has been based on a determination that I am 'suitable,'" Okada said in a statement.

Okada's Aruze Gaming America is privately held and separate from Aruze USA, which is wholly owned by Okada's Universal Entertainment Corp, and was Wynn's largest shareholder until February 2012 when the board forcibly redeemed its 19.75 percent stake at a 30 percent discount.

The new California license is in addition to 43 California tribal licenses Aruze Gaming already holds. California requires that operators whose revenues top $25,000 within the state must submit an application for a state license.

Wynn Resorts declined comment on Okada's announcement.

Last week, U.S. authorities publicly acknowledged there was a criminal investigation of Okada, Universal Entertainment and Aruze USA, for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), an anti-bribery statute dating to the 1970s.

Tina Littleton, executive director for the California Gambling Control Commision, said it will continue to monitor the U.S. Department of Justice investigation.

"The pending investigation was a concern, but the commission ultimately unanimously decided to issue Aruze and Okada a two-year finding of suitability with the directive to keep the commission apprised of the investigation," said Littleton.

"If there's any finding of criminal activity, a revocation or other action may take place."

Okada and his companies are being investigated for potential violations of anti-bribery laws relating to a $2 billion casino project in the Philippines, according to a recent court filing.

U.S. federal prosecutors have sought permission to intervene in a lawsuit by Wynn against Okada to prevent disrupting an ongoing criminal probe into the bribery allegations.

Universal said in December it filed a defamation suit against Reuters in Tokyo for its reporting on the payments. Reuters has said it stands by its reporting.

(Reporting By Susan Zeidler. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japanese-casino-mogul-okada-gets-california-license-232611267--sector.html

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Sunday, April 7, 2013

Portugal to cut spending after court ruling

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's government will cut spending to meet targets agreed with its lenders after a court overturned key austerity measures, Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said on Sunday.

Passos Coelho said in a televised address Friday's Constitutional Court ruling posed "serious obstacles and risks" this year and next, but reaffirmed his commitment to the fiscal and economic adjustment program under an EU/IMF bailout.

"The government is committed to all the objectives of the program," he said, ruling out further tax hikes but saying it was vital to avoid a second rescue and that he had told ministers to cut spending.

The court on Friday rejected four out of nine contested austerity measures in this year's budget, including cuts to holiday bonuses for pensioners and public servants and reductions in sickness leave and unemployment benefits.

Analysts expect Portugal to be able to agree replacement measures with the European Union and International Monetary Fund to make up for the court ruling, which could cost it between 900 million and 1.3 billion euros.

The entire package of austerity measures included in the 2013 budget is worth about 5 billion euros. The largest tax hikes in living memory were mostly upheld by the court.

The court's decision came before an informal meeting of euro zone finance ministers this week in Dublin expected to approve extensions of rescue loan maturities for Portugal and Ireland.

Passos Coelho acknowledged that the ruling weakened Portugal's stance at the meeting, but said he told Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar to do all he could to protect the country's interests there and achieve an extension.

The government says the extension is essential for Lisbon's successful exit from the bailout program in 2014.

Lisbon has to cut the budget deficit to 5.5 percent of gross domestic product this year from 6.4 percent in 2012, when it missed the goal but was still lauded by lenders for its efforts. The lenders have eased Portugal's deficit goals twice since the rescue was agreed, recognizing consolidation efforts.

Portugal returned to the bond market for the first time since its 2011 bailout in January, selling debt due in 2017, and has been preparing a longer-maturity bond issue. Analysts say the court ruling may now delay the new issue.

(Reporting by Andrei Khalip and Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/portugal-government-sticks-bailout-goals-despite-court-ruling-182103272.html

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ThL W5 Smart Phone 4.7 Inch IPS Screen Dual core Android 4.0 MTK6577 1GB RAM 3G GPS Black

Details

ThL W5 Smart Phone 4.7 Inch IPS Screen Dual core Android 4.0 MTK6577 1GB RAM 3G GPS Black

ThL W5 Android Phone Basic Information:

Model: ThL W5
Band: 2G:GSM 850M/900M/1800M/1900MHZ
??? ? ? ? ? 3G:WCDMA 850/2100MHz

Service Provide:Unlocked

ThL W5 System:
OS: Android 4.0.4
CPU: MTK6577, Cortex A9 dual core
Storage: 4GB
RAM :1GB

ThL W5 Android Phone Screen:
Screen Size: 4.7 Inch
Display reulotion: 1280 x 720 pixels
Screen Color: 16000K Colors

ThL W5 Android Phone Support Format:

Ringtones Type:Polyphonic/MP3
Video File Format:3GP/MPEG4
Audio File Format: MP3/WAV/AMR/AWB
Image File Format:JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG/GIF
E-book Format:TXT/CHM/DOC/HTML
FM Radio:Yes, earphone needed
Earphone Port:??? 3.5mm
Card Extend: Support TF card up to 32GB extended

ThL W5 Android Phone Data Transfer & Connectivity

Data transfer:USB/Bluetooth
Mobile internet:WAP/WIFI

ThL W5 Android Phone General Details:

Dual Cameras, front camera: 2.0MP, back camera: 8.0MP with flashlight
and auto focus; up to 3264 x 2448 pixels

Language : Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa melayu, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Turkish, Russian, Arab, Thai, Chinese (simp)
Phonebook: 500
Message:SMS/MMS
Input:Handwrite/Keypad
TV:No
WIFI:Yes, 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth:Bluetooth 2.0
Multi-Touch:Yes, 5 point touch
Dimensions: 136 x 69.8 x 10.3mm
Net Weight(Including battery): 157g
Other Feature:?? 3G, GPS, Play Store, Flash Player, WIFI, Bluetooth, FM radio, UC Browser,Ebook, Email, Messaging, VPN Services, Google search, wallpapers,calendar, calculator, clock, tethering & portable hotspot, camera, torch, etc??????????? ?
Java:No
GPS:Yes, built in, support A-GPS and voice navigation
With EPO assistance to speed up postioning

ThL W5 Android Phone Package Including:

Size: 168 x 90 x 64mm
Weight: 421g

Accessories:
1 x ThL W5 Android Phone ?
2 x 2000mAh Battery
1 x 3.5mm Earphone
1 x Data Cable
1 x Charger
1 x English User Manual
1 x Screen Protector

Source: http://www.thlmobilestore.com/thl-w5-smart-phone-4-7-inch-ips-screen-android-4-0-mtk6577-cortex-1gb-ram-3g-gps-black.html

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New Moms Check In With Their Newborns On iPads To Start Surveillance Young

After a difficult birth, women are sometimes separated from their newborns because the babies are in the neonatal intensive care unit and the mothers are recovering elsewhere in the hospital. Cedars-Sinai in LA is providing iPads for "medGadget">BabyTime," though, so families can stay connected. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-zV_C9f2lLY/new-moms-check-in-with-their-newborns-on-ipads-to-start-surveillance-young

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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Cloud Connect Is Too Polite, And That's The Problem With Vendor Conferences

keynotepicI sat through the Cloud Connect keynotes this morning but left early out of frustration. The morning started with a discussion?I was really looking forward to: Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners was moderating a panel with vendors from Citrix, Red Hat and CloudOps. But it had one big issue: It was too polite. That’s the problem with these vendor-oriented conferences. They suck the passion out of what is a super-fascinating space. Here we are at a time when there is more disruption in the enterprise than in the past 20 years. But today, I saw the coolest group of executives talking in hushed tones….on message. And the Winblad panel was just the start. During keynote after keynote all morning — there were five — the pitches didn’t stop. I left at the start of the fourth keynote when the Rackspace executive started with some FUD for the IT crowd in the house. During the second keynote, the chief scientist from SoftLayer presented a case study. There was no question-and-answer session — this was a vendor pitch. An HP executive came onstage and told everyone to stand and yell the name of the latest release of the OpenStack operating system. Awful. The HP keynote was better than the others in that the speaker advocated for IT to shut people down if they are using apps/services that do not have the IT seal of approval. HP is one of the biggest IT vendors in the world. But still, she at least stirred the pot a bit. And in the fourth, the Rackspace executive told the crowd that the company’s budget was going elsewhere and shadow IT is a reality. Then she talked about Rackspace. Here’s what one attendee tweeted: The only way that talk would have ended better was if Rackers walked through the aisles signing people up for RackSpace Cloud #ccevent ? Michael Ducy (@mfdii) April 4, 2013 Now, following the keynotes, lunch was served in the back of the exhibit hall. To get there, the attendees had to weave through the vendor displays for a cold, box lunch. Nice touch to a morning filled with marketing talks. It wasn’t all bad. Apparently the fifth keynote by Joe Weinman, senior vice president of cloud services and strategy at Telx saved the morning to some extent. #ccevent glad we have @joeweinman?to add some interesting keynote content ? adrian cockcroft (@adrianco)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fdFxjys7LdU/

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SPEAKER PREVIEW: Building a sustainable business from ...

SBS13-LondonOlympicLegacy-457

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority has inherited three of the London 2012 Olympic venues: Lee Valley White Water Centre, Lee Valley VeloPark (the iconic velodrome) and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

But, what is the future for these venues now that ?the circus has left town??

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will share the legacy vision and business plan for these post-Olympic legacy venues ? and reflect on the decision processes taken during their development ? at TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2013.

?Our work on delivering a legacy from London 2012 is already underway,? says Dawson. ?We are determined to ensure that that the whole of the nation and all abilities benefit from what was a global sports extravaganza. I look forward to sharing our plans with the global sports industry in June.?

Join us ? and more than 500 stadium owners, operators and developers from around the world ? at the world?s largest dedicated meeting for the stadium, arena and major sports venue business: TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2013 in Manchester, 5-7 June.

>>REGISTER NOW<<

THE LEGACY VENUES

corporatelogoLee Valley Regional Park is playing a leading role in delivering a lasting and enduring legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The authority owns and runs three London 2012 venues ? Lee Valley White Water Centre, Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. It also own a third of the parklands on Olympic Park and is working closely with the London Legacy Development Corporation to create a park that is vibrant, popular and sustainable while making the best use of public resources.

The vision is that the 2012 venues will join the sports venues it already runs to create a chain of sporting excellence along the 26 mile long, 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park. Find out more about the venues and the legacy work here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

SBS13-Dawson-140pxShaun joined the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority as Chief Executive in 1997. During this time he has created a dynamic and award winning organisation that both delivers its core remit and also works with partners to ensure that the 10,000 acre Regional Park adds value to the bigger social and economic agenda in the Lee Valley. Shaun was a key player during the bid process for the 2012 Olympics and he is now leading the Authority?s remit as a central legacy owner/operator organisation for a number of Olympic venues and parkland.

Shaun has spent his career in the leisure industry both in the public and private sector. Before moving to the Authority he was Assistant Director of Education and Leisure at the London Borough of Hackney. Shaun?s particular areas of experience cover, sports venues design, facilities management and parks management/activation.

Shaun graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BSc in Ecology and went on to Loughborough University where he gained an MSc in Recreation Management.

? Previous -

Source: http://www.stadiumbusinesssummit.com/speaker-preview-building-a-sustainable-business-from-londons-olympic-legacy/

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Obama: Gun control a tougher slog than immigration

ATHERTON, Calif. (AP) ? Conceding the fraught politics of guns, President Barack Obama said Thursday that passing legislation curbing access to firearms would be a tougher slog than an immigration overhaul.

Obama told an intimate group of high-dollar donors Thursday he is optimistic immigration legislation can succeed within the next few months, because the impact of the November election is breaking through partisan gridlock.

"People spoke out through the ballot box," he said. "It's going to be tougher to get the kind of gun legislation to reduce gun violence through the Senate and the House that so many of us, I think, want to see, particularly after the tragedy of Newtown. And I still think it can get done if people are activated and involved."

It was Obama's most candid assessment yet on the prospects of gun legislation in Congress, an issue he has been pushing since a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six educators in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school in December.

Obama has been pushing Congress to act on both the gun and immigration issues. Senators are preparing a bipartisan immigration bill that's expected to be released as early as next week. But in the face of stiff opposition from the National Rifle Association, efforts in Congress to curb gun violence are in danger of losing steam.

Obama has called for expanding background checks for gun buyers and has supported bans on certain assault weapons and limits on the capacity of ammunition magazines. But lately, he has been emphasizing the background checks over the other measures, insisting simply that lawmakers get a chance to vote on the assault weapons ban and the magazine limits.

Obama spoke at a campaign event in California for the Democratic National Committee. It was one of four fundraisers he's doing for Democrats this week.

Obama made his remarks on the same day Connecticut's governor, Dannel P. Malloy, signed into law new restrictions on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines similar to the ones used by the shooter in the Newtown mass murder.

Obama is going to Hartford, Conn., on Monday to continue his push for federal gun legislation.

___

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-gun-control-tougher-slog-immigration-182627327.html

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Which Form of Writer&#39;s Block Do You Have?

This is a guest post written by Deborah Gallardo and it is a tie-in to the discussion on Writers? Block. I am pleased to welcome Deb to the Fiction Blueprints blog. I love her writing style and I got so much from this post. Please do comment at the end so Deb can know how much you enjoyed the post. ~ Sharon

One thing guaranteed to get my dander up is to hear some writer, claiming to be an authority, assert that writer?s block does not exist. I find such blanket statements insensitive at the very least and downright arrogant at worst.

Most times those who make this assertion are ?working writers,? folks who sit down every single day, facing deadlines for producing copy, without the luxury of being able to say to their editor, ?Sorry. I?m blocked. I can?t turn in a column today.?

And it?s true. Working writers as a group are the least likely candidates to encounter writer?s block.

Three Things Working Writers Have in Common.

  • Firstly, they have developed a discipline that other writers may lack.
  • Secondly, they have developed a habit of writing every day, generally about the same time of day.?
  • Thirdly, they have developed techniques or rituals that get them started writing, that prime the pump, so to speak, although in today?s world, not many people encounter pumps that need priming.

Your Brain as a Water Pump

water pump quote xWhen you think about it, getting water to flow against gravity isn?t such an easy thing to do, unless you have a way to effect a change in pressure inside water pipes. A quick start is to pour a cup of water down into the pipe. This process is known as ?priming the pump.?

Just as old-fashioned water pumps need priming, so do our writers? minds. If we can learn techniques that jumpstart our brains, we make our job a lot easier because the ideas will start to flow. And if we haven?t already done so, we need to learn what working writers know and do.

1. Develop our own brand of self-discipline.

2. Cultivate the habit of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair (as Hemingway put it) every day without fail, even if only for 10 minutes.

3. Come up with personalized techniques to carry us over the tough spots when our creative well seems to have run dry. These can be free-writing, writing prompts or something along the lines of picking three random words and using each one in a paragraph or short story.

When You?re Running on Empty

The truth is, there is nothing quite as scary to a writer as having nothing to say. In my experience, this is related to self-doubt. ?What if I can?t think of anything to write? What if I?m really not good enough??

Likewise, there is nothing that makes a writer feel more vulnerable than coming face to face with the specter of failure. Here?s the thing, and it?s going to be hard to hear. If we?re not failing, we?re not reaching high enough. We?re playing it safe. This is why, when it comes to writer?s block, self-confidence is often to blame.

My New Hero, Dr. Bren? Brown

Brene Brown quote xAnd here?s another important fact. It comes from my go-to authority in the psychology of creativity (my term, not hers), Dr. Bren? Brown, who became an overnight YouTube sensation when she gave a TEDx talk on her groundbreaking research. I recommend you look her up. It will change your life.

[Editor's Note: The YouTube Video of the TEDx talk is at the end of this post.]

Okay, here?s that fact: ?Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, innovation, and change. It?s also the birthplace of joy, faith and connection. To create is to make something that has never existed before. There?s nothing more vulnerable than that.?

Exposed!

The multi-award-winning author of ?Jacob Have I Loved,? and ?Bridge to Terebithia,? Katherine Paterson, confessed to me once that creating her stories was like walking naked into a room full of people

The image is an apt one, because writing exposes the deepest parts of our being. Even if we don?t write our life story and turn it into fiction, from everything we are, from our deepest thoughts and fears and joys, to the people we love, hate or are fascinated by, bits and pieces of those all find their way into our storytelling.

So when we struggle coming up with things to write about, it?s not that we don?t have ideas. It?s that some ideas make us feel more vulnerable than others. We feel exposed, and fear of rejection is primal. It touches us at the very core of our being.

Not Good Enough. Not Perfect Enough.

There?s another side to our worry over what other people will think. It?s fear that even we won?t like what we write. So now, let?s talk about what happens if you?re actually writing and you find yourself hating your words.

Failure Quote x

1. You?re too close to your work. Set it aside for at least a day. Longer if possible. And the more pages we?re talking about, the longer you should let it grow ?cold? so that when you read it next, it will be with fresh eyes.

2. Don?t confuse striving for excellence with perfectionism. The former is healthy. The latter is not, mostly because perfect does not exist, and striving for the unattainable is a good way to end up needing a therapist.

3. When you?ve put your work away and revisit it, you will find things you like and things you loathe. STOP. Do not even backspace to make corrections until you have saved that file under another name. I?ve started appending a date to my file names. You will thank me when you?ve done some drastic editing, but want to include a section you got rid of. Do not begin editing until you have created and saved a NEW version of ANY document.

4. Consider saving to a special folder in DropBox or EverNote. These cloud-based programs provide a central storage area accessible from any of your web-enabled devices. Plus they provide a backup location. I recently lost access to 25 years of writing archives because of an external hard drive failure. When your backup fails, what then?

Are You Making This Mistake?

You?re working away on your first draft and then you get up for something to drink. When you come back, what?s the first thing you do? If you?re like most people, you start reading from the beginning. HUGE MISTAKE. Here?s why.

Writing is a right-brain (creative/intuitive) function. Editing and rewriting are left-brain (analytical/logical) functions. The two don?t play well together because they have conflicting goals.

Our subconscious mind is our muse, and s/he must be cajoled out of hiding and begged to provide us with useful creative genius. When she?s on a roll, you don?t want to do anything except to take down every word she gives you. Don?t interrupt the flow.

Bear in mind that you are creating a rough draft, the same way an artist creates a quick rough sketch. Don?t concern yourself with formatting, typos, misspellings, etc. And when you know there?s a better word but it won?t come to you, don?t open up the thesaurus. Just type a series of underscores and in parentheses include the word that?s not quite right, then continue letting the words flow. It?s the best gift you can possibly give yourself and your writing.

The ?P? Word.

If you?re a free spirit like I am, you probably hate to plan. But I?ve learned the hard way that I must do at least minimal preparation or my writing lacks cohesion. The method you use to plan should be according to your personal style or personality.

The subconscious thinks in images, not words. This is why a mind map is useful for recalcitrant muses. Mind maps are just visual enough to fool our muse into thinking it?s an image.. And it?s the interesting connections that make our writing appealing and saleable.

The ?O? Word.

Outlines are useful to our left brain, which needs something concrete, like a timeline, to provide structure. Here?s the thing about outlines. There are two primary views on their effectiveness.

For authors who must plan each scene in excruciating detail before they ever start getting their story down on paper or their computer?s screen, an outline is a foregone conclusion. And you will find that they are convinced every single writer must outline first.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are writers who will absolutely shut down when faced with creating an outline. By the time they complete it, they feel like they?ve already told the story and there?s no point in developing it now. For these writers, an outline is a straight jacket. They prefer to grab a starting point, an ending point, some back story, some characters, a scenario and then they set off on a journey of discovery. To them it?s much like archaeologists uncovering antiquities. They carefully brush off the dirt and sand from ancient artifacts they?ve discovered, exposing untold treasures.

The differences boil down to style and personality. There is no single right way to create a story.

However?

You sensed that was coming, right? A little bit of structure is necessary and a little holistic thinking is, too.

I?m of the loosey-goosey variety, in case you didn?t figure that out. But if I don?t have guideposts, I waste a lot of time going down rabbit holes. About 20 years ago I wrote a 100,000-word romantic suspense novel. Had I outlined it, the book would have been published by now, I have no doubt, because I would have detected the plot flaw that has kept it archived on my hard drive all these years.

I did, however, create two documents while I was writing it. I did this for my own sanity and it helped tremendously with workflow. One was a timeline that traced the characters? lineage all the way back to Colonial days: when they were born, married, gave birth to or sired a child, divorced and died. I also included other important document. In this simple document, I ?discovered? plot points I wouldn?t have thought of otherwise. The other document I created was a simple listing of events or scenes that other situations depended on. It wasn?t in any particular order, but rather as I thought of them. I added to the list constantly. Both were instrumental in getting it written.

A Side Note.

Now that I?m writing again, I?ve revisited this novel and I?m adapting it for the digital marketplace. People, in my opinion, are not looking for long novels anymore, at least not for the most part. I?m in the process, therefore, of breaking the story up into three sections to be published separately. And I may be changing the genre to erotica. We?ll see.

Your Muse.

For a middle grade children?s book I?ve been dabbling with for years, I went online and found photos of castle-like mansions. I recommend home building plan sites, because ultimately you?ll want to know the layout of any houses you might need. I also wanted some d?cor, and fortunately I found photos of actual homes based on those plans. I mixed and matched until I came up with what I wanted, then drew a complete floor plan, including closets, pantries and bathrooms.

Bribing the museWhy? Because as I said before, my muse is visual, and she needs these details. As I was drawing my mansion floor plan, she found a way to make a series of secret passages. (Admit it. You?re fascinated by the idea of secret passages, too.) And when I drew the carriage house, she insisted secret passages be included there, as well. Not only that, she connected the passages from both buildings to a tunnel, which will make for some interesting and possibly scary situations.

Don?t be put off about my speaking of my muse as though she?s real. How could she not be? She is me in my unselfconscious state, my true subconscious who remembers everything I?ve ever felt, said, done, read, even dreamed. Our subconscious is smarter than our conscious mind.

So treat your muse with care or she may go into hiding until you cajole her out. Mine is partial to chocolate chip cookies. Whatever works.

One final thought.

It?s altogether possible that what we call writer?s block is Muse Block. Be sure to feed your muse lots of visuals as you brainstorm plot ideas and search for photos of people who represent your characters. And don?t forget the chocolate chip cookies.

~

Dr. Bren? Brown on Vulnerability

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Deb GallardoTo learn more about what I have to say about writer?s block, I invite you to visit The Story Ideas Virtuoso where you can download with my compliments ?Writer?s Block?Facing Down the Dreaded Blank Page? in the sidebar.

Deb has been blogging about writer?s block, creative writing, the psychology of writing, as well as tips and tricks for discovering the story ideas that are hiding in plain sight, and more since 2007. At the end of 2012, she retired from working for other people and moved across the country to southeastern Arizona, where she is writing full-time and learning to cope with an alien climate.

The latest writing accomplishment of which she is ecstatically proud is an Amazon review which she penned for the new film ?A Perfect Ending,? starring BarbaraNiven, John Heard and Morgan Fairchild. Deb?s review caught the attention of not only Niven and the film?s producer Marina Rice Bader, but also writer/director Nicole Conn. Conn?s comment at the end of the review is the kind of feedback every writer dreams of hearing.

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Source: http://www.fictionblueprints.com/which-form-of-writers-block-do-you-have/

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TrustMovies: A sad, shocking education: Maria Iliou&#39;s SMYRNA: A ...


The power of a good documentary to inform, educate, entertain, shock and encourage further thinking and discussion is brought to fine fruition in the film, SMYRNA: THE DESTRUCTION OF A COSMOPO-LITAN CITY, 1900-1922. Even, I suspect, old fogies like TrustMovies, may have some trouble coming up with the time and place that this fabled city existed (and we don't mean Smyrna, Georgia), so long has it been since many of us have heard the name or, for that matter, the larger location in which this city rested: Asia Minor. (It has literally been decades, I think, since I've heard spoken or seen those two words in print.) Now, thanks to writer/director?Maria Iliou?(shown at left) and the several experts whom she and her crew have rounded up, this truly cosmopolitan city comes to life -- and death -- in a documentary that should take its place as a prime work of necessary historical excavation. We often hear the world "cosmopolitan" bandied about, in reference to American cities such as New York and San Francisco, but to hear our narrators speak about Smyrna -- the sounds of its multi-cultural music, its languages spoken, fashions worn and food eaten -- is to define that word anew, and definitively. Filled with wonderfully rich, archival footage, we see a city made up of Muslims, Greeks, Armenians, Jews and Levantines?(TM had to look up that word, so he figures you might need the definition, too), each group in its own district?and?all managing to get along within the borders of the city -- thanks in good part to the kind of "mayor" who made certain that every group was included in the "spoils," so to speak. The film give us a tale of nationalism vs. cosmopolitanism, and for those of us who've lived awhile, it will not be difficult to imagine which group prevails. Though located in the area of the Ottoman Empire known as Asia Minor, Smyrna was always pulled most strongly between two cultures, religions and countries -- Greece and Turkey, Christianity and the Muslim world. The city became such a popular place that it was, in a sense, "protected" by the Great Powers, at least so long as it served the interests of those powers. After World War I, the favor of the Great Powers moved from Greece to Turkey, for reasons of trade, among other things. The historians/narrators gives some very good history here, with cogent explanations of what was happening and why. One big question that hangs over the film is why did not the residents of Smyrna realize the horror that was on the horizon, which ought to have been clearer to see. Yet life in the city was so secluded from what was happening elsewhere -- in other cities, in the nearby countryside -- that, like Germany and much of Europe pre-World War II, the populace did not want to believe what they most needed to at that time. The experts here include Alexander Kitroeff, Giles Milton, Victoria Solomonidis, Eleni Bastea and Leyla Neyzi, and they are all worth seeing and hearing. When it comes time to tell us what happened to Smyrna, the speakers do not stint, and it is among the most horrible tales of destruction and genocide that I can recall -- made worse by the fact that warships of the Great Powers were sitting in the Smyrna harbor all the while and for too long a time did absolutely nothing to help the populace. The story has its few heroes, as well as its many villains (foremost among these the actions of the Greek military as they withdrew, and then much more so the Turks). After the Armenian genocide, Turkey now has another permanent blot on its honor with the Smyrna story. And of course, that country refuses to own up to anything. Little wonder it is still not a full-fledged member of the European Union. Though, if and when it is finally accepted, this will have more to do with the Higher Powers getting what they want and less about anything so trivial as a judgement on the country's past actions and its refusal to take responsibility for them. This Smyrna documentary begins its two-week theatrical run on Friday, April 5, in New York City at the Quad Cinema, where director Maria Iliou (shown above) and Historical Consultant Alexander Kitroeff will be present for a Q&A after the 7:00 show on Friday, April 5th. There will be another Q&A with Director Maria Iliou and the film's director of photography, Allen Moore, on Friday April 12th at the 7:00pm show. You can learn of other screenings internationally by first clicking here, and then clicking on SCREENINGS AND NEWS at the bottom of the frame.

Source: http://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-sad-shocking-education-maria-ilious.html

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Chris Brown Tries To Keep His 'Sanity' On Social Networks

'Everything I say is looked at under a microscope, so I gotta kinda pull back sometimes,' Breezy tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704794/chris-brown-twitter-sanity.jhtml

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