বুধবার, ৩১ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Treasury says expects to hit debt limit before 2013

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury said on Wednesday it was still on track to hit the debt limit near the end of the year though emergency tools would allow the department to continue borrowing funds to keep the government operating through early 2013.

As of Monday, the Treasury was $235 billion below the $16.4 trillion legal amount the government is allowed to borrow. The Treasury did not provide details on when the emergency tools would run their course, but analysts have forecast this to happen in the latter half of February.

This gives the Obama administration some breathing room to broker a deal with Congress to find a solution to the so-called fiscal cliff or the $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts that are due to kick in at the end of the year.

The committee of Wall Street firms that advises the Treasury on borrowing needs said the outlook for fiscal policy is dominating near-term economic prospects.

"A timely and orderly resolution of this uncertainty would contribute meaningfully to an improvement in the economic outlook," the committee said in its report to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

After next Tuesday's presidential and congressional elections, the administration and lawmakers will have less than two months to find a way to avoid the cliff.

The Treasury also announced a $72 billion quarterly funding of its 3-year, 10-year and 30-year debt securities, which will raise $8.9 billion in new cash. It also said it expects to keep its debt sales stable in coming months.

Earlier this week, the Treasury cut its borrowing estimates for the final quarter of the year due to higher revenues and less government spending.

The Treasury said it still had not made a decision on whether to allow investors to bid on securities that offer negative interest rates but said the department still planned on issuing floating-rate notes late next year.

(Reporting By Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Neil Stempleman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/treasury-says-expects-hit-debt-limit-2013-133305657--business.html

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Club Paranormal

Club Paranormal

Recently, you've been seeing unnatural things...like ghosts. So, you join a recent club at school; to the normal eye called Club P, but you see it as Club Paranormal.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Club Paranormal?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Club Paranormal"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

RUMBLEROAR'S ARMY!

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Jadebud98
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শুক্রবার, ২৬ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Amazon reports weak results, shares slip

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc reported weak quarterly results on Thursday as the world's largest Internet retailer spent heavily and suffered from an economic slowdown in Europe.

Amazon shares slipped slightly to $221 in after-hours trading after the results.

The company said its third-quarter net loss was $274 million, or 60 cents a share, versus net income of $63 million, or 14 cents a share, in the third quarter of 2011. Part of the loss was related to an impairment charge from Amazon's investment in daily deal company LivingSocial.

Third-quarter revenue was $13.81 billion, up 27 percent from a year earlier, Amazon also said.

Amazon was expected to lose 8 cents a share in the third quarter on revenue of $13.9 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Before Thursday's report, Amazon had generated 18 straight quarters of net income, according to BGC Partners.

For the crucial fourth-quarter holiday shopping period, Amazon forecast revenue that missed analysts' expectations. The company also gave a wide forecast for operating income in the period.

"There's increased competition from mass merchants and big box retailers embedded in that guidance," said RJ Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar. "There's a lot of competition this holiday and it's not clear how this will play out, even for smart operators like Amazon."

Amazon is facing more competition this holiday season from big retailers such as Target and Best Buy, which are planning to match some of the company's prices online.

Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, is also testing same-day delivery in some cities this holiday, while Target is selling more exclusive products that cannot be bought at lower prices online.

Amazon is also spending heavily on new distribution warehouses and technology to support its cloud-computing businesses, Amazon Web Services. It is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars a year on digital content to sell through its Kindle tablets and e-readers.

Those Kindle gadgets are being sold at cost, pressuring earnings in the short term. Amazon hopes to make money when customers use them to buy more physical and digital products from the company.

Europe's sovereign debt crisis and recession is reducing consumer demand, sparking concern that even fast-growing Internet companies may be affected.

EBay Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan said last week that the company expected an "OK" holiday season, partly because of macro pressure in Europe.

Amazon said on Thursday that revenue from North America was $7.88 billion, up 25 percent from a year earlier. International sales, including Europe, totaled $5.92 billion, up 17 percent from the same period in 2011.

(Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by M.D. Golan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amazon-reports-big-quarterly-net-loss-201043409--sector.html

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Dhingana Raises $7M For Free, Streaming Indian Music

dhingana logoDhingana, a startup with a free service for streaming Indian and Bollywood music, has raised $7 million in Series B funding. The company's catalog includes 500,000 songs in 35 languages, which it makes available on its website and through smartphone apps. Dhingana says it has built an audience of 15 million monthly active visitors, making it the most popular service of its kind. And 40 percent of those visitors are located outside of India.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qLs9X7Ht7ZY/

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October in the Chair (for writers) ? 1st 10 pages

Titles, as we all should know, work best when they convey the meaning of the material. So, thanks to Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) for the title of this post.

More than just a Notes From the Net, this month brings some interesting first hand accounts along with online intrigue for both screenwriters and authors of books?

Shall we?

With October came 3 back-to-back conferences (2 overlapping) for screenwriters.

Script-a-wish held the Studio Networking Conference. ? That has to go down as the most efficient use of time in conference history.? Two days of really great talks by industry professionals and one night of meet and greet. No pitch lines, round tables or any other mind roasting for decision makers.? Just have drinks, meet other writers and studio personnel.? I have to hand it to Michael Ferris for thinking outside of the box and being so generous with his talent and time for trying a unique way for writers to break in.? I hope he does it again next year, just not in October.

The Screenwriters World Conference was also in its first year, sort of to fill the void of the defunct CS expo, I didn?t attend because it was the same weekend as Austin?s acclaimed festival and conference?

@StephaniePalmer from ?good in a room? summed most of #AFF12 up with a post of quotes, my favorite of which is this:

?You want your movies to have a ?because? in between the scenes instead of ?and then.?? ?Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, 27 Dresses)

That really sums up how this season?s advancing screenplays were able to move ahead of the thousands of others.? I know two of the ones that I pushed into the winners circle were from genres that are hard to get across on the page, but because the scenes weren?t episodic in nature, they were not only fast reads they were visceral and compelling.

Here?s Stephanie?s list of quotes, it?ll open in a new window, I?ll wait?

http://goodinaroom.com/blog/15-quotes-from-the-austin-film-festival/

Glad you?re back ? fun stuff huh?? The other really great thing that came about just before Austin but was definitely buzzing about there, was the blacklist?s new service for screenwriters.? No doubt you?ve heard of it because some amazing breakdowns are all over the web ? there?s no need to rehash it. Let?s just say I think it is terrific and long overdue.? Here are some great summaries:

http://johnaugust.com/2012/the-black-list-and-a-stack-of-scenes

To close the networking events I have to wonder why these two events tried to compete with AFF. It really is the single best investment for a writer.? It not only has amazing speakers, content and parties; the industry attendees are very approachable here ? much more so than any event in LA. ?And I say this despite the work that I do for their screenplay coverage and competition ? because frankly it?s true and I do work for a lot of competitions and coverage services. Please, conference planners ? stay off of October?s chair, it really belongs to @austinfilmfestival.

Okay? Now for you writers of other kinds of stories a fun service hit the airwaves

Paper sky creative is a social publishing platform for traditional authors.? I?ve talked about ebooks extensively on here, but here?s another FREE social publishing service geared specifically to getting your ?brand? developed.

Speaking of brand development:

Here?s a nice bucket of social media ideas from @scriptcat.? You may have noticed this post has a lot of @ and # throughout.? Twitter to me is the bar scene and facebook the invitational party.? You probably wouldn?t pitch your work to anyone at either but if you think about it the conversations had and overheard in a hopping bar usually make for memorable connections that could lead to something ;-) ? BTW, you may notice my tweedle feed is in the right column so give me a follow and I?ll share the love.

LinkedIn actually led me to the current film I?m on through a mutual group and @Stage32 has hooked up a lot of people in the film industry.

SCRIPTCAT

And now to close out the month, for your reading pleasure:

Mr. Gaiman?s short ?October in the Chair (from Tumblr)

October in the Chair by Neil Gaiman

October was in the chair, so it was chilly that evening, and the leaves were red and orange and tumbled from the trees that circled the grove. The twelve of them sat around a campfire roasting huge sausages on sticks, which spat and crackled as the fat dripped onto the burning applewood, and drinking fresh apple cider, tangy and tart in their mouths.

April took a dainty bite from her sausage, which burst open as she bit into it, spilling hot juice down her chin. ?Beshrew and suck-ordure on it,? she said.

Squat March, sitting next to her, laughed, low and dirty, and then pulled out a huge, filthy handkerchief. ?Here you go,? he said.

April wiped her chin. ?Thanks,? she said. ?The cursed bag-of-innards burned me. I?ll have a blister there tomorrow.?

September yawned, ?You are such a hypochondriac,? he said, across the fire. ?And such language.? He had a pencil-thin mustache and was balding in the front, which made his forehead seem high and wise.

?Lay off her,? said May. Her dark hair was cropped short against her skull, and she wore sensible boots. She smoked a small brown cigarillo that smelled heavily of cloves. ?She?s sensitive.?

?Oh puhlease,? said September. ?Spare me.?

October, conscious of his position in the chair, sipped his apple cider, cleared his throat, and said, ?Okay. Who wants to begin?? The chair he sat in was carved from one large block of oakwood, inlaid with ash, with cedar, and with cherrywood. The other eleven sat on tree stumps equally spaced about the small bonfire. The tree stumps had been worn smooth and comfortable by years of use.

?What about the minutes?? asked January. ?We always do minutes when I?m in the chair.?

?Let the little buggers take care of themselves,? said April, one hand running through her long blonde hair. ?And I think September should go first.?

September preened and nodded. ?Delighted,? he said.

?Hey,? said February. ?Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey-hey-hey. I didn?t hear the chairman ratify that. Nobody starts till October says who starts, and then nobody else talks. Can we have maybe the tiniest semblance of order here?? He peered at them, small, pale, dressed entirely in blues and grays.

?It?s fine,? said October. His beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face. His cheeks were apple-red. He looked like a friend; like someone you had known all your life. ?September can go first. Let?s just get it rolling.?

September placed the end of his sausage into his mouth, chewed daintily, and drained his cider mug. Then he stood up and bowed to the company and began to speak.

?Laurent DeLisle was the finest chef in all of Seattle, at least, Laurent DeLisle thought so, and the Michelin stars on his door confirmed him in his opinion. He was a remarkable chef, it is true?his minced lamb brioche had won several awards; his smoked quail and white truffle ravioli had been described in the Gastronome as ?the tenth wonder of the world.? But it was his wine cellar? ah, his wine cellar? that was his source of pride and his passion.

?I understand that. The last of the white grapes are harvest in me, and the bulk of the reds: I appreciate fine wines, the aroma, the taste, the aftertaste as well.

?Laurent DeLisle bought his wines at auctions, from private wine lovers, from reputable dealers: he would insist on a pedigree for each wine, for wine frauds are, alas, too common, when the bottle is selling for perhaps five, ten, a hundred thousand dollars, or pounds, or euros.

?The treasure?the jewel?the rarest of the rare and the ne plus ultra of his temperature-controlled wine cellar was a bottle of 1902 Ch?teau Lafitte. It was on the wine list at one hundred and twenty thousand dollars although it was, in true terms, priceless, for it was the last bottle of its kind.?

?Excuse me,? said August, politely. He was the fattest of them all, his thin hair combed in golden wisps across his pink pate.

September glared down at his neighbor. ?Yes??

?Is this the one where some rich dude buys the wine to go with the dinner, and the chef decides that the dinner the rich dude ordered isn?t good enough for the wine, so he sends out a different dinner, and the guy takes one mouthful, and he?s got, like, some rare allergy and he just dies like that, and the wine never gets drunk after all??

September said nothing. He looked a great deal.

?Because if it is, you told it before. Years ago. Dumb story then. Dumb story now.? August smiled. His pink cheeks shone in the fire-light.

September said, ?Obviously pathos and culture are not to every-one?s taste. Some people prefer their barbecues and beer, and some of us like??

February said, ?Well, I hate to say this, but he kind of does have a point. It has to be a new story.?

September raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. ?I?m done,? he said, abruptly. He sat down on his stump.

They looked at one another across the fire, the months of the year.

June, hesitant and clean, raised her hand and said, ?I have one about a guard on the X-ray machines at LaGuardia Airport, who could read all about people from the outlines of their luggage on the screen, and one day she saw a luggage X-ray so beautiful that she fell in love with the person, and she had to figure out which person in the line it was, and she couldn?t, and she pined for months and months. And when the person came through again she knew it this time, and it was the man, and he was a wizened old Indian man and she was pretty and black and, like, twenty-five, and she knew it would never work out and she let him go, because she could also see from the shapes of his bags on the screen that he was going to die soon.?

October said, ?Fair enough, young June. Tell that one.?

June stared at him, liked a spooked animal. ?I just did,? she said.

October nodded. ?So you did,? he said, before any of the others could say anything. And then he said, ?Shall we proceed to my story, then??

February sniffed. ?Out of order there, big fella. The man in the chair only tells his story when the rest of us are through. Can?t go straight to the main event.?

May was placing a dozen chestnuts on the grate above the fire, deploying them into patterns with her tongs. ?Let him tell his story if he wants to,? she said. ?God knows it can?t be worse than the one about the wine. And I have things to be getting back to. Flowers don?t bloom by themselves. All in favor??

?You?re taking this to a formal vote?? February said. ?I cannot believe this is happening.? He mopped his brow with a handful of tissues, which he pulled from his sleeve.

Seven hands were raised. Four people kept their hands down?February, September, January, and July. (?I don?t have anything personal on this,? said July, apologetically. ?It?s purely procedural. We shouldn?t be setting precedents.?)

?It?s settled then,? said October. ?Is there anything anyone would like to say before I begin??

?Um. Yes. Sometimes,? said June, ?sometimes I think somebody?s watching us from the woods, and then I look and there isn?t anybody there. But I still think it.?

April said, ?That?s because you?re crazy.?

?Mm,? said September to everybody. ?That?s our April. She?s sensitive, but she?s still the cruelest.?

?Enough,? said October. He stretched in his chair. He cracked a cobnut with his teeth, pulled out the kernel, and threw the fragments of shell into the fire, where they hissed and spat and popped, and he began.

?

There was a boy, October said, who was miserable at home, although they did not beat him. He did not fit well, not his family, his town, nor even his life. He had two older brothers, who were twins, older than he was, and who hurt him or ignored him, and were popular. They played football: some games one twin would score more and be the hero, and some games the other would. Their little brother did not play football. They had a name for their brother. They called him the Runt.

They had called him the Runt since he was a baby, and at first their mother and father had chided them for it.

The twins said, ?But he is the runt of the litter. Look at him. Look at us.? The boys were six when they said this. Their parents thought it was cute. A name like the Runt can be infectious, so pretty soon the only person who called him Donald was his grandmother, when she telephoned him on his birthday, and people who did not know him.

Now, perhaps because names have power, he was a runt: skinny and small and nervous. He had been born with a runny nose, and it had not stopped running in a decade. At mealtimes, if the twins liked the food, they would steal his; if they did not, they would contrive to place their food on his plate and he would find himself in trouble for leaving good food uneaten.

Their father never missed a football game, and would buy an ice cream afterward for the twin who had scored the most, and a consolation ice cream for the other twin, who hadn?t. Their mother described herself as a newspaperwoman, although she mostly sold advertising space and subscriptions: she had gone back to work full-time once the twins were capable of taking care of themselves.

The other kids in the boy?s class admired the twins. They had called him Donald for several weeks in first grade, until the word trickled down that his brothers called him the Runt. His teachers rarely called him anything at all, although among themselves they could sometimes be heard to say that it was a pity the youngest Covay boy didn?t have the pluck or the imagination or the life of his brothers.

The Runt could not have told you when he first decided to run away, nor when his daydreams crossed the border and became plans. By the time that he admitted to himself he was leaving he had a large Tupperware container hidden beneath a plastic sheet behind the garage containing three Mars bars, two Milky Ways, a bag of nuts, a small bag of licorice, a flashlight, several comics, an unopened packet of beef jerky, and thirty-seven dollars, most of it in quarters. He did not like the taste of beef jerky, but he had read that explorers had survived for weeks on nothing else; and it was when he put the packet of beef jerky into the Tupperware box and pressed the lid down with a pop that he knew he was going to have to run away.

He had read books, newspapers, and magazines. He knew that if you ran away you sometimes met bad people who did bad things to you; but he had also read fairy tales, so he knew that there were kind people out there, side by side with the monsters.

The Runt was a thin ten year-old, small, with a runny nose and a blank expression. If you were to try and pick him out of a group of boys, you?d be wrong. He?d be the other one. Over at the side. The one your eye slipped over.

All through September he put off leaving. It took a really bad Friday, during the course of which both of his brothers sat on him (and the one who sat on his face broke wind and laughed uproariously), for him to decide that whatever monsters were waiting out in the world would be bearable, perhaps even preferable.

Saturday, his brothers were meant to be looking after him, but soon they went into town to see a girl they liked. The Runt went around the back of the garage and took the Tupperware container out from beneath the plastic sheeting. He took it up to his bedroom. He emptied his schoolbag onto his bed, filled it with his candies and comics and quarters and the beef jerky. He filled an empty soda bottle with water.

The Runt walked into town and got on the bus. He rode west, ten-dollars-in-quarters? worth of west, to a place he didn?t know, which he thought was a good start, then he got off the bus and walked. There was no sidewalk now, so when cars came past he would edge over into the ditch, to safety.

The sun was high. He was hungry, so he rummaged in his bag and pulled out a Mars bar. After he ate it he found he was thirsty, and he drank almost half of the water from his soda bottle before he realized he was going to have to ration it. He had thought that once he got out of the town he would see springs of fresh water everywhere, but there were none to be found. There was a river, though, that ran beneath a wide bridge.

The Runt stopped halfway across the bridge to stare down at the brown water. He remembered something he had been told in school: that, in the end, all rivers flowed into the sea. He had never been to the seashore. He clambered down the bank and followed the river. There was a muddy path along the side of the riverbank, and an occasional beer can or plastic snack packet to show that people had been that way before, but he saw no one as he walked.

He finished his water.

He wondered if they were looking for him yet. He imagined police cars and helicopters and dogs, all trying to find him. He would evade them. He would make it to the sea.

The river ran over some rocks, and it splashed. He saw a blue heron, its wings wide, glide past him, and he saw solitary end-of-season dragonflies, and sometimes small clusters of midges, enjoying the Indian Summer. The blue sky became dusk-gray, and a bat swung down to snatch insects from the air. The Run wondered where he would sleep that night.

Soon the path divided, and he took the branch that led away from the river, hoping it would lead to a house or to a farm with an empty barn. He walked for some time, as the dusk deepened, until at the end of the path he found a farmhouse, half tumbled-down and unpleasant-looking. The Runt walked around it, becoming increasingly certain as he walked that nothing could make him go inside, and then he climbed over a broken fence to an abandoned pasture, and settled down to sleep in the long grass with his schoolbag for his pillow.

He lay on his back, fully dressed, staring up at the sky. He was not in the slightest bit sleepy.

?They?ll be missing me by now,? he told himself. ?They?ll be worried.?

He imagined himself coming home in a few years? time. The delight on his family?s faces as he walked up the path to the home. Their welcome. Their love?.

He woke some hours later, with the bright moonlight in his face. He could see the whole world?as bright as day, like in the nursery rhyme, but pale and without colors. Above him, the moon was full, or almost, and he imagined a face looking down at him, not unkindly, in the shadows and shapes of the moon?s surface.

A voice said, ?Where do you come from??

He sat up, not scared, not yet, and looked around him. Trees. Long grass. ?Where are you? I don?t see you.?

Something he had taken for a shadow moved, beside a tree on the edge of the pasture, and he saw a boy of his own age.

?I?m running away from home,? said the Runt.

?Whoa,? said the boy. ?That must have taken a whole lot of guts.?

The Runt grinned with pride. He didn?t know what to say.

?You want to walk a bit?? said the boy.

?Sure,? said the Runt. He moved his schoolbag so it was next to the fence post, so he could always find it again.

They walked down the slope, giving a wide berth to the old farmhouse.

?Does anyone live there?? asked the Runt.

?No really,? said the other boy. He had fair, fine hair that was almost white in the moonlight. ?Some people tried a long time back, but they didn?t like it, and they left. Then other folk moved in. But nobody lives there now. What?s your name??

?Donald,? said the Runt. And then, ?But they call me the Runt. What do they call you??

The boy hesitated. ?Dearly,? he said.

?That?s a cool name.?

Dearly said, ?I used to have another name, but I can?t read it anymore.?

They squeezed through a huge iron gateway, rusted part open, part closed, and they were in the little meadow at the bottom of the slope.

?This place is cool,? said the Runt.

There were dozens of stones of all sizes in the small meadow. Tall stones, bigger than either of the boys, and small ones, just the right size for sitting on. There were some broken stones. The Runt knew what sort of a place this was, but it did not scare him. It was a loved place.

?Who?s buried here?? he asked.

?Mostly okay people,? said Dearly. ?There used to be a town over there. Past those trees. Then the railroad came and they built a stop in the next town over, and our town sort of dried up and fell in and blew away. There?s bushes and trees now, where the town was. You can hide in the trees and go into the old houses and jump out.?

The Runt said, ?Are they like that farmhouse up there? The houses?? He didn?t want to go in them, if they were.

?No,? said dearly. ?Nobody goes in them, except for me. And some animals, sometimes. I?m the only kid around here.?

?I figured,? said the Runt.

?Maybe we can go down and play in them,? said Dearly.

?That would be pretty cool,? said the Runt.

It was a perfect early October night: almost as warm as summer and the harvest moon dominated the sky. You could see everything.

?Which one of these is yours?? asked the Runt.

Dearly straightened up proudly and took the Runt by the hand. He pulled him to an overgrown corner of the field. The two boys pushed aside the long grass. The stone was set flat into the ground, and it had dates carved into it from over a hundred years before. Much of it was worn away, but beneath the dates it was possible to make out the words

DEARLY DEPARTED

WILL NEVER BE FORG

?Forgotten, I?d wager,? said Dearly.

?Yeah, that?s what I?d say, too,? said the Runt.

They went out of the gate, down a gully, and into what remained of the old town. Trees grew through houses, and buildings had fallen in on themselves, but it wasn?t scary. They played hide and seek. They explored. Dearly showed the Runt some pretty cool places, including a one-room cottage that he said was the oldest building in that whole part of the county. It was in pretty good shape, too, considering how old it was.

?I can see pretty good by moonlight,? said the Runt. ?Even inside. I didn?t know it was so easy.?

?Yeah,? said Dearly. ?And after a while you get good at seeing even when there ain?t any moonlight.?

The Runt was envious.

?I got to go to the bathroom,? said the Runt. ?Is there somewhere around here??

Dearly thought for a moment. ?I don?t know,? he admitted. ?I don?t do that stuff anymore. There are a few outhouses still standing, but they may not be safe. Best just to do it in the woods.?

?Like a bear,? said the Runt.

He walked out the back, into the woods that pushed up against the wall of the cottage, and went behind a tree. He?d never done that before, in the open air. He felt like a wild animal. When he was done he wiped himself off with fallen leaves. Then he went back out the front. Dearly was sitting in a pool of moonlight, waiting for him.

?How did you die?? asked the Runt.

?I got sick,? said Dearly. ?My maw cried and carried on something fierce. Then I died.?

?If I stayed here with you,? said the Runt, ?would I have to be dead, too??

?Maybe,? said Dearly. ?Well, yeah, I guess.?

?What it like? Being dead??

?I don?t mind it,? admitted Dearly. ?Worst thing is not having anyone to play with.?

?But there must be lots of people up in that meadow,? said the Runt. ?Don?t they ever play with you??

?Nope,? said Dearly. ?Mostly, they sleep. And even when they walk, they can?t be bothered to just go and see stuff and do things. They can?t be bothered with me. You see that tree??

It was a beech tree, its smooth gray bark cracked with age. It sat in what must once been the town square, ninety years before.

?Yeah,? said the Runt.

?You want to climb it??

?It looks kind of high.?

?It is. Real high. But it?s easy to climb. I?ll show you.?

It was easy to climb. There were handholds in the bark, and the boys went up the big beech like a couple of monkeys or pirates or warriors. From the top of the tree one could see the whole world. The sky was starting to lighten, just a hair, in the east.

Everything waited. The night was ending. The world was holding its breath, preparing to begin again.

?This was the best day I ever had,? said the Runt.

?Me too,? said Dearly. ?What you going to do now??

?I don?t know,? said the Runt.

He imagined himself going on across the world, all the way to the sea. He imagined himself growing up and growing older, bring himself up by his bootstraps. Somewhere in there he would become fabulously wealthy. And then he would go back to the house with the twins in it, and he would drive up to their door in his wonderful car, or perhaps he would turn up at a football game (in his imagination the twins had neither aged nor grown) and look down at them, in a kindly way. He would buy them all, the twins, his parents, a meal at the finest restaurant in the city, and they would tell him how badly they had misunderstood him and mistreated him. They apologized and wept, and through it all he said nothing. He let their apologies wash over him. And then he would give each of them a gift, and afterward he would leave their lives once more, this time for good.

It was a fine dream.

In reality, he knew, he would keep walking, and be found tomorrow or the day after that, and go home and be yelled at, and everything would be the same as it ever was, and day after day, hour after hour until the end of time he?d still be the Runt, only they?d be mad at him for having dared to walk away.

?I have to go to bed soon,? said Dearly. He started to climb down the big beech tree.

Climbing down the tree was harder, the Runt found. You couldn?t see where you were putting your feet and had to feel around for somewhere to put them. Several times he slipped and slid, but Dearly went down ahead of him and would say things like ?A little to the right, now,? and they both made it down just fine.

The sky continued to lighten, and the moon was fading, and it was harder to see. They clambered back through the gully. Sometimes the Runt wasn?t sure that Dearly was there at all, but when he got to the top, he saw the boy waiting for him.

They didn?t say much as they walked up to the meadow filled with stones. The Runt put his arm over Dearly?s shoulder, and they walked in step up the hill.

?Well,? said Dearly. ?Thanks for coming over.?

?I had a good time,? said the Runt.

?Yeah,? said Dearly. ?Me too.?

Down in the woods somewhere a bird began to sing.

?If I wanted to stay??? said the Runt, all in a burst. Then he stopped. I might never get another chance to change it, thought the Runt. He?d never get to the sea. They?d never let him.

Dearly didn?t say anything, not for a long time. The world was gray. More birds joined the first.

?I can?t do it,? said Dearly, eventually. ?But they might.?

?Who??

?The ones in there.? The fair boy pointed up the slope to the tumbledown farmhouse with the jagged, broken windows, silhouetted against the dawn. The gray light had not changed it.

The Runt shivered. ?There?s people in there?? he said. ?I thought you said it was empty.?

?It ain?t empty,? said Dearly. ?I said nobody lives there. Different things.? He looked up at the sky. ?I got to go home now,? he added. He squeezed the Runt?s hand. And then he just wasn?t there any longer.

The Runt stood in the little graveyard all on his own, listening to the birdsong on the morning air. Then he made his way up the hill. It was harder by himself.

He picked up his schoolbag from the place he had left it. He ate his last Milky Way and stared at the tumbledown building. The empty windows of the farmhouse were like eyes, watching him.

It was darker inside there. Darker than anything.

He pushed his way through the weed-choked yard. The door to the farmhouse was mostly crumbled away. He stopped at the doorway, hesitating, wondering if this was wise. He could smell damp, and rot, and something else underneath. He thought he heard something move, deep in the house, in the cellar, maybe, or the attic. A shuffle, maybe. Or a hop. It was hard to tell.

Eventually, he went inside.

Nobody said anything. October filled his wooden mug with apple cider when he was done, and drained it, and filled it again.

?It was a story,? said December. ?I?ll say that for it.? He rubbed his pale blue eyes with a fist. The fire was almost out.

?What happened next?? asked June, nervously. ?After he went into the house??

May, sitting next to her, put her hand on June?s arm. ?Better not to think about it,? she said.

?Anyone else want a turn?? asked August. There was silence. ?Then I think we?re done.?

?That needs to be an official motion,? pointed out February.

?All in favor?? said October. There was a chorus of ?Ayes.? ?All against?? Silence. ?Then I declare this meeting adjourned.?

They got up from the fireside, stretching and yawning, and walked away into the wood, in ones and twos and threes, until only October and his neighbor remained.

?Your turn in the chair next time,? said October.

?I know,? said November. He was pale and thin-lipped. He helped October out of the wooden chair. ?I like your stories. Mine are always too dark.?

?I don?t think so,? said October. ?It?s just that your nights are longer. And you aren?t as warm.?

?Put it like that,? said November, ?and I feel better. I suppose we can?t help who we are.?

?That?s the spirit,? said his brother. And they touched hands as they walked away from the fire?s orange embers, taking their stories with them back into the dark.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

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Tags: Austin Film Festival, bitterscriptreader, Good in a Room, Neil Gaiman, screenwriting, Scriptawish, Scriptcat, Stage 32, THE BLACK LIST, writing

Source: http://1st10pages.com/2012/10/25/october-in-the-chair-for-writers/

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Christina Applegate -- Fiance Threatened on Twitter ... 'I Am Going to Kill You'

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Source: http://www.americansuperstarmag.com/celebrity-news/christina-applegate-fiance-threatened-on-twitter-i-am-going-to-kill-you

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4 Great Reason to Have Vision Care Insurance | A Mom in Red High ...

It?s open enrollment!? What does that mean?? It means you can enroll for health care, dental care and vision care insurance!? If you haven?t given it a second thought, I want to remind you about vision care. Even if your basic medical insurance is taken care of, you should have vision insurance.? It will save you a lot of money for those eye exams you should be getting and the potential cost of eye glasses for your family.

There are 4 great reason to enroll in Vision Care Insurance:

  1. I learned in my interview with Dr. Roger Phelps of OjaiEyes Optometry how important a yearly eye exam is even if you feel you have great vision! A thorough eye exam can detect signs of eye-related and other health issues! Having your eyes checked on a regular basis gives a base-line report of your health, if any changes occur, the optometrist can make a note of it and if needed, recommend further investigation with your family doctor.
  2. The latest eyewear designs are available from name brands at your doctor?s office.? Please don?t buy reading glasses from the drugstore?you could be damaging your eyes further by wearing the wrong prescriptions.? Get your eyes tested then pick a pair of frames as fabulous as you are!
  3. Not only should you be getting regular eye exams, so should your children!? Babies as young as 6 months old should have their eyes examined and every year after!? This was most surprising to me when I spoke with Dr. Phelps!? Our endocrinologist does not recommend eye exams for my daughter with Type 1 Diabetes until age 12 or 13.? Dr. Phelps was strongly opposed to this idea.?? He noted that it?s important to establish a file so that if any changes do occur, they can be caught!? This is true for all people, regardless of their current medical history.
  4. Savings?with VSP Vision Care.? VSP promises that savings are built right into your plan, which means you?ll experience great overall value on services, like:? eye exams from the nation?s top eye doctors, prescription glasses and sunglasses, lens options, like anti-reflective coating, Transitions? lenses, and progressive lenses, contact lenses and your fitting and evaluation exam and laser vision correction.? That?s a long list of benefits!

Enrolling with VSP is easy! Ask your employer if they offer a VSP vision plan. If they do, enroll in VSP during your open enrollment. Not sure if your employer offers VSP? Call at 800.877.7195 and someone will assist you.? If your employer doesn?t carry VSP, you are not out of luck!? You may also purchase vision care directly from VSP.? Learn more.

Visit www.SeeMuchMore.com to learn more about VSP vison care and to hear testimonials from VSP members. This one is my favorite:

?I didn?t know how bad my teenage son?s sight was until we walked out of the VSP doctor?s office with his new glasses. My son said ?Oh wow, I didn?t realize trees had individual leaves.? I don?t know how long his vision has been like this, but thank you, VSP, for allowing my son to see the real world.? ~Lynette A.

Open Enrollment ends soon so learn more about VSP Vision Care now!? Taking care of your eyes and health is a beautiful thing to do!

This is a sponsored post. I am working with VSP as an ambassador to bring you eye care information as well as gorgeous eye wear styles!

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Source: http://amominredhighheels.com/4-reasons-vision-care-insurance/

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Go Inspire Go...: Boy, 6 with Brain Cancer Brings Halloween to Sick ...

Eight-year-old Nico Castro from San Bruno, Calif.,
isn't letting his battle with brain cancer affect his spirit of giving this
Halloween. After his doctor gave him the green light to trick-or-treating thanks
to a break in his chemotherapy, he was jumping for jack-o'-lanterns, what a
treat! But here's where it gets tricky.

?Even though he's worse off then some of these other kids in the hospital, he's worried about them and oh they can't go trick-or-treating and oh they can't get candy,? said Nico's mother, Marlene Castro in a proud, but somber voice.

This worried little Halloween hero with a big heart asked his parents if they could buy costumes and treats for the kids in the cancer ward. "I was sad they wouldn't have candy," Nico explained. Marlene and her husband Raul Castro were moved by his thoughtfulness, however, it would be impossible to buy costumes and goodies for the more than 50 sick kids in the hospital. The family took a big financial hit after Nico's diagnosis.

Nico knows what it feels like to have to sit on the sidelines during the holidays. Last November, in stead of celebrating, he was in the hospital, too ill to take part in the festivities. He was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, cancer of the cerebellum. But during this scary time, all he could think about was if he would be healthy enough to celebrate his favorite holiday -- Halloween.

So in true superhero fashion, they took action and started a costume drive. "We were so surprised from the support outside of our community. The community really came together packages of costumes are coming from Pennsylvania, Illinois and Texas," Raul said. ?The costumes, the little trinkets that the kids in the beds are getting. Just an instant and it changes their demeanor and whole attitude about being sick.?

Beware: grab a Kleenex before watching this Halloween hero's story:


It's amazing to see how the community comes together when they're given a healthy dose of inspiration. After meeting Nico, I quickly realized his superhero power is inspiring people to expand their minds, be more compassionate and to open their hearts.

After an initial call with Nico's mother to set up this shoot, I couldn't help but pitch in. I made some calls to local businesses and told them about Nico's story. Sparky's Balloons in San Francisco donated the festive bouquet of balloons and a goodie bag filled with spooky toys and trinkets. My good friend Jessica Chang reached out to Daydreams and Nightmares, a local costume shop in Modesto, Calif., that donated 20 costumes. Green Apple Books in San Francisco donated a $25 gift card after hearing that Nico likes to read. Our Facebook friend, Amanda Rivas from San Jose, Calif., saw our FB shout out, donated 15 costumes and came a long to our shoot to surprise Nico. Thanks Rivas family!

Since my nonprofit Go Inspire Go brings you stories of everyday heroes, leverages social media to build community and ultimately inspire action, we had a few tricks up our sleeves -- so I reached out to super mom Amy Pankratz, founder of Wonder Capes in Sioux Falls, S.D. and BAM, she quickly crafted a custom Batman cape for Nico and two other capes for his brother, 11, and sister, 8. I told her that Nico likes Batman because the mask covers his bald head. She told me that made her sad, so she made an extra trip to the fabric store and crafted a mask too.

The donations and kind acts continue to pour in. My friends asked if we could go to the hospital on Halloween to hand out goodies to the kids on Halloween. The community has pitch in to offset some of the medical costs. More than $1,200 has trickled in.

It is hard to sit back and not take action after meeting this inspiring family who embody the real meaning of family, generosity and being present. "If you would have asked me a year ago that my son would be battling brain cancer and I would be going to the hospital daily, I would have never believed it," Marlene explained. "Ironically, every year we would give donations to St. Jude's Hospital for sick children."

It's easy to see where Nico got his kindness, compassion and giving spirit. When you hear of Nico's story, you can't help but reflect on your own life. As a kid, I thought Halloween was about ghosts, goblins, candy and costumes. But as I get older, I realize that at its core, this hallowed holiday is more about giving, not just with candy, but sharing and revering in these little moments with each other.

We grew up on welfare, so buying a cheap $5 costume was expensive to us. I have vivid memories of autumn. I can smell the morning dew on the vibrant leaves that crinkled under my little feet -- orange, yellow, brown. My brothers and I were excited for my auntie Hong to get off work and take us costume shopping at the local Thrifty's and Newberry. I remember playing with the flash lights, Halloween Pez dispensers and toys in the store isles that I would have to put back because we didn't have the money to buy them. Still, we were happy because each of us left with a costume.

I never told Auntie Hong how this little gesture and the inexpensive costumes meant the world to us. That's all we cared about. Experiences and connections and simple acts of generosity are what this holiday is truly about. Ironically, Auntie Hong passed away of breast cancer at age 47. I didn't realize it at the time, but Auntie Hong's kind seasonal act had a profound impact on how I see the world today. Her kindness was passed along for many holidays to come. My parents didn't understand or celebrate Halloween or many other holidays, so I made a concerted effort to make holidays a big deal for my younger cousins and now for my nephew and niece. It's inspired me to be kinder to others, give what I can, and to be present and live every day with the attitude of gratitude all year round. It's interesting how the little moments in life come full circle. Now that I have a voice and a platform, I'm using it to multiply the deeds of superheroes like Nico.


Nico has undergone extensive surgery to remove his brain tumor, which was about four-and-a-half inches big. Doctors were able to remove most of the tumor from his cerebellum, but couldn't take out the rest of it because it was attached to his brain stem. Meanwhile, doctors believe the prognosis is good, but worry about how the treatment will affect Nico's standard of living in the long run.

This one's for you Auntie Hong. Nico, my Halloween hero, thank you for your thoughtfulness and allowing me to say thank you to my Auntie by telling your story!


Please don't sit out this holiday. Take action.

Take Action:

Update: Nico has collected 85 NEW costumes & 60 USED costumes!

??? 1. Be a HALLOWEEN HERO: Donations can be made at:
??????? C&C AutomotiveRefinishing
??????? 860 San Mateo Ave.
??????? San Bruno, CA 94066

??? 2. Write a letter to a cancer patient to show support.

??? 3. Hug your child or a loved one. Tell them you love them.

* Follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram

Source: http://goinspirego.blogspot.com/2012/10/boy-6-with-brain-cancer-brings.html

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Hundreds turn out for hospital merger deliberations in Brunswick ...

BRUNSWICK, Maine ? Having two choices about where to receive health care squared off at an all-day hearing Wednesday against the notion that two hospitals is one more than the Brunswick area can support.

Hundreds of people turned out to tell the Department of Health and Human Services? Office of Licensing and Regulatory Services why they support or oppose a merger between Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick and Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston. Many of those opposed to that plan said they favor instead a merger between Parkview and nearby Mid Coast Hospital, which is seeking to block CMHC?s certificate of need application so it can try to take over Parkview and create a single hospital in Brunswick.

The certificate of need application is the mechanism the state uses to consider major changes or investments in the state?s health care system.

The hearing Wednesday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Brunswick attracted a capacity crowd, many of whom wore stickers or held signs in support of either Parkview or Mid Coast Hospital. For the most part, members of the public echoed talking points voiced by officials from the hospitals.

Chuck Gill, vice president of public affairs for CMHC, said he hoped the event would bring clarity to what he said is a confusing and complex issue.

?We?re going to talk a lot today about why hospitals are joining larger systems throughout the country,? said Gill. ?Anyone involved in health care understands that this system is getting more and more and more complex. Standalone hospitals are really becoming outliers.?

Mike Ortel, chairman of the Parkview board, said the hospital has wanted to join with CMHC for more than a decade and has rejected repeated queries about joining with Mid Coast.

?Control of Parkview has never been out to bid,? said Ortel. ?We have told Mid Coast ?no? multiple times over the past 30 years because of who we are and what we stand for. Our future looks good and we have no desire to go away.?

Shirley Savage of Bath said she fears the loss of Parkview?s faith-based mission, though Parkview would lose its affiliation with the Adventist Church in a merger with either CMHC or Mid Coast.

?I choose to go to a hospital that treats my mind, my body and most of all my spirit,? she said. ?Without my spirit, it doesn?t matter what equipment you have or what treatment I get. I will not heal because my spiritual needs aren?t met.?

Others said a merger between Parkview and Mid Coast is what?s best for the community because it would save health care costs in the area ? which Mid Coast estimates would be about $24 million a year, a figure that Parkview and CMHC contest ? by eliminating redundancies in staffing and equipment. One speaker referred to CMHC?s proposal as a ?perpetuation of a $24 million-a-year forced tax.?

Ralph Perry, who said he has been involved in fundraising for both hospitals, said he opposes CMHC?s application.

?Mid Coast is truly a community hospital for this area,? said Perry. ?In 2012, this community faces changes that will definitely affect the future of health care for all of us. It is imperative that we work together.?

Several businesses also weighed in, including nearby Bath Iron Works, one of the state?s largest employers. Chris McCarthy, BIW?s director of integrated health services, said health care costs create a competitive disadvantage. He said Parkview merging with Mid Coast Hospital would save money for community members and BIW by reducing the number of hospital beds in the area.

?The bottom line is that those beds have to be paid for,? said McCarthy. ?It?s not the providers who pay for that and not the insurance companies who pay for that. We?re paying for it.?

McCarthy said Maine?s health care costs are much higher than in most other states, most notably Mississippi, the home of BIW?s primary competitor, Ingalls Shipbuilding.

?We spend about $100 million a year in health care,? he said. ?Most of that is spent in the Brunswick Health Service area. This is big dollars for us as we compete against somebody who spends an awful lot less. We at BIW would like the providers in the community to put aside their differences and get together to figure out how to come up with a solution that is going to solve our problem.?

The certificate of need approval process, which will culminate in a decision by DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew, is expected to take several more weeks. Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m Nov. 26 and can be mailed to DHHS, Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services Health Care Oversight Unit, Station House 11, 41 Anthony Avenue, Augusta 04333-0011.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/24/health/hundreds-turn-out-for-hospital-merger-deliberations-in-brunswick/

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Stem cell therapies for multiple sclerosis, other myelin disorders expected soon

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2012) ? When the era of regenerative medicine dawned more than three decades ago, the potential to replenish populations of cells destroyed by disease was seen by many as the next medical revolution. However, what followed turned out not to be a sprint to the clinic, but rather a long tedious slog carried out in labs across the globe required to master the complexity of stem cells and then pair their capabilities and attributes with specific diseases.

In a review article appearing October 25 in the journal Science, University of Rochester Medical Center scientists Steve Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., Maiken Nedergaard, Ph.D., and Martha Windrem, Ph.D., contend that researchers are now on the threshold of human application of stem cell therapies for a class of neurological diseases known as myelin disorders -- a long list of diseases that include conditions such as multiple sclerosis, white matter stroke, cerebral palsy, certain dementias, and rare but fatal childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies.

"Stem cell biology has progressed in many ways over the last decade, and many potential opportunities for clinical translation have arisen," said Goldman. "In particular, for diseases of the central nervous system, which have proven difficult to treat because of the brain's great cellular complexity, we postulated that the simplest cell types might provide us the best opportunities for cell therapy."

The common factor in myelin disorders is a cell called the oligodendrocyte. These cells arise, or are created, by another cell found in the central nervous system called the glial progenitor cell. Both oligodendrocytes and their "sister cells" -- called astrocytes -- share this same parent and serve critical support functions in the central nervous systems.

Oligodendrocytes produce myelin, a fatty substance that insulates the fibrous connections between nerve cells that are responsible for transmitting signals throughout the body. When myelin-producing cells are lost or damaged in conditions such as multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, signals traveling between nerves are weakened or even lost. Astrocytes also play an essential role in the brain. Long overlooked and underappreciated, it is now understood that astrocytes are critical to the health and signaling function of oligodendrocytes as well as neurons.

Glial progenitor cells and their offspring represent a promising target for stem cell therapies, because -- unlike other cells in the central nervous system -- they are relatively homogeneous and more readily manipulated and transplanted. In the case of oligodendrocytes, multiple animal studies have shown that, once transplanted, these cells will disperse and begin to repair or "remyelinate" damaged areas.

"Glial cell dysfunction accounts for a broad spectrum of diseases, some of which -- like the white matter degeneration of aging -- are far more prevalent than we previously realized," said Goldman. "Yet glial progenitor cells are relatively easy to work with, especially since we don't have to worry about re-establishing precise point to point connections as we must with neurons. This gives us hope that we may begin to treat diseases of glia by direct transplantation of competent progenitor cells."

Scientists have reached this point, according to the authors, because of a number of key advances. Better imaging technologies -- namely advanced MRI scanners -- now provide greater insight and clarity into the specific damage caused in the central nervous system by myelin disorders. These technologies also enable scientists to precisely follow the results of their work.

Even more importantly, researchers have overcome numerous obstacles and made significant strides in their ability to manipulate and handle these cells. Goldman's lab in particular has been a pioneer in understanding the precise chemical signals necessary to coax stem cells into making glial progenitor cells, as well as those needed to "instruct" these cells to make oligodendrocytes or astrocytes. His lab has been able to produce these cells from a number of different sources -- including "reprogramming" skin cells, a technology that has the advantage of genetically matching transplanted cells to the donor. They have also developed techniques to sort these cells based on unique identifying markers, a critical step that ensures the purity of the cells used in transplantation, lowering the risk for tumor formation.

Nedergaard's lab has studied the integration of these cells into existing neural networks, and well as in imaging their structure and function in the adult nervous system. Together, the two labs have developed models of both human neural activity and disease based on animals transplanted with glial progenitor cells, which will enable human neural cells to be evaluated in the context of the live adult brain -- as opposed to a test tube. This work has already opened new avenues in both modeling and potentially treating human glial disease.

All of these advances, contend the authors, have accelerated research to the point where human studies for myelin disorders are close at hand. For instance, diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which benefit from a new generation of stabilizing anti-inflammatory drugs, may be an especially appealing target for progenitor-based cell therapies which could repair the now permanent and untreatable damage to the central nervous system that occurs in the disease. Similarly, the authors point to a number of the childhood diseases of white matter that now appear ripe for cell-based treatment.

"We have developed a tremendous amount of information about these cells and how to produce them," said Goldman. "We understand the different cell populations, their genetic profiles, and how they behave in culture and in a variety of animal models. We also have better understanding of the disease target environments than ever before, and have the radiographic technologies to follow how patients do after transplantation. Moving into clinical trials for myelin disorders is really just a question of resources at this point."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Rochester Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


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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/zPtIv7nR8Kc/121025150401.htm

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Interview: Melbourne local, Lachlan Carter - theFetch blog - The Fetch

Deep down in the cozy book-lined dungeons of the Wheeler Centre, Community Ambassador Deb Itzkowic sat down with Lachlan Carter (left) to chat about the imminent launch of 100 Story Building, an inspiring social enterprise that he co-founded with Jenna Williams (right) and Jess Tan (middle).

What is 100 Story Building?

100 Story Building is a social enterprise and centre for young writers. Based in Melbourne?s inner-west, it?s stated mission is to ??provide opportunities for the most marginalised children and young people in our community to build literacy skills, confidence and a sense of belonging ? the key to their future success.?

The projects implemented by 100 Story Building connect students with creative professionals from all aspects of the literary world, who undertake to share their passion for storytelling, demystify the creative process and support students to write, create and explore their literary skills.

Of utmost importance to Lachlan, all of 100 Story Building?s projects have authentic outcomes and honour students? work so that they have an opportunity to see their work being celebrated in a professional space. Lachlan is also proud of other positive side-effects of the literary programs which include building students? self confidence and engaging their natural creative spirits in an effortless way.

Once upon a time? (Or ?tell us about the seeds for 100 Story Building?)

Four years ago, Lach, a primary school teacher (amongst other talents) who had been working with disadvantaged students in Melbourne?s inner-west primary schools, teamed up with Jenna, who had her feet firmly planted in the publishing world, to pursue a shared vision that combined their love of kids with their love of the literary arts.

Together they followed their pied piper (Dave Eggars) to undertake a three month internship at 826 Valencia in San Fransisco, an organisation whose mission it is to support students writing skills and help teaches get their students excited about writing.

This was a role model organisation for Lach and Jenna?s vision and the best place to soak up the skills and experience required to implement a like-minded organisation in their home town, Melbourne.

On return the pair founded Pigeons Projects, a not-for-profit organisation that delivered creative writing workshops to primary school students. Over the past four years they have been busy nurturing and growing the literary skills of marginalised children in Melbourne?s inner-west.

Fast forward four years later and Pigeons has written itself into a new story called 100 Story Building, where the lead authors include Alice Pung and Michael Prior who are the Ambassadors of this visionary social enterprise.

Who have been influential in helping get your social enterprise up and running?

Lachlan acknowledged the amazing support 100 Story Building has had along the way from its Board members, philanthropic funding bodies, industry bodies, Melbourne?s literary community as well as the schools and students that they have worked with over the past four years.

One of the main reasons that 100 Story Building has been able to get off the ground was through the support of The Social Traders program called??The Crunch?. During the three month program, Lachlan and Jenna were supported by mentors who helped them develop a feasibility study for their social enterprise. At the end of the program they participated in a pitch for investment that pitted 100 Story Building against other The Crunch participants and they were the lucky winners of start-up funding and ongoing mentoring support which ensured that the social enterprise was viable.

Since then 100 Story Building has been awarded philanthropic grants to keep them afloat until a time in the not too distant future that their social enterprise will be self-funding.

Tell us about some of your pilot projects?

Lachlan and his team have recently run a pilot program called ?In Other Words? in collaboration with Maribyrnong City Council. Over the course of a term Prep to Year 2, who predominantly came from low socio-economic, non-English speaking homes, were asked to create and tell their parent?s stories. The program was a holistic vision of literacy where parents, teachers and students worked collaboratively and parents were empowered to assist their kids to develop literacy skills.

Each week ?storytellers?, including Melbourne literary heavyweight Alice Pung, ran workshops to help the students develop their own story and their own storytelling voice. The program evolved and adapted over time when poet Taririo Mavondo, one of the ?storytellers?, introduced the students to ?kamishibai?, a Japanese storytelling form involving paper theatre. The students magnetised towards this art form and ultimately their told their stories using words and pictures which were filmed during the workshop. The program improved students? literary skills by teaching them how to put together a story using a simple character and plot framework and at the same time also developed other skills such as public speaking.

The school community came together at the grand finale film premiere, complete with red carpet and popcorn, which was held in a transformed classroom. (You can check out the students creative genius yourselves at a film screening at Federation Square on Saturday 27 October at 10am as part of the Federation Square 10th birthday celebration.)?Lachlan is serious about ensuring that 100 Story Building programs improve literacy and explains that the program is now being independently evaluated for concrete literacy development outcomes and hopes that this successful pilot project will be run again in other schools.

Another successful pilot program was run in collaboration with Harvest Magazine, where students in Year 5 and 6 convened as the editorial committee of ?Early Artist?, a children?s edition of the magazine. Each week the students participated in a workshop facilitated by an industry professional designed to explore the various stages of the publishing process. The students put out a tender for submissions, chose the stories they wanted to include (which included rejecting a number of established adult writers!), edited the articles, designed the layout of the magazine and published it.

How will your social enterprise work?

Lach envisages that eventually the literary programs for marginalised students in schools will be funded by a range of writing workshops offered to adults and kids in the general public, using the skills, experience and networks that they have developed. Examples include school holiday workshops for kids, master classes for adults who want to write for children and in collaboration with Hardie Grant Egmont (Hardie Grant?s emerging reader?s publishing arm) the 100 Story Studio will hold workshops where budding writers can present their work and get constructive feedback.

What a fabulous enterprise? how can I get involved?

Currently 100 Story Building is looking for a place to call home in the West Footscray/Flemington area. Once established, the 100 Story Studio will be the hub for the social enterprise?s ongoing programs and workshops. 100 Story Building is currently seeking enthusiastic volunteers passionate about creating it?s literary vision who can help in a range of areas including the fit-out of the studio, administration, marketing and program facilitators. Volunteers wanting to work with kids will understandably undergo a rigorous screening process including completing a working with children check.

100 Story Building will be launched on?Tuesday October 30, 7:30pm ? 8:15pm at the Wheeler Centre. Find out how the 100 Story Building will support the voices of more than 1000 children and young people in the inner-west of Melbourne, and how you can get involved and help to work towards 100 Story Building?s ?happily ever after?. RSVP here.

Email: lach@100storybuilding.org.au
Facebook: 100 Story Building
Twitter: @100storyb

Source: http://blog.thefetch.com/2012/10/25/interview-melbourne-local-lachlan-carter/

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