Stranded by Dani Pettrey
When Her Friend Goes Missing,
Every Minute Counts
Darcy St. James returns to Alaska to join a journalist friend undercover on the trail of a big story. But when Darcy arrives, she finds her friend has disappeared. Troubled by the cruise ship's vague explanation, Darcy uses her cover as a travel reporter to investigate further.
The last person Gage McKenna expects to see during his summer aboard a cruise ship leading adventure excursions is Darcy. And in typical Darcy fashion, she's digging up more trouble.
He'd love to just forget her--but something won't let him. And he can't help but worry about her as they are heading into more remote regions of Alaska and eventually into foreign waters. Something sinister is going on, and the deeper they push, the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.
Dani Petrey is a fairly new author on the Christian fiction market, having her first book just come out in May of 2012. In my personal opinion, she is one of the best new authors to have come along in recent years.
She had me hooked with her first book, Submerged, which is also the first book in this series, Alaskan Courage, and she has only gotten better with each book. This third book, Stranded is the best yet. I like it when an author has the same characters in a series, focusing more on different ones in each book, but using them all. In the last book, she started setting up for this book. In Stranded, she picks up Darcy and Gage's story where she left off in Shattered.
Stranded has all of the suspense, drama, great plot and characters, and romance Dani has had in her previous novels, but it is even better than the other two. The setting is on a cruise ship, which I think would be more of a challenge, but Dani shows she can write a great book in any setting.
Dani is one of the authors who is not afraid to make her books Christian and have her characters struggle with issues of faith. I found myself relating a lot to that of Gage in this story, and appreciate her addressing struggles of faith and showing through fiction that not everyone gets it as easily as some of us do.
This book also addresses an issue we all need to be made more aware of: the human trafficking issue.
I could not have enjoyed this book any more than I did. I devoured every page and read it through in the same day I received it in the mail. I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars. This is a Christian suspense masterpiece.
Dani Pettrey is a wife, homeschooling mom, and author. She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves--the thrill of adventure, nail biting suspense, the deepening of her characters' faith, and plenty of romance. She and her husband reside in Maryland with their two teenage daughters. Visit her website at www.danipettrey.com.
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Stranded is available from Bethany House Publishers.
Thanks to the author and Bethany House for the review copy.
Labels: Book Review, Christian fiction, Dani Pettrey, read-in-one-sitting book, suspense/mystery
Raw Edges by Sandra Bricker
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Raw Edge Abingdon Press (September 17, 2013) by Sandra D. Bricker
For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country to take on a new role: Caregiver.
The Big 5-OH! was released by Abingdon Press in the Spring of 2010, and the novel was very well-received, garnering a couple of nibbles from Hollywood.
Always the Baker, Never the Bride was released by Abingdon Press in September 2010. With its phenomenal reviews, the novel spawned a series of three more books based on the popular cast of characters at The Tanglewood Inn, a wedding destination hotel in historic Roswell, Georgia. The series cemented Sandie's spot in publishing as a flagship author of Laugh-Out-Loud romantic comedy for the inspirational market.
"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"
Grayson McDonough has no use for teal ribbons, 5k runs, or ovarian cancer support groups now that his beautiful wife Jenna is gone. But their nine-year-old daughter Sadie seems to need the connection. When Annabelle Curtis, the beautiful cancer survivor organizing the memory quilt project for the Ovacome support group, begins to bring out the silly and fun side of his precious daughter again, Gray must set aside his own grief to support the healing of Sadie’s young heart. But is there hope for Gray’s heart too along the way?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Raw Edge, go HERE.
Watch the book trailer:
The 40 Most Influential Christians
Learn From the Greatest Teachers and Thinkers in Christian History
The Bible is the bedrock of Christian belief, yet how Christians think and talk about God, the Bible, and faith has been shaped by influential thinkers from the first century right up through the twentieth. In this book, Dr. Daryl Aaron tells the powerful stories of forty who have helped us better understand what we believe and why we believe it.
With insight--and some surprises--Dr. Aaron explores the lives and most important teachings of these giants of church history, from Justin Martyr and Augustine to Martin Luther, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and many others, underscoring how their teaching has influenced the church--for better or, occasionally, for worse.
Let your faith be strengthened as you encounter those who paved the way for us, often risking their lives for the sake of the very beliefs we hold today.
I'm not sure I agree with the author on all forty people in this book being the most influential Christians, but it is an interesting read. Each chapter is dedicated to a different person, and most are around six pages in length, though a few are longer.
Some of the people in the book are people I have never heard of, hence my statement that I am not sure some of them belong in the book. I studied church history and don't remember hearing of some of them, but it was still interesting reading about them and about what they contributed to Christianity. Even with the people I am familiar with, I learned some new things about.
This isn't a book you would read rapidly through, but one you would read a chapter or two at a time. The author did a great job of compiling information, putting the people in order that they came in
history, and making it and interesting and helpful book.
Daryl Aaron earned his ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary and his PhD at Graduate Theological Foundation. He spent fourteen years in pastoral ministry before becoming a professor of biblical and theological studies at Northwestern College. He lives with his wife in Mounds View, Minnesota.
The 40 Most Influential Christians is available from Bethany House Publishers.
Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy.
Fatal Tide by Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson
In East Salem, the elite St. Adrian’s Academy is at the nexus of a satanic apocalypse—and the fatal tide is rising.
When Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights is reunited with the pagans who commissioned it, a dark prophecy begins to unfold in East Salem, beginning with a savage double-murder by hellish creatures straight out of the painting itself. The lone survivor of the attack, a seventeen-year-old Brit, finds sanctuary at Tommy Gunderson’s home—and the place is soon surrounded by demons who seem to be biding their time…but for how long?
Tommy’s pond has been contaminated with Provivilan—an insidious drug that could transform New York City’s children into an army of violence-addicted murderers. But for an occult cabal in the upper echelons of Linz Pharmaceuticals, contaminating the water supply is just part of an ancient conspiracy against all of humankind.
As the clouds gather, Tommy and Dani realize they must infiltrate Linz and St. Adrian’s to stop the dissemination of Provivilan. Even then, it could take a tangible eruption of the battle between angels and demons to save humanity from the supernatural evils that have been summoned to East Salem.
The three books in this series have been my favorite books that Lis Wiehl has written. They have also been the most Christian, so that may play into why I like them the best. Of the three books in this series, this one was the best and most exciting, in my opinion.
The authors brought back the same characters from the other two books, and in this book the stakes are higher and the danger more prevalent.
I took me a few pages to remember what had happened in the last book, but I quickly got caught up. This book brings everything to a head and conclusion, and ends the series in a very satisfying way.
I really like the combination of these two authors. I have read all of Lis Whiehl's books, and she has used different co-authors, and I think Pete Nelson is her best choice yet. The writing style is better, the plot better and more complex.... I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and especially this last book. As with the other books, there were appearances by angels and demons, and people physically fought some demonic creatures, which I know we don't actually do, but it was a neat way to show that spiritual warfare is very real.
There were a couple of words in this book that are inappropriate for a Christian book, but they weren't as bad as some I have run onto. Overall, this was an awesome book.
Lis Wiehl is a New York Times best-selling author, Harvard Law School graduate, and former
federal prosecutor. A popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears on The O'Reilly Factor and Imus in the Morning, and was co-host with Bill O'Reilly on the radio for seven years.
Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including Harpers, Playboy, Esquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine. He's published twelve young adult novels, including a six-book series about a girl named Sylvia Smith-Smith which earned him an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. His young adult non-fiction WWII history, Left For Dead (Randomhouse, 2002) about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis won the 2003 Christopher award as was named to the American Library Association's 2003 top ten list. His other non-fiction titles include Real Man Tells All (Viking, 1988), Marry Like a Man (NAL, l992), That Others May Live (Crown, 2000) and Kidshape (Rutledge Hill, 2004). His novel The Christmas List was published by Rutledge Hill Press in 2004. He wrote, with former army counterintelligence agent Dave DeBatto, a four book series of military thrillers, including CI: Team Red (2005), CI: Dark Target (2006), CI: Mission Liberty (2006) and CI: Homeland Threat (2007) published by Time-Warner. A More Unbending Battle; The Harlem Hellfighters' Struggle for Democracy in WWI and Equality at Home, was published in 2009 by Basic Civitas books. His novel, I Thought You Were Dead, will be published by Algonquin in 2010. He also has two CDs out on the Signature Sounds label, the first entitled The Restless Boys Club (1996), the second called Days Like Horses (2000).
Fatal Tide is available from Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Unlimited by Davis Bunn, an interview, and giveaway
Simon Orwell is a brilliant student whose life has taken a series of wrong turns. At the point of giving up on his dreams, he gets a call from an old professor who has discovered a breakthrough in a device that would create unlimited energy, and he needs Simon's help.
But once he crosses the border, nothing goes as the young man planned. The professor has been killed and Simon is assaulted and nearly killed by members of a powerful drug cartel.
Now he must take refuge in the only place that will help him, a local orphanage. There, Simon meets Harold Finch, the orphanage proprietor who walked away from a lucrative career with NASA and consulting Fortune 500 companies to serve a higher cause.
With Harold's help, Simon sets out on a quest to uncover who killed the professor and why. In due time, he will discover secrets to both the worldchanging device and his own unlimited potential.
Occasionally I run across a book that sounds good, and upon reading it I find it far better than I had anticipated from the book description, and this is one such book. I have read several of Davis Bunn's books in the last few years and have yet to be disappointed. They are full of action and suspense, and Unlimited was not exception.
The plot of the book is about people trying to make unlimited energy from unused energy. I loved the characters, setting, and plot for the story, and especially liked the main character, Simon. He is a young man who has made some bad choices in life, and it seems nothing is going right for him, but as the book progresses, we see God can change and save even a misfit like him.
Davis Bunn did a great job of describing scientific and technological terms in language that is easy to understand and be interesting to the reader. I was far from bored while reading this book. A lot happened, and it was written in a way to be very believable and likely to happen.
The book has it all: action, suspense, bad guys, good guys, romance, corrupt politicians, and God working things out for those who serve Him.
Interestingly, this story is based on true events. Davis Bunn has done a great job of putting the events in a fictional novel and coming up with a book definitely worth reading. And as an added benefit, I learned a lot.
Davis Bunn is a four-time Christy Award-winning, best-selling author now serving as writer-in-residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Defined by readers and reviewers as a “wise teacher,” “gentleman adventurer,” “consummate writer,” and “Renaissance man,” his work in business took him to over 40 countries around the world, and his books have sold more than seven million copies in sixteen languages.
Unlimited is Davis’s first screenplay to be released as a major motion picture. The book, Unlimited, is a novelization of the screenplay.
The inspiration behind the Unlimited film and novel is Harold Finch's book, Success: Four Keys to Unlock Your Unlimited Potential. Download a free copy of Success here: http://unlimitedthemovie.com/4-keys-book/.
Unlimited is available from Broadman and Holman Publishing.
I received a complimentary copy of Unlimited from B&H Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.
Read the first three chapters here.
Movie trailer:
Q and A with Davis Bunn
The storyline in Unlimited is inspired by true events. What actual events inspired the story?
Harold Finch was formerly the founder and CEO of the first management-leadership consulting groups in the US. In the mid-seventies he sold the company to H&R Block for over a hundred million dollars—back when a hundred million actually meant something. Answering God’s call, he has spent the past three decades traveling the world, teaching his concepts for free and helping underprivileged children learn that they do indeed have both a purpose in God’s eyes, and the potential to succeed. His experiences form the basis for this story.
What ignited your idea for the characters to create a device that would convert raw wasted energy into useable power?
I actually wrote the screenplay for the film before writing the novel. This happens occasionally—Godfather and Love Story were both conceived in this order. While working on the film script, the producer and Harold and I were discussing what might work as a basis for the story’s suspense element. We were looking for something that had the means of revealing this ‘unlimited’ potential in people. I don’t actually remember who first came up with the idea of wasted energy, but soon as it was said, we all jumped on it.
Simon Orwell, the protagonist in Unlimited, is a brilliant, cynical electrical engineering student who finds danger irresistible. Did you model his character traits after yourself or anyone you know?
Alas, we all know a Simon. These days, this type of person is all too common. An individual with huge potential, who allows himself or herself to become distracted by the multitude of temptations that basically define modern life. And yes, I do know several such people. Some turn this into hugely productive directions, thank goodness. Usually to do so requires divine help, a clarification of focus, and strength they must reach out and ask to receive.
Armando Vasquez and Harold Finch are important mentors in Simon’s life. Who has been a critical mentor in your life, Davis? How has that person encouraged you to push beyond the boundaries of what you thought possible?
There have been several such mentors, for which I remain extremely grateful. One such person is Carol Johnson, who recently retired as editor-in-chief at Bethany House Publishers. Carol has been instrumental in my becoming the best writer I could be, and continues to act as a sounding board for new ideas and characters. Another, I am happy to say, is Harold Finch. His lessons on combining God’s teachings with lifelong aims have been a genuinely rewarding experience with far-reaching results.
Many of the characters in the story are orphans. What parallels do you see between the orphans in the story and real-life spiritual orphans?
A beautiful question. While researching the core components of this story, orphanage leaders repeatedly stressed the need to teach orphans to believe in themselves and their natural abilities. Too often they see themselves as lost, without purpose, without a role to play, without chances, without love. What made this story work, I think, is how Simon Orwell shares these same feelings about himself. And how he comes to realize God is the only one to fill this need.
Many people believe they must wear a mask to hide the parts of themselves they are ashamed of. How is this story about removing that mask?
So much of life remains hidden away. The darker elements of a life without God only amplify this falseness. Simon has spent so much of his life, so much of his energy and time, in hiding. As the story unfolds, he discovers that an essential element of arriving at his full potential is being honest with himself. This is where the mask is most damaging, and also where it is often hardest to release. We seek to hide the truth, even when we know the act is a lie in itself. And the mirror we require to see the truth about ourselves is the one that God offers, in infinite patience, in gentle love.
The title, Unlimited, has multiple layers of meaning. What does that title mean to you?
Unlimited was the title brought to me by the film’s producers. When I first began working on this story, it was just that, a title. But as I grew to know Harold, and heard him teach, and read his lesson plan, and then actually applied what he has come to call his ‘Dynamic Life Retreat’ (see Harold full teachings on his website, HaroldFinch.com) I have come to agree with them in their choice. Bringing God into the equation of life’s direction, success, and reaching full potential does reveal the true meaning of Unlimited.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website and blog are at www.davisbunn.com
Subscribe to my blog’s feed (to get my latest posts via e-mail or through your feed reader) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/DavisBunn
Sign up for my e-newsletter (for subscriber-only giveaways and advance notice of my upcoming novels): http://www.davisbunn.com/news.htm
Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/davisbunnauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/davisbunn/ -- check out my “Scenes from Unlimited” board.
Twitter: @davisbunn - http://twitter.com/davisbunn
You could win a $50 Fandango gift card plus UNLIMITED, Davis Bunn's new suspense novel. Ten additional winners will receive a copy of UNLIMITED. Enter right now by clicking this link: http://woobox.com/mp5qew. You can enter once per email address per day. Rack up bonus entries by sharing the contest with your Facebook and Twitter friends! If you don’t have a Pinterest account, enter by filling out the form on the Official Rules page here http://bit.ly/15vTr8u.
Enter on facebook here: http://woobox.com/mp5qew
Labels: Book Review, Christian fiction, Davis Bunn, read-in-one-sitting book, suspense/mystery
Dangerous Passage by Lisa Harris
She's dedicated her life to ending violence. But has she moved too deep into a treacherous world?
When two Jane Does are killed on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, detective and behavioral specialist Avery North discovers they share something in common--a magnolia tattoo on their shoulders. Suspecting a serial killer, Avery joins forces with medical examiner Jackson Bryant to solve the crimes and prevent another murder. As they venture deep into a sinister criminal world, Avery and Jackson are taken to the very edge of their abilities--and their hearts.
Dangerous Passage exposes a fully realized and frightening world where every layer peeled back reveals more challenges ahead. You'll be hooked from the start.
I have only read one book by this author before I read this one, and remember thinking it was OK, but nothing spectacular. Maybe it is because she has more writing under her belt, but this book was a terrific read. In addition to being a great suspense novel, the author tackles the human trafficking issue, which is something we all need to be aware of and learn more about.
I liked everything about this book: plot, characters, setting. This book is classified as romantic suspense, but that part of the book took a back seat to the action and suspense, and was not overdone at all, and it wasn't all wrapped up in a neat package at the end either. As with many books like this one, I had a hard time putting it down and read it in one sitting.
This is the first book in a series, and I look forward to reading the other books that will follow. The author has a plot going on that will cover at least one more book, and has me hooked, waiting to see
how it will work out.
Lisa Harris is an award-winning author with more than 400,000 copies of her works in print. She was a 2011 Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom and lives in Mozambique together with her husband, Scott, and their three children. Visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com.
Available September 20 from Revell Publishing, a division of Baker Books Publishing.
Fired Up by Mary Connealy
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Fired Up (Bethany House March 1, by Mary Connealy
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist.
The Lassoed in Texas Series, Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon and Gingham Mountain. Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. These three books are now contained in one large volume called Lassoed in Texas Trilogy.
The Montana Marriages Series, Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride. Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist.
Cowboy Christmas—the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.
The Sophie's Daughters series. Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, Sharpshooter in Petticoats.
She is also the author of; Black Hills Blessing a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances, Nosy in Nebraska, a 3-in-1 collection of cozy romantic mysteries and she's one of the three authors contributing to Alaska Brides with her Carol Award Winning historical romance Golden Days.
Rollicking Wild West Adventure and Romance from Bestselling Author Mary Connealy
Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can't let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he's trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.
Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she's determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she's terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner--never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.
Glynna can't help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There's the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna's diner into Dare's back. Are Flint's cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna's son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Fired Up, go HERE.
Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Born of Persuasion Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (September 1, 2013) by Jessica Dotta
Born in the wrong century–except for the fact that she really likes epidurals and washing machines–Jessica Dotta writes British Historicals with the humor like an Austen, yet the drama of a Bronte.
She resides lives in the greater Nashville area—where she imagines her small Southern town into the foggy streets of 19th century London. She oversees her daughter to school, which they pretend is an English boarding school, and then she goes home to write and work on PR. Jessica has tried to cast her dachshund as their butler–but the dog insists it’s a Time Lord and their home a Tardis. Miss Marple, her cat, says its no mystery to her as to why the dog won’t cooperate. When asked about it, Jessica sighs and says that you can’t win them all, and at least her dog has picked something British to emulate.
The year is 1838, and seventeen-year-old Julia Elliston’s position has never been more fragile. Orphaned and unmarried in a time when women are legal property of their fathers, husbands, and guardians, she finds herself at the mercy of an anonymous guardian who plans to establish her as a servant in far-off Scotland.
With two months to devise a better plan, Julia’s first choice to marry her childhood sweetheart is denied. But when a titled dowager offers to introduce Julia into society, a realm of possibilities opens. However, treachery and deception are as much a part of Victorian society as titles and decorum, and Julia quickly discovers her present is deeply entangled with her mother’s mysterious past. Before she knows what’s happening, Julia finds herself a pawn in a deadly game between two of the country’s most powerful men. With no laws to protect her, she must unravel the secrets on her own. But sometimes truth is elusive and knowledge is deadly.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Born of Persuasion, go HERE.
The Machine by Bill Myers
For ages 8 to 14, Truth Seekers is a fast-paced, thoughtful, and funny new series using a 21st century approach to sharing ancient Bible truths.
In book one, The Machine, twin siblings Jake and Jenny have just lost their mother and are not thrilled about moving to Israel to stay with their seldom seen archaeologist dad. They don’t yet understand how “all things work together for good to those who love God.” But they will when a machine their father invented points them to the Truth.
This is the first book in The Truth Seekers series, and the first part of it is taken up with setting up the story and giving information about the main characters, twins Jake and Jen.
I'm obviously an adult, and this book is geared for ages 8-14, but I found the book very entertaining and interesting. I could see my 12 year old nephew loving the story. It is funny, and has a lot of gadgets and wacky inventions that are used in the story. The book also deals with the issue of trusting God, and one of the main characters struggles with that especially.
This book is a great beginning to what has the makings of being a very good series of books for this age group. I would recommend it.
Bill Myers is an accomplished writer and film director whose work has won more than sixty national and international awards including the C. S. Lewis Honor Award. Among his best-selling releases for kids are The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle and The Forbidden Door. He has sold more than eight million books and videos and lives with two cats, two kids, one dog, and one wife near Hollywood, California.
The Machine is available from Broadman and Holman Publishing.
Labels: Book Review, Christian fiction, Juvenile fiction/kid's books
Shades of Mercy by Anita Lustrea and Caryn Rivendara
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Shades of Mercy River North; New Edition edition (September 1, 2013) by Anita Lustrea
Caryn Rivendara
Authentic. That’s the word heard over and over when women describe Anita Lustrea. She is a popular speaker at women’s conferences and retreats, and an amazing communicator as co-host of the award winning Midday Connection radio broadcast. Her deep desire is to communicate freedom to women and help them nurture and care for their soul. Anita is the co-author of “Come to Our Table: A Midday Connection Cookbook” and “Daily Seeds from Women Who Walk in Faith”, a Devotional for women. Her first solo venture as an author releases in November, 2010, “What Women Tell Me: finding freedom from the secrets we keep.” Anita and her husband, Mike Murphy, a pastor, along with her teenage son John live in the Chicago suburbs. When she’s not traveling or speaking, you can find her reading and drinking a venti hot tea at her local Starbucks.
Caryn is a sought-after writer and speaker. She’s the author of four books—Shades of Mercy: A Maine Chronicle (River North, September 2013), Known & Loved: 52 Devotions from the Psalms (Revell, April 2013), Grumble Hallelujah (Tyndale House, September 2011), and Mama’s Got a Fake I.D. (WaterBrook Press, March 2009)–and a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.Meneutics as well as columnist for Re:Frame Media’s ThinkChristian blog. She has written dozens of magazine article. Her work has appeared in such publications as Christianity Today, Relevant, FamilyLife, and Engineering and Mining Journal (you read that right). Caryn leads workshops and speaks at conferences and church groups across the country. She’s also a regular guest on Moody Radio’s Midday Connection with Anita Lustrea and Melinda Schmidt and has been featured on such radio shows as The John and Kathy Show, Changing Worldviews/WOMANTalk with Sharon Hughes, I Thought She Said with Faith Daly, The Paul Edwards Program with Paul Edwards, and Talk from the Heart with Rich Buhler, among many others. Caryn also appeared on The Harvest Show. Caryn earned a B.A. in English from Calvin College and attended the University of Chicago’s publishing program. She lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Rafael, her three kids, a rescued pit bull terrier, two hermit crabs, and several tank fulls of who-knows-what-kind-of fish. Caryn and her family are members of Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst, Illinois, where Caryn recently joined the worship staff.
It's 1954 and the world-even the far Northwoods of Maine-is about to change. But that change can't happen soon enough for fourteen-year-old Mercy Millar. Long tired of being the "son" her father never had, Mercy's ready for the world to embrace her as the young woman she is-as well as embrace the forbidden love she feels. When childhood playmates grow up and fall in love, the whole community celebrates. But in the case of Mercy and Mick, there would be no celebration. Instead their relationship must stay hidden. Good girls do not date young men from the Maliseet tribe. At least, not in Watsonville, Maine. When racial tensions escalate and Mick is thrown in jail under suspicion of murder, Mercy nearly loses all hope-in love, in her father, and in God himself.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Shades of Mercy, go HERE.
Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantore
Officer Brinna Caruso has built a reputation at the precinct as the cop to call when a child goes missing. For Brinna, it’s personal because she was once one of them. Brinna and her K-9 search and rescue dog, Hero, will stop at nothing to find a missing child, no matter the stakes.
Detective Jack O’Reilly isn’t ready to return to his homicide duties, after losing his wife to a drunk driver. He’s on the downside of his career, and bent on revenge, when he’s assigned as Brinna’s partner. While on patrol, Jack struggles between his quest for personal justice and his responsibility to those around him, especially his partner.
Skeptical of Jack’s motives, Brinna isn’t sure she can rely on her new partner, whose reckless abandon endangers the safety of those around him. But when a man surfaces with an MO similar to the criminal who abducted Brinna twenty years earlier, Brinna and Jack must cast aside previous judgments and combine efforts to catch the kidnapper, and finally allow Brinna the peace stolen from her as a child.
Janice Cantore is a fairly new author, with this being just her fourth book on the Christian market, but she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The fact that she was a police officer for several years makes the police action in her books all the more believable.
As with her other books, this book is full of action, drama, suspense, and police action. It was lacking in romance, though there were signs that may come in the sequel.
I like it when a Christian author isn't afraid to actually have Christian content and a Christian message in their books, and this one had a great message. The two main characters both struggled in different ways and for different reasons, the question of there being a God, and if there is, why He allows suffering and doesn't always intervene and answer prayers the way that we want Him to. This theme played a big part in the book, and the author did as good of a job addressing that question as she does with writing a great suspense novel. I don't want to give too much away, but one of them is dealing with it much better at the end of the book, and the other one seems more open to it, but it isn't tied up in a neat bow.
I did read the book in one sitting, and loved it. It dealt with a tough crime: crimes against children, but it wasn't graphic and it was handled well. The book was a great suspense novel worth reading, but it is also a great reminder that there are evil men in this world who are intent on kidnapping and molesting young children, and we can't be too careful with the kids in our life. The book was also a great reminder that God is good, and it is men's evil deeds who cause us pain and harm, not God.
Note: Critical Pursuit was previously published with another publisher under the title Kevlar Heart.
Janice Cantore is a retired Long Beach police officer who now writes suspense novels to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Her twenty-two years of experience on the force lend authenticity to her stories. Her Pacific Coast Justice series has met with critical acclaim. Critical Pursuit is the first book in her latest series. Visit Janice's website at www.janicecantore.com and connect with her on Facebook.
Critical Pursuit is available from Tyndale House Publishing.
Thanks to Tyndale for the review copy.
Labels: Book Review, Christian fiction, favorite authors, Janice Cantore, read-in-one-sitting book, suspense/mystery
Unlimited by Davis Bunn
Trapped by Irene Hannon
A runaway teen, a desperate sister, and an intrepid PI determined to discover the truth
When Laura Griffith's sixteen-year-old sister disappears on a frigid February day, leaving only a brief note behind, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to track down the runaway teen. That includes recruiting ATF agent turned private investigator James Devlin to help. Dev knows time is of the essence with runaways--just forty-eight hours can mean the difference between recovery and ruin.
But the deeper he and Laura dig, the more Dev begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl's disappearance. And in the icy winter weather, the trail is going cold . . .
In her latest thrilling read, queen of romantic suspense Irene Hannon outdoes herself with a fast-paced tale of fear, deception, and just the right dose of romance.
Christian suspense is my all time favorite genre', and Irene Hannon is one of my favorite authors who writes it.
This is the second book in the Private Justice Series, and like the first book, it does not disappoint. This book centers on another of the trio of investigators, "Dev". He is investigating the disappearance of a teenager. The book had a slow start, but quickly became the nail biter Irene is known for. It turned out to be an excellent read that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read them. And when I say it had a slower start, I don't mean it was boring. It just took a while for the stage to be set.
I liked the fact that the book showed what was going on with the missing girl and those who were looking for her.
As with all of Irene's books, there was also romance in the book, but it was not overdone and was a secondary part of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to the third book in the series.
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, a HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award, and two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. Booklist also included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011. She lives in Missouri.
For more information about her and her books, Irene invites you to visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.
Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
Labels: Book Review, Christian fiction, favorite authors, Irene Hannon, read-in-one-sitting book, suspense/mystery
The Promise by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley
One home, two hearts, and the power of a promise kept . . . For the last five months, Tom Anderson has been without a job, a fact he's been hiding from his wife Jean--and everyone else. He leaves each morning, pretending nothing has changed, and spends his disheartening day rotating through coffee shops and the library, using their wifi to search job listings online. The stress of keeping this secret is beginning to put serious strain on his marriage.
But Tom's not the only one hiding something. Jean Anderson has a secret of her own--one that will seriously complicate their situation. Will the promises they made on their wedding day hold firm?
I don't read a lot of Christian fiction books outside of the suspense genre', but Dan Walsh is one author whose books fall into that exception. When faced with the decision to read one of his books or a suspense novel, I'll pick his book any day.
This is book two in a new series by Dan and relationship expert Gary Smalley. These books aren't simply good fiction. They are filled with great relationship advice.
The first book, The Dance, centered on Jim and Marilyn Anderson and their failing marriage. This book centers on their oldest son, Tom, and the issues he is facing. I like a series as they usually have the same characters in all of the books and you get to know and love them more, so that alone makes this series appealing. The Promise deals with more issues in marriage, and also deals with the issues between a father and his children. Through a fictional story, the authors show how a father's action and approval or disapproval can and does affect his children, even as adults.
I devoured The Promise just as much as if it were a suspense novel. It is a very gripping story and has the ability to change people and help their relationships.
And there may be a woman on the cover, but this is a book for men and women, and both should read it.
Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Dance and The Promise with Gary Smalley, as well as The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery, and The Reunion. He has won three Carol Awards, and two of his novels were finalists for RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year for 2011 and 2012. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for twenty-five years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel. Visit www.danwalshbooks.com for more.
Gary Smalley is one of the country's best known authors and speakers on family relationships. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of 16 books, along with several popular films and videos. He has spent over 30 years learning, teaching, and counseling, speaking to over 2 million people in live conferences. Smalley has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Extra, The Today Show, and The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, as well as numerous national radio programs. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 49 years and live in Branson, Missouri. They have three children and six grandchildren.
Labels: Book Review, Christian fiction, Dan Walsh, favorite authors, read-in-one-sitting book
Unlimited by Davis Bunn, an interview, and giveawa...
Shades of Mercy by Anita Lustrea and Caryn Rivenda...


(The Pharaoh said,) “Then, we will most certainly produce before you... (Tā-Hā 20:58-59)
by Fethullah Gülen on 27 December 2012 . Posted in Sūrah Tā-Hā
فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّكَ بِسِحْرٍ مِثْلِه۪ فَاجْعَلْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ مَوْعِدًا لَا نُخْلِفُهُ نَحْنُ وَلَۤا أَنْتَ مَكَانًا سُوًى۝قَالَ مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزّ۪ينَةِ وَأَنْ يُحْشَرَ النَّاسُ ضُحًى
(The Pharaoh said,) “Then, we will most certainly produce before you sorcery like it. So appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we nor you will fail to keep, in an open, level place convenient (to both of us).” (Moses) said: “The meeting will be on the Day of the Festival, and let the people assemble in the forenoon.” (Tā-Hā 20:58–59)
How many dazzling lights and mysteries flow into our spirits from the verses above, the first addressee of which was Prophet Moses, peace be upon him. Having had a mysterious experience of speaking to God in the valley of Tuwa in the Sinai, having seen his staff change into a snake and his right hand become a shining hand, and having felt his theoretical certainty transformed into experienced certainty, this exalted Prophet had perfect confidence in and reliance on his Lord. Therefore, when the Pharaoh challenged Moses to a contest against the sorcerers of Egypt, Moses was perfectly sure that he would defeat the Pharaoh’s sorcerers regardless of what they would do. Hence, based on his Prophetic insight, Moses made the offer, “The meeting will be on the Day of the Festival, and let the people assemble in the forenoon.” Through this counterchallenge, Moses meant the following:
The competition which would distinguish right from wrong or truth from falsehood should not take place behind walls; rather, it should occur in an open, level place where people would be able to watch and witness.
The competition should take place on a festive day so that whoever wanted to watch it could come.
Forenoon was the most convenient time for such an encounter. It is a time when people are free from exhaustion and drowsiness and feel energetic and vigorous. Also, it is the best time for minds to think and judge.
Thus, in order to watch the competition between Moses and the sorcerers, the people of Egypt came to the meeting area in crowds in the early morning on the Day of Festival. Sorcery was a popular and esteemed occupation in Egypt at that time. Sorcerers were not ordinary people; they were the intellectual elite of the time, who could contact jinn and who had certain knowledge of spiritism or spiritualism and parapsychology. Therefore, their defeat in the face of Moses and their possible conversion would mark the beginning of a revolution in the country in favor of belief. And so it came to pass. Having understood that the miracles God created at the hand of Moses were not magic or sorcery, the sorcerers believed in Moses’ Message immediately despite the Pharaoh’s threats that he would hang them and cut off their hands and feet alternately.[1] Many among the common people who witnessed the submission of the elite to Moses came to belief, and doubts about their own religion appeared in the hearts of many others. The goal was achieved and absolute unbelief was broken. People in general came to the point where they felt hesitant to choose between Moses and the Pharaoh, who had made his subjects ascribe Divine power to him, telling them that he knew no god for them but himself.
The most significant point drawing our attention in this verse is the time and place which Moses chose for that important encounter. There are important lessons in this event that today’s Muslims will learn. First of all, a believer should never despair because of the lack of or shortage in material necessities. They should use the credit that God granted them carefully without wasting it. As the proverb says, “killing two birds with one stone,” a Muslim should always plan to be able to achieve not only two but hundreds of results with one action and search for the ways to succeed in doing so. Consider how, according to God’s usual practice, a seed buried in the earth grows into an ear containing hundreds of seeds of the same kind or into a tree producing hundreds of fruits. Thus should we try to act in a way that we sow one grain but harvest seven, seventy, or even seven hundred in return and in the name of serving belief, the Qur’ān, our nation, and the whole of humanity. This was what Moses did. When, having left the Pharaoh’s palace and come into the open, he expressed himself in front of all people and on a proper day in full trust in and reliance on God, he was able to influence thousands of people with one act, making many among them his followers.
This is what the Qur’ān teaches us by means of Moses, while the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, contributes to our understanding with a different event:[2]
According to a report from the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, a tyrant attempted to kill a young believer, who never agreed to return to the tyrant’s faith. He was thrown down from the top of a mountain, yet he came back walking. Then he was thrown into the roaring waves of a sea, but he was saved and returned. Whatever they did to kill that young believer, it proved useless. In the end, the young man said: “If you gather all the people together and shoot an arrow at me saying, ‘In the name of the Lord of this boy’, then you will be able to kill me.”
A believer should always think like this young man: “You will die in any case, and these furious people will not let you live. Therefore, you should not go to the next world at a small cost.” Indeed, a believer should make plans to be able to do something for the sake of their cause even in their last moment as they go to their Lord. However valuable it is, even the desire for martyrdom is of little significance compared to a life lived with this consideration. In other words, believers should always think about what they can do at every moment of their life on behalf of their religion, nation, and humanity. The young man in the example would have only been martyred if he had died when he had been thrown down from the top of a mountain or into the waves of a sea. He would most possibly have gained his eternal life of happiness in the other world, but his reward would have been limited only to himself. However, after he was martyred in front of the people in the way he told, he caused hundreds of people to embrace belief. Thus he both served his cause and the conversion and eternal happiness of many others.
To conclude, Muslims should know the value of the Religion with which they are favored and the value this Religion has gained them. They should be aware of the fact that this universe has been created for them, with all that it contains at their service. Therefore, aware of their exceptional value, they should not leave this world in return for a low price. Their consideration should be as follows: “I am leaving the world, but I should leave a world which has found its true orbit—which has achieved its goal of creation. My death should also be a mysterious key to open the doors of Paradise for me, and while my personal tiny light is being distinguished, innumerable new lights should begin to shine.”
[1] See Sūrah Tā-Hā 20:71.
[2] Muslim, Zuhd, 73; Tirmidhī, Tafsīru Sūrah 85:2.


EVENTS Event Archive GRAND PRIX MANILA 2015
MEET TZU CHING KUO
Posted in GRAND PRIX MANILA 2015 on January 3, 2015
By Chapman Sim
Archive Twitter
Considered to be one of the best in Asia Pacific, it would seem that Tzu Ching Kuo knows a thing or two about Standard. After all, he did just win a Pro Tour Qualifer last Sunday in his hometown, qualifying him for Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir.
It seemed like a great opportunity to have a quick chat with Kuo about the state of Standard, as well as the story of how he became the player that he is today.
Tzu Ching Kuo
Kuo's resume is more than startling. World Magic Cup 2012 Champion. Ten Grand Prix Top 8s. Top Pro Points in Asia Pacific. Most Nationals Top 8s and most National Champion titles. Level 50 Archmage.
Some also consider him the best player to have never made it to the Sunday Stage of the Pro Tour. Ever since Owen Turtenwald won his first (and second) Grand Prix, Kuo is now tied with Eric Froehlich as the player with the most Grand Prix Top 8s without a win. Not sure if praise or mild mockery.
Regardless, while songs are frequently sung and tales frequently told about him, few people know who is the person behind the menacing facade and how he grew to become the player he is today.
Kuo has always been a Spike, the type of player who plays solely to win. Most gamers in their infancy are drawn to the beauty of Scaled Wurms and the like. But not Kuo. In his very first sanctioned tournament, he was already armed with a hardcore Tier 1 deck. A relentless predator whose motivation is to win. To go for the throat like a hunting dachshund. He didn't make Top 8 of that one, but he had tasted blood.
Kuo's very first deck contains a three-card combo that produces as many Pegasi as you want!
Kuo fondly recalls the first of his ten Grand Prix Top 8 fifteen years ago, at Grand Prix Taipei 2000. At that time, a relative-unknown, he shocked the local community when he broke into the Top 8 alongside superstars such as Tsuyoshi Fujita, Alex Shvartsman and Satoshi Nakamura. "RecSur" was his weapon of choice, a deck utilizing the classic combo Recurring Nightmare and Survival of the Fittest.
The cornerstone of Kuo's very first Grand Prix Top 8 Constructed Deck.
"I remembered I was paired against Alex Shvartsman, the man with the most lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s at that time. It was very scary to an amateur like me but the matchup was so good I thought there was no way I could lose."
But he did.
Outplayed. Outclassed. Ousted.
Experience and skill does count in this game.
Up until then, Kuo still considered himself to be a casual player. Only attending local events such as National Championships and local Grand Prix, Kuo seldom ventured abroad and was far from being the road warrior that he is today.
Most of his victories at that time were all on local soil. His second and third Grand Prix Top 8 came a year later in Kaohsiung and Taipei, and he quickly rose to prominence. Kuo went on to win his first of five National Champion titles in 2002, and made the Top 8 three consecutive times in 2004, 2005 and 2006. With this series of victories, he cemented his place as the best Taiwanese player of the era, a reputation he has been able to uphold even until today.
"I've also won a lot of Pro Tour Qualifiers in the past. Back then, cash awards of USD$375 or USD$500 were given out instead of travel awards. I usually kept the cash prize and never ventured to Europe or the States, playing only a couple of Pro Tours in Japan." To this day, he regrets his decisions to not have attended all the Pro Tours that he could have.
After a couple of quiet years in addition to crashing out at Pro Tour Nagoya 2005, he was disheartened to the point where he shared with some of his friends that he wanted to quit the game, and drown his sorrows in online gaming.
Old friends meet each other in the Featured Match Area at Grand Prix Yokohama.
Under the encouragement and inspiration of Chen Liang, Kuo decided to stay in the game but it was not until 2009 that he decided to give this whole "Pro Player" affair his best shot. Unknown to the rest of the world, this confidant and good friend of Kuo's was actually the brains behind most of Kuo's winning Constructed decks. A Grand Prix Top 8 competitor himself, Chen often built and tuned Kuo's weapons of choice and they playtested together regularly.
The road was not easy for him and it was a few seasons of wrenching misses. He ended his very first professional season at 29 points, one point short of achieving the Gold Level equivalent. Despite being a brilliant attempt for a first-timer, Kuo was disgruntled. How typical of a Spike!
Tzu Ching Kuo at Grand Prix Kobe 2009, making his sixth Grand Prix Top 8. He lost to eventual champion Tomoharu Saito in the elimination rounds.
His next season was similarly impressive, but equally heartbreaking. Kuo finished with 38 points, two points short of the Platinum equivalent. Regardless, his consistency on the Pro Tour is not something to be sneezed at, finishing two seasons at Silver, three at Gold and the 2012 season at Platinum in the past six seasons.
Magic World Cup Champions 2012
2012 also happened to be the pinnacle of his career. He scored his highest lifetime Pro Tour finish at Pro Tour Avacyn Restored. That event was miraculous, literally. Kuo started off 1-4 and was on the brink of elimination. He went on to rattle off 11 straight wins to finish 10th and locked up Platinum for that season. That year, he also won the very first Magic World Cup.
Despite being slightly past his heyday, Kuo remains passionate about the game and hopes to run the tables today in Manila. Kuo feels like he has given so much of his life to the game and can't walk away just yet. At least not now.
"I am a part of Magic and Magic will always be a part of me. Forever."
Complete coverage of Grand Prix Manila
UNCHARTED REALMS
The Guardian Ari Levitch
Anafenza's fate has been less kind in this Tarkir, but no less grand…
Art Descriptions of the Not-Khans Blake Rasmussen
The descriptions that drove the art of the non-khans of Tarkir in Dragons of Tarkir.
Get an alternative-art promo of Disdainful Stroke!


Carson Valley Bridge Club welcomes all players
Activities & Events | January 11, 2014
by Caryn Haller
challer@recordcourier.com
Al Walker of Gardnerville plays bridge on Friday.
Shannon LItz | The Record-Courier
With each new hand dealt on Monday, a silence fell over the room as close to 30 players put their best bridge faces on.
The Carson Valley Bridge Club started Jan. 3, and welcomes all duplicate bridge players.
“It’s open to anybody. There’s no restrictions other than being able to play bridge,” club manager Al Walker said. “We’d love to have people come. Everybody plays for fun. We have players ages 60-97.”
Walker, 70, played card games such as euchre, Pinochle, cribbage and poker most of his life, and took up bridge two years ago after a friend introduced him to it.
“I fell in love with the game. It’s the most sophisticated of all the games. There’s more to it,” he said. “I’m the least experienced player in our unit. If you’ve never played bridge, there would be a significant amount of time you’d have to put into it to learn. A person who’s played other bidding games could pick it up easier.”
Bridge is a trick playing game that involves four players — with two partners forming each team.
Each hand progresses through four phases — dealing the cards, the auction (or bidding), playing the hand, and scoring the results. The concept of bidding involves each player identifying the strength of their hand — hearts, spades, clubs or diamonds — and trying to communicate that strength to their partner. Once partners win the “bid,” they need to take a certain number of “tricks” in order to win the hand.
The highest-finishing players are awarded specified numbers of masterpoints, which are recorded with the American Contract Bridge League, a national governing body for competitive bridge. Most players value the increase in their masterpoint total as a measure of their success at the game. Unlike the Elo rating system developed for chess, the masterpoint system is strictly one of accumulation. A player’s masterpoint total can never decline.
“The goal for people joining the game is to become a life master,” Walker said. “It’s a tradition of the game as a sign that you are a good player.”
The Carson Valley Bridge Club uses the duplicate bridge method of scoring, where the luck of getting a series of good hands doesn’t necessarily mean a better score.
“The bidding and play of the game are basically the same as party or contract bridge,” Walker said.
Silver Life Master Thelma Nelson, 97, credits playing bridge to keeping her mind sharp.
“I started when I was 15, and I directed games for 40 years in San Dimas, Calif.,” Nelson said. “It’s good for old people because you exercise your mind. For young people, it’s good for them because they learn mathematics and reasoning.”
Bob Meyer, 75, has played bridge for 50 years.
“This is a disease you don’t want to catch,” he joked. “You’ll never master the game. It’s a continuous challenge.”
The Carson Valley Bridge Club meets 1 p.m. Mondays and noon Fridays at 1321 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville. Cost is $7 per game.
For more information on playing bridge, visit http://www.acbl.org, or call Walker at 265-5638.


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Season 5 • Episode 14
In the early hours of May 1st, 2010, Jersey City escort Shannan Gilbert goes missing on the shores of Long Island. Police launch a search through the dense underbrush, and what they find hidden in the weeds will spark a gruesome investigation.
43 min|TV-PG|Premiered 04/10/2012
What Happened to Devin Bond?
In the early morning hours of March 31, 2017, 16-year-old Devin Bond got out of bed and walked out of his Murfreesboro, Tennessee, home. He was never seen nor heard from again.
Where is Savannah Spurlock?
At 2:30am on January 4, 2019, 22-year-old mother Savannah Spurlock called her mother to tell her she was leaving the bar where she had enjoyed a much-deserved night out. Savannah told her mother she'd be home soon, but she was never seen again.
Is Jesse Ross Still Out There?
On November 21, 2006, 19-year-old Jesse Ross was attending a Model United Nations conference in Chicago. Jesse called his parents to tell him he was having a great time. They would never hear or see their son again.
Has Akia Eggleston Vanished?
On the morning of May 3, 2017, 8-months-pregnant Akia Eggleston was excited to finally get out of her home to attend her baby shower. However, when the 22-year-old was hours late, loved ones rushed to her home to find Akia gone without a trace.
Will Tara Calico Ever Be Found?
On September 20, 1988, Tara Calico left her home to go on a bike ride she took almost every morning. When she didn't return home, her mom anxiously drove along Tara's usual bike route, but never finds her. 30 years later, Tara is still missing.
The Darkest Winter
In 1976, the first of four children is abducted and murdered in the suburbs of Detroit. After more than 30 years the families of the four murdered children and Detroiters like J. Reuben Appelman are determined to find the Oakland County Child Killer.
Children of the Snow
Queens, NY, 1965. Two children are found dead. The cops are convinced the parents Eddie and Alice Crimmins are guilty. Even after two trials both condemning Alice, it will take years to unravel the mystery of who killed Eddie and Missy.
A Crime To Remember
The Career Girl Murders
New York, NY, 1963. Two young women are brutally murdered in their Upper East Side apartment. If these girls aren’t safe, who is? The NYPD is under pressure to solve the high-profile case but make a tragic misstep while investigating.
Judge, Jury, Executioner
West Palm Beach, FL, 1955. Esteemed Judge Curtis Chillingworth and his wife say goodbye to friends at a dinner party and are never seen again. Police unravel a tale of corruption and evil that leaves Florida in shock.
Denver, CO, 1955. United Airlines Flight 629 explodes in mid-air, killing everyone aboard. Crash investigators wonder if it was an accident at all. What follows is the discovery of the first-ever act of murder-by-airplane-bombing in the U.S.
A New Kind of Monster
Michigan, 1967-69. A series of young females from Michigan universities are murdered one by one. The young women of Southeastern Michigan are terrified and the police commence a massive hunt for the monster they call The Co-Ed Killer.
Who Killed Mr. Woodward?
New York, NY, 1955. Ann and Billy Woodward are the darlings of New York society when tragedy strikes after a drunken dinner party. Billy lies in a pool of his own blood. Ann pulled the trigger by accident...or so she says.
Lies, Lawns & Murder
In North Carolina, a retired Vietnam veteran sells off a piece of his land to a young family. No one can predict the modern day Hatfield McCoy neighbor feud that will ensue and the midnight shootout that will end it.
Fear Thy Neighbor


BREAKING: Targeted Killing at Oregon High School
Posted at 2:53 pm on June 10, 2014 by Bob Owens
Troutdale Police Chief Scott Anderson : 1 student and gunman dead at Reynolds High School #koin6news #RHShooting
— KOIN News (@KOINNews) June 10, 2014
Reynolds High School, the only high school in Troutdale, Oregon, is the scene of the nation’s most recent school shooting. The situation is now believed to be stable.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the situation is now stabilized at Reynolds High School in Troutdale.
Scott Anderson, the chief of the Troutdale Police Department, confirmed the deaths and called the events a “tragic day” for the community.
Troutdale Sgt. Carey Kaer told Fox News that the victim was a male student and the shooter was a teenage male, but it is not known whether the gunman was a student at the school.
Kaer said the victim was shot inside the school’s gymnasium and the shooter’s body was located by a police robot in a bathroom. He added that there are no other victims or current threats to the public.
It will be some time, of course, before the details of this incident are known, and we can expect for their to be copious amounts of misinformation and spin dished out as fact.
Here is what we do know.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that this was an attempted mass murder or spree killing. It appears to have been a targeted killing. That the attacker’s body was found in a bathroom suggests that this was a murder/suicide (for reasons that psychiatrists or psychologists would likely better explain, public murderers seem to prefer some privacy for their own suicides) .
Perhaps the attacker left behind something explaining the decision to target this one student. If so, we should know in the days ahead.
Tags: OregonSchool Shooting


You are here: Home / *Articles of the Bound* / American Communists Travel to Cuba to Increase Support for Castro Dictatorship
American Communists Travel to Cuba to Increase Support for Castro Dictatorship
March 26, 2015, 11:11 am by Trevor Loudon Leave a Comment
From left, Alberto Prieto, (Communist Party of Cuba International Relations Department), Zenobia Thompson, Camila Valenzuela, Fernando Gonzalez, Kenia Puig (ICAP president), Josh Leclair, John Bachtell
A delegation from the Communist Party USA, led by new National Secretary John Bachtell, recently visited Cuba. On Feb. 27th, the delegation stopped by the the Cuban Intelligence connected Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples to “discuss building friendship, cooperation and people to people exchanges in light of the Dec. 17 announcement to reestablish diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.”
Among those who warmly greeted the delegates were Fernando Gonzalez, one of the infamous “Cuban 5” who was jailed in the U.S. in 1998 as part of a “mission to monitor right-wing Cuban terrorist activities in Miami being directed against Cuba.” Several people died as a result of Gonzalez’s espionage.
According to Bachtell:
We found Gonzalez warm, gracious and eager to speak about exploring ways to build friendship with the U.S. people. He also shared stories about his time in U.S. prisons, the people he met and the extraordinary solidarity he and the Cuban 5 received over the years.”
The most important thing to say, to express on my behalf, my family and relatives, is my deep gratitude to the CPUSA because of the years of participation in the struggle, the solidarity you accorded us during the time we were in prison and for our liberation.
You were side by side with us. Even when things look dark, there’s always a bright side. No one wants that experience (of imprisonment). It gave us the chance to experience the best of the U.S. people and those we worked with for many years, side by side in that fight.
Gonzalez made it clear that the Castro regime made no concessions in return for Communist Party connected President Barack Obama‘s diplomatic recognition of the dictatorship.
During the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba we haven’t made any concessions. And with the return of all the Cuban Five it was a great victory for the Cuban people and all friends in the U.S. who have participated in struggle and for friendship between our countries.
Diplomatic recognition of Cuba is a “win win” for Marxists, both in Washington DC and Havana.
Soon Obama “crony capitalists” will be able to export more American jobs to Cuban sweatshops, while Cuban communists can more easily export spies, revolutionaries and drugs to the United States.
Filed Under: *Articles of the Bound*, *In the Searchlights*


Corporate & Incentive Travel/
Canada: Foreign Yet Familiar
Canada: Foreign Yet FamiliarMay 8, 2019
Our Neighbor Brings to Mind a Single Idea for Planners, But it Has a Lot More to Offer Than Clichés By Sara Churchville
Our Neighbor Brings to Mind a Single Idea for Planners, But it Has a Lot More to Offer Than Clichés
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise offers 36,000 sf of flexible meeting and event space as well as stunning views and world-class skiing in the winter. In the summer, attendees can participate in activities such as hiking, canoeing and more.
We had to change from Mounties — [they’re] not sexy enough,” says Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, executive director, Business Events Canada, says of Canada’s image. “It’s not just the landscape and nature. That was not resonating enough with [attracting] meetings. We had to change the story: Why would you choose Canada over the US? Why and how?”
So Business Events Canada (BEC), a division of Destination Canada, set out to organize strategic partnerships with meetings organizations such as Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and incentive houses. BEC also created priority economic sectors to align with certain cities and lure meetings that would lead to foreign investment — and the other way around.
“It’s a long game to attract the C-suite, not just the day-to-day of where meetings are hosted to grow business in Canada,”
Chantal Sturk-Nadeau
Just an hour and a half from New York City by air, Montréal feels like a European getaway but with a much more favorable exchange rate. Even in the heart of winter, the 2.5-mile Promenade Fleuve-Montagne walkway calls on attendees to bundle up for a walking tour from the river to the mountain thanks to clear signage all along the route.
For foodies, there is dry-aged beef at Maggie Oakes in Old Montréal, longtime favorite Schwartz’s Deli for smoked meats and Au Pied de Cochon for an upscale, playful version of Québécois specialties beyond poutine. The restaurant offers an especially popular traditional sugar shack meal during maple syrup season.
“It’s an electric city that’s got a great vibe,” says Jeffrey M. Weinman, principal, Summit Event Management, Inc. His client of 17 years, a Fortune 100 company, in August was looking for a “new and exciting destination that would motivate, be easy to work with and have cultural areas” for an incentive meeting of some 400 attendees and their spouses.
Montréal fit the bill, and not just anywhere in Montréal: Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. “We did a site inspection, and it was the best value for that fit. One property would have been a better value dollar-wise, but the flow wouldn’t have worked. It was important to get that ‘wow’ factor.”
That factor involved, as it so often does, getting the food and beverage (F&B) right by spending time with the chef to “touch on things Montréal is famous for and that we know our people like.” Results: buckets of fresh, hot French fries made with different types of potatoes; a make-your-own poutine station with several gravies, cheese curds and pulled pork; and a grilled cheese night with various cheeses and fillings in a panini maker.
At the welcome reception, performers from Montréal-based Cirque Éloize put on a show in the hotel’s 21st-floor C2 Space, with its windows that overlook the city, a roof deck, patio and removable furniture for an arrangement that can accommodate up to 220 attendees.
“We set it up reception-style, with a stage, a contortionist and juggler. The entertainment right away as you walk in was a woman with a giant Hula-Hoop, then a rolling skating duo on a 6-foot [high] circular stage.”
For the general welcome reception, Weinman and the hotel agreed to combine rooms with multimedia takes on old and modern Montréal on pillars, walls and ceilings. “They were wonderful in making it appetizing for us,” he says. “It just set the weekend; it was the exclamation point on the weekend.”
He also provided attendees with a Passport MTL card good for 48 hours so they could experience the city in their own way, with free unlimited transportation and 28 attractions discounted or free.
Weinman says the people of Montréal, both in the meetings industry and the residents themselves, seem very welcoming and open.” They immediately change to English from French; no attitude about not speaking the language,” he says. “[I’m] hearing from the C-levels what a great job we’ve done and how much people are enjoying it; watching people’s reactions to everything that’s going on — that makes all the work worth it.”
The Vieux-Québec area’s undisputed shining city on the hill continues be the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which under various management has been wowing visitors since it opened in 1893. For a 250-attendee convention of doctors in June 2018, the F&B team whipped up a themed menu where each course and cocktail was based on a Beatles song. There was soup in a 1970s beer can, Sergeant Pepper beef, Lady Madonna trout and a cake the shape and color of a yellow submarine. The G7 meeting of seven industrialized democracies, as it happens, was in town at the same time, creating more security without actually interrupting the festivities.
“I used to work with the Canadian Embassy in Paris; this evening reminded me of this,” a planner summed up. “If you think it’s something a hotel can’t do, Frontenac can do it.”
Also in Old Québec is the Hôtel Manoir Victoria, with 156 rooms and meeting/banquet space for 175 attendees. The onsite restaurant, Chez Boulay-Bistro Boréal, serves cuisine it describes as “Nordic” — local Québec fish, duck terrine, blood pudding and bison tartare.
Another hotel, The Relais & Châteaux Auberge Saint-Antoine has several meeting rooms as well as jazz nights at its Bar Artéfac.
The Québec City Marriott Downtown is, like the rest of Old Québec, within walking distance from the Québec City Convention Centre. The center can accommodate up to 9,000 attendees and connects by underground walkway to the Hilton Québec and Delta Hotels by Marriott Québec. After a day of meetings, attendees can amble over to the Plains of Abraham or Le Musée du Chocolat, which offers history and artifacts of chocolate making going back 200 years. Get the chocolate, of course, at the adjacent chocolatier, Érico.
Planners looking for an unusual incentive space can do as a Portland, OR-based IT start-up did for its September 2018 annual retreat of 65 attendees: stay at a monastery. Le Monastère des Augustines is a converted monastery built in 1639 that offers a complimentary breakfast, yoga and meditation, and “cozy” monks’ cells. It has Wi-Fi, but no TVs.
“[The IT start-up attendees] were looking for something a little more exotic, boutique, with a full buyout, that has more character than a generic hotel,” the planner says of the group. “They chose Québec City as the right mix of a small, walkable place but at same time enough variety about the property.”
Some of that variety included La Revanche, a snacks, beer and board games spot in the old city, as well as a nearby BeaverTails food truck serving up Canadian “queues de castor” — large, flat pastry in the shape of the rodent’s tail to which any number of sweet topping and/or fillings can be applied. As a team-building exercise, curling was the sport of choice, with a rink, workshop and tournament outside; in September, that was still possible.
The monastery has a chapel area that can be used as a meeting space, along with a restaurant, catering and banquet menus that can provide, as it did for this group, a poutine station.
“We were surprised how affordable things were,” the planner noted. Still, he acknowledges that the language barrier, lack of “lift” comparable to other cities and weather unpredictability can be a challenge for some. “Québec has a very rich and palpable personality; take advantage of the fact that it’s a unique destination — language, food, people, history — do the best to unearth and share that.” Planner tip: “The safety net of a local DMC helps with transfers, so you don’t have to do it in Québécois French.”
With 192,000 sf of meeting space 20 minutes from Ottawa International Airport, and a bridge leading directly to the 492-room Westin Ottawa and gigantic CF Rideau Centre shopping mall, the Shaw Centre is probably Ottawa’s most obvious draw for meeting planners. It can and will host anything from a Parent & Child Show to a Cannabis and Hemp Expo (complete with a bake lounge) with the same degree of verve. The center’s four levels all overlook the city’s Rideau Canal, which during Canada’s frigid winters famously transforms into the Rideau Canal Skateway. Attendees can glide along the world’s largest skating rink — it’s 4.8 miles long — for 24 hours a day in season.
The Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre provides just more than 24,000 sf of meeting space. Though it’s not specifically offered as such, an enterprising planner might find the outdoor rooftop terrace just the thing for a small gathering in kind weather.
Cher, Def Leppard and Michael Bublé are just a few of the 2019 headliners at the Canadian Tire Centre, about a 15-minute drive from the downtown area. Among the sports bars and casual dining spots at the hockey arena is The Vault, the private dining space in the members-only Club Red steakhouse that promises select attendees some face time with the chef and sommelier. The nearby Sens House Sports Bar & Grill in the Byward Market offers fans who can’t make the hockey match an authentic arena experience; this one complete with a 1,500-sf portion of the dining room with a retractable roof and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Ottawa is also home to the National Gallery of Canada, which will soon exhibit among many other things, the portraits of Paul Gauguin and International Indigenous Art Exhibition 2019, and home to the National Arts Centre, celebrating 50 years.
Tips from a planner who has met often in the city: “Morning runs along the Ottawa River over the bridges are what makes Ottawa, Ottawa. The airport is well-designed but busy; consider flying to Montréal and driving in.”
Home to Canada’s three largest hotels — the 1,590-room Chelsea Hotel, Toronto; the 42-story, 1,377-room Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel; and the 1,365-room Fairmont Royal York — Toronto has also become a kind of watchword for “multicultural.”
That’s one of its many draws for Brianna Mark, CMP, senior event planner, Internal Communications, with Mozilla Corporation. “Even if not backed by fact, people feel safer traveling into Canada than the U.S.,” she says, an especially important consideration for Mozilla, where some 50 percent of employees work remotely all over the world.
To keep people connected, Mozilla holds an “all hands” event every June and September, remassing its far-flung workers for five days of togetherness. In June, some 1,400 attendees will converge in Toronto, where Mozilla has one of its nine offices.
“The exchange rate is always in our favor,” Mark says. “There’s really good airlift from most of our destinations, the airport to the core is easy and the city is walkable and safe. Toronto is on our list every single time we source. It’s a natural fit; a cultural match for flying people from all over the world.”
She says she appreciates how responsive Tourism Toronto is, and is a fan of Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, where she convened the semiannual meeting a few years ago. “When we did a site visit, they pulled out all the stops with a bunch of people in fox outfits (Mozilla’s logo) greeting us and specific elevators with branding. It showed that they took time to know us and our brand.”
For Mark, who has food allergies, negotiations about food come foremost. “We want everyone to eat something they want and something they can [eat]. Part of that is working really closely and making sure we understand the ingredients and things are properly labeled.” She offered build-your-own buffets at every meal and specified a gluten-free buffet with dedicated accoutrements.
Isn’t this rather expensive? Not necessarily. “I go in with my budget, and I let them propose something. I find that hotels want to deliver as much as I want them to deliver, so the more info I give them up front, the better. You’d be surprised what they can come up when you allow them to be creative.”
Elsewhere in Toronto, the 65-story, 260-room former Adelaide Hotel Toronto has been up-marketed to The St. Regis Toronto. The hotel has more than 100 new suites, a new design of the common spaces and an ornate restaurant, LOUIX LOUIS, serving craft cocktails and a sumptuous take on American cuisine such as a burger topped with brie, foie gras and tomato compote while overlooking Lake Ontario from its perch on the 31st floor.
The CN Tower’s LookOut Level observatory has a new glass floor one level up from the original that offers a vertiginous look straight down to complement the floor-to-ceiling “Window Walls.”
In other venue action, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto recently moved into a 55,000-sf former industrial space, and Four Seasons Hotel Toronto remains a hot spot thanks to its Café Boulud and, from the same chef, a bar and charcuterie space called d|bar.
Two words: Aurora Sky. The 800,000-sf space is the world’s largest legal cannabis production facility — 100,000 kilos per year when fully operational, and it has recently moved into producing hemp as well. The city views this facility as part of its next wave in economic expansion.
Edmonton EXPO Centre, with 522,000 sf, and the now-named Edmonton Convention Centre (known for decades as the Shaw Conference Centre until its naming rights ended in 2018), with 150,000 sf, are the city’s convention hubs. The city’s 12,000 rooms in 55 hotels offer plenty of options for meetings of all sizes.
The La Ronde restaurant on the 24th floor of the 307-room Chateau Lacombe Hotel offers attendees a revolution every 88 minutes, accompanied by views of the Saskatchewan River and, if diners choose, a Chateaubriand for Two on Wednesdays or, on Thursdays, Steak Diane and Cherries Jubilee. Planners have 14,000 sf of event space to manipulate.
Another venue within walking distance of the Edmonton Convention Centre, the Quarter Note Hotel Edmonton Downtown, features 150 blockable rooms for a total of 255, and nearly 9,000 sf of meeting and event space, including banquet space for 240.
Winters see the Silver Skate Festival in Hawrelak Park. Along with the expected skating and ice sculptures, highlights of the festival include the opportunity for attendees to cook “bannock” — a Native American fry bread — over an open fire.
Between a four- and five-hour drive south and a little west — about 470 km — sits the venerable Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Built more than 100 years ago as a base for outdoor enthusiasts and skiers, the resort offers 36,000 sf of flexible meeting and event space.
“I would live there. If it were up to me, I would hold every meeting there.” That’s how Jason Gross, assistant vice president, travel, Captive Resources feels about Vancouver, where he regularly holds meetings at Fairmont Waterfront, Fairmont Pacific Rim and Rosewood Hotel Georgia. But a group of some 350 entrepreneurs — nearly 600 attendees including spouses — who meet every January and June wanted to visit St. Thomas in the Caribbean for their January 2018 meeting. Hurricanes Irma and Maria had other plans, so as Gross scrambled for a new place, he naturally looked north. Available was the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, a venue he’d seen years ago, and not with great excitement.
“At this time, we had no other options. We were a little hesitant; we’re used to being on the waterfront, not the city center, so it wasn’t something that we jumped at,” Gross says. What began as a last resort soon became a favorite. “They blew it out of the park,” he says. “It was as close to a perfect meeting as we’ve ever had. We are now choosing them over the [Fairmont] Waterfront.”
In the planning stages, the hotel didn’t take advantage of the bind he was in, he says, and he didn’t feel put upon even though the hotel had the upper hand in negotiations. They were responsive, contracting went completely smoothly and they returned emails. It also didn’t hurt that the hotel looked completely different — “night and day” — from when he’d last seen it in 2015, thanks to a $55 million renovation of the common areas, lobbies, restaurants and the addition of 8,000 sf of meeting space in a dedicated wing, all within walking distance of the Vancouver Convention Centre.
And on the attendee front, no long lines at the check-in, no complaints about the rooms — even though the rooms were of varying layouts and square footage. “They must have been that good, that clean, that fresh,” Gross speculates.
He organized a president’s dinner onsite in the British Columbia ballroom for 400 people using standard menus with only slight changes — “there was zero push back when we asked for surf and turf.”
The group also ate at the onsite restaurant, Notch8 Restaurant & Bar, which serves “very modern/slightly upscale, Canadian-geared farm to table,” including fresh Dungeness crab. “I heard the greatest compliment: ‘I would go to it even though it’s in another hotel’,” he says. He also steered attendees to Chambar, a Belgian and seafood restaurant in Downtown Vancouver; and the sustainable seafood restaurant Blue Water Cafe.
Attendees had plenty of time to take in many of the sights of the region. They took the North Shore tour, visiting Stanley Park with its rainforest, Grouse Mountain, and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park; went on a Discover Vancouver bus tour that included the Olympic Village and some popular craft beer spots; made time for the Sea to Sky Gondola sightseeing tour; and browsed in the Museum of Anthropology and the Botanical Garden at University of British Columbia. By far the most popular outing, requiring a second round for foodies, was the tour of the Granville Island Public Market.
Now, there’s talk of returning in 2022.
“Vancouver as a destination; go for it and don’t look back,” Gross says. “When it comes to activities, live music and nightlife, it’s the best total package destination we go to. They really understand group business.” Most of his attendees are not from big cities, he says, so a place like Toronto strikes them as too big. But “nature in Vancouver with a strong urban core really speaks to people.”
“Nothing says Calgary better than the Stampede,” says one planner who held his annual convention there in August 2018 with 900 franchisees and families of a U.S. auto industry company.
The ‘hot-diggity-dog’ excitement of the rodeo held in this city in the Mountain Time Zone infects some 1 million people every July. His group stayed in three hotels connected via walkway to the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre — the Hyatt Regency Calgary, the Fairmont Palliser and the Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel.
His group does a charity 5K walk every year, working closely with Tourism Calgary to find “a safe and interesting route” that included the Calgary Tower, home of the Sky 360 Restaurant & Lounge, which revolves once per hour 510 feet up, the scenic walking path along Bow River and Canada Olympic Park. The dream of the Olympics is still alive as the city mulls bidding to host the 2026 Olympics.
BMO Centre at Stampede Park, the larger of the city’s convention centers, offers 500,000 sf of event space. Plans in 2016 to create even more meeting space by demolishing the Stampede Corral have so far come to nothing; one of the local hockey clubs plans to play a “Corral” series in the space this year.
And the $245 million, oval-shaped architectural marvel that is the Calgary Central Library opened late last year, levitating over a public plaza below and beckoning with meeting spaces and conference rooms. C&IT
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What’s Ryan’s Story?
Ryan Thewes, a native of southern Indiana, graduated from the Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning in 2000. While in school, Ryan studied the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, which made a strong impression on his development as a designer. He felt a kinship with Wright’s ideas on architecture, which seemed to closely resemble his own. Ryan was inspired by Wright’s bold use of geometry, veneration of nature and his ability to integrate a building with its site. Wright called his work “Organic Architecture,” which came from his belief that a building’s essence or character should derive from the design process in the same way a living organism grows from a seed–logically and naturally from the inside out.
After Ryan graduated, he broadened his education of organic architecture by working for the late Don Erickson, an architect in Chicago, and Robert Green, an architect practicing in the Atlanta area; both successful former apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright.
In 2002, Ryan accepted a job with architect Bart Prince in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prince, well known for his fantastic if not surreal designs often featured in magazines such as Architectural Digest, had been an apprentice, friend and design partner of the maverick architect and educator Bruce Goff. Although Prince and Goff were both influenced by the work of Wright, they translated many of his principles in entirely new and dramatic directions. Ryan’s apprenticeship with Prince allowed him to expand his own vision of organic architecture—starting his first architectural commissions while living in New Mexico.
In 2006, Ryan and his wife Shay, moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he set up his own architectural practice. Ryan continues to press the boundaries with award winning Organic and Modern structures that are unique to the area. His designs have received national as well as world wide attention and have been featured in many online and print media sources. He has also been recognized widely for his advancements in green construction and the green building industry, with his focus on building science and performance.
Ryan is a licensed architect in the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia and is a member of the National Council of Architects Registration Board.
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Composer: York, Barbara
with Piano. 1. Out and About 2. In 3. Up and Thro
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Barbara York (b. 1949, Winnipeg, Canada) has been working in both Canada and the U.S. for over 45 years as a concert accompanist, choral and theatrical music director and composer. Her score and lyrics for the Canadian musical Colette won a Dora Mavor Moore Award (Canada’s version of a Tony) in 1981. She has received commissions from two Canadian symphony orchestras (Mississauga and Saskatoon), the Boise State University Symphonic Winds and the Boise State Symphony Orchestra, plus numerous private groups and soloists in both the US and Canada.
She has presented compositions at three World Saxophone Congresses and at the 2003 International Double Reed Symposium. Her 50-minute scripted, children’s piece, A Butterfly in Time was nominated for a Canadian “Juno Award” for recordings in 2006 and is available through Amazon.com and elsewhere on the Children’s Group label. Her first tuba piece, Sea Dreams, was on the required repertoire list for the International Tuba Euphonium Association’s 2004 Young Artists Competition in Budapest. In 2006, Barbara, won the Harvey Phillips Award for Euphonium in Chamber Music at the International Tuba Euphonium Congress. Her Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra was recorded by Tim Buzbee with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and is available internationally through Albany Records.
As an accompanist, Barbara plays regularly at school, university and professional concert venues throughout the United States and Canada, has recorded for CBC Radio and has premiered numerous works for other composers at International congresses. Barbara lives in Pittsburg, KS where she works part-time as a staff accompanist at Pittsburg State University.
York, Barbara
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Kurt Schrader & Neal Dunn
Compare the voting records of Kurt Schrader and Neal Dunn in 2017-18.
Kurt Schrader
Represented Oregon's 5th Congressional District. This is his 5th term in the House.
Represented Florida's 2nd Congressional District. This is his 1st term in the House.
Kurt Schrader and Neal Dunn are from different parties and disagreed on 61 percent of votes in the 115th Congress (2017-18).
Sept. 7, 2018 — Community Safety and Security Act
July 13, 2018 — Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act
July 12, 2018 — Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act
June 8, 2018 — Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes
Nov. 8, 2017 — Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017
Nov. 7, 2017 — Save Local Business Act
Sept. 28, 2017 — Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017
July 19, 2017 — Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act
March 22, 2017 — Small Business Health Fairness Act
March 16, 2017 — Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act
March 2, 2017 — Regulatory Integrity Act
Feb. 7, 2017 — Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
Jan. 12, 2017 — SEC Regulatory Accountability Act
Jan. 11, 2017 — Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017
Dec. 21, 2018 — Alaska Remote Generator Reliability and Protection Act
July 18, 2018 — Rothfus of Pennsylvania Amendment No. 85
July 18, 2018 — McMorris Rodgers of Washington Amendment No. 46
July 18, 2018 — Supporting the officers and personnel who carry out the important mission of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
May 18, 2018 — Banks of Indiana Amendment No. 31
Nov. 8, 2017 — Rush of Illinois Amendment No. 4
Nov. 1, 2017 — Pearce of New Mexico Amendment No. 7
Nov. 1, 2017 — O’Halleran of Arizona Amendment No. 3
Nov. 1, 2017 — Khanna of California Amendment No. 2
Nov. 1, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2936) Resilient Federal Forests Act and for other purposes
Oct. 25, 2017 — Johnson of Georgia Part A Amendment No. 3
Sept. 13, 2017 — Polis of Colorado Amendment No. 76
Sept. 7, 2017 — Grijalva of Arizona Amendment No. 18
Sept. 7, 2017 — Austin Scott of Georgia Part B Amendment No. 92
July 19, 2017 — Tsongas of Massachusetts Part A Amendment No. 1
July 19, 2017 — Tsongas of Massachusetts Part B Amendment No. 2
June 21, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1873, the Electricity and Reliability and Forest Protection Act; and H.R.1654, the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act
May 25, 2017 — Jackson Lee of Texas Part B Amendment No. 1
May 24, 2017 — Huffman of California Amendment No. 2
May 24, 2017 — Esty of Connecticut Amendment No. 1
Feb. 28, 2017 — Plaskett of Virgin Islands Amendment No. 4


26/04/2017 3:14 PM AEST | Updated 02/05/2017 2:03 PM AEST
Men Are Killing Themselves To Be 'Real Men'
Suicide has the highest gender disparity of any cause of death in Australia.
By Emily Verdouw
In Australia, we're at a crisis point with suicide.
The stigma of mental illness not only works to keep people suffering in silence but can blind us to its symptoms. Indeed, eight Australians now take their own lives every day.
You do not need to be diagnosed with a mental illness to come face-to-face with suicidal thoughts. A relationship breakdown, losing a job or any significant moment could suddenly have you on the edge.
And while no particular part of our society is left untouched, no one person exempt from the mental and physical aches that life can bring, men are three times more likely to take their lives than women.
One of the central drivers is in the way we define what it means to be a man in Australia, explains Dr Michael Flood, sociologist on men and masculinities.
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"It's broken down a little, so it's shifted in some ways in Australia and it's uneven across Australia. But there's still a powerful ideal of what it means to be a man," he told HuffPost Australia.
"It's the idea that to be a man is to be tough, to be strong, to be invulnerable, to be heterosexual, to be in control, to avoid feelings and so on.
"If we teach men to always be tough, to be stoic, to not show pain, then we stuff up men's physical and emotional health, we limit men's friendships with other men and women, we limit men's relationships and we limit men's participation in society."
To limit men's ability to talk about how they're feeling is to interrupt their ability to seek help when they confront mental health challenges, or when they have suicidal thoughts.
This idea of what it means to be a man and its interference in help seeking was a key finding in a study from BeyondBlue and the Black Dog Institute, who researched the drivers behind men's suicide attempts.
"All of the men we interviewed, spoke to growing up in a culture where the message was implicit that they should not be speaking about their feelings," Dr Andrea Fogarty, research fellow at Black Dog Institute, told HuffPost Australia.
And for those who confront and overcome suicide, sharing their story of recovery can go a long way in helping others to make a different decision when it comes to those moments where everything seems to much, and they don't understand why.
Especially for men.
Lifeline is exploring Australia's suicide crisis with business and community leaders at the #StopSuicide Summit on May 1, in partnership with HuffPost Australia and Twitter Australia.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
Emily Verdouw Associate Video Editor, HuffPost Australia
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