A Homegrown Writing Retreat

A Homegrown Writing Retreat Ah, the writers retreat! A four-star hotel with room service, or maybe just an idyllic cabin in the woods, with meals delivered on tippy-toe so as not to disturb the Muse. What you couldnt get done in such an environment – provided you can afford the fees and travel costs, and make it past the waiting list. If you cant, dont despair. For the last six years my writers group has held three or four retreats a year: spring, summer, fall and sometimes also winter. Its simple, inexpensive, and very, very effective. Most of us who attend the retreats write daily, and professionally. The retreats allow us to kick-start a new project or make major progress on an existing one. Heres what you need for your own retreat: ==At least three writers committed to showing up all three days. Four, five or six reduces the work per person. More than that would probably be unwieldy. ==A space big enough for everyone to write in, with facilities for meals. Ours is the living room in the home of two of our writers. You might also be able to use a church hall or some other community space that has a kitchen. ==A meal plan. Ours is done a week ahead so everyone knows what meals theyll be responsible for. Meals are scheduled: breakfast 8 a.m., lunch 1 p.m., supper 6 p.m. Theyre also simple, and as much as possible, made ahead. The person responsible for the next meal cleans up from the last one, which means you know where you put the cheese grater or the big spoon. We try to keep breakfast and lunch self-serve, and gather for conversation and readings at dinner. ==A project, and whatever research materials, notes or so on you require, plus your writing tools of choice. We list food sensitivities and dislikes on the meal plan. We also ban television, movies, radio, phone calls and music except with headphones. Visitors are discouraged, and any conversation has to be away from the writing area. Alcohol comes out only in moderation with dinner, where we read aloud from the days work and cheer each other on. Three of us are hard-core and attend every day of every retreat. Three or four others regularly show up for a day or two (with a meal and cleanup). The work is minimal – at worst, one meal and one cleanup per day. Its not unusual to have a day on which youre not responsible for any kitchen work. As for cost, I live fifteen miles from the retreat location and usually do two meals and provide some snacks (fruit, nuts or biscotti, plus dark chocolate). My total costs for the weekend are $60-$80 in gas and food. If my friends guest room is available, its less than that. Results? They can be amazing. I regularly get two weeks worth of writing done in three days. Ive polished a manuscript for publication, written 80 percent of a non-fiction book and ploughed through more pages than I can remember. My colleagues have had similar results. While its my daily writing practice that keeps me productive and sharp, the retreats help me remember that there are others out there sharing this creative life. I come out of a retreat refreshed and re- committed. The camaraderie eases the usual loneliness of the writers work, the feedback warms the heart. And the production doesnt hurt, either.

Getting That Memoir to Pay

Getting That Memoir to Pay Youve published your memoir and now its not bringing in the kind of money you expected? Its disappointing, but its not unusual. Turning your memoir into a money-maker is one of the greatest challenges in writing and publishing. But dont be too quick to round-file your book and abandon the life-long dream of writing your story. There are other fairly simple ways of bringing in extra cash from your labor-of-love. 1.   The biggest step in earning more money from your memoir is 2.   Try submitting snippets of your memoir to various publications. My best example is the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which is basically a collection of mini-memoirs. They pay $200 per story plus 10 copies of the book in which youre to be published. 3.   Sell portions of your memoir to magazines. Womans World Magazine publishes a weekly magazine that offers opportunities for earning money for true stories written in the first person. They pay $25, $100 and $250 for non-fiction stories. Or, pluck a section from your memoir, change the names, embellish it and then submit it as fiction, which pays $800 for romances and $500 for mini-mysteries. 4. Newspapers are always looking for quality human interest stories for their hard copy and on-line publications. For seven years I was paid to write a nostalgic cooking column for a newspaper where I drew fully from my early-life experiences. Pay depends on the individual publication. 5.   Consider speaking engagements. Ive spoken at senior centers, churches, womens groups and military organizations. Network or go on-line to find groups with interests that align with your memoir. The larger the organization the more theyre able to pay. 6.   Enter contests. Contests accept fiction and nonfiction pieces; heres another place where you can take a slice of your memoir, fictionalize it and enter it in a contest, or write a piece of it as creative nonfiction. Entry fees vary, as do winning prizes. 7.   Teach a class. I contacted the Continuing Education Department of our local college and was hired to teach adult cooking, cooking for kids, memoir writing and publishing classes. 8.   Craft shows and farmers markets offer a relaxed, country feel that can set the mood for memoir sales. Bring along your gift-of-gab. Ive sold more books at craft shows than through any other venue. Earning additional funds from your memoir is entirely doable. The key is to think outside the box. Stay focused, flexible, and above all, creative.  

Can stem cell research promise any improvement in autoimmune diseases Paper

Can stem cell promise any improvement in autoimmune diseases - Research Paper Example Stem cell research promises improvement in autoimmune diseases. The immune system is the body’s main line of defense against invasion by infectious organisms. The body has many cellular components, and the immune system must be able to differentiate components of invading organisms and of its self to conduct its protection functions effectively. Through this, it only attacks the invading components and not its own components. The immune system may fail to recognize and eliminate invading components on time, and this result in infections. However, autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis,  occur when the immune system fails to distinguish its own cells or components and attacks them by mistake (Ra, Kang, Shin, Park, Joo, Kim, Kang, Lee, Nakama, Piao, Soh, and Kurtz, 2011). Stem cell research helps explain why the bodys immune system, for some reason, turns against itself. Stem cells helps heal damaged tissues. Researchers have established the use of Haematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in the management of malignant and non-malignant diseases (Holbro, Abinun, and Daikeler, 2012). Currently, research indicates that stem cell therapy induces intense healing action in animals with different forms of autoimmune disorders. Stem cells have the unique ability to adjust the immune system to avert pathological responses while at the same time maintain its ability to repel disease (Hugle and Daikeler, 2010). Stem cells and particularly, mesenchymal stem cells, produce anti-inflammatory agents in inflamed tissues. They do not suppress the immune response of the patient’s whole body like immune suppressive agents such as methothrexate and steroids, which present lasting unfavorable effects, and need for lifetime treatment. Instead, the stem cell mediators act locally. Alan Tyndall confirms that more than 1500 patients have received HSCT as

Purification Planning for Sole Proprietor Case Study

Purification Planning for Sole Proprietor - Case Study Example This way a company or a sole proprietor can reduce Paid-up Capital through a payment and the qualifying shares are subsequently sold to arm's length party. This paper tries to answer the question as to whether Mr. Edward Lau, a Canadian Resident, who is the sole shareholder of Cell City is qualified to avail the CGD when he sells his shares. Mr. Edward wants to sell his shares and thus the tax implications have been examined. An analysis of all the possible tax issues that will be raised, and how to overcome it is being discussed in this paper. It is vital to do this kind of planning by Cell City sooner rather than later. The planning becomes more complicated and risky, and probably, more expensive, if such planning is contemplated on the eve of a sale. Mr. Edward Lau, a Canadian Resident, is the sole shareholder of Cell City and has been since its inception. Cell City owns 100% of common shares of Space, which consist of 100 shares with a Paid up Capital (PUC) and an Adjusted Cost Base (ACB) of $50,000. Edward has never claims a Capital Gain Deduction (CGD). Edward has received an offer for his shares in Cell City. Before making his decision, he requests our advice on all the tax consequences resulting from such a decision. He informs us that Cell City has exited since 1989 and that the balance sheet for both corporations has remained substantially the same for the last three years. The balance sheets as at August 31, 2009, are presented below: Cell City: FMV Cost Treasury Bills 150,000 150,000 Shares of public corporations 100,000 75,000 Shares-Space 1,000,000 50,000 1,250,000 275,000 Share Capital 100 Retained Earnings 1,249,900 1,250,000 Space: FMV Cost Loan to Broke Ltd. 300,000 300,000 Land 100,000 75,000 Building 700,000 425,000 Equipment 400,000 600,000 Goodwill 150,000 0 1,650,000 1,400,000 Liabilities 50,000 Mortgage 600,000 Share Capital 50,000 Retained Earnings 950,000 1,650,000 The value of goodwill is reflected in the Fair Market Value (FMV) of retained earnings. Broke Ltd. is not related to Space and the loan does not bear interest it is controlled by a friend of Edward Lau. Edward Lau has asked us to explore the rules applicable to purification planning, identify situations that may come under the provisions of the rules, and determine the tax consequences. Then the provisions of the ITA that allow the Capital Gains Deduction (CGD) to be claimed on disposal of shares in a Canadian-Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) and qualified assets are also analyzed. This is a significant benefit, since using the CGD serves to reduce Edward Lau's tax bill. This paper will determine taxpayers' tax liability and regulatory requirements and exposure. Tax implications of proposed and completed transactions are evaluated and analyzed and tax-planning issues are discussed. Business decisions in their legal context, along with preparing and advising on contract structure and enforcement is discussed. The first section of this paper looks at the background of Cell City.

Global Warming Merits Widespread Moral Outrage Essay -- Climate Change,

Global Warming Disaster Merits Widespread Moral Outrage    Global warming will take its toll of human life to the tune of hundreds of thousands every year. According to John Broome--the Chair of Moral Philosophy at Oxford--these unfortunate victims of society's next big challenge will die by three main causes: heat waves, expansion of tropical diseases to temperate latitudes, and increased flooding. And yet many of my fellow EEB (ecology and evolutionary biology) grad students felt that the direct loss of life was a pittance in comparison with the indirect effects of global warming, such as the loss of ecosystem services caused by the devastation of the natural world and the social turmoil associated with the inundation of the many millions of homes by the rising oceans.    There are three paradoxes to the politics of global change, which together can only lead to the conclusion that the US government's stance is horrendously unjust. The Bush stance to which I'm referring is the recent decision to withdraw completely from negotiations for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. By this international treaty, the Clinton administration had agreed to limit US emissions of CO2--the largest anthropogenic contributor to global warming--to 7% less than 1990 levels by 2007. Bush's decision directly contradicted an explicit campaign promise to limit national emissions of air pollutants including carbon dioxide. This monumental decision enraged EU leaders and humiliated EPA director (ex-NJ Governor) Christie Whitman, who had just stated publicly that Bush would implement the Kyoto Protocol.    The first paradox is that Bush's justification of the decision is that the Protocol is unfair to US because it does not explic... ... spend thousands of dollars to prevent their children contracting malaria as the plasmodium-carrying mosquitoes spread North? And what are we going to tell the many millions of Bangladeshis who will soon lose their lowland communities? I am going to tell them that I am deeply sorry, and that I fought the good fight. I will tell them that I refused to act as an apologist for indefensible American policies. I will tell them that I refused to partake in discussion of the finer points of emissions trading or carbon sink credits without first pointing out that the very basis for discussion is deeply unjust. This Earth Day, I am making a resolution not to legitimize Bush's despicable climate change position by accepting the paradoxical assumptions upon which it is based. I invite you to join me--for the sake of future generations and disenfranchised people everywhere.

Human Rights and Present Human Freedom

Freedom is a concept that refers to many aspects of human life. I believe that is defined as the ability that people have to do or not something, and do it in a way or another. I also believe that is possible to understand freedom as that state in which a man is not being imprisoned or enslaved by another; it is a concept that refers to all aspects related to independence. This concept is something that has made us think in many ways, because many times, the do what we want, can take us to the wrong path, which may end up making us lose it.Since the beginning of man to the present human freedom has played an important role in it but not the way we wanted to remember. A great example was Egypt; there existed on the banks of the Nile an extreme amount of slaves that contributed to the creation of the same. What I mean is that human freedom has been leaving a mark very strong throughout man's existence but erroneously because it is not characterized by the excess of it, on the contrary, is characterized by its absence.Slavery is not a story of the past, it is true that it was practiced more frequently in it but even in our times can be found slaves, this slavery can be accepted or not, for the slave. There are several types of freedom, among which are the freedom of expression, that is based in that every human being has the right to free speech, this is a right that I believe that we are only ones can make it count because we are responsible to find ways of how we want to express.Also, freedom of opinion that says that we live in a democratic world so we have the right to give our opinions, regardless of whether it is our view and we are free to make it known; freedom of worship which is based on that we all come from a family with religious beliefs that we learn from childhood, and society teaches us that there are many more religions that we have to accept equally, and that each individual has the freedom to choose and defend their beliefs.The freedom of choice each individual has to choose freely what they want without having anything to stop them doing that and the latest, freedom of decision which states that each person is the only responsible who can decide what does or does not do with his life.As Charles Evans Hughes said, â€Å"When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free†. Freedom is an instrument double-edged, means to do what you want, while not against human nature; to regulate this freedom there are laws, which are the rules from the order is born so no one has  more freedom than other, and nobody thinks that their freedom is more valuable than another. It is double-edged because this is the same trap that should not escape, and being a runaway freedom means being taken prisoner in bondage, there is his trap, care freedom makes us all prisoners of the slavery of be free, but this brings us the ability to think, speak, hear and do it without fear of being penalized, punished or exterminated .Any other slavery, don ´t. I believe that freedom in general is the lack of limitation for action. This has been present for years in the world, where it has been very important. From my point of view, the greatest attribute of being free is that we always have the decision last us. We can decide and be free to do what we want or what we want it or not oblige.

Free Trade and the Environment Essay - 1003 Words

Free Trade and the Environment Economic Implications of Free Trade Throughout the academic discipline of economics, much attention has been lavished on the purely economic benefits of free trade as opposed to autarky. Economists have argued that both consumer and producer stand to gain from uninhibited international trade. The consumer gains access to greater quantities of a specific good at a more competitive price, while the producer is able to shift his resources into the economy’s comparative-advantage industries. In addition to static gains from trade such as increases in economic well being, free trade brings about dynamic gains as well, which further increase the expand the economic resources of the involved country.†¦show more content†¦The debate in recent years has mainly revolved around the claim that increased trade undermines environmental quality, which has an especially significant effect in lower-income countries. The traditional rebuttal is that free trade allows developing countries to break out of the cycle of pove rty and to increase in economic prosperity, thereby growing out of their environmental problems. It should be apparent that the latter argument is most conducive to free trade, and has thus been harped on by trade advocates, who insist that economic success enables a country to generate the revenue needed to enact stricter environmental regulations. The raw data, which has been subjected to much analysis, can lead to either of the two conclusions; the primary question facing economists thus is one of direct causality. Has free trade ever been a direct cause of improvements or degradations in the environment? Any study of the environment and economics would be remiss not to include a discussion of industrial emission standards and pollution controls, the main instruments through which decisions of environmental economics are most evidently manifested. 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