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Alethustria Wiki (alethustriawiki) - https://alethustria.miraheze.org - Miraheze

A backup of the "Alethustria Wiki" wiki (database name: alethustriawiki ) on Miraheze , self-generated by Miraheze itself every month to honor our backups commitment..

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MUSIC INDUSTRY: Jazz Luminary Samuel Batista To Enrich America's Musical Landscape

Samuel Batista, an internationally recognized saxophonist, has made waves on a global scale with his exceptional talent and versatility. Renowned for his profound musicality and highly distinguished career, Batista has received accolades for his numerous professional achievements. He now brings his remarkable talents to the United States, where his arrival promises to invigorate the jazz scene with his unique and captivating sound....




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Hurricane Helene caused big losses for North Carolina's fall tourism industry

Tourists stayed away from western North Carolina this year after Helene swept through the area, and towns that depend on leaf lookers are bracing for big losses.




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Voter frustration with rising prices had a major impact on the election

We look at the impact of inflation on the outcome of the presidential elections this week.




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Tasha makes Miss World Australia finals

STUNNER Tasha Ross can add another title to her impressive list of beauty awards, after making the finals of Miss World Australia.




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tasmania australia boots - Google Search




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The Illustrated Children’s Guide to Kubernetes | CNCF




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Who really won the US election? The fossil fuel companies and other polluting industries.




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Mikaela Shiffrin beats Petra Vlhova for emotional win in World Cup night race in Austria

Mikaela Shiffrin celebrated an emotional win in a women’s World Cup night race Tuesday, edging out Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova in another gripping duel of their ongoing slalom rivalry.




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After guiding industry through big changes, head of Colorado oil-gas group to step down

Dan Haley is stepping down as CEO and president of the trade association after nine years.




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Psychedelic therapy advocates fear high fees will curb Colorado industry before it starts

When psychedelic-assisted therapy becomes available in Colorado next year, the state will be just the second in the U.S. to regulate the production and use of psilocybin mushrooms.




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Colorado’s oil and gas industry says it’s reducing emissions at drilling sites by 95%. Environmentalists aren’t so sure.

Center for Biological Diversity is suing sued the state health department over two Crestone Peak sites.




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Video: Fishing Industry Press Conference

[Updated] Members of the local fishing industry are holding a press conference this afternoon [Nov 24], and we will have additional coverage later on and in the meantime the live video is below. Update: The live broadcast has concluded and the replay is below Update: The Government issued a response, it follows in full below: […]




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Video: Fishing Industry Responds To Govt

The Fishermen’s Association Bermuda has released a video to further respond to the Government, stating that the Steering Committee mostly consists of Government departments and said the Government has “inserted tokenism” to “give the impression that the fishing industry is fairly involved in the consultation and voting process.” Screenshot from the video statement released A […]




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Video: Alizadeh Starts Competing In Australia

Bermuda’s Dara Alizadeh started competing in the 2024 NSW Rowing Championships hosted by the Sydney International Regatta Center in Australia. Competing in the Championship Men’s Elite Single Scull, Alizadeh finished 4th clocking a time of 7:05.59. Alizadeh — who represented Bermuda at the last Olympics — finished 6.04 behind the winner Caleb Antill who clocked […]




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PwC Summit To Convene 300 Industry Leaders

The 17th annual PwC insurance and reinsurance forum is set to convene more than 300 industry leaders and professionals to discuss the pivotal trends and strategies shaping the industry landscape. A spokesperson said, “The PwC Insurance Summit, presented with the Financial Times, known for its comprehensive insights and thought-provoking discussions, will take place on 12 […]




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Remember When: Sports Illustrated In 1995

It has been 29 years since Sports Illustrated released its swimsuit issue featuring supermodels, including Rebecca Romijn, Ashley Richardson, and Cheryl Tiegs, posing for shots in different locations throughout Bermuda. The multi-page spread entitled “Basking in Bermuda” was shot by Ron Labbe, with the text accompanying the photos including captions such as “There’s splendor in […]




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Austria National Day 2024

Date: October 26, 2024

Today’s Doodle celebrates the Austrian National Day. On this day in 1955, the Austrian Parliament decided on the neutrality of Austria in the form of a constitutional law. In 1965, the 26th of October was declared a “national holiday” by law.

Happy National Day, Austria! Einen schönen Nationalfeiertag, Österreich!

Location: Austria

Tags:




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The new fascism is the woke industrial complex consisting of big US corporations and the big governments of China and the United States

And so that is what I call the birth of this woke industrial complex. It is a new leviathan, a new monster, that is far more powerful than what Thomas Hobbes might have envisioned 400 years ago, and it is the biggest threat to individual liberty today. It is not big government alone. Its conservatives are reciting lines that they memorized in 1980, thinking that big government was the threat to individual liberty. Maybe it was in 1980. It's not today. It is this new hybrid of big government and big business and big government not just in the United States but big government in places like China, co-mingled with big business creating the actual threat to our liberty and our prosperity. Continue reading




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The Long and Arduous Journey of the Airline Industry May be Reaching an End

The government deregulated the airline industry in 1978. Since that time, the basic pricing in the industry, as well as airline fortunes, have been more or less continuously on the downward slope. It has been a very long trip down.

The industry may be heading up again, though. In the third quarter of 2010, the average domestic airfare was 11% higher than a year earlier. Profits returned to the industry in 2010 behind higher prices. In some part, these higher prices were the result of the additional fees that most of the domestic carriers charged passengers for checked baggage, better seating, rerouting and so forth. Still, the industry was able to hold its higher prices.

These prices are holding because the major industry players are less enamored of discounted flying. All of the big airlines are finding ways to extract prices from industry customers. Now that airline capacity utilization is high, the industry is more careful about capacity additions. Higher prices are here to stay.

The consumer still is far ahead. Even at these higher prices, ticket prices are a bargain. In fact, ticket prices, adjusted for inflation, are 20% below the levels of 1995. The industry has continuously stripped benefits from the base product in order to save costs. In 2010, the industry added back a few of those benefits (for example, economy plus seating) for an additional charge. We may see more of that over the next few years.




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The Mobile Phone Industry and Customer Retention

The mobile phone industry’s growth has slowed.  It is now operating more like a stable, moderate to slow growth market.  This is particularly true in Europe.  To face the challenge of slower growth in the industry, European mobile operators are turning to customer retention, but they are careful of the customers they seek to retain. 

The Europeans have observed that less than 20% of an operator’s customers generate to 80% of the operator’s total revenue.  This pattern repeats itself in many industries.  When we have seen these patterns in other industries, we have also noted that less than 10% of the total customers generate an astounding 50% of total revenues.  These are the really important customers in an industry. 

A company must retain its key customers.  In the mobile phone industry, as in most industries, the largest 20% of the industry’s customers are likely to be what we would call Core customers for the industry’s larger competitors.  A Core customer allows supplier company to earn at least the cost of capital through a business cycle.  The retention of these core customers is of paramount importance to long term company success. It costs a great deal more to find a new customer than to retain and build the relationship with a customer you already have.  In the European mobile phone industry, carriers have found that it costs ten times more to acquire a customer than to retain one. 

The industry has found another important phenomenon associated with customer defection.  Recent research has told it that defection is a social phenomenon.  If defecting customers leave an operator, they usually are not quiet about it.  They tell their friends.  In turn, some of their friends defect as well.  So, the loss of a Core customer to an operator will often bring with it the loss of several other Core customers. 

The mobile phone operators in Europe are working on retention by focusing particularly on those Core customers most likely to defect.  These operators have analyzed the value of their customers and have assigned a rating to each customer.  When a customer calls a call center, the information about the customer, including his rating, is readily displayed on the service representative’s screen.  This customer specific information enables the service representative to respond with different value offers, depending on the importance of the customer.  Most of these offers reflect lower prices for a potential defector.

But the industry is responding to potential defections with more than simple price reductions.  Some companies are developing personal calling rates and plans tailored to individual Core customer habits.  One European company instituted this individual approach and cut its percentage of customers defecting each year in half, from 20% to 10%. 

The industry has found another important phenomenon associated with customer churn.  Recent research has told it that defection is a social phenomenon.  If defecting customers leave an operator, they usually are not quiet about it.  They tell their friends.  In turn, some of their friends defect as well.  So, the loss of a core customer to an operator will often bring with it the loss of several other core customers. 

Customer retention is an important, strategic management imperative, even in fast growing markets






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Streaks of fire are about to take over Australian skies during the Leonid meteor shower. Here’s how to see them - nbnnews.com.au

  1. Streaks of fire are about to take over Australian skies during the Leonid meteor shower. Here’s how to see them  nbnnews.com.au
  2. The Northern Taurid meteor shower could produce fireballs. Here’s how to watch  CNN
  3. Northern Taurid meteor shower hits peak activity this week: When and where to watch  USA TODAY
  4. Leonid Meteor Shower May Put on a Surprise Show This Week  ScienceAlert
  5. Starwatch: Leonid meteor shower returns to skies in November  The Guardian







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NSW nurses strike heaps wage pressure on Minns government - The Australian Financial Review

  1. NSW nurses strike heaps wage pressure on Minns government  The Australian Financial Review
  2. Hundreds of elective surgeries cancelled as 10,000 nurses and midwives walk off job in NSW  ABC News
  3. Nurses took to the streets after ‘insulting’ pay offer. Next stop, court  Sydney Morning Herald
  4. Almost 700 surgeries cancelled as 12,000 NSW nurses strike for better pay  9News




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Elon Musk’s job as Trump’s bureaucracy buster could be just the start - The Australian Financial Review

  1. Elon Musk’s job as Trump’s bureaucracy buster could be just the start  The Australian Financial Review
  2. Elon Musk tapped for ‘government efficiency’ role by Donald Trump  Sydney Morning Herald
  3. Evening News Bulletin 13 November 2024  SBS News
  4. Donald Trump wants Elon Musk to slash regulations as he reveals his role  ABC News




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2018 Releases by Austin Authors and Illustrators

It's the eve of the Texas Book Festival so make sure you check out the festivities on the Capitol grounds! And here's a tentative list of projects from Austin authors and illustrators releasing next year! For previous years, go here.

Picture Books, Easy Readers, and Board Books

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT? by Chris Barton, ill. by Ekua Holmes (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane 2018).

MIGHTY TRUCK: ON THE FARM, by Chris Barton, ill. by Troy Cummings (HarperCollins, May 2018).

MIGHTY TRUCK: THE TRAFFIC TIE-UP, by Chris Barton, ill. by Troy Cummings (HarperCollins, May 2018).

PENGUIN AND TINY SHRIMP DON'T DO BEDTIME, by Cate Berry, ill. by Charles Santoso (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins 2018).

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S DUELING WORDS, by Donna Janell Bowman, ill. by S.D. Schindler (Peachtree, 2018)

THE BOOK THAT JAKE BORROWED, by Susan Kralovansky (Pelican 2018).

COUNTING COLORS IN TEXAS, by Susan Kralovansky (Pelican 2018).

KATE, WHO TAMED THE WIND, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Lee White (Schwartz & Wade, Spring 2018).

FRANCES IN THE COUNTRY, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Sean Qualls (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, Summer 2018).

DEAR SUBSTITUTE, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Chris Raschka (Disney-Hyperion, Summer 2018).

STALEBREAD CHARLIE AND THE RAZZY, DAZZY SPASM BAND,  by Michael Mahin, ill. by Don Tate (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018).

PAR-TAY: DANCE OF THE VEGGIES (AND THEIR FRIENDS), by Eloise Greenfield, ill. by Don Tate (Alazar Press 2018).

POTATO KING: THE STORY OF JUNIUS G. GROVES, by Don Tate (Knopf 2018).
 

Middle Grade

THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, by Samantha Clark (Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster, Summer 2018).

KNOCKOUT, by K.A. Holt (Chronicle, Spring 2018).

DEAR ME (tent. title), by K.A. Holt (Scholastic, Summer 2018).

THE PARKER INHERITANCE, by Varian Johnson (Scholastic, Spring 2018).

THE CAMELOT CODE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE GEEK, by Mari Mancusi (Disney-Hyperion, Oct. 2018).

GIRLS WHO CODE: LIGHTS, MUSIC, CODE, by Jo Whittemore (Penguin Workshop, Spring 2018).

REVENGE OF THE TEACHER'S PETS, by Jennifer Ziegler (Scholastic, June 2018).

Young Adult

HEARTS UNBROKEN, by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick Press, 2018).

AVENGED, by Amy Tintera (HarperTeen, May 2018).





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What’s Wrong With Today’s Society Captured In 20 Brutally Honest Illustrations

This illustrator, John Holcroft, is genius! check out his website for more.

 




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Japan is ramping up efforts to revive its once dominant chip industry

Japan has announced a new plan to revitalize the country's semiconductor and artificial intelligence industries as it works to regain its chip leadership. The proposal will provide support worth 10 trillion yen ($65 billion) or more by fiscal 2030, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said earlier this…




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Australia plans to ban social media for under 16s — and experts have called it a ‘momentous step’

One expert says Australia is "on the verge of reclaiming childhood after it had been stolen for 15 years."




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Australian Buyout Financing Activity Gets Boost From Lumus Deal




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Russia's lucrative oil and oil industry is an easy target for Europe after Trump's election victory

The EU is considering replacing Russian liquified natural gas imports with US shipments — a move that could hit President Vladimir Putin's war chest. Contributor/ Getty Images Trump's presidency may pressure Russia's oil and gas industry. The EU is thinking about replacing Russian LNG with US…




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Artsy Fart of the Day: Classic NES Games Turned Into Digital Papercraft Illustrations

Steph Caskenette made these awesome illustrations.




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Tennis Player Li Na Gives the Best Acceptance Speech After Winning the Australian Open




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Advice for young writers from Anna Lazowski, debut picture book author of T.REXES CAN'T TIE THEIR SHOES (illustrated by Steph Laberis)

Looking for a hugely entertaining alphabet book that also has an uplifting message of empowerment for young readers? I highly recommend T. REXES CAN'T TIE THEIR SHOES by Anna Lazowski and Steph Laberis, launching June 29th, 2021 from Doubleday Books For Young Readers. The back matter also has an alphabetized factoid list of "all the amazing things animals CAN do!"

This is an alphabet book that can be appreciated by grown-ups as well as young readers, with lots of potential discussion points. The illustrations of animals in ridiculous situations are so SOOOOO FUN --- omigosh, even as I'm writing this post, I went back to look through the digital ARC and can't decide which is my favourite, though I'm leaning toward the "Cheetahs can't chew bubble gum" page.

I asked debut picture book author Anna Lazowski if she had any advice for young writers, and here's what she said:

"Write what you want to write, because as you move through the publishing process, it will become incredibly important for you to truly believe in your work. The rejections in this industry are endless, and they come at every stage. Critique partners might reject elements of your manuscript, agents will reject your work, and once you're on submission to editors, they will reject your work. Then once you're finally published, some reviewers will reject your work. If you don't fully believe in your stories, this will be extremely hard to take. It's hard as it is, so make sure you're all in on the work you're doing. It will make the rest a little bit easier to navigate."

Wise advice. Thank you, Anna! And congrats to you and Steph on your upcoming launch!

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Also see other Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators From Children's Book Creators and my other Interviews With Children's Book Creators.

Image at the top of this post was created for my new #BookADay book journal. For more info about Donalyn Miller's #BookADay challenge, see Donalyn's post in the Nerdy Book Club blog.



  • Advice for young artists and young writers
  • BookADay

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Behind-the-scenes peek into picture book writing & illustration process with Hazel Mitchell (SWEET PEA SUMMER, Candlewick)

Hazel Mitchell has helped create more than twenty children's books, including her award-winning picture book Toby (Candlewick Press). Her illustrations appear in books by Cynthia Lord, JaNay Brown-Wood (Imani's Moon was mentioned on the Stephen Colbert show!), Lynn Parrish Sutton, Liza Gardner Walsh and others. You can find out more about Hazel and her work at HazelMitchell.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Synopsis of SWEET PEA SUMMER (Candlewick):

During her mother’s absence, a young girl discovers the joys of gardening—and the rewards of persistence and a sharp eye—in a sweet intergenerational story. With warm, child-friendly illustrations and a simple narration, Hazel Mitchell tells a timeless story about holding on to hope in hard times and finding the strength and determination to see it through. A brief author’s note at the end offers a bit of history and a few details about sweet peas for aspiring gardeners.

Q. What inspired you to write Sweet Pea Summer?

My inspiration for the book were memories I have from staying with my grandparents when I was little (4-6 years old). They lived in a row of mill cottages in a Yorkshire town called Huddersfield. The town was born out of the wool trade and had many factories and tall towers, but was surrounded by beautiful countryside. I started to sketch my memories of staying with them - the cottage, the garden, the countryside with the moors and mill chimneys, the cats that were always scampering around, the long road that stretched away up a sloping hill to the town itself.

My granddad was an excellent gardener. I suspect this came from the war years in Britain when everyone grew their own food as much as possible. In my memory the garden was so, so long with a little greenhouse and was stuffed with veggies and flowers. Of course, my memory exaggerated everything. I was seeing through a small child's eyes. I even googled the road on Google Streetview and the cottage and the garden are still there, just much smaller than I recalled.

I decided there was a story in these sketches and my rememberings. I find that I'm often inspired by childhood memories, places and real life things, like my own dog who is the main character in the book 'Toby', also from Candlewick Press. I've even been known to use my house in books, or feature the landscape of Maine, where I live, and sometimes I draw objects from my home. it gives authenticity I think.

Q. What was the writing and illustration process like?

After some note making, more doodles and musing I decided on the main character of a girl. She's not exactly me. My sister also went to stay with my grandparents when my mother was ill and that was really the nugget that set me rolling. The girl is sad and missing her mother, so Grandpa invites her to help in the garden and, in particular, to look after the sweet peas. (My own grandfather grew chrysanthemums, but I decided children would relate more to sweet peas. Plus it is easier to say!).

The grandparents do not look like my grandparents and even though the child is not really me, I guess she shares some of my personality characteristics and DO I love gardening! (Although I always fail with sweet peas, which is ironic). I found I had all the inspiration I needed to get started on roughing out a story.

Writing and illustrating Sweet Pea Summer was a long process, as most books tend to me. There are a lot of images in the book, which is kind of graphic novelish in a way, with multiple images on some pages that follow a grid layout. Although I did preliminary character and setting sketches, I then spent time writing scene progressions and story boarding before I was ready to do the first full dummy.

I've found this saves me time in the long run, when I finally start to sketch I can be pretty certain I have the rudimentary story arc and length of book down. We had 2-3 edits and rehashes before my editors, art director and myself were all happy to go to finals. Finals are always the very long and arduous stage of the book for me. The first spark of story and hashing it out is the inspirational bit.

I did all the art for Sweet Pea in pencil and watercolor (usually I colour an under painting digitally), but I felt this book needed a traditional watercolour feel. It was a longer process for sure! Along the way I did a good amount of picture research especially on the landscapes and the flowers - plus the process of growing them, which features in the story. The parallel between the illness of the m/c's mom and the flowers failing to open was important to me. didn't want it to be too obvious to the reader.

My editor, Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press, was very helpful, as always, keeping the story on track. Pam Consolazio was my art director, and her nickname was Sweet Pea as a child! it is lovely when you find unexpected connections. I scan my own artwork, which gives me the luxury of making any tweaks to the final art. I think the whole book took about 2 years, including edits etc.

It's wonderful when your book finally arrives in your mailbox! (Just like any birth, the pain recedes!) It was especially concerning in this time of the pandemic, but everything went well and the books arrived in time for publication.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

My advice to young writers and illustrators is always work on stories that you love and feel an emotional response to whether, happy, sad, funny or just that you just love and know the subject. It will always show in your work!

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For more insights from book creators, see my Inkygirl interview archives.

 




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Advice for young writers from Troy Wilson, author of GOLDIBOOKS AND THE WEE BEAR (illustrated by Edwardian Taylor)

Just read (and loved) a fun reimagining of the classic fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears: GOLDIBOOKS AND THE WEE BEAR, written by Troy Wilson and illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, published earlier this year by Running Press Kids.

Here is Troy Wilson's advice for young writers:

"My advice? Write badly. Badly, badly, badly. Include words and ideas that shouldn't be there. Leave out words and ideas that should be there. Put things in the wrong order. Have your protagonist act wildly out of character. Why? Because that is what your favorite author does.

"You don't see your favorite author's horrible first drafts. Or horrible second drafts. Or horrible third drafts. For that matter, you don't see their attempted books that never, ever turned out at all. (Some things are just dead ends, even for your favorite author.) No, you only see their final, super-duper-polished work, after they got lots and lots of great feedback.

"Everyone starts with bad writing. Every single writer, every single time - no matter how long they've been doing it. You can't avoid your own bad writing. You can't go around it or over it or under it. You have to go through it. Just get it onto the page or screen. You can always fix it later. Except if you let the bad writing - or the fear of bad writing - stop you from writing. Because you can't fix what isn't there."

Thanks, Troy! 

Related links:

Publisher page about Goldibooks and the Wee Bear

More about Troy Wilson at TroyStory.ca, Twitter and Facebook.

More about Edwardian Taylor at EdwardianTaylor.com, Twitter and Instagram.

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Find more advice for young writers and illustrators from children's book creators.

 




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These are 5 industries being propelled by 3D printing

When 3D printing first took off, it was difficult to imagine how diverse the field would grow. Nowadays, the realm of additive manufacturing is growing daily. In particular, five sectors are advancing rapidly as a result of developments in additive manufacturing. These are healthcare, food, fashion, motorsports and aerospace. Based on estimates, it is believed that soon these industries will incorporate 3D printing as a key component of their operations.[...]




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Cyber Threats That Could Impact the Retail Industry This Holiday Season (and What to Do About It)

As the holiday season approaches, retail businesses are gearing up for their annual surge in online (and in-store) traffic. Unfortunately, this increase in activity also attracts cybercriminals looking to exploit vulnerabilities for their gain.  Imperva, a Thales company, recently published its annual holiday shopping cybersecurity guide. Data from the Imperva Threat Research team’s




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Cisco Releases Patch for Critical URWB Vulnerability in Industrial Wireless Systems

Cisco has released security updates to address a maximum severity security flaw impacting Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (URWB) Access Points that could permit unauthenticated, remote attackers to run commands with elevated privileges. Tracked as CVE-2024-20418 (CVS score: 10.0), the vulnerability has been described as stemming from a lack of input validation to the web-based management




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New GootLoader Campaign Targets Users Searching for Bengal Cat Laws in Australia

In an unusually specific campaign, users searching about the legality of Bengal Cats in Australia are being targeted with the GootLoader malware. "In this case, we found the GootLoader actors using search results for information about a particular cat and a particular geography being used to deliver the payload: 'Are Bengal Cats legal in Australia?,'" Sophos researchers Trang Tang, Hikaru Koike,




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Annoyed Redditors tanking Google Search results illustrates perils of AI scrapers




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Australia plans social media ban for under-16s




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Princeton creates Office of Innovation to enhance ecosystem for research, start-ups, tech transfer and industry collaboration

Craig B. Arnold has been named Princeton’s first University Innovation Officer and heads the new office.