Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Getting Near the End by Andrew Weiner Life and death in the Universe. In memory of Sonia Piotelat 2002-2020. She was a real SETI supporter. Friday, April 23, 2021. How do you live in a landscape so vastly changed? I was living on a planet called Earth. There was oxygen, water, forests, flowers, insects, birds, life. With Sonia we loved this planet, we wanted to protect it. Sonia went to some "Fridays for future" climate strikes in Paris. When she died, life on Earth disappeared. I went Over the Moon. A princess named Chang'E invited me in the room for exquisite sadness. I loved this place. I could cry, I could be sad, I could grieve. The Moon is also the place for dreams. Sonia appeared from time to time. I remember when we were on Earth looking at the changing position of the Moon, waiting for the planet to appear. We felt part of a great mechanic, part of the universe, on a planet moving around the Sun, with the Moon turning around it. When her cousins were here, we use to dance. I was the sun. Sonia was turning around me. Her cousin was the Moon turning around Sonia. Each stone is an heritage from Sonia. I collected them. I wonder if I should make some change, remove some dust or not. I spent my day exploring each pattern, each sign of life Sonia had left behind. It was part of her history, part of my history. Drawing by Sonia Piotelat. 2017. Some stones made me laugh. Some stones seems of aliens origin. I didn't understand. I had to learn. Who are the Avatar? Katara? Korra? Viren? Yes, Sonia spoke about these favorite cartoons, about her fan fictions. But for me, it was important to stay in a different world. I discovered a new landscape with dragons, with conflict and children looking for peace. Then I understood some reactions Sonia had few weeks ago. She was trying to unite some children whose parents did some nasty cruel things. That was clever! So I went back to the Moon in the room for exquisite sadness and found some notes, some books, some sheets with scholar works done by Sonia. Chang'E spoke about magpie, I decided to change Sonia's paper into cranes I would send to Hiroshima children's memorial on Earth. I won't return to Earth. I'll stay on the Moon. But if intelligent life appear one day, if an Alien spaceship arrives on Earth, he will find peace looking at Hiroshima's cranes. Robert J. Sawyer Books. Robert J. Sawyer Books is the science-fiction imprint of Red Deer Press. Established in 1975 and now a division of Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Red Deer Press is one of Canada's leading publishing houses. The books in this line of literate, cutting-edge, philosophically rich science-fiction titles are personally selected by the man the Ottawa Citizen calls "the dean of Canadian Science Fiction" and the Rocky Mountain News calls "just about the best science-fiction writer out there," Hugo and Nebula Award-winning bestselling author Rob Sawyer. Writers whose submissions Rob selects work directly with him on their manuscripts, and Rob writes an introduction for each book. Robert J. Sawyer Books is strictly a science-fiction imprint: it does not publish fantasy, horror, magic realism, or anything else. It is a line of adult books : we are not interested in children's or young-adult fiction. Because some of our funding comes from Canadian federal and provincial government agencies, as of 2009, we exclusively publishing titles by Canadian authors — no exceptions. We do just two or three books a year (mostly novels, but we are open to single-author short-story collections by established novelists). Most of our books are published as trade (large-format) paperbacks, although we also do some hardcovers. We are looking for commercially viable titles, and we will be distributing our books across North America via Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Our maximum length is 100,000 words — no exceptions. Science-fiction publishing in the U.S. has been in a slump for over a decade, and lots of good books that might have found homes with the major New York SF imprints (Ace, Aspect, Baen, DAW, Del Rey, Eos, Roc, Spectra, and Tor) in more prosperous days have been going unpublished. If your book might have made it in New York in greener times, give us a try. Note that we only publish original self-contained, stand-alone books: don't send us the first volume of your prospective trilogy, because we'll never have enough slots to publish the subsequent books, and no other publisher is going to pick up a series started by somebody else. Also note that we're not currently interested in reprints. Some authors we like: James Alan Gardner, Nancy Kress, Jack McDevitt, Mike Resnick, Connie Willis, Robert Charles Wilson, and, of course, Robert J. Sawyer. If your work is like theirs, with the same deft mixture of science and fiction, we're interested in seeing a query from you. (If you don't know the work of these authors, or if the list of SF imprints given above didn't mean anything to you, then we're probably not going to be a good match for each other; try your luck somewhere else.) If your book is built on a foundation of accurate, cleverly extrapolated science and believable, subtle, sophisticated characterization, it might be for us. We want real people in our stories, not cardboard heroes and villains. We firmly believe that SF is the literature of ideas — and we love the sense of wonder that good science fiction invokes. Most of all, your book must be about something. If your first impulse in describing your novel is to make a thematic statement, we're interested; if, on the other hand, your first impulse is to give a plot synopsis, we're probably not the right place for you. We are open to stylistic experimentation and adult content, so long as they help, rather than hinder, the story. Plain, straightforward prose is fine with us; so is beautiful, lyrical writing. Humor and satire are welcome. Our advances are decent by the standards of small presses, but we can't compete up front with the big New York houses (although our royalty rates match theirs, of course). We cannot commission novels; you must have a completed manuscript, ready to go into editing. We welcome agented submissions, and are happy to deal with agents during contract negotiations. To give you a taste of what we're looking for, these were our first two books: No unsolicited manuscripts; currently closed to queries and submissions. More Good Reading. The Commons cover art wins Chesley Award Great review for The Commons RJS Books title nominated for John W. Campbell Memorial Award! Publicity doesn't just happen: An RJS Books case study New Publisher for Red Deer Press starting September, 2007. Anthony Weiner talks up live web chat for his post-prison business. Upstate GOP pol mulling gov run likens Cuomo scandal to Anthony Weiner’s. Anthony Weiner pops up again, urging people to vote. NY’s finest kinky duo: What Toobin, Weiner shared in front of camera. Anthony Weiner admits his political aspirations have shriveled. It could be a hard sell. Clueless ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner — whose online and sexting scandals destroyed his political career and landed him in prison — is now promoting his company’s ability to live-chat with customers. The convicted serial sexter resurfaced earlier this year as the CEO of IceStone, a manufacturing firm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard that designs tabletops from broken glass. “Suddenly we all were at home way more than usual,” Weiner wrote to customers in an email Friday. “So IceStone rolled out a brand new website that allows homeowners and countertop professionals to find everything they need to find the colors, the specifications, and the online support they require to visualize what they need. “We have even added an ability to chat with a member of our team,” the dopey ex-Democratic pol said. The firm’s website allows customers or viewers to click on “Live Chat” or “Get a Call.” Weiner told The Post he was being all business when promoting the web chats — not cheeky or naughty. “We added a capability to connect with a salesperson,” he said. Once a rising star in politics, Weiner’s career imploded in 2011 after he was busted sending explicit photos to a woman over his public Twitter account, forcing his resignation from Congress. An image rehabilitation and potential comeback with a mayoral run in 2013 was scuttled after more sexting allegations emerged. see also. Anthony Weiner piecing together shattered life as CEO of broken glass factory. In 2017, Weiner pleaded guilty to federal obscenity charges after he was busted again, this time for sending lewd images to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. The former pol has said he now has no plans for a political comeback and is enjoying new life as a factory executive. He wrote in his email to customers, “We are getting into the retrospective season. Before we slam the door on this crazy and difficult year, I want to give you a quick summary of the changes over here at IceStone. “If you have had more on your mind than your favorite Cradle-to-Cradle certified, US manufactured recycled glass and cement countertop company, then you probably missed some big doings at IceStone.” He continued, “This was the first full year of our new process that produces virtually carefree surfaces. No more annual sealing and lots more durability. Our product has improved so much that this year we began backing them up with a Lifetime Limited Warranty.” Weiner referenced the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating impact on New York in his end-of-year message but emphasized that his company had a good 2020 and exuded optimism for the future. “I’m not sure I’d say I’m sad to see the year end, but as we take stock, we have had a pretty busy and productive year at our factory in Brooklyn. We look forward to a fresh start and a much better year coming up!” Weiner wrote. Anthony Weiner’s Genitalia Photo Puts Sirius XM in Sticky Situation (Video) "I want an investigation from Sirius into what the hell happened there," Andrew Breitbart says after he shows an X-rated picture to shock-jocks Opie and Anthony, who then share it on Twitter without his permission. Paul Bond. Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Email Show additional share options Share this article on Print Share this article on Comment Share this article on Whatsapp Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinit Share this article on Tumblr. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 06: Andrew Breitbart, who runs BigGovernment.com, speaks to members of the media before a press conference held by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), in which Weiner both admitted to having numerous sexual relationships online while married, and apologized to Breitbart, at the Sheraton Hotel on 7th Avenue on June 6, 2011 in New York City. Breitbart, whose publication was one of the first to break the story of Weiner's sexual conduct, was accused of lying. Andrew Burton/Getty Images. Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Email Show additional share options Share this article on Print Share this article on Comment Share this article on Whatsapp Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinit Share this article on Tumblr. Andrew Breitbart is asking for Sirius XM Radio to figure out how a couple of their shock jocks were able to — or allowed to — videotape him without his knowledge and capture the image of a pornographic photo of Congressman Anthony Weiner. Speaking to radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou on KFI in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Breitbart said: “I want an investigation from Sirius into what the hell happened there.” Breitbart was in New York earlier in the day for an appearance on the Opie & Anthony Show, where he passed around his cell phone to hosts Anthony Cumia and Gregg Hughes, along with sidekick Jim Norton and actor Vincent D’Onofrio, who was also a guest of the show Wednesday. The picture of Weiner’s genitals were on the phone’s screen and after Breitbart left the studio the picture hit the Internet. (Gawker published this uncensored photo.) Breitbart said he was comfortable showing the photo — which he has repeatedly said he had no intention of making public — because Norton assured him there were no cameras around. “They right away admitted that they did this behind my back. They used a surveillance camera that’s in the room and did a screen grab of it and put it out there,” Breitbart told Kobylt and Chiampou. Hughes, aka Opie, has tweeted his part in obtaining the photo and posting it on the Internet. The Opie & Anthony Show has since posted video of Breitbart passing the phone around in the studio but the three-minute snippet doesn’t show Norton and the others agreeing to any stipulations before viewing the photo. (The video is below). “I’m not sure they’re allowed to say we’re not going to do anything and say that there are no cameras in here, and then there are cameras in there,” Breitbart said to the KFI hosts. “I mean, maybe you are allowed to lie to people and breach their confidence.” Breitbart explained that he has been carrying the photo on his phone in order to show it to a small number of news reporters who doubted the photo’s existence, but said he never meant it to be displayed publicly. “These people have admitted that they did this surreptitiously and illicitly and they lied in the process saying that they didn’t even have a camera in the place,” Breitbart said on KFI. “I have a personal relationship with both Jim Norton and Anthony Cumia, and I thought that they were my friends.” Sirius XM and The Opie & Anthony Show did not respond to numerous interview requests from The Hollywood Reporter , but Cumia released a statement to the press that read, in part: “I want to make it clear that Andrew Breitbart had no knowledge that this photo was being made public. A phone with the photo was being displayed and a camera in the studio caught it. It was then uploaded to Twitter, again, without Andrew Breitbart’s knowledge. I regret that this occurred.” Appearing late Wednesday night on Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld on the Fox News Channel, though, Cumia was far less repentant, because, after all, his show is “known for its underhandedness.” “When you take a chunk of meat into a lion’s den, someone’s gonna take a bite,” Cumia said. “Being a morning radio host, remorse is something I haven’t felt in years.” He said there were no plans beforehand to snag a copy of the Weiner photo, but once they had it, the decision was quickly made to put it on the Internet. And he partially blamed Breitbart for being careless with his cell phone. “I’m not gonna sell out Opie or anybody else on The Opie & Anthony Show . This guy was showing this off like a Sosa rookie card,” he said. “I do kind of like attaching ourselves to an international story,” Cumia said. “It is the credo of the shock jock.” What’s Going On At Dickstein Shapiro? (Plus a leaked severance agreement.) Plummeting profits, defecting partners, and layoffs of associates and staff -- is this firm in trouble? Over the past year or so, we’ve heard a steady trickle of negative news out of Dickstein Shapiro. The trickle has turned into a stream, so it’s now time to share what we’ve learned. Let’s start with the numbers — grim numbers. Yesterday the Legal Times reported on what it described as Dickstein’s “worst year in more than a decade.” Revenue fell by 20 percent in 2013, and net income dropped even more sharply, by 35 percent. According to the Legal Times, the firm’s 2013 net income of $36 million is the lowest the firm has seen since before 1998, its first year on the Am Law 200. Chairman James Kelly tried to spin this performance as “restructuring” and “investment,” as the firm focuses on its core practice areas. According to Kelly, “We made a strategic commitment to be a market-leading specialty firm. We decided we’re not going to be everything to everyone.” Demystifying NFTs: Defining Non-Fungible Tokens and Their Unique Legal Considerations. “Everything” would appear to include “employer.” Let’s hear about the firm’s headcount cuts — affecting partners, associates, and staff — and check out the severance agreement that one source leaked to us…. Back in February, we shared with you the list of the firms that had the most partner defections in 2013. Dickstein Shapiro took the top spot, with a whopping 17 percent of partners leaving between October 1, 2012, and September 30, 2013. Over the full calendar year of 2013, the partner attrition ran even higher — 19 percent among equity partners and 22 percent among non-equity partners, according to Katelyn Polantz’s Legal Times piece from yesterday. Here are some of the more notable Dickstein defections from the past year or so (some mentioned in the Legal Times, some obtained from elsewhere): Meet Trademarkabilities: The Best Way To Build Up Your Trademark Law Skillset. Five energy and transactional lawyers — partners Larry Eisenstat, Patrick Lynch, and Jonathan Odell, counsel Deborah Carpentier, and associate Diana Jeschke — left for Crowell & Moring in July 2013. Intellectual-property partners Keith Sharkin and Clark Lackert left for Reed Smith in August 2013. Insurance partners John Schryber and Andrew Weiner also moved to Reed Smith, in October 2013. They were later followed by three associates: Julie Hammerman, Alexis Storey, and Kristin Davis (no not that Kristin Davis). Another insurance partner, litigator David Elkind, joined Orrick just last month. That’s just a sample of the partner departures. Feel free to note others in the comments. In fairness to the firm, the partner losses that Dickstein has experienced over the past year reflect a mix of defections and dismissals (i.e., partners the firm wanted to shed). We’ve heard from our sources that the firm de-equitized around 15 to 20 partners near the end of 2012, and some of those partners ended up leaving the firm in 2013. Additional partners were asked to leave the firm during the course of 2013, including seven partners who were dismissed in July 2013. What about associates and staff? They have not been spared. Per the Legal Times, Dickstein Shapiro shed about 20 percent of its total lawyer headcount during 2013. Since partners departed at a rough rate of 20 percent (19 percent for equity and 22 percent for non-equity), associates presumably departed at a similar pace as well. And some of those associate departures were involuntary, although discreet. We covered significant lawyer and staff layoffs at Dickstein last May, but a tipster tells us that such cuts have been taking place at a steady pace over the past few years: DS has stealthily been laying off attorneys and staff since the downturn in 2008. [New York has been especially hard hit, with the firm moving] its NYC attorneys to a single floor and [subleasing out some] space. The headcount has gone from over 100 down to the current 39. This source wondered about the long-term viability of the New York office. We reached out to Dickstein Shapiro for comment, and the firm defended its Gotham outpost: We are committed to and excited about our presence and our significant practices in New York, and we are confident and comfortable that we have the right mix of people and programs to best serve our clients. Growth in our practices and expansion into new service offerings will continue to be driven by strategic assessments of how to best serve our clients, our people, and our Firm. The May 2013 layoffs, which hit New York especially hard, weren’t the last. In the summer 2013, a staff reorganization in Los Angeles resulted in the loss of some secretarial positions. More recently, earlier in 2014, some associates were laid off. Don’t believe us? We have a leaked severance agreement that one of them sent to us. Check it out on the next page….