A Writing Enterprise

Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens came to Hollywood to write. While in town, they managed to tear down some common entertainment industry assumptions.



Common wisdom says husbands and wives shouldn't work together. But, they are a very successful and inseparable writing team. Industry tradition holds that you have to be 20 years old and fresh out of college to write for television. However, there's no way anyone fresh out of college could have piled up the credits this pair did before arriving in network TV. Finally, Hollywood insists that the nice guys finish last ? while the Reeves-Stevenses get work as much for their professional pleasant temperament as their considerable talent.



As co-producers on Enterprise, the last production in Paramount Star Trek television franchise, they were part of a team charged with recharging a series that struggled in its third season. They helped to improve the show by leaps and bounds, though the ratings damage was already too late.



At first impressions, the Reeves-Stevenses seem an unlikely choice for such an important TV task as forging the plot-lines of Star Trek. They seem far too nice to have found so much success in Hollywood. They're the kind of polite, soft-spoken Canadians you'd expect to find running a bed and breakfast in Niagara ? not writing screenplays, TV scripts, novels and non-fiction books.



As writers, we didn't make changes to the show, Garfield said. Executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga and show-runner Manny Coto planned the overall direction of the series and made any changes to the mythos.



Our job was to provide good stories that stick to Star Trek continuity. It's to our benefit that we know that continuity after writing Star Trek books for 10 years. In TV, we're telling a more compact story with clearer rules. For television, we were writing a Star Trek tale in a more linear mode, but the themes remain the same ? the ideas of exploration and an optimistic future.



He added, Those themes played a big role with Enterprise because this world is still new.



Both writers said there was no over-riding plan or need to recreate Enterprise after its first three years.



The entire team felt that it was more a matter of taking what had been established in seasons 1, 2 and 3 and making sense out of that rather than recreating the show into season 4, Garfield said. In Next Generation, halfway through the series, they made a deliberate decision to invoke the name of Spock ? finally naming a character from the original series. They wanted to establish that show as distinct before introducing other past elements.



The same decision was made for Enterprise. If the first season had been so devoted to prequels and tie-ins, it never would have got on its feet for the same story.



Before being recruited onto the Paramount lot, the Reeves-Stevens wrote several Trek novels, including several with William Shatner featuring the continued adventures of James T. Kirk. On, their own, they're a pair of New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestselling novelists with dual fascinations with NASA and science fiction. Their books are published in the United States, Canada, and England, and in translation in Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Holland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the Ukraine.



In TV, the Reeves-Stevenses were staff writers for the second season of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World - the syndicated one-hour action-adventure series from New Line. For the series' third season, the Reeves-Stevenses returned as supervising producers on location in Australia. In other episodic work, the Reeves-Stevenses have written for John Woo's Once a Thief, The Hitchhiker, MTV's Catwalk, and Beyond Reality.



The team's experience in science fiction made them a natural choice for work on Enterprise: It was easier for us to come into Star Trek than it might be for other sci-fi writers, Judith said. Even though they are all very talented and very well-informed on sci-fi, they might not be up to date on all of the Star Trek continuity.



While writing the Star Trek books, you explain events in the mythos that are still open to interpretation. Now, Enterprise is doing the same thing ? such as explaining the origin of Klingon head bumps from the original series to the Star Trek movies.



Garfield explained that in Star Trek lore, what happens on screen is considered narrative canon, while anything in books, comics or video games is superfluous.



It was a challenge for us to add to the ?canon,' he said.



Judith added, Writing for Star Trek was interesting for us also because we'd written for all of the other Star Trek eras, but we hadn't written for these characters yet. We wondered how quickly we could get the voices of these characters. But, we had the ability to go down to set and watch the actors.



According to Judith, there were other adjustments the pair had to make to their writing and working routine: Well, we had to start getting up in the morning and going into an office. We obviously write our books out of our home.



Garfield added that Enterprise also offers a much faster process than their book work. The team has three books coming out this year, and the writing of one (Going to Mars) was a six-year process.



Writing for TV is great for almost instant gratification because you write a script, and ? five weeks later ? it's on TV. During that process, you're coming into the office, working on a script and taking meetings only on the script you're working on. But, you watch the sets get built, watch the dailies, come in, etc.



It helps that it was the 25th season of Star Trek in production, he added. So it was a well-oiled system we were watching.



The nicest thing for us was that we knew the people involved through writing the books over 10 years, Judith said. We were talking to them about their jobs. We were able to see all aspects of the working company. We were able to ask questions that a writer working on a script might not be able to ask.



So, we came on board as writers and co-producers, it felt as though we were really joining old friends.

July Foreclosure Activity Increases

There was an 18% year-on-year increase in July foreclosure filings, according to RealtyTrac. The month saw 92,845 filings.

That is one new foreclosure filing for every 1,245 households.

While foreclosure activity continues to remain slightly below historical averages, there looks to be a significant amount of upward pressure on foreclosure rates in the next few months, siad James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.

First, the billions of dollars in ARMs projected to reset in the third and fourth quarters could increase monthly mortgage payments for many homeowners, Saccacio explained. And the cooling real estate market exacerbates the problem for these homeowners by making it tougher for them to sell at a high enough price to pay off their loan balance.

Colorado had the highest rate of foreclosures in the country, with a new foreclosure filing for every 480 households. The state has had the highest foreclosure rate for five straight months.

Colorado saw an increase of 3% in foreclosure filings for the month, and a 55% increase for the year. The state reported 3,810 households entering some form of foreclosure.

Nevada had the second highest foreclosure rate for the second month in a row. There was one new foreclosure filed for every 533 households. There was a 31% increase in foreclosures for the month with 1,626 households entering some stage of foreclosure.

Texas led the country in the most foreclosures with 12,103 filings. The state has remained in this position for eight consecutive months. There was a 15% increase in foreclosures when compared to June.

Six states, including Texas, Florida, California, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, represented 54% of the nation's foreclosure activity in the past month.

Martin Lukac represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate and mortgage rates. We specialize in daily updates, mortgage news, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Home Sales Likely To Level Out

According to the National Association of Realtors, home sales are likely to level out during the next few months.

The Pending Home Sales Index indicates sales that sill be finalized within the next couple of months. Based on the contracts signed in July, the PHSI is down 7.0% for the month. On a year-to-year basis, the index is down 16%.

An index of 100 is the average level of contract activity during 2001 -- the first year of the index. July's index was 105.6.

"In looking at year-to-year comparisons, the pending home sales index has been very close in predicting the actual pace of home sales," NAR chief economist David Lereah said.

"Based on recent changes from a year ago, the index shows existing-home sales should continue to ease after a stronger-than-expected decline in July, but are likely to flatten in the months ahead."

Lereah continued to say that psychological factors could be attributing to slowing July home sales.

"We've never seen a general decline in the housing market against a healthy economic backdrop where jobs are being created, the economy is growing and interest rates are favorable," he explained.

"Pyschological factors are causing some buyers to remain on the sidelines, waiting for prices to stabilize or for more favorable news about the market and the economy. Contributing to this hesitency is a lot of negative news stories, but in the end we believe that underlying market fundamentals will prevail."

The PHSI for the West saw a decrease of 5.5% for the month and 20.3% for the year. The South experienced a decline of 6.4% for the month and 11.3% for the year. The Northeast PHSI dropped 7.7% for the month and 15.5% for th year. The Midwest index fell by 9.0% for the month and 20.1% for the year.

Martin Lukac represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate and mortgage rates. We specialize in daily updates, mortgage news, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Guaranteed Farm Loans Getting A Farm Ownership Loan

The government of the United States supports the agricultural sector of the country by extending financial services to help farmers improve production. There are a number of guaranteed farm loans being offered by the government through your local banks and lending institutions, which are affiliated with the program. Affiliated banks and lending institutions in your locality are authorized to process guaranteed agricultural loans for qualified applicants.

One of the things that these guaranteed loans programs would usually fund is the acquisition of farms. When we talk about the acquisition of funds, it also includes the purchase of the land, which will be used for farming purposes, the construction or acquisition of a building, and the improvements thereon that are fixed, immovable, and attached to the real estate.

Aside from the acquisition of land and building which shall be dedicated for farming purposes, the guaranteed farm loans offered by the government through local banks and lending institutions could also be used for soil and water conservation activities in the farm. Soil and water conservation involves the application of technologies and sometimes would require the purchase of some equipment. Soil and water conservation is very important part of farming, as it will ensure that the farm, the soil, and the water supply therein will stay productive and viable even after a long period of time.

The guaranteed agricultural loan can also be used to refinance the old debts of the farm provided that the debts are incurred in connection with the farming operations. This is especially favorable if the farm has outstanding loans which are already about to mature.

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Sarasota Real Estate:Living in Sarasota

Sarasota is a small city in the Tampa Bay are and tourists have considered it as ?the ultimate beach town,? with its sun-kissed location on the Gulf of Mexico, more than 200 sunny days annually and an average year-round temperature of 71 Fahrenheit. The Sarasota county, which includes Venice, Northport, Longboat and Siesta Keys, has its own ballet, symphony, and opera companies. The 1800 seat Van Wezel Performing Arts Center attracts productions like the Broadway road company of Chicago. The Ringling Museum of Art, which was established by circus baron John Ringling who settled in the area in the 1920s, features an extensive collection of American and European art. If you are a sports aficionado, just an hour away from Sarasota you can witness games of the NFL?s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and arena football's Storm. The lifestyle is relatively affordable than other busy cities in the United States. With respect to other towns and cities within the Tampa Bay area, however, Sarasota does not fair much. In a cost of living composite index published in the first quarter of 2005, Sarasota scores at 105.7, which is higher than Bradenton, St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Tampa. The national average is at 100. In terms of housing, Sarasota also did not come out cheap with a 119.8 index as compared to less than a hundred for St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Tampa. Nevertheless, real estate agents in Sarasota apparently boast of low median housing prices, typically advertised around $126,000. Furthermore, Sarasota is the kind of place where one can acquire a nice, brand-new home for $200,000. Living in Sarasota is quite locally expensive, but nonetheless affordable in terms of the benefits that you can derive from living in a small city with a subtropical climate. A hefty volume of retirees have an interesting preference for living in Sarasota.

Transportation also costs relatively higher in Sarasota than in other localities around the Tampa Bay area. A recent survey on July of last year administered over residents living in Sarasota County found more people thinking that the county has become a worse place to live than it was five years ago. The respondents commonly agree that traffic in Sarasota County is among its primary headaches.

If you are a working couple with schooling kids, living in Sarasota is a recommended choice in terms of its education services and employment opportunities. The schools in Sarasota are considered to be outstanding, and the job market is invigorating. While Sarasota County's public school students in key grades outscored 95% of their peers in the whole of Florida, the city also posted job growth of 5% in the past year. Albeit a small city, Sarasota had been ranked among the top 25 metropolitan areas in the United States. Forecasts for the next 10 years see Sarasota to experience a 30.5 % increase in jobs that will effectively catapult its status to No. 7 in the entire country. Many of those jobs will come from the retail and service sectors. Sarasota may be a thriving tourist destination, but it also can compete in other industries.

Sarasota has maintained its natural treasures. Living in Sarasota provides you with the benefit of enjoying the pristine environment by enjoying activities such as canoeing and kayaking, fishing at the bay, traveling the waterways. Several islands are arrayed on the bay waters creating a sanctuary for many bird species. The waters abound with many varieties of fish including snook, tarpon and mangrove snapper. Sarasota also boasts of its dolphins and manatees. With the blessings of Mother Nature, living in Sarasota is like being on vacation every day with sunny days, blue skies, the gulf coast breeze, and miles of the best beaches.

Earl Juanico sarasota-realestate.biz

The Building Blocks of the Auto World

They look good, but they even perform better. The parts and accessories of a vehicle are built not only to accentuate the looks of the automobile. They are also designed for utmost performance and pure driving pleasure. These components have undergone rigid tests and manufactured with the toughest materials possible, not only passing industry standards but exceeding expectations to set the ante for the competitors to emulate. It also paves the way for innovations in pursuit of a more improved automobile performance.

Auto Body Parts play an important role in enhancing performance, providing safety and bringing one kind of driving preference and riding comfort. From the components under the hood to the overall setup of the interior, a vehicle will either be sporty or elegant depending on the desired type of the owner. This applies to various types of vehicles ranging from cars, trucks, vans, pickup trucks to sport utility vehicles, monster trucks, jeeps, among others. After all, the automobile is an extension of one's personality.

In terms of performance, the exhaust system is a total power booster for greater fuel combustion. The same thing goes to performance-inducing parts like hedders, short RAM intakes, and cold air intake for more horsepower and torque for the vehicle. The clutch assembly of the transmission system, meanwhile, gives the auto the needed torque. Of course, a huffing and puffing engine needs to be cooled down with the vehicle's cooling system. The radiator plays a vital role as it maintains engine temperature. And for that much-needed stoppage power especially in critical times, the brake pads, along with the brake caliper and rotor, make up the braking system to perform its main function. To charge up the vehicle's battery and to power up its electronic devices, the alternator transforms all the mechanical energy by the engine into electrical energy to run these electronic parts. These are but some of the numerous indispensable automobile parts performing each vital role.

There is also a host of automobile accessories that are supplementary components not only providing that certain look and feel but functioning its role to improve the vehicle's capabilities. The bug shield maintains that spic-and-span appearance of the hood and windshield as it prevents a splattered mess caused by insects. The lighting system of the vehicle's front and rear end does the illuminating functions to see through dark pavements and prevent accidents caused by poor or even zero visibility. Wipers are like squeegees that wipes out snow, rain, dirt or even insects for better focus while driving. On the inside, floor mats, cargo mats as well cargo liners maintain that clean-look of the vehicle's interior. Power windows ease the burden for the motorist as it opens and closes the window at the touch of a button. Looks and protection fuse together as the seat covers prevent stains and unwanted elements. These accessories are manufactured to perform beyond aesthetics
for the motorist to get that bigger bang for the buck.

These parts and accessories abound as provided for by different makes. Available in either the nearest aftermarket parts store or auto nooks, auto parts, and accessories can also be conveniently availed online. Depending on the taste of a motorist, they come in a wide variety of modifications, colors, sizes, and applications suited for different types and models of each make.

Sure enough, parts and accessories comprise a hefty segment of the industry. These so-called building blocks do not only make the vehicle look good, they make them perform even better as well.
About the Author

Abigail Cohen is a 28-year-old proprietor of a small automotive retail business in West Virginia. Abi is the daughter of an automobile designer, and inherited her father's passion for cars of all kinds.

About Playing Cards

There are a wide variety of playing cards. Some card decks are game specific particularly Pinochle cards, Bridge Decks, and Poker decks. Other card games are King's Corner, Solitaire, Gin Rummy, War, Old Maid and Slap Jack.

There are various categories of games that can be played using playing cards. There are fortune telling cards such as Tarot cards, Author cards, and book cards. There are historical fact games, special interest games and a wizard card game.

There are educational card decks such as Arithmetic flash cards, Trivia fact cards, and many more. There are self help card decks such as blessing cards, affirmation cards, conversation cards, and corporate training card decks.

While it is not a game strictly speaking, building a house of cards is fun. The foundation is two card placed facing each other on the short end of the card and a card is place on either side of the two cards. As you move out you can also move up in height. Sounds easy right...NOT!!!! The slightest breath of air can tumble your card castle in seconds. The secret is to not breathe, have a window open, or anyone in the room with you. Since that isn't possible, you need to be extremely light handed while building your card house.

Card decks have the number and the suit imprinted on the front with some kind of a design on the back. They are printed with a plain matte finish, a glossy finish or no real finishing at all. Laminated card decks are best because they will last much longer than other types of decks.

About the Author

Jerry Smith can help you. Find out how thousands of people have been helped with the advice and information. Visit this link for details: