Today I'm asking you all for help. Not for me, but for one of my writing-group friends. She lost her job a few months ago (I think she worked for Georgia Perimeter College and was one of the people cut when the shortfall hit) and is running low on funds. As in, "homeless within a month" low on funds.
Adrienne is an artist and I've commissioned her to do a cover for my soon-to-be-Kindle-published short story "Illegal Alien." Here is a Facebook gallery of her work. I think you need to be logged into Facebook in order to see it. One reason I chose her is I liked the Native American Elf guy and figured something in a similar style would be useful.
(One reason self-published works don't do well is because they have abysmal cover art. I'm trying to avoid that even if it costs me some money in the short term.)
If you see a need for her work in any capacity--a book cover, a picture of a friend or relative, etc.--give her a whistle.
Showing posts with label Gwinnett County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gwinnett County. Show all posts
Monday, November 12, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Marco Rubio Signs Books At Discover Mills
By MATTHEW W. QUINN
Lawrenceville, Ga.--U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) signed copies of his book An American Son at Discover Mills' Books-A-Million.
"I wrote this book American Son as a tribute to the American Dream," he said after he signed copies for the dozens of people who lined up almost to the door to see him July 5. He gave comments in both English and Spanish.
Although the book is ostensibly a memoir, it tells the tale of his parents and grandfather, Cuban immigrants to the United States.
When asked about the possibility he would Mitt Romney's running mate, Rubio said he resolved three months ago not to speculate out of respect for Romney. In response to questions about economic policy, he said the best policy would be to not re-elect U.S. President Barack Obama. Although many Americans are not interested in the presidential election at this point, Rubio said among those who are, Romney is leading Obama.
"Are you better today than you were four years ago when he became president?" he asked.
Although specific attendance figures were not available, the store sold all the copies of An American Son it had on hand as well as five cases of books purchased for the event.
Rick Milleman of Buford was among those who attended the signing. He left with three signed copies.
"I'm actually buying presidents for family members," he said. "My father, father-in-law and wife are all big fans."
It took awhile for the event to begin, but he talked with nice people in the line. It was nice to meet Rubio when the time came. He described himself as a conservative who likes the idea of Rubio being Romney's running mate. He said Rubio is someone who stands up for what he believes in, does things his own way rather than Washington's way and has lived up to his campaign promises.
Johns Creek resident Mollie Hager, 16, came as well.
"My grandmother is very involved with Marco Rubio's campaign," she said when asked how she learned about the event. "She said he was coming."
She said it was good for her to get involved in politics so early. When she turns 18, she will be able to make an informed vote. She recounted a trip she took took as a Chattahoochee High School student to Washington D.C. She met U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell, as well as U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Galveston.
She said she hoped Rubio would accept if Romney asked him to be his running mate.
Lawrenceville, Ga.--U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) signed copies of his book An American Son at Discover Mills' Books-A-Million.
"I wrote this book American Son as a tribute to the American Dream," he said after he signed copies for the dozens of people who lined up almost to the door to see him July 5. He gave comments in both English and Spanish.
Although the book is ostensibly a memoir, it tells the tale of his parents and grandfather, Cuban immigrants to the United States.
When asked about the possibility he would Mitt Romney's running mate, Rubio said he resolved three months ago not to speculate out of respect for Romney. In response to questions about economic policy, he said the best policy would be to not re-elect U.S. President Barack Obama. Although many Americans are not interested in the presidential election at this point, Rubio said among those who are, Romney is leading Obama.
"Are you better today than you were four years ago when he became president?" he asked.
Although specific attendance figures were not available, the store sold all the copies of An American Son it had on hand as well as five cases of books purchased for the event.
Rick Milleman of Buford was among those who attended the signing. He left with three signed copies.
"I'm actually buying presidents for family members," he said. "My father, father-in-law and wife are all big fans."
It took awhile for the event to begin, but he talked with nice people in the line. It was nice to meet Rubio when the time came. He described himself as a conservative who likes the idea of Rubio being Romney's running mate. He said Rubio is someone who stands up for what he believes in, does things his own way rather than Washington's way and has lived up to his campaign promises.
Johns Creek resident Mollie Hager, 16, came as well.
"My grandmother is very involved with Marco Rubio's campaign," she said when asked how she learned about the event. "She said he was coming."
She said it was good for her to get involved in politics so early. When she turns 18, she will be able to make an informed vote. She recounted a trip she took took as a Chattahoochee High School student to Washington D.C. She met U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell, as well as U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Galveston.
She said she hoped Rubio would accept if Romney asked him to be his running mate.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Steampunk and Frozen Yogurt in Gwinnett County
I'd had plans to visit the Boiler Room, a steampunk-themed shop opening in Duluth, yesterday, but covering a health fair for my newspaper and making sausage-cheese bread for my potluck took up most of the day.
So I decided to check it out today. To make things cooler, it turns out my friend David Carswell from the Boy Scouts had opened a new business, Five Spot Yogurt, in Snellville. I figured I'd hit the Boiler Room first and then Five Spot afterward, since Duluth is halfway to Snellville anyway.
Unfortunately, the Boiler Room's weekend hours were to be determined--they were closed. Maybe I'll head over there sometime later, but it's a fair drive and the hours are such that going before or after work is going to be a problem.
However, I found David's shop was a happening place. When I got there, there was a big crowd at the door. Since the local fire inspector hadn't checked out the sprinkler system, customers weren't allowed in and were being served outside. However, being the media, I guess I'm not a customer, and soon we were sitting in some nice leather chairs along the wall.
David and I were both Eagle Scouts in BSA Troop 1011 in Marietta, but I hadn't really kept up with him even though we both attended the University of Georgia. He graduated ahead of me and ran an AT&T store in Watkinsville with a friend. In 2008, he became a franchisee for Little Caesars and with a business partner owned four stores. The two of them parted company, with David inheriting the Little Caesars in Alpharetta and Duluth. It was after this that he went into the frozen yogurt business.
"I saw a need for a good frozen yogurt shop in Snellville," he said.
He started working on it in September 2010. He found a location and started working on the design. Jessica Mullis from UGA helped create the logo, while another friend, Nicole Morgan, helped design and furnish the interior. He purchased the equipment and signed the lease.
There are a lot of these weigh-your-own-frozen-yogurt places these day, so I asked him what the difference between Five Spot and the other places were. David explained that on Monday through Thursday, the prices are capped at $5.00 regardless of the weight. There are also comfortable leather chairs.
"We offer free WiFi," he said.
He said his yogurt was better-quality than many other yogurt places since it's liquid-based.
"It's not grainy like the other ones," he said. "It's very smooth texture."
I had some chocolate/vanilla swirl frozen yogurt--my standard choice for frozen-yogurt places, along with vanilla mixed with Oreos or chocolate-chip cookie dough--after I finished speaking with him. David was right--none of the powdery bits that I've noticed at Yogli Mogli to be found here.
There're 16 flavors and over 40 toppings. David said he hadn't introduced new flavors yet, but he did intend to provide some later. For example, there'd be jelly-flavored frozen yogurt to go with the peanut-butter-flavored yogurt already there.
Although customers should be able to go inside by May 23, there's still work to be done on the interiors. David plans to put photographs on the walls, along with more dot-patterns. I asked if he intended for a giant mural of Optimus Prime fighting Megatron (like in Scrubs
) and he said no. Drat. The big empty wall across from the cash registers would be a perfect spot for a very large piece of art, but it's his shop and his decision.
I don't think I'll be coming out there very often, since it's a 40-minute drive from where I live. However, I figured those who live in Gwinnett County might be interested in checking it out. The yogurt is very good and the seating is comfortable, plus that $5 cap strikes me as something big yogurt-eaters would appreciate. It's in the same general shopping center as the Borders and Carmike Cinemas are along Scenic Highway, but it's at the far end of the development near the Panera Bread.
So I decided to check it out today. To make things cooler, it turns out my friend David Carswell from the Boy Scouts had opened a new business, Five Spot Yogurt, in Snellville. I figured I'd hit the Boiler Room first and then Five Spot afterward, since Duluth is halfway to Snellville anyway.
Unfortunately, the Boiler Room's weekend hours were to be determined--they were closed. Maybe I'll head over there sometime later, but it's a fair drive and the hours are such that going before or after work is going to be a problem.
However, I found David's shop was a happening place. When I got there, there was a big crowd at the door. Since the local fire inspector hadn't checked out the sprinkler system, customers weren't allowed in and were being served outside. However, being the media, I guess I'm not a customer, and soon we were sitting in some nice leather chairs along the wall.
David and I were both Eagle Scouts in BSA Troop 1011 in Marietta, but I hadn't really kept up with him even though we both attended the University of Georgia. He graduated ahead of me and ran an AT&T store in Watkinsville with a friend. In 2008, he became a franchisee for Little Caesars and with a business partner owned four stores. The two of them parted company, with David inheriting the Little Caesars in Alpharetta and Duluth. It was after this that he went into the frozen yogurt business.
"I saw a need for a good frozen yogurt shop in Snellville," he said.
He started working on it in September 2010. He found a location and started working on the design. Jessica Mullis from UGA helped create the logo, while another friend, Nicole Morgan, helped design and furnish the interior. He purchased the equipment and signed the lease.
There are a lot of these weigh-your-own-frozen-yogurt places these day, so I asked him what the difference between Five Spot and the other places were. David explained that on Monday through Thursday, the prices are capped at $5.00 regardless of the weight. There are also comfortable leather chairs.
"We offer free WiFi," he said.
He said his yogurt was better-quality than many other yogurt places since it's liquid-based.
"It's not grainy like the other ones," he said. "It's very smooth texture."
I had some chocolate/vanilla swirl frozen yogurt--my standard choice for frozen-yogurt places, along with vanilla mixed with Oreos or chocolate-chip cookie dough--after I finished speaking with him. David was right--none of the powdery bits that I've noticed at Yogli Mogli to be found here.
There're 16 flavors and over 40 toppings. David said he hadn't introduced new flavors yet, but he did intend to provide some later. For example, there'd be jelly-flavored frozen yogurt to go with the peanut-butter-flavored yogurt already there.
Although customers should be able to go inside by May 23, there's still work to be done on the interiors. David plans to put photographs on the walls, along with more dot-patterns. I asked if he intended for a giant mural of Optimus Prime fighting Megatron (like in Scrubs
) and he said no. Drat. The big empty wall across from the cash registers would be a perfect spot for a very large piece of art, but it's his shop and his decision.I don't think I'll be coming out there very often, since it's a 40-minute drive from where I live. However, I figured those who live in Gwinnett County might be interested in checking it out. The yogurt is very good and the seating is comfortable, plus that $5 cap strikes me as something big yogurt-eaters would appreciate. It's in the same general shopping center as the Borders and Carmike Cinemas are along Scenic Highway, but it's at the far end of the development near the Panera Bread.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Productivity Update: Jan. 23, 2011
Crashing with my parents right now because I've gotten a new job (not saying where) but haven't found a new place to live. Because my computer is at my old apartment, the writing I have gotten done is either when I'm back there packing things up to move or on my parent's computer--basically, a lot less of it.
As far as Battle for the Wastelands is concerned, I've lately fleshed out a few characters and relationships thereof (which will be important for Battle and the sequel, Escape from the Wastelands) and, in the outline, consolidated a few chapters.
The former is important because character development is one of my weak points--the consensus of the Lawrenceville writing group I'm going to head out to in an hour or so is "make us care about your characters before you kill them." The latter is important because publishers are reluctant to buy very long novels from first-time writers. My goal is for Battle to be around 100,000 words long, if not less.
Most of the consolidation has taken place toward the end--content that would have been its chapter has been added to other, more developed chapters, and there will be *** scene breaks. This means more multi-point-of-view chapters--for much of the story, it has alternated POVs between protagonist Andrew Sutter and antagonist Grendel, with an occasional chapter from the POV of Alonzo Merrill, a rebel leader. Although there was one dual-POV (Andrew and Grendel) earlier in the story, now there're at least three, one Andrew/Grendel chapter and two Andrew/Alonzo chapters.
Now, the fact I've jammed multiple chapters together doesn't in-and-of-itself mean the final word count will be significantly affected. However, I don't want individual chapters to go on too long, so I'll try to keep them limited to 5,000 words maximum, with most of them being significantly shorter.
(With 31 planned chapters post-consolidation, each chapter would need to be an average of 3,225.806 words to hit 100,000 exactly. Obviously there's a bit of fudge-factor to be taken into account, but still.)
I'm going over the second version of Chapter 12 with my Lawrenceville group this afternoon. I'll try to finish Chapter 13 in time for the next meeting of my Kennesaw group in two weeks. Basically need to flesh out a relatively small battle (company-sized units on both sides) and its aftermath. Considering how the chapter includes a substantial revelation about the character Owen Gollmar, it might be getting on the long side.
I did add some extra material to the next chapter of The Revenge of the Fallen Reboot, although I haven't posted a new chapter since I think November or December. Only two chapters and an epilogue left. At this point, the Fallen has risen from his North African tomb and all hell is about to break loose.
For those of you interested in the Transformers, here's the story:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5208263/1/Revenge_of_the_Fallen_Reboot
Hopefully I'll have it done by Spring. Maybe a quarter of the next chapter is done and I can write fan-fic chapters extremely quickly, as the readers of my Harry Potter stories can testify.
As far as Battle for the Wastelands is concerned, I've lately fleshed out a few characters and relationships thereof (which will be important for Battle and the sequel, Escape from the Wastelands) and, in the outline, consolidated a few chapters.
The former is important because character development is one of my weak points--the consensus of the Lawrenceville writing group I'm going to head out to in an hour or so is "make us care about your characters before you kill them." The latter is important because publishers are reluctant to buy very long novels from first-time writers. My goal is for Battle to be around 100,000 words long, if not less.
Most of the consolidation has taken place toward the end--content that would have been its chapter has been added to other, more developed chapters, and there will be *** scene breaks. This means more multi-point-of-view chapters--for much of the story, it has alternated POVs between protagonist Andrew Sutter and antagonist Grendel, with an occasional chapter from the POV of Alonzo Merrill, a rebel leader. Although there was one dual-POV (Andrew and Grendel) earlier in the story, now there're at least three, one Andrew/Grendel chapter and two Andrew/Alonzo chapters.
Now, the fact I've jammed multiple chapters together doesn't in-and-of-itself mean the final word count will be significantly affected. However, I don't want individual chapters to go on too long, so I'll try to keep them limited to 5,000 words maximum, with most of them being significantly shorter.
(With 31 planned chapters post-consolidation, each chapter would need to be an average of 3,225.806 words to hit 100,000 exactly. Obviously there's a bit of fudge-factor to be taken into account, but still.)
I'm going over the second version of Chapter 12 with my Lawrenceville group this afternoon. I'll try to finish Chapter 13 in time for the next meeting of my Kennesaw group in two weeks. Basically need to flesh out a relatively small battle (company-sized units on both sides) and its aftermath. Considering how the chapter includes a substantial revelation about the character Owen Gollmar, it might be getting on the long side.
I did add some extra material to the next chapter of The Revenge of the Fallen Reboot, although I haven't posted a new chapter since I think November or December. Only two chapters and an epilogue left. At this point, the Fallen has risen from his North African tomb and all hell is about to break loose.
For those of you interested in the Transformers, here's the story:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5208263/1/Revenge_of_the_Fallen_Reboot
Hopefully I'll have it done by Spring. Maybe a quarter of the next chapter is done and I can write fan-fic chapters extremely quickly, as the readers of my Harry Potter stories can testify.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
First News Article Round-Up of 2011
Here's my first news-article round-up of 2011...
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb-gwinnett-receive-federal-784889.html
Cobb and Gwinnett Counties rejected participating in MARTA back in the 1970s and Gwinnett rejected it once again in the 1990s. This is a significant turnaround. Whatever concerns there are about costs and importing hooligans via train (crime around Lenox went up soon after MARTA connected there) must've paled in the face of the possibility of $4 per gallon gasoline starting next summer.
Given Atlanta's notorious traffic, anything that will take cars off the road will certainly be beneficial. Although the project paying for itself via fares is unlikely, reducing congestion and air pollution will be a major benefit and in my opinion, worth paying for.
And including Cobb and Gwinnett in MARTA might improve the governance of the organization, which has been plagued by boneheadedness and corruption in the past.
Of course, there's the issue of finding money to pay for MARTA expansion, especially in a time of budget deficits. I don't think monies from the TSPLOST voters will vote on in 2012 can be used to pay for MARTA operations, but they could be used to pay for building the lines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/world/asia/04china.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&src=un&feedurl=http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/world/asia/index.jsonp&adxnnlx=1294156855-LPhLoeD57e9INs3S6Z+r/Q
This is good news. Considering how the alternative to reprocessing nuclear fuel is burying it somewhere for 10,000 years (and making sure our descendants know not to mess with it) or letting it pile up at the nuclear plants themselves, this is very good news.
One quibble: The article states that the National Research Council found that Bush's reprocessing program would have been uneconomical. Here's the actual report and it's much more nuanced--the technology is not at the point needed to justify an accelerated timetable for building reprocessing sites.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?recordid=11998
That does NOT mean that reprocessing in the United States is uneconomical.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/to-beat-back-poverty-pay-the-poor/
Now this is interesting. It reminds me of something that Richard Nixon proposed back in the 1970s, a guaranteed minimum income.
I'm not a big fan of handouts, but in the countries where this has been implemented, they've imposed all sorts of conditions on it like making sure one's children are educated and giving the monies to women rather than men.
(Lest anyone accuse me of bashing men, I read about micro-financing in Haiti and how they gave the money to women because the men would gamble it all away on cock-fighting.)
In the long run, this could break the cycle of poverty, producing a net gain in income (from educated workers rather than vagrants) and savings (lower incarceration and law-enforcement costs, for one).
However, IF such a thing were to be implemented, I would make it conditional on not drinking, smoking, and especially doing illegal drugs. Drug- and alcohol-testing is surely doable. Including classes for the adults receiving the monies would also be a good idea, since lack of education contributes to poverty and related problems, plus there is a "culture of poverty" that makes things worse for the poor that needs to be eradicated.
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb-gwinnett-receive-federal-784889.html
Cobb and Gwinnett Counties rejected participating in MARTA back in the 1970s and Gwinnett rejected it once again in the 1990s. This is a significant turnaround. Whatever concerns there are about costs and importing hooligans via train (crime around Lenox went up soon after MARTA connected there) must've paled in the face of the possibility of $4 per gallon gasoline starting next summer.
Given Atlanta's notorious traffic, anything that will take cars off the road will certainly be beneficial. Although the project paying for itself via fares is unlikely, reducing congestion and air pollution will be a major benefit and in my opinion, worth paying for.
And including Cobb and Gwinnett in MARTA might improve the governance of the organization, which has been plagued by boneheadedness and corruption in the past.
Of course, there's the issue of finding money to pay for MARTA expansion, especially in a time of budget deficits. I don't think monies from the TSPLOST voters will vote on in 2012 can be used to pay for MARTA operations, but they could be used to pay for building the lines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/world/asia/04china.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&src=un&feedurl=http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/world/asia/index.jsonp&adxnnlx=1294156855-LPhLoeD57e9INs3S6Z+r/Q
This is good news. Considering how the alternative to reprocessing nuclear fuel is burying it somewhere for 10,000 years (and making sure our descendants know not to mess with it) or letting it pile up at the nuclear plants themselves, this is very good news.
One quibble: The article states that the National Research Council found that Bush's reprocessing program would have been uneconomical. Here's the actual report and it's much more nuanced--the technology is not at the point needed to justify an accelerated timetable for building reprocessing sites.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?recordid=11998
That does NOT mean that reprocessing in the United States is uneconomical.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/to-beat-back-poverty-pay-the-poor/
Now this is interesting. It reminds me of something that Richard Nixon proposed back in the 1970s, a guaranteed minimum income.
I'm not a big fan of handouts, but in the countries where this has been implemented, they've imposed all sorts of conditions on it like making sure one's children are educated and giving the monies to women rather than men.
(Lest anyone accuse me of bashing men, I read about micro-financing in Haiti and how they gave the money to women because the men would gamble it all away on cock-fighting.)
In the long run, this could break the cycle of poverty, producing a net gain in income (from educated workers rather than vagrants) and savings (lower incarceration and law-enforcement costs, for one).
However, IF such a thing were to be implemented, I would make it conditional on not drinking, smoking, and especially doing illegal drugs. Drug- and alcohol-testing is surely doable. Including classes for the adults receiving the monies would also be a good idea, since lack of education contributes to poverty and related problems, plus there is a "culture of poverty" that makes things worse for the poor that needs to be eradicated.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Chat With a Fossil Salesman
I went to the The North Atlanta Gem, Mineral, Fossil, & Jewelry Show held at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross this afternoon. I'd hadn't been to any show/exhibition of this nature since the Scout Shows I'd go to at I think the Georgia World Congress Center when I was a wee lad.
It was really interesting. I wasn't really interested in all the jewelry available, since that seems like the kind of gift one gets a girlfriend and I'm single right now. I focused most of my attention on the fossils that were available for sale.
Alan Stout, who has a Web site selling fossils, was a particularly social dealer, so I decided to interview him. He apparently is really well-known for triceratops horns--he's sold around ten this year. He had one for sale for $3999, although I think he was willing to go as low as $3700-ish. He said although a lot of people came to look at his wares, there were relatively few buyers. Due to the poor cost/benefit ratio, he said he probably won't do any more shows like this one.
He did have a lot of really interesting stuff available, including an actual wooly mammoth tusk for $4500.
"It's a perfect piece, all solid ivory," he said. "It's really nice. It even has the normal wooly mammoth shape."
(Not quite sure what that means, but I think he said it was curved.)
The tusk was originally from Siberia, where it had been dug out from under the permafrost.
He also had the toe of a camarasaurus, a Jurassic-era sauropod. He found the toe himself. He said he could distinguish fossils from ordinary rocks because they're typically lighter (although they're heavier the more mineralized they are) and rocks tend to be more rounded. He gets most of his dinosaur bones by traveling out west and buying from fossil hunters.
He also had a whole Keichousaurus hui, an extinct aquatic reptile from Central Asia. That one was $299, a dollar cheaper than the other keichousaurs on display at the show. He said he had a friend in Washington State who imported them, so he didn't have to travel to Asia to get them.
"He gets them legally because he's a government official," Stout said. "He sells them out of China."
Stout said that 70 percent of his business is done abroad, with 30 percent done in the United States.
I didn't buy anything from Stout because however interesting and unique his wares were, they were very expensive, even the little fossils like the ammonities and trilobites. I did ask him if he had any display cases I could buy--I've got a lot of small fossils in an old I Spy box at home and they should probably be displayed. He didn't have any with him, but I could find some on his Web site.
I think once I have some free time, I'll go to http://www.dinolandplus.com/ and buy a display case. That's Stout's Web site, by the way.
I did buy a pair of ammonite fossils on a stand from another vendor. I think I'll set them up on top of my bookshelf and when I get the display case, set the other fossils up there too.
It was really interesting. I wasn't really interested in all the jewelry available, since that seems like the kind of gift one gets a girlfriend and I'm single right now. I focused most of my attention on the fossils that were available for sale.
Alan Stout, who has a Web site selling fossils, was a particularly social dealer, so I decided to interview him. He apparently is really well-known for triceratops horns--he's sold around ten this year. He had one for sale for $3999, although I think he was willing to go as low as $3700-ish. He said although a lot of people came to look at his wares, there were relatively few buyers. Due to the poor cost/benefit ratio, he said he probably won't do any more shows like this one.
He did have a lot of really interesting stuff available, including an actual wooly mammoth tusk for $4500.
"It's a perfect piece, all solid ivory," he said. "It's really nice. It even has the normal wooly mammoth shape."
(Not quite sure what that means, but I think he said it was curved.)
The tusk was originally from Siberia, where it had been dug out from under the permafrost.
He also had the toe of a camarasaurus, a Jurassic-era sauropod. He found the toe himself. He said he could distinguish fossils from ordinary rocks because they're typically lighter (although they're heavier the more mineralized they are) and rocks tend to be more rounded. He gets most of his dinosaur bones by traveling out west and buying from fossil hunters.
He also had a whole Keichousaurus hui, an extinct aquatic reptile from Central Asia. That one was $299, a dollar cheaper than the other keichousaurs on display at the show. He said he had a friend in Washington State who imported them, so he didn't have to travel to Asia to get them.
"He gets them legally because he's a government official," Stout said. "He sells them out of China."
Stout said that 70 percent of his business is done abroad, with 30 percent done in the United States.
I didn't buy anything from Stout because however interesting and unique his wares were, they were very expensive, even the little fossils like the ammonities and trilobites. I did ask him if he had any display cases I could buy--I've got a lot of small fossils in an old I Spy box at home and they should probably be displayed. He didn't have any with him, but I could find some on his Web site.
I think once I have some free time, I'll go to http://www.dinolandplus.com/ and buy a display case. That's Stout's Web site, by the way.
I did buy a pair of ammonite fossils on a stand from another vendor. I think I'll set them up on top of my bookshelf and when I get the display case, set the other fossils up there too.
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