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NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Actress Blythe Danner is joining the cast of the Broadway musical comedy "Nice Work if You Can Get It," producers announced Thursday.
Danner's 12-week stint in the show is to begin Dec. 18 and will run through March 10.
She will assume the role of Millicent Winter, the mother of Matthew Broderick's character, Jimmy Winter. The role is currently played by Estelle Parsons, who will give her final performance Dec. 16.
Featuring music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and a book by Joe DiPietro, the new show stars Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara.
Danner, the mother of Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, has appeared in the films "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Alice," "The Prince of Tides," "Sylvia," "The Lucky One" and the "Meet the Parents" franchise. Her Broadway credits include "Betrayal," "The Philadelphia Story," "Blithe Spirit," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "The Deep Blue Sea" and "Follies."


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Summit Multimedia is full service Audio & Video recording studio as well as a post production environment for Audio & Video editing in Santa Fe, New Mexico (NM). One of the advantages we have is that since we're a small operation, we have very low overhead. We provide a professional production environment to customers at very low cost. Although we're not set up for recording large music groups, we're ideal for small groups or bands.
What we do excel in is a superb production facility for documentary and advertising writers and producers. We can capture any audio tracks for your finished or rough cut video or slide presentation, integrate your music or create music for you, edit down to final audio and video tracks.
We also provide all your graphics production requirements including website development, logo and design work and any pre-press production work. We work with several of the largest media production companies so we can get your final media produced on either CD, DVD or Blu Ray!
Don't take our word for it, just read our customer testimonials:
"I have been working with Scott for over a decade. In 2001, he did a wide variety of jobs for me for my first CD release, "Peace Of My Mind". He did the graphics for the CD artwork which is phenomenal. Scott did other graphics work for the project including show posters, retail posters, and postcards for CD release mailing. Also, he did some studio work on the CD in the master phase of the project. Recently, his multi-talent proved to be a factor in the success of my recent release, "Beyond The Surface". Once, again Scott did the CD graphics, posters, postcards and also buffing up my photos and graphics for my EPK and Radio release materials. Scott's work that I am most proud of is my website www.niecie.net. It is kicking!
The cool thing about the work on my new CD release "Beyond The Surface" was all it was all done remote. After being thrilled with the work Scott did on my first release, many years passing, I hunted him down and found him in Santa Fe, NM. It was so beneficial to a road warrior like myself to be able to accomplish the work without having to lay eyes on someone.
Scott is multi-talented and offers a wide range of products and services. I highly recommend him for job you'll be happy about!!! You can check out his great work by exploring my website www.niecie.net."
- Niecie
"Summit Multi-Media recently designed a website for Coca's T.V. Service. Scott was prompt and quick to respond to all my web design needs. I am getting great results from his work. I highly recommend Scott for all your web design and multi-media requests".
Please call 505-428-0120505-428-0120 if you have questions!
Scott H. (owner)

subset: commoncrawl


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Neo_Version 7
Stylish Dinosaur
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2007
- Messages
- 19,659
- Reaction score
- 4,627
via EW.comHenry Cavill, 27, best known for playing Charles Brandon on Showtime's The Tudors, has been cast as Clark Kent/Superman in the new Superman movie to be directed by Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. announced today. "In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen," Snyder says in the release. "I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield." The film is expected to hit theaters in December 2012. David S. Goyer is writing the script, based on a story by Goyer and Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight and Inception, who is among the movie's producers.
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MORRIS -- Michael Lindgren '14, Crystal, and Zak Threadgill '15, Ramsey, are working together with the University of Minnesota, Morris's Center for Small Towns (CST) to create an analysis of Lac qui Parle County's (LqP) technology education project, the LqP Computer Commuter system.
Lindgren and Threadgill are assisting the county's Economic Development Administration in reviewing the system's role in promoting computer and internet literacy throughout the community. This analysis is intended to help the administration better understand the effectiveness of the program while generating ideas that could be added to the current model.
According to Lindgren, the goal of the LqP Computer Commuter is to "increase broadband access and computer knowledge in the county." He adds that "it has been shown to improve the local economy."
The Computer Commuter is housed in a small bus outfitted with computer and mobile device workstations that provide individuals the opportunity to practice computer skills. The bus travels to cities throughout LqP and invites people to explore the electronics under guided instruction, providing them with information and answering any questions they might have.
The project demands a great deal from both students, as it requires them to collect, analyze, and compile a variety of data related to the Computer Commuter. The two agree that they enjoy both the work and the opportunity to interact one-on-one with communities and CST. When asked why he enjoys working at CST, Threadgill notes that he likes "just being able to work with and help small towns."
Additional information on the Computer Commuter, including a detailed schedule, is available online.


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'Topsy turvey' lives up to its name
How aptly named can a plant be? Just look at the "Topsy Turvy" for an answer to that question. This quick-growing succulent takes on a swirling, rosette shape with its leaves pointing inward toward the center of the plant. It looks like your favorite ride at the carnival.
The official name of the "Topsy Turvy" is Echeveria runyonii monstoras. Its beautiful white marble color makes for a unique garden pinwheel.
Dr. Robert Runyon found this plant in the early 1900s in a garden in Matamoros, Mexico, collected it and gave it his name. Interestingly, according the San Gabriel Succulent Society, the genus Echeveria was named after a Spanish illustrator of a projected "Flora Mexicana" book, Atanasio Echeveria, in the late 1700s. The enlightened King Charles III of Spain sent Atanasio as part of a 15-year horticultural expedition to Mexico.
The Getty Museum used thousands of these Echeveria swirls to make a formal, geometric statement on the front façade of the building. This stunner would work equally well in a high and dry part of your yard as a unique ground cover. Or imagine them in mass in a rock garden. A little cover for the hottest of days would be appreciated.
You can count on a growth of about 12 inches in height and about half as wide. Their succulent grayish leaves are the perfect backdrop for some brightly colored, drought tolerant flowers.
Joette is an avid gardener and prides herself on staying up-to-date on the latest gardening activities and tips. To share your gardening news with Joette, call (409) 832-1400 or fax her at (409) 832-6222. Her e-mail is joreger [at] msn [dot] com.


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The Silent Superstar
Douglas Fairbanks
Except for his great friend Charlie Chaplin, the biggest male star of silent films, and the most loved, was Douglas Fairbanks, the idol of millions of young boys—and a number of grown-up boys, too. He was number one at the box office in 1919, before he began swashbuckling, and he stayed number one through the 1920s, his eight major productions bringing in even more money than the movies released in the same period by his wife, Mary Pickford—America's (and the world's) sweetheart.
Fairbanks was born in 1883, and to coincide with his 125th birthday, an ambitious book—Douglas Fairbanks, by Jeffrey Vance with Tony Maietta—has just been published. At times it approaches hagiography, but it tells you a lot about its hero, and it's generously illustrated—crucial for a performer whose impact was so overwhelmingly physical.
Douglas Fairbanks stood for pluck, vigor, decency, the healthy mind in the healthy body, good old American ingenuity, up-by-your-bootstraps optimism, respect amounting to shyness for the weaker sex, and—most important—success. ("Whenever he doodled with pencil and pad," wrote Pickford, "…he would write those two magic syllables over and over again, in strong printed letters.") Failure was not an acceptable option. Why was he disappointed in the Grand Canyon? "I couldn't jump it."
So whether he was playing the Lamb or the Matrimaniac or the Mollycoddle or Mr. Fix-It or the Nut, whenever Doug attempted something, he inevitably succeeded. His weapons before he took to the sword—and equally effective—were his astounding athleticism, his insouciant charm, his patent goodwill, and a huge, irresistible smile. He wasn't tall, he wasn't particularly good looking, he didn't radiate sexuality—he was the anti-Valentino. Yet he left Valentino in the dust. His effective career, like all silent-screen careers, was short, yet between 1915 and 1929 he made thirty-eight silent movies, every one of them a success and, once he got going, all of them conceived and produced by himself.
It was a career divided in two—the early romantic comedy-adventures followed by the swashbucklers—with a sad coda in the early days of sound. But Fairbanks didn't begin in film: by the time he took the plunge he was a highly successful young romantic lead on Broadway. That's why the movies wanted him, rounding him up for the camera along with a clutch of other "legitimate" actors, including Sarah Bernhardt and Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree. It was money that lured him into the decidedly déclassé world of the "flickers"—a guaranteed $2,000 a week, far more than he could hope to earn on the stage. Why not give it a try? Besides, part of the deal was that his films would be supervised by D.W. Griffith, whose Birth of a Nation had fired his imagination early in 1915. But Doug's first movie,…
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text: Disclaimer: All events and related information visible on JewishSydney have been created by the organisation that hosts the event. The events are likely to reflect the diversity of our Jewish Community. Views expressed by participant organisations do not necessarily reflect the views of any other participant organisation nor the view of the JewishSydney team.


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Ultimate Herpes Protocol Review: A Myriad of Methods for Eliminating the Herpes Virus Easily & Effectively
Seattle, WA -- (SBWire) -- 03/27/2014 --The step by step home remedial treatments mentioned in the eBook, "Ultimate Herpes Protocol" continues to eliminate herpes infection with its symptoms from victims' lives permanently. The root causes can be easily determined by following the step wise procedure mentioned in this eBook and can be dealt with accordingly. Any disease needs some attentive measures to be taken to understand the causes behind it and this is how the doctors perform their job. But it has been noted that even the doctors have been unable to cure herpes for several patients and since then number of remedial books have been launched. Melanie's eBook has been acknowledged by doctors as well as patients to be the most effective cure for herpes viruses. The remedies claim to cure the disease within 3 weeks and patients therefore look up to this treatment method.
Ultimate Herpes Protocol Reviews:
Surprisingly, there are many Ultimate Herpes Protocol Reviews to reveal what actually is included in the eBook. Most reviews reveal user's experiences associated with the natural treatments as they got relief by using natural products the way prescribed in the eBook. Herpes is such a painful disease with terrible symptoms which makes patients loses hope as they become unable to face the world. As the symptoms get worse, victims also lose confidence over themselves as more people come to know about their disease. Melanie herself has suffered from all the symptoms and pain associated with herpes virus and has cured her disease by following the same natural treatment mentioned in the book.
Is It The Most Effective Treatment for Herpes?
After experimenting on herself, Melanie has revealed the most effective treatments to cure herpes for the readers so as to save others from suffering any more pain. She has made people aware of the importance of natural products in our lives as they can heal ones symptoms. Moreover, natural products have no side effects on human body as they contain the nutrients required by the body itself.
Researches and experiments have approved the natural treatments prepared by Melanie Addington as the only way to eliminate herpes from one's life.
The symptoms with herpes can get worse all of a sudden and extreme care should be taken to avoid such situation. Even the non victims are recommended to get help from Ultimate Herpes Protocol as they could suffer from herpes in future. The good thing about this treatment book is that it can cause no harm to anyone and almost everyone can follow the treatments. The price of Melanie Addington's remedial book is not unaffordable and people have already taken help from it.
About The Official Website: www.ultimateherpesprotocol.com
The Ultimate Herpes Protocol By Melanie Addington develops a new revolutionary remedy to get rid of herpes and to stop outbreaks permanently, quickly, and cheaply. With this remedy, users will discover the most simple way to eradicate the herpes simplex virus.
Media Relations Contact
View this press release online at: http://rwire.com/483568


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The Art & Entertainment Law Project (AELP), law clinic of the Small Business Law Center at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, is here to provide free legal services for low-income artists, actors, dancers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and related non-profit organizations. Our students, under the supervision of California licensed attorneys, are able to provide legal assistance to creative people and organizations that do not have the means to hire an attorney to advise them.
The AELP is now accepting requests for services from potential clients. The ideal client will have an existing business, or at least an outline of a business plan, and a willingness to work with law students.
The AELP provides legal assistance in the following areas:
- Copyright
- Trademark
- Publicity rights
- Contract review and negotiation
- Business formation and operation
- Nonprofit tax exemption
- Permitting and licensing
- Independent contractor and employment issues
- Commercial leasing
- Trade secrets
The AELP provides a wide variety of legal assistance, but does not represent clients in court. Also, the AELP is not able to accommodate walk-in requests at this time, so please follow the guidelines below.
In order to qualify for representation, a potential client will be required to make financial disclosures for the AELP to determine eligibility. To find out if you are eligible for our services, please complete the Request for Services Form. For more information about our services, please call 619.961.4382.
Students who participate in the AELP will have the opportunity to directly assist clients by forming their entities, drafting, negotiating and reviewing a variety of contracts, preparing applications for copyright registration, and helping clients through the regulatory process. The AELP clinical experience will provide students with practical opportunities to develop skills in problem solving, client development, drafting and critical thinking. Go to the Art & Entertainment Law Project Student Eligibility and Requirements webpage for more information on the student application process.
Art and Entertainment Law Project
Small Business Law Center
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
495 Eleventh Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619.961.4382
Fax: 619.961.1382
Email: email@example.com
Web: http://www.tjsl.edu/clinics/sblc


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Aug 14, 2019
Director, Staffing Featured
$89,000 - $130,000 yearly
DIRECTOR, STAFFING ABOUT ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Alliance College-Ready Public Schools was founded based on the belief that all young people, regardless of zip code, are capable of achieving at high levels. Alliance is now one of the largest and more successful public charter school networks in the nation, operating 25 high-performing middle and high schools serving 13,000 scholars in Los Angeles' more educationally underserved communities. In our 14th school year, Alliance has a proven record of success: though our scholars come to Alliance on average four grade-levels behind in reading, 95% of Alliance graduates have been accepted to college—including 73% to a four-year university in 2018. We strive to truly change the life trajectories of our scholars and communities, with a goal of 75% of Alliance graduates completing a four-year college degree. Now is the time to join our collaborative community to make long-lasting change across Los Angeles. ROLE SUMMARY At Alliance we believe strongly that having high-performing staff at all of our schools and every team at our Home Office is crucial to transforming the lives of our scholars. Reporting to the VP, Human Resources, the Director of Staffing will lead our efforts to support Alliance's 28 middle and high school campuses with their annual staffing needs, as well as the staffing needs of our Home Office teams who directly support our network of schools. The Director, Staffing will manage a pioneering team that provides direct support services to help our school leaders and Home Office colleagues hire the most talented people for their teams. WHAT YOU WILL DO Team Management Manage a team toward ambitious goals of hiring top talent early in the hiring cycle and expanding the pipelines of talented, diverse candidates Create an inclusive, supportive, and high-performing team culture grounded in excellent customer service for candidates and hiring managers; coach, support, and develop team members to grow them professionally Collaborate with key stakeholders internally and externally to ensure that the team's work is effectively supported, prioritized, and resourced Strategy and Vision for Staff Recruitment, Selection, and Hiring Develop a compelling vision in partnership with the VP, Human Resources Operations and oversee systemic improvements to ensure that Alliance implements inclusive talent practices to hire diverse, top-quality talent at all levels of the organization who are committed to our scholars and families Innovate and lead organization-wide recruitment, selection, and hiring strategy, infrastructure, tools, trainings, data collection, and supports, including a candidate cultivation approach that keeps priority candidates interested in Alliance throughout the vetting process and drives toward a best "school match" and "position match" within Alliance Develop strategic short-term and long-term plans to manage evolving staffing priorities to navigate changing workforce and hiring landscapes Design effective business processes to ensure compliance and regulatory accountability set forth in CA employment laws Identify success metrics and create systems to help monitor, analyze, and report on recruitment, selection, and hiring efforts to ensure that a return on investment lens is driving our strategies Collaboration and Technical Expertise/Support Serve as a trusted advisor to school leaders and Home Office hiring managers on recruitment, selection, hiring, and retention best practices Work closely with Alliance's school leaders and Home Office hiring managers to develop and implement high-quality selection tools, trainings, resources, and supports that meet their needs Work with senior leadership to help set the annual vision, goals, strategy, and plan for school and Home Office staffing, recruitment, selection, and hiring, as well as duty-title alignment for correct classification and job description development Partner with the Director of Human Resources Operations to develop critical workflow efficiencies to bridge the transition from candidate to employee, including streamlining and aligning pre-employment requirements, onboarding, and initial salary placement THE IDEAL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE/BE: Commitment to Alliance's core beliefs and educational philosophy First-hand knowledge of urban school environments and school culture with experience as a successful school leader or teacher leader highly desired Belief in the importance of, and working knowledge of, how to embed a diversity, equity and inclusion lens into recruitment, selection and hiring practices Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered organization and build strong relationships with a diversity of Home Office and school-based colleagues, as well as external partners Exceptional problem-solving skills and a strategic, independent thinker with demonstrated ability to lead change management efforts and develop scalable systems Proven project management skills with the ability to translate strategies/plans into action, and to implement them with strong attention to detail and use data to drive decision making Experience managing people and cross-functional teams, programs, and initiatives; motivating others to successfully reach ambitious goals Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to inspire top talent to join Alliance Strong organization, time management, and follow-through skills; high sense of urgency Willingness to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of a dynamic team committed to a new future for urban education MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS At least 4 years of progressive professional work experience in Human Resources, Talent or a related field, with at least one year in a supervisory capacity in Human Resources, Talent or a related field in a school district, educational non-profit, or other K-12 urban setting; and a Bachelor's Degree or higher from an accredited college or university OR At least 6 years progressive professional work experience in Human Resources, Talent, or a related field, with at least two years in a supervisory capacity in Human Resources, Talent, or a related field in a school district, educational non-profit, or other K-12 urban setting; and a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g. GED) COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS In alignment with our commitment to equity for our scholars, Alliance is committed to equity and transparency for our team and offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience and education, as well as an employer-sponsored 403b plan annual contribution equal to 5% of regular earnings, and a comprehensive group health benefits package, including medical, dental and vision. This position is exempt. The compensation range for this position is $89,000 - $130,000. APPLICATION PROCESS Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter at www.laalliance.org/careers. Please note that only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted. The start date for this position will be on or after July 1, 2019. Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are free public charter schools which do not discriminate against any student, parent, community member, or employee on the basis of actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
Alliance College-Ready Schools Los Angeles, CA, USA Full-time


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Cryptography For Dummies
336 pages
January 2004
US $37.99 Add to Cart
This is a Print-on-Demand title. It will be printed specifically to fill your order. Please allow an additional 2-3 days delivery time. The book is not returnable.
Read an ExcerptDownload Acrobat
Table of Contents
Author Information
- Cryptography is the most effective way to achieve data security and is essential to e-commerce activities such as online shopping, stock trading, and banking
- This invaluable introduction to the basics of encryption covers everything from the terminology used in the field to specific technologies to the pros and cons of different implementations
- Discusses specific technologies that incorporate cryptography in their design, such as authentication methods, wireless encryption, e-commerce, and smart cards
- Based entirely on real-world issues and situations, the material provides instructions for already available technologies that readers can put to work immediately
- Expert author Chey Cobb is retired from the NRO, where she held a Top Secret security clearance, instructed employees of the CIA and NSA on computer security and helped develop the computer security policies used by all U.S. intelligence agencies


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While Digital Life is set up to celebrate lifestyle technology from all walks of life, you know we had to hit up the cell phones and mobile handsets first! There's not a whole lot of breaking stuff here, but it's always nice to see hotly anticipated handsets in the same place. Nokia was out in full force, demoing the N81 8GB, N95, E65, E90, and the N95 8GB. They also had a ton of N800 tablets on hand, which seems strange given the device's relative age, but who are we to judge them? Palm brought
the heat with their Centro handheld. That phone has been reviewed to death, but we'd like to point out that the keyboard is absolutely terrible. It feels like it was designed for 6 year olds (which might not be so off base, given the youth-centric appearence of Palm's expo booth). Microsoft had a number of handsets on display, most notably the HTC TyTN II aka Tilt/Kaiser. All we say about this one, is that AT&T better get their act together. It's that good. Hit the jump for more hands-on pics!


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Floyd Cramer
His self-taught, one-of-a-kind style made him the most sought after session pianist in Nashville.
Floyd Cramer originated the "slip note" style, his signature slurred sound that lent the lonesome sound to Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel."
A self-taught pianist, Floyd Cramer was one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound," a merger of country and pop that helped revive the former genre as it emerged from a commercially fallow period.
Often mentioned alongside such fellow sessionmen as guitarist Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph, Cramer became the pianist to use in Nashville from 1955 on. Cramer's influence extended to traditional country and rock and roll as well. His distinctive piano stylings could be heard on recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee and many others.
His forte was the "slip note" or "bent note" style, in which two notes are struck almost simultaneously so that one leads smoothly into another with a kind of slurred sound. The effortless flow of his playing was particularly effective on romantic ballads and allowed him to blend smoothly into the overall sound of an arrangement, a skill that made him popular with both producers and artists. Cramer was conversant in a variety of genres and once remarked, "Music is emotion, mood, regardless of what you name it. I wouldn't want to be pigeonholed as playing only country or pop."
Cramer taught himself to play by ear at age five. After graduating from high school, he embarked on his musical career as a pianist on the Louisiana Hayride, a live country-music radio show based in Shreveport. During this period, he played with Hank Williams Sr., Webb Pierce, Lefty Frizell and a young Elvis Presley. He moved to Nashville in 1955 and became one of the city's most sought-after sessionmen. From a rock and roll fan's perspective, his most notable accomplishment was playing on Elvis Presley's historic 1956 sessions shortly after Presley's move from Sun Records to RCA. Presley was backed that year by a band that included guitarist Scotty Moore, bassist Bill Black, drummer DJ Fontana, lap steel guitarist Jimmy Day and pianist Cramer. Presley wanted Cramer to remain part of his touring band, but Cramer had his sights set on the Grand Ole Opry and was satisfied with the work he was getting in Nashville.
In addition to pioneering the country-pop crossover sound as a top Nashville sideman, Cramer enjoyed a prolific career as a solo artist. This included such rock and roll-oriented material as "Flip Flop and Bop," released as a single in 1958. Cramer cut fifty instrumental albums and reached Number Two on the pop charts in 1960 with his biggest hit, "Last Date." Cramer scored two more Top 10 hits in 1961 with "On the Rebound" (Number Four) and "San Antonio Rose" (Number Eight). He won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental in 1979 with "My Blue Eyes."
Inductee: Floyd Cramer (piano; born October 27, 1933, died December 31, 1997)


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2013-14 Division I Men?s Basketball Player of the Week ? No. 1
By Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dominique Rambo of SAGU (Texas) has been named the NAIA National Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday. Rambo is the first honoree of the 2013-14 season and was selected based on his performances from Dec. 30 – Jan. 5. He was chosen out of a pool of conference and independent award winners.
Rambo, a 5-foot-10 senior guard from Dallas, Texas, averaged 36.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.5 steals in two Lions victories last week. In the 89-76 win over Sooner Athletic Conference preseason favorite Oklahoma Baptist on Jan. 2, Rambo poured in 40 points on 15-of-30 shooting. He added four rebounds and three assists. The 2012-13 NAIA Co-Player of the Year then posted 32 points in the 82-77 win against Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Jan. 4. Dating back to last year, Rambo has hit for at least 10 points in his last 23 games.
For a complete list of all the national statistical leaders, click here.
The next NAIA National Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Week will be announced on Jan. 14. For the complete Player of the Week calendar, click here.
Nominees: Jake Owsley, Montana Western; C.J. Miller, Westmont (Calif.); Zack Kleine, Evangel (Mo.); Roman Vaughn, Talladega (Ala.); Devonte Young, Lyon (Ark.); Josh Reagan, Rio Grande (Ohio); Marcus Dortch, Southern Poly (Ga.).
2013-14 Division I Men's Basketball Players of the Week
Week 1 (Jan. 7): Dominique Rambo, SAGU (Texas)


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Perhaps I will take up Facebook as well. I've found that social media sites take a lot of time. I've had lots of encouragement to do so, though.
I'll announce the address of the new site as soon as I make the first post. But, if anyone's still out there, please stay tuned and it will come soon enough.
One final thing is to acknowledge some things regarding the lack of writing about what I have seen and learned these past few months regarding COIN, the war in Afghanistan, and what I think about our evolving role in the world. I came back with the strength of my convictions about what I was seeing on the ground in Afghanistan. I came home to find, yet again, a disconnect between the ongoing conversation back here and what I knew that I was seeing in Afghanistan. Here, COIN is being widely shouted down… and anyone who claims to see it work is being shouted down as well. Those who have the bona fides to claim wisdom and analytical superiority are dismissive. There have also been those who made serious prognostications from Kabul about the state of affairs.
I got tired of it.
Much has transpired, and there have been many thoughts that have gone unwritten. It just felt like a waste of time and effort. Between that, the struggle with the general feeling of disconnection due to the amount of time I've spent overseas, and the general attitude that experience on the ground is trumped by the theoretical and long-distance analysis of the wise… well… it takes a lot of energy to continually try to rise above the din. It has just seemed a losing struggle. Inertia is carrying us towards what I observe to be a practically inevitable conclusion.
While I was at liberty to discuss the impending deployment, there were those in my life who I care about deeply… my children… whose summer I did not want to spoil. This has been in the works since shortly after I returned a little over a year ago. I was asked by a brigade commander to be his COIN advisor for the brigade's upcoming tour. I agreed, because I saw that as a call to serve. I also wanted for the Buckeye Brigade to acquit itself well in its mission.
We have been at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, since August, except for a brief break of about a week between Title 32 and Title 10 active duty. What I've seen about the pre-deployment training of the National Guard by 1st Army would fill a small book and there are too many big rice bowls; it is well and truly broken and nothing I can do or say will ever fix it. I need to complete this tour and retire before I really detail that or I will surely wind up in very poor condition. No one wants to hear it, anyway; not those who can influence or change it.
Overall, the Army has done a much better job of training COIN. Some do better than others. The stars are the Combat Advisor trainers of the 162nd Brigade, the guys who train Combat Advisors at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the National Training Center. The quality of training provided by the 162nd, especially the training for advisors deploying to Afghanistan, is light years above the training my team and I received at Fort Riley in 2007. Unfortunately, the advisors attached to this brigade only received 10 days of specialized training from the 162nd here at Camp Shelby.
The National Training Center is the other winner. In early August the leadership of the brigade spent about a week at the NTC being brought up to speed on the expectations and learning about the big rocks they would have to lift there. The NTC provides the capstone exercise prior to deployment. I was thrilled when they briefed the brigade and battalion leaders that they would be expected to assemble a PMESII/ASCOPE analysis of their operational area. When the staff of the NTC laid out the expectation that the units would be expected to use the District Stability Framework during the conduct of the exercise, I almost lost my mind. Good stuff.
It is new to the NTC, but they are working to incorporate it into their insurgency/counterinsurgency exercises.
The secondary effect was that it convinced the brigade leadership that they needed to embrace the DSF, which I had been encouraging them to get trained in for months.
That is less than half the story… so torn about what has transpired in the meantime. This is my first time deploying with a National Guard unit, and it's been enlightening.
There has also been much that has transpired in Central Asia over the past months. Pakistan has been very active in many ways, and the developments between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have been fascinating. So much to examine. Soon I will be back on the ground in Afghanistan, seeing things once more having passed through that portal into the reality of that land and events therein.
If anyone's out there, please let me know. Whistling in the dark is difficult these days. I could use a little encouragement.
Hey Blue,
Keep writing! As you say, there aren't enough voices shouting the ground-view of what's going on in Af-Pak — it'd be a crime to lose yours.
Sometimes, all it takes is just one to make a difference.
But you know that…
Hey Blue, Looking forward to the 'experiential' blog. Don't leave it to Fuckbook. Make it it's own blog. While the COIN theory stuff is interesting, i really enjoyed "…Excellent Afghan Adventure." Maybe we'll hook up at some point
Keep writing. Stay safe. I read you to hear what's going on because the news media doesn't report this stuff. I appreciate your updates. Thanks.
Keep writing. Some of us care, and we appreciate the truth.
It's reat to see you back here.
It's great to see you back here.
Blue, I was wondering why you hadn't been posting. Operation Homefront deserves your full attention. Salute your sense of duty to go back, man.
Copy all on people drowning out COIN; please keep writing.
Old Blue, Glad you are writing again. I will be following anything you post, as I appreciate your perspective. As an added bonus: if I end up headed to Afghanistan again, will start a blog this time and blogroll you on it.
Look forward to hearing from you. A lot of new info in recent weeks. There is so much stuff I would love to get your feedback on.
Old Blue, I was a friend of John Stiles. I think of him and the sacrifice he made often. You and everyone with you have my love and support.
Really appreciate your blog! Your viewpoint is important to folks back home, especially those who have no idea and no experience beside what they hear in the MSM. Was deployed in 2007 to Afghanistan and went thru the 1st Army training at Bragg as a Navy IA – wow, so many things to be said about their training and none of them good. Not surprised that none of it has changed. I'll be interested to hear your take on it in the future, when the appropriate distance has passed.
I know of no greater expert on COIN and operations in Afghanistan than you, Ole Blue.
Yes, there are times when each of us tires of the seemingly endless battle, the feeling that we are preaching only to the choir, drowned out by those that care only for their political positions, and fighting upstream to get the truth out, the objective truth. Or that insufficient numbers care enough about the groundtruth, when it competes with Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen, and American Idol.
BUT, the world NEEDS your voice on this matter. It needs to have on the record, what you see, know, and hear. Even if the momentum of the political arena pushes this War into premature closure, future strategicians, tacticians, and historians need this reference of what went right and what went wrong.
As to Camp Shelby, I don't think I've ever heard good things about the place, the training, or the cadre, other than "in some ways, it has improved." Unfortunately, it also lives on, due to the power of a politician.
If you type it, they will read it.
Your readers may number less than some sites, but they are often of higher position.


text: sort by Most recent Most popular by topic Living/Accommodation Community/Social Rehabilitation Medical Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Justice/Legal/Advocacy Lifestyle aids Behaviour Cognitive effects Carers & family members Causes of brain injury Parents guide Brain injury effects Brain injury prevention Medication Types of brain disorders By tag Neurocognitive, Acquired Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Degenerative Disease, Hypoxic/Anoxic, Mental Health, Young Person In Aged Care, Aggression, Capacity, Memory Impairment, Accommodation, Homelessness, Respite, Assessment, Legal, Advocacy, Sexual Issues, Recreation, Community Access, Social Isolation, Rehabilitation, Medical, Crisis, Support, Violence, Brain Disorder, Recovery, Stroke, Autism, Dementia, Health, Lifestyle aids, Effects of a brain injury, Behaviour, Carers, Alcohol & drugs, Types of brain injury, Children & brain injury, Medication, Disclaimer Information is intended as a guide only Synapse email updates Enter first name required Enter email required Enter postcode required see newsletter archive Get The Facts We realised long ago, that the dissemination of information and the promotion of informed discussion, were key to the building a greater awareness of the two million Australians currently affected by Brain Disorders such as Traumatic Brain Injury, stroke, brain tumours and Alzheimer's disease. Quite apart from the vast resource library we have access to, we publish a range of publications and papers throughout the year that can be accessed either in print or online. If you want or need information, we will either have it, or know where it can be accessed. Our range of fact sheets are below, or check out some of our other information services: Information and Referral Blog Publications synapse fact sheets Sort topic by: most recent most popular Brain injury effects Attention & concentration problems after a brain injury Brain injury effects Balance problems & dizziness after a brain injury Brain injury effects Sensory & perceptual problems after a brain injury Brain injury effects Hearing problems after a brain injury Brain injury effects The many effects of a brain injury Brain injury effects Perseveration & brain injury Brain injury effects Swallowing Disorders - Fact Sheet Brain injury effects Visual Disorders - Fact Sheet Brain injury effects Some of the main difficulties that can affect people after Brain Injury - Fact Sheet


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Dave Matthews heads 'Away From the World'
By RYAN PEARSON
The Associated Press
Dave Matthews needed a break.
His famously hardworking band took last year off, and Matthews says he's planning to scale back future summer tours to spend more time with his wife and three children.
Still, Matthews didn't want to give himself too much free time.
The band reunited early this year with "Crash" and "Before These Crowded Streets" producer Steve Lillywhite, originally planning to record studio versions of older tunes from live performances. Matthews decided instead to write and record all new songs, with lyrics about love, lust, aging and activism laid over his three bandmates' recognizably comfortable-yet-funky musical bed.
The result, "Away From the World," follows the critical and commercial success of 2009's "Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King": 1.2 million copies sold and an album of the year Grammy nomination.
The latest album, out this week, "has a smaller poignance for me," the South Africa-born musician said. "It's not a wave the way the other one was, but it has a more personal quality to it for me."
Clearly proud of his latest attempt to shake DMB from the casual listener's "great jam band, but …" label, the 45-year-old singer-songwriter spoke about his children, growing old and God.
How was your break from touring last year? Did it accomplish what you'd hoped?
It was good. It forced me to realign things. There was a momentum that had built up over the years that I sort of didn't feel I had any say. I wanted to stop. So we did. It wasn't like I went to Outer Mongolia and stared at the stars, which I sort of fantasized about doing. But I think it was good for very personal reasons.
Who did you spend time with?
I spent most of my time with my family. We traveled a bit. I think I will (take a break) every year because it made a big difference to have time with my kids. I like working. But it seems like there's a shift and I had to make that shift apparent to myself and everyone around me with my kids. I feel really important around them. Because I like to feel important. I feel like I make a difference, for better or for worse, when I'm around them.
Are they into music?
Yeah. In all different ways. My girls are 11, so they're fans of music. At the moment I think they like my music. They've got their own things they're into as well (Beyonce, Taylor Swift). I don't care what they listen to. My son, he's pretty heartfelt. He's 5 now. He's sort of more of a thrasher. He likes Iron Maiden and he likes Black Sabbath. Mainly I think because of 'Iron Man.' This year was the first year I took my girls on the road with me with no one else, which was nice. I just hang out with them all the time. Then I also end up seeing the cities I'm in in a much more thorough way. It's good fun to host a party with my daughters.
You recorded this album much quicker than the last album — a few weeks in the studio versus many months. How were you thinking about following up "Big Whiskey"?
There was so much that happened in the last record. Roi (Moore, DMB's saxophonist) died in the middle of it, so it had a different focus. The last album incorporated a lot of mourning with the death of our bandmate. I can't compare the two: apples and oranges. But this album, it was a very refreshing process. And it was interesting to go back with Steve Lillywhite and be old men together.
Were you flashing back to cutting those first records with him?
Yeah, there were some similar methods. Also the relationship is very different. It was nice to see an old friend who we had lost touch with. I wasn't in a great place when we left each other. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't think being around me was the best part of their lives. But I think I always have a joyful face on. But I was troubled. But then this time I feel pretty good about where I am, I think, when we went into making the record. A little less, fewer layers to get to the chewy center nowadays. It's not as tasty as it was maybe 10 years ago but can't do anything about that.
It sounds from the album like you're thinking quite a bit about growing old.
I'm partly obsessed by aging gracefully. Not that I believe in God. I use God in my songs a lot, but I don't have a relationship. I don't know what that means. But my sister said, 'You age gracefully so you find out what God wanted you to look like when you're old.' I kind of like that idea. But I like the wrinkles. I woke up three days ago, and I thought, 'In 15 years I'm going to be 60.' … Wow, that's pretty soon.


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Count Even Less on China Now
China is headed for a much bumpier landing than the global economy would like.
For months now, the hope has been that lower Chinese inflation would provide the scope for lower interest rates and a way for Beijing to escape a nasty pop in the country's property bubble. But, as the bubble starts to burst and the economy starts to shake, high food prices and the need to preserve social stability could well prevent the People's Bank of China from easing policy and securing a soft landing.
A measure of just how large a threat the property sector now poses to the economy as well as to the country's banking system came with the news that China's sovereign wealth fund has been instructed to buy the shares of major Chinese lenders.
This came after the Nation Bureau of Statistics reported that prices fell or were unchanged in 46 out of 70 major Chinese cities during August. In July, the number was 31.
This coming Friday, new consumer price figures are expected to show that, as the economy slows, inflation is also subsiding. The consumer price index for September is forecast to fall to 6.1%, extending August's decline to 6.2% from 6.5% in July.
This should clear the way for the PBOC to start reversing its recent rate increases, especially given that at least some of the fall in inflation is coming from lower prices in pork.
However, all is not quite so simple.
[More over the jump]


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If you ever try to use a power bar anywhere but on the floor, you'll quickly realise that gravity will do everything it can to drag it off a table, a ladder, or anything not at ground level. That's not the case with Quirky's new Prop Power extension cord, though. Its 1.8m cable is made with flexible wiring and a conforming plastic sleeve, so it holds its shape.
That means you can wrap it around table legs, or snake it through the steps of a ladder, and it will hold on for dear life. Unfortunately the business end of the Prop Power is limited to just three grounded outlets, but there's nothing stopping you from daisy chaining another power bar on the end when you run out. And while Quirky promises the Prop Power is going into production, there's no estimate on how much it will cost or when it will be available until they start actually churning them out.


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Sometimes the best lure action is no action
By Babe Winkelman
Send a link to a friend
18, 2014]
Whether you're jigging, rigging, cranking,
spinning, spooning, worming or popping, there are literally infinite
ways that you can impart action on your bait. For jigging, you can
swim it, drag it, hop it, drop it, twitch it and everything in
between. The same thing applies to retrieving soft plastics.
savvy fisherman is always tinkering with little nuances in the
retrieve, to dial in the precise presentation that fish respond to
on a given day. Sometimes they want it fast and furious. Other
conditions will call for slow and lazy.
However, there's another presentation that I haven't yet
mentioned, and it's often the best one. That, my friends, is to do
nothing at all. Before I get into ways you can do nothing, let's
first consider the creature we're after: the fish.
Fish must eat, that's obvious. And like every other predator on
planet Earth (humans included), fish want their meals to be easy. It
is a natural instinct to expend as little effort as possible when
feeding (or attempting to feed). Survival depends on maintaining
body mass and energy levels —
because, let's face it, when a fish isn't eating, he's basically
trying not to get eaten himself!
With that said, ask yourself: Would the average fish rather chase
a racing, zigzagging minnow, or eat one that's just hanging around?
Most of the time, they'll take the easy meal. So next time you're
fishing, serve up a simple snack.
This is really easy to do when jigging or fishing with soft
plastics. In a walleye scenario with a jig and minnow, pitch the jig
to your chosen spot (let's say it's 16 feet down on a rocky hump).
Let the jig reach bottom and let it just sit there. Assume a walleye
has seen it drop and has rushed in to investigate. Maybe he inhales
it right away, or maybe he's nosing it and waiting for it to make
its next move. During this period, pay very close attention to
"feeling" a bite or seeing your fishing line twitch. If nothing
happens after 10 seconds or so, give the jig a hop and let it go
motionless again. If fish are there, and they're hungry, you will
get bit!
[to top of second column]
Do-nothing soft plastics for bass can be especially deadly. A lot
of bass guys call this "dead-sticking." I remember a particular day
on a good bass lake when every largemouth I caught was on a dead-sticked
Senko rigged "wacky style." I'd make a cast, reel up the slack and
just wait. Sometimes it took several minutes before a roaming bass
came upon the bait and sucked it in, even though it was just lying
there on the bottom.
Dead-sticking is particularly effective when catching bass and
panfish on spawn beds, too. Find a bed, pitch a soft plastic into
it, and eventually the fish guarding that piece of real estate will
pick up the lure to get it the heck out of there.
To dead-stick crankbaits, there are two lure styles involved:
floaters and suspenders. With floaters, simply twitch or retrieve
the lure and then stop. Let it float to the surface and sit there
for several seconds. You'll be amazed at how many strikes you'll get
when it's sitting still. It's the same drill when you're working
topwater baits (poppers, prop baits, etc.).
For suspenders (or neutrally-buoyant) crankbaits, retrieve the
lure down to its desired depth, stop, and let it hang there. Try
this just beyond the outside edges of thick underwater weed lines.
Game fish will tuck into those edges for cover, then dart out for
unsuspecting bait fish that get caught loafing around.
Even spoons and spinners, especially when fished vertically, can
be dead-sticked. And naturally, any type of live bait presentation
underneath a bobber (float) is a fairly motionless bait and an easy
target for a hungry fish.
Next time you decide to get out there and do something about
catching fish, try doing nothing instead. It's a proven method for
capitalizing on a fish's tendency to be a lazy, opportunistic
Good fishing.
[By BABE WINKELMAN]
Babe Winkelman hosts "Good Fishing" and
"Outdoor Secrets," the most-watched fishing and hunting programs on
television. Tune in on NBC Sports Network, Destination America,
Velocity, Time Warner Sports Texas & New York, and many local
broadcast channels. Visit
Winkelman.com for airtimes and more information. Follow
Babe Winkelman on
Facebook and Twitter.
Recent features
Back to top


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President Obiang also discussed the need to create a Senate, which would convert the nation's Parliament from a unicameral to a bicameral legislature, and to establish control mechanisms to prevent corruption.
President Obiang discussed these changes in the context of "Democratic Experiment," his program to systematically and progressively pursue greater democracy and pluralism as the nation develops. At the opening session of the Parliament last week, he urged legislators to work "to reform the legal system as a means of ensuring and protecting the rights of citizens."


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Clean Automotive Technology
Hydraulic Hybrid Research
What Are HHVs?
Hybrid vehicles use two sources of power to drive the wheels. In a hydraulic hybrid vehicle (HHV) a regular internal combustion engine and a hydraulic motor are used to power the wheels.
Hydraulic hybrid systems consist of two key components: high pressure hydraulic fluid vessels called accumulators, and hydraulic drive pump/motors. The accumulators are used to store pressurized fluid. Acting as a motor, the hydraulic drive uses the pressurized fluid to rotate the wheels. Acting as a pump, the hydraulic drive is used to re-pressurize hydraulic fluid by using the momentum of the vehicle. This process converts kinetic energy into reusable potential energy and is called regenerative braking.
There are two types of HHVs: parallel and series. In parallel HHVs both the engine and the hydraulic drive system mechanically interact with the wheels. The hydraulic pump-motor is integrated into the driveshaft or differential. To learn more visit: How Parallel HHVs Work. Series HHVs rely entirely on hydraulic pressure to drive the wheels, which means the engine does not directly provide mechanical power to the wheels. In a series HHV configuration an engine is attached to a hydraulic engine pump to provide additional fluid pressure to the drive pump/motor when needed. To learn more visit the page on How Series HHVs Work.
EPA and their partners have implemented both series and parallel HHV technology in multiple vehicles. To see some of these HHVs in action visit Demonstration Vehicles. EPA is evaluating this technology in light-duty vehicles with Chrysler. Visit our page on Light-Duty HHVs to learn more.
Why HHVs?
Series HHV technology significantly increases fuel economy and reduces emissions at negligible additional cost. Hydraulic technology is incredibly powerful and efficient for operations that require huge amounts of power. HHVs can perform not only as well as conventional vehicles, but also can be made to provide superior performance.
Hydraulic hybrid technology is versatile. HHV technology has been applied to military vehicles, buses, urban delivery trucks, refuse haulers, sports utility vehicles, family sedans and even a bicycle.To learn more visit our Hydraulic Hybrid Bike Page. Due to the highly efficient regenerative braking system and frequent engine off modes of operation HHVs make ideal urban vehicles where stop-and-go traffic is common.
The bottom line is that hydraulic hybrid technology is simple, clean, efficient and cost effective.
- Simple - The technology does not require breakthroughs to be cost effective or to be manufactured, and can be produced with the skills and manufacturing base already available in the U.S.
- Clean - It has proven to reduce emissions by up to 40 percent.
- Efficient - Series HHVs dramatically increase fuel efficiency from 60 percent to over 100 percent.
- Cost-effective - The low cost to manufacture combined with reduced brake maintenance and dramatically increased fuel efficiency results in thousands of dollars saved over the lifetime of the vehicle. This makes HHVs one of the best green technologies to invest in.
Why Are HHVs So Efficient?
Three key design features help full series HHVs achieve maximum fuel efficiency:
- Regenerative Braking. When braking, the HHV captures and stores energy from the wheels. When the vehicle starts accelerating, this stored energy is used to accelerate the vehicle. This process captures and reuses over 70 percent of the energy normally wasted during braking. This also reduces wear on the friction brakes.
- Shutting Engine Off When Not Needed. There is no conventional transmission and driveshaft connecting the engine to the wheels allowing the engine to be completely shut off when not needed. The engine is activated by a hybrid controller only when needed. As a result, engine use is nearly cut in half in stop-and-go urban city driving.
- Optimum Engine Control. Since the engine is not mechanically coupled to the drive wheels, a hybrid controller can command the engine, when needed, to operate at its maximum efficiency -- or "sweet" spot -- to achieve optimum vehicle fuel economy.
EPA's Role
EPA is on the cutting edge of research and development of hydraulic hybrid technology. EPA has achieved major breakthroughs in the design and operation of pump/motors and accumulators by making them smaller, lighter, and more efficient. These breakthroughs led to the development of applications for both large commercial and smaller consumer vehicles. The unique hybrid drivetrain design has also been combined with EPA's work on advanced, cleaner, and more efficient engines. To commercialize these breakthroughs EPA has cooperative research and development agreements with several private sector partners. Visit our Demonstration Vehicles page to learn more about vehicles that EPA has developed in cooperation with its industry partners. For additional information on the partnerships visit our Partnerships page.


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Bunk Sukhumvit 11 Business Inn is located in Sukhumvit area, the hotel is perfect for people who want to explore Bangkok and other nearby attractions.
Hotel is located near BTS Nana station, guests easy access to attractions in the city.
Hotel provide facilities and services for the comfort and convenience of guests. Hotel offers free Wi-Fi in all rooms, 24-hour security, daily housekeeping, taxi service, ticket service.
Hotel offer 34 rooms. All room are equipped with amenities including towel, welcome drink, air-conditioning, working desk and television. Whether you visit Bangkok for whatever reason. Business Inn is the perfect relaxing place for everyone.
|Single Standard Room
15 Sqm. | No View
|Twin Superior Room
20 Sqm. | City View
|Double Superior Room
20 Sqm. | City View
|The Australian Pub & BBQ
|Old German Beerhouse
|Above Eleven Rooftop Bar
|Mulligan's Irish Bar
|Zaks Dining & Lounge
|Levels Club & Lounge
|Pomodoro Italian Restaurant
|El Gaucho Argentinian Steakhouse
|Terminal 21 Shopping Mall


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Sorry for not posting anything yesterday, I planned to do it last night but since I skipped my night sleep the day before I was caught up by the lack of it. An early flight brought me to Barcelona yesterday morning and it's fantastic here.
Right now I'm enjoying a wonderful breakfast at our hotel OMM, a recommended hotel from Polka Dot and I'm so happy we followed her advice. It's even better than she described it, the decoration, the view, the lounge music and the roof garden by the pool, so relaxing and beautiful and I've pretty much spent the time so far up there. Since Sunday is a pretty dead day in Spain I'll wait for tomorrow to explore Barcelona more, but I'll visit some of the Gaudi buildings later on today.
Taken on my balcony before leaving for dinner yesterday, velvet shorts Zara, top Acne, shoes Prada, bag Chanel.


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The Statue of Liberty reopened to the public Sunday after the state agreed to shoulder the costs of running the site during the federal government shutdown.
Ferry trips from Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty resumed at 9 a.m., and eager sightseers lined up in Battery Park to visit the iconic landmark., which had been closed since Oct. 1.
Simon and Dominik Balz, brothers visiting from Bern, Switzerland, had booked their trip in May, with the statue among their planned stops. The shutdown had made that seem impossible, "so we were very disappointed,'' Simon Balz said.
That disappointment turned into excitement when they found out about the reopening. The statue is "well-known all over the world,'' he said. ``It's very special.''
Esther Athanase, a 26-year-old au pair from Le Havre, France, was using a ticket she'd booked months ago with a friend. "We have to do this,'' she said. "It's an American symbol. And it was a gift from France.''
Ahmed Albin-Hamad, 24, a Saudi Arabian student at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, said he came to Battery Park to get a view of the statue.
"I assumed it was closed, but at least I could see it,'' he said. He was surprised and excited when he found out the statue had reopened.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that the state would pay about $61,600 a day to reopen Liberty Island National Park through Oct. 17. If the shutdown is not resolved by then, officials said, they will renegotiate to keep it open.
On Sunday, Cuomo said it was in the state's economic interest to make sure the statue was accessible.
"When you close down the Statue of Liberty, you close down a good portion of the tourism that comes to New York City, and that is untold millions of dollars of damage,'' he said.
New York has 33 sites under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, and they have been shut since Oct. 1. The sites include the statue and nearby Ellis Island, which has remained closed for repairs since Hurricane Sandy last year.
Nearly 4 million people visited Lady Liberty in 2011, generating $174 million in economic activity, the park service said.


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EDIT 2: It's been 7 years and over ONE MILLION of you have read my post and I'm honestly overwhelmed. I still get asked questions about sex and am happy to answer any I can to the best of my ability on my twitter @im_so_childish. I finally wrote a new post, Bottoming 201: The Douchening, which covers some regular questions I've had in those 7 years about overdouching, gut bacteria, diet, and "accidents"
This is gonna be a LOOOOONNNNNGG post because I have a lot to say on the subject. Also I totally fucked up what passes for a normal sleeping pattern for me doing this so I hope you're all fucking grateful. All puns intended.
I've been reading lots about what its like to be a bottom from all kinds of sources recently. You know how some weeks certain things just keep cropping up in your life for no obvious reason? And I take issue with a lot of what I've read. I'm a bottom. I'm a damn good bottom. I can take it hard and rough and with little lube and I enjoy every damned second of it. And I can power bottom with the best of them. So I feel myself pretty qualified to write a nice long guide to how the fuck a lot of people should be bottoming, cause a lot of people seem to get it pretty damned wrong. And some people just genuinely don't know and want to know more. I get at least one set of DMs a week to my twitter account (@im_so_childish) asking me about bottoming stuff. And I'm really happy to help those people and tell them what I know. So now I'm going to write it all down, so in future I can just refer everyone to this, and hopefully some of you learn something and discover the joy of bottoming.
Some Basic Points:
- Bottoming does not *have* to hurt. - it probably will to start, but doesn't with experience
- Bottoming does not make you gay/less manly/a slut/desperate/whatever. I can't believe I even need to write that but I know I do.
- The bottom is not an exit hole only
- The bottom does not *have* to be dirty, and by and large, usually isn't depending on what you're doing and how you've prepared - more about this later
- Yes you may be really tight. Sphincters, i.e. your asshole, are made of muscle. Admittedly they aren't quite like biceps, but just about any muscle in the body can be trained, and improved with patience, the right technique and regular practice.
- You do not *have* to bottom if you don't want to for whatever reason, ever in your entire life if you so choose. But like all aspects of sex, if you're curious, it's worth seeing what happens and where it takes you.
- A good top will notice and appreciate a good bottom. And the bottom will get repeat fucks.
- Just because you bottom doesn't mean you can't top. My friends all regard me as one of the biggest power bottoms they know, but I can still nail a guy's ass if I the mood strikes me.
- The bottom is ALWAYS in control. Doesn't matter what's the situation is, when they've got a problem, you've got a problem. Respect your bottom, cause you're the one who wants to get inside them.
Right lets go over all the important things about this entire area. Your asshole is a ring of muscle called a sphincter. Actually there's two of them but don't worry about that. You should all have a basic knowledge of how this works from going to the toilet for the entirety of your life. Finer control of your sphincter we'll come to later.
The rectum is the main area that concerns us. This is the bit that fills with shit, and tells you to go to the toilet. It doesn't stay full of shit all the time. It temporarily holds it and gives you the urge to go to the toilet, just like you get an urge to go for a piss; it doesn't mean there is constantly urine in your cock that you only release every so often. If you're lucky this stays clean when you're not about to go to the toilet. Most people aren't lucky. Or think they are but aren't 100% clean. You can clean this area and its one of the major marks of being a good bottom in most people's opinions. Again, more on this later.
The other major important landmark is the location of the prostate. It's right next to the wall of your rectum. When you get fucked, the other guy's cock rubs against the prostate. This feels GOOD. A really talented top can do it with his fingers, and really get you writhing in pleasure. But this is a guide for bottoms, not tops. Top boys you'll have to look elsewhere for that particular technique, sorry.
The final important point I want you to take away from this anatomy lesson is that the rectum is full of nerves. This is how it gives you the sensation that you need to empty it. And the sphincter is surrounded by nerves. This is what can feel good or bad about getting fucked depending on if you do it right. And even more interestingly, the body is conditioned to give you pleasureable feelings as things pass through the nerve endings of the sphincter. This is the sensation you get after having a really big shit; it's a biological incentive to do so. The happy endorphiny high. Well that's basically what you create when getting fucked. Over and over and over again as that cock pounds your hole. Starting to see the joy in bottoming?
The Golden Rules of Bottoming:
Okay so lets start with the sensible place to start. Getting something into your ass. Because if you can't even get a pinky in there the rest of this post is pretty much just useless theory anyway. The three golden rules of getting anything into your ass are:
- Lube
- Patience
- Relax FFS!
There are a million and one different types of lubes out there, but lets start with basics. Most lubes are made of one of 3 different bases, water, oil, or silicone. They all have advantages and disadvantages. They all feel different. And each base comes in a variety of different brands and slightly different types that also feel slightly different. The trick with lube is to experiment. Find one that works for you. You can get lube trial packs with all sorts of different varieties in or you can go to a sex shop armed with about £20 and buy the little travel/cruising size packets in every kind imaginable.
Can you guys believe we haven't even got past the sphincter and getting whatever it is inside you yet? But seriously your hole is where so many of the issues are concerned. Once we're past all of that, it's pretty much the home straight and just a few bits of housekeeping before you'll be bottoming with the best of us. Let's start with breathing. The breathing techniques are designed to help you relax. And as you relax, so does your sphincter. There are a million and one different techniques here, and the same goes for the muscle control exercises which will follow. Like the lubes, you need to try them all and see what works best for you, because what works for you may not work for someone else, and everyone will inevitably recommend something different.
When you're trying to get something in your ass, and especially if you're struggling for whatever reason, you tend to forget to breathe as you're busy concentrating your focus on achieving your goal. This is perfectly natural, we do this all the time; its one less thing for the brain to focus on and worry about whilst you quickly complete whatever it is your trying to do and then your body can get back to the job of maintaining itself. Great, but this results in everything tensing up, you feeling hotter, and everything gets that much harder, basically the complete opposite of what you need to be doing at that point in time. So make your breathing conscious. Focus on that instead. Focussing on your breathing and making that the subject of your awareness and concentration will also help to clear your head and stop you worrying about what's happening to your ass, furthering the amount your body, especially that part, relaxes. Handy huh?
So how should you breathe? Well as I said it's down to you but there are two basic options that seem to work for most people - one is just the long deep controlled breaths in and out, the other is lamaze breathing. Lamaze breathing is that strange labour breathing where you exhale short-short-long. try counting out one-two-threeeeeeeeeee. with a short breath in just before one and two and a slightly longer one just before the threeeeeeee.
However you breathe, you want to exhale as things are going into you. This is the same as breathing during any form of exercise, you exhale on the exertion. So as something is going inside of you and your body starts to struggle, make sure you're on your long exhale. Again, you do the same when you have a big shit. As you push out, you exhale really deeply. It helps the body, and especially your sphincter when under pressure, relax. Plus the concentration of making your breathing your brain's focus helps to distract it from the unfamiliar, and potentially slightly painful feeling of penetration. Your body, as intelligent as it is, only has so much focus, and you can actually partially distract it from a lot of sensations pretty damn easily if you know how.
Muscle Control:
Yes your sphincter is a muscle. Once again lets admit there are actually two of them side by side. One of them is involuntary. You don't really need to worry about this one aside from the fact if you're stressed and worried it's unlikely to be cooperative, so this is why it's important to be relaxed. The other one is voluntary. This is the one you use to shit with. Or rather, the one you use to stop yourself from shitting your pants with. You should all know how this works in terms of a basic opening/closing kind of deal unless you've had a colostomy, but then you've had part of your colon removed and you have bigger issues.
Like breathing, the first thing to do is make yourself aware of this muscle. Don't just try and open up your ass. Actually think about what muscle you're using, and don't focus on getting anything in you, focus more on slowly, steadily, and comfortably, relaxing that muscle. Yes it's all a bit hippie-ish with visualizing and "don't just feel the muscle, see the muscle", but I'm actually kinda serious. This shit works, because once again it gives you something to focus on that isn't trying to get whatever it is in your ass. Focus on the muscle and what it's doing, and WHY is it clamping shut, and which bit of it feels tensest, and concentrating on slowly relaxing that, and eventually whatever you've got probing your hole will naturally follow.
Now of course you just have to combine this with the breathing, focussing on achieving both of them together rather than what's going into you and WHY you're doing this (which will only set your brain off worrying about whether you can do it again), and you're practically done.
And now, for some advanced teaching! (oooooh, aaaaaaah...) Okay hands up who in the blog has heard of Kegel muscles, or Kegel exercises? This is pretty much what I've been writing about above anyway. Though if you identify the right sets of muscles you'll find they're slightly different by funnily enough the distance between your asshole and your cock, that's when you know you've got the right respective set. So Kegel exercises work on your pelvic floor muscles. They're REALLY simple.
To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop pissing half way through. Notice which muscles you're tensing. Also notice your hole has tensed up and tightened. And now start pissing again. And notice how everything relaxes. Including your ass. Okay now stop start stop start stop start until such time as you've finished pissing or got bored. It's pretty much that simple. Oh sure you can get it more complex, it's a set of muscles, like other muscle training exercises you can tense and hold, do quick reps, long reps etc etc. But the whole start stop pissing thing is simple, obvious, and easy. But you don't have to do it whilst on the loo, you can do it sitting at the pc, on the tube, wherever (I'm totally doing them right now :P).
Why? Because it'll give you REALLY good control over your hole. You know the bottoms that can basically suck in a guy's cock with their ass? This is what they're doing. They relax all the right muscles and bingo. The bottoms that can practically milk a guy's cock just with their ass? Again, this is it, tense, relax, tense, relax, etc whilst he's inside you, and bingo your top is going crazy for your ass and will be begging to fuck you again. And as an added bonus, studies show it prevents and/or solves erectile dysfunction, strengthens orgasms, and increases sexual pleasure. GET CLENCHING PEOPLE
OH MY GOD PEOPLE WE'RE HERE. PENETRATION! ACTUAL ENTRY! It's taken me more than 3,200 words to get to this point but finally we're here, together. Savour this moment. It's beautiful.
So hopefully you all paid attention to my earlier section on lube, patience, and relaxing, and together with the breathing and muscle focus you've managed to get something just about to open you up and into your ass. This is the all important "push out like you're taking a shit" moment, except it'll feel nothing like taking a shit because things are going in rather than out. The principle still stays the same. Push out with those pelvic floor and sphincter muscles you've been learning about. And remember to exhale as whatever it is enters you. If you're lucky, and you've taken your time, and got your body comfortable the idea, whatever it is will slide all the way into you in one go. It might feel like you're actually going to shit but you're not. The body has some sense, it's just the same biology and anatomy in use, so it can get confusing. Once in leave it there, focus on your breathing, and let your body start to adjust. That might take anywhere from 30 seconds to 15 minutes, and that's starting to adjust, not completely adjusted. If you're not used to this it's gonna take time. Like I said people, patience. Focus on breathing, focus on relaxing your mind and your entire body at this point. Don't focus just on the anal muscles anymore, relax your whole body and let it calm down from the intrusion.
If you feel pain at any point in the insertion. Stop right where you are. Don't go back to square one. That's the mistake. Stop pushing out, but resist the body's urge to totally close up. Hold your sphincter muscles open at the point that they are but no further, and obviously, stop pushing whatever it is in. Stop with it half way into you or wherever it is. Take a deep breath to help with relaxation and pain endurance and SLOWLY pull it out until it's bearable again. This should hopefully not be all the way out. Breathe in, focus on relaxing muscles again, and wait. Wait 5, 10 minutes however long you need to, and then try insertion again. And hopefully you get a bit further. Or maybe that's as far as you get that night. But try the next night, and you'll probably find you do get that little bit further then, and after 2 weeks or so, you'll hopefully be inside.
Once you're in and relatively comfortable and your hole has started to relax of its own accord and accept there's something holding it slightly open, slowly pull out. It shouldn't feel rough or stuck in any way, if it does, you didn't use enough lube when you went in. Don't pull out, don't pull past the sphincter, once you've travelled an inch or so, push back in slowly. Get your hole used to the sensation of being open and something going in and out of it and over time you can increase the length of the stroke. Get your hole comfortable with the idea. Once it learns to do this without any pain or huge struggles on your part you're pretty much done. At that point you can pull all the way out, and try reinsertion. And you'll probably find it a lot easier than the first time. Another trick is to rotate whatever it is - dildo, finger, obviously a cock doesn't really operate like that, whilst keeping it at the same depth. This will stimulate the sphincter without actually changing how open it is, or how deep you are etc.
Enjoy the sensation. If something feels a little painful, try and focus on what feels good. The sphincter nerves as discussed earlier are designed to give the brain pleasure when stimulated, so the strokes or rotations should hopefully give you *some* pleasure. Focus on that and how good it feels. Over time that sensation will improve, and the pain sensation will lessen. Congratulations, you have been penetrated. With time, practice, and bigger things being put into you, you'll be taking cocks no problem. When finished up breath a nice big sigh of relief and put a big smug grin on your face that you achieved it.
Cleaning Out:
And now you have something inside your ass. This means we should cover the all important area of cleaning and douching your ass. This is the area I get messaged with questions about more than any other. And it's really important. It's definitely a mark of a good bottom to be clean inside every time they get fucked; only a small subset of people enjoy shit as part of their sexual activities, but the majority of us don't. The deeper you get penetrated the higher the chance of the guy coming out with shit on his cock, or whatever it is. But yes, you can clean the inside of your ass! (Just don't use soap, really really don't, it'll cause problems, plain water does the job fine) It's called douching and its something a LOT more guys should be doing. Read and learn...
Douching (Bulb Douches)
If you don't know what a douche is, go look one up. It's basically a giant pipette with a spray nozzle on the end rather than a dropper. You can get them for about £10 in any sex shop or online. Now follow this guide:
- Fill sink with lukewarm water. Not hot. Not cold. A nice 37 degrees centigrade would be about ideal considering it's going to go in your body.
- Fill douche with said water
- Lube up douche and your hole and insert douche (i.e. you need to be used to having things in your ass a little by this point)
- Depress bulb SLOWLY and your ass will fill with water - you'll very quickly notice if the water is too hot or cold at this point and if it is, stop and restart the whole procedure.
- DO NOT let go of the bulb once its fully depressed. (last thing you want to feel is suction inside your ass trust me)
- Carefully pull the douche out of your ass, trying to keep your hole as tight as possible to stop water escaping.
- Wait. It'll be mildly uncomfortable and your intestines will probably make a fair bit of noise. Try and hold it for 5 minutes if you can but if it gets really uncomfortable or painful don't worry about it and skip to step 8.
- Expel into toilet. You probably want to flush at this point.
- Repeat procedure until the water comes out near enough the same colour as it went in.
- Connect the attachment to the end of your shower hose (this may involve taking off your shower head :P)
- Adjust your shower to output lukewarm water and a fairly light pressure.
- Your attachment may have an on/off valve for the water to make insertion easier, if so turn it off at this point.
- Lie down in your bath (so the first step should really be making sure your shower hose is long enough, if not buy a longer one and swap!) You shouldn't do this standing up or squatting. When you lie down your entire intestinal region relaxes a lot of muscles and you're gonna want that here. If you're sqautting you it'll still work, but the effect wont be as great or long lasting.
- Insert attachment as deep as you can.
- Turn valve if present to on. You should feel a steady trickle of water into your ass. Again pull out and adjust temperature if necessary. And make sure pressure is light. You are slowly filling your intestines with water, not jet washing them.
- Once full (this may take a minute or two) pull attachment out, keeping hole tight as possible again.
- Again keep held in for 5 minutes or as long as is comfortable.
- Expel.
- Witness the difference between deep cleaning and bulb douching and realise just how much bulb douching doesn't get to.
- Repeat procedure until water runs pretty much clear again.
- Wait 20 minutes.
- Go to toilet again, sometimes it takes that 20 minutes or so for some of the really deep water to work itself out of you. If it's dirty you may want to repeat everything all over again.
Forward Planning
So if you've been paying attention you've probably noticed that cleaning out can take a fair amount of your time. Tops really do have it easy, they just turn up and fuck. A good bottom has to plan ahead. Bulb douching tends to take around half an hour. Deep cleaning can take up to an hour and a half. As you learn how your body responds to things and how to judge it etc you'll get quicker and maybe shave off a bit of time, but yeah, cleaning out, it takes time. A good bottom actually can't just come straight over in 5 minutes with no warning whatsoever unless he by chances has already prepared. (Though equally, a good bottom will prepare before he starts cruising). You should also think about what you eat. Whatever you put in your mouth is gonna end up somewhere near your ass several hours later even when deep cleaning. How long it takes to be a problem depends on how well you cleaned out and what you're doing, but it's just something to be aware of. Some greedy bottom boys don't eat at all if they're going to a sex club that day, or some go on liquid only diets for the day. Again it all comes down to being aware of your body and how it works and thinking about what you're doing with it.
That's pretty much your basic guide to bottoming people. I've covered all the important details, but that in no way means I'm done. I've come this far, I might as well go all the way and talk to you about all sorts of other things relevant to bottoming, starting with three housekeeping issues:
Now this is all down to personal preference, both of you, and the guy fucking you. Some guys like completely smooth, some guys like trimmed, some guys like hairy, some guys like full on gorilla, whatever works for you.
If you do wanna remove hair there are many ways - trimming is good for getting rid of long hair or keeping it tidy. You can buy body trimmers from just about anywhere these days for £25 or so. Shaving is the most obvious method of full hair removal. Yes it is possible to shave your own ass, yes it takes practice. LOTS of practice. And yes you will end up with shaving bumps and the occasional cut. Just like shaving your face. It grows back thicker stubble and requires very regular upkeep to stop from getting itchy and uncomfortable whether on your ass or crotch. GO SLOWLY, the skin in your entire pelvic area is rather sensitive and rather fragile (though I probably don't need to tell that to any guy sticking a blade in the viciinty of his cock). Creams are a good way of getting rid of hair and require less regular maintenance than shaving. Always buy the sensitive skin version. And don't leave on too long. Either way you may still find they burn, if so stop using them. Creams burn me so I shave. It's a hassle, but better than chemical burns on my balls thanks. Waxing is as effective as cream and also long lasting, but usually requires someone else to do it for you. You can even get laser hair removal in such areas. The people I know who've had it done swear by it. Though it does involve putting your ass and cock in the path of a laser....
I've made very little mention in this post of whether condoms are involved or not. I leave you to make your own decisions. You're all adults. You should all know the risks. I don't want to lecture you and I don't want lectures from for you. The principle of how to get fucked is exactly the same whether you use them or not. You tend to need more lube with condoms and they do increase discomfort to varying degrees for the bottom, but they stop the spread of STIs and are good practice, especially if you're picking up random shags. Like lubes, you can get trial packs with all sorts of different kinds of condoms in, find what works for you, both as a bottom and as a top, and stock up on them. Whatever you do be sensible about it, and respectful of others.
Time Frames::
A lot of people when I started talking about writing this sent me messages saying they were interested because they'd like to bottom but always had problems. I firmly believe anyone can bottom with enough determination and patience. But how long it might take you varies from person to person. I've always been good at taking cock. But I know not everyone is. Some people have to work really fucking hard at it. No pun intended. You're almost definitely gonna need to take time playing with yourself before you move onto toys, or playing with others. If necessary just tease your hole with some lubed up fingers, not going in at all, just getting your hole comfortable with the sensation of something on it, over the course of an entire evening go from hardly touching to the amount of pressure you use to to push a tablet out of a blister pack. And I mean take the entire fucking evening to build up to that if you need to. Your body gets used to sensations, but different people get used to them at different rates. If you really struggle to take anything, it's gonna take you a while to get anything inside you, but if you keep trying, and keep practising, and easing your body into the sensations associated with it, you'll get there eventually.
Bottoming is a skill like any other in the world, if you want to get really good at it you have to practice. Regularly. As in 3 or more times a week. And if you are charcoal into diamond style tight that might even involve gritting through a bit of pain here and there. Not too much, please don't damage yourselves. But sometimes you have to push yourself through things in life if you really wanna try it and do it. If you're lucky you're born into the world as a natural bottom, just like some are born as natural tops, natural athletes, natural scholars, whatever it may be. Everyone else has to work at it, just like they have to work at most things in the world. Don't expect sex to be any different.
Advanced Bottoming:
There are so many places to go once you've learnt how to bottom well. That doesn't have to mean you bottom all the time, or even regularly, but knowing how to bottom and being capable of doing so when you want to is a trait practically every guy's gonna appreciate about you. I'm not gonna do how to guides here, just some comments on various areas.
The anus is surprisingly elastic. If treated well, again by relaxing properly and with patience, you won't do it any damage, and given time to recover it will return to whatever sort of states your body considers normal. Getting fisted doesn't make you incontinent. Getting fisted to the elbow every night might very well do, but the occasional heavy play session isn't gonna do you any damage if done right. You may find after heavy sessions doing whatever you need to give your ass a day or two off following. Treat your ass well and it'll let you do practically anything to it.
Some people called poppers, also called room odorizers, video head cleaner, all sorts of things. You inhale them people. They provide a slight high during inhalation and for a brief period after and they act as a muscle relaxant. They can help you to take a little bit more or supress the initial pain of penetration and they can be fun in their own right during sex. If you're not a confident bottom, I recommend trying the stuff in my post WITHOUT them first, once you're properly aware of what you're trying to do and how to go about it, then throw poppers into the mix if you want 'em
Analgesic Sprays
These are the lubes and sprays that slightly numb the skin around the ass. Like poppers they're designed to aid penetration for people who find it difficult. Frankly, I don't recommend them. Pain is your body telling you something's wrong, it's telling you you're doing damage, you're going too fast, stretching too much, and need to stop or slow down. Yes it's frustrating and it takes longer to work through the pain naturally, but personally I don't think you should be suppressing the body's natural reactions - they're there for a reason people
Size Issues and Training
I've written all this assuming you're using something vaguely appropriate to your ability to bottom in terms of size. Don't try and take too much, you can work up to it later. You can get dildos smaller than a little finger, and buttplugs that are only an inch in girth so even if you're really tight, don't lose hope. There is a toy for you. And they increase in size all the way up to full traffic cone sized door stops. The trick to taking more is again, more patience, more lube, start small, with what you can do, and over a long period of time, work onto slowly bigger things. As I said above, the anus is fairly elastic and can adjust itself pretty impressively, but it needs the chance to do so.
Like with the condoms and lube, try every position imaginable, try being on top, underneath, on your side, find a gay kama sutra online and try everything you can do in it. Different positions work differently for each person. You might find being on your back with your legs in the air incredibly painful, but taking it doggy style might have you moaning so loud the neighbours complain. I can't cum when I have a guy riding me (that's not to say I don't enjoy it). You get different sensations from all these different positions because they put pressure on each of your bodies in slightly different ways and tense different sets of muscles and mean whatever's going into you at slight different angles. Find the one that works for you.
Curved Cocks
On the subject of angles, some guys have really curved cocks, this can present a problem when being penetrated because it may mean your rectum is being pushed into your bladder, abdominal cavity, wherever as the guy thrusts into you and this can make it painful or simply uncomfortable. This is where different positions can really help. What way does the guy's cock curve? Think about what that's gonna be like when it's inside you, and adjust for the straightest and most comfortable fuck. That said, sometimes a guy with a really curved cock can hit the right spot in a way a guy with a straight cock can't hope to. A curved cock isn't a bad thing...
Depth Play
Deep Cleaning is really the trick here, but neither you nor the top should be too surprised if the end of whatever it is inside you does get covered in something. It's unfortunate and embarrassing, but it's an occupational hazard, even just from normal fucking with the best preparation. Sometimes it happens. Deal with it, move on. Be a fucking grown up.
Cut your nails when fisting a guy, you don't wanna cause any bleeding by scratching something, however minor. It's incredibly uncomfortable for the bottom. If using gloves make sure your lube is compatible with them. Oil degrades latex. Most fisting lubes are oil based. Most gloves are latex based. Do the math. You can get water based fisting lubes, they're just not as common. Let the bottom control the pace, depth, etc. He's trusting you a hell of a lot when your fist is buried in his ass even if he only met you 10 minutes ago.
Double Penetration
Very possible, very fun. Same principles apply just twice over. Lots more lube. Lots more patience and trying. You might have to adjust to get the angles right. Easiest one is bottom riding one guy, other one comes up behind him.
Less Lube
Over time if you bottom regularly you'll probably find you need less lube as your body gets used to things. There's not really any huge advantage to using less lube, aside from maybe some cost savings and a little less mess to clear up. If in doubt, add extra lube. It's fun to just spit and shove, but most guys can't take that.
Body Awareness
Practically everything I've written in the more than 7000 words above should have given you the impression that basically it all comes down to being aware about your body. What it's doing, how it works, why it responds to certain things in certain ways, how to get desired responses out of it, how to train it into particular things and what you can expect from it. I have learnt over the years most people do not know their own bodies very well, especially when it comes to sex. And extra especially when it comes to anal sex. If you take the time to learn these things, everything becomes SO much easier.
You don't have to do everything on this list. You may just wanna get fucked by your boyfriend occasionally rather than become some pnp fisting power bottom. I get a lot of questions from a lot of different people, so I've tried to cover all bases on some levels. The basic cleaning and penetration techniques are good knowledge for everyone, but as I've repeatedly stated throughout this post. Find what works for you, what you're comfortable with, and go with that. Not whatever other people, or me, or the internet, or whoever says. Go with what you like and you're interested in.
A Word for Bottoms:
It's fun, it's amazing, it's awesome, we love it. Don't wreck yourselves, don't hurt yourselves, and never ever forget you are in charge. No matter what. It becomes rape the second you withdraw consent, no matter how much "you were clearly gagging for it". If it hurts, if its not working for you, if something's wrong. Change it. Some of you like it to hurt a bit, some of you like to be used and not get that much pleasure out of it. That's fine, because in doing that it IS working for you. But whatever you do, make sure it's something you're happy and comfortable with. Your ass will thank you in the long run.
A Word for All of You:
Repost, retweet, reblog, share, educate. Let me know if you have any thoughts or comments on it. Let me know if you think I should talk about something I haven't. Let me know if you have something you think I could include. Credit me please. I spent my time and energy writing all this up, and I'm happy to share it, but at least credit where you actually got it from. Also feel free to read the rest of my blog, it's very self involved and totally crazy and not actually to do with sex at all, mostly. But people seem to enjoy it.


text:
A Chicago native astounded the Internet by quitting her job with a video of herself dancing to Kanye West's "Gone."
Marina Shifrin worked at Next Media Animation for almost two years creating news videos for the Taiwan-based company. She became frustrated with her boss' obsession with views over quality, and decided she wouldn't put up with it anymore. Before she left the office for the last time, she wanted to make a statement.
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Meanwhile, NMA Commercial Director Mark Simon is fielding questions on Gawker about Shifrin's stunt.