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Catherine Kearney,
Civil Service Faststreamer
(currently placed at the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing)
A lot can happen in a year, planning a wedding, having a baby, Leicester City winning the premier league… you can also complete an application process that opens up a fulfilling and rewarding career.
With the start of the new application window for the Civil Service 2017 Fast Stream, my mind is cast back to what made me hit send back in the Autumn of 2014, which started my own journey on the scheme.
Starting my story
I joined the generalist scheme in September 2015 and haven't looked back, I am currently in my third posting where I am seconded to a non-profit organisation – the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing, where I will be working on a variety of projects.
I feel most of what happened to me in my adult life has been accidental, reading aerospace engineering at university because the flight simulator looked interesting, studying at Swansea as it was sunny on my open day, who could resist lazy days on the beach (no one told me it was the second wettest city in the UK!) and getting to where I am now.
When I graduated in 2013 I was at a loss of what to do, I knew I was passionate about engineering but wasn't sure that I wanted to be a bona fide engineer. I decided to move to the south coast and applied for a job with the Ministry of Defence as a specialist instructional officer (think Top Gun) delivering communication and information systems training to naval recruits. Despite being terrified of the men with guns on the door and the angry sounding officers barking orders at sailors I was successful in my application and became a civil servant.
As soon as I joined my eyes were opened to just how vast the civil service is, and the sheer variety of opportunities that are open to you. After a year of working with my team I realised that I wanted a long term career in the civil service and was encouraged by my line manager to apply for the Fast Stream programme.
I was initially sceptical, thousands apply for a few hundred positions, many of them from the top universities in the country who certainly didn't scrape a 2:2, but I filled in my initial application and hit send hoping for the best.
A few long waits, online tests and assessment days later I received an email informing me that I would be packing my bags and heading to Whitehall as I had been successful.
Opportunities so far
The scheme initially took me to the Department for Culture Media and Sport, here I worked on the UK Digital Strategy as a policy advisor. I project managed a cross government strategy, led on a public consultation and drafted speeches for our minister. I had to learn quickly about government procedures and how to use them to your advantage, as well as to never launch a consultation between Christmas and New Year!
After six very busy months I moved to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) working within Strategic Finance. I was responsible for developing tools that will aid future planning of the department, worked to develop HMRC's future business plans and aided in the publication of the annual accounts and report. Whilst in this post I developed an understanding of government finance, saw first-hand how departments work within financial controls to deliver the best value for money for the tax payer, and providing briefing material for the Prime Minister to use for Prime Minister's Questions as a response for off shore tax evasion (Panama papers).
I am currently working for the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing which is my six-month secondment outside of government. I work within a small team utilising technology to work remotely and engage with many different local government agencies across the country empowering them to share information more effectively. Although I have only been here a month I have liaised with Bath and North Somerset council to develop new work streams as well as attend a landmark event at the House of Commons. I have been supported by both the scheme itself in terms of perusing personal career interests and experiencing development opportunities as well as by my peers through formal and informal networks.
I don't know if there is any other career that I could have where I am given as much space to grow, with the variety to keep me interested as well as challenged. I am so glad that I took the plunge and persevered with the application process as I couldn't see myself anywhere else.

subset: commoncrawl


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Study sources D and E and use your own knowledge.
Extracts from this document...
3) Study sources D and E and use your own knowledge. Why, despite the Suffragette activity had women not gained the vote by the outbreak of the First World War? There are many reasons why women didn't get the vote by the outbreak of the First World War. One reason was that they used violent tactics. Some of these violent tactics included smashing the windows of 10 Downing Street, attacking the prime minister (Herbert Asquith) and they also held rallies, one of which had over two hundred women were arrested. Emmeline Pankhurst says in Source D 'Our campaign made women's suffrage a matter of news.' However they were in the news for the wrong reasons. They wanted to be in the news to get publicity so they would get support, which would eventually lead to women gaining the vote. However using violence just made some people think they were hooligans and more of a reason not to give them the vote. ...read more.
Women did not fight wars for their country's so shouldn't have a say as to what goes in wars. 'Women were and are destined to make voters rather than to be voters themselves' as stated in source B by Marie Corelli, as only the undesirable class of women would then have children. In an attempt, to smooth things out the government did bring to parliament Bills that failed. These known as the Conciliation Bills, only given to women in certain circumstances, e.g. owning property etc. The Conciliation Bill, did not get very far as it was attacked because it was believed it would play in to the hands of the conservative party. However, after failing several times mainly to do with Asquith, in June 1912 the Suffrage bill was introduced. Another reason that women didn't get the vote is because they weren't seen as being responsible enough. As during the failures, of the conciliation bills Suffragette's responded by being violent and being sent to jail, they would starve themselves, the government countered by ordering them to be force fed. ...read more.
As at the event, there were also members of the royal family, political leaders and many reporters and photographers at the event. There were other factors which stopped women from getting the vote. One of these factors was that they were considered to be intellectually inferior. People thought that women didn't know about politics and thought that they would only vote for reasons such as, the most handsome candidate. Another reason they didn't get the vote is that they wanted the same rights as men. The Liberals didn't want this because men were the householders and were more likely to be middle class and therefore more likely to vote Conservative. It can be seen that there were a number of different reasons which helps to explain why women had not got the vote by 1914 as their tactics of turning to violence wasn't very shrewd. They weren't getting anywhere, as there violence alienated support, as well as gaining support. The government also had more important issues, such as the crisis in Europe. Therefore, they did not get the vote by the First World War. Qasim Khan 11M ...read more.
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Camoplast Solideal Selects Longview Solutions to Automate Tax Processes
Jul 24, 2014, 10:03 ET
TORONTO, July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Longview Solutions, a leading provider of corporate performance management (CPM) and tax provision and reporting software, today announced that Camoplast Solideal, a world leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of off road-tires, wheels, rubber tracks and under carriage systems, has chosen Longview tax to optimize its tax processes. This system will replace the company's existing excel spreadsheet practice to bring disparate data sources together for a more complete view of key business drivers.
"We're pleased to offer Camoplast Solideal with an out of the box solution that fits the needs of their business," said John Power, Chief Executive Officer, Longview Solutions. "Our leading edge tax solution, coupled with our dedicated team of experts provides Camoplast Solideal what they need in a solution to optimize their financial reporting processes."
Longview Tax integrates seamlessly with tax-relevant enterprise systems, sharply reducing time spent on manual processes, with all their associated risks, errors, and inefficiencies. Longview Tax enables organization to get an iron grip on the data details so tax professionals can shift their focus from low-value retrieval and reconciliation tasks to high-value analysis and planning.
"After an extensive evaluation, we chose Longview Solutions because they could easily and seamlessly integrate with all of our existing systems and could address our IFRS requirements out of the box," said Jason Doucet, Global Tax Director, Camoplast Solideal. "We are very excited to be working with a company that approaches implementation like a real partnership providing individual customer specific attention and support to our team."
Longview Solutions provides a corporate performance management (CPM) and tax data management platform that leading companies such as Aon, Brunswick, Lexmark, The Home Depot and Trustmark use to drive performance with speed, visibility and financial integrity. Since 1994, Longview has been helping clients create a single repository of financial truth from which all, or any one of the following key financial processes can be performed: financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, modeling, disclosure management/XBRL reporting, statutory consolidation, management reporting, profitability analytics, tax data collection, tax provision/reporting and tax planning. Longview is headquartered in Toronto, Canada with additional offices in Philadelphia, Chicago (USA), London (UK), and Amsterdam (NL). For more information please visit www.longview.com.
About Camoplast Solideal
Camoplast Solideal is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of off-road tires, wheels, rubber tracks and undercarriage systems to serve the material handling, construction, agricultural and powersports industries. It employs more than 7,500 dedicated employees, operating advanced R&D centres and manufacturing plants in Europe, U.S.A., Canada and Asia. Camoplast Solideal is a supplier to leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and distributes its products in the replacement market through its global distribution network.
Eliana Cugini
Longview Solutions
(905) 940-1510 x5418
SOURCE Longview Solutions


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This fair held in early April (takes place in some years, depending on the quantity of lychees).
At this event, visitors can shop for sweet lychees from 180 stalls, One Tambon One Product (OTOP),
pomelos, coconut sugar, shrimp paste and dried seafood.
For more than a hundred years lychee Mae Klong farmer.
they can develop of color and unique flavor. Create your own unique.
By Lychee "Kom" to as Queen of the Mae Klong lycheeRemarkable feature
- "Thorn" is set on characteristics such as at. The spine looks flat down and had space of bunch.
- "Stretch Peel" The lychee like to arrange a dark red, thin and tight peel.
- "Pellicle" lychee flesh colored opaque, thick scrunch, wet with a sweet fragrance.
- "Inner Peel" the inner pink peel of the lychee. When peeled off, and then looks to see from the terminal to the middle. This is the best lychee.
If the inner pink peel' s all area is old lychee, taste less delicious.
When Samut Songkram Lychee is old, almost black is natural lychee is not rot in any way.
Even if the peel is nearly black in color, but still eat and sweet taste.
The heritage Town of Amphawa
Amphawa enjoys the rich historical and cultural heritage and is the birth place of King Buddhalertla Naphalia (King Rama II) during the 18th century. This water based community benefits from sea, brackish, and fresh water which accommodate the salt pan and fruit orchards.
In 2008, the Amphawa community was awarded the UNESCO Asia Pacific Honorable Mention Award for Culture Heritage Conservation...Read more


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Leeds - England's new Test captain Joe Root wants predecessor Alastair Cook to "smash every record going" now he's been freed from the responsibility of leadership.
Wednesday saw former vice-captain Root, two days on from his appointment as Cook's successor, outline his hopes for the side.
One of them was to see Cook, already England's leading Test run-scorer, rediscover his best form with the bat.
Cook managed seven hundreds in his first 11 Tests as skipper, but only five in his last 48.
All the nine batsmen who've scored more than Cook's 11,057 Test runs, however, including all-time record-leader Sachin Tendulkar of India (15,921 runs) have retired.
Opening batsman Cook, 32, intends to continue his England career and a delighted Root, speaking at his Headingley home ground, said: "It's going to be a great help, having that experience and advice around the dressing room.
"I think he's looking forward to the opportunity to just go and bat, hopefully he's going to smash every record going."
The Yorkshire batsman added: "It would be nice to see him just enjoy his batting and go on and break every record going."
As for his leadership style, the 26-year-old Root, who said "every kid dreams of being England captain one day," added: "I like to think I'll be able to put my stamp on things and do things my way."
Root has little senior captaincy experience, with just a handful of matches as stand-in Yorkshire skipper behind him.
But he has plenty of time to ease himself into his new role as England's next Test is not until their July series opener against South Africa at Lord's.
For the time being, the focus for England, who've lost six of their last eight Tests, is on limited overs cricket, particularly June's 50-over Champions Trophy tournament on home soil.
Root is a senior batsman in all formats for England but Eoin Morgan will remain the side's captain in white-ball cricket.
"I think the beauty of the position right now is I have plenty of time to think about that," said Root.
"I'd like to think I'd be quite instinctive, I want us to always look to win and I want us to be a tough side to play against.
"I think it would be silly of me not to speak to people who have been in the position before... like Cooky, Straussy (England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, Cook's predecessor as captain)."
Root cited his impressive Test batting form, which includes an average of over 52 in his 53-match career, as evidence that a lack of direct leadership experience would not harm his captaincy.
"I didn't have much county experience before I got onto the Test team and I managed to find a way to be successful in that environment.
"I've got a lot of experience now with 50-odd games under my belt and I'd like to think for the past few years I have started to think as a captain in my own mind, so if Cooky ever needed help or advice or the bowlers came up to me and asked what I thought then I was switched on enough to think 'this is what I'd do'."
A busy year for England will see them face South Africa and the West Indies in home Test series before they begin the defence of the Ashes in Australia in November.
"I can't wait for the Ashes," said Root. "We should all be very excited about that.
"We have a great blend of experience and raw talent."
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text:
Pure Usenet is another popular newsgroup service operating from the Netherlands. In an attempt to differentiate itself in a crowded and competitive market, this provider offers a wide variety of packages, decent retention, low prices and quality customer support.
Pure Usenet doesn't disappoint on the performance front. It currently offers 2,000 days of binary retention, and you can access more than 100,000 newsgroups worldwide. This number of newsgroups is impressive, although there are other Usenet services that offer more retention. Astraweb, for instance, comes with over 3,000 days.
It's important to note that this is a Europe-centric service, though. The company doesn't currently own any servers in the US, and it hasn't announced any plans to change this situation. Of course, if you happen to be based in a European country, you'll be fine.
The number of connections you get depends on the account you choose, ranging between four and 12. Again, there are better platforms out there – some rival providers offer up to 50 connections.
Security and support
Like the majority of providers, Pure Usenet offers SSL encryption, bolstering security and helping to protect your data.
If you've not had any truck with a Usenet service before, you needn't worry, as there's plenty of help to hand. Common technical questions have been answered in a comprehensive and clearly written FAQ page. Should you run into any problems, you can get in touch with Pure Usenet's customer service team here. You should hear back from someone within a few working days.
There's nothing worse than software that's complicated to use, or badly designed. Fortunately this isn't the case with Pure Usenet – it's easy-to-use. About the only frustration we encountered with this provider was in terms of the website, with some pages having been left in Dutch.
You get a lot of choice in terms of subscription plans and prices. The most affordable package costs €1.83 (£1.60, $2) a month, and for that, you get four connections, a maximum speed of 4Mbps and 2,000 days of retention. This option is basic, to say the least – but it'll suit people who haven't used a newsgroup service before.
The Medium plan will set you back €3.43 (£3, $3.80) a month, giving you 20Mbps of speed and eight connections. If you want even more, €6.63 (£5.70, $7.35) will get you the XXL plan with unlimited speed and 12 connections. SSL encryption is included with every plan, and you can sign up for a 7-day free trial to see if the service suits your needs.
Final verdict
Overall, Pure Usenet is a reasonable newsgroup service. While it isn't as powerful as some platforms on the market, it's still an affordable option that gets the job done.


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The Challenge:
For this week's #SundaySmut, we'd like to see a submission that features a M/F/M threesome (that's Male/Female/Male, if you didn't know). How you work that submission is up to you, but there should be three characters – 2 men, 1 woman.
He was the most amazing lover I had ever had. I longed for him constantly and desired nothing more to feel his hot skin throbbing against mine. And that want, that need was all-consuming, overwhelming, and all-the-time.
Darren was a busy man. Always had places to go, people to see, business to attend to. He would try so hard to make time for my wants, that need of mine, but there was never any way around the meetings, the conference calls, the traveling.
After a particularly sour fight between us, my desires mounting beyond unbearable and his work keeping him longer and later, I felt more defeated than ever. I felt irrational, unacceptable, inappropriate, angry – a surge of endless emotion made its way over me and through me. I thought I'd never recover.
I went to bed, my arms crossed and my jaw clenched. I didn't wait for him and I spread out across the entire bed, signaling that tonight was not a good night to sleep with me. He didn't rush to my side, didn't come to bed, didn't notice my less than subtle signal. I fell asleep fuming.
The door creaked open ever so slightly allowing a sliver of golden light to penetrate the darkness. He peeked his head through the tiny crack, looked behind him and then opened the door, the light stealing every moment of darkness. I rolled and glared at him through squinted eyes. "What do you want?", I barked.
He came and sat on the bed next to me. He was so calm and so peaceful looking. He rested his hand on my face, "I know you're upset right now. But I know that you know that I love you more than anything else in the whole entire world.". He paused a moment and I glared at the crumpled sheets beneath me. If he expected me to respond positively he was sorely mistaken.
Before I could open my mouth, he blurted out excitedly, "I got you something!". I rolled my eyes and he stood up from beside me. I sat up quickly, almost more angry that he thought some material possession could solve the problem. "Now, it's probably not what you're thinking, but I know that you're going to love it. You've mentioned that you've wanted it before and I hope that you'll understand my motivations. I just love you so much and I never want to lose you, for any reason!".
My eyebrows furrowed against my will and he rushed over to the door, still open and the only source of light in the room, and waved at something in the hall. I threw the blankets off and stood up next to the bed, ready to respond, although completely unaware of how.
He walked back in nervously and behind him followed another man. "This is umm… Marcus. He's from work and well… umm… I kinda talked to him about… you know… us. We talked about it and thought that maybe he could umm… help?". My hands immediately went to my hips, even though I was trying to force them to stay at my sides. He stepped towards me sheepishly, his face full of questioning.
I looked at his hand reaching out to me and noticed his shaking fingers. I glanced at the messed sheets on the bed, the blanket strewn about. I stared at the wall, the only dark area left in the room, my eyes narrowing on a corner. I scoffed out loud against my better judgement and flopped my arms down beside me, before lowering my head in silence. I could not figure out how to react at all.
Marcus stepped forward and reached out his hand. "Hey! I'm Marcus. Don't be mad at him. It was all my idea, after all.". I couldn't help but giggle at the addition of "after all" and raised my hand to his. There was no need to be rude to a perfect stranger, after all. I took my hand away and flicked the hair out of my face, "So then, what do you guys expect to have happen here?", I asked defiantly, waiting for them both to cave in this obvious dare or bet of some kind.
Darren put his hands on my waist and whispered in my ear, "Just go with it." and I laughed out loud as he kissed my neck and moved behind me. He pulled my hair off my neck and continued to lay sweet, gentle kisses along my neck and shoulders. My eyes closed and my head fall back as I lingered in the sensation of him, his soft fingers trailing across my skin.
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Marcus' hands were suddenly on my body and my eyes flashed open and my head thrust forward and our eyes locked together. One hand was roughly gripping onto my hip and the other was lifting my breast and he was pressing his whole body up against me, hard cock and all. A wide smirk graced his strong features as he recognized the surprise written all across my face and I swear I saw a twinkle.
He grabbed me away from Darren's touch and threw me down on my back on the bed. I gasped loudly. I raised myself up on my elbows and looked at Darren with wide eyes and he just smiled back at me. He climbed up on the bed next to me and began kissing my neck again, this time not as soft. Marcus climbed up on the bed on the other side of me and roughly grabbed my breast through my shirt, flinging his legs over my bare legs.
Darren's hand moved across my collarbone and up to my cheek. He turned my face towards his and kissed me hard and deep, his fingers tangled in my hair. I moved my hand, somewhat awkwardly, up to his hair and pulled him in tighter and closer to me. Marcus' hand made its way across my collarbone. He turned my face towards him and kissed me roughly, desperately.
They both had a hand on my cheek and I laid my head back and closed my eyes, taking the deepest breath I could manage. At the exact same time, exact same pace, their hands began moving down my body. Darren's soft fingers traced the line of neck just as Marcus' calloused fingers moved over my skin. Darren's small hands cupped the weight of my breast as Marcus' large hand engulfed it. Darren moved his hand gently over the curve of my stomach while Marcus pressed down into my flesh. I inhaled sharply with every new sensation and they seemed to be constant.
Darren would kiss my neck and Marcus would follow. Darren would slide his tongue between my lips and Marcus would follow. Darren was gentle, soft, light and Marcus was rough, hard and fast. The difference, one following the other, over and over again, covered every inch of my skin in goosebumps. I shuddered beneath the duality as their hands made their way over my hips and onto my bare thighs.
I opened my eyes as they both paused there, their hands simply resting on my thighs. I thought maybe I had just woken up from a great dream and was ready to be utterly disappointed. I looked at Darren first, who was looking down at me, his eyes full of passion. He smiled softly and I turned my head slightly to look at Marcus. He was looking at Darren. Darren nodded and that wide grin swept its way across Marcus' face again.
At the exact same time, the exact same moment, their hands moved between my closed legs, touched the tips of each others fingers and then quickly pulled them apart. They both felt exactly the same and I could not stop the moan that escaped from the pit of my throat. My hands went from resting to grabbing their arms so fast that I didn't even notice I was doing it and the smiles on their faces were drenched with mischief.
They both jumped off the bed and began to remove their clothes. Marcus unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and pulled it off over his head and was already pulling off his pants as Darren was just finishing the top two buttons of his shirt. He walked around to the other side of the bed, where my head was resting and continued to remove his shirt. Marcus was taking off his socks and standing there completely naked just as Darren removed his pants.
Darren reached down and pulled at the bottom of my shirt and lifted and let him take it off of me. He kissed my neck as Marcus and I exchanged excited glances in the dark. The light reflected off of every strong muscle that rippled over Marcus and precum could be seen dangling off the end of his cock as he stood there his hands on his hips. Darren slowly lowered me back down onto the bed.
He took my hand and guided it to his raging cock, every vein throbbing at my touch. He pointed at Marcus and then pointed at me and ran his fingers through my hair which was spread out across the bed in a mess. I gently stroked his cock, tilting my head back to lick the line of precum emerging from the tip of him.
I arched my back as Marcus' hands began their way up my legs. He kissed my calves as his strong fingers pressed into my ankles. He flicked his tongue over the skin behind my knees. He pushed my legs further and further apart until I felt completely opened up. His calloused palms dug into my thighs and then he devoured my pussy.
My hand frantically worked Darren's member as Marcus moved his tongue enthusiastically around every wet inch of me. He sucked and nibbled and moaned and wiggled, his whole head whipping about swiftly between my wide open legs. I couldn't tell if I loved it or hated it and I began panting ever so slightly. I was now lapping desperately on Darren's cock, sucking hungrily on his swollen testicles and pulling at any piece of him I could manage to get a grip on. I had never wanted him more.
He bent down and kissed me. At first his lips were soft and he gently pinched my nipples as Marcus continued to erratically lick around. Then he kissed me hard as he moved his hand down my body, underneath Marcus' frantic lips, and roughly set his finger on my clit. The whole entire room stood still. Marcus stopped moving, Darren stopped moving, and each of us held our breaths.
Darren slid his finger down, down, down, so slowly and began to inch his finger into me, his tongue exploring mine like it was the first time. I melted into the bed as he pushed just the one finger deeper and deeper into me. He whispered, "You're ready" and Marcus moved up onto his knees and very slowly entered me, gliding along Darren's finger as he pulled it out. I quivered at the sensation of that and Darren smiled at me and I smiled back at him.
I gazed into Darren's eyes, his hands gathering my hair up, as Marcus plunged the final inch into me and held himself at the deepest part of me. He pulled my head this way and that and then turned it and placed his cock on my lips. I licked his shaft and the tip of him before taking him into my mouth. He used my hair to control my depth, my speed, my angle. Marcus began thrusting, his one hand grabbing onto my hip and his other squeezing my breast. My moans were muffled.
Darren let go of my hair and placed it carefully on the bed, as I continued to lick and suck whatever I could reach. His thigh, his balls, his cock, his arm. Anything that moved past my hungry lips. He walked away and I whimpered. Marcus continued to penetrate me and I caught his smile as I watched Darren walk beside him. Marcus nodded and I smiled at him awkwardly and he put his hands on the bed beside my head.
He leaned down and kissed me roughly, pulling himself almost completely out of me before pushing himself deep inside of me. My hands instinctively lifted and wrapped around him, entirely lost in the moment. His cock felt massive and I rocked against him at the deepest thrusts. He kissed my neck and grunted out, "You ain't felt nothing yet, baby!" and I scoffed at the crudeness of his words.
He quickly pounded into me one, two, three, four times and then abruptly lifted off of me and stood up. I went from tense with passion to limp in seconds and I laid there, ready to be utterly disappointed. I closed my eyes and felt the bed moving beneath me. Hands were near my head and I could feel hot breath on my cheek. I opened my eyes to see Darren hovering above me in exactly the same position Marcus had been before and I grinned greedily.
My fingers ran through his soft brown curls as he slid into me with ease. I lifted my lips to his and kissed him as I moved my hands down the gentle curve of his back to his glorious ass. I pushed him deeper and deeper into me and he kissed me harder and harder. He thrust slowly and then he thrust quickly and I quivered desperately beneath him. "I love you", I whispered between passionate kisses and he whispered back.
He leaned back and sat on the heels of his feet, never once removing himself from deep within me. "Marcus, get over here!", he playfully yelled. Marcus came over with a glass of water and offered some to Darren. Darren took a long drink of the water and Marcus gave him the thumbs up as he walked to the other side of the bed.
Darren handed the glass of water back to Marcus and Marcus took a quick drink of it. He smiled at Darren, "Think she's thirsty?" and Darren laughed, "Oh, I know she is!". They looked at each other knowingly, those mischievous grins taunting me. "Think we should give her some of this water?", Marcus asked chuckling. Darren thrusted with each syllable, a seriousness seeping through the grin, "Yes… we… should!". I could tell Darren was enjoying himself and trying to think of things that would keep him from cumming too soon. I grinned girlishly and covered my mouth with my hand.
"Well, open wide!", Marcus said confidently and I moved my hand and opened my mouth. He poured the cold water slowly into my mouth and then down my chin and over my nipples, the water cascading down my stomach and sides. I shivered uncontrollably and both the men laughed. Darren wrapped his hands around my legs and began thrusting into me, pulling me harder and deeper onto him.
"I said, open wide!", Marcus commanded. I looked up at him standing over me, taking a drink of the water and I opened my mouth. Darren grabbed my hips, "That's a good girl!" and I couldn't help but grin slightly. Marcus stood at my head and put his thumb on my bottom lip. He pulled my mouth open wider and slowly poured a little tiny bit of water over his thumb. I tried to close my lips and swallow but he held my lips apart. I swallowed awkwardly as he poured a little tiny bit more water over his thumb. Darren grabbed my breasts, "You are such a good girl!". I swallowed and moaned as he gently rocked inside of me.
Darren pulled out of me and began to use all his strength to turn me. Marcus let go of my lip and grabbed up all my hair as I flipped over onto my knees. Darren slid right back into me and quickly thrusted as he grabbed my ass roughly. Marcus said, "Open wide" again and I looked up to see him grinning before taking him into my mouth. He forcefully pushed his way deeper and deeper into my mouth and Darren would say, "Good girl" at every sound that I would make that would escape around Marcus' cock. Between the two of them, I was perfect.
Their rhythm together was inspiring and one would penetrate just as one would back away and then they would penetrate at exactly the same time. My senses flared at their impeccable rhythm and my skin tingled at every touch. I felt like I was floating and time had stopped and my mind was completely blank. I no longer made any sound. Darren broke the silence, "Oh, she is definitely ready now!"
I raised my eyes and looked at Marcus, his cock shoved deep into my mouth. He smiled and pulled my head back and kissed me before letting me go. Darren slowly pulled out of me, rubbing his hands over my wetness as he did. I stayed on all fours, kneeling and waiting.
Darren laid down on the bed next to me and reached his hand under me and pulled me over to him. I crawled on top of him and lowered down until he was completely inside of me. I paused a moment and he pulled me down for another one of his passionate kisses. I gasped as he begin quickly bucking his hips beneath me, using his legs to powerfully push himself into me. My cheeks always felt like they were going numb when he did this and he knew how much I loved it.
His hands reached around to my ass and he roughly gripped the rounded flesh and pulled at it hard. Then I felt Marcus' hands roughly gripping the tender flesh and the four hands were pulling and prodding and pinching and stroking this one little area. My fingers pulled frantically at Darren's curls, smothering him in kiss after kiss after kiss.
Marcus' pulled on my thighs, spreading my lips wider and wider. Darren felt bigger with every pull. Then, Marcus pulled with one hand and begin to slide his finger into my wetness, just on top of Darren's throbbing member. I could feel every single little thing all over my entire body and I whimpered in spite of myself. Marcus added another finger and then another finger and each time, I felt more and more enlightened.
Darren whispered, "Okay, are you ready?" and I nodded, "I love you so much, so much" and he said, "I know". Marcus moved behind me, grabbed all my hair in his hands and slowly slid himself into my wet pussy as Darren gently rocked beneath us, his cock throbbing inside of me. I moaned loudly as Marcus pushed and pushed and pushed until he was as deep as he could manage inside of me, pulling my head back by my hair so roughly.
He came down beside my ear, his breath heavy on my skin and grunted, "I told ya you hadn't felt nothing yet, baby" and those crude words from before now slid off his tongue and rolled through my body like a tidal wave. The sound of his voice and that "baby", rung in my ears and I quaked and heaved as they thrusted in perfect harmony. I turned my head to meet Marcus' lips as I erupted into an orgasm that left both of them clenching skin, as my pussy contracted tightly around them.
They both thrust faster as my orgasm subsided, Marcus and I still kissing and Darren licking my neck. I kept trying to say something, anything, but nothing would come out except little gasps of air. Darren moved his hands into my hair and Marcus leaned back and grabbed my hips, pulling me hard back onto him. The slight change in angle drove us all wild and the perfect rhythm we had achieved now became a tangled mess of primal undulating.
Marcus grunted loudly as he thrust proudly, his hands pulling and grabbing at any skin in his reach. Darren held my arms close to my side and watched my breasts bounce ever so slightly, a loving smile gracing his peaceful face, gently rocking beneath me. I looked at him, I looked behind me at Marcus, I closed my eyes and repeated the whole process. They fell back into a rhythm and my head fell back as they both thrusted at the exact same time, the exact same moment.
The whole room went silent for a single moment. The sliver of golden light was no longer visible to any of us. Our hearts stood completely still. At once, we all burst out into one loud moan and my pussy was clenching at the exact same moment, the exact same time as they were both pulsating and thrusting out their orgasms.
Marcus bent over limp onto my back first, placing his head on my shoulder. I kissed the back of his head and lowered mine to Darren's chest, delighting in the sound of his pounding heart. He put his hand on the back of my head, kissed my forehead and laid still smiling beneath us.
We laid there at the exact same moment, the exact same time.


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I'm a cynical sceptic when it comes to fitness tech. I don't own any of the wrist band trackers as I think they are simply expensive pedometers that are just slightly more aesthetically pleasing and sync-able than a pedometer I got free in a box of cereal back in 1997. However, I can't help but get a little bit excited by the gadgetry featured here. The videos are a little "pitchy" as they are all still in development, so understandably they are keen for investment. I'll be holding back until I can get tangible evidence of their effectiveness but I'm definitely excited by the ideas and the potential.
Atlas Wearables Fitness Tech:
This sounds like the gadget of my dreams. A tracker that can record weight training sessions, no more notebooks needed plus a fun gamification element thrown in. However, even though it can be programmed to recognise new exercises I'm still unsure how it counts the reps of lying hamstring curls for example, where there is no movement from the wrist. I also assume it can't recognise the resistance used and that needs to be entered manually. Even so, this looks like the start of something great.
- Starts shipping December 2014.
- Pre-orders $179 USD (+$15 for non US shipping).
- atlaswearables.com
Skulpt Aim Fitness Tech:
I hate the scales, so much so, that I'm never weighing myself again. I wan't to be fit, healthy, lean and strong, not light per se. I'd rather focus on the weights that I lift going up rather than my body weight going down. Which is why I'm very excited about this piece of tech. It seems like an intelligent way to measure progress, whether leaning out or bulking up, without having to get the intrusive fat callipers and tape measure out. I can't help but be a little cynical though. I've used home kit "body fat" monitors in the past that give wildly different readings in succession. However, with a professor from Harvard Medical School on board, I'm hopeful that this might work and actually be used rather then abandoned in that kitchen drawer with the spare batteries and birthday candles.
- Starts shipping August 2014
- Pre-orders $149 USD and $199 thereafter.
- skulpt.me
So this isn't specifically "fitness tech" rather active lifestyle tech. It's brilliant! I don't know why there isn't something similar on the market already. No more keys. Extra security for the bike and the rider. What's not to love?
- Starts shipping early 2015
- Pre-orders $159 USD, $249 thereafter.
- skylock.cc
It would be great to hear from anyone whose been lucky enough to test out a prototype. Drop us a comment below or contact us. What fitness tech would you recommend?


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Being the 25th of the month, it's time for another blog hop for the Christmas All Year Long Group of our Magnolia-licious Yahoo Group. This is our third blog hop. The aim of the group is to post a Christmas card on the 25th of each month. You can find the list of participants at the Group's blog site here. If you want to start at the beginning of the blog hop, click here to go to Julie's blog.
If you're following this blog hop, you would have come here from Monique's blog. And the next site to visit after me is Patricia's blog.
Here is my March Christmas card.
This is my first time making this type of card--it's called a side step card. I'm still struggling with the measurements and placements of the back panel as I had to make alterations. The template which can be found here is for a finished 4" x 4" card. Mine is a 6" x 6" card.
I'm making this a short posting as I am late with it. Sorry. I was late finishing the card. OMG, I didn't even put any embelishments--that's a rare sight!
Thank you so much for all your visits and your lovely comments. Enjoy your day!
To continue with this blog hop, the next stop is Patricia.
Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Gifts and Unwrapped Tilda.DP: Basic Grey eskimo kisses snow globe.


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Arkansas State University is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), a membership organization of over 300 institutions in the United States and worldwide. ISEP offers both ISEP-Direct, and ISEP-Exchange programs.
The Types of Programs
ISEP offers 2 programs through the schools you are exploring.
ISEP-Exchange: Students who choose the ISEP-Exchange option will pay tuition, meals, and housing at Arkansas State University. These expenses will be waived at the host university.
ISEP-Direct: Students who choose the ISEP-Direct option will pay the costs as set by ISEP. Often, ISEP-Direct is an alternative to the exchange option when ISEP-Exchange space is limited or not available at the university.
For a complete list of ISEP member institutions and to start an application, check out their web site.
|Visit the ISEP Website


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Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'gay'.
Found 3 results
Pansexual Breakdown of Relationship / Fluidity
AspieFox posted a topic in Friendships & RelationshipsHello, Question: can a Pansexual, Non-Binary, Demi-sexual person change to become a Lesbian? (But without calling themselves a Lesbian, but still in practice not liking men anymore)? Also: if such attraction fluidity is possible, then is it a risk to enter in to a relationship with a person who might then decide they prefer a different gender to you? I am tired and confused, so any help is appreciated. Background: I started loving someone who is also on the spectrum but has wanted to take things slowly, I thought due to worsening health issues. I knew she was Pansexual, Demisexual and non-binary. I am Demisexual and Non-binary (born male) too, and although can feel romantic/deep feelings for men, I don't feel sexually attracted to them. We met in a support group online, the met in person and really liked each other, but live in different countries, so we had some stuff to sort out to make it more practical. Soon after, she got worse in health, from hEDS or HSD. I met her in her country and it was nice, but she was a bit more distant to me emotionally. Some months later, with contact getting less (she being less responsive due to health I thought), I asked her if it's to do with me. She said health issues were a big part of it. She then told me that she can't see us in a relationship due to probably a mixture of things (worsening disability and geographic distance being what I thought was the main obstacles having discussed this). Recently she told me that she would never say never to it working out and that she just doesn't know how things will be in the future. Now she has just told me that in the past 2 years (we've known each other 1.5 years), she has become more interested in women and has been denying those feelings for some reason. Her health is worse and mine too, as I developed HSD too, so it's hard to arrange a time to talk (we live in separate European countries). All this sounds hopeless, I know. And this has happened off the back of another broken heart a couple of years back, when I started loving my friend, who I thought was Bisexual, but eventually told me that she prefers women and became a lesbian. We shared so much in common and that hurt a lot. Then a few months later I met the current person and we shared even more in common and I let myself open up to the possibility as we told each other we liked each other and wanted to see how it developed. We spent hours on phone calls and it all seemed to be going great. Now I'm just heartbroken again.. As you ALL know - it is so hard to meet a potential partner who is also autistic. I am not totally limiting myself to autistic people, but it just felt so much easier being close with those two people, and I just feel so upset as it feels like the same thing is happening again and that I will always be lonely. 9 Years alone now after an engagement (to an NT at the time) went wrong. I decided to get go for diagnosis after that and focus on people who shared interests and then found this person who is also on the spectrum too and I was so happy. I just feel so hopeless and on top of everything, isolated due to my disability too. I guess there's no hope for this to work out. That is what my logical mind is saying. Thanks for reading. *Sorry if I am sounded confused in reference to sexualities or genders, as I am new to this and don't want to upset of offend anyone. I am really grateful if any Pansexuals/Bisexuals/or ANYone can offer their experiences and advice. Yes, I know this is probably over. Like many I have a HUGE difficulty with adjusting to change, so please be kind in considering how hard life changes can be, rather than..."it's over, get over it" etc. Thanks.
Hello to all of you
LordGary posted a topic in Introduce YourselfHello to you all. I am a 50 year old male who got diagnosed only a few years ago that I have aspergers all my life. I find it hard to make friends and relationships and have also found out that the reason I may be attracted to guys is my Asperger status, although im not attracted to camp way out gay guys so I have been on my own and single for 10 years. Age doesn't bother me but I thought I would join to see if I can find friends in my area who may want to hang out as friends and go places as ive been on my own so long I long for company of anykind. I will let you know more about me as I get used to using this site as only justy signed up Gary
gay marriage leagal!
blacktiger911 posted a topic in General Discussiongay marriage is now legal in all 50 states of America!!


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Lucy and Ricky Ricardo
Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, also known simply as Lucy and Ricky or The Ricardos, are fictional characters from the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, portrayed respectively by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The Ricardos also appear in The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, and Lucy also appears in one episode of The Ann Sothern Show.
|Lucy and Ricky Ricardo
Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in the Alps on their European vacation in season 5, 1956
|First appearance
|"The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub" (1951)
|Last appearance
|"Lucy Meets The Mustache" (1960)
|Portrayed by
|Lucille Ball as Lucy, Desi Arnaz as Ricky
Lucille McGillicuddy
|Bird Legs,[1] Droopy Drawers, Lucita, Cousin Lucy
|Female and male
|Housewife and band leader
|Housewife, Mother, Club Officer,[2] Committee Officer,[3] Chicken Farmer,[4] Girl Friday[5]
|Mrs. McGillicuddy (Lucy's mother)
|Ricky Ricardo Jr. (son; born January 1953)
|American (Lucy)
Cuban American (Ricky)
Together, Lucy and Ricky serve as a double act. Ricky is the straight man, a character very similar to Arnaz himself; he is a Cuban-American bandleader whose trademark song is "Babalu". Red-haired Lucy is his wife, who always gets into trouble and is usually caught at it by Ricky. They have a son Ricky Ricardo Jr., also called "Little Ricky", portrayed by child actor Richard Keith.
Lucy's full name (Lucille Esmeralda Ricardo née McGillicuddy) is given in the Season 1 episodes "Fred and Ethel Fight" and "The Marriage License," and "The Passports" in Season 5. Ricky gives his full name in the Season 4 episode "Hollywood Anniversary" as Ricardo Alberto Fernando Ricardo y de Acha, but in the Season 6 episode "Lucy Raises Tulips" Lucy calls him "Enrique Alberto Fernando Ricardo y de Acha III".[6]
Early lifeEdit
Much like Lucille Ball herself, Lucy McGillicuddy was born and raised in Jamestown, New York (or West Jamestown per episode #138), to an American family of Scottish descent. In one episode in which she is asked her birthday, she gives it as August 6 (the same as Ball's), though in typical fashion, she refuses to give the year; in another, where she is forced to tell the truth, she says she is 33 years old. This episode aired during the third season in 1953.
In the episode, her parents are never referred to by name, and only her mother (portrayed by Kathryn Card) is seen over the course of the series. No other family is even mentioned, except for a passing reference to her grandmother being Swedish (Jamestown has a large Swedish community). In Season 5, Episode 11 — "The Passports" — it's established she was born in 1921, therefore is exactly 10 years younger than Ball in real life.
In grammar school, she played a petunia in a recital. In high school, she was involved in the drama program, wherein she studied with Miss Hanna and played Juliet Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. She also played the saxophone in high school (as did the real Lucy), though every song she played sounded like "The Glow-Worm". Lucy also knows how to play the ukulele. She is seen playing a ukulele in episodes "Ricky Loses His Voice", "Don Juan is Shelved", and "Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright".
A reference to Lucille's attendance at an unnamed junior college is made in the episode "Fan Magazine Interview" (1954); Jamestown Community College, the nearest junior college to Lucy's hometown, did not exist until 1950, although a business college and nursing school did exist in the city at the time.
When she was 22, Lucy was set up on a blind date by her friend Marion Strong. Her blind date turned out to be a Cuban conga drummer, Ricky Ricardo. The two fell in love and eventually got married at the Byram River Beagle Club in Connecticut. An alternate scenario given to guest star Hedda Hopper in the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana," with Lucy and friend Susie McNamara (Ann Sothern, reprising her role from Private Secretary), is that Lucy met Ricky while vacationing in Cuba in 1940.
In the early 1940s, Lucy and Ricky moved into an old reconverted brownstone apartment at 623 East 68th Street in New York City (references made during the series date the move to 1940 or 1943). In reality this address is on the campus of the Cornell Medical School's hospital and is not a private residence. The apartment rented for $105 per month. Their landlords (soon to be best friends) were Fred and Ethel Mertz. Lucy and Ethel quickly became best friends, even though Ethel is older than Lucy. Upon moving to the city, Ricky ends up getting a job headlining the Tropicana where he and his band are held over indefinitely.
To Lucy, Ricky's career and days seem so much more exciting than her days of cooking and cleaning. She desperately wants to be a star and constantly tries to get into Ricky's act. Ricky wants his wife to remain a homemaker. However, in spite of Ricky's reluctance and regular refusal to give her a role, Lucy usually finds a way into the show.
Birth of Little RickyEdit
In 1952, after going to the doctor complaining of feeling "dauncey" (a word her grandmother made up; Lucy's definition of feeling "dauncey" is when you're not really sick but just feel lousy[citation needed]) and gaining weight, she learns that she is pregnant. It is actually Ethel who first suggests to Lucy she may be expecting, even before Lucy heads out to the doctor. Lucy is very excited to tell her husband the wonderful news.
The Mertzes learn the news first and are sworn to secrecy. When she was younger, Lucy had envisioned how she would tell her husband they were going to have a baby. She decides to tell Ricky when he comes home for lunch that afternoon. However, with repeated interruptions from the telephone and the Mertzes, she is unable. She tries to tell him down at his club during rehearsals, but is uncomfortable telling him such a personal thing in front of his band, so she runs out crying.
Finally, that evening, while Ricky is performing, Lucy pens a note and passes it to the maître d'hotel. He gives the note to Ricky. Ricky reads the note, which alludes to a wife needing to tell her husband they are having a baby, and requests that he sing a particular song. Ricky, unaware that the "husband" mentioned in the note is he, wants to bring the expectant couple up on stage to congratulate them. He goes from couple to couple trying to find them. Ricky notices Lucy in the audience, and it occurs to him that Lucy may be the one who is expecting. Lucy nods yes, and Ricky is overcome with emotion. They sing "We're Having a Baby", with Lucille Ball actually breaking down in tears during the scene, which made it one of the most genuinely touching moments in television history.
During her pregnancy, Lucy experiences the normal pregnancy woes. She becomes depressed when everyone seems to focus their attention on the impending child and not on Lucy. She cannot decide on a name for the child and is nervous that she won't be a good mother. However, she wants the best for her child and enrolls herself, Ricky, and the Mertzes in elocution lessons to make sure her child learns how to speak properly. Finally, she takes up sculpting so she and Ricky can enrich their child's life with art and music. However, Lucy's show business aspirations never wane. She manages to break into Ricky's [barbershop quartet] number by firing the man who has the part she wants.
Finally, on January 19, 1953 — the same day she had her real-life son Desi Arnaz Jr. (technically IV) — while husband Ricky is performing a voodoo act at his nightclub, Lucy gives birth to Ricky Ricardo Jr. The Mertzes are named Little Ricky's godparents. Little Ricky grows on a season-by-season basis, and by the sixth season (1957), he has started school and learned to play the drums and speak Spanish fluently.
In 1954, Lucy's husband is given a role in an upcoming MGM film based on the life of Don Juan. Lucy and the Mertzes follow Ricky on his journey to Hollywood stardom. While in Hollywood, Lucy meets many famous celebrities, including William Holden, Hedda Hopper, Rock Hudson, Cornel Wilde, Harpo Marx, Richard Widmark, Van Johnson and John Wayne. Some of these actors are celebrities that Ricky has already met as a result of his work.
She reports having spotted 99 celebrities while in Hollywood and finally procures an even 100 when she meets Wilde. Lucy is incredibly starstruck and saves anything that had even come in contact with a celebrity, such as a can smashed by Cary Grant's left rear wheel. However, she doesn't merely hobnob with celebrities; she also gets a few chances to break into show business herself.
Ricky gets her a small role in a film as a showgirl. Lucy's role requires her to wear a large headdress; she also gets a death scene. However, the headdress proves cumbersome, and her part is downgraded. She eventually ends up as a showgirl who is already dead on a stretcher when the scene begins. Lucy's second foray into show business is when she replaces Van Johnson's sick redheaded partner in his act at the hotel. She wants to impress her friend Carolyn Appleby and successfully coaxes Johnson give her the job through flattery. She does an excellent job and impresses the crowd.
Finally, she has her third shot at stardom when she appears with a Ricky Ricardo dummy at a luncheon for movie executives. Ricky was asked to perform, but he declined in favor of a fishing trip he had planned. Lucy accepted on his behalf and schemed to build the dummy and then pretend that he's ill, and she finishes the show herself. Her plan doesn't go as well as she had hoped, but she's still a smash success and is offered a contract. However, she declines when she realizes that it would take her away from her husband and son.
Very soon after returning home from Hollywood, Ricky's band is given a chance to tour around Europe. Lucy and the Mertzes again tag along on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Lucy misses the boat and has to be lowered to the deck of the cruise ship, the USS Constitution, from a helicopter. They sail across the Atlantic, where Lucy has to settle for being partnered with a young boy to play games on deck but together they win a ping pong trophy. She also manages to get stuck in a porthole.
After landing in England, Lucy gets the chance to perform for and meet Queen Elizabeth. She also participates in a fox hunt and gets to stay at a real English estate.
In Paris, she meets Charles Boyer who has been warned by Ricky not to admit who he is because Lucy is so star-struck; Boyer takes his advice when Lucy corners him and claims he is Maurice DuBois, an out-of-work actor. Ricky has feigned jealousy about Lucy's obsession with Charles Boyer so she hires "DuBois" to impersonate Boyer and pitch woo to her in front of Ricky so she can reassure him with her total lack of interest. She coaches "DuBois" on Boyer's "growl" and mannerisms, remaining unaware that he is the real Boyer until Ricky returns and lets the cat out of the bag.
In another episode, Lucy is arrested by French gendarmes and taken to the Bastille after inadvertently trying to use counterfeit money. The scene that ensues, after Ricky arrives to bail her out, is one of the funniest bits in the show's history, as the only-French-speaking Commandante interrogates Lucy by directing questions to his French-and-German-speaking Lieutenant in French, who translates the questions into German and directs them to a drunken German-and-Spanish-speaking prisoner, who translates the questions into Spanish to ask Spanish-and-English-speaking Ricky, who makes the final translation into English for Lucy. Her answers must travel back up the chain to the Commandante and it is hilarious to watch, especially as the gestures accompanying the words take on the characteristics of each language as the questions and answers travel up and down the line.
Also, she stomps on grapes in Turo, a winemaking town in Italy, and wrestles (and is nearly drowned by) her professional grape-stomping partner in a grape vat.
Moving to ConnecticutEdit
In 1956, Lucy and her husband Ricky decide to move to Connecticut after making a trip there, and Lucy falls in love with the area. Before they move in, though, she tries (unsuccessfully) to get out of the deal. Soon the Ricardos decide to raise chickens and sell the eggs. To help them with their business, their best friends, Fred Mertz and Ethel Mertz, move into their guest house. (Fred was raised on a farm.) Lucy and Ricky also make close friends while in Connecticut, Betty and Ralph Ramsey (the Ricardos' next door neighbors).
After I Love LucyEdit
I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour concluded in the aftermath of Arnaz and Ball's real-life divorce in 1960, an incident that was not written into the script. The characters remained married to each other at the end of the series' run.
Lucille Ball would go on to perform Lucy Ricardo-inspired characters on her ensuing sitcoms: The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and the short-lived flop Life with Lucy. In each series, the character Ball portrayed (each one named Lucy) was a widow or divorceé. In the mid-1960s, she was involved in a lawsuit against Jess Oppenheimer, the co-creator of I Love Lucy, over the similarities among the separate Lucy characters. The dispute was later settled out of court.[citation needed]
Arnaz only portrayed a similar Ricky Ricardo character once after The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour ended its run: in a recurring role on The Mothers-in-Law, Arnaz portrayed matador Raphael Delgado, with the same accent and personality as Ricky (as a Desilu production, The Mothers-in-Law used many of the same writers and executive staff as the Lucy shows).
Other television series, especially those created by Desilu (the production company Arnaz and Ball co-founded) sought to copy the Lucy Ricardo theme. Even Janis Paige, in her short-lived Desilu-produced CBS sitcom It's Always Jan, wore her hair like Lucy's[citation needed], and Cara Williams followed the Lucy Ricardo format in Pete and Gladys, which lasted only two seasons on CBS.
- ^ TV Acres: Nicknames -"B"
- ^ In the I Love Lucy episode "The Operetta," Lucy is the treasurer of The Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League. In the episode "The Club Election," she and Ethel become the club's co-presidents.
- ^ In the I Love Lucy episode "The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue," Lucy says she is chairman of the committee that organizes the Yankee Doodle Day Celebration.
- ^ In the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Raises Chickens", the Ricardos decide to raise chickens.
- ^ In the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode "Lucy Wants a Career", Lucy gets a job of a Girl Friday on the Paul Douglas Early Bird Show.
- ^ "I Love Lucy Trivia". Retrieved 2014-11-09.


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Bike Stuff
You and your bike - it's a special kind of bond, which is why it feels good to treat your bike to something new every now and again. From stylish handlebar grips to the all essential bottle cage. Your bike is going to love it and so are you.
Unit 28, Wheatley Business Park, Old London Road, Wheatley, Oxford OX33 1XW // email@example.com // +44 (0) 1302 249 323


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Your Bluetooth scanner acts like a keyboard wedge to your smartphone. The Scoutly app has no knowledge of your Bluetooth scanner. When you scan a barcode, the scanner captures the barcode and uses its own software to translate the barcode into an ISBN or UPC number. The scanner then tells the smartphone to transfer the number to the current app. If the Scoutly app is the current app on your phone, then the number will show up in the Scoutly app.
It is possible that your Bluetooth scanner cannot translate the barcode into ISBN or UPC number correctly. You will see the scanner adds some letters to the number. When the scanner enters a non-digit letter into the Scoutly app, it makes the app think you want to do a title search, so it will enter NF (Not Found) mode to perform a title search.
- You can open the Email app on your phone, then scan the same barcode into your Email or Notes app to verify the scanner can convert a barcode to the number correctly or not.
- When you see the non-digit letter in your Email or Notes app as well, then it is a problem with the scanner.
- You can factory reset the scanner based on the scanner manual, then pair the scanner with the phone again.
- If the scanner still cannot convert a barcode correctly, then the scanner is defective and you need to get another scanner.


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The Western Africa is the source of an ancient religious traditions such as Ifa and Vodun. Many anthropologists consider that the approximate age of these religions is 10 ' 000 years. They also agree that they have common practices in basis. For thousand years cosmology, complicated ceremonies and initiations have been developed to the very high level and even now there is no need to append or to make any improvements in it. There are two major religions in western Africa – Ifa and Vodun. These religions have the same basic principles in practices and ceremonies.
Nowadays there are hundred temples all across Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, devoted to Ifa and Orisha. There, the followers perform the ancient rituals with drumbeats, chanting, dances, sacrifices and communicating with the Spirit through possession, as it was thousands years ago At present times, Ifa is well known all over the world. Many people find in it the source of strength, confidence in a coming day,
they began to understand themselves and reveal secrets of the Universe. Many people became interested in this powerful religion not only because of its efficiency, but also because all religious-mystical components have been developed in details.One of the highest and most respected titles in hierarchy of Ifa religion is Babalawo what means — «Father of Mystery», the similar title in Vodun is known as Bokono.
Ancient religion Ifa is a coded message of Olodumare (Creator), revealed to people by a prophet Orunmila (Ela). Witness of Destiny or Orunmila is the father of wisdom, knowledge's and understanding. He brought the Law of Olodumare into this world. Ifa is a science where a follower performing certain actions, reaches specific results. These knowledge's will also help to maintain harmony and balance with Olodumare. Ifa preserves and keeps balance in various societies what makes a basis of spiritual tradition
of Yoruba.Doctrine of Ifa, contains knowledge that the World is a system which is perfectly balanced and it functions according to internal rules. It supports development and balance of all living. The religion of Yoruba people — Ifa had been arisen in a cradle of a civilization in a sacred city Ile Ife. It became a source and a basis of all Afro-Caribbean traditions, which appeared during slavery in Western countries, such as: .Candomble (Ketu), Santeria Lukumi etc. Verbal stories of Yoruba people informs us, that Ile Ife (city in the Western Africa) is a place where the Highest God created people of all races: black, yellow and white. After that, they dispersed across the Earth. All Yoruba tribes as well as inhabitants of Benin and Dahomey trace their origin from Ile Ife (1).
The central creative force in Yoruba religion (Ifa) is Olodumare. His force is in all things and displays. Olodumare is a creator of all Irunmole(2) (Orisha) – spiritual forces. Irunmole maintain secrets of evolution of the Universe. According to Yoruba theology, Irunmole (spiritual forces which are messengers of Olodumare) rule over all existing phenomena in Ikole Orun (Kingdom of Spirit) as well as in Ikole Aye (Kingdom of Earth). The whole world had been created by Irunmole and all living things in it and human being by itself.
The ancient Yoruba Ifa doctrine considers the Universe as a perfect creation of Olodumare. Thousands years ago, on the basis of the accumulated knowledge's and experience, ancient Yoruba identified primary forces of the Universe, learned how to interact with them and named them all. They understood, that the existing Universe consists from 801 Irunmole, 400 of them constantly stay in Orun (the World of Spirit). The rest part of Irunmole (401), from which 200 are positive forces and 200 negative ones, they
are also known as Ajoogun (these forces bring death, wars and diseases). These forces constantly move from Orun (Kingdom of Spirit) to Aye (Kingdom of Earth) and back. Irunmole know all secrets of this world and are messenger of the Creator, therefore they control all existing phenomena, both in Ikole Orun and in Ikole Aye. All Irunmole — have their personality, their own individuality and consciousness. Their force influence natural world and everyday life of every person. Irunmole affect various aspects of life, they express complexity and many-sided nature of Olodumare. People have an opportunity for interaction with self-realizing emanations (Irunmole) of Olodumare. In interaction with them the person can achieve amazing results in private life. Ifa gave us knowledges that Olodumare did not create people for sufferings on Earth and, possessing secret knowledge which Ifa gives us, we have possibility to live the way every human being should — in happiness and creation.
Understanding of secrets of invisible spiritual forces is possible, only through direct interaction with them. That is why in religious-magic Yoruba tradition, one of the major roles has a discipline named Ifaiyа – that is intended to establish connection with the spiritual forces that have their own self-consciousnesses.Discipline Ifaiyа contains ogbon inu — the aggravated intuition, мsotele — forseeing of the future, alala — communication with Orisha through dreams, egungun — obsession by the Spirit of Ancestors and Orisa'gun — obsession by Orisha (Irunmole). Yoruba names obsession by the word "ini", what means "I". That refers that it is a unification with the transcendental spiritual forces which are outside of human consciousness.
The Yoruba religion (Ifa), learns the followers first of all they should pay attention to igoke or to spiritual growth and if the follower will succeed in it, money, health, success will come as necessary component for a proper life. For Ifa followers it is important to be able to make the decision according to " eri-okan " (clear understanding, the ability to distinguish a correct act from wrong. The literal translation of a word «eri-okan» is feeling of your heart).
For the better understanding of the River of Life and of the will of spiritual forces Irunmole, followers of Yoruba religion — Ifa and Orisha, use a tremendous range of different systems of prediction such as: Obi Abata (cola nuts), Opele (chain of Ifa), Ikin (sacred nuts of a palm tree) and Merindinlogun (sixteen cowrie shells). Studying the prediction systems is a key part of knowledges of all African traditions. The whole religious-magic practices are very efficient because Yoruba oracles are based on instructions sent
from the Spiritual world. The highest oracle of predictive system of Ifa is based on 256 Odu (3). 16 of them are superior ones. These 16 Odu create 240 Omo Odu (Children of Odu). Total numder is 256 Odu Ifa. Ifa is a very powerful force, capable to cope with any problem: to reflect ibi (misfortunes), arun (illnesses), ofo (losses) and even iku (death), ejo (judicial precedent), also it is capable to draw into a humans life ire aje (riches), ire alaafia (success), ogbo, ato (physical health and a long life), and also igoke — spiritual growth.
1-by Afolabi Epega "Ancient Wisdom of Ifa"
2-Irunmole (yor.) — Pure, primary spirit/energy.
3- A highly respected Baba Osundia explained quite eloquent what is Odu: "Odu are sacred symbols that contain ase (life force) of all living. Odu — schemes of dynamic movement of energies which identify the basic Forces of the natural world. Odu are unusual mandalas representing active and passive energies of a present situation with tremendous exactness. Various displays of Heavens and the Earth are born in the Odu and through the same sacred tracks they will return to primary emptiness. Odu operate cycles of the Nature and sands of time. Odu is a space energy of creation, a fabric of a life. The symbols representing the Odu, symbolize keys of the Primary Universe, the Uterus in which all Life was born. Through this gate prays enter into heart of the Universe, and through them we receive the answer from Orisha. Odu operates a birth of a baby and death of the Teacher. These are the streams rushing into a bed of a dried river, the easy rain bringing freshness, the hurricane brining destruction, a flame which grants light and burns, — all this within the limits of abilities the Odu. The face of Odu carries a smile of pleasure and expresses shout of a torture «.


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Saturday, May 30, 2015
Violent Argument
Panel from an upcoming Penny Dreadful to be published by Rotland Press, Detroit.
Labels: Ayiti, Haiti, Haitian folklore, Loup Garou, Penny Dreadful, voodoo, Werewolf, Zombie
2 comments:
- lee woo said...
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. See the link below for more info.
- June 23, 2015 at 11:50 PM
- Silvia Jacinto said...
Time is gold. We should treasure every second of it so that in time we will not regret anything because we only live ones.I have read your article and i was glad and inspired. Thanks for it, Cheers!
Visit my site if you have time, Enjoy.
- November 5, 2015 at 6:06 PM
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I haven't made crackers before – but we eat cheese and crackers for lunch all the time. On Bake Off this year they made crackers and it didn't look too tricky so I thought I'd have a bash myself. I didn't have any semolina in (which normally dries out crackers) so I used plain flour instead. I think they turned out quite well – crumbly and crunchy, with a nice olive oil flavour. Have a go yourself!
You will need: 200g plain flour, 70ml olive oil, 150ml water, 20g sunflower seeds, pinch mixed herbs and salt.
First of all put the plain flour and olive oil in a mixer, use a dough hook attachment and mix everything. Slowly add the water by tablespoon and keep mixing. Add the salt, mixed herbs and half the sunflower seeds. Squeeze the dough together into a ball and knead for 5 minutes. The dough is quite tough so you have to really work those biceps! Leave for five minutes, and turn your oven onto the highest heat. Cut the dough into thirds, roll each third out as thinly as possible. Some people use pasta makers – which seems a good idea (they're a bit pricey so I used a rolling pin). Sprinkle the leftover sunflower seeds onto the rolled out dough, flip it and roll again. Use a small cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Cover a baking tray with baking parchment and place the crackers on the sheet then brush them with a little olive oil. Place the crackers into the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Flip them over and put them in for another 3 minutes. Take the crackers out and place them on a wire rack to cool down. Eat with some lovely cheese and a chunk of butter or if you are vegan, try them with some tasty houmous. Or just have them as a nice healthy snack.
Love, Mrs Gardom


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I hope you are enjoying your Thursday! Today I have a little DIY nail art experiment to share with you. All these liquid sand polishes coming out had me thinking about what an actual sand manicure would look like. My pack of sand for crafts was calling to me.
It looks a little more like rock candy or pop rocks than sand. But I like it! I started off with a coat of Ulta Blue Streak. Then one finger at a time, I painted on another coat and dipped my nail in blue sand. I dusted off the extra sand with a fan brush. Finally, I topped it with a matte topcoat. I wanted the sand to stay on but keep the matte finish.
I imagine finer sand or glitter would with a matte topcoat would give a more definite sand like appearance.


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Thriving Retail in Houston's Master-Planned Communities
Feb. 22, 2017
Houston continues to be one of the strongest retail markets in the U.S. The city's retail sector saw record amounts of development and absorption throughout 2016.
This comes as a surprise to many outside of the Houston metro whose perception is that the drop in oil prices has negatively impacted every aspect of the Houston market.
However, positive job growth (even in the face of energy industry layoffs), robust single-family homes sales, and years of pent-up demand have created the perfect storm for a strong Houston retail sector. In particular, strength in Houston's master-planned communities has been a driver of retail across the Houston MSA.
Simmi Jaggi, leader of JLL's Houston Land Brokerage Services group, explains how master-planned communities are driving retail growth.
More on this topic: Master-Planned Communities Drive Houston Retail Market in 2016, Houston Public Media.


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5 Reasons E-commerce Managers should be using direct mail to generate sales
1- Unsubscribe email list
Everyone has a email unsubscribe list, it's likely that these people are not fond of email campaigns, but they could still be great customers. Why not create a direct mail campaign to target this list specifically and warm them up for a sale.
2- Mix it up
Ok, your customers are enjoying your email campaigns, but why not mix it up and delight them with a innovative direct mail piece.
3- Social media interaction
It's great to link up your marketing channels. How about a self make mailer that encourages your target to make the item and post a picture on Twitter or Facebook to win a prize. You might even gain some extra social followers along the way.
4- Extend your brand worth
Digital media can communicate your brand's style, but print offers extra dimensions. The texture of the paper, special finishes like foil, lamination and varnishes, or special print processes, these all communicate more meaning behind your brand and can create customer buy in.
5- Reach those customers that can't get digital communication
If you are targeting B2B customers, some of these people might not have access to the internet at work and the graphics from their emails might be stripped out, making digital campaigns less effective.


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Thierry-Marie Delaunois écrivain et chroniqueur
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When I was a teenager, I used to attend an oil painting class not far from my home in Renedo. During that time, I copied a few famous oil paintings such as Gustave Caillebotte's Le pont de l'Europe. After more than 15 years, I decided to make a new oil painting. The problem was that I had forgotten almost everything. Or that's what I thought. In fact, as I started reading and during the painting process, I was able to recall most of the things I used to know. All that information was still there in my brain, just a little bit rusted!.
I began by coating a canvas board in dark green colours. Usually, a canvas made of linen is best, but this was kind of an experiment so I just used a canvas board from the 100 yen store Daiso. After the green layer dried, I drew the line work on top of it. This time I just copied a portrait that I found on a random website.
It took me some time to recall the names of the oil paint colours that I used to use. For the skin tones, I had to do some research and ended up using ultramarine blue, yellow cadmium, red cadmium and titanium white.
My first tries were really horrible. I had to let the painting dry and redraw everything again for a few times. Instead of applying paint all over, I should have put special emphasis on getting the shapes and values correct at first.
After some iterations, I was finally getting a bit closer to the portrait I was copying from. The woman looks different but here I wanted to focus on recalling the colouring process.
The end result was a small success compared to the initial tries. I learned a lot from my mistakes and it was also useful to know how far I am from being a good painter. I decided to leave the painting untouched, and I'll try to use all the learned lessons for the next one.
Monday, July 17, 2017
An oil painting after so many years
Posted by Sangorrin at 12:19:00 PM
Labels: Arts&Crafts
2 comments:
muy chulo dani... un saludo desde cerca de renedo
- July 25, 2017 at 5:09 AM
- Sangorrin said...
Gracias! jaja aupa Renedo
- July 25, 2017 at 9:06 AM
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|Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey
Click on each book cover for more information
I am suffering from a severe case of too-many-books-to-choose-from-itis. You may have run into it yourself at some point in your reading life? I'm sure you have. I think that a shelf organizing and purging session would do me a world of good. Now to make time to do so...
Until then I can only say that I have no idea what I'll be reading next. I'm eyeing up a number of things. Maybe Between the World and Me? The Beautiful Bureaucrat is also in the running. Time will tell.
As of now I'm getting ready to head to the beach with my family and won't have to make the book decision until later. Have a great week, everyone! Tell me what you're reading!


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I went to Walmart the other day to get disinfecting wipes and there were no individual canisters left of my preferred brand. The shelf was empty save for the ones that come in two's. And there were only two items left of those. I guess you could say I got lucky, lol. When I went to get orange juice for my son, the store did not have any left of the brand he likes. At all. I wondered what is going on. There were plenty of apple juice and fruit punches there but no orange juice. When I told the husband about it he said that it might have something to do with the swine flu. People are afraid of it and so they react by buying things they think will work on stopping the virus-hence the store running out of disinfecting wipes and orange juice. I wonder if subconsciously I was thinking of the same thing which prompted me to go the store to get the same items. I don't really have a clue.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
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When Sony announced that it had sold the Vaio PC business back in February, it was met with some sadness by fans of the brand. The Vaio brand was respected and liked, with some claiming alongside ThinkPad they were the best laptops available on the market.
Sony sold Vaio to an investment fund named Japan Industrial Partner, and it hasn't taken them long to get Vaio laptops back on the market. There are two key differences, though. The first is a lack of a Sony logo on the hardware, and the second is sales being restricted to the Japanese market (for now).
Looking at the images on the new Vaio site I actually prefer the way they look without the Sony branding. It's that much cleaner. There's two models of the Vaio laptop available to buy: the Vaio Pro and Vaio Fit. The Pro is the more portable of the two, coming with a choice of 11-inch or 13-inch displays and a top spec of a Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. There's only a 15.5-inch model of the Fit, which counts as more of a desktop replacement.
Japan Industrial Partner has created the Vaio Corporation to oversee the brand and continued development of products. It will have 240 employees initially and a 5 percent investment from Sony. That's a much smaller company than it replaced, but hopefully it does well in Japan and considers expansion to western markets soon. It certainly has the potential to be a high-end brand to take on the likes of Apple, albeit running a Microsoft OS.


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Layla Mattress Review
This Layla mattress review was completed by the MattressJunkie.com team recently. Layla was the first mattress company to infuse copper into their memory foam to provide a healthier, more comfortable sleep environment. Layla also gives the consumer a dual firmness option that many people swear by. The dual firmness allows the sleeper to test the best of both worlds with one side feeling more plush and soft while the other side feels more supportive and consistent with a medium firm type feel (by flipping the foam on the inside of the cover). Layla also has other interesting features that make it a cost efficient option for a savvy consumer. Check out how Layla stacked up during the MattressJunkie.com review process.
Layla Mattress Cover
Layla's mattress cover is as beautiful in person as it is in photos. I was excited to review Layla for many reasons but that gray cover with purple accents got my attention when I first saw this mattress online. Layla's Thermo Gel infused cover is not only extremely nice to look at but also serves as the cooling barrier between the person sleeping and the first layer of foam. The Layla cover has a nice, luxurious feel to it. I would rank the Layla cover as the nicest I have seen from any mattress I have reviewed.
Layla Mattress Under the Cover
The Layla mattress is comprised of 3 layers. The first layer is 3 inches of copper infused foam that provides the sleeper with an array of health benefits like blood circulation and joint pain. The copper also helps with temperature control and heat reduction resulting in a cooler night's rest. The second layer is a 6 inch convoluted base that provides long lasting support while promoting air flow to reduce overall body heat retention. The 3rd and last level is made up of 1 inch high density, copper infused, memory foam. This level would serve as your first level if you were sleeping on the firmer side.
Layla's Dual Firmness
Layla's dual firmness is definitely a nice feature. Layla is shipped with the plush, softer side on top. If you unzip the Layla cover, you can switch the mattress foam to the opposite side and have a firmer supported feel. My preference was the firmer side as I found the plush to be too soft for my sleep style. I would best describe the firmer side as a medium, firm. Dual firmness allows you to have some freedom when it comes to finding optimal support levels when you have no idea what would work best for your sleep style.
What Sleep Position Works Best with The Layla Mattress?
Since the Layla mattress has a plush and firm side, all sleep positions are able to sleep comfortable on one side or the other. Motion transfer on the firmer side was minimal. I would recommend the firmer side for couples over the softer, more plush side if motion transfer is an annoyance.
How is the Edge Support on the Layla Mattress?
Whether you sit on the edge of the bed or sleep near the edge, memory foam mattresses don't always have the greatest edge support. Layla's edge support was sufficient for my liking. I have seen some mattresses cave in on the ends with no edge support. You won't have to worry about that with Layla.
What type of base should I place my Layla Mattress on?
As you can see from the photos, we reviewed the Layla mattress on the ground. Layla recommends sleeping any firm, flat surface such as a box spring, platform bed, floor, or adjustable frame.
Will Layla have a chemical smell when UnRolled?
Most mattresses have an odor to them when you unroll and remove the vacuum sealed plastic. This chemical type smell is called off-gassing. Off gassing is not harmful nor toxic in any way. As your mattress breathes, the off-gassing smell will fade. Layla's odor was average and faded quickly as the mattress was out of its packaging and breathing. After a day or so, the odor was so light, I didn't notice it at all anymore.
What Type of Return Policy Does Layla Offer?
Layla ships free and offers a 120 night money back guarantee so you don't have to worry about any hassle if you decide not to keep it.
Is Layla Made of Safe Materials?
Layla is made in the US from high quality materials that are Certipur-US Certified so you and the environment are safe from any harmful toxins. The foam used in the Layla mattress is poured in Georgia and California. The mattress cover and the Layla label are made in North Carolina.
How much does Layla cost? Is financing available?
Twin XL-$599
California King-$999
Financing is available so you don't need to worry about paying all at once. Layla offers qualified applicants 0% financing.
Learn more about Layla here….Save $100 Off Any Size Mattress – PLUS $25 Off Pillows & $50 Off Foundations With A Purchase Of A Mattress


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Project TEACH was established as a model program following the recommendations of the Sacramento County Task Force for the Education of Homeless Children in 1990. Caring collaborative partners formed Project TEACH to help meet the challenges of promoting the educational success of children who are experiencing homelessness
As a county office of education program, Project TEACH collaborates with school districts and community agencies. Public awareness resources are disseminated to agencies and school districts. Educational sector representation is provided by Project TEACH on the Continuum of Care Advisory Board.
A Project TEACH staff person carries out the duties of the homeless liaison. Families and unaccompanied youths are identified as eligible for services. The parent or guardian is informed of the educational opportunities and rights of their children. Project TEACH supports the involvement of parents in education. Workshops are provided at family shelter agencies.
Project TEACH coordinates services with school districts, which includes hosting a monthly meeting of the school district homeless liaisons. There were 13,008 students experiencing homelessness in Sacramento County during the 2013-14 school year, according to the California Department of Education (CDE) CALPADS.
A program of Sacramento County Office of Education, Project TEACH is funded by a grant from the CDE through the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act.
Project TEACH - Promoting the Educational Success of Children Who Are Experiencing Homelessness (brochure)
Don't Delay Enroll Today: Children's School Information Folder (parent informational folder)
Sacramento County Task Force for the Education of Homeless Children (brochure)
Is Your Child Missing School? (Directory of Liaisons for families without a permanent home)
Enrolling Students Living in Homeless Situations (co-authored by Hilary Krogh, Project TEACH. Available through CDE Press or call 1-800-995-4099)


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Teaching history is an ideal profession for people with intellectual curiosity and creativity who'd like to investigate our past and explore events that shape our world.
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Ann Goldstein
Last November I had the pleasure of visiting Ann in her home in Manhattan to take photos of her for Lindsay magazine's inaugural print issue.
Ann Goldstein is an editor who used to be head of copy at The New Yorker, but is best known for her translations of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet.
Support independent publishing and buy a copy of Lindsay issue 1. I'm so chuffed to have my work be part of it. :)


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Takanashi seals ski jumping World Cup crystal globe
Teenage Japanese star Sara Takanashi made up for her Olympic disappointment by securing the World Cup crystal globe in winning the ski jumping event in Rasnov, Romania on Saturday.
Takanashi went into the Sochi Games as the favourite following a sterling World Cup season but missed out on a medal altogether as she finished a disappointing fourth.
But after securing her 11th World Cup win this season the 17-year-old earned her second straight crystal globe.
Takanashi compiled a total score of 252 points to finish well clear of Norway's Maren Lundby (226.4) and compatriot Yuki Ito (221.6).
The victory gave her an insurmountable World Cup lead over German Olympic champion Carina Vogt, who missed the Rasnov event through a knee injury, with five rounds still to go.
1. Sara Takanashi (JPN) 252.0 pts (100.5 - 99.0m), 2. Maren Lundby (NOR) 226.4 (96.0 - 89.0m), 3. Yuki Ito (JPN) 221.6 (95.5 - 87.5m), 4. Julia Clair (FRA) 217.5 (89.0 - 90.0m)
World Cup standings (after 14 from 19 events):
1. Sara Takanashi (JPN) 1320pts, 2. Carina Vogt (GER) 761, 3. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz (AUT) 682,


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Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has laid out an unusually detailed set of demands for what he would accept in a nuclear deal, further complicating the high-stakes efforts to reach an agreement before a July 20 deadline.
Khamenei's declaration that any nuclear deal preserve Tehran's right to enrich uranium on an industrial scale to fuel its long-term energy needs echoes what Iranian negotiators have said throughout the talks, which began in earnest last year and are currently continuing in Vienna. Still, by drawing a red line in public, a rarity for Iran's top cleric, Khamenei signaled that Tehran wasn't prepared to accede to Western demands that it sharply curtail its enrichment activities. The United States and its allies have long accused Tehran of trying to produce weapons-grade uranium to build a weapon, a charge Khamenei has repeatedly denied.
The remarks come amid signs of disunity among big-power diplomats as talks near a self-imposed July 20 deadline for a deal between Iran and the permanent five members of the Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States — plus Germany, which are negotiating collectively as the P5+1.
Speaking to senior-level technocrats on Monday, Khamenei said Iran signaled that Tehran would eventually need up to 190,000 centrifuges, depending on their sophistication — far more than the 10,000 he says world powers are willing to allow Tehran to acquire. Western governments want to curb Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity in order to inhibit its ability to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran insists it wants such a large quantity for peaceful purposes, such as medical isotopes and nuclear energy.
"On the issue of enrichment capacity, [the West's] aim is make Iran accept 10,000 SWU," Khamenei said, using an acronym for a highly technical term, "separative work units," that measures how much uranium individual centrifuges can enrich in a year. "Our officials say we need 190,000 SWU…. [T]his is our absolute need and we need to meet this need."
Iran hawks said Khamenei's insistence that Iran have greater enrichment capacity was an attempt to force the United States and its allies into a bad deal.
"Khamenei is trying to trap the United States by demanding industrial-size enrichment capacity," said Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Khamenei's comments came as French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told a parliamentary committee in Paris on Monday that countries within the P5+1 were beginning to disagree about the makeup of a final deal with Iran. Fabius said the Western powers had previously been "very homogeneous" in their negotiations with Iran, but that "in the past days representatives in the negotiations have put forward a certain number of different approaches between part of the P5+1 and our Russian partners."
Fabius didn't spell out the West's differences with Moscow, which has traditionally been more sympathetic to Iran than those in the Western camp. Some Western officials have long feared that Washington's confrontation with Moscow over its annexation of Crimea would make Russian President Vladimir Putin even more willing to break with the West over Iran.
Still, the French foreign minister hinted that there was some daylight between the countries over whether to call in senior government officials to put the talks back on track or leave things in the hands of mid-level diplomats. Speaking before France's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, Fabius said the Obama administration has a "desire" to carry out a meeting of foreign ministers before the July 20 deadline. "I don't have a strong view on it, but at one point between now and July 20 we shall know where we stand," he said.
The talks currently underway in Vienna are centered on a deal that would require Iran to provide verifiable assurances that its nuclear program is limited to fueling the country's energy needs in exchange for easing international sanctions.
Fabius said that "none of the primary points [of contention] have been resolved," including the fate of a heavy water reactor at Arak that Western powers fear could be used to produce plutonium, as well as procedures for monitoring Iran's compliance with any nuclear deal and easing sanctions.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that "significant gaps remain with Iran" but stressed that the P5+1 countries remained united on how to proceed in the talks.
Despite Khamenei's demands, Laicie Heeley of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation said that it's natural for both sides to stake out hard-line positions before a final deal is struck.
"At this point we should realize that we're still very much involved in a negotiation, and each side is likely to hold out for compromise as long as it can," she said. "In the end, they'll both have to move."


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Eau Claire Bike and Sport is proud to carry a huge assortment of biking gear from leading manufacturers, including:
If you don't see what you want, just ask. We are able to order almost any item, often within 48 hours.
Please call and ask us if there's anything you need!