text:
Phantom of the Opera teaches girls bad, bad, orful thingz!
Of course, to call it a two-and-a-half-hour musical about rape vastly understates the bizarreo-world factor of this musical, although it's hardly an inaccurate statement.Where do I even begin?
At first, I was merely staggered by what this show must do to thirteen-year-old girls. I mean, it's just utterly designed to be seductive to anyone who doesn't want to own their sexuality and is drawn to any sort of narrative of submission, ordeal or apprenticeship. I should have, in fact, been all over this shit. At thirteen, I surely would have been. And the gaggle of girls that age we saw in the bathroom surely were.
....What a completely bizarre and vaguely intellectually offensive show. Man, when this first came out, gender and sexuality scholars must have been like "happy birthday to me" -- what a goldmine of crazy!
Perhaps with "It didn't make me any less dominant..."
I wanted to be Christine for a few months, sure.
Then I asked myself "Why shouldn't he be singing my music?" and it was all over but the shouting. :)
And of course, rather than asking whether stories like that one attract people who have D/s leanings, we have to ask the same old tired "won't people get D/s leanings from this?" question.
And, honestly, what all the stories like this about D/s-y romance taught me was not "Be submissive!" but rather "If you be your dominant self, you will never be happy. Dominance is for the villains, and the villains are always either vanquished or voluntarily give up what's presented as their only chance for companionship because they realize they can never be themselves without doing harm."
These stories do not tell you that D/s is harmless, or is awesome, and I'm always stunned when feminists say they do. These stories are very, very, very clear about erotic power dynamics' destructive potential. They have to be. It's not socially acceptable for them not to be.
It may well be socially acceptable for them to be in romance novels and such geared toward adults, but all the stories I was allowed to see as a youth? None of those said that submission ultimately leads to fulfillment. They said, as I stated above, that dominance was what made the villains hot. The villains, by definition, lose.
Submission is something the heroine experiments with -- Hell, gets hypnotized into experimenting with -- and ultimately rejects. Do you really think Christine has the same dynamic she had with Erik with Raoul?! Yeah, right.
Why, when we examine this stuff, do we ask how it will affect a child we assume to be a vanilla tabula rasa? Why don't we ever, ever, ever ask what this says to people who are already dominant or submissive? Because they usually say "Your relationships are tragedies waiting to happen." If not "You're gonna grow up to be a homicidal maniac who can never be responsible about sex and love, kiddo. Sorry to tell ya, but we thought you should know."
If y'all need me, I'll be cranking Point up to max volume (and, yes, it is about rape, and yes, that is problematic. But FFS, the guy is a homicidal maniac! It's not like the show says "woo, rape!")...
...provided I can freaking find my copy of the OCR, anyway.


text:
2012 Bordeaux — Another Variable Year
After the difficult conditions of 2011, the Bordelaise were looking forward to a much easier year — but alas, it wasn't in the cards. 2012 started with a cold winter, with the coldest February since 1956 followed by a wet, cool spring. April rains raised the risk of mildew and caused an uneven, late flowering and fruit set that would have consequences on yield and push harvest dates back. The wet, cool spring was followed by a July that was average, and hopes were raised a bit that the small crop might see a decent second act. But it was not to be — torrid heat in August (with several days over 100℉, and even one report of 107°) caused stress on the vines, but dry conditions through mid-September favored the dry whites. In 2011, most reds were in by the end of September, but in 2012, the red harvest was just getting started.
October began with warm days and cool nights, good for the early-ripening Merlot, which is the star of the vintage. But once again hopes were dashed when rains came in the second week of October, creating humid conditions and the risk of rot. In these conditions, many were forced to pick regardless of maturity, with later-ripening Cabernet and the Left Bank wines of the Médoc suffering as a result.
Overall, a vintage of good quality, with some very good wines made where hard work was done in the vineyard. It's a vintage that favored early-ripening Merlot, and the Right Bank regions of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion. Graves and Pessac-Léognan, typically a little warmer than the Médoc, also fared relatively well, as the Cabernet got riper before the October rains. Generally, this is not a vintage for the long term. It was possible to make some very good wines, but making crucial decisions and hard work in the vineyards was key to successful ripening.
Dry whites are fresh and clean and very good to excellent, but sweet wines suffered because of the late October rains, and some declassified their entire harvest.
We noticed that the credit card number you entered matches one of your saved credit cards. We've updated your saved card with the new information.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Not sure if they fit? Call one of our quality fitment experts for some advice. With the year, make and model of your vehicle, our quality experts will confirm your fitment or recommend a better option. Need tires? Our experts can recommend the best fitment for your vehicle. When you purchase wheels tires from All Star Motorsports you get guaranteed fitment as well as free mount and balance, lugs, locks, hub rings and our world famous All Star service.
Need wheels to go with the tires? All Star Motorsports has a vast selection of wheel models that come in multiple sizes and finishes. If you combine the tires with a wheel package, we include not only free mounting and balancing, but also free locks and lugs, as well as free shipping to the continental US. So you get the complete package ready to be installed on your vehicle!
Trust in our fitment experts to ensure right fitment for your vehicle. Lifted or lowered, with our vast knowledge and many years in the industry, our experts will get you the right fitment guaranteed. Every wheel and tire is checked for quality and packaged with the utmost care to ensure your order arrives without any damage. Feel free to call us with any concerns.


text:
Blancpain's Boutiques
In every one of our boutiques around the world, you will find the same passion that inspires our watchmaker craftsmen.
» Detailed map of our points of sale
Each of our boutiques has its own individual personality, but they all embody the spirit of the master-watchmakers' workshops in Le Brassus.
Here, in a refined setting with a parlour atmosphere, you will get to know the world of the Manufacture and its creations. The inner walls of our boutiques, made of cherry wood, are the work of a craftsman from the Joux Valley and are reminiscent of the traditional workbenches of master-watchmakers.
The peaceful surroundings of our boutiques inspire visitors to take their time to appreciate our collections. We invite you to make the acquaintance of our creations over a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of champagne. Among them, you will find, in particular, a number of exclusive models.
Our staff will help you to make your choice. They are there to advise you so that you find the timepiece that suits you best.


text:
The world of con man Neal Caffrey and his FBI handler, Agent Peter Burke, has been turned upside down when "White Collar" returns for its fifth season.
In last season's finale, Peter (Tim DeKay) was arrested for the murder of Sen. Pratt—a deed Neal's dad committed before fleeing. Now Peter's wearing prison orange while awaiting his trial and Neal (Matt Bomer) has to get him out.
"First of all, Tim looks great in orange. Fantastic color for him," Bomer said during a conference call last week. "And secondly, it was a trip to see him on the other side of things and see how he handles it. And of course he's such a great actor that I was just watching him planning on what I would steal in the next 10 hours."
Bomer and DeKay talked about five things fans can expect in the new season, which premieres at 8 p.m. CT Oct. 17 on USA. And if you just can't get enough of the "White Collar" gents, read excerpts from the Q&A; session at the bottom of this story.
Peter's situation causes big changes for both he and Neal.
Matt Bomer: Neal can obviously relate in many ways. He has a real sense of responsibility about everything that's transpired, even though his father was largely responsible. ... And as someone who's been where Peter is, I think that resonates with him even more, and makes him dig even deeper into his bag of tricks to figure out how to fix it.
Tim DeKay: When big things like this happen, [Peter and his wife, Elizabeth] take a look at their lives and they take a look at how Peter got to that place, and they reassess and figure out what is the best way to go forward. And as Matt said, big issues come up this season with where people are headed, what people are made of, and what they want to make of with their lives.
Mark Sheppard returns as imprisoned con man Curtis Hagen, who forces Neal into a corner.
MB: It's that deal with the devil. He has Neal under his thumb, which is obviously, especially for someone like Neal, not a very comfortable place for him to be. He has him at his beck and call and basically he can have Neal do whatever illicit behavior he doesn't want to have to take responsibility for himself. Neal can't really put up that much of a fight about it.
Neal gets a new handler, Agent David Seigel (Warren Kole).
MB: Neal's initial reaction to Warren's character, Siegel, is one of trepidation because he is very by-the-books, by-the-numbers. He's an agent who's gotten to where he is because he plays by the rules. And that's obviously very threatening to Neal.
TD: Peter ... felt that he would be right for Neal because he felt that Neal needed somebody who could give some tough love, [someone] that has a distance from Neal. Peter thought somebody from outside the New York Division would be better. But there was trepidation as well on Peter's part because with handing over the reins, he no longer gets to ride. And that's something Peter was going to miss.
Neal finds a new love.
MB: There is a really incredible girl who comes in Neal's life named Rebecca Lowe, played by the gorgeous and talented Bridget Regan. ... Their relationship grows over the course of the season and I think the writers did a great job just making the character really multidimensional. Her character is sort of like an onion, every episode a new layer peels off. Neal gets to know more about her and becomes more attracted to her.
Willie Garson, who plays Mozzie, makes his directorial debut.
MB: Willie showed up to work on the first day for the first scene in full Cecil B. De Mille regalia. I'd like to put that out there. He had on the rider pants, the riding crop in his hand and the megaphone, with a beret. ... I found him to be profoundly organized ... and a real joy.
TD: He came prepared to the party. And was ready to just be there for you when you needed him as an actor. He knew what he wanted. He directed the episode where we had the great, lovely and talented Kim Dickens, who played Peter's old girlfriend. And Willie was able to add some wonderful pieces to that and give us a nice tone to that.
More from the call with reporters below.
How do you view the Neal and Peter relationship? Do you see them as brothers, as friends, as coworkers?
TD: I have this image of these two guys as very close friends. And I have this image of them playing poker together and enjoying it and realizing that nobody could really play the kinds of poker, the level of poker the other one does except with that other person. And I see them enjoying a game and having a good time with it, but never ever, ever showing each other's hands, and constantly bluffing or trying to bid differently. But again, never showing the other hand to the other person. But yet needing that game and learning from that game.
I don't know, sometimes Peter is a father to Neal, sometimes he is a friend to him, and other times he's his boss. It's layered. It's a lot of different relationships.
MB: Yes. It changes a lot. But for me, it always goes back more to the familial with Peter, whether that be fraternal or paternal or sometimes a family member you have to work with. But for me it always goes back to the more familial because, much like a family member, Peter is the one character who is a source of stability in Neal's life in a strange way because he is the only person Neal has been spending time with and there are healthy boundaries.
In regard of what happens, what transpires, he knows what the mathematical formula is with Peter. If he does X, then he will get Y. And to me that's sort of like family, because you can go out into the world and make mistakes and grow or change and you come back and family is still there with dinner on the table.
What are the most important things that Peter and Neal have learned from each other during their partnership.
TD: The most important thing that I think Peter has learned from Neal is how...
MB: How to wear a suit.
TD: ... how to wear a suit, how to wear a tie, and be able to do your cuff links on your own.
MB: Uh-huh.
TD: Which is, yes, that's the most important. And then below that would be to look at the grey a little bit more than just the black and white all the time. And perhaps realize that the grey can get you to the black and white in a good way.
MB: That's lovely. I would say that Neal has learned to look at the black and white kind of a little bit more and not always live in the grey. And not to repeat myself too much, but I think he's learned about boundaries and responsibility, and a little tiny bit about managing impulses.
TD: There's a part of Peter that wouldn't want Neal to manage all of his impulses because that's part of Neal that's incredibly valuable to Peter's job. I think that's what's great about this relationship, the bad line for Neal is, well, "Peter, this is why you grabbed me, because I do this kind of stuff. And if you change me completely, you lose the value that I give to this partnership."
Throughout the five seasons, both Peter and Neal have gone through so many changes. Which ones have stuck out to you and which ones have surprised you?
MB: Mine would relate mostly to I guess previous (season) when we were divided up into two seasons, the mid-season finale and the finales, because I feel like that's generally when Jeff Eastin would reach way into his bag of tricks and suddenly I was base-jumping off the top of a building or goig to some drastic extreme in terms of Neal's own physical well-being and welfare, whatever it may be. Those cliffhangers that Jeff would write that I would read and say, "Wow, OK, this is what it's all about.' But very rarely, if ever, have I read anything I thought, "Oh, this is too far. This doesn't make sense."
There is sort of a fantastical, whimsical element to the show that you have to suspend your disbelief a little bit. Otherwise if you're looking at this as a sheer procedural or cold hard facts, you're going to bump into some walls. And so I think because we gave ourselves that permission in the first season, it's been fun for us to get to come up with ways to justify and back up why our characters do what they do.
How long do both of you guys foresee being able to do the show?
MB: I'll be honest with you, if the show were in Los Angeles and me and my family, I would do it for 25 years. I would do it until Neal was in a walker and Tim, or Peter was in a jazzy, and we're doing walk-and-talks that way down the street. Because it's not, it is a great role ...
TD: Roll and talk.
MB: ... I will be happy to play out our seven-season contract.
TD: Yes. I feel the same way. I've never been bored on this show, never. Ever. And the writers have just given us a slew of interesting and layered bad guys and a slew of different worlds to pursue those bad guys.
MB: And we have a crew that cares and it's wonderful and has invested in the story.
Want more? Discuss this article and others on Show Patrol's Facebook page.


text:
A new generation of Dales residents are being taught the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling rubbish with the help of a theatre production.
Derbyshire County Council has commissioned the Gibber Theatre Company to bring The Waste Watchers to Derbyshire secondary schools.
Pupils in 35 secondary schools will see a 50–minute interactive performance which uses humour, music, multimedia and popular culture to capture the importance of key environmental themes such as food waste and the benefits of putting unwanted items to good use.
The theatre company is touring schools until April 11.


text:
January 15, 2011
Dear Chairman Schapiro and Commissioners,
You handed us the fiasco of non-regulation that led to the economic meltdown and bank failures by failure to police securities and now you have an opportunity take action that would be a true public relations coup -- but its always business as usual with a nod and wink and hoping no one notices. You let the American people down. Get real about something other than your large paycheck.
I'm writing you with deep disappointment and concern. I understand that the final rule for Section 1502 (conflict minerals) has been delayed once again and is yet to be released. I'm calling on you to release a strong, final rule as soon as possible, and no later than the end of January. I also call on you to ensure that there are no additional delays or phase-in periods built into the rule itself.
The rules for implementation of Section 1502 were to be completed within 270 days of the signing of Dodd-Frank Act, or April 2011. As we enter the New Year over 530 days have passed, nearly double the allotted time.
Significant steps are being taken to ensure conflict minerals no longer line the pockets of armed groups in large part due to the passage of Section 1502, but the delay of the SEC rulemaking is a threat to this progress.
For investors, who have already stated that this is of material concern to them, delays in issuance of the rules limits their ability to have access to critical information regarding companies' management of risk in their global supply chains.
Most importantly, for the Congolese people, further delays mean armed groups can continue to prey upon and draw financing from the minerals sector, while fuelling instability and committing human rights abuses against civilian populations.
This is why I am urging you to release a strong, final rule no later than the end of January 2012 with no additional phase-in periods or delays included in the rule.
It has been nearly a year and a half since President Obama signed the law; it is time to put this law to action.
Sincerely,Carol Lawson


text:
evan.white needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 143 designs submitted by 31 freelance designers.
We are selling short stay (1 or 2 night) accommodations at unique properties.
I would like a logo that can be easily associated back to the brand name.
When anyone see's this logo I want them to think GoToSheep.com and nothing else!
It would be great if the logo is 'sticky' (ie. unforgettable) When people see the logo I don't want them to forget it, ever.
45-54 yr old females
$100+ household income
I am looking for a logo that will inspire the rest of the brand. The only part of the branding that has been created is the name which in itself is
Simple. Creative. Unconventional. Fun.
A logo that captures the spirit of the name would be ideal.
There is no corporate colours yet so there is little restrictions. I also do not want to tell you the nature of the company, because I want creative variety. I have seen some great work come from 99design's, so I have no doubt in the designers capabilities.
Have fun with it.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
Crooked I, Juice & X.O. Freestyle In The Studio [Crooked I Spits The Longest Off The Top Of The Dome][12 Minutes]
HardKnock TV reports "Freestyle Crooked I dropped while he was in our studios. Crooked I went on for over 12 Minutes"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
*** (out of four)
Veteran Fall Out Boy fans know that the band wasn't always the (awesomely catchy, vocally fantastic) radio-ready pop-rock band heard on this year's excellent, hiatus-ending "Save Rock and Roll." A decade or so ago they were barreling around the Chicago area—and the rest of the country, building a fanbase—with harder-hitting songs reflecting a shared love of punk.
It's mildly amusing that the double-disc re-issue of "SR&R;" will feature "Pax-Am Days," a new, 8-song collection of '80s-leaning punk tunes that Ryan Adams produced and that FOB steamrolls through in under 14 minutes. Does the band think its least-rocking album needs a sidekick to remind everyone of the early days? You know what? Who cares? "Pax-Am Days" may not necessarily capture the local chart-toppers doing what they do best—I admit a personal and passionate bias here toward the group's hook-driven material (yes, including "Take This to Your Grave"), which obviously isn't what punk's all about—but it contains the authentic forward motion of musicians with versatile abilities.
In fact, the quality of singer Patrick Stump's voice, which theoretically doesn't match pummeling music like this, makes the material more interesting. Highlighted by the playful "Demigods" and the alternately warm and angry "Hot to the Touch, Cold on the Inside," "Pax-Am Days" injects much-needed feeling into a genre that sometimes offers only compressed aggression. "I just want my childhood back," cries Stump on "American Made." "I just want my childhood dead."
Only "Eternal Summer" irritates and makes you wish the short song were over before it actually ends. Several others you wish went on longer--the better to absorb what's working. In other words: It's good to hear FOB continuing to do whatever they feel like and proving that they do it well.
In concert: Nov. 29 at Metro
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.


text:
The Cortland Hurl is the only significant climb on the SF2G Bayway route. According to Strava, it gains 25 meters in 400 meters, an average grade of 6.3%, although the grade is non-uniform. It starts out fairly gradual, then steepens, then gets gradual again towards the top. I like to make a good effort here when I'm feeling good during morning commutes. Typically I'm behind at the top of the steep bit, but I tend to do fairly well on the final gradual portion. If I'm having a good day, depending on who's there and how they're riding, I have a chance to be first to the top.
I've not ridden with a power meter for a year now. I sort of lost interest: I just like riding my bike and I don't care what the power meter data are, so why carry around a heavy, expensive Powertap wheel? Strava gives me a fairly good idea how I'm doing with its segment timings.
However, in addition to speed numbers Strava also produces power estimates. In fact, it will use these estimates for reporting a rider's best effort over different time intervals. I have suggested to them this is a mistake: only power meter numbers should be used for this purpose, since their estimate is unreliable.
Since I had a lot of data for Cortland (28 rides + one I reject because I dropped my keys along the way and had to turn back to fetch them), I figured it would be interesting to compare Strava power to PowerTap power, plotted versus VAM which is considered a decent surrogate for power/mass ratio on climbs. I also compare these with "hand calculations" using the usual power-speed model. Here's the result:
The analytic calculations assume constant speed and constant grade and no net acceleration. Assuming start and finish speed are the same, they are thus a lower bound estimate given the assumptions used. For assumptions, I show three. One is using a "realistic" estimate for total mass and for CdA, the coefficient for wind resistance power. For this one I set my body mass to 57 kg, my bike mass to 8 kg, but then added in 4 kg for equipment and clothing and what I was carrying on my back. I assume a 0.5% coefficient of rolling resistance. CdA was set to 0.5 meters squared. For a second estimate, I eliminated the clothing + equipment mass and reduce CdA to 0.4 meters squared, assuming no back pack. In a final estimate I eliminate all wind resistance.
As can be seen in the plot, the Powertap measurements are almost always more than the Strava estimates. Strava estimates start out fairly well aligned with the zero-equipment-mass ("naked") estimate of power, except for my fastest runs where the Strava estimates become much lower, dropping as low as the zero-wind-resistance estimates. There's a few Strava estimates which are clearly anomalously low.
The Powertap data fall above even my highest analytic power estimate. This is as they should, since as I noted my analytic estimate assumed uniform speed and grade, and thus underestimate wind resistance near the beginning and end of the segment. Wind resistance is superlinear, so underestimates during faster than average portions are of a lower magnitude than overestimates during slower than average portions.
So what do I learn from this? Basically you shouldn't trust Strava power estimates. But if you do care about them, you should make sure clothing + equipment mass is included in bike mass. I had not done this. It all adds up: toolbag, pump, water bottles, clothing, shoes, helmet: you'd probably be surprised at the result if you bundled it all up and put it on a scale.


text:
The Cokeville Miracle MovieFull The Cokeville Miracle For Free with duration 94 Min and broadcast on 2015-06-05 with MPAA rating is 9.
- Original Title : The Cokeville Miracle
- Movie title in your country : The Cokeville Miracle
- Year of movie : 2015
- Genres of movie : History, Drama, Family,
- Status of movie : Released
- Release date of movie : 2015-06-05
- Companies of movie :
- Countries of movie :
- Language of movie : English,
- Durationof movie : 94 Min
- Average vote of movie : 4.2
- Youtube ID of movie : s9eSBw9IX0A
- Translation of movie : EN,EL,NL,
- Actors of movie :
- Nathan Stevens ( David Young )
- Jasen Wade ( Ron Hartley )
- Caitlin E.J. Meyer ( Penny Young )
- Mason D. Davis ( Ben Robbins )
- Joshua Cooper ( John Miller )
The Cokeville Miracle Synopsis:
Play Streaming The Cokeville Miracle On May 9, 1986, a small ranching community in Wyoming experiences a divine intervention when a couple detonates a bomb inside a crowded classroom. Movie The Cokeville Miracle For Free
The Cokeville Miracle Enjoy Movie streaming movie in HD without downloading, Enjoy Movie The Cokeville Miracle Full online movie streaming free and fun The Cokeville Miracle Free Movie Stream only here Today, we can see that hundreds thousands of people looking for free The Cokeville Miracle and watch it on their sweat house with internet connection. Be happy, you can reach hundreds of thousands of satisfied members who became tired of waiting for DVDs in the mail, and now you can watch for free The Cokeville Miracle Film, get some free new movie online free watch and download new movie new releases and the hottest classics on our site. It is fast. It is easy. And best of all, it is free to try
Director : T.C. Christensen, Writer : T.C. Christensen
Yes, now you can Watch Movie The Cokeville Miracle Full Movie Streaming and get the link to The Cokeville Miracle In HD


text:
From RevSpace
- The lounge (Henk seems to enjoy it), shared with other tenants
- https://revspace.nl/cam1/
- The webcam broke, and we haven't got a replacement yet.
- The office, because hacking is serious businesses
- https://revspace.nl/cam3/
- The workshop, the center of activity
- https://revspace.nl/cam4/
Webcam images are recorded and kept for 72 hours.
If you see static, someone's either protecting their privacy by covering the camera, or it's just really dark :).


text:
Full Movie The Cobbler HDDownload The Cobbler Full Movie HD with duration 99 Min and released on 2014-09-25 and MPAA rating is 0.
Original Title : The Cobbler
Movie title in your country : The Cobbler
Year of movie : 2014
Genres of movie : Comedy, Drama, Fantasy,
Status of movie : Post Production
Release date of movie : 2014-09-25
Companies of movie : Voltage Pictures, Next Wednesday Productions,
Countries of movie : United States of America,
Language of movie : English,
Durationof movie : 99 Min
Average vote of movie : 0
Youtube ID of movie :
Translation of movie : EN,PT,DE,RU,
Actors of movie :
- Steve Buscemi ( )
- Adam Sandler ( )
- Dan Stevens ( )
- Dustin Hoffman ( )
The Cobbler Synopsis:
Watch Streaming The Cobbler A lonely NYC shoe repairman (Adam Sandler) discovers a magical heirloom that allows him to "walk in another man's shoes," in this charming fantasy co-starring Dustin Hoffman, Steve Buscemi and Ellen Barkin.
Watch Movie The Cobbler Movie Streaming
! Download free The Cobbler online movie without downloading. You can watch online movie streaming in HD 99 Min length. Watch streaming movies online free trailer below and also watch full length The Cobbler Megavideo streaming movie on HD without investigation. You can watch the film with or without downloading here
Director : Thomas McCarthy,
Yes, now you can Watch Movie The Cobbler Full Movie Streaming and get the link to The Cobbler In HD


text:
In Babe Ruth 10U softball last night at Lions park, 87 Diner picked up a forfeit against Citizen's Community Bank.
In Babe Ruth 10U softball last night at Lions park, 87 Diner picked up a forfeit against Citizen's Community Bank.
Meanwhile, in the nightcap, CARSTAR defeated Infinite Creations by a score of 17-16.
Although the first game was considered a forfeit, they went ahead and played the game with CCB winning over 87 Diner by a score of 18-17.
CCB, dropping to 2-10 on the season, led 87 Diner 6-5 after one and 12-11 after two. Meanwhile, after 87 Diner rallied back with six runs in the top-half of the third to go up 17-12, CCB came back and plated six runs in the bottom-half of the inning for the victory.
Abbie Grizzle, Taylor Simmons, Kathryn Anderson and Daphne Saunders all took the mound for CCB, while Alisa Newbold and Jodie Bass pitched all three innings for 87 Diner.
87 Diner also out-hit CCB 6-4, with Meredith Stumbaugh collecting two singles and Jodie Bass, Kennedy Walker, Alisa Newbold and Makiya West each with one single.
For CCB, Bekah Taylor had two singles while Kathryn Anderson and Cayley Hollon added one single each.
In the nightcap, CARSTAR and Infinite Creations played to a 5-5 tie after the first inning. Meanwhile, after IC plated five runs in the top-half of the second, CARSTAR came back and sent six runs across in the bottom-half of the inning to go up 12-10. But even that was short-lived as IC rallied back again with six runs in its half of the third only to have CARSTAR answer with six in the bottom-half of the inning for the victory.
Krista Monnig picked up the win on the mound for CARSTAR, 5-7 on the season, while Natalie Rentel took the loss for IC, who dropped to 3-9 overall. Monnig pitched the first-two innings and gave up 10 runs on one hit and 12 walks while striking out two. Rentel, meanwhile, pitched one inning in relief of starter Abby Schupp and allowed six runs on eight walks.
CARSTAR also out-hit IC 3-2, with Elizabeth Woolbright, Sarah Miller and Caitlin Jones adding one single each.
For IC, Natalie Rentel homered while Tyra Perry singled.


text:
A Boston man who raped a 14-year-old girl and got her pregnant when he was 20-years-old is now demanding visitation rights for the child he fathered with her.
Fox Boston reports on the legal matter that is quickly setting new precedents in Massachusetts. The family of the child believes that the rapist is only looking for visitation rights since his child support bill has started to roll in.
The teenage victim, who now suffers from anxiety and depression as a result of her attack, is reportedly "terrified" at the thought of the rapist father being granted visitation.
"He threatened me," the young mother said of her rapist. "He told me that he could make my life upside down, and I wouldn't have anybody and he would pin it all on me. So I was scared."
The victim was attacked when she was only 14-years-old and in the eighth grade. She knew her attacker, a 20 year old boyfriend of a friend's older sister, from church. The interaction between her and her rapist is believed to be consensual, although glaringly illegal.
When her mother found out about the horrible attack, she instantly contacted authorities. The teenager decided to keep the child - "Being Christian, the way I looked at it, the way I thought of it, this is a baby, an innocent person that didn't do anything wrong. Like, why should I take away that life?"
In 2009, the man was charged with four counts of statutory rape, and pled guilty to the charges last year. His name is being withheld in order to protect the rights of the victim and her family.
The Norfolk prosecutor asked that the man be punished with three to five years in prison; however, Superior Court Judge Thomas McGuire sentenced the rapist to 16 years of probation under the condition that he acknowledges he is the father of the child, and abides by the probate and family court - which has since ordered him to pay child support.
"He hasn't cared up until now. Why should he now? She's three. She doesn't know who he is," said the teenage victim.
Attorney for the victim's family, Wendy Murphy, said, "Why was this case sent to family court? This isn't a family situation. This is a criminal situation.
"The consequences of sentencing this man to probation for 16 years, which is really until the child becomes an adult, and making him declare paternity and pay child support, includes that this guy gets a legal father-child relationship out of the deal," Murphy said of Judge McGuire's sentence for the man.
Murphy filed a motion looking for the man's child support payments to be changed over to restitution, which would still force him to acknowledge being the father, but wouldn't grant him visitation or other parental rights.
"All this family wants is to cut the cord," Murphy said. "Get the rapist out of their lives. And if the judge wants to help them financially that's great. But let's call it restitution, not child support," Murphy said.
"This was a young girl. Way, way beneath the age of consent," Murphy said. "If the judge thinks this isn't as serious as a stranger rape, and if this is a judge saying to himself, 'I wouldn't have done this if it had been a stranger in a dark alley,' then that's a judge that maybe shouldn't be sitting on criminal cases because we got over that distinction I think 30 years ago."
"What kind of legal system commands a toddler into a relationship with the man who raped her mother?" Murphy asked.


text:
March 14, 2011
HSI's Partners in China Launch Nationwide Campaign Against Canadian Seal Trade
by Peter Li
On March 13, 2011, HSI's Chinese partners jointly announced the start of a nationwide campaign against Canadian seal trade to an audience of more than 300 people. The event held to mark the occasion coincided with the annual session of China's National People's Congress, which had just accepted two legislative proposals to ban Canadian seal product imports. It drew reporters from 14 local and national media outlets, animal advocates from around the country, students from some of China's most prestigious institutions of higher learning (including the Central Conservatory of Music and the Media University), and, most importantly, trade officials directly or indirectly involved in an earlier trade talk related to seal product trade.
Beauty and brutality
HSI was a strong supporter of this event, where Chinese advocates, officials, and celebrities answered questions from the reporters and audience about Canada's brutality to seals, China's role in ending seal slaughter and Chinese consumers' responsibility to stay away from seal products. The highlight was the debut of a musical called "Seals the Precious," written and composed by Zhang Lida, a Central Conservatory of Music professor, along with the reading of an appeal from baby seals to humans, and the soul-stirring performance of the Choir for Life. In particular, HSI's seven-minute video of seals being killed stunned viewers. "There were a lot of wet eyes in the audience," said Zhang Dan, the chair of the event organizing committee.
Spreading the message
Beijing's biggest English-language newspaper, The Global Times, published photos of the event, and more reports on it are expected to appear in the media in the coming days. Advocates in 12 Chinese provinces are ready to take action for seals in 2011. In February, for example, HSI's partner in Xiamen conducted a public education campaign among the city's elementary and secondary schools. A few days earlier, 56 Chinese animal protection groups sent an open letter to Canadian Ambassador to China David Mulroney asking him to urge the Canadian government and sealing industry to drop the idea of dumping cruel products on Chinese consumers. The same letter was faxed to all the Canadian offices in other Chinese cities.
On March 15, the International Day of Action for Seals, an event targeting Beijing's business elite will be held in one of the city's pubs. More events are being planned to reach out to Chinese businesses and importers to convince them to quit selling the products of seals' suffering.
Dr. Peter Li is HSI's China Specialist.
Support our campaign to end commercial seal slaughter
- Sign Up
- Take Action


text:
|LinkBack (1)
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Hoping to Compete on Cost, Stealth-Jet Maker AVIC Teams With Tiny U.S. Firm; Any Bid Likely to Draw Fierce Resistance
BEIJING—The maker of China's new stealth fighter jet has teamed up with a tiny, unprofitable California company to try to launch bids for U.S. defense contracts, possibly including one to supply Chinese helicopters to replace the aging Marine One fleet used by the president, according to people involved in the partnership.
Any Chinese bids for this or another contract under discussion would be certain to meet intense political resistance and would appear to have very little chance of success given mounting U.S. concern about China's military power and long-term strategic goals, and the often-prohibitive opposition in the past to Chinese attempts to enter other strategic U.S. sectors, such as energy and telecommunications.
However, the fact that state-run China Aviation Industry Corp., known as AVIC, is even considering bids for these contracts, which industry insiders expect to be awarded in the next two to three years, reflects the rapid development and lofty ambitions of China's aerospace industry.
AVIC has been in talks for more than a year with California-based U.S. Aerospace Inc. about offering the AC-313—China's largest domestically produced helicopter—as the next generation of Marine One, the people involved in the partnership say.
They say the two companies have also been discussing putting forward AVIC's new L-15 trainer jet as a candidate to replace the U.S. Air Force's fleet of Northrop T-38s, which entered service 50 years ago and on which American fighter pilots learn skills such as how to fly at supersonic speeds.
That contract is expected to be one of the most lucrative military aviation contracts this decade, with the U.S. likely to buy about 400 and other allied countries about 600 more as the jet will become the standard for training pilots to fly the U.S. F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters.
AVIC already supplies civilian aircraft components to U.S. companies, but U.S. officials and lawmakers have expressed concern about U.S. technology being diverted to AVIC's military arm through such cooperation.
Others have questioned the track record of U.S. Aerospace, which is headed by veteran aerospace executive Jim Worsham and is best known for an making an unsuccessful bid last year to enter cargo planes made byAntonov, a state-run Ukrainian company, in a competition to supply the U.S. Air Force with a new aerial tanker. The company, whose shares had traded over the counter, filed Jan. 28 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to deregister its stock. It reported a net loss for the quarter ended Sept. 30 of $11.5 million on revenue of $660,144.
However, U.S. Aerospace believes the idea of procuring defense products from China has support among contacts in the U.S. government and military who want to improve ties with Beijing and help cut defense spending.
U.S. Defense Department officials didn't respond to requests to comment.
After years of supplying China's armed forces, AVIC is now producing both civilian and military aircraft designed to compete in foreign markets, including the U.S. Last year, AVIC unveiled the first life-size mock-up of the C-919 passenger jet, which it is developing with the help of foreign companies as a direct rival to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320.
AVIC is also developing the J-20 stealth fighter, which made its first public test flight last month during a visit to China by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The J-20 appears to be designed to rival the U.S. F-22 Raptor—now the world's only fully operational stealth fighter.
The AC-313, which made its first flight last year, is powered by three engines made by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp., and can seat up to 27 passengers and two crew members. It is designed to compete with the likes of Sikorsky and AgustaWestland in the global market for civilian helicopters.
"It may sound ludicrous but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen," said John Kirkland, a lawyer for U.S. Aerospace who is directly involved in the negotiations and authorized to speak on the company's behalf.
"We want China to supply aircraft to the U.S. because we think it makes economic sense."
Mr. Kirkland said the proposal under discussion was to import the Chinese aircraft as civilian products, without any military equipment, and then fit them with avionics, communications and other sensitive technology in the U.S.
He said that would ensure that the aircraft did not compromise national security, and complied with the Buy American Act.
"Nobody's signed anything, but these are the things we're discussing and we're all hopeful that it goes somewhere," he said.
Two AVIC officials confirmed that AVIC signed a "strategic cooperation" agreement with U.S. Aerospace in September.
The first phase of the partnership was to put together bids to supply aircraft components manufactured in China, said Zhang Wei, executive director of the supply-chain management and procurement division of AVIC International Holdings.
"Later, we can maybe enter the bids for the helicopter and trainer jets," he said. "But this helicopter will be used by the American president, so there may be a lot of difficulties, not only technically, but politically."
Email correspondence seen by The Wall Street Journal also showed that senior AVIC officials had been discussing the Marine One and trainer jet contracts with U.S. Aerospace for about a year, but worried about political opposition. U.S. lawmakers have also resisted big defense contract awards to foreign suppliers, even those with U.S.-incorporated subsidiaries.
Beijing was upset in 2005 when congressional opposition forced state-run Cnooc Ltd. to withdraw its bid to buy Unocal, a U.S. oil firm.
In a Senate hearing last month on the Air Force tanker procurement—which pits Boeing Co. and EADS North America, the U.S.-incorporated unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.—Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.), said it was "absolutely wrong" for a company subsidized by a foreign government to compete for U.S. defense money. "What if this company was owned by China?" she said. "Would we take that into consideration?"
In 2000, the U.S. Army recalled Chinese-made berets after lawmakers raised "buy American" concerns.
However, the Pentagon is now under pressure to upgrade essential military hardware at the same time as it has to cut defense spending by $78 billion over the next five years.
One of its many headaches is the Marine One fleet, which consists of 19 helicopters—11 Sikorsky VH-3Ds that entered service in 1976 and eight smaller Sikorsky VH-60Ns, which were introduced in 1989.
In 2005, the U.S. Navy awarded a contract to supply a replacement— dubbed the V-XX—to a U.S. team led by Lockheed Martin Corp., for delivery between 2009 and 2014.
By 2009, however, the cost of the program had ballooned, and, under political pressure, President Barack Obama canceled the contract and asked the Navy to find a cheaper option.
The Navy says it released a fresh "Request for Information for the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Options" in February 2010 and is now in the "Analysis of Alternatives," or AoA, phase before formal bidding opens.
The Air Force is also in the AoA phase in its search for a replacement for the T-38, which was the world's first supersonic trainer when it entered service in 1961.
The leading contenders are Britain's Hawk 128, Italy's M-346, and the T-50, which was jointly developed by the U.S. and South Korea. China's L-15 made its first flight in 2006, and was displayed for the first time overseas at the Dubai air show in 2009.
China Eyes U.S. Defense Contracts - WSJ.com
My mind is exceptionally quiet.........I'm suspicious that I'm up to something I don't want myself to know about.
LinkBacks (?)
LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.spursreport.com/forums/hardball-politics/107644-china-eyes-u-s-defense-contracts.html
|Posted By
|Abilify recreational dose, Abilify medication children | ZootPatrol.com
|This thread
|Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


text:
What a classic. All their hair was as nature intended which added realism to the vid. Also, the music was appropriate. I'll be watching this again.
Duck76 May 21, 2014
Is that a fake vintage or a real one? looks a bit fake to me but there is definitely style in it. Please tell me if you know when it was made. Many thanks
Decembre Mar 27, 2014
This is a good one. Nothing better than cumming while taking it bare in the ass.
Gwmeldoco Jul 10, 2013
i love hairy bush
gboi11 Jul 06, 2013
omg amazing!!!!
gayguy1069 May 11, 2013
Great clip. Very innocent. Especially loved all the hairy pits and pubes and assholes.
petercluff4 Mar 28, 2013
Love the oldies!
Linolio Mar 27, 2013
Love those old vids
Goldneye Jan 11, 2013
como é o nome desse filme , gostaria de baixar ele inteiro
fernandofz Dec 06, 2012
its a like old movie jejeejej
Alexander Smith Nov 24, 2012
Adore that old Buick Skylark! What a trip down memory lane...they acted as pathetic in porn as on primetime TV!
Chillee Nov 17, 2012
I used to have this movie! All of these guys were fucking hot and I'd do each and every one of them! I love retro and vintage porn!
wolfie49 Nov 17, 2012
hello good day !!!!!!My name is grace, i saw your profile today and became interested in you,please send me an e-mail now in my e-mail address here (gracealiyulove(@)yahoo(.)com), so that i can send you my photos and tell you more about me...Remember the distance or colour and age does not matter but love matters allot in life..Please remember to send me an e-mail in my box (gracealiyulove(@)yahoo(.)com) With love grace
jesophinelove Oct 09, 2012


text:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Cardinals and Deacons: Just for Fun
1) "Cardinals" were originally the diocesan clergy of the diocese of Rome; as such, there were bishops, deacons and presbyters. So, even today, with Cardinals coming from all over the world and not just from Rome, we still have three ranks of Cardinals: Cardinal-Bishops, Cardinal-Priests, and Cardinal-Deacons.
2) This is true, even though the vast majority of Cardinals are actually bishops; their cardinal-rank is different. For example, most Cardinals who serve at the Vatican are bishops by ordination and Cardinal-Bishops by appointment. Most Cardinals who serve as diocesan bishops (like newly-minted Cardinal-designate Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC) are bishops by ordination but Cardinal-Priest by cardinatial rank. And yes, a cardinal can be "promoted" from Cardinal-Deacon to Cardinal-Priest to Cardinal-Bishop (and still remain a bishop by ordination); confused yet? Finally, there are usually seven cardinal-Deacons: bishops who are assigned to the seven diaconal churches of Rome. It is always the senior of these Cardinal-Deacons who has the task of announcing to the world the election and name of the new pope.
Now that we have that out of our system, we can get back to more important matters!
3 comments:
Seems that Cardinal Deacon is a misnomer of sorts. From what I have read, one need not be clergy to have this title bestowed. One can be a highly esteemed theologian and have this honor given to him by the Pope. Is my assertion correct?ReplyDelete
David, you are correct. Ordination is not required. Current canon law states that bishops can be named cardinals; still, the pope can name anyone he chooses. Frequently, the pope will include non-bishops in the mix: FATHER Avery Dulles, for example, or FATHER Yves Congar.ReplyDelete
Theoretically, a lay person could be named cardinal as well, and that would include lay women as well as men. Interesting idea, that: it is often been speculated that a contemporary pope might name a woman as cardinal, but so far, this hasn't happened.
When my daughter was 10, she came upon an article about churches in Rome that mentioned the cardinal-deacons. Knowing that I teach in the diaconal formation program, she was thrilled--and wondered if I might have helped to train any of these important clerics. I explained to her that no matter what their title says, all cardinals nowadays are deacons, as all of our bishops and priests are. Unfortunately, too many of them seem to lose sight of it.ReplyDelete


text:
Management Training
The RHC provides owners and managers with information needed to protect their business from legal, financial, and criminal liability, ensure customer safety, and maintain profitability. Cost is $75.00 per person.
class description
Server/Seller Training Permit
The City of Lincoln provides liquor servers and sellers with training into the skills and knowledge necessary to provide responsible service. Recommended liquor practices and specific training on City of Lincoln liquor laws are included.
class login
On-site Consulting
A team of professionals from the Lincoln area will visit your establishment and provide you with a detailed review of your business practices relating to alcohol service. This visit will help you to take a critical look at your business and your serving practices.
Voluntary Compliance Checks
At your request, the RHC will perform undercover compliance checks at your establishment and provide a written summary for your use in training and rewarding employees. Cost varies.
Last Drink Data
Through a self-reported survey, The Bridge Behavioral Health learns where clients had their last drink before being admitted for detoxification. The RHC then compiles this information, and shares with any businesses mentioned. Business owners/managers are encouraged to take the necessary steps to resolve problems with over-service to customers.


text:
This gadget is coded in Javascript and styled with CSS but I didn't add too much style to it, so that it could fit the colour scheme of your blogger template.
Number of comments: total number of comments to display
Date on which the comment has been published: either display or hide it
Posts on which a comment has been made: you can either hide the post titles or show them
Number of words per comment excerpt: The first "n'' words of the comment will be listed To add the Recent Comment Widget to your Blogger blog is very easy. Just follow the next steps below:
How To Add Recent Comments Widget to Blogger
Step 1. Login to your Blogger Dashboard, select your blog - go to Layout and click the Add a Gadget link
Step 2. From the pop-up window, scroll down and choose the HTML/JavaScript option:
Step 3. Copy and paste the below code in the HTML/JavaScript box:
Recent Comments Widget
Step 4. Obviously, you need to replace http://your-blog-name.blogspot.com/ with your blog address.
Other settings:
- To change the number of comments that are being displayed, replace the "5" value from a_rc=5
- If you want to add the date on which the comment has been made, then change the "false" statement from m_rc=false to "true"
- If you want to hide the post titles, then change the "true" statement from n_rc=true to "false"
- And finally, to show more or less comment characters, change the "100" value from o_rc=100
Step 5. Click Save and you're done.
Hope you'll enjoy it!


text:
The Product
From off-duty separates to borrowed-from-the-boys styling, the latest collection from Cyankart is all about effortless chic.
Dry clean or wash using a mild detergent. Turn inside out before washing and drying. Do not bleach. Do not wring or tumble dry. Flat dry in shade. Use warm iron.
The Philosophy
Every Cyankart product is made-to-order and hand-inspected from corner to corner. With this, we can: ensure high-quality products, remain environmentally conscious by preventing excess waste, and most importantly, offer our employees a livable wage and health benefits. We promise 100% satisfaction.
Shipping & Delivery
This product is eligible for Free Shipping.
All products are dispatched within 1-2 working days and are delivered within 2-5 working days. An email confirmation with shipping information will be sent to the registered email address for tracking the status of your order.


text:
The Beatles tribute show "Rain" is returning to Chicago for a week in June, Broadway in Chicago said Monday. The Broadway production, which involves a lot of "Zelig"-like archival footage mixed with the live performers, will play June 26 through July 1.
This will be the third run in Chicago for the show, fully titled "Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles." This time around it's playing the Oriental Theatre.


text:
Modern Web Apps with Dart at Manoa Innovation Center 2nd floor "Board Room"
October 1, 2012 from 6pm to 7:30pm
Seth Ladd from Google is in town again to give a talk about Dart. This talk will appeal to Web, Java, and Mobile devs. Dart is a class-based, object-oriented language with lexical scoping, closures, and optional static typing. Dart helps you build structured modern web apps and is easy to learn for a wide range of…See More


text:
Rockford Hills
Rockford Hills is a neighborhood in Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V based on real life city, Beverly Hills. The population of Rockford Hills consists of rich people living in large, upscale mansions. One of the three protagonists in GTA V, Michael resides in Rockford Hills.
Known Residents


text:
Everyone loves the old Mercedes-Benz 190, or W201 in Benz parlance. But time waits for no car, and in 1994, a replacement was on the horizon: the C-Class. Will it stand the test of time?
The folks at MotorWeek have praise for the new C280's "sleeker, less upright look" than the 190, what with its "wedgey tail lamps" and everything. They also like its beefy 2.8-liter straight six engine and four-speed autobox, which is aggressively shifted here in proper MotorWeek fashion.
Things get better inside with the easy-to-use cassette deck and deep cupholder, apparently a first for Mercedes. Suck on that, Acura Legend!
MotorWeek Theater is our showcase of some of our favorite classic reviews from public television's finest motoring program. How does this video only have 1,289 views on YouTube? Everyone should "C" how great it is!


text:
Your Custom Song
Choose your music genre and Shoob will custom write the story & lyrics for your custom song.
Choose your music genre and Shoob will custom write the story & lyrics for your custom song.
Your custom song is digitally recorded by the professionals at Shoob Studios where your CD is produced.Read More
Your custom song CD and Lyrics Sheet are professionally created - The perfect gift that will be cherished for a lifetime!Read More
Call or Email Today
We simply ask for information you would want in your new custom written and produced song by Shoob Studios.
More info here
We recently wrote the new upcoming jingle for North Shore Animal League America regarding the introduction of the word MUTTIGREE.
Click here to listen
|Custom songs for every occasion
and budget:
Birth announcements
Music for Video Montages (weddings, engagement parties) Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
|Business services:
On-Hold Messages
Corporate functions
Music for TV commercials and radio spots
Movie Soundtracks
Shoob Studios will create a custom song written and produced by Ray J. Luisi.
Please feel free to view our entire site, listen to our songs and watch our videos.
Thank you so much for stopping by our website. Click here for more info | Click here to contact us today
Click here to see the NEW Muttigree Billboards in New York and Las Vegas or Click on each picture for larger image
Click here for the new song for "BEAST" | Click here for the BEAST Poster from Shoob Studios
At Shoob Studios, It's Easy & Fun to create a Life Time Memory for that Special Someone!!!
We offer a lot of Packages starting as low as $225 and Up. Call us and one of our Shoob Studio in house techs will go over everything with you, and we can even send you more info via email or Snail mail ;) Read More
"Early in my musical career I began to write songs for my family & friends and I'd give them as gifts. I am passionate about crafting lyrics into the perfect, personal story and am delighted by the way my words touch the listener. Shoob Studios gives me the freedom to create happiness for others through custom songwriting, something I am impassioned by. My customers tell me over and over, "This was the perfect gift", "I absolutely love the song you wrote", "Thank you so much, Shoob". I do not write songs because I have to, I write songs because I love to! My desire to create a unique, heart-warming gift for your loved one assures your complete satisfaction."
"Somewhere along the way I realized that I enjoyed writing & performing original songs. My passion for song writing soon led to writing jingles, TV & radio commercials for local businesses and Shoob Studios was born. The talented staff at Shoob Studios has over 100 collective years' experience in music & songwriting. Together, we have written songs in every genre and we never fall short of achieving excellence.
Read More


text:
Dooney & Bourke
Alabama Clutch Wallet
Details https://www.belk.com/p/dooney-bourke-alabama-clutch-wallet/2601060U07AL.html
Additional Information
Show off your spirit on game day and beyond with this must-have wallet! Perfect for carrying all of your essentials in style, it's sure to complement your look while supporting your favorite team.
- 7.25-in. W x 3.75-in. H x 0.75-in. D
- Snap closure
- Exterior: 1 zip pocket
- Interior: 2 bill compartments, 8 credit card slots, ID window, 1 zip pocket
- Gold-tone hardware; self-color stitch trim
- Coated Cotton
- Imported
California Residents
For orders being shipped to California, please click here for Proposition 65 WARNING.
Shipping Details
Shipping Details
Shipping your purchase is easy at belk.com. Depending on your shipping method and the destination of your package, you can expect it to arrive within 4-7 business days Shipping Information.
Return Details
Returns are easy at belk.com. Easy returns
Alabama Clutch Wallet is rated out of 5 by 3.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Dixiemae from Dixie This was a Gift for my daughter she loved it!!!!!!
Date published: 2018-10-04
Rated 5 out of 5 by Classylady55 from Roll Tide Love this wallet! Also have the matching purse! Dooney is the best products ever.
Date published: 2018-07-28
Rated 5 out of 5 by Auburn Daughter from Alabama Bliss Order this Wallet for my mother. She was so happy to receive. I will say that, I'm the favorite daughter this year.
Date published: 2018-06-29
- bvseo_sdk, dw_cartridge, 16.1.0, p_sdk_3.2.0
- CLOUD, getContent, 188ms
- reviews, product


text:
Read labels before purchasing
Wick's World
"Good Lord! This tastes like warm dishwater. It can't be chicken soup," I exclaimed.
Ironically, I had no one to blame but myself. I was the one who made this homemade batch of sodium-free chicken soup. It was my initial attempt at cooking following my drastic lifestyle change that was mainly centered on diet and exercise.
The exercise part was easy. I love to walk. I am a confirmed walker who can exit the front door and return home by way of Mankato. Following the heart issues that landed me in Mayo for nine days, I am now averaging between five and seven miles of daily walking.
Yesterday, aided by temperatures in the low 30s and accompanied by a crisp north wind, I raced around the Cliff Lake Loop, one of my favorite walking spots. Logging the time and mileage with my pedometer, I made notice of the fact that I had knocked a full hour off the completion of the route. For the first time in several years I was even able to jog for a few blocks.
The second aspect of drastic life-changing issues is the diet of low-fat and low-sodium products. The hardest was the elimination of prime rib dinners. No matter how much one trims the fat, there is still an awful lot of red meat going down the gullet.
Being a good German, I faithfully followed Mom's style of cooking, which essentially involved fry, fry and fry some more. In our household the five basic foods consisted of lard, butter, grease, fat and oleomargarine.
Upon discharge from the hospital, I was presented with a post-operative diet which was heavy on fresh fruit and vegetables and low- fat everything. For me, the diet stickler was its low-sodium aspect. This was much more difficult than I imagined possible. I discovered that I am a salt addict. Salt is my heroin. I salted everything, including oatmeal in the morning and popcorn at night. I was certain that "N.O.S.A.L.T." stood for "Now Our Snacks Are Lacking Taste." Virtually salt-free, I find the real flavor of food emerging once rescued from the vitamin-destroying ravages of sodium.
I called my cousin the other day as he had similar heart issues. We compared notes about changing old habits that got us into our current predicaments. I quit smoking 35 years ago and Denny agreed that it had been almost that long since he enjoyed a cancer stick.
"I'm still chewing, though," Denny stated. "Ole Olson gave me a wad of Snus when I was 10 years old and I'm still chewing all day long."
"Denny, that can't be too healthy," I told him. "What does your doctor say?"
"Oh, he used to give me heck, but he finally gave up trying," Denny replied.
I then told him about my low-sodium diet and how I realized I was addicted to salt. When I asked Denny if his doctor had him on a no-salt diet, he replied, "Oh, there was no way I could ever do that. Just ask my kids. I'll open a bag of potato chips and salt the heck out of them."
At that point I realized that I had called the wrong cousin for advice. Perhaps there is such an axiom, denial is the best medicine. For your sake, Denny, I sure hope so.
My wife has been very helpful with my new diet. She rid our pantry from the evils of sodium. By the time the cleansing was over, it looked like Mother Hubbard's cupboard.
An awful lot of sodium is hidden in processed foods, with canned goods representing the worst of the lot. At our Moose Lake home, we found almost twice as much salty food to dispose of. We decided to donate it to the food shelf which led to my newest motto: save your heart, poison the poor. My other new motto is to read food labels before purchasing.


text:
CHARLESTON (AP) — It's a nice fall afternoon and Max the dog looks quite content sunning himself on a grassy spot near his home, or the closest thing to it.
The small pooch, possibly part Australian shepherd, seems calm but keeps a close eye on people nearby. He's OK if you watch him from a distance, but if you get too close, he just gets up and moves to another place.
"He's a smart one," says Joe Evans, owner of Smoky's House BBQ at 300 W. Lincoln Ave., Charleston, where Max has been a fixture for a couple of years. The dog's story is a bit uncertain, but what's clear is that Evans and a handful of other people are making sure he's OK, at least the best he can be.
Evans opened the restaurant about 1½ years ago and said the dog was there then. He looks healthy enough now, but Evans said he was "skin and bones" at the time. The pup has a few different names, depending on whom you ask, but Evans said he named him Max at his brother's suggestion, who said "he looks like a Max."
A few months ago, Evans said, a man came by the restaurant and said Max belonged to him. The man said he stopped at the Lambo's BP gas station next door to the restaurant and the dog jumped out of his car and ran away, and he asked Evans if he'd catch the dog for him.
"I said, 'If he's your dog, why don't you catch him?'" Evans related. He also said the man said he called the dog Rat, which Evans thought was "a terrible name."
So, Max is on his own but has quite a bit of help. Evans said he frequently sleeps along the east side of the restaurant to stay out of the wind or in a fenced-in area in back. There's also a dog house at the south end of the restaurant's parking lot, thanks to Courtney McElwee, who said she saw Max at the restaurant and now brings food to him twice a day during her commutes to and from Charleston and her job in Effingham.
Also, Brenda Price works at the BP station, and she's another one who regularly looks after Max. She and the station's other employees call him "BP" but, like Evans and McElwee, said the dog will greet her and act like he's happy to see her, but never let her get too close.
When she gets to work, she sees the dog "running down Lincoln and he meets me in the parking lot," Price said. She said she feeds the dog everyday, as does one of the station's customers.
"Everyday we have two, three, four people asking about that dog," Price said. "He's like part of the family."
Evans said when he arrives at the restaurant each morning, Max "flies in from somewhere." McElwee said he used to run away from her but now waits, at a distance, when she stops to fill his food and water bowls.
The reason Max is so aloof might be because "whoever had him did a number on him," Evans said, meaning he thinks the dog might have been mistreated.
"Half of me wants to see him get caught and get adopted, but he's not adoptable unless you've got five acres and let him run around," he said.
Max has apparently moved around the part of Charleston near the restaurant. Once, he was caught in a live trap the Coles County animal shelter set for him a few blocks away, but someone let him out and now he won't go back into the traps, shelter Manager Julie Deters said.
"That dog is a street smart dog," she said. "He couldn't have survived this long without knowing something."
Deters thinks it's difficult to guess how Max would be if he is caught, though most stray dogs can eventually become pets, she said. The shelter could take the "extreme measure" of trying to tranquilize him, but he might run into traffic before the drug takes effect or not get caught, making even more leery of people when he wakes up, she said.
"I think he's OK," Deters said.
McElwee, who left the doghouse for Max and said her first thought was to catch him, said she's "really torn" about his situation. She said she worries about any medical conditions that might get worse, but she tries to be realistic about what's best for him.
"He's kind of living like someone's outdoor dog," she said. "If he's caught, he's probably going to be miserable."
Evans' thoughts are much the same. Max is getting enough food that he's picky, eating only some of the food that Evans puts out, but not all of it, for example.
"He's got people who care about him," he said.
Online: http://bit.ly/T1YzKd


text:
While Jinx finishes loading Pow-Pow and Fishbones for her debut on the battlefield, we wanted to share one more glimpse into her chaotic personality.
For Jinx, the fun doesn't end just because she's sleeping. Featuring hexplosive sequences packed with bombs and bullets and her unique take on fun, League of Legends Music: Get Jinxed frees the Loose Cannon to serve up wild hijinks without those pesky Piltover laws getting in the way.
Whether through cinematics, motion comics, log-in screens or music, we're continuing to explore new ways to deliver champion stories. Showcasing a new song inspired by a hedonistic supercriminal and her vivid imagination running wild? Time for a music video.
As always, we can't wait to hear what you think of the new song and video. Let us know, and we'll join you, Jinx, Fishbones and Pow-Pow on the battlefield in an upcoming patch!


text:
Transfer station employee charged
Joanne Marie Wappes, 62, of Cloquet was charged with Theft by Swindle and Theft of Public Funds, both felonies, after she was arrested on September 19.
Wappes was arraigned the following day, and made a second appearance in court on Wednesday, September 25. That appearance was continued until Wednesday, October 9.
The written complaint states:
"On July 10, 2013, the Carlton County Sheriff's Department was made aware of a complaint regarding possible employee theft at the Carlton County Transfer Station with respect to a county employee responsible for charging and collecting fees at the gate. The employee identified as having committed the theft was identified as Joanne Marie Wappes.
"After receiving the complaint of suspicious activity the defendant's supervisor and law enforcement retrieved video surveillance footage of the office where the defendant has worked since 1984. While reviewing the footage investigators observed clearly suspicious behavior that involved the defendant manipulating the cash register and handing out false receipts to customers, and then altering the cash register tape to reflect accurate transactions.
"A detailed and extensive investigation continued that included verification of the defendant's elaborate scheme to manipulate the cash register tape, substituting a correct tape and then resulting in a seemingly accurate tally for each day, even though the actual number of cash paying customers who used the transfer facility was greatly in excess of the actual number of transactions on the legitimate cash register tape.
"Investigators reviewed various days of the surveillance video and, on any given day, at any given hour, the defendant could be observed manipulating the cash register using the method described to steal public funds from Carlton County.
"Investigators continued the investigation into the defendant's finances and, through the use of administrative subpoenas and numerous search warrants, they identified numerous bank accounts owned by the defendant. Investigators also obtained information regarding the defendant's wages from her employment though Carlton County and confirmed that she was depositing great sums of money into various accounts and CDs that greatly exceeded every penny of wages that she had earned from her sole source of income though Carlton County.
"Through the retrieval of financial documentation for numerous years prior to 2013 and including 2012, it became evident that the defendant had assets in the various bank accounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in excess to all of her wages, not even taking into account the cost of living or numerous county paychecks she never even cashed. In just one of the defendant's bank accounts of the many she owned, her largest balance is in excess of $925,000. Although the other bank accounts have substantially less money, investigators were unable to verify any other source of income the defendant had other than her employment through Carlton County at the transfer station.
"Investigators also conducted sting operations, whereby they went to the transfer station and used marked large cash denominations to pay for their loads. Upon examining the bank bag at the end of the day, the bills used by investigators were not accounted for nor deposited into the bank account used by the transfer station.
"To date this year, the defendant had earned approximately $17,500 but has deposited in various accounts in excess of $30,000. For the year 2012, the defendant had earned approximately $28,000 but deposited approximately $45,000 in the various accounts. For the year 2011, wages were slightly more than $31,000, and deposits exceeded $36,000 in the various accounts. In year 2010, deposits were more than $10,000 than the defendant had actually earned all year. As far back as 2007, deposits exceeded the defendant's gross income by $63,000. Additionally, financial information for other years has not yet been retrieved or analyzed but it is clear that for purposes of charging the defendant is alleged to have stolen from Carlton County in excess of the $35,000 required under Minnesota Statutes."
The Theft by Swindle charge carries the maximum sentence of 20 years and/or $100,000 fine.
The Theft of Public Funds charge carries a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.


text:
Your shopping cart is empty!
A Gabbeh a hand-woven pile rug of coarse quality and medium size (90 x 150 cm or larger) characterized by an abstract design that relies upon open fields of color and a playfulness with geometry. This type of rug is popular among the populations of the Zagros Mountains of Iran, including Kurdish, Luri and Qashqai people. The Gabbeh is usually crafted by women.
Gabbeh carpets are much thicker and coarser than other Persian carpets; sometimes it is as much as one inch in depth. In fact, it is more of a variety of kilim than carpet. The word 'Gabbeh' comes from the Persian meaning raw, natural, uncut. This is a rough and primitive carpet.
Gabbeh patterns are of a very basic kind with only a limited number of decorative, mostly rectangular objects resembling mainly animals. In Gabbeh usually bright colors, such as yellow and red, are used. Although large fields of solid color are used in Gabbeh designs, the color is variegated (the color varies throughout the rug).
Gabbehs are made of natural, handspun wool yarn and all the colors are created with natural plant dye. Due to its relative ease of production (less precise pattern, small number of knots per square centimeter, etc.) a Gabbe is one of the less expensive varieties of Persian carpet.


text:
Sally picked up the gnome in frustration:
'Well, guess what?! We're not on vacation!
And I have a right mind to welt you again,
On the other side of that there noggin, and then--'
'Patience, my dear, patience,' Gurtrude budded in,
Gently taking the gnome from Sally with a grin,
Then proceeded to squeeze him some more,
And shook him frantically to the core:
'I-I-I-I w-w-w-would,' TG managed to get out.
Having made him speak, Gurtrude stopped and didn't shout,
'But I need yo' help--
Please don't shout, please don't yelp--
Fo' I think if we worked togethe',
We can figu'e out whethe',
My ship is over the'e,
Or pe'haps the'e, that's whe'e,
Or maybe the'e--yes, it's the same direction,
But fu'the' out, a much fa'the' projection.
The point is, I'm sure we can figu'e it out,
But we have to work togethe'--not scream and shout--
I have to count on you, as you count on me.
Fo' as Sally said, we're in the same boat, you see.'
'The gnome's right,' I concluded,
'No sense in sitting around feeling brooded,
We have to think of a way,
Hopefully before the end of the day,
Of finding out where TG's ship is parked--'
When suddenly, in my mind, an idea was sparked,
'Say, Mr. Gnome, but didn't you say,
That in your mind, there to stay,
Is the identity of your kidnapper, you know--
Namely, the carny we met a moment ago--
Well, if this is true, as you say,
Then that carny knows--he just may--
That is, where your ship is parked--
He must, of course, for it is marked,
Right in his memory of snatching you,
For if what you say is true,
He must remember where you were,
When he snatched you up, even in a blur,
And he must remember how he got back:
For those memories mark out our track.'
'Are you suggesting,' Bill piped in,
'That we just need to ask where he's been?
Where the carny was lurking about?
When, during a break, he found you out?'
Bill pointed to TG, and looked at him,
'Well, I suppose,' said the gnome looking grim,
'That could be a cou'se of action,
Thew I doubt it will bring much satisfaction.
I doubt he'd tell us even if we begged,
Fo' I think I have him fai'ly well pegged:
I predict he'll ask for a few bucks more,
Before he divulges information galore.'
'And I got no more bucks,' said Sir Marsian,
'Spent all 9 on a game that was fun,
Out of my pocket, they were drawn,
And now they're all but gone.'
'Enough wiz ze speculation!'
Gurtrude explained with elation,
'Vy don't ve just go and ask?
Is zat such a hard task?
If he vishes to charge us money,
Ve vill simply say: "Look honey,
Ve ain't got no more cash,
Ve spent the last of our private stash."
Und zen zat vill be it,
Ve vill just have to sit,
Back at square one, wouldn't you agree?
Nossing gained, nossing lost, you see.'
'Gurtrude's right,' I concluded,
'Let's go ask the carny to whom I alluded,
And get a simple yay or nay,
And that will be the end of the day.'
And so at the drop of a hat,
We did just that--
We went and asked that carny,
Trying our best to be blarney.
But just as TG predicted,
From his stand, we were evicted,
For he did ask for more money,
And we did say 'Look honey...'
But it was in vain,
For it was such a pain,
To get information out of him;
It sure didn't come at a whim.
Can you believe how much he wanted?
The hole in my wallet would leave me haunted!
Twenty bucks is what he asked for,
I had twenty cents, but no more.
In fact, even all together,
Despite the breezy weather,
We had diddly squat--
A wealthy bunch, we were not.
So we walked away,
And then by a clown did stay,
We all sat in the lotus position,
In a circle on the ground--as though fishin',
Though without rods, or any bate--
No, instead we sat in a circle and did wait--
We waiting for another great idea--
An idea by which we could say 'see ya,'
To Saturn and leave this place,
For the first idea was a disgrace--
The idea, that is, of asking the carny--
Even though we used so much blarney!
But it was a disgrace, a failure,
Despite that we put into it much valor,
But we just didn't have the money,
And could do nothing but retreat like a bunny,
So that plan failed,
And from it we were derailed.
But here in a circle, we were sitting,
On dirty grounds--not so comforting--
But sitting nonetheless in thought,
As meticulously as a robot,
Like searching an encyclopedia,
Searching for the next best idea,
About how to get ourselves off Saturn,
And then suddenly, our ears did burn,
For a loud sound blasted from some speakers,
And then I saw: it was from a man in sneakers!
'Step right up! Step right up!'
Said the man, our thoughts he did interrupt,
'Come all ye who dare to venture,
For I reveal my secret clincher:
I reveal... "The Time Machine,"
Polished up and squeaky clean.
For once you step inside,
You're going for a wild ride.
It spins you 'round and 'round,
Where you'll stop, you won't be found,
For once you reach 88 miles per hour,
You'll disappear, plucked like a flower,
Plucked from here, that is to say,
Plucked from now, from this very day,
For you will no longer be here,
Not in this place, not in this year,
For a reason is it called "The Time Machine,"
Running on fiery coal and steam,
For at 88 miles per hour,
The spacetime continuum will devour,
Both you and your friends,
And send you around the bends,
The bends of time, that is,
For that's how it works in this biz,
The biz of time travel, I mean,
For you may be sent back to 1919,
If that is your choice,
But you do have a voice,
So use that voice to let me know,
To what year you wish to go,
Just give me the time and date,
And I'll make sure you're not late.'
'Vell,' Gurtrude said, 'Zat vaz rude;
Interruptions put me in a bad mood;
But now zat it is over, let's resume,
Solving ze problem zat over us does loom.'
'Now, wait a minute, Gurtrude,'
I said, 'the problem to which you allude,
May just be solved by that very interruption,
For if we assume no corruption,
Within that man's words--
That is, if like the birds--
He really can fly us back in time,
And he can stop us right on a dime,
At exactly the minute we choose,
Then certainly, we can't lose--
For you see, all we have to do,
Is travel back a day or two,
And then go back to the carny's stand,
And wait--which may be boring and bland--
For it won't be exciting or a thrill--
But we wait--we wait and wait--until...
The moment is at hand--
That is, when he leaves his stand--
And that's when we have to be clever,
For we must follow him to wherever--
Wherever it was that he went,
Wherever it was that he smelt your sent,
Mr. Gnome, where he knocked you out,
And snatched you up, the obnoxious lout.
For if what you say is true--
Like one and one being two--
Then wherever the carny leads us,
Your ship is parked, like a bus.'
'My wo'd, young chap,' TG said,
'That's brilliant, yew sma'ty head,
Fo' you've even got it spot on,
It was about tew days o' one,
When I, as a one man crew,
Flew in from yande' blue,
And landed in a dark and shady place--
From which I'm still distraught--look at my face!!!'
'Exactly!', I exclaimed, 'A day or two!
For all we need to do,
Is hop aboard that "Time Machine",
And force time to wean--
Stop time, that is, from moving forward,
And the past, force us to move toward,
And stop at that specific time,
Right before the carny committed his crime.'
'I must admit, Hubert darling,'
Gurtruded replied, sounding charming,
'Zat your plan is wors considering;
Let's follow it instead of bickering.'
So we did--consider it, that is to say,
Not bicker over it, not on this day,
And all our considerations lasted a second,
For just doing it now was right, as Gurtrude reckoned.
We stepped right up to the Time Machine,
Just as the carny told us to, I mean,
And after waiting half an hour in line,
After listening to several kids wine,
About being hot, or bored, or sick,
Or the awful taste of a lollipop they did lick,
It was our turn to climb aboard,
Finally!--Thank the Lord!
'Howdie strangers, Fred's the name,
And travellin' through time's my game,'
Said the time travelling carny named Fred,
His neck, from the sun, burnt red,
'So what time,' Fred asked,
'Is it my privileged task,
To send you guys back to,
1800 perhaps, or maybe 1992?'
'No sir, my friend,' I did reply,
'We want to go back to a time very nigh,
Retrospectively, that is to say,
That is, two, or even just one day.'
'Back in time a couple days?
That I can do, without even a haze,
That is, without a mental blur,
For you'll know when you're there for sure.
For I have perfected my technology,
I've surpassed even Einstein's psychology,
That is, his intelligence,
For I'm smarter than him, hence:
The Time Machine, my latest invention,
Polished up with a shiny complexion,
For Einstein could never have thought,
Of what, to the world, I have brought.
Einstein knew that time could bend,
Stretch, compress, and rend,
But was it possible? Time travel?
He knew that the future could unravel,
For time can be sped up, he knew,
From one o'clock to a quarter to two,
You can get in a matter of seconds,
That's right, seconds, not minutes, as I reckons.
For to get from one to two,
Takes a full hour, it's true,
But what Einstein figured out,
Is that, without a doubt,
The faster you go, the faster time goes too,
It speeds up, like a bullet out of the blue,
So if you go fast enough, then even you,
In only seconds, can get to a quarter to two.
But that's not the question,
For if I may make a suggestion,
I'd say that travel to the past,
Is finally possible, at last.
Thanks to my latest invention, I say,
For it is the leading proof today,
That I figured out what Einstein could not,
Though a genius he was in thought:
How to travel to the past,
How to make a single day last,
If one were only to repeat it,
Over and over--who could beat it?
Who could top my invention, that is,
For a leader am I in this time travel biz,
Surpassing Einstein and Steven Hawking,
Even the invention of the nylon stocking!'
'Well,' I said with a dose of skepticism,
'I know physics, Einstein and Time-Travelism.
And what you say defies all logic,
In fact, it sounds like magic,
For there was a reason Einstein did doubt,
That which you praise and shout,
For if the faster you go,
The more time goes not so slow,
Then how is it possible, good sir,
To reverse time in a blur?
For even when standing still,
Time moves forward, if you will.'
'Not at 88 miles per hour,' Fred replied,
'For this is my secret, what I have spied,
For under a microscope did I view time,
And what did I discover, friends of mine?
An infinitesimal hole, a rip in time,
Too small to see with your eyes or mine,
But it's there, my friends, trust me;
Without a microscope, your notice will it flee,
And if you accelerate past it--
88 miles per hour that is--even a bit--
Say, for example, from 87 to 89,
Being careful not to get a speeding fine,
You'll skip right over it,
Like a pot hole that on the road does sit,
But if you stop precisely on that spot,
Staying at 88 miles per hour and budging not,
Then my friends, the magic will happen,
For you'll find, even if rappin',
Along with your favorite hip hop tune,
That very quickly, very soon,
Time will reverse, time will go back--
That's the point at which time does lack--
That is, doesn't exist, the rip I spoke of,
The hole so infinitesimal, fleeting like a dove.
But trust me my friends,
Once around the bends,
Does my invention take you,
Round and round 'till you turn blue,
You will hit 88 miles per hour,
And that's when it will devour,
You and everyone else aboard,
Like a heavy eater who does hoard,
All the food at the buffet,
Except that on this day,
You're the buffet and time is the eater,
Don't resist, for you can't beat 'er.
Just let the rip suck you in,
And you'll go where you've already been--
Some time before, that is,
For that's the way in this time travelin' biz.'
'Oh, what are we waiting for,' Sally urged,
'On one carny we've already splurged,
Why not on this one too?
Let's travel back a day or two!'
'Splurge indeed we did,' Bill inserted,
'On that carny with which we flirted,
But with what are we going splurge now,
For if this is a free ride, I'll say WOW!'
'Free? Are you kidding?' said the carny,
'If this ride's free, then my names Barney,
And since it's not, then by Modus Tollens,
We can conclude this ride would've been stolens.
That is, you will have ripped me off,
Gettin' a free ride without having did cough--
Cough up the cash, that is,
To earn a seat on this ride--like, gee whiz!'
'Well, we certainly don't want to rip you off,'
I said, clearing my throat with a cough,
'But we've got nothing to our name,
We've got neither fortune nor fame.
But maybe we can make an arrangement--
Something to commence this engagement--
This engagement of time travel, I mean;
Let's work out something like a team.'
An awkward silence followed that point,
Making me wish we could escape the joint,
For none of us could think of an arrangement,
To commence, like I said, this engagement.
I thought, Sally thought, and we all thought,
Even the carny thought... we thought a lot.
But none of us could think of anything,
No ideas to the table could we bring.
'Oh, fiddle-dee-bugs!' TG did exclaim,
'To give this up would be such a shame--
This comb, I mean, so exquisite,
But maybe I could part with it.'
'Well,' Fred the carny did reply,
'Allow me to inspect it with my eye,
For if it's exquisite as you say,
I may consider it your due pay.'
So TG handed over the comb,
Looking rather sad for a gnome,
And indeed Fred inspected it,
While in his chair he did sit.
'It's not so exquisite, friends of mine,
...it's absolutely and utterly divine!
Where did you get such a fine gem,
Are there more? Where can I get them?'
'I got it from my mom,' Sir Martian said,
'Works quite well with the hair on my head;
I think she got it at Wall Mart,
You can try there for a start.'
'Indeed I may,' Fred did say,
'But this comb will suffice for today.
You may hop aboard this ride--
Don't be shy--step inside!'
So step inside we did,
To see what secrets it hid;
It was like a flying saucer,
Round on all sides of 'er,
But flat on top and bottom;
Colored like the leaves of Autumn,
It was splashed from head to toe,
With red, orange, and yellow.
The inside wasn't much different,
Inside The Time Machine, where we went,
For there too was a mix of colors,
Red, orange, yellow, and many others.
Against the walls, round like a ring,
Were straps which, onto us, would cling,
For it was clear from the looks of it,
That that's where we were to sit.
Well, not sit--we'd have to stand,
We'd lean back against the wall and,
Buckle our seat belts, strap ourselves in,
And soon after, we started to spin.
It was rather slow at first,
Which would make this ride the worst,
If that's the fastest it ever got,
But was it the fastest? I think not.
For we could feel the acceleration,
And I could see the anticipation,
In the kids' eyes--that is, other riders--
Anticipation and fear--like they'd seen spiders;
But it's a fun kind of fear,
The kind that makes you scream and cheer,
The kind that feels more like a rush,
Like holding someone on whom you have a crush,
While watching a scary movie on a date--
That's something you can't really hate--
For when the show's over at a quarter to ten,
You kiss her goodbye and say 'Let's do it again.'
Indeed the ride sped up,
With his hands, Sir Marsian formed a cup,
And with them, covered his face,
Wishing he could get out of this place,
TG too, sitting in Sir Martian's back pack,
For it felt rather squishy to be in that sack,
Not only pressed up against the wall,
But squished by Sir Martian and all.
But most everyone else was having fun,
I certainly wasn't the only one,
But soon the ride got intense,
And it kept me in suspense,
For I knew we were going fast,
But how much longer would this ride last,
Before 88 miles per hour was reached,
For I couldn't tell which speeds we'd breached,
What speed were we at? What mile per hour?
We must have used up enough power,
To be going at least 44,
And probably a little bit more.
For I could feel the inertia on my back,
And my vision almost went black,
From the blood rushing from my head,
I thought I might pass out, as if dead.
But the deafening screams from the other kids,
Kept me awake, from closing my eye lids.
A couple looked ill, and one barfed,
Cotton candy which he previously snarfed.
And soon it happened, at least I thought,
For in some strange vortex were we caught--
A swirl in space, I mean to say,
As if space and time gave way,
To some kind of warping,
A kind of bending and forking,
For things seemed to twist and stretch,
Like the soul of a horrible wretch,
People's faces seemed long and thin,
I couldn't tell a frown from a grin,
The whole room was like a hall of mirrors,
The kind that distort your mouth, nose, and ears.
And just as I no longer recognized the place,
Just as I couldn't make out a single face,
Just as I thought I was going crazy,
The ride started to become lazy--
That is, it began to slow down,
And I slowly came back from crazy town,
I slowly regained my senses,
And began to let down my defenses,
For I started to feel relaxed,
Our speed no longer waxed,
It now began to wane,
And soon, so did my pain.
The room was still spinning,
And my ears started ringing,
When the ride finally stopped,
And off it, we could have hopped,
Except I just couldn't tell,
At least, not very well,
Whether the spinning was the ride,
Or my dizzy head--so I sighed.
But then the door did open--
A sight for which I was hopin'--
And in poked a familiar head--
The one belonging to Fred.
'Two days ago!' he said to the crowd,
'That's us!' Sally said out loud,
'Let's get off, gang,
Let's not stay here and hang!'
We unbuckled ourselves, we did,
And tried to stand like a 1 year old kid,
Wobbling a bit and almost falling,
But ardently following Fred's calling.
Before we stepped off, I looked back,
Into the room almost pitch black,
And I noticed no one else getting off,
To which I almost did scoff.
'What? Did y'all pay for two rides?'
I questioned the people on all sides,
'Na,' said an old woman near the door,
'We're just going back to 1934.'


text:
BiKASE Beetle 6
This item is currently not available.
The Beetle 6 is a larger version of the BiKASE Beetle that has been stretched to accommodate the iPhone 6/6S Plus and other large mobile phones. Storage space underneath phone compartment for energy bar, wallet, keys, or tools. Mounts securely to the top tube using Velcro straps and shock cord around stem.
- Pocket fits iPhone 6/6S Plus and other larger smart phones
- Clear cover allows device visibility and operation
- Mounts to top tube or stem
- 2 multi positional straps & shock cord for mounting
- Internal lastic stiffener and anti-slip fabric bottom
- dual zippers
- 8" x 4" x 2"
Read 1 ReviewsWrite a Review
Reviewed by 1 customers
Sort by
I use this to store my phone, and handy compartment underneath for my wallet, keys and energy bar!


text:
Media jobs in Fiji
Browse through our Media jobs in Fiji
Below is a selection of jobs Media jobs in Fiji. If you are an Media based in the Fiji you can register here to create your own profile and to set up job alerts for any Media jobs we have posted on the site.
Currently we don't have any Media jobs listed in Fiji.
Set a job alert and we'll let you know when we have one.


text:
Google e-book venture to level the playing field
When Google finally unveils its e-book venture - reportedly sometime this month - it will be a day Michael Tucker has long been waiting for.
"It puts us on a level playing field with Amazon and Apple," said Tucker, co-founder and CEO of Bay Area independent bookseller Books Inc. "We'll now have the ability to sell competitively, on selection, price and convenience."
As president of the independent American Booksellers Association, Tucker has been working with Google on its Google Editions initiative for the past two years. Earlier reports estimated 400,000 Google e-books will be available at launch, all of them available via independent booksellers' websites.
That doesn't include the trove of university library books scanned by Google that are still subject to a court signing off on an agreement to put them online.
Reaching out: The independent booksellers' sites will be coordinated under the umbrella of the association's IndieCommerce e-commerce platform ( www.indiecommerce.com).
Besides Books Inc., which has 10 stores, approximately 250 independent booksellers nationwide have signed up with IndieCommerce, including such Bay Area stores as Kepler's, Book Passage, Green Apple, Pendragon and Diesel. Tucker said the association will assist smaller independents that don't have their own sites to set one up and become part of the program.
"We want to bring the Bird & Becketts in," said Tucker, referring to a small independent store in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood (which I happen to frequent).
Given that the small independents have enough to worry about - notably survival - ease of passage is at a premium. "The ABA supplies the templates, regular content and the search engine," said Hut Landon, executive director of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. "Stores can also design the site to suit their own needs."
In the cloud: Still under a nondisclosure agreement, Tucker wasn't at liberty to provide details of the major publishers Google has lined up, nor the specific agreements with participating booksellers. He did confirm that contracts covering such matters as revenue splits, fixed pricing (set by publishers), and the collection of sales taxes had gone out to participating booksellers.
"ABA/IndieCommerce will be the 'agent' for the independent bookstore sellers and will assume the liability if stores don't comply with the rules," Landon said.
Unlike on Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, or Apple's iBook platform, a Google Editions buyer's "online bookshelf" will remain in the "cloud" (i.e., Google's servers). But they will be readable on every e-book-enabled device, including PCs, tablets and smart phones - with the exception of the Kindle.
"We're not going to make a living from e-books," Tucker said. "But at least we can offer e-books to customers who want them, rather than having them go somewhere else."
More on Google Editions at sfgate.com/ZKRM.
Ways to go: The results of UC Davis' latest survey of California's female business leaders are as "disappointing," in the survey's words, as previous ones.
Among its findings:
-- Women hold just 9.5 percent of board seats and highest-paid executive positions in the 400 largest publicly held corporations with headquarters in the state.
-- More than 35 percent of the 400 companies have no women among their directors and highest-paid executives.
-- Sixteen (4 percent) of the companies have a female CEO, one more than in 2009.
"It's clear that women continue to be an untapped resource," says the survey, stating the obvious.
Details of the survey and links to previous ones at www.gsm.ucdavis.edu/census.
Mistresses of the universe: Now let us turn to pay.
According to Fortune magazine's "most powerful women" report in October, the two highest women in business in 2010 are from the Bay Area: Yahoo President and CEO Carol Bartz ($47.2 million; ranked 10th in Fortune's "most powerful women in business"), and Safra Catz, co-president of Oracle ($36.4 million). (sfgate.com/ZKRN)
Not bad, you say.
Ah, but compared with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's $68.6 million, or Ray Irani, CEO of Southern California's Occidental Petroleum, with $52.2 million, according to the Wall Street Journal's survey of 456 of the biggest U.S. public companies?
At least the ladies made more than John Hammergren, CEO of San Francisco's McKesson, who weighed in with a paltry $24.5 million. (sfgate.com/ZKRO)
Dark horse: So, which Bay Area luminary is Fortune's "businessperson of the year?" Not Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, who had to be content to be in the top 10. And, no, not Carol Bartz. (The only female exec in the top 10 is DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman.)
The winner - straight out of Los Gatos, with a modest 2009 compensation package of $2.75 million - is Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix. (sfgate.com/ZKRP)