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Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.
But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian's singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.
Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.
Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana's deepest fears turn to reality.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey's secrets and explores her own dark desires.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
This bundle includes the following novels:
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: When college student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly Ana realizes she wants this man, and Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian's secrets and explores her own desires.
FIFTY SHADES DARKER: Daunted by Christian's dark secrets and singular tastes, Ana has broken off their relationship to start a new career. But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and while Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Ana is forced to make the most important decision of her life.
FIFTY SHADES FREED: Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to turn Ana's deepest fears into reality.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
In Christian's own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the world.
Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty—until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him—past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian's cold, wounded heart.
Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?
This book is intended for mature audiences.
Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction...my every desire...mine.
My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We'd never work. It was too hard, too painful...except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity.
We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...
Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness...
He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily...
Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds...and desires.
The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart...
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis's apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
Gideon calls me his angel, but he's the miracle in my life. My gorgeous, wounded warrior, so determined to slay my demons while refusing to face his own.
The vows we'd exchanged should have bound us tighter than blood and flesh. Instead they opened old wounds, exposed pain and insecurities, and lured bitter enemies out of the shadows. I felt him slipping from my grasp, my greatest fears becoming my reality, my love tested in ways I wasn't sure I was strong enough to bear.
At the brightest time in our lives, the darkness of his past encroached and threatened everything we'd worked so hard for. We faced a terrible choice: the familiar safety of the lives we'd had before each other or the fight for a future that suddenly seemed an impossible and hopeless dream...
From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn't resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside—so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.
No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I'd been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.
Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession...
Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.
Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.
In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.
Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it's time to see the story through Travis's eyes.
Despite Blake Landon's controlling ways, the young and wealthy hacker finally won the trust of the woman he loves. Internet entrepreneur Erica Hathaway broke down the walls that kept her from opening her heart and her business to Blake.
Ready to start this new chapter in her life, Erica is determined not to let anything come between them, even if that means giving Blake back some of the control he craves in and out of the bedroom.
But when demons from her past threaten their future, Erica makes a decision that could change their lives forever.
They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he's pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn't have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?
Erica has given Blake her trust and her love, determined that they will conquer any challenges together. But when he demands more and tests the boundaries of her commitment, she is forced to face the dark desires he's kept hidden.
As their bonds grow tighter, their enemies close in. With Erica's start-up in danger, Blake's frustration grows as he tries to protect her from those who would ruin her only to get to him. Can their relationship survive when Blake's enemies cross the line and threaten more than her livelihood?
Determined to overcome a difficult past, Erica Hathaway learns early on how to make it on her own. Days after her college graduation she finds herself face to face with a panel of investors who will make or break her fledgling startup. The only thing she didn't prepare for was going weak in the knees over an arrogant and gorgeous investor who's seemingly determined to derail her presentation.
Billionaire and rumored hacker Blake Landon has already made his fortune in software, and he's used to getting what he wants with very little resistance. Captivated by Erica's drive and unassuming beauty, he's wanted nothing more since she stepped into his boardroom. Determined to win her over, he breaks down her defenses and fights for her trust, even if that means sacrificing a level of control he's grown accustomed to.
But when Blake uncovers a dark secret from Erica's past, he threatens not just her trust, but the life she's fought so hard to create.
Erica has never been more ready to say I do. On the verge of making the ultimate commitment, she uncovers an unsettling chapter of Blake's history. As she makes peace with her own past and the family who left her behind, she presses Blake to tear down the last walls between them. Determined to know the man he once was, she opens a door to a world beyond her wildest imagination-a world that has her questioning the limits of her own desires.
As danger lurks and dark secrets come to light, will the past destroy their promise of forever?
Book 3 in the bestselling This Man trilogy
The Manor, the very place where their passionate love affair began, fills with guests on what should be the happiest day of Ava and Jesse's lives. She has accepted that she'll never tame the fierceness in Jesse-and she doesn't want to. Their love is profound, their connection powerful, but just when she thinks that she's finally gotten beneath his guarded exterior, more questions arise, leading Ava to believe that Jesse Ward may not be the man she thinks he is. He knows too well how to take her to a place beyond ecstasy . . . but will he also drive her to the brink of despair? It's time for this man to confess.
Jesse Ward drowned her with his intensity and blindsided her with his passion, but he kept her away from his dark secrets and broken soul. Leaving him was the only way Ava O'Shea could survive. She should have known that Jesse Ward is impossible to escape--and now he's back in her life, determined to remind her of the sensual pleasures they had shared. Ava is equally determined to get at the truth beneath this man's steely exterior. That means letting herself get close to the Lord of the Manor once more. And it's exactly where Jesse wants her--within touching distance...
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office
As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.
Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.
For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.
Damien Stark's need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.
I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.
But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.
NOTE: This edition includes an excerpt from J. Kenner's Say My Name.
Claim Me is intended for mature audiences.
The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives, from the author of Into the Water.
"Nothing is more addicting than The Girl on the Train."—Vanity Fair
"The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . [It] is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership."—The New York Times
"Marries movie noir with novelistic trickery. . . hang on tight. You'll be surprised by what horrors lurk around the bend."—USA Today
"Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn pages."—The Boston Globe
"Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller."—People
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life--as she sees it--is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can't. And the damage is done. She's hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there's a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more-until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he's right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she'd long buried . . .
Levi can't believe he's living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple "sorry" won't suffice-not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie's better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she's so close, Pixie's heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear-he can't live without her.
"By turns humorous and heartbreaking, Best Kind Of Broken has become one of my favorites!" --- CORA CARMACK, New York Times bestselling author
Days after their wedding, Blake and Erica Landon embark on their honeymoon-a journey that deepens their bond and promises to fade the scars of their past.
Just when their troubles seem safely behind them, scandal surrounding would-be Governor Daniel Fitzgerald's election threatens their newfound peace. Back home, Blake finds himself at the center of the controversy, haunted by the transgressions of his hacker past that he has no wish to relive.
With Blake's freedom at stake and their future in peril, Erica will stop at nothing to clear his name. But when Blake defies the authorities and refuses to seek the truth, their world gradually begins to crumble. Will he let his past win? Or can Erica convince him that their life together is worth fighting for-now more than ever...
The Hacker series:
New Adult Romance
This new edition includes exclusive bonus material - an all-new full chapter from Andrew's point of view during a crucial scene!
Sometimes life takes you off course . . .
Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.
Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?
(120,000 words)
Our desire runs deep. But our secrets cut close.
Beautiful, strong, and commanding, Damien Stark fills a void in me that no other man can touch. His fierce cravings push me beyond the brink of bliss—and unleash a wild passion that utterly consumes us both.
Yet beneath his need for dominance, he carries the wounds of a painful past. Haunted by a legacy of dark secrets and broken trust, he seeks release in our shared ecstasy, the heat between us burning stronger each day.
Our attraction is undeniable, our obsession inevitable. Yet not even Damien can run from his ghosts, or shield us from the dangers yet to come.
BONUS: This edition includes excerpts from J. Kenner's Wanted and Say My Name.
Praise for Complete Me
"The conclusion of the Stark trilogy features the intense, all-consuming passion that readers have come to expect from Kenner's sensual prose and a tense, brooding narrative. . . . The revelations come fast, heightening the emotions of the series' conclusion, reaching a fever pitch."—RT Book Reviews (four stars)
"The roller coaster events of Complete Me give this novel a page-turning quality. . . . Immensely satisfying."—Heroes and Heartbreakers
"Complete Me is a perfect ending to the [Stark] trilogy. . . . You won't be disappointed."—Fresh Fiction
Complete Me is intended for mature audiences.
Named one of "The 10 Best Romance Novels to Read if You Love Fifty Shades of Grey" by Today.com!
Named one of "The 20 Best Romance Novels of All Time, According to Dedicated Readers" by Good Housekeeping!
Young interior designer Ava O'Shea has no idea what awaits her at the Manor. A run-of-the-mill consultation with a stodgy country gent seems likely, but what Ava finds instead is Jesse Ward--a devastatingly handsome, utterly confident, pleasure-seeking playboy who knows no boundaries. Ava doesn't want to be attracted to this man, and yet she can't control the overwhelming desire that he stirs in her. She knows that her heart will never survive him and her instinct is telling her to run, but Jesse is not willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.
With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.
Goodreads Best Historical Novel of the Year • People's Choice Favorite Fiction Winner • #1 Indie Next Selection • A Buzzfeed and The Week Best Book of the Year
Praise for The Nightingale:
"Haunting, action-packed, and compelling." —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Absolutely riveting!...Read this book." —Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, Director of the University of Miami Holocaust Teacher Institute
"Beautifully written and richly evocative." —Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A hauntingly rich WWII novel about courage, brutality, love, survival—and the essence of what makes us human." —Family Circle
"A heart-pounding story." —USA Today
"An enormous story. Richly satisfying. I loved it." —Anne Rice
"A respectful and absorbing page-turner." —Kirkus Reviews
"Tender, compelling...a satisfying slice of life in Nazi-occupied France." —Jewish Book Council
"Expect to devour The Nightingale in as few sittings as possible; the high-stakes plot and lovable characters won't allow any rest until all of their fates are known." —Shelf Awareness
"I loved The Nightingale." —Lisa See, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Powerful...an unforgettable portrait of love and war." —People
A charming British playboy. A girl determined to finally live. And a secret liaison revealed in all too vivid color.
Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon's moved to New York City and is looking for excitement and passion without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night's fun. But the manner—and speed—with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.
The whole city knows that Max Stella loves women, not that he's ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it's not until Sara—and the wild photos she lets him take of her—that he starts wondering if there's someone for him outside of the bedroom.
Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.
After being caught in the middle of a love triangle that led to a devastating betrayal, Kiera pledged to learn from the mistakes she'd made. She was determined to never again inflict that kind of pain on anyone, especially the soulful, talented man who held her heart. But life offers new challenges for every relationship, and when Kiera's love is put to the ultimate test, will it survive? Love is easy…trust is hard.
When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel's grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend's little sister. Except she's not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.
Gabe has starred in Mia's fantasies more than once. So what if he's fourteen years older? Mia knows he's way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She's an adult now, and there's no reason not to act on her most secret desires.
As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there's a lot she doesn't know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.
Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions…
The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn't just dead. He never really existed.
Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning...
*Booklist (starred review)
Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out—with a tough-as-nails exterior and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He's surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except, apparently, Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro…
The former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is now where she wants to be—except for in her love life. Her only interaction with the opposite sex has been sparring with the infuriating Ryder, who always seems to get under her skin. Still, no one can deny the electricity that crackles between them…a spark that ignited with a New Year's Eve kiss.
While the inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope's experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome—and embarrassing—appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs Ryder's emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him…
Don't miss the other books in the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy
The Next Always
The Last Boyfriend
Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn't want--and the only person she's never tried to please. She isn't afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won't listen.
To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother's girl. She lives by other people's rules; he makes his own. He doesn't have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she's the only one who can see the person he truly is.
But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.
The first Marked Men novel in Jay Crownover's combustible New Adult series.
Can love survive when life gets Reckless?
When the band hits it big, Kiera and Kellan must ask themselves: Can their love for each other withstand the constant pressures of superstardom? The friendships they've formed, the new family they've found, and the history they've forged will all play a part in helping them navigate the turbulent waters of the band's exploding popularity. A greedy executive hell-bent on success, a declining pop star looking for an edge, and a media circus that twists lies into truths are just some of the obstacles the lovers will have to overcome if they are going to remain together. Fame comes with a price—but will it cost Kiera and Kellan everything?
For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender, and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together—Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university—everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart. Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes…and none of them will ever be the same.
Why did Abby pop the question?
What secrets were shared before the ceremony?
Where did they spend their wedding night?
Who else knew about it . . . and didn't tell?
Everything about Abby and Travis's elopement was top-secret . . . until now. Fans of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster will get all of their questions answered in this whirlwind tale of the wedding day (and night!)—and as with all good stories, this one will definitely have been worth the wait.
Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth Fitch finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive.
Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance security systems designer, her own protection is supplemented by a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. Unfortunately, that seems to be the quickest way to get attention in a tiny southern town.
The mystery of Abigail Lowery and her sharp mind, secretive nature and unromantic viewpoint intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason, on both a personal and professional level. And while he suspects that Abigail needs protection from something, Gleason is accustomed to two-bit troublemakers, not the powerful and dangerous men who are about to have him in their sights.
And Abigail Lowery, who has built a life based on security and self-control, is at risk of losing both.
From the author of Nine Perfect Strangers, Truly Madly Guilty, and The Husband's Secret comes a novel about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.
A murder...A tragic accident...Or just parents behaving badly? What's indisputable is that someone is dead.
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at different crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.
Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the little lies that can turn lethal.
"She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her."
Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father's crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can't outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.
Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she's ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.
Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she's always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she's learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.
He was the one man I couldn't avoid. And the one man I couldn't resist.
Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me.
Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart.
But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.
NOTE: This edition includes excerpts from J. Kenner's Claim Me and Say My Name.
Release Me is intended for mature audiences.
Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn't have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.
Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.
Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.
As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she'll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.
In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush they felt reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.
"We all lose what we love at some point, but in her poignant, funny way, Moyes reminds us that even if it's not always happy, there is an ever after." —Miami Herald
"You're going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don't settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will."
How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?
Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can't help but feel she's right back where she started.
Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will's past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .
For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.
A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.
When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she's determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother's gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?
Will takes risks for a living, but he's skeptical about this challenge of Hanna's…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can't forget. Now that Hanna's discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it's up to Will to prove he's the only man she'll ever need.
Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They're powerful, they're imposing, they're irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.
When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he's never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.
Jace isn't sharing Bethany—with anyone. He's determined to be the only man in her life, and it's jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what it's like to literally lose your mind...
Reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, Ordinary People, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Still Alice packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.
Meet the Professional.
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan's loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss's long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksandr will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.
He makes the rules.
Grad student Natalie Porter has barely recovered from her first encounter with the dark and breathtaking Siberian when he whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures.
In the game of obsession, two players are better than one.
Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy's reach, Aleksandr spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-rich in Paris, the two lovers tempt each other's boundaries to discover whether their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies really can come true...
Previously released as The Professional—Parts 1, 2, and 3 as ebook exclusives.
Livy notices him the moment he walks into the coffee shop. He's heart-stoppingly stunning, with a blue-eyed gaze so piercing she's almost too distracted to take his order. When he walks out the door, she thinks she'll never see him again. Then she finds the note he left on his napkin . . . signed M.
All he wants is one night to worship her. No feelings, no commitment, nothing but pleasure. Every defense mechanism Livy has adopted during her solitary life is at risk of being obliterated by this confounding man. He's obnoxious but well-mannered. He's a gentleman but aloof. He's passionate but emotionless. Yet the fascination is so powerful, Livy can't deny him . . . or herself.
M awakens something in Livy, something deep and addictive that she never knew existed-and that she fears only he can satisfy. But she senses that behind the fast cars, fancy suits, and posh apartment, he's aching inside. To have him, body and soul, she'll have to brave his dark secrets. Delving into his world and breaking down his defenses become her obsession-an obsession that could shatter her heart beyond repair . .
The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.
The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.
He's amazingly wealthy, sinfully gorgeous, and can bring her to heights of pleasure she's never before known. For Livy, there's no turning back. She's determined to be the light in M's dark world. Yet this new life comes with a steep price . . .
M knows that the power he possesses hasn't come without sacrifices-but he won't let Livy be one of them. Though he wants nothing more than to have her in every way, his first duty is to protect her at all costs . . . from his sins, his enemies, and especially himself.
But as their insatiable affair intensifies, the two attract the attention of an obsessive-and dangerous-third party. Discovering new revelations about M that rock her to the core, Livy will have to decide whether he's ruined beyond repair. And he must face his fear that in order to save her, he may have to lose her after all . . .
Look for the stunning conclusion in ONE NIGHT: UNVEILED.
USA TODAY bestselling indie author Alice Clayton delights readers with the sexy, laugh-out-loud romance of Caroline and Simon in Wallbanger, the first book in the Cocktail series!
The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an—um—intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed "dating hiatus," and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly…
In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.
The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it's getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett has little time for a social life. But there's another project he's got his eye on: the girl he's been waiting to kiss since he was sixteen.
After losing her husband and returning to her hometown, Clare Brewster soon settles into her life as the mother of three young sons while running the town's bookstore. Though busy, Clare is drawn across the street by Beckett's transformation of the old inn, wanting to take a closer look…at both the building and the man behind it...
Don't miss the other books in the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy
The Last Boyfriend
The Perfect Hope
Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he's determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. He knows she has a past, one that has made her skittish about getting into a relationship, so he proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.
But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, Braden decides he won't be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her...down to the very soul.
Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don't even like each other...which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she's too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.
"[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book."—Booklist (starred review)
Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.
With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.
Praise for Small Great Things
"Small Great Things is the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written. . . . It will challenge her readers . . . [and] expand our cultural conversation about race and prejudice."—The Washington Post
"A novel that puts its finger on the very pulse of the nation that we live in today . . . a fantastic read from beginning to end, as can always be expected from Picoult, this novel maintains a steady, page-turning pace that makes it hard for readers to put down."—San Francisco Book Review
There is nothing Connor Malone wants to do less than babysit the outrageous and out-of-control pop star Lyric Jones. But part of him relishes taming the celebratty songstress and showing her what it's like to be possessed-body and soul-by one man. And though Lyric's crazy antics nearly drive Connor to the edge, his quiet intensity penetrates her defenses, leaving them both vulnerable to the secrets that could topple Lyric from the stage.
A special edition of E L James's #1 New York Times bestselling novel, Fifty Shades Darker, that includes her own photos and caption commentary from the making of the film—and an excerpt from her forthcoming book, Fifty Shades Darker, As Told by Christian Grey.
Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship. But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Ana cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Ana learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven, and demanding Fifty Shades. While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
The second volume in The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy. Also available: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Freed
"By turns humorous and heartbreaking, Best Kind Of Broken has become one of my favorites!" ---Cora Carmack, New York Times bestselling author
"You'll fall for Pixie and Levi, just like I did!" ---Jennifer L. Armentrout (J. Lynn), #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Tangled with friendship, history and heartbreak - not to mention a huge dose of humor - Chelsea Fine's New Adult novel is not to be missed! Beyond an incredibly HOT read, Pixie and Levi's longing for each other will have you rooting for them till the very end." --- Jay Crownover, New York Times bestselling author
"Chelsea Fine's style is witty, visceral and fresh. All I wanted to do was crawl inside this book and live with the characters. " ---Chelsea M. Cameron, New York Times bestselling author
Sometimes when perfect falls apart, a little trouble fixes everything . . .
Twenty-one-year-old Kayla Turner has lost everything. After spending most of her life taking care of her ailing mother, she just wants to spot a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. So when her late father-a man she barely knew-leaves her an inheritance, she finally breathes a sigh of relief . . . until she learns the inheritance comes with strings. Strings in the form of handsome playboy Daren Ackwood, her father's protégé. To see any of her inheritance, she's forced to team up with him. From his expensive car to those sexy dimples, Kayla's seen his type before. But Daren isn't who he seems to be . . .
Struggling to make amends for his family's mistakes, Daren has a life more Oliver Twist than Richie Rich these days. He's beyond grateful that James Turner included him in his will, but working with Turner's princess of a daughter to fulfill his cryptic last wish is making Daren wonder if being broke is really so bad. Still, she's just as beautiful as she is stubborn, and the more time he spends with Kayla, the less it feels right being without her. Soon Daren and Kayla begin to wonder if maybe the best gift Kayla's dad could have left them . . . was each other.
New Adult Romance
(85,000 words)


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I've put together a brief narrative and descendant report using my Genealogy Software program, and Microsoft Word. I then saved it as a PDF, which is the format needed to produce a book at most publishing websites. Blurb requires you use a specific PDF format, PDF/X-3.
It can be tricky when it comes to laying out your book correctly. You have to be sure that your fonts are embedded in your PDF; and you should not use unusual fonts. You should use commonly supported fonts. You need to follow instructions for margins carefully; otherwise, you may find some of your text is missing. The Amazon publisher (Create Space) and Blurb give you a list of problems which it detects on your PDF. I got a message stating my image resolution was too low so the pictures may not come out clear. Lulu does not provide these suggestions.
The best place to publish an ebook you want to share with your family for free is at Internet Archive which allows readers to read it using many different format options: www.archive.org
You can make books to share with your family, or just as reference books for yourself. I think putting together documents, maps, pictures, progress reports etc., in a published book would be a great way to access them easily. Even if you just print your important source material and three hole punch it and put it in a report cover it would be a very helpful resource. I've used binders in the past, but they are bulky and heavy, a light weight report cover is more compact too. I have quite a few documents etc. in digital format, but find I get tired of looking at the computer screen too long. I like a printed format sometimes. It can be quicker to access a book.
I plan on ordering a copy of my book at LuLu. This is definitely an amateur production. I've never tried anything like this before. I haven't used any professional advisers for the layout; so I am not sure how it will come out? We'll see what the results are? I do plan on adding an index to the book and making additions this summer, so it's a work in progress. This copy is my test run: http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html
Here is my test copy at Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/AndrewForgeyMargaretReynoldsAScotsIrishFamilyInAmerica13112
Since I am using this blog as a research log I plan on publishing it using Blog to Print.
Some publishing websites
- Free ebook publishing and storage www.archive.org
- Create an ebook or Printed Books lulu.com
- Publish your own ebook http://www.feedbooks.com/share/
- Amazon Publishing for ebooks and Printed books https://www.createspace.com/
- My Canvas Ancestry http://ancestry.mycanvas.com
- Create a an ebook from a webpage http://dotepub.com/
- Help laying out your book http://www.storiestotellbooks.com/
- Turn your blog into a book http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html

subset: commoncrawl


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"Reserved Parking" aluminum handicap parking sign meets MUTCD standards
This heavy-duty "Reserved Parking" handicap parking control sign clearly indicates your parking rules and regulations. This sign is made of .080" rustproof aluminum with a highly reflective surface that provides added visibility in low-light conditions. Screen-printed with UV-resistant inks prevent fading and lets you get your message across day or night. Pre-drilled holes in top and bottom of sign allow mounting on U-channel steel posts, item number 42219, with holes on 1" centers. 18"H x 12"W.See all Safety and Hazard Warning Signs and Labels
2018 Reference Guide: Page 103


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Home | Ancient History Sourcebook | Medieval Sourcebook | Modern History Sourcebook | Byzantine Studies Page
Other History Sourcebooks: African | East Asian | Global | Indian | Islamic | Jewish | Lesbian and Gay | Science | Women's
Modern History
Full Texts
Modern History Sourcebook:
Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden, 1899
Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.
Take up the White Man's burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.
Take up the White Man's burden--
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go mark them with your living,
And mark them with your dead.
Take up the White Man's burden--
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--
"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"
Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your gods and you.
Take up the White Man's burden--
Have done with childish days--
The lightly proferred laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use of the Sourcebook.
(c)Paul Halsall Aug 1997


text:
Our lack of publication may be summarized in three sentences: The editor is in grad school. The three-year-old is feral. And the author…well… He embarked on one of those leisurely quests through the medical establishment–a quest wherein a great many tests are conducted to discover nothing about him is uniquely wrong, excepting the ever-present cynicism and the sheep-themed website.
To date, I'm told, there is no cure for either.
That established, allow me to share what I have learned over the course of my long absence: most notably, that I am not an anesthesiologist.
Well… not usually, anyway.
And because I am not an anesthesiologist, and because I'm given to understand that most anesthesiologists don't need to measure things in fifths, I'm loathe to offer advice to a member of that profession. That said, recent experience compels me to offer a few words of advice to the dear, dear resident physician tasked with removing some of the more terrifying moles* from my chest.
(*And just so we're clear, "mole" is being used in this instance to refer to a smallish skin blotch that has made its home on my epidermis and not a smallish, garden-dwelling mammal that somehow got lost and made its home in my wazoo. This is an important distinction, and I'm trusting that the removal of the latter would not be trusted to a lowly resident–or, at the very least, not the resident who removed my moles for reasons which are about to become very obvious.)
Because my moles are legion…and because I foolishly told the resident to take off whatever she wanted…and because said resident was either enthusiastic, sadistic, or both…I was awarded ample opportunity to observe, review, and come to an understanding of the process. If I might be pardoned a moment of medical oversimplification, it can be summarized thusly:
1. Numb the area.
2. Check to make sure the area is actually numb.
3. Remove the mole with an insanely scary looking knife.
That established, let's talk about the importance of step two–i.e., the one that simultaneously differentiates this procedure from the plot of a B-grade horror film and keeps the screams of your patient from echoing down the halls. The resident attending to me struggled with step two. She struggled mightily. She had a scalpel, a needle's worth of anesthesia, and God as her co-pilot. Based on her actions, I assume that she assumed her needle was magic–that its touch could do no wrong. The idea that it might numb an area a quarter inch to the right of the spot intended, consequently, was simply unthinkable.
And to her credit, she might have also been an ex-gunslinger, if the speed of her draw with that knife of hers was any indication. By the time my rather vocal protest to the effect that we had omitted step two (and in the course of doing so uncovered some glaring shortcomings in the execution of step one) registered, she was already showing me my own mole with the giddy delight of someone who doesn't grasp why someone else might not want to see recently severed portions of their own anatomy.
I'm thinking she needed a button. Something to the effect of, "I'm a resident, and I'm here to help!"


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Product Details
Give your watch new life with a new strap. Inspired by the nylon watch straps issued to British Defense Ministry agents (called NATO straps by watch collectors), this version is compatible with our Timex® military watch, Timex vintage field army watch and Timex Andros watch.
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Bad news ladies, Mr. Big from "Sex and the City" is now walking with a big cane.
Chris Noth's been pulling off the sexy distinguished gentleman thing for years -- but Wednesday he was spotted in NYC's East Village with a new prop.
We're guessing the 60-year-old 'Good Wife' star's limp is just a temporary thing ... at least for the sake of lady boners, everywhere.


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Fast Romance was voted the by the public to win the BAFTA in Scotland Cineworld Audience Award for best Scottish Film.
Fast Romance
Running time: 97 mins
Director: Carter Ferguson
Starring: William Ruane, Derek Munn, Jo Freer, Lawrence Crawford, Michael Howell, Lesley Hart, Lynne McKelvey, Juliet Cadzow, Bryan Larkin
Seven very different people go looking for love in this Glaswegian romantic comedy set in the world of speed dating.
After desperate Nadine (Jo Freer) endures yet another disastrous first date, her sisters decide to put Plan B into action and sign her up for a local speed dating service. Naturally, Nadine enlists her two best friends to come along to keep her company. Fiona (Lynne McKelvey) is stuck in an awful job with a monstrous boss and lacks the confidence to enter the dating scene. Lorna (Lesley Hart) appears to have it all and is due to get married in a month's time. Across Glasgow, 'Gordy' (William Ruane) also signs up, because he's fallen for Nadine. Unfortunately for him, his boss Kenny (Derek Munn) has been railroaded into going along with him. Cop-on-a-mission Andrew (Lawrence Crawford) has to be there for professional reasons. And Elliott (Michael Howell) is going along in the hope of finding inspiration for his 'great' romantic novel...
The Illusionist
Running time: 79 mins
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Starring: Jean-Claude Donda, Edith Rankin
The city of Edinburgh becomes the star of this beautiful new animated film from the director of 'Belleville Rendez-Vous'.
Running time: 78 mins
Director: Morag McKinnon
Starring: James Cosmo, Brian Pettifer, Martin Compston, Kate Dickie, Natalie Press
Acclaimed Scottish comedy-drama about one man's attempt to reunite his estranged family.
After a string of disastrous relationships, sixty-something Alfred (James Cosmo) has an estranged lover, a daughter, a granddaughter and an illegitimate son. The only person who has not grown tired of his wildly eccentric, self-centred approach to life is long-suffering pal Brian (Brian Pettifer). Alfred now plans to take his buddy to Spain to eat fry-ups and sip cocktails as the sun goes down on their lives. First, though, there is the small matter of making everything "nicey-nicey" before they hit the beach. Alfred's attempts to set the record straight are well-meaning but ultimately futile. And when his life starts to unravel, he has to act fast to achieve his goal of bringing his family back together. Funny, charming and touching, with a superb performance from legendary Scottish actor James Cosmo, 'Donkeys' received a rapturous reception at the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Running time: 124 mins
Director: Peter Mullan
Starring: Conor McCarron, Martin Bell, Linda Cuthbert
Director Peter Mullan's shocking account of life on the streets of Glasgow in the early 1970s.
John McGill (Connor McCarron) starts secondary school. He's bright and gifted, but things are against him. His father (played by Mullan himself) is a violent drunk and his elder brother is a notorious gang leader. With his teachers unwilling to give him a chance before he's even started, John sees all the authority figures in his life dismiss any possibility of him charting his own course. He fights back and falls in with the NEDs - Non-Educational Delinquents - violent gangs who roam the rough Glasgow streets. Feeling so much anger at those around him, John takes to this violent life with alarming ease - but will he ever have a chance at redemption? Mullan guarantees the film's authenticity by working with non-professional actors who embody rather than play their characters.
Running time: 98 mins
Director: Colm McCarthy
Starring: Therese Bradley, Kate Dickie & Niall Bruton
Mary (Dickie) has fled Ireland with her 15-year-old son Fergal (Bruton) and settled in a squalid Edinburgh housing estate, where she immediately starts scrawling protection spells on the walls in her own blood. And there's good reason, as the shady Cathal (Nesbitt) is hot on her trail, travelling with his brother Liam (McMenamin) under orders to "kill the boy". Despite this, Fergal tries to be a normal teen and spark a romance with his new neighbour Petronella (Stanbridge). But there's a beast on the loose and, quite literally, hell to pay.
Perfect Sense
Running time: 88 mins
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane
A haunting sci-fi love story starring Ewan McGregor and former Bond Girl Eva Green.
Susan (Eva Green) is a scientist who's been burned in a couple of bad relationships. Today, she devotes herself to her work, which aims to solve some of life's big questions, shutting herself off from the possibility of love. Michael (Ewan McGregor) is a talented, hedonistic chef who works with his joker pal James (Ewen Bremner). When Susan and Michael meet by chance, sparks quickly start to fly. But by a cruel twist of fate, something strange starts to happen. A mysterious global epidemic is affecting human feelings just as the couple's love is deepening. Re-teaming with 'Young Adam' star Ewan McGregor, Scottish director David Mackenzie delivers a science fiction story with a beating heart. Powerful performances by McGregor and Eva Green, best known for her role in 'Casino Royale', ratchet up the film's emotional intensity. Hide
Perfect Sense
You, Instead
Running time: 80 mins
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Luke Treadaway, Natalia Tena, Alastair Mackenzie, Sophie Wu, Ruta Gedmintas
A rock'n'roll love story set amid the thrills and spills of Scotland's T in the Park festival.
Adam (Luke Treadaway) is the lead singer in US electro-pop duo The Make. Morello (Natalia Tena) is the feisty frontwoman for British Riot Girl band The Dirty Pink's. Naturally, they loathe one another. But somehow they manage to get themselves handcuffed together before having to play to thousands of fans. Rarely have warring music tribes been forced to get along quite so dramatically! To complicate matters further, Morello is stuck with a dull banker boyfriend (Alastair Mackenzie) while Adam is tiring of his supermodel girlfriend...
The film was shot guerilla-style over five days at last year's T in The Park, with director David Mackenzie demanding authenticity from his cast. Luke Treadaway previously played a musician in 'Brothers of the Head', while charismatic Natalia Tena (familiar to Harry Potter fans as Nymphadora Tonks) fronts her own band - Molotov Jukebox


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Over the last thirty years, Tom Vail has safely carried several thousand people over more than 55,000 miles of river and rapids, but his spiritual journey has taken him much further than that.
Mike Riddle once trained Marines, but now he trains Christians to defend their faith.
With online computer games for kids, what do you expect? Fun characters, adventure, perhaps a dose of "edutainment" . . . and a biblical worldview?
Answers magazine recently interviewed Tim Chaffey, a former teacher and co-author of the new fiction series The Truth Chronicles.
From his experience as a teacher and pastor, Tim Chaffey has provided these tips for reaching young people with the gospel.
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How can we construct safer buildings? How can we clean up emissions from power plants? Increasingly, engineers are turning to God's original designs in nature to solve difficult engineering problems. What a testimony to our wise and caring Creator! Also, learn how God is using Amish believers in the USA to help build a new full-size Ark. Plus, discover what the Bible says about those mysterious giants, the Nephilim.Browse Issue Subscribe
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Monday, May 21, 2007
Alain Passard's Strawberries in Hibiscus & Vanilla Syrup
I saw an interesting recipe for a strawberry dessert over at Chez Pim the other day - Strawberries in Hibiscus & Vanilla Syrup. I bookmarked it with a view to try it when Estonian strawberries come in season, which is usually in late June/early July. However, when browsing the Tallinn Central Market on Saturday morning, I saw loads and loads of rather fragrant strawberries imported from Spain. What a heck, I thought, and bought a small box. The recipe was really easy to make, and we enjoyed it with some softly whipped cream, seasoned with vanilla extract.
There's really no need to change or improve Pim's recipe, it's brilliant as it is. I'll add the amounts I used below, but feel free to visit Pim's blog for the original recipe and even more, her home video demonstration. But what I'll tell you is that the hibiscus syrup gives the strawberries a most beautiful deep red colour (see above), without ripping them of the strawberry flavour. I'm so going to make it again, and again, and again, when local strawberries become available..
Hibiscus, by the way, is also known as roselle, red sorrel, karkade and flor de jamaica. Its Latin name is Hibiscus sabdariffa. If you're ever been to Egypt, then you're bound to have a large bag of dried hibiscus somewhere in your cupboard, and this is a great opportunity to use them..
Strawberries in Hibiscus & Vanilla Syrup
(Hibiskisiirupis maasikad)
Alain Passard's recipe, here adapted from Chez Pim
500 grams strawberries
Hibiscus & vanilla syrup:
500 ml water
100 ml sugar
200 ml dried hibiscus flowers
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
Mix water and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat, add the hibiscus flowers and let them infuse the syrup until cooled.
Drain, pressing as much liquid as possible out from the hibiscus flowers.
Season the syrup with vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, wash and drain the strawberries, remove the stems and quarter the berries. Put into a wide bowl.
Pour hibiscus syrup over and let the berries macerate in the syrup for about an hour*, refridgerated.
Divide into dessert four glasses, and spoon some softly whipped cream on top. Enjoy!
* We had some strawberries after an hour, and some after three hours. The flavour of the one-hour strawberries was much better, as the berries tend to get a bit too soggy after three hours of soaking (sorry, macerating).
Other strawberry recipes @ Nami-nami:
Strawberry & Hibiscus Sorbet (July 2007)
Strawberry Ricotta Cakes (April 2006)
Strawberry Shrikhand or spiced yogurt with strawberries (October 2005)
13 comments:
- K & S said...
that looks wonderful, and would probably taste great over ice cream too :)
- 12:55 pm, May 21, 2007
- bea said...
Delicious delicious Pille. I saw this on Pim's blog too and loved it right away!
- 1:12 pm, May 21, 2007
- valentina said...
Pille, how wonderful.What a superb choice of dish!!1 I have dried hibiscus at home. not too sure where to get the syrup from.Will do some research.
- 3:45 pm, May 21, 2007
- valentina said...
Pille, in my haste to reply I read your introduction and then put a note to self to read recipe properly at home - it is always a bit stressful to do reading of posts at work. sorry for soundign silly and leaving the comment above. just read the recipe.doh!! I love the fact that you always have wonderful things here .like those beautiful saffron pancakes ( the ones you made for BArbara's event. I have been dreaming with them.
- 4:01 pm, May 21, 2007
- Alanna said...
OH MY. Must watch for the dried hibiscus.
- 5:11 pm, May 21, 2007
- Chris said...
Yum! The strawberries do look so deliously red! Making me hungry.
- 5:34 am, May 22, 2007
- Freya and Paul said...
A lovely, perfect summers dessert! Just beautiful!
- 3:49 pm, May 22, 2007
- Maryam in Marrakesh said...
Oh yum! I saved the recipe. I do have that bag of karkade in my closet. Perfect!
- 11:38 pm, May 22, 2007
- katiez said...
I made note of this one!
My strawberry plant are full of little green berries so I have great hope that the birds will leave me some this June!
- 11:23 am, May 23, 2007
- lobstersquad said...
this is brilliant! I love hibiscus, it´s so pretty. Must try it, because whatever you say, our strawberries are not so good, they need to be helped along.
- 10:17 am, May 24, 2007
- Jeanne said...
Wow - look at that colour! I've never used hibiscus myself - only had it at other people's houses but it is lovely. And ai *adore* the ladybird tablecloth!
- 1:32 pm, May 24, 2007
- Susan said...
What a striking presentation and alluring name! I've seen dried hibiscus but haven't bought them before. I think that will change now. :)
- 1:20 am, May 25, 2007
- Pille said...
K&S - Pim recommends it over ice cream indeed, so I'm sure it'd be nice.
Bea - a great recipe, I'd love to see your (photogenic & photographic) version of this!
Valentina - no worries:) Let me know what you think of the saffron pancakes!
Alanna - hope you'll find some! Heidi has some shopping tips here.
Chris - they had this most intense deep red hue - gorgeous!
Freya & Paul - it's pretty close to perfect strawberry dessert indeed. Eating wild strawberries on the field is even more perfect, but this one is more glamorous..
Maryam - I knew you'd have karkade in your closet:) I used up all of mine, so need to go and shop for more.
Katiez - hope you're not too trusting towards the birds:) Maybe you should cover the plant with some protective cloth, just to be sure you'd have enough strawberries?
Ximena - obviously, the cannot compete with local seasonal strawberries, but for imported out-of-season strawberries, they were pretty good ;-)
Jeanne - you're the first one to notice the ladybirds! I bought it about a week ago - simply couldn't resist:)
Susan - the presentation is really simple, but it's the colours that do it. I need to stock up on hibiscus front, too, with all those strawberries coming to stores soon:)
- 8:43 am, May 25, 2007


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More women in our workforce. More female role models in STEM. More benefits for parents. Gender Equality. Inclusion and equality are essential to high performance—because diversity is not just good for business, it's the right thing to do.
DOWNLOAD VIDEO TRANSCRIPT [PDF]Determined means doing all you can to achieve your goal.
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Accenture leaders team up with renowned storytelling project Dear World to promote women's equality.
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2004 Lexus RX 330 Reviews and Ratings
Utility 4D AWD
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With the RX 300, Lexus has had the best-selling luxury SUV in not only America but the world. But the RX 300 was introduced in 1998 and, with a growing number of challengers, Lexus can't afford to stand still. (No one can.) Therefore, the RX 300 has been replaced by the all-new 2004 Lexus RX 330.
Lexus calls the RX 330 a luxury utility vehicle, and is bold enough to dub it an "LUV." The RX 330 falls into that category of SUV that is based on a unit-body car platform rather than a truck frame, and it could be called a crossover vehicle. As such, the RX 330 gives up some off-road ability but will do what most SUV buyers want: provide more cargo room than a sedan while conferring an over-the-traffic view and a sense of security from its elevated driving position.
The 2004 RX 330 is longer and wider than the model it replaces. It comes with a leather interior that feels soft and warm and inviting with splashes of real wood trim. The front seats are positioned off the floor at a comfortable chair height and are snug and supportive and the back seats are roomy and comfortable.Model Lineup
The Lexus RX 330 is available with two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. RX 330 2WD ($35,025) uses front-wheel drive. RX 330 4WD ($36,425) has an all-wheel drive system. Both come only with 5-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission.
Rather than offering base and premium models, Lexus allows buyers to upgrade with freestanding options and option packages. The Premium Package ($2,145) includes leather, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, roof rack, and moonroof. The Premium Plus Package ($3,440) adds a power liftgate, HID headlamps and a wood and leather steering wheel.
The Performance Package ($5,455) includes all of the items in the Premium Package, plus 18-inch plated aluminum alloy wheels, air suspension, sequential shifting transmission, power rear door, HID headlamps with AFS (see Walkaround), and rain-sensing wipers. There's also a multi-panel moonroof available that's larger than the standard moonroof with other features bundled in for $4,220. An available navigation system includes a rear-view camera ($2,350). Dynamic cruise control ($600) and a rear-seat entertainment system ($1,840) are also available.Walkaround
Lexus RX 330 joins the trend of zoomier styling on crossover SUVs, notably the new Infiniti FX45. RX 330 is much sleeker than the RX 300, making the older model look really dated. Unlike the RX 300, which had a body-color C-pillar, the D-pillar is emphasized on the RX 330, and is more steeply raked. There's more rake to the windshield as well, and the front facia and headlamps are reminiscent of the Lexus ES 300 sedan.
Although there are definite car cues to the new design, Lexus designers have also included meatier elements, such as the beefy front bumper and pronounced fender flares. Well-designed door handles are of the reach-through type that are more hand-friendly than the fingertip-grip variety, less chance of breaking long fingernails.
A novel feature, something not seen on the U.S. market since the 1949 Tucker, is the Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS). This system swivels the left and right headlamp as determined by an onboard processor that calculates the optimum angle to provide the best illumination, allowing drivers to see around corners better. It's available only as part of the Performance Package.
A rear view of the RX 330 reveals a visor over the top edge of the rear window, a short radio antenna at the right rear corner of the roof (promising better reception in marginal areas than the imbedded-in-glass type), and clear-lensed taillamps. The latter are trendy with the sport compact kids; we think they should stay there, as these don't seem to be as visible, especially in bright sunlight, as the old-fogy red lenses.
The Lexus RX 330 competes with the Volvo XC90 ($33,350), Acura MDX ($34,900), Mercedes-Benz M-Class ($37,670), BMW X5 ($39,995), and Infiniti FX45 ($44,225), among others. The RX 330 utilizes a modified version of the platform used by the Lexus ES300 sedan, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Highlander sport-utility.Interior
It doesn't take more than a glance inside to know the Lexus RX 330 is aimed at the luxury SUV market. Leather on the seats (on most models) is soft and slightly bunched, and there are splashes of real wood trim on the doors and center console. The instrument panel has three large round gauges trimmed in silver. The center dash area, or stack, is framed in metal-looking plastic.
Climate controls are located high on the center stack and to either side of an LCD screen used to control ventilation, audio, trip computer, outside temperature and clock (with alarm). The radio has a knobs for volume and tuning, much easier to use than the typical German system that has tuning buttons that default to a seek mode.
The screen is also used for the optional navigation system as well as the rear-view camera that comes with it. The camera works automatically when the transmission is shifted into reverse. We found it very useful to check for children or obstacles before backing up (but you don't watch the screen once you've started backing up). Big outside mirrors afford a good view rearward.
A novelty when the RX 300 was introduced, the shifter for the automatic transmission is still located on the center stack. Rather than the popular tip-shift for sportier rides, the RX 330's shifter has a zig-zag pattern for shifting between gears. We found it made shifting between reverse, drive and lower gears ponderous, particularly when in a hurry.
The front seats are positioned off the floor at a comfortable chair height and are snug and supportive. Foldable armrests on both front seats provide additional comfort on longer trips. The center console slides forward and back, allowing room for a purse or whatever on the floor between the front seats.
The back seats are roomy and comfortable. The rear seat is contoured for two, though it has belts for three. There's a folding center armrest with cupholders, storage and its own wood trim. The rear seats fold forward 40-20-40, the center section folding forward for longer items such as skis, shovels, and fly rods, while still allowing four people to ride in comfort. This is more comfortable than typical 60-40 folding seats, which force one of four passengers to travel in the less-comfortable center-rear seat when carrying aforementioned long items. Folding the rear seats down is fairly easy, though we found ourselves struggling to reach to the far side of the opposite seat to release it.
RX 330 bucks a current trend by having no third-row seat. Lexus says buyers wanting more passenger space can buy one of the larger two ( and more expensive) Lexus SUVs.
RX 330 is rated to carry 84.7 cubic feet of stuff. That's more cargo space than a Lincoln Aviator (77.1) or Infiniti FX35 (64.5) and certainly more than a BMW X5 (54.4) has to offer. But the RX 330's rear seats don't fold for a completely flat cargo floor. We found loading and unloading a mountain bike easier in a Mercury Mountaineer. The RX 330 adds two hidden compartments under the cargo floor for additional storage. The cargo cover has an automatic retract feature, which could be useful when your arms are full and you don't want to put things down on wet pavement.
In addition to the usual steering wheel and passenger multi-stage frontal airbags, the RX 330 has a knee bag for the driver. The side-impact airbags, standard, are large, protecting the torso, abdomen and hips.
Lexus Link is an optional system that summons aid, using satellite and cell phone technology, at the touch of a button or automatically with airbag deployment. Based on GM's OnStar system, Lexus Link can also pinpoint vehicle location for roadside assistance, or in case of theft. Operators can use the system to unlock the doors should you lock the keys inside.Driving Impressions
Truck-based SUVs have been popular for their perceived roominess, added ride height and ability to go anywhere at any time. However, many of them ride like trucks, get poor gas mileage, and are tall and tippy. This has led to the popularity of models based on car platforms, of which the original Lexus RX 300 was the pioneer.
The new Lexus RX 330 is an advance in this mien. It's notable for its smooth ride even over broken, potholed pavement. Like the previous RX 300, the RX 330 should be good on dirt and gravel roads as well, though we haven't tried this. We found the RX 330 poised in corners, the steering light and accurate. Its fully independent suspension keeps the tires in contact with the pavement for lots of grip.
The 3.3-liter V6 zips the RX 330 to speed (from 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, according to Lexus). Larger than last year's engine, the V6 develops a healthy 230 horsepower and 242 pounds-feet of torque. Torque is the twist that yields acceleration, and the RX 330's torque peak comes at a relatively low 3600 rpm. This means that this Lexus can accelerate around town without having to rev into the upper ranges, reducing cabin noise and eliminating the frantic feel that engines needing high revs often have.
The RX 330 benefits from a five-speed automatic transmission, which has a lower low gear and a higher high gear than the old RX 300's four-speed automatic. The lower first gear allows quicker dig off the line, good when having to merge into traffic from a standing start. The higher fifth gear allows lower revs at cruise, which translates into quieter running with less engine noise, plus better gas mileage and longer engine life because the engine doesn't go around as many times. At times, the transmission seemed slow to downshift, however.
The RX 330 is free from road noise and wind noise even when equipped with a roof rack. Lexus engineers took the time to aerodynamically shape the roof rack to reduce noise.
The brakes, large discs front and rear, are smooth and have good feel. The RX 330 comes with the latest in braking technology: A four-sensor/four-channel anti-lock brake system helps the driver maintain control of the steering under hard braking. Electronic brake force distribution balances braking forces for shorter stops. Brake Assist senses when the driver is in a panic braking situation and helps ensure full force is being applied.
Rather than using a true four-wheel-drive system with locking center differentials or viscous couplings, the RX 330 uses the antilock brake system to prevent wheel spin, thereby sending torque to the wheels that still have grip. It's a good setup for slippery pavement, light snow, or gravel. All RX 330 models come equipped with the Vehicle Stability Control system (VSC), which helps prevent a skid.
We also drove an RX 330 with the optional air suspension. This system has four driver-selectable height settings for comfort and convenience. The air suspension lowers the RX 330 by 0.3 inches at speeds over 62 mph for reduced air drag for better handling and fuel economy. Drivers can select a mode that lowers the car by 0.6 inches for better cornering and a more sedan-like ride. Rough and unpaved roads that require greater ground clearance can be accommodated by selecting the High position, which puts an additional 1.2 inches underneath the RX 330 at speeds up to 30 mph. An Access mode, which lowers the RX 330 for easier entry and exit, can be selected with the transmission in Park, or it can be programmed go to this position automatically when the ignition is turned off. It's available as part of the Performance Package.Summary
Lexus calls the RX 330 an LUV for "luxury utility vehicle." We'll call it an SUV for "suburban utility vehicle." In many ways, a minivan has more utility, more room inside, more seats, and even, as in the new 2004 Toyota Sienna, four-wheel drive. But the RX 330 has more panache than any minivan, which may be perceived as too suburban.
That said, the RX 330 offers a good ride, a plush, innovative interior, ready power with an 18/24 mpg city/highway EPA mileage rating (4x4), and the confidence that all-wheel drive confers in winter driving, all with more room and, to some eyes, more elan than a simple sedan. Add Lexus quality and reliability and that all-important see-over-the-traffic seat height and it's your move, LUV.
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Give It Away And Pray: Maybe Not A Business Model, But Still Important For Artists
from the If-you-don't-know-what-you're-doing,-you're-doing-it-right dept
Mike has written that "Give it away and pray is not a business model," however, that doesn't mean it's not a good way for Artists to live.
Business models can emerge from "give it away and pray." When I gave Sita Sings the Blues away, the audience created modes of sharing and revenue streams I hadn't thought of. Many fans, on their own initiative, set up screenings and house parties, and sent me donations. Now that I know this is possible, I could call it a "business model" that could be replicated by offering screening kits and guidelines. But the audience may be coming up with new ideas and wanting to engage in new ways I can't predict or imagine. Last year's business model can't describe next year's zeitgeist; "give it away and pray" is eternal.
Because I surrendered any commercial monopoly on the film (truly gave it away with copyLeft rather than "sort of gave it away" with no-commercial-use and no-derivatives restrictions), it has been incorporated into some amazing creative projects I could never have imagined. Bill Cheswick's every-frame-of-a-movie poster and Star Simpson's MonkeyLectric bike wheel display are just two examples. If I hadn't given the film away, I wouldn't have even known about these amazing projects, let alone been part of them.
"Give it away" means expecting nothing in return, so whatever does return is also a gift. "Pray" means letting go of the results and trusting that giving is the right thing to do even if nothing comes back. This isn't a business model, because it's not about business; it is about Art, and Love. Economists may not be concerned with Art and Love, but Artists have to be, or else they stop being Artists. Of course Artists can be concerned with business as well. Art and commerce can be fully complementary. I pay a lot of attention to business models (that's why I read Techdirt). But I can forget that I am an Artist, especially when "give it away and pray" is so often dismissed.
It's easy for me to exalt "give it away and pray", because so much came back to me so quickly in the case of Sita. We can analyze this material success and derive useful business models from it. That's quite valuable, but it's only part of the picture. If we forget the "give it away and pray" part, we regard audience gifts as commodities, which degrades the artist, the community, and the artist-audience relationship.
We never know what the world will bring us. Adhering to a business model may make us feel secure, but the most exciting possibilities and opportunities are in the space of not knowing. In Art, unlike Business, if you don't know what you're doing, you're doing it right.
Filed Under: business models, free, music industry


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Jim Jones - Na Na Nana Na Na
Video for Jim Jones "Na Na Nana Na Na" off of Pray IV Reign coming out on March 24th.
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Unified Social API - Libraries
Unified Social is a platform for social media marketing. The platform allows marketers to engage social media audiences across multiple social media applications, such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIN. The Unified Social API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Unified Social with other applications. Some example API methods include retrieving audience profile information, generating reports, and managing account information. Public documentation is not available; API access comes with accounts.


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JVM Languages
Associated article: Java Cryptography & Attribute Certificate Management
Tags: Security JVM Languages Design
Published source code accompanying the article by Snezana Sucurovic and Zoran Jovanovic in which they build a Java provider that supports attribute certificate generation and management. Requires UNZIP/PKUNZIP to extract.
Java Cryptography & Attribute Certificate Management by Snezana Sucurovic and Zoran Jovanovic Listing One (a) package jace1; import sun.security.x509.*; public class HolderAttrCert { private CertificateIssuerName issuer; private SerialNumber serNumber; public HolderAttrCert(X500Name name, SerialNumber num) { issuer = new CertificateIssuerName(...


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Smart Money: Cash Passport
Sorry, folks. Traveler's Checks are a thing of the ancient past. They've been replaced by debit cards, credit cards and most recently … Cash Passports.
I'd heard about Cash Passports for several years but was skeptical about them: I always felt deep down that it was some kind of scam. However, after reading some positive testimonials, I decided to try one this year for my trip to England.
You can get a Cash Passport at the exchange company Travelex, found in the international terminals of major airports. You put an initial sum on the card (you get the best deal on exchange rates if you go over a certain amount, like $700) then use it as if it were a debit card, either as a swipe card or to withdraw money from ATMs. It's widely accepted here in England.
So why use a Cash Passport instead of a debit card? Several reasons.
(1) It has a "chip and pin" system which makes it very secure for use in Europe; over here they consider our non-chip US cards (both debit and credit) very unsafe as it's much easier to steal information from them.
(2) The amount of the card is in British Pounds (you can also choose Euros) so you only have to deal with exchange rates one time, upon purchase of the card at the airport, and the rest of the time you can figure out everything in British Pounds based on the remaining balance on your card.
In my opinion, it beats having to monitor the exchange rates on your checking account as transactions go through, as well as being charged a percentage for each transaction. The advantage of a Cash Passport over a credit card is similar to that of a debit card with the additional advantage that the CP lets you withdraw cash without charge, whereas a credit card would charge for a cash advance.
You can check your balance online (supposedly — I've just been keeping a tally of all my expenses) and if it gets lost or stoelen there's a number you can call immediately to deactivate the card and you'll be issued a new one with the remaining balance.
Bottom line is that everyone has a different system and preference for how to handle their money abroad. I've tried the CP this year and been very pleased with how it's worked for me. I think I'll continue using the CP in my travels in the future. You might want to check it out, too!