text:
Looking for sex meet my slutty who want big cocks
First name: Elliette,
Age: 38 yo,
City: Oshkosh (WI)
We are a cool couple and I am Elliette. We love going on libertine dating sites to have fun between couples. We are free this weekend for a naughty plan in Oshkosh. We want to see you in a public place. I prefer naughty guys with a big penis and small, but don't worry this remains a wish. However, I want a good fucker like my darling. I want to have fun. We've always loved everything about sex, and we do it respectfully and safely. However, we prefer candaulism with a man who practices. Now, we hope to discover your hottest desires. I look forward to reading your comments. Kisses! See you soon.
My wife and I are looking for a sexy encounter in Coconut Creek
Genevieve Nude
First name: Aisatou,
Age: 44 yo,
City: Coconut Creek (FL)
If we post a sex ad, it is to have a good time with a man during an encounter of madness without taboo. I'm a hot girl and I know how to make a dick hard. We've been fans of naughty games for a very long time. We're mostly into kinky stuff like exhibitionism right now. We are available mostly in the evening. My boyfriend and I would rather meet you at our house. To join us, you need to leave a little note. We only desire libertinage among amateurs of pleasure.
Beautiful married slut on Winter Haven for a fuck in the forest
Genevieve Nude
First name: Myette,
Age: 47 yo,
City: Winter Haven (FL)
We would like to meet you on Friday night, either at our place or at a hot club near Winter Haven. I'm looking for a nice guy without any taboos who will make me have fun with my man because I am a naughty girl who loves having two naughty guys all to herself. We've been into swingers dating for quite a while now. We're mostly trying new experiences between swingers right now, and currently that's voyeurism. If you're interested in our naughty ad, then contact us. We are very happy to be on this dating site.
A hot cougar wants to play with a young stud on Alafaya
Genevieve Nude
First name: Melissane,
Age: 45 yo,
City: Alafaya (FL)
I'm looking for a pig with a big, wide dick to make me come during this fuck session. Other than that, I'm very submissive if you make me cum and I don't forbid anything. I can usually meet you in the late afternoon for a meeting. We can meet up in Alafaya and its surroundings. A fuck you should make me shiver. I want a guy who's a good licker. I'm also addicted to anal sex, but gently. I'm personally in favor of a hookup in the woods if you're up for it. I prefer a guy who knows how to take charge during our steamy night together. I'm here to enjoy myself. I leave you while I read your messages to satisfy my deepest sexual desires. I'm not looking for another plan so if you can't satisfy me. Don't offer me anything. Notify me! See you later!
Hot plan on Boca Raton with an amateur couple
Genevieve Nude
First name: Karenne,
Age: 29 yo,
City: Boca Raton (FL)
I don't think I have any physical criteria because it's just for a one night stand... But on the other hand, I want a hot man. It's mostly important that my partner can see another man making me come. I can meet you in town. I also agree to have a date in a forest on Boca Raton. We are a pretty open couple who likes to try out unexplored practices. We especially love exhibitionism and watching couples fuck in a swingers club with other swingers. We are looking forward to seeing your wildest desires. I look forward to reading your comments. Kisses! See you soon.
Looking for a dirty sex plan with a hot, kinky guy in East Stroudsburg
Genevieve Nude
First name: Najate,
Age: 46 yo,
City: East Stroudsburg (PA)
Hi there, I'm here to find a big stud and I live in East Stroudsburg. My name is Najate, I am 46 years old. I am single and I work as a secretary. Since I am a cougar, I only look for very young libertines. I just want a good fuck. I'm mostly a naughty girl who loves sex. I want to show you how you need to go about making me have a great excitement. I love making love for hours. I am free and live a totally naughty life. I don't hide from my close friends that I regularly have affairs with guys that I don't know well enough. I'm something of a sex addict. I'm available on Saturday and rather in the evening. You can have a date wherever you want. Now, please send me a message if you would like a one-time hookup with a gorgeous cougar who is very open-minded. I'll leave you now.
Looking for a hot night out with a young girl in Walnut Creek
Genevieve Nude
First name: Tilya,
Age: 32 yo,
City: Walnut Creek (CA)
I love getting fucked for hours. I don't hide from my close friends that I often have affairs with men that I don't know very well. I am single and live a life as naughty as possible. I'm sort of a sex expert. I don't really have a type when it comes to one night stands. It is important, however, that this guy be mostly without taboos. I need some foreplay because I love taking my time before we make love. For this fuck, I'm available on the weekend. I want to suggest a meeting in a pub so we can get to know each other. I hope to be in the company of this libertine soon who will want to make my naughty desires come true. I am looking forward to reading your comments. Looking forward to seeing you, kisses. See you soon.
Looking for a fun time with another couple on Oklahoma City for my pretty greedy girlfriend
Genevieve Nude
First name: Badiha,
Age: 28 yo,
City: Oklahoma City (OK)
My boyfriend and I love going to swingers clubs in Oklahoma City with the intention of meeting open-minded people. It's a little bit my fault because I'm flirty with guys and I have no taboos. I can meet you in a public place. I'm also looking forward to having a date in the woods on Oklahoma City. If we post a naughty ad, it's to play with a hot guy during an evening of untamed fucking. I'm a hot girl and I know how to make a dick hard. In short, we will read your proposals for this hot night. Looking forward to seeing you on Oklahoma City! Big kisses! See you later.
I'm looking for a really hot cougar woman in Midwest City
Genevieve Nude
First name: Meera,
Age: 37 yo,
City: Midwest City (OK)
Hi kids, my name is Meera and I'm 37 years old. I'm a really naughty cougar. I come here as I am free to fuck with a younger boy. I love sleeping with a young man and guiding him so that I can reach orgasm. I'm good at making you hard. I'm also quite good at lollipops. However, I want a good blowjob for this hot date. For this fuck, I'm free after work. I can make a first appointment with you at the restaurant to talk a little. In my ideal, I would like the gentlemen who write to me to be blond and rather burly. I'm looking for a man who can keep up with me sexually, because I demand a lot. I can stay in bed all day if my partner knows how to handle it. I want to have this libertine very quickly who will be able to realize all my libertine desires. I am looking forward to your responses. I look forward to meeting you. I give you a big hug! See you later.
Couple in a live-in relationship on Hilton Head Island for an evening of sex
Genevieve Nude
First name: Thanina,
Age: 38 yo,
City: Hilton Head Island (SC)
I'm looking for a nice, well-endowed guy who will make me feel good in the company of my darling because I am a slutty woman who loves to have two naughty guys all to herself. We've been passionate about naughty games for a very long time now. We discover new hot things regularly these days, this is swinging. We prefer to set up a meeting with you at a swingers club. We're available every night. Now, we hope to receive your hottest advances. I look forward to hearing from you. Kiss! See you soon.
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text:
Pressure Drop
As many of us do, the arrival of the year's end is a time for me to look back. If I were to sum it up, 2019 was all about surprise. Putting aside the absolute insanity of our politics, the year in film has been wild as hell. We saw both the Star Wars and MCU franchises come to a temporary end. We saw films about cathartic cults, flicks involving doppelgangers, and a number of movies examining class warfare. Perhaps strangest of all, we saw one of the best performances of the year delivered by Adam Sandler. Maybe it's not so strange, though! I'll grant you that a cursory look through Sandler's... Read More

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Can you tell me about yourself?
Well, aside from being a writer, I'm also a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, which is where I've lived for the past six years. Before that, I lived all over the United States, from the East Coast, where I grew up, to the Midwest and California. In fact, for most of my 20s, I moved around a lot, teaching part-time at various universities across the country until I finally got the job at Trinity and had the time to settle down and finish my book.
How did you begin writing short stories?
I started writing short stories back in college, when I was about 21, mainly because of two courses I took at the time – one, a literature course on the history of the American short story, and the other a fiction writing course. Between those two courses, I was exposed to an enormous number of short stories and short story writers, and before long, I discovered that the only thing I liked better than reading short stories was writing them myself.
Where do you feel short fiction is right now, as the trend for publishers and readers tends to be on the novel?
That's kind of a hard question to answer. On the one hand, it's true that major national publishing houses are no longer publishing as many short story collections as they used to, but on the other hand, there are probably more literary magazines than ever before, more creative writing programmes and creative writing students (who are presumably reading and writing short stories) than ever before, more major awards for the short story, and so forth. In other words, I think the short story form is very much alive and thriving, that it still has a huge fan base and readership; it's just that the majority of short fiction is now being published in smaller magazines, or on the web, and the majority of short fiction collections are now being published by independent and university presses. In other words, the market is still there; it's just a different market.
There are a lot of similar themes in your stories, can you tell me more about that?
It's interesting. When I sat down to put the collection together, I wasn't really aware of all of the recurring themes in these stories. I was just trying to pick and choose stories that seemed to fit together tonally. It was only later, when I started having to talk about the book at readings or in interviews, that I noticed how certain themes, like the theme of memory, or the theme of family kept popping up. I'd like to pretend that I planned this all out from the start – that I wrote my stories around these themes, but that just wasn't the case.
Is any of your work autobiographical or just plain fiction?
That's always a tricky question to answer. In my mind, all of these stories are purely fictional, but when close friends of mine, or family members read my work, they always draw parallels between the stories and my own life, parallels that are hard to ignore. I suppose the best way to answer this question is to say that any writer's fiction will inevitably be at least partly autobiographical, whether they intend for it to be or not. After all, when you're writing fiction the only things you really have to draw on are the things you've observed and experienced in your life.
In The Theory of Light and Matter, your main characters experience major life changing events, in terms of plot, how does this event help to create the story?
I tend to think of the event as the centre of the story, the moment out of which everything else grows. This event, after all, is the reason the story is being told in the first place, the thing the narrator is trying to understand. So I suppose when I write the story, I write it around the event, which is probably why so many of my stories have a non-linear structure.
In terms of the ten stories included in the collection, which one stands out the most for you and why?
I like each of the stories for different reasons. For example, I have a certain attachment to both Azul and the title story, Theory of Light and Matter, because they both took me a very long time to finish and because finishing them felt like a major accomplishment. I also have an attachment to the first story, Hole since it was the first story I ever published and also the first story that seemed to define for me what I wanted to do as a writer. I could do this with each of the stories, explain my sentimental or stylistic attachment to them, but the short answer is that there isn't one particular story that stands out for me more than the others. They all hold a certain importance for different reasons.
Who are your biggest influences and why?
There are so many writers who have influenced me over the years, but the one writer who has probably influenced me the most, at least in terms of style, is Raymond Carver. From an early age, I fell in love with his minimalist aesthetic and the clarity and precision of his prose. I basically learned how to craft a sentence from reading and rereading his stories, from studying the subtleties of his style and listening to the rhythm of his sentences. And though I rarely read Carver's work anymore, I think the lessons I learned from his stories at a young age are still pretty deeply imbedded in my mind.
I know that you also teach, what would be your advice to anyone looking to begin writing short fiction?
My main advice would be to read as much short fiction as you can get your hands on, to familiarize yourself with the history of the form and to read the work of both past masters and contemporary masters. The only way you're ever going to get better as a short story writer is to read a lot of short stories. I honestly believe that.
What do you feel is the future for the short story? Is a revival underway?
It would be nice to think so, though, as I said earlier, I think that the form is still very much alive and thriving. It might not be getting the type of mainstream recognition it used to, but it still has a loyal and devoted following.
What are your future plans?
Right now I'm working on a novel, which is currently under contract with Knopf/Random House and which I hope to finish in the next year or so. I'm pretty superstitious when it comes to talking about works in progress, but I can tell you that the novel is set in Houston and that it involves a family going through a crisis.


text:
It's been nearly four years since activists engaged in a battle over a Supreme Court nomination, and a tepid one it was.
Republicans barely pushed back on President Obama's 2010 nomination of Elena Kagan, his second appointment in as many years. She was confirmed by the Senate, 63-37.
At the time, influential Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona acknowledged the problem inherent in pursuing a high court battle: The GOP had only 41 Senate votes, making it "pretty difficult" to sustain a filibuster against Kagan, or any Obama appointee.
That could change by year's end.
Republicans are growing increasingly confident that they can win control of the Senate this fall — and with it the power to block, or at least bedevil, Obama's efforts to fill potential Supreme Court vacancies during his last two years in office.
That prospect means that interest groups including the National Rifle Association, the conservative Committee for Justice, and the liberal People for the American Way are starting to fire up their message machines in what all view as a singular opportunity to shape the high court going forward, given its current makeup.
The Committee for Justice last week asserted that "filibustering a bad nominee will not be an option" without a Senate takeover, warning that Democrats could expand the "nuclear option" to the president's Supreme Court nominees. At People for the American Way, Marge Baker said retaining Senate control is necessary to prevent Republicans from solidifying what she characterized as a court that "tilts more and more toward corporations and the powerful."
Both arguments aim directly at each party's base. And while Supreme Court appointments don't rank high on lists of voter priorities in either party — health care, unemployment and budget concerns are usually the most cited by voters — the issue could play a role in determining the outcome in several close races.
"I'm not going to tell you that I expect this to be a first-order issue, but it may inform and affect the first-order issues," says Ed Whelan, of the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center. "Issues like Obamacare, for example, or how the president might be using, or abusing, executive orders."
"It's an additional argument to rally the respective bases to turn out," he said.
Seasoned Justices, But No Retirees Yet
Two of the four oldest justices on the court, which leans conservative 5-4, are liberals. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is 80 and has survived two bouts of cancer; Justice Stephen Breyer is 75. Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia is 77, as is Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative considered a swing vote on some issues.
Those facts suggest that a vacancy is not outside the realm of possibility, though no one has indicated plans to step down from his or her lifetime appointment, including Ginsburg. She (and Breyer, to a lesser degree) have consistently dismissed pressure to step down from progressives anxious to guarantee that Obama pick her successor.
In attempting to rally the party faithful around the high court issue, Committee for Justice President Curt Levey has warned Republicans that it's not just liberal justices Obama may have an opportunity to replace but also any of the five justices he characterizes as "center-right."
The Issues At Stake
The machinations surrounding the potential Supreme Court vacancies are heightened by recent events: the president's Affordable Care Act, upheld by the high court in 2012; the court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on campaign ads and other electioneering tools; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision to eliminate filibusters for presidential nominations — with the exception of Supreme Court nominees; the evergreen issues of guns and abortion.
Both sides see opportunity.
"In a number of ways, the court will definitely figure into the 2014 elections, and we see the issue as a winning one for progressives," says Baker, of People for the American Way. "We start with outrage over Citizens United, which has only grown in four years."
The NRA and conservative group also see political promise in the fight, especially in close races where motivating just a sliver of the base has the potential to make a significant difference.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
For us "real" summer actually starts when school's out. I am sure parents of school going children will know what I mean. Daily life takes a totally different turn with the start of summer break. The days seem longer and slightly more relaxed and even though there's day care and work, we're at ease and enjoy the leisure of sleeping-in in the morning, strolls to the park in the afternoon and picnics in the evening.
Then of course summer means ice cream. In big scoops and almost everyday! Our favorite gelato place in Weimar offers some great and extremely scrumptious flavor combination and while we often stop for a scoop of the delightful frozen dessert, at 1 Euro per scoop it can become an expensive treat.
But summer provides us with such a lovely variety of ripe and juicy fruit, with which we are creative and enjoy spending the afternoon making our own ice cream.
Recently we spent a weekend on a lovely lake surrounded by a thick green forest. Packing a picnic, we and a few friends went for a hike around the lake in the forest. We were surprised with bushes and bushes of beautiful, fat, juicy and sweet wild blueberries. The picking started casually, just a few to pop into our mouths while hiking. But the deeper we went the more we found. In the end we came home with boxes full of wild blueberries.
We enjoyed most of them pure or in our yogurts or muesli in the mornings, but there was enough to make a few desserts.
Soeren and I got busy one afternoon making a blueberry flavor combination for our next ice cream creation. We turned up the music – A-ha's new album is our current favorite, put on our aprons and looked through our ingredient list.
I also had some puff pastry leftover from another baking project and wanted to use it. A little nibble of something crispy and flakey to go with the ice cream would be great, I thought and remembered the buttery Venetian cookies our Italian ice cream café often made.
Sfogliatine are a delicate cookie traditionally made in Venice. A simple affair really – two sheets of puff pastry layered and glazed with a light sugary icing and baked till golden. Not to be confused with the filled pastry also by the same name from Naples. These Sfogliatine are airy, light and flakey and can be enjoyed with a simple cappuccino or an elegant dessert.
I did not follow any recipe as such just placed two sheets of puff pastry on top of each other and cut them into square, then cut into rectangular strips. Lightly glazed them with some egg white and sprinkled with fine sugar, then baked them until they are puffy, golden and the sugar has caramelized. Be sure to cut a few slits into your puff pastry strips to avoid it puffing too much.
Once the sfogliatine were cooling on the rack we got to work on our ice cream. A few limes, coconut cream and handfuls of blueberries were going to give us our ice cream flavor of the week.
Wild Blueberry Lime and Coconut Ice Cream
Printable version of recipe here.
150g + extra blueberries
2 limes, zest and juice
120g Muscavado sugar
200ml coconut cream
280ml heavy creamMethod
- In a small saucepan add lime zest, juice and sugar and on low heat gently stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Add the blueberries and simmer just until the skins of the blueberries begin to pop – approx. 2-4 minutes.
- Transfer the blueberry mixture to a clean bowl and stir in the coconut cream. Allow to infuse and cool.
- Whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl until it just begins to hold it's shape. Slowly pour in the blueberry mixture and fold.
- Place the mixture in the refrigerator for approx an hour. Take out and give the mixture a good whisk until it is fairly smooth.
- Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer to a metal container (I often use my rectangular loaf/cake pan) and freeze. Will keep for up to a month. Take out of freezer approx. 30 minutes before serving to soften, then serve with an additional scattering of fresh blueberries.
If you are making this ice cream without an ice cream maker the procedure is fairly simple:
- Follow the steps all the way to point 4. then pour the mixture into a bowl and freeze for approx. 1 hour.
- Remove from freezer and using an electric hand whisk, blend the mixture energetically until fairly smooth.
- Put back into the freezer for another hour, then take out and repeat the whisking again.
- Finally transfer the mixture into a metal container, cover and freeze.
Food Guide Tips:
- Make your own homemade puff pastry.
- Select the perfect limes for this recipe.
- Enjoy the coconut in several different ways.
Making ice cream with Soeren is always a lot of fun. He is filled with great fantasies and has a wild imagination. We make up stories as we lick out the spoons or scoop out the ice cream from the machine for a pre-taste. I think this really is our ice cream of the week, it's fruity with the succulent and sweet blueberries, the limes add a perfect zesty aroma and the coconut rounds up this consummate flavor combination magnificently. The flakey sfogliatine gives it the final crunch needed to round up a great ice cream treat.
I'd Like to send a portion of this ice-cream to Ben and his Homemade #5 June & July - Ice Cream
You might like these ice cream treats from WFLH:
Saffron Coconut Ice Cream | Chestnut Tree Honey Ice-Cream | Cherry Semifredo Cake |
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


text:
This program has been archived.
NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows) Crosscutting Programs
Important Announcement
The SEES Fellows program has been discontinued. Proposals will not be accepted in 2014 and beyond. Potential candidates are invited to explore other NSF opportunities, including postdoctoral fellowships described here: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/education.jsp?fund_type=3.
For each of the programs listed on the above page, please follow instructions in that particular solicitation, and send your inquiries to the cognizant program officers.
Current SEES Fellows (who have been awarded in previous years) should review the information in the SEES Fellows Award Management Guidelines and communicate with their cognizant program officers for any issues related to their grants.
See program guidelines for contact information.PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Solicitation 13-595Important Information for Proposers
A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 22-1), is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after October 4, 2021. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 22-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.
Through the SEES Fellows Program, NSF seeks to advance science, engineering, and education to inform the societal actions needed for environmental and economic sustainability and human well-being while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. The Program's emphasis is to facilitate investigations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and address issues of sustainability through a systems approach, building bridges between academic inquiry, economic growth, and societal needs. The Fellow's proposed investigation must be interdisciplinary and allow him/her to obtain research experiences beyond his/her current core disciplinary expertise. Fellows are required to develop a research partnership(s) that will advance and broaden the impact/scope of the proposed research, and present a plan for their own professional development in the area of sustainability science and engineering. Proposals with a primary focus on topics covered by the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) are considered "out of scope" for this revised solicitation; however, proposals may include such topics as a secondary (or tertiary) focus.
Display additional information
What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)


text:
The votes are in. The anxious nominees' fingernails have been chewed down to the quick. And at least one blogger just excused himself to go to the bathroom (number two, apparently).
So we're more than pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Fabulous 50 Blog Awards, the most prestigious new media awards in the conservative blogosphere. Or, at the very least, in the 993 area code.
These awards recognize a variety of blogs and websites operating in the conservative hemisphere of the Internet, all of which have worked tirelessly to protect America from Statism -- some in very unique ways.
So, without further ado, may I have the envelopes, please?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Okay, I won. Where do I get my damn award badges?
A: Right here. If you have questions about installing your badge, ask 'em in the comments.
Q: *Sob*. I didn't win. Can I use one of the badges anyhow?
A: Yes, we've included handy LOSER badges for you.
Q: You suck -- I didn't win.
A: That's not a question.
Q: Where are the previous Fabulous 50 Award Winners listed?
A: You can review The 2010 Fabulous 50 here and The 2009 Fabulous 50 here.


text:
Unnecessarily Sexy Halloween Costumes — Sexy Spongebob, Naughty Bacon and More
Halloween is right around the corner, which means we'll be seeing a big uptick in pumpkin-flavored drinks, absurdly outlandish haunted-house designs and, of course, women wearing skimpy costumes.
But we won't just be seeing the standard sexy schoolteachers and naughty nurses. Every year, costume designers come up with all new ways to turn otherwise mundane or completely non-sexified items into strangely seductive outfits. Sexy Tigger? We're looking at you.


text:
Black is the New Blue
I am going to be 50 in one week.
Yeah, I said it. FIFTY.
Now, I don't really care if 50 is the new 40, or if 40 is the new 20, or if black is the new white and pink is the new orange. Frankly, I'm too tired to care.
A number is a number is a number. How do I feel inside? Great. I. feel. Great.
Am I worried? Am I nervous? Am I pissed? NO!
I am so damn thankful to still be on this planet, I am thinking of celebrating for a WEEK!!!!!
Or an hour. I will be 50, you know.
I was thinking of posting last year's birthday post- but will link it instead.
100 comments:
- Michele said...
I turn 50 in less than a month, also. I actually have no problem with it. It is just that much sooner that I become an empty-nester.
- August 30, 2009 at 8:50 PM
- buffalodick said...
In my life that simply makes you a younger, more desirable woman than ever... can you still do the splits like that in the photo? Just kidding around again.. you're getting better, not older! The beauty inside, is timeless- remember that, dear..
- August 30, 2009 at 8:53 PM
- cheatymoon said...
What a celebration you should have!! :-)
- August 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM
- Madge said...
Happy Birthday! I think you should celebrate the heck out of your birthday.
- August 30, 2009 at 8:56 PM
- darsden said...
wooooohooooo happy early birthday to you and you look marvelous..my big day is tomorrow wooooooohoooooo
- August 30, 2009 at 8:57 PM
- Unknown said...
Seriously, I LOVE getting older!
You goin' to par-tay like it's yo Birthday... - August 30, 2009 at 9:12 PM
- *Lissa* said...
It's all about how you feel! Happy Birthday week!
- August 30, 2009 at 9:16 PM
- *Akilah Sakai* said...
How sweet it is!
You feeling great is what's key.
50 hugs to you, Vodka Mom, plus ...
50 bottles of Grey Goose, or Ketel One, or Absolut. Take your pick! - August 30, 2009 at 9:17 PM
- Lee Ryan said...
Yeah - but 50 is really only 32 if you're counting in hex.
- August 30, 2009 at 9:21 PM
- forever lost said...
50 is soo hard but 51 well it gets better and better. You own up to your instinct and well you just learn to love it cause you cant go backwards (damN)
- August 30, 2009 at 9:23 PM
- Liz Mays said...
I hope I head into 50 with the same spirit!
- August 30, 2009 at 9:28 PM
- Malisa said...
Only 8 years difference. I thought it more. 50 is great! You will feel more of a freedom to be yourself. Can't wait for that drink we are going to have together! Did I say drink? I meant DRINKS!
Malisa - August 30, 2009 at 9:32 PM
- An Unlikely Retirement said...
Welcome to the club! I've been 50 since November. Figures, I'm older than everyone. Anyway, I just wanted to say that (although I wouldn't have believed it had you told me even a week before) this is turning out to be probably the most wonderful year of my life. No kidding.
- August 30, 2009 at 9:38 PM
- Sandee said...
I'll be 58 in September. You youngster you. Bwahahahahahaha.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Dear Vodka Mom,
Happy Birthday to you. :) - August 30, 2009 at 9:41 PM
- Sprite's Keeper said...
A fellow Virgo. I knew there was I reason I loved you at first sight!
Happy birthday, Vodka!
xoxo - August 30, 2009 at 9:41 PM
- Pop and Ice said...
I've been 50 and fabulous since May. It doesn't faze me a bit! Have a grand birthday celebration for your 1/2 century achievement!
- August 30, 2009 at 9:46 PM
- The Mind of a Mom said...
I say don't do it!! Stay at 49 don't go into territory that you are not sure of. You know the 40's are good so why leave a good thing behind?? :o) hehehe
- August 30, 2009 at 9:50 PM
- Mrs. E said...
I celebrated my 50th BIG TIME!!! I had a stroke the week before my 49th--damn straight I was celebrating. I was celebrating just being healthy and alive! And I'm celebrating every day, every year from now on! George Burns said it best, "We can't help getting older, but we don't have to get old." VM, you are never going to be old with your sense of humor! Happy Birthday--and many, many more!!
- August 30, 2009 at 9:51 PM
- Eternal Lizdom said...
Hahahahaha!! I turned 35 last week and was proudly announcing that I'm a common speed limit now!
- August 30, 2009 at 9:52 PM
Happy Early Birthday!
- August 30, 2009 at 10:03 PM
Happy Birthday!!!
And to annoy your kids, try to sound hip and tell them you are "fitty". - August 30, 2009 at 10:23 PM
- the mama bird diaries said...
you have the right attitude girl. may you have a wonderful birthday.
- August 30, 2009 at 10:32 PM
- Unknown said...
Happy Birthday! Enjoy what you remember, enjoy what you don't remember...enjoy it all!!!!!
~AM - August 30, 2009 at 10:40 PM
- Mango Girl said...
I simply say:
A) Happy Birthday!
B) What took you so long
CONGRATS!!! - August 30, 2009 at 10:43 PM
- SkylersDad said...
It's just a number, I am 52 now. No big deal, deep cleansing breaths...
- August 30, 2009 at 10:48 PM
- Heatherface said...
I'll tell you the same thing I told my own mom, she just turned 51 on the 25th. You're already a year older, your birthday's simply the end of the year in terms of your age. You're mostly-50 at this point, so just get over it and enjoy the fact that you're obviously an awesome 50-year old. ;)
- August 30, 2009 at 10:49 PM
- Sharon Rose said...
Well I am thinking we need to celebrate this week and spotlight you for this event!
Happy Early Birthday! - August 30, 2009 at 11:04 PM
- Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...
Happy bday. You are going to ROCK 50!
- August 30, 2009 at 11:05 PM
- mommakin said...
I'll be 47 in two days. Here's to us: Cheers!
- August 30, 2009 at 11:08 PM
A friend of mine turned 40 back in November. She refused to let anyone say the word forty. So she came up with "The big 20-20". So when her birthday finally came around everything had Happy 20-20 Birthday" on it instead of "40".
I think you should celebrate being the big 25-25! - August 30, 2009 at 11:10 PM
- Maggie May said...
what a carefree attitude about aging, i love it, i am so not there, but i admire it! happy early birthday, vodka :)
- August 30, 2009 at 11:22 PM
- @eloh said...
Have a very Happy Birthday. And 50 is the new 40.
- August 30, 2009 at 11:29 PM
- Lawyer Mom said...
Pink is the new blister. Brown is the new frown. Broke is the new joke.
Sorry, Vodka Mom, but I just can groove yet to all the new aphorisms I'm hearing all the time. - August 30, 2009 at 11:35 PM
- Sue said...
I just turned 58, so I'm looking at an even worse number in a couple of years!! I have to share though. When I turned 50, I was in the middle of an ugly divorce after 22 plus years of marriage. My kids were a mess from it, but through it all, I've been the most comfortable being in my 50's! Life hasn't always been easy, but the older we can get, we can always use the line that I use, "I'm old, so I don't give a shit"!! An early happy birthday to you my friend!
- August 30, 2009 at 11:56 PM
- Andréann said...
Happy Birthday!
my mom's mom died from a generalised cancer at 47 yr old (she had cancer for 15 years...) And I remember the day my mom turned 47 she cried all day, just like you.
I wish you an awesome year! - August 31, 2009 at 12:05 AM
- The Good Cook said...
You need to celebrate ALL year! Do something special 12 X's...
That's what I did last year when it was my turn to face the big 50...
It's been all good.
20's - figuring out who we are
30's - apologizing for who we are
40's - getting comfortable with who we are
50's - knowing damn well who we are and proud of it!!
Happy Birthday!! - August 31, 2009 at 12:26 AM
- Joanie said...
You know what I got for my 50th birthday? Single!
- August 31, 2009 at 12:33 AM
- b. luis grey said...
Blue is the new Grey! :)
- August 31, 2009 at 12:34 AM
- flutter said...
Happy Birthday, bitch! (oh, you didn't know? bitch is the new sweethearr ;p)
- August 31, 2009 at 12:45 AM
- Desert Songbird said...
My soul feels 20; unfortunately, my body feels 80.
- August 31, 2009 at 12:50 AM
- shrink on the couch said...
Thanks for the early warning. Now all 1054 of us followers can show up on your front porch bearing martini's!
Happy 50, Vodka Mom! - August 31, 2009 at 12:59 AM
- Cassie said...
Cheers to you! I read you link and am sorry to hear your story. I'm sure, though, you'll celebrate the socks off your birthday! Have a great 50th year!
- August 31, 2009 at 1:46 AM
- Formerly known as Frau said...
Rock that 50! Happy early birthday let the celebrating begin!
- August 31, 2009 at 1:48 AM
- Twenty Four At Heart said...
You look like your only 25. Honestly. Well, maybe 30 but not a day over.
- August 31, 2009 at 2:05 AM
- Captain Dumbass said...
Happy almost birthday, beautiful.
- August 31, 2009 at 2:20 AM
- Sultan said...
Hopefully this will be an iconic birthday for you.
- August 31, 2009 at 2:40 AM
- ג. ג. said...
Congratulations and Mazal tov!
Just enjoy every day of it. - August 31, 2009 at 4:45 AM
- Paige Lacey said...
Congrats on the B-day! Hope it's your best year yet.
P. - August 31, 2009 at 6:00 AM
- Beth said...
Happy Birthday to you!
My husband's birthday is today. He is 56 - but if you ask him, he'll say 54 because he has decided to start counting down. - August 31, 2009 at 6:10 AM
- Alan Burnett said...
Congratulations. 50 isn't a big problem. You don't automatically start going downhill after fifty. Well, at least I don't think that you do. Truth is I can't quite remember.
- August 31, 2009 at 6:22 AM
- Brian Miller said...
i have found you are as old as you want o be or think you are. i hope you have great birthday, with many more to come!
- August 31, 2009 at 7:06 AM
- The Stiletto Mom said...
Happy almost birthday friend, mine was this weekend and I am still recovering. This aging thing is not for the faint of heart! xoxoxox
- August 31, 2009 at 7:12 AM
- mo.stoneskin said...
From what I've heard 50 is the new 21. But hey, you don't care so that'll be like water off a duck's back...
- August 31, 2009 at 7:56 AM
- justmakingourway said...
Birthday week celebrations are a must! One day is not nearly enough time to mark such a great occasion!
- August 31, 2009 at 8:06 AM
- Ladybird World Mother said...
I once said to my son, about my mother...
'Be careful of Nanny. She is Quite Old.'
Son said, aged 3, 'She's not old, she's New.'
Guess you're pretty New Too! xx - August 31, 2009 at 8:08 AM
- LadyFi said...
I'm going to be 50 in December... let's have a party and celebrate!
Happy Birthday in advance - for next week! - August 31, 2009 at 8:11 AM
- Rebecca said...
Happy Birthday...a little early!
- August 31, 2009 at 8:15 AM
- Stacy Uncorked said...
Happy early Birthday! You'll wear 50 well...I hope I hit 50 with the same panache as you! :)
- August 31, 2009 at 8:17 AM
- Unknown said...
Great attitude!
I'll be 68 in December and am looking forward to it. Don't put anything in my way! - August 31, 2009 at 8:36 AM
- Unknown said...
And a great happy birthday to ya!!
- August 31, 2009 at 8:37 AM
- Christy said...
I hope you celebrate ALL week! This calls for a whole week of champagne!!!
- August 31, 2009 at 8:42 AM
- IB said...
I turn 49 in September. I feel GREAT! And why shouldn't I? It's not like I'm 50.
Seriously? Happy birthday! - August 31, 2009 at 8:45 AM
- WeaselMomma said...
I think 50 sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun!
- August 31, 2009 at 9:10 AM
- Real Live Lesbian said...
Happy Birthday, Hotstuff! ;)
- August 31, 2009 at 9:12 AM
- Vodka Logic said...
I turn 51 in October and I am finally over 50 although I still don't believe it.
49 to 50 was really hard for me but it stirred up the hidden poet and blogger so all is good.
Have a great birthday
xx - August 31, 2009 at 9:24 AM
- Boozy Tooth said...
Nuthin wrong with 50 honey. I highly endorse it!
Happy Birthday wishes in advance. You WILL let us know when the clock strikes twelve, won't you? - August 31, 2009 at 9:28 AM
- CSY said...
- August 31, 2009 at 9:32 AM
- Kelly said...
Happy Birthday to you! I'm turning 30 next month and for a while I dreaded it, but now I'm just excited and happy to finally be out of my 20s.
- August 31, 2009 at 9:34 AM
- Cowguy said...
Happy Birthday!
I just turned 51. At 51 they let you in the club where you just sit around sacrificing goats and dipping granola bars in chicken blood.
Enjoy 50~
J - August 31, 2009 at 9:36 AM
I am so damn thankful to still be on this planet, I am thinking of celebrating for a WEEK!!!!!
GREAT ATTITUDE! WE SHOULD ALL FEEL THANKFUL, life is truly short..enjoy it....HAPPY BIRTHDAY:) - August 31, 2009 at 9:45 AM
- Ekanthapadhikan said...
I feel so good to see people with such great attitude. Three cheers to you.
Many happy Returns of the Day in advance! - August 31, 2009 at 9:56 AM
- Pseudo said...
We should throw, like a blog block party!!
I'm going to be 52 in a couple of months. I've sniffed it out on this side of the 50 fence for you. It's just like you said, grateful to still be on the planet. - August 31, 2009 at 10:25 AM
- Ryan Ashley Scott said...
When you play with kids all day, they help keep you young. Or very, very old. Depending on the day?
Beginning a new decade is a good excuse for a celebration, in any case. For my 30th, I bought a bunch of unfashionable prom dresses from goodwill and made my friends dress up with me. - August 31, 2009 at 10:29 AM
- Cora said...
Enjoy the hell out of it. Numbers are a good thing. Take that from someone who nearly died at 32 ~ numbers are a damn good thing. :-)
- August 31, 2009 at 10:54 AM
- confused homemaker said...
Happy early Birthday!!! Woot for 50! Enjoy every dang moment of it.
- August 31, 2009 at 11:35 AM
- Deb said...
-->Having a birthday is much better than the alternative.
Happy birthday!
www.WebSavyMom.com - August 31, 2009 at 12:04 PM
- TexasRed said...
Happy (Early) Birthday! You're right age is 90% attitude -- just ask my 102-year-old great aunt who still goes dancing!
- August 31, 2009 at 12:28 PM
- Dr Zibbs said...
I've got a few more to go.
- August 31, 2009 at 1:00 PM
- c'è montessori said...
Woooohoooo! 50 years drinkin those vodkas! Congratz!
- August 31, 2009 at 1:03 PM
- Meg said...
Happy Birthday! Been there. Done that. It's not too bad if you live in denial like I do.
- August 31, 2009 at 1:10 PM
- As Cape Cod Turns said...
I have that same attitude about birthdays! Bring it on and have lots of fun! 50 may actually have to be a 2 week celebration.
- August 31, 2009 at 1:24 PM
- Square Peg Guy said...
Awesome! I'm only 46, but I like older women! ;)
- August 31, 2009 at 1:33 PM
- Michel said...
Happy Birthday! I also do not care if I am getting older. Frankly, these days I just see it as one year closer to when I can quit and start being rude to others and dress funny.
I can't WAIT! I'm already rude. That came at 30... - August 31, 2009 at 1:49 PM
- Elenka said...
Hey, I'm turning 50, too....10 years ago!!
Still teaching.....see what you have to look forward to!
Still feel great, I just avoid mirrors whenever possible. - August 31, 2009 at 2:08 PM
- The Peach Tart said...
I turned 55 this year and still kicking ass and taking names all while wearing stilettos.
- August 31, 2009 at 2:43 PM
- Stereos and Souffles said...
I agree that age is only a number. HOWEVER, we were at dinner with some new friends over the weekend and the woman guessed that I was 42.
42, not a bad number you say? Except I'm 34. - August 31, 2009 at 2:48 PM
- S3XinthePantry said...
I read your post from last year too... what a major milestone 49 was for you!
I hope you celebrate BIG!
-Lynn - August 31, 2009 at 3:43 PM
- Pam said...
I completely agree with you. I never dread birthdays because it means I'm still here! I lost my Mom 4 years ago and miss her more than I can say. I love your blog and the way you look at life! Thanks for sharing.
- August 31, 2009 at 3:47 PM
- Everyday Goddess said...
My ex is going to be 63 tomorrow. Now that's fucking old!
- August 31, 2009 at 4:12 PM
- Rick Daley said...
At 25, your insurance rates drop. At 50, your boobs sag. Where's the justice in that?
- August 31, 2009 at 4:25 PM
- DustieBottoms said...
happy early birthday. My great grandmother (who passed away at 99!) used to say "you are only as old as you feel". I hope your 50 feels like the actual 20.
- August 31, 2009 at 4:36 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY, Well I hope you have a great birthday! What will you be doing the whole weel??
- August 31, 2009 at 6:20 PM
- Crazy Charm said...
Happy early birthday! I hope you're having a great time back at school :)
- August 31, 2009 at 7:49 PM
- ♥ Braja said...
I always liked getting older...seriously...
- August 31, 2009 at 9:47 PM
- Midlife Roadtripper said...
I partied for the next three years after I turned 50. Just stopped last week.
Happy Birthday! Enjoy! - August 31, 2009 at 11:33 PM
- Eileen, Founder, Organizer, Mayor and Chief Cook And Bottle Washer of the Anger Management Girls. said...
Welcome to the club!
50 isn't so bad. Consider the alternative. - September 1, 2009 at 10:51 AM
- Eileen, Founder, Organizer, Mayor and Chief Cook And Bottle Washer of the Anger Management Girls. said...
One more thing, when I turned 50 I refered to it as Birthday-rama.....it went on for weeks.
Have fun. - September 1, 2009 at 10:52 AM
- midlife slices said...
50 isn't so bad when you consider it could be worse.....you could be 16 again! Oh the horrors!
- September 1, 2009 at 9:57 PM
- GypsyFox said...
I'm almost 30...30 is the new 20, therefore 50 is the new 40.. teheheh =)
- September 2, 2009 at 2:31 PM
- Unknown said...
I'm late ... but hope your 50th birthday was a BLAST! :D (however long the celebrations started... haha!)
- September 5, 2009 at 12:50 AM


text:
Intel's Larrabee GPU will finally go into commercial production next year, but not as a graphics processor. Instead, the part will make its debut in a 50-core incarnation fabbed on Intel's 22nm and aimed squarely at one of the fastest growing and most important parts of NVIDIA's business: math coprocessors for high-performance computing (HPC).
When Intel's ambitious, hybrid software/hardware GPU effort failed in late 2009 due to delays, Intel insisted that the silicon side of the project would live on in some form. The next year, the company announced that Larrabee had morphed into the Knight's family of HPC coprocessors, which the company began shipping in very limited quantities as a research testbed. Intel also began calling the basic architecture of the Knight's family is Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture.
Today's announcement is the official unveiling of Intel's broader plan to commercialize the MIC-based Knight's family, starting with the 50-core Knight's Corner chip on 22nm. Intel is also announcing partnerships with SGI and other system integrators that plan to build commercial HPC systems around the MIC silicon.
The MIC products will compete directly with NVIDIA's Tesla line, making MIC a threat to NVIDIA's growth prospects in a world where integrated processor graphics (IPGs) like Sandy Bridge and AMD's Llano are eating the discrete GPU market from the bottom up.
The main advantage that Intel touts vs. Tesla is that because MIC is just a bunch of x86 cores, it's easy for users to port their existing toolchains to it. (When using Tesla, researchers must port to NVIDIA's proprietary but well-loved CUDA platform.)
In a previous discussion of the MIC vs. Tesla issue, I suggested that Intel was massively overselling this ease of porting, since applications must be redesigned anyway. But having learned a bit more in the intervening year, I'm not quite as certain that this is the case. Ease of development and porting do seem to matter for both budget-constrained academic labs and the kinds of high-frequency trading and other finance applications that prize speed of deployment along with fast computation.
Even if it does turn out that x86 gives Intel a big advantage, it's not all smooth sailing for MIC. One thing that's missing from the press materials that Intel sent was a set of relative performance claims vs. Tesla, and that's probably because the more specialized Tesla would crush it on the kinds of codes for which Tesla is commonly used. It's the age-old general-purpose (slower, easier to use) vs. specialized (faster, harder to use) tradeoff, and Intel is betting that since Tesla has so far been the only real option there are plenty of potential users out there who are in the market for something less specialized.
None of the press materials I saw indicated that Intel is changing its interconnect architecture for Knight's Ferry, so it looks like the chipmaker will be hanging 50 cores off a single, high-performance yet power-hungry ring bus. This is surprising, since I would have expected the company to move to a tile architecture (à la SCCC) for a core-count this high. A tile-based design is no doubt in MIC's future, but there are certainly issues that remain to be worked out.


text:
Justin Bieber -- Cops May Have Fudged Police Report
Justin Bieber Cops May Have Fudged Police Report
There may be a gigantic hole in the case against Justin Bieber ... because we've now learned the singer had next to NO alcohol in his system yet cops at the scene said he reeked of alcohol.
We have now confirmed Justin's actual blood alcohol level ... it was .014 -- next to nothing. Legal intoxication is .08. Law enforcement sources told TMZ Thursday Bieber had a .04 ... but we've now confirmed that is NOT true. He had a .014 -- an enormous difference.
Someone Justin's size would probably have higher than a .014 with a single beer. So the question ... how could cops say they were overpowered by the smell of alcohol?
According to the police report ... the arresting officer was leaning into the car, talking to Justin just after the stop and the cop says, "I immediately smelled an odor of alcohol eminating [sic] from the driver's breath."
The police report goes on ... Justin was then arrested and taken to a holding facility, where another officer said he smelled "... the odor of an alc bev on his breath."
Justin insisted at the scene he was NOT drunk. Cops say he failed his field sobriety test.
Sources connected to the case tell us ... this could well come down to a credibility case, with Justin's people accusing cops of lying. Fact is ... the Miami Beach PD has had credibility issues in the past. One law enforcement source confided in us ... "That police force has had a zillion problems."


text:
A Lucasfilm spokeswoman confirms the "Star Wars" creator married longtime girlfriend Mellody Hobson in a weekend ceremony at Skywalker Ranch north of San Francisco.
It's the second wedding for the 69-year-old Lucas, who was married to film editor Marcia Lucas from 1969 to 1983.
It's the first marriage for the 44-year-old Hobson, an investment firm president and an analyst for CBS News. The two have dated since 2006. Former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley walked her down the aisle.
The Saturday afternoon ceremony was performed by journalist Bill Moyers, who was once a Baptist minister.
Guests included filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard, who said on Twitter that the wedding was "a joy to behold" and Moyers' service was "nothing short of profound."


text:
Can Republicans Win Over Women In November?
For the first presidential cycle in years, Republicans seemed to have a shot at overcoming Democrats' long-standing edge with women voters.
They fared better than Democrats among women overall in the 2010 midterm election — the Republicans' best overall national result among women in 18 years.
And 2012 seemed to have the potential to turn that good showing into a trend, a key advantage in an electorate where women make up the majority of all voters.
Polls taken as recently as the end of last year suggested that women's support for President Obama was weakening. In 2008, Obama corralled 56 percent of women's votes — 13 percentage points more than his GOP opponent John McCain. And, since women cast nearly 8 million more votes than men that year, Obama rode the gender gap all the way to the White House.
Republican front-runner Mitt Romney appeared poised to challenge Obama for the women's vote. Exit polls from Super Tuesday's GOP presidential contests suggest that Romney does better among women voters than among men. Earlier this year, he also polled better than Obama among women in hypothetical head-to-head national matchups.
But the events of recent days are raising questions about whether Republicans, who so recently saw an opportunity to close the gender gap, may now be watching it widen given the recent maelstrom surrounding women, contraception, Congress, Catholics and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
And surveys taken even before the commotion suggested that women were already starting to come back to Obama, giving him more credit than men were for economic gains.
The Limbaugh Effect
Many Republicans are still shaking their heads at how quickly the debate turned on an issue where they had traction with a wide swath of the electorate.
Limbaugh's on-air characterization of a young female advocate of employer coverage of contraception as a "slut" and "prostitute" galvanized Democrats who had been attempting to establish a narrative that Republicans were attempting to meddle with women's rights and health choices.
Before Limbaugh's crude injection of himself into the discussion, the public was divided over a proposed federal rule that would require employers, including most religious organizations, to cover contraception as part of their health care benefit plans, according to a February Pew Research Center poll.
Independent voters surveyed were the most evenly split, with 48 percent saying that religious institutions should be required to provide contraception coverage, and 46 percent saying they should be "given an exemption."
The survey, says Pew's Carroll Doherty, was taken during the time the Obama administration modified its proposal to include most, but not all, institutions affiliated with religious organizations in the coverage mandate.
But once Limbaugh weighed in, the debate center shifted from the question of religion and contraception coverage to women's private lives and their ability to speak in a public forum without being denigrated.
Obama telephoned the young activist, Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, to encourage her to stay involved and suggest that her parents would be proud of her. On Tuesday he told reporters that he was motivated, in part, by thoughts of his own two daughters and how he would want them to be treated when they grow up and engage in issues publicly.
"I don't want them attacked or called horrible names because they're being good citizens," Obama said.
The head of Carbonite, one of the many businesses that have pulled advertising from Limbaugh's show, said on Facebook that he, too, thought of his daughters when he made his decision.
Ground To Make Up
Special Coverage
Super Tuesday
Key Stories
North Dakota
The GOP candidates' tepid responses to Limbaugh's comments did not help the party's effort to woo women. They ranged from Santorum suggesting that as "an entertainer," Limbaugh "can be absurd," to Romney's "it's not the language I would have used." The superPAC supporting Newt Gingrich is running ads on Limbaugh's show.
"Republicans are not hostile toward contraception," says conservative pollster Kristen Soltis. "The real issue is what employers should be required to do, and what should government pay for."
"There are real arguments about the role and size of government, and the employer/employee relationship that can be very favorable to Republicans," Soltis says. "Unfortunately, the conversation has gone to birth control and value judgments about people who use birth control."
Conservatives have also argued that liberal and progressive commentators, including MSNBC's Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews, have made disparaging comments about women that prompted none of the outrage heaped on Limbaugh.
Liberals have, indeed, been more effective in making Limbaugh a symbol in a conversation that was already beginning to favor Obama.
Polls Show Obama Gains
An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in February showed Obama's approval rating improving, and gaining with women who give him more credit than men for the strengthening economy. His support between December and February climbed 10 percentage points among women.
A Washington Post/Pew poll released this week showed that Obama was even gaining among white women, a group he lost in 2008. In January, white women preferred Romney 50-44 percent, according to Doherty of the Pew Research Center. By February, Obama had taken the lead, with 52 percent of white women saying they preferred the president to Romney, who had fallen to 46 percent.
Pew experts were also struck, Doherty said, that Obama's lead against Romney among all women "was quite substantial, 59-38 percent." Men polled preferred Romney, 50-45 percent.
The gap between men and women, however, has not been out of line with previous elections, though the survey was taken in the early stage of the contraception controversy, Doherty said.
At the end of the day, however, Democrats like consultant Kiki McLean say that it will be economic issues that drive the choices of women voters.
Access to contraception and health care are part of that economic equation for women, says McLean, a veteran Democratic campaign adviser, but "they don't stand alone."
"Women voters are very sophisticated, and they won't be taken for granted," she said. "The concept that women vote on a single issue is a falsehood — they care about the economy as much anyone else, from how it affects health care, job creating and taking care of their children, to building a business, and providing economic and educational opportunities."
On that, she and Soltis, the Republican pollster, agree.
"Economic issues will be what decide the election at the end of the day," Soltis says.
Obama himself suggested as much at a White House press conference Tuesday, when asked about the Limbaugh controversy.
"There are millions of strong women around the country who are going to make their own determination about a whole range of issues," Obama said. "It's not going to be narrowly focused just on contraception. It's not going to be driven by one statement by one radio announcer."
"I'm not somebody who believes that women are going to be single-issue voters; they never have been," he said. "But I do think that we've got a strong story to tell when it comes to women."
While the events of the past several days haven't been helpful to Republicans, Soltis says she doesn't see them as decisive.
"There is plenty of time and plenty of opportunity," Soltis says. "If this GOP primary has shown anything, it's that a week is an eternity."
And it's certainly given women voters plenty to contemplate.


text:
2020-2022 Honda CR-V Grille Moulding Center Ptd Black
- Part Number: HO1210171
- 2020-2022 Honda CR-V
- Grille Moulding
If we made a mistake on your order, we offer 100% refund and we will send you the return shipping label and You have 5 days from the receipt of the part to return the part or report the discrepancy Painted part: Please note that painted parts are not returnable or exchangeable. Non-Painted Part: There is a 30% restocking fee of the total invoice for cancelled or returned products by customer. The buyer is responsible to ship it back and the shipping cost is not refundable.
To be eligible for a return, your item MUST be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It MUST also be in the original packaging and resalable.
Any damaged part must be reported within 24 hours of receipt of the part. Pictures of the damaged parts must be taken and sent to: email@example.com
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. Thereafter, your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within 3-5 business days.SHIPPING POLICY
With painting will take 10 business days to prepare your order and when is ready we will send your tracking number by email and will take 3 to 6 days for shipping.
Please note these are an estimate time and is not guaranteed.
We offer a free shipping, but some restriction is applied for territories and Labrador and Rural road (rr) and some other area which our courier company has limited access. We will contact you by email and will inform you the extra cost. You have the option to refuse and cancel the order and get the full money back.
There is 2 different quality for the part and paint service.
-With Certified Quality product & service you are 100% covered and everything is guaranteed for you
-Non-Certified: Fitment is guaranteed and quality is standard.


text:
A major blast from the 70's I had a mitisobushi that looked like this ones brother.
Test Report: Onkyo P-3000R preamp and M-5000R power amp
Key Features |
$4,198 (as tested) us.onkyo.com |
M-5000R power amp ($2,499) • 2 x 80 watts (8 ohms; 20Hz - 20kHz, 0.05% THD, 2 channels driven) • 12V trigger in/out • Auto standby switch • Inputs: Stereo RCA, mono XLR • 17 1/8 x 7 3/8 x 17 in; 51 3/4 lb |
P-3000R preamp ($1,699) • Dual 192-kHz/32-bit Burr-Brown DACs • 12V trigger output • IR remote input • Inputs: (4) stereo analog; phono; (2) coaxial and (2) optical digital; AES/EBU; USB • Outputs: (2) stereo analog pre outs plus tape loop; optical digital • 17 1/8 x 3 7/8 x 13 1/8 in; 241/4 lb |
Anyone looking at the above picture who figures they accidentally clicked on a repost of some ancient test report from Stereo Review, your confusion is entirely understandable. Decades after the big Japanese audio companies all but abandoned two-channel high-end gear to sail off into the multi-channel A/V receiver waters, Onkyo has turned back the clock with a delightfully retro-looking stereo power amp and matching preamp.
Of the two units, it's the M-5000R power amp that really flaunts its old-school roots. Those sexy power meters were a trend among the big Japanese audio manufacturers back in the 1970s, even though most Western high-end companies considered them kind of gimmicky. To be honest, the meters really don't give you any information you couldn't live without, but they sure do look cool bouncing up and down with the music.
With lightweight, powerful class D amps now becoming more popular in the home theater market, the M-5000R's 52-pound bulk and relatively modest 80 watt-per-channel rating seem kind of like throwbacks, too. But that power rating is unashamedly conservative, reflecting the amp's ability to deliver gobs of current into real speaker loads.
The P-3000R preamp is a bit more contemporary looking than its sibling. With its chunky volume knob and sleek, brushed-aluminum cabinet, you could probably fool a lot of audiophiles into guessing it came from a boutique high-end company by simply covering up the Onkyo badge. Scratch a little deeper and you'll discover that the P-3000R is bang-up-to-date under its skin, with many of the features that today's audiophiles look for. In addition to the usual complement of analog inputs (including phono), you get a bunch of digital inputs that feed the preamp's dual 192-kHz/32-bit digital-to-analog converters. The coaxial and optical inputs are pretty standard stuff, but the P-3000R adds a professional AES/EBU input and, more interestingly, a USB port that lets you stream high-resolution files from your computer. For standard-rez files, the DAC can upsample the signal to either double or quadruple the original sampling rate. One feature that was notably missing is an iPod dock port, although I expect Onkyo's response would be that the USB input offers a better way to access your iTunes library
After years of configuring complex A/V receivers, setting up the Onkyo separates was a piece of cake for me. You simply connect analog and digital sources to the preamp, run a stereo interconnect between the preamp and power amp, and connect speaker cables from the amp to the speakers. Connecting a computer (PC only, alas), is a little more involved, as you first need to download and install a driver from the Onkyo website. As I write this, the required download isn't available on the Onkyo USA site, but it should be by the time that the P-3000R reaches the market.
The P-3000R has a few hidden tricks worth mentioning. One of its line-level inputs can be set to a fixed level, making it easier to integrate this gear into a larger multi-channel rig. Also, if you biamp your speakers, the two pairs of line-level outputs can be set to track at different volume levels, simplifying the task of balancing the system. One curious addition is the M-5000R's single XLR balanced input, which works only when you're running a pair of the amps in bridged mono mode. Since the preamp doesn't have matching balanced outputs, it's hard to see many people using this feature.


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The January 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen who chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and "Nanaimo Bars" as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.
"Nanaimo Bars" originate from Canada. This no-bake confection is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. This wonderfully rich dessert item consists of a wafer crumb-based layer, topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavoured butter icing, which is covered in chocolate made from melted chocolate squares.
Just like any bar, "Nanaimo Bars" are not for the faint of heart when it comes to calories. This easy to make chocolaty, nutty, coconutty, vanilla goodness is irresistibly decadent. They are so bad for your cholesterol, but oh so good for your spiritual health!
Many thanks to Lauren for introducing me to the gluten-free world and for making me realise that baked goods which contain no gluten are as delicious as the gluten-ladden ones.
~ Nanaimo Bars ~
Preparation time:
• Graham Wafers:
30 to 45 minutes total active prep, 2 ½ hours to overnight and 45 minutes inactive prep.
• Nanaimo Bars:
30 minutes.
Equipment required:
• Food Processor
• Bowls
• Parchment paper or silpats
• Cookie sheets
• Double boiler or pot and heatproof bowl
• 8 by 8 inch square pan
• Hand mixer or stand mixer (You may use a wooden spoon, but this makes it much easier!)
• Saucepan For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
GRAHAM CRACKERSIngredients:
1 Cup (138g/4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 Cup (100g/3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 Cup (65 g/2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
1 Cup (200g/7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 Tsp (5ml) Baking soda
3/4 Tsp (4ml ) Kosher Salt
7 Tbs (100g/(3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 Cup (80ml) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover
5 Tbs (75ml) Whole Milk
2 Tbs (30ml) Pure Vanilla
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight. 4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.
NANAIMO BARSIngredients for the "Bottom Layer":
1/2 Cup (115g/4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup (50g/1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 Tbs (75ml) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 Cups (300ml/160 g/5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe) 1/2 Cup (55g/1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 Cup (130g/4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)
Method for the "Bottom Layer":
1. Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler.
2. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut.
4. Press firmly into an ungreased 20x20cm (8 by 8 inch) pan.
Ingredients for the "Middle Layer":
1/2 Cup (115g/4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 Tbs and 2 Tsps (40ml) Heavy Cream
2 Tbs (30ml) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird's. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254g/8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar
Method for the "Middle Layer":
1. Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well.
2. Beat until light in colour.
3. Spread over bottom layer.
Ingredients for the "Top Layer":
115g (4 ounces) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tbs (28g/1 ounce) Unsalted Butter
Method for the "Top Layer":
1. Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat.
2. Cool.
3. Pour over middle layer and chill.
REMARKSThese bars freeze very well, so don't be afraid to pop some into the freezer.
The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour. Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.
For the Nanaimo Bars, if making with wheat, replace the gluten-free graham wafer crumbs with equal parts wheat graham wafer crumbs.
Etant donné la longueur du texte original, je n'ai malheureusement pas pu faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur le blog mentionné ci-dessous. Vous y trouverez cette recette en version française.
Chez Isa de "Les Gourmandises d'Isa" (Canada)


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(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
by Chris Talbot
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nick Rhodes is on the phone to talk about Duran Duran's concert film collaboration with director David Lynch that's slated for a one-night-only theatrical engagement next month. As he talks of being inspired by Lynch's "Eraserhead" as a teenager, he can hear another one of his inspirations nearby: Nile Rodgers on guitar.
"I can actually hear him playing the guitar just down the corridor from where I am right now," Rhodes says gleefully.
Next month will mark a period of high activity for Duran Duran. Along with work to finish a new album, the British rock band will appear at the Fashion Rocks concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 9 before releasing "Duran Duran: Unstaged" in more than 300 North American theaters on Sept. 10.
The film is an enhanced version of Lynch's original livestream presentation, with tweaks and enhancements to improve on the 2011 original. The "American Express Unstaged" series pairs musicians with directors who design a one-off live show that even a band as seasoned as Duran Duran was nervous about.
"It literally was live live," Rhodes said. "It was one of those moments where we all looked at each other and said, 'Good luck, let's see what happens.' And it went out on the Internet just exactly as we played it, and of course there were some things that didn't work quite as well as others, and footage that didn't sync up in the most beautiful place that it could have done ... so it's had a proper polish. It's been refined for cinema, and it looks beautiful, too. The print is fantastic."
When the group approached Lynch to oversee the initial livestream, he said he'd only consider it if it was "radically different" than the staid concert-film formula.
Lynch chose to shoot the piece in black and white — like "The Elephant Man," which Rhodes and John Taylor saw together in a Birmingham, England, theater as teenagers — and created a series of images to run over the top of the band's performance.
"There was a room filled with smoke all the time," Rhodes said. "There was another room where there were a lot of actors doing strange things. Then he pre-prepared some other footage which varied between sort of hand puppets and aero-planes and clocks and machinery and this footage just sort of literally was superimposed over us playing ... and I think the results are really pretty unusual."
The band is shooting for less radically different results in the recording studio where it has been cutting songs with Rodgers, who co-produced the group's 1986 album, "Notorious." Mark Ronson and Mr Hudson are also producing tracks. The album will be mixed next month, and Rhodes said it will be out in the first half of 2015.
"I think we know where we want to be and it's right in the center of the dance floor," Rhodes said. "That's what we're aiming for together."
Courtesy Associated Press


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Patrick Signs $36B State Budget, Announces $16M In Vetoes
Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law Friday the final state budget of his administration, while also asking lawmakers to expand his authority to order spending cuts, if needed, during his last months in office.
Patrick, whose second and final term ends in January, said Friday that the $36.5 billion state budget is a continuation of the administration's strategy of targeted investment in education, infrastructure upgrades and cutting-edge industries such as life sciences.
"That has proven to be a successful strategy, as demonstrated by the fact that we have the highest level of employment in Massachusetts in some 25 years, and families are moving into Massachusetts again, instead of out," the governor said.
The governor also announced $16 million in line-item vetoes, representing only a fraction of the total spending in the budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1.
"It's a short list because I will say the Legislature set a budget which is very consistent with the proposal I made in January, particularly in the areas of highest impact," he said.
In an unexpected development Friday, Patrick filed a separate bill that would broaden his power to make targeted spending reductions in state government — without legislative approval — through Dec. 31, should the administration deem such cuts necessary.
Governors already possess more limited power to reduce spending in certain agencies under their direct control, but such authority is generally only exercised after economic downturns or when tax collections fall well below projections.
Patrick said the expanded powers he was seeking would allow the administration to reduce spending in one area so funds could then be reallocated to another area of more urgent need.
"Some may think that governors already have such tools. The truth is they don't, but should," he said.
Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor later explained the request was not tied to any specific budgetary or revenue concerns.
"We're seeking a modest expansion of some of the authority we have right now to deal with unforeseen developments that are pressing and require a quick response to make room in the budget," said Shor, who as an example gave the recent sharp hike in heroin overdoses around the state.
If approved by lawmakers, the governor's budget-cutting powers would be broadened to include other entities such as state colleges, district attorneys and certain independent agencies, administration officials said.
Patrick said the fiscal 2015 budget increases state funding for public schools for an eighth straight year, reduces by 1,700 the wait list for spots in state subsidized prekindergarten programs, and allows for a second straight year without tuition or fee increases for in-state undergraduate students at University of Massachusetts.
The spending plan includes an additional $50 million to reduce social worker caseload at the state's beleaguered child welfare agency.
The governor also vetoed a budget provision seeking to exempt the MBTA's retirement system from the state's public records law, saying it would go against his desire for transparency in government.
Patrick returned to lawmakers a line item calling for a nearly $23,000 increase in the salaries of district attorneys. He said he wasn't opposed to the raises, but wanted to add language to study whether prosecutors who work under the DAs also deserve increases.
With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom
This article was originally published on July 11, 2014.


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I picked up this metal organizer somewhere last summer. I liked the color blue, but thought it would go better in my craft room if it had a fresh coat of paint.
For now it sits on my bookshelf displaying a few of my favorite books. I haven't decided if this is the best use for it, but it works for now. Any suggestions?
Here are some more individual craft room projects:
{Discovery Moments: Tree of Intention}
Take a peek at my {Linky Parties} page to see the parties I am participating in.
Don't forget to enter my {Cottage Charm Giveaway}!


text:
Notice: This Wiki is now read only and edits are no longer possible. Please see: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipsefdn/helpdesk/-/wikis/Wiki-shutdown-plan for the plan.
The EGF project is part of EMF.
In order to improve the software development industrialization, a major step consists in mass-producing software. This mass-production must be customizable, and must be able to support complex, large-scale and heterogeneous generations. Given the today's available Eclipse tools, the issue here is not to provide either a new transformation engine (model-to-model, model-to-text, text-to-model, text-to-text) or DSL (Domain-Specific Language) editor but to realize their integration for flexible software mass-production. This is the purpose of EGF.
EGF federates generation around the pivotal element of factory component. A factory component is a unit of generation with a clear objective of generation. It has a contract to declare the factory component parameters. Contrary to a classic generation which aggregates all the generation parameters, generation data are organized by viewpoints, such as generation pattern, license description or deployment declaration. Altogether, viewpoints explicitly configure all the generation parameters. The generation orchestration is defined by a production plan. A generation step of the production plan can either be a Java task or, by assembly, an invocation to another factory component. Regarding the lifecycle, a factory component can be edited and executed.
A factory component encapsulates generation know-how. A portfolio is a consistent set of factory components with a common generation objective, valuable for a development team or a user community. The purpose is to create off-the-shelf factory components. For instance, a technical infrastructure factory provides all the needed mechanisms for an application development (e.g., transaction management, persistence policy).
Documentware |
Software Download and Installation |
Follow up |
Any issue should be reported to the Bugzilla You may also contact the team using the EMF/EGF newsgroup.


text:
If Black Friday is the traditional holiday shopping kickoff for bricks (i.e., brick-and-mortar stores), then Cyber Monday is considered the kickoff for clicks. This term was coined for the phenomenon involving the Monday after Thanksgiving - the one day out of the year when people rush to work... so they can use their high-speed office computers to take advantage of fantastic online sales.
Though it's still a massive holiday sales day, thanks to huge deals and free shipping, Cyber Monday is really just the beginning of the online holiday shopping season.
Now, people shop all season long from the convenience of their couch, commuter train or local coffee shop, using phones, tablets and other mobile devices
In a recent survey of 1,215 mobile device users, Webroot found that 50 percent of respondents are likely to purchase holiday gifts using their smartphones or tablets this shopping season - up from 22 percent who did so in 2010.
There is no better time to shop online than the holidays, when the hoards of shoppers can sap your energy and holiday spirit. But the Grinch may be stealing more than the presents from Whoville; he might be stealing your personal information if you don't take precautions for safe online holiday shopping.
5 safe online shopping tips:
1. Ho-ho-hold on before you click on a link delivered to you in an email. Can't wait to buy that Chia Pet for 80 percent off? Beware clicking on links you receive from unfamiliar websites. It could be a "phishing" scheme, where shoppers who click through are led to a false site developed to steal their data. If the deal is too good to pass up, enter the website name by hand into your browser.
2. Santa's watching! And so are thieves unless you lock your device. Webroot found that a surprising 53 percent of respondents leave their devices unlocked, which can expose their personal information to prying eyes. Most devices request that you lock it with a password or code; take advantage of this feature to keep your information secure.
3. 'Appy holidays: For safe online shopping, make sure your apps are downloaded from a trusted source, such as the Android Market, Apple App Store or the Amazon App Store. When you download the app, it will ask for various "permissions." Be sure to read through them and note whether they make sense... for example, does a shopping app need access to your contact list? Another way to check on the safety of apps is to read through the feedback in the comments section of the market and choose apps with a high rating.
4. There's no place like home for the holidays... for safe online holiday shopping. Remember, a secure network connection - like that in most homes or workplaces - is ideal. Public Wi-Fi can be hacked by someone with the right tools, exposing your passwords, billing information, and other sensitive data. Therefore, if you're using a public connection, it's best to limit yourself to window-shopping and price comparing, rather than buying.
5. Deck your halls: A security app is more than ornamental window dressing -it's vital for online shopping. Webroot found that only 40 percent of respondents have a security app installed on their smartphones and tablets, putting their devices and personal information at risk. Take a hint from older surfers: While younger users more often use their devices for shopping - to place orders, compare prices and download coupons - the survey found that users ages 50 and older were more likely to have security on their device.
Above all, to stay healthy and wealthy, you've got to be wise. Just as you would exercise caution with your wallet and belongings in a crowded store, remember to be as vigilant in the World Wide Mall. Keep your cyber information secure while enjoying safe holiday shopping online. The number one way to protect your device and data is to install mobile anti-virus software and make sure it is up to date. In fact, it just might be the perfect gift for everyone on your shopping list!


text:
A South African magistrate allowed Oscar Pistorius to go free on bail Friday, capping hearings that foreshadow a dramatic trial in the Valentine's Day killing of the star athlete's girlfriend.
Pistorius' family members and supporters shouted "Yes!" when Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair made his decision after a more than 1 hour and 45 minute explanation of his ruling to a packed courtroom.
Pistorius was not a flight risk and ground had not been established to show that he had a propensity toward violence, Nair said.
For full world news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.
Nair set the bail at 1 million rand ($113,000), with $11,300 in cash up front and proof that the rest is available. The magistrate said Pistorius must hand over his passports and also turn in any other guns that he owns. Pistorius also cannot leave the district of Pretoria, South Africa's capital, without the permission of his probation officer, Nair said, nor can he take drugs or drink alcohol.
The double-amputee Olympian's next court appearance was set for June 4. He left the courthouse in a silver Land Rover, sitting in the rear, just over an hour after the magistrate imposed the bail conditions. The vehicle, tailed by a motorcycle with a TV cameraman aboard, later pulled into the home of Pistorius' uncle.
The magistrate ruled that Pistorius could not return to his upscale home in a gated community in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, where the killing of Reeva Steenkamp took place.
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Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius said: "We are relieved at the fact that Oscar got bail today but at the same time we are in mourning for the death of Reeva with her family. As a family, we know Oscar's version of what happened on that tragic night and we know that that is the truth and that will prevail in the coming court case."
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Nair made the ruling after four days of arguments from prosecution and defense in Pistorius' bail hearing. During Friday's long session in Pretoria Magistrate's Court, Pistorius alternately wept and appeared solemn and more composed, especially toward the end as Nair criticized police procedures in the case and as a judgment in Pistorius' favor appeared imminent.
Nair had banned cameras from Friday's dramatic bail hearing and complained about cameras constantly "flashing" in Pistorius' face the previous three days of hearings, saying the spectacle made the athlete look like "some kind of species the world has never seen before."
Nair said Pistorius' sworn statement, in which he gave his version of the events of the shooting during the predawn hours of Feb. 14 in a sworn statement, had helped his application for bail.
"I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail," Nair said.
Pistorius said in the sworn statement that he shot his girlfriend — a model and budding reality TV contestant — accidentally, believing she was an intruder in his house.
Prosecutors say he intended to kill Steenkamp and charged him with premeditated murder, saying the shooting followed a loud argument between the two.
Sharon Steenkamp, Reeva's cousin, had said earlier that the family wouldn't be watching the bail decision and hadn't been following the hearing in Pretoria.
"It doesn't make any difference to the fact that we are without Reeva," she told The Associated Press.
Despite the bail decision, prosecution spokesman Medupe Simasiku said: "We're still confident in our case," outside court.
Pistorius faced the sternest bail requirements in South Africa because of the seriousness of the charge, and his defense lawyers had to prove that he would not flee the country, would not interfere with witnesses or the case, and his release would not cause public unrest.
Nair questioned whether Pistorius would be a flight risk and be prepared to go "ducking and diving" around the world when he stood to lose a fortune in cash, cars, property and other assets. Nair also said that while it had been shown that Pistorius had aggressive tendencies, he did not have a prior record of offenses for violent acts.
He criticized Hilton Botha, the previous lead investigator in the case, for not doing more to uncover evidence that the Olympian had violent tendencies.
"There is ample room and ample time to do that by looking at the background of the accused," he said.
But while Nair leveled harsh criticism at former lead investigator Botha for "errors" and "blunders," he said one man does not represent the state's case and that the state could not be expected to put all the pieces of its puzzle together in such a short time.
Anticipating the shape of the state's case at trial, he said he had serious questions about Pistorius' account: Why he didn't try to locate his girlfriend on fearing an intruder was in the house, why he didn't try to determine who was in the toilet and why he would venture into perceived "danger" - the bathroom area - when he could have taken other steps to ensure his safety.
"There are improbabilities which need to be explored," Nair said, adding that Pistorius could clarify these matters by testifying under oath at trial.


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As this lamb is going to wind up half inside a sweater pocket, we don't need to think about the legs, just the head and body. In the interest of further simplification, we're going to shift the basic shapes slightly to bring them into alignment, thus.
And that's what we've got to knit first.
This is where you have to draw on your own knowledge, experience, and preferences as a knitter. There are probably as many ways to realize those shapes in knitting as there are knitters. You could, for example, simply knit up two stockinette shapes in the appropriate sizes.
On the other hand, as this lamb will be placed against a stockinette ground, why not try out a textured stitch to give it a little more visual oomph? Maybe the render the fluffy body in moss stitch?
Let's try it. Cast on as many stitches as you think you need, and go.
Not bad. Good enough to continue. In fact, rather than knit two pieces, what if we used texture to suggest the separation between head and body? Maybe render the face in stockinette? And we could throw in a pair of decreases at the "shoulder" line for shaping.
Promising. Enough to go on. I find that when you're improvising like this, it's extremely important to make frequent stops for assessment–something I learned from Maggie Righetti in Knitting in Plain English. When I started knitting I felt guilty about constantly pausing to look at my work, until I read Maggie's sound advice that you should do so to decide if you like it–and rip it back if you don't. That has saved me a lot of time and trouble.
So, here's the finished body and head in one piece.
It's okay. The top corners are a bit sharp, but maybe they can be fudged in the sewing. But the face looks sunken when it should project forward, as a glance at the model shows.
We could undo the head. Or, before we go that far, we could try knitting the lamb a little oval snoot, since that's the bit that really sticks out in the original, and apply it over the stockinette face. Maybe that'd counteract the sunken effect. It'll only take a few minutes.
Hmm. Not bad. Let's sew it down, and tuck a bunch of yarn ends underneath to give it a little extra volume.
And there we are–the basic shapes are in place. It's not quite ready to baaaaaaaa, but it's gettin' there.
Next time, we'll finish up by adding the details to the face and head.
New in the Shop
I was
(Yeah, I played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid. You wanna make something of it?)


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There comes a point where you go from being simply a bystander to a full-on advocate for a cause. Can you pinpoint when it happened for you?
Maybe you don't have a cause that stands out that much yet. No worries—there are easy steps you can take to jump behind a cause or an organization that you love. When you become an advocate, magical things happen for the organization, and for you!
Walk the Walk
First, in order to be an advocate, you need to find a cause that you love. Find something that you can get behind and that you're truly passionate about. Maybe that means an organization comes to mind right away and you know what you want to advocate for. Or, maybe you haven't found the cause you love yet.
Consider what you're passionate about. These days, there's a cause supporting just about anything. Trust us, it probably exists. Immerse yourself in that cause. If you're passionate about it, it'll seem effortless to back that cause.
Wear the Brand
One of the easiest ways to get people asking questions is to wear a shirt or article of clothing that has the name of the organization or cause on it. People are curious, and they will ask what your shirt means or what the organization does.
If the cause or organization you love doesn't have any wearable branding, now is a great time to try to get it made. If you can drum up enough interest from other advocates, the organization will most likely be behind your efforts to help raise awareness.
Talk About It
Humans are interesting creatures. Sometimes, we don't think about doing the most simple things that can make the most difference. This step is crucial and simple—talk about the cause. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors or tell random strangers.
Starting a conversation is a simple way to bring awareness to a cause. Many times, people simply don't know you're passionate about something. How are they supposed to know if you don't tell them? Make sure you're armed with the right information so you're portraying the cause and organization in the best light.
It's magical to really live through and advocate for a cause. Don't let fear hold you back from making a positive impact on this world. Jump into advocating for a cause you're passionate about today.


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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Many find themselves frustrated in their careers by lack of preparation for dealing with predictable dilemmas that regularly arise in the world of work. Two in five professionals fired in their jobs after college are terminated for lying, or misuse of technology. Easy to avoid! Or is it? What if you find you have to compromise your values to keep your job? What if they ask you to lie or cheat, even though you know if you are found out you will be fired? What if you find out the company is breaking the law?
Successful people know about and have the skills taught in this specialization. You should, too.
Those who wish to make a difference, build positive reputations, become leaders, and advance in their careers must cultivate professional success skills, along with their specific job skills. The central themes of this course – knowing yourself and your values, recognizing and meeting ethical challenges, using an analytical decision-making framework, identifying potential pitfalls, and developing tools to use in the moment – are essential soft skills for succeeding at work. In short, an ethical framework is necessary, and not just nice; smart ethics, as we define them, are integral to success.
Specific details
Category of Education


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While every other organization is customizing the same old promotional items, you should personalize something that is sure to get your brand noticed. Clients and employees alike could use a refreshing beverage or quick snack during the day, so personalize these custom promotional food and beverage dispensers. Our promotional food and beverage dispensers will satisfy everyone, whether thirsty or hungry, and will display your corporate logo brilliantly. Customers and employees will appreciate your customized food and beverage dispensers throughout the day.
Our selection of custom printed promotional food and beverage dispensers are designed to prominently feature your corporate logo, name and even contact information. Available in a large assortment of shapes, colors and sizes, from small portable dispensers to larger, desk-sized ones, you can easily find one that suits your marketing needs.