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GodDay 12.12.12
Restoring Honor to God and Fathering the Fatherless
"A Day like no other, GodDay, will begin on 12-12-12. A sound will be released that will awaken a city to awaken nations. This sound of awakening shall go forth and an army of awakening shall arise in kingdom government and demonstration. Supernatural signs, wonders and miracles shall continually increase. Mass deliverance and salvation will break out in cities and regions. Places that were once dead in sin will spring forth in revival. News networks will report locally and globally about this phenomenon. Those who embrace this move will experience economic turnarounds. The very economies of cities shall be revived and awakened as they enter into My Day and embrace my righteous cause. Yes, I will favor those who favor righteousness and the righteous,"[1]
It is becoming an annual occurrence. Once again the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has scheduled an event on a calendar date that has numerological repetition. This year it is GodDay 12.12.12, featuring NAR head apostle C. Peter Wagner. Like the New Age Datesetters who are focusing on 12-21-12, the numbers are given esoteric significance.
The use of month-day-year date annotation is simply a manifestation of the calendar we use. Here is a brief description of our modern calendar system:
The Gregorian calendar, also called the Western calendar and the Christian calendar, is internationally the most widely accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582; the decree, a papal bull, is known by its opening words, Inter gravissimas. The reformed calendar was adopted later that year by a handful of countries, with other countries adopting it over the following centuries.[2]
Yet, the NAR and related evangelical leaders have persisted in this date-setting numerology, especially since the turn of the millenium when it became so easy to combine single digit dates on the calendar, such as 01-01-01, etc. According to NAR critic Sandy Simpson at www.deceptioninthechurch.com,
The brief history of the New Apostolic Reformation is full of the celebration of mythological superstitious calendar dates. The apostles and prophets of this movement have proven themselves to be false over and over again by their superstitions and alignment with New Age mythology.[3]
Simpson has been documenting the chronology of this "superstitious date setting" since 3-3-3 when Ted Haggard sent out an e-mail calling people at his New Life Church to pray on March 3, 2003. Haggard noted that this was a day with significance to the New Agers, but countered that
The World Prayer Team therefore calls on all Christian churches and individuals to set aside at least 3 minutes to pray at 3:33 PM in their time zone on 03/03/03.[4]
False prophecies seem to go on during these special dates. Benny Hinn reported having a dream about the significance of March 3, 2003, which helped fundraising for TBN:
…God Himself awoke Benny with a prophesy that is frightening to say the least. That's right God told Hinn that "rivers of blood" will come in the near future unless fervent prayer is exercised on behalf of TBN partners and the Body of Christ in general. He told Rod Parsley on this program that great judgment is coming and this is in addition to the fire, shaking, shuddering, and raining that is also supposed to come upon the church as seen in Hinn's past dreams. He said in closing that Mar. 3 will be a day to be remembered because God personally told him that He would do "something" super supernatural that day…. [5]
Simpson noted that "nothing happened of any importance on that day out of the ordinary" and that there were no "rivers of blood."
Simpson reported that on June 6, 2006 "the apostolic networks came together to do "prayer" and "violent worship" to allegedly protect the world against the devil's plans for 6/6/6." This time the NAR called June 6 "A Global Day of Violent Praise."[6] To carry the numerology further, the NAR started and ended the collective prayers at 6 pm, and even quoted from Isaiah 66:6, Psalm 66:6, and Genesis 6:6. Characteristically, they blew shofars and spoke out decrees.
On July 7, 2007, Lou Engle of TheCall, who is closely associated with the IHOP and NAR movements, gathered at the Titans Stadium in Nashville to try to start a new "Jesus Movement" and renew "covenant vows" with the Lord.[7] At this point Engle was trying to fulfill the old Bob Jones (Kansas City Prophets) false prophecy about the significance of filled stadiums.[8] This event was to launch the long-awaited recruiting for "Joel's Army" to create the "New Breed" of the Latter Rain cult, a teaching popularized by Mike Bickle, Rick Joyner, Paul Cain, and others. See "TheCall 7-7-7 Nashville" HERE and HERE, for example, and note that there are more films from this event posted online.
Rick Joyner, and his pal Lou Engle – who both seem fixated on this numerology – held a "Solemn Assembly" on 08-08-08 to "consecrate the state" of California. The event was coordinated by IHOP. The photos are posted online HERE. They went to San Fransisco, not to share the Word of the Gospel, but rather to "pray and fast" because it was a "city under seige" and "demonic subjugation." They were hoping for "a shift to take place & righteousness to break forth" as a result of their spiritual warfare prayers and identificational repentance.[9] It was all connected with California's controversial Proposition 8 "Marriage Amendment."[10] Interestingly, this prayer event was accompanied by "Christian Native Americans and others are covering the portals as The Big Bear Medicine Wheel Gathering is happening on 08-08-08."[11] Some of the activities sounded downright bizarre and occult!
On the 8th of Aug. of 2008 the nations have convoke a special ceremony to open the portal of Orion. The portal of Orion is a spiritual corridor to establish the powers of darkness over the earth. August 8, 2008 the countries have convocation for a special ceremony to open the portal orion. The portal orion is a corridor to establish the spiritual powers of darkness on the earth.[12]
Numerous prophecies abounded across the Internet about September 9, 2009 with corresponding events. One of the more interesting prophecies on The ElijahList was yet another prediction of a "super shift" to "another season of change and great shaking" beginning in September and "continuing throughout October, and will gain both momentum and velocity by December 31st." This Dec. 31 date was said to be significant because it was a "blue moon."[13] Often the esoteric numerology ties in with signs in heaven and on earth according to these NAR folks.
Another significant NAR September 2009 event took place when Bob Jones had yet another vision. This vision gained special notoriety recently when it was used to justify the David's Tent DC (also see previous post). The original account of the vision was published on The ElijahList:
In September 2009, in a trance, Bob was aboard a train with many other shepherds. Each one had a special seat assigned by the Holy Spirit. Bob asked the Conductor, "What is this train?" The Conductor told Bob it was the glory train and handed him a time capsule that was shaped like an egg. The egg had new life in it! It contained the beginning and end of time. Bob asked the Conductor, "When can I open this egg and when will this train arrive?" The Conductor said the time was within the egg and the egg will be opened in 2012.[14]
The interpretation of this event was that this "glory train" was "The Ellipse" where Davids Tent DC was located, which NAR leader Jolene Hamil said "is an oval shaped park shaped like an egg"
We are now in the final 24 hours of Davids Tent DC. The egg of promise has most definitely hatched. The glory of the Lord is NOW being restored as a bridal canopy across the land.[15]
Rick Joyner was published on The ElijahList on this date, corresponding with his advertised 10-10-10 Ignite Conference (with Todd Bentley), proclaiming a prophecy about getting a "double portion of prophetic revelation." It was a typical Dominionism NAR "prophecy," proclaiming that
We are entering the time of the ultimate clash between light and darkness, but as we also see in this text—the light wins! The nations do not turn to the darkness but to the light.[16]
Lou Engle held yet another youth event, the highly publicized TheCall Detroit. Footage of the event is posted online, HERE and HERE and elsewhere online.
Meanwhile John Benefiel of HAPN (of the NAR) had been busy casting Baal out of America in 2011, and this project culminated at the Lincoln Memorial on 11-11-11. A series of "prophetic" visions on about the significance of this date also formed the basis of the 2012 David's Tent DC event just before the elections. Here is how it was described:
…this effort culminated by presenting to the Lord a Declaration of Covenant this July 4, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Then on 11-11-11, as part of the DC40 initiative, we returned to the Lincoln Memorial as leaders assembled in state capitals across our nation. From coast to coast, we reminded God of His covenant, and asked for His hand in marriage again!
I can say that beyond any doubt, the Lord responded with YES. Here's just two expressions of His verdict. On the eve of 11-11-11, as we gathered for the DC40 prayer time, Apostle John Benefiel had a vision. A thick, weighty substance began to form and connect from region to region. John realized he was seeing God's glory being restored in this nation… as a bridal canopy!
As we were resetting covenant with the Lord on 11-11-11, Chuck Pierce and Dutch Sheets were in Kansas, at the very place where the "X" intersected in Cindy's vision. Chuck and Dutch felt a release to governmentally call for God's glory to be restored as a bridal canopy to the land![17]
James Nesbit, who creates this mystical artwork[18] depicting the theology of the Latter Rain, Joel's Army, the New Breed, and the 7 Mountains, described the purpose of these Washington, D.C. 2011-2012 initiatives as follows:
The Biblical Calendar began for us this year with the 51 Days of Fire (DC40) prayer initiative: 40 days praying in Washington DC and 11 days Philadelphia, 10/3/11 through 11/22/11. The power of the initiative was the union of all the states praying "As one" for those 51 days. Each state took a point man position in leading the states in praying for our nations capital through that state, and night after night via conference call each state passed the torch to another, beginning with the state of Hawaii and ending with the state of Delaware….
Now here we are coming to Georgia…. We are coming to release the sounds of heaven, the synergy of intercessions of the year biblical year 5772 and move in the governmental power of the one song.
We have entered into the "Era of His Presence" and the Latter Rain outpouring that will produce a Great Awakening that will never end until the return of the Lord. We are crossing over into the era of Holy on earth as it is in heaven.[19]
All of which brings us to GodDay 12.12.12 in Orlando, Florida, "a day of Divine Order and Apostolic Government" where "Apostolic decrees & Prophetic Proclamations will be made that Shift the atmosphere and release Awakening to America and the nations." Ostensibly the event is about "the Fatherless," but it seems to have a typical NAR agenda to shift things into their version of an awakening. C. Peter Wagner and New Age/NAR leader Mark Chironna are featured with other NAR notables. It has been advertised on TheElijahList.[20]
The Truth:
According to Sandy Simpson, true believers should not have anything to do with this sort of date-setting and significance. It is connected with occult divination, augury and superstition.
False prophets have always been known and identified as using divination and augury to try to set dates for certain events. The dates they set, though they hold festivals to celebrate them, never produce the results they predict. Their superstitious behavior and their adherence to these mythologies are one way to identify them as false prophets….
False prophets devote themselves to godless myths (superstitions) and the celebration of certain augured mythological dates. Yet true believers are not to engage in such things.
1Ti 1:4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. (NIV)
1Ti 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. (NIV)
2Ti 4:4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (NIV)[21]
(Galatians 4:9-10)
1. "A Prophectic Decree by Dr. Joshua Fowler," posted at http://www.globalawakeningcongress.com/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar
3. Sandy Simpson, "The New Prophets And Apostles and Superstition," 5-22-07, http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/newprophetssuperstition.html
4. Ibid, quoting from several earlier articles at http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/333hinn.html and http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/answertotedhaggard.html
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. See the February 1996 article by Ed Tarkowski, "The Significance of Filled Stadiums," The Christian Conscience (Vol. 2, No. 2), published online at http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Articles/FilledStadiums.pdf
9. http://ca4jesus.blogspot.com/2008/08/8808-consecrate-state.html
10. http://injesus.com/message-archives/christian-living/CaPastorsPrayerNetwork/solemn-assembly-more-action-items
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Larry Randolph: "Urgent: The Court of Heaven is in Session. It's time for the Church to Get on Their Face – The Verdict is NOT IN YET!" The ElijahList, Sept 1, 2009, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/html/textonly-090109-Randolph.html. Note that he contacted Bob Jones of the KC Prophets for verification of his prophecies.
14. Bob and Bonnie Jones, "Peace, Prosperity and the Returning Glory!" TheElijahList, January 16, 2012, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=10639
15. For an extended discussion on this, with documentation, see "Can the Bible Ever Mean What it Never Meant?" by Dr. Orrel Steinkamp, 11/15/12, https://herescope.net/2012/11/can-bible-ever-mean-what-it-never-meant.html
16. Rick Joyner, "He is Releasing a Double Portion of Prophetic Revelation," The ElijahList, Dec 10, 2010, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/9402. Bold in original.
17. http://www.lamplighterministries.net/Securing%20the%20Secret%20Place.html
18. http://www.jamesnart.com
19. "Releasing the Sounds of Heaven Across GA! James Nesbit's insights," Kairos Transformation News, e-mail August 6, 2012. http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=bfae996e8e9f5c15009deb17f&id=1c61008801&e=3434bf27b1
20. "Are You Ready for Global Awakening?" The ElijahList, Nov, 11, 2012 e-mail advertisement, HERE.
21. Ibid, http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/newprophetssuperstition.html
Exhibit A appeared in an e-mail sent out by artist James Nesbit for Prepare the Way Ministries International on March 7, 2012, "DC40 March 12-17 DC Itinerary – DC40 Documentary Webcast." This graphic was widely used to promote the DC40 event in 2011, which culminated on 11-11-11. Note the renaming of District of Columbia to "District of Christ."
Exhibit B and Exhibit C appeared in an e-mail sent out by artist James Nesbit for Prepare the Way Ministries International on October 15, 2012, "Important Notice and Schedule," promoting the David's Tent DC event. These two graphics depict the prophecies about a BRIDAL CANOPY lying over the Washington D.C. The "bridal canopy" is part of Mike Bickle's IHOP (Latter Rain) false teachings, https://herescope.net/2008/05/mike-bickles-gigolo-jesus.html
NOTE: This article was co-published in a special arrangement with Apprising Ministries. The AM version is more complete, containing the actual footage of some of these events. It is posted at http://apprising.org/2012/11/19/12-12-12-nar-date-setting/


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New report exposes mining companies suing Latin American countries where communities defend land and environment
Mining Watch | 2 May 2019
New report exposes mining companies suing Latin American countries where communities defend land and environment
News Release
We analyzed 38 multi-million dollar claims brought by the mining industry using ISDS and other investment protection laws; in over half, communities are fighting to protect Indigenous territory, water, and more.
Ottawa, Washington: A new report by MiningWatch Canada, the Institute for Policy Studies, and the Center for International Environmental Law, "Extraction Casino: Mining companies gambling with Latin American lives and sovereignty" exposes how transnational mining companies file multi-million dollar suits against Latin American countries to challenge key laws and decisions protecting indigenous peoples' rights, the environment, and community health. The companies examined used arbitration particularly where communities are engaged in struggles against the harmful extraction industry.
The report examines all 38 known cases that have been brought by mining companies against governments in Latin America with increasing intensity in the last two decades. They are suing for millions and billions of dollars as a result of court decisions, public policies, and other government measures that they claim reduce the value of their investments. In the majority of these cases, communities have been actively organizing to resist mining activities and defend their land, health, environment, self-determination, and ways of life.
"Mining and other extractive companies are the most likely sector to make use of ISDS worldwide. Canadian companies make up the bulk of the mining firms that are suing governments in Latin America, including many junior exploration firms that are using ISDS as a last ditch effort to make millions when they have otherwise failed to obtain environmental permits, gain community support, or make any earnings at all," said Kirsten Francescone, Latin America Program Coordinator at MiningWatch Canada.
Transnational corporations have access to the supranational arbitration system as a result of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses in Free Trade Agreements and other investment protection pacts, laws, or contracts. These allow companies to bypass domestic courts and sue governments before private tribunals of highly paid corporate lawyers who have no obligation to consider concerns related to communities or the environment.
"Through years of advocacy, communities have managed to enshrine critical land rights, Indigenous rights, and health and environment protections into law. When mining companies use ISDS, they challenge not only state sovereignty, but also the few hard-won laws and decisions that allow communities to defend their homes, livelihoods, and human rights. This report reveals why ISDS use should be eliminated," said Carla García Zendejas for the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
The report found that Colombia currently faces over US$18 billion dollars in threatened or pending suits, especially related to protecting Indigenous territory and fragile páramo ecosystems, which provide water to over a million people. Mexico and Uruguay face over US$3 billion each in suits for measures that have put ecologically sensitive areas off-limits to industrial mining. Guatemala and Ecuador have been threatened with tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in suits related to gold and silver projects that communities have spent many years fighting, facing criminalization and threats to defend their water, health, and livelihoods.
"People currently struggling to prevent the extractive industry from destroying their territory, water, and ways of life can learn from the success that the people of El Salvador had when Pacific Rim Mining sued after failing to obtain an environmental permit for a gold project. The local, national and international organizing that took place over the seven years of the arbitration, with a solid legal defence, not only led the company to lose, but cleared the way for Salvadorans to ban all metallic mining country-wide in March 2017," said report co-author and global economy researcher Manuel Pérez-Rocha of the Institute for Policy Studies.
Summary of Key Findings
Justifications to pursue arbitration:
- One-third of the cases examined dispute government measures related to Indigenous Rights and community consent. Nine of these were brought by companies without any operating mine at the time of arbitration.
- Over half of cases dispute government measures concerning the enforcement of environmental and health protections. Fifteen of these were brought by companies without any operating mine at the time of arbitration.
- Over one-third of cases dispute government measures related to resource management (including nationalization or taxation). Five of these were brought by companies without any operating mine at the time of arbitration.
Investor protection rules most frequently invoked:
- Indirect Expropriation was invoked in over half of the cases. This is especially egregious since it relates to so-called expropriation of anticipated future lost profits, rather than the physical seizure of property or investments.
- Fair and Equitable Treatment/Minimum Standard of Treatment was invoked in over half of the cases. This concept is highly vague and subjective, and arbitrators have interpreted it in wildly different ways without regard for diverse histories, cultures, and value systems.
- Full Protection and Security was invoked in about one third of the cases. This concept imposes a duty on governments to do everything in their power to protect foreign investments from harm whether from state or non-state actors, and despite harm to people or the environment from such investments.
The extractive sector takes greatest advantage of ISDS with oil, gas, and mining companies having brought 24% of known claims. The geographic distribution of cases is concentrated in Latin America, with Central and South American governments facing 29% of known claims.
You can find the full report and brief executive summary at https://miningwatch.ca/sites/default/files/isds_report_final_.pdf
These findings complement a study released earlier this week by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Digging for Dividends: The use and abuse of investor-state dispute settlement by Canadian investors abroad. That report highlights environmental policy as the fastest growing trigger for Canadian companies that pursue ISDS across all economic sectors. It further finds that financial speculators are increasingly engaging in for-profit financing of cases through shadowy, third-party funding mechanisms.
Media Contacts:
Domenica Ghanem, 202 787 5205, email@example.com
Kirsten Francescone, 437 345 9881, email@example.com
Carla García Zendejas, 202 742 5846, firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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What is a SOHO?
SOHO means small office/home office and it encompasses the small or home office business environment and the culture surrounding it. It's tough to get a read on how many SOHOs are out there. You can get stats that place between 19 and 40 million people working this way so it's a moving, but many say expanding, target.
Future attempts at defining this market suggest that a SOHO is any firm with less than 10 employees. Recently, however, this has been further refined to a SOHO being a company with 1 to 4 employees. Local landscapers, accountants, pet sitters, writers, graphic designers, small tradesmen, real estate and many other businesses and freelancers go SOHO.
In many cases, the workplace is setup in a designated space in the business owner's residence but you can see these self-employed individuals having meetings at Starbucks, plugging in wherever there's wireless and coming to PCA for office essentials.
PCA Supports SOHOs
Postal Connections of America Stores are perfect places for SOHOs to go to perform those tasks where the equipment needed to complete them is not worth purchasing but is needed to get business done such as:
- Printing any size job in color or black and white and in any quantity.
- Mailing documents and/or packages anywhere in the world.
- Faxing and obtaining a notary public signatory.
- Purchasing essential office supplies.
- Other services/products unique to the community.
One of the best features of the PCA store is that the proprietors are also small business people, know the community and can really help SOHOs get things done!


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Egyptian King Tutankhamun – Handmade Replica – Handmade Decor- Handmade statue – handmade antique – home decor – King Tut
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a unique piece you will never find it anywhere ;)X
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- From Egypt
- Additional information
Egyptology Store Policies
Shipping Costs
Estimated Arrival
5-10 Days
Returns & Exchanges
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you can return the product and get a full refund or exchange the product for another one (only pay the shipping cost).
You can return a product for up to 14 days from the date you received it.
Any product you return must be in the same condition you received it and in the original packaging. Please keep the receipt.
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All customs fees and importing fees are covered by the customer. Please contact us for more information if you aren't sure about the custom and import fees in your country.
From the Heart of Egyptto Your Home
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Supporting the global profession
Many Performance Reporting processes are flawed. They produce 'information' which does not help decision making. But when it is right, Performance Reporting enables a business to link its operational activity with decision making to attain its strategy.
Even successful companies struggle to obtain information for decision making purposes. Companies are under pressure from sources such as:
- changing competitive landscape
- changing regulatory environment
- emerging technologies
- changing consumer demands.
This means corporate information needs are changing.
The search for consistency
Making reporting across an organisation aligned and consistent when there are disparate sources is an ongoing problem. The solution is to build a cohesive information and data governance framework across the organisation.
Win the relevance battle
Senior management set the overall strategy. The Finance team has a critical role in establishing transparent Performance Reporting to support this. The Finance team cascades Performance Reporting throughout the organisation to aid decision making at all levels.
In our survey 56% saw finance as principally gatekeepers of data or providers of basic financial analysis at best.
How the business perceives the Finance function is a challenge to Performance Reporting. Companies may be missing opportunities and slow to respond to threats.
Poor underlying data raised questions over the relevance of metrics. This could cause management to lose confidence in Performance Reporting.
Over 55% of respondents believe there to be duplication of reporting between finance and the business.
Can Performance Reporting be outsourced?
While many organisations have outsourced transactional finance activity, only 4% of the survey said that they had outsourced Performance Reporting.
Financial professionals have concerns over:
- data security
- risk of loss of intellectual property
- cultural change issues.
The sensitive market information contained in performance reports is still seen by some as too valuable to risk potential exposure as a result of transforming the delivery model.
"For Performance Reporting to be truly effective, a common data hierarchy needs to be successfully deployed across the enterprise around the right key performance indicators (KPIs) of the organisation. This in practice is underpinned by data which supports the representation of a single version of the truth."
Aim for competitive advantage
To support high-quality performance reporting concentrate on three areas:
1. build the right data and governance foundation
2. structure the delivery model for success
3. and empower finance professional to collaborate with the business.


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RENTON, Wash. (AP) -- The Seattle Seahawks have signed special teams standout Sean Morey to a multiyear contract.
The team announced Monday that it had a deal with the 2008 Pro Bowl selection from the Arizona Cardinals. The 34-year-old was an alternate for last season's Pro Bowl.
Morey's specialty is punt and kickoff coverage.
Morey was a seventh-round draft choice by New England in 1999. He spent the past three seasons with the Cardinals and has made 151 tackles on special teams in 109 games.
He has led his team in special teams tackles five times in seven full NFL seasons. He has 11 career receptions as a wide receiver.


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CLOSED: Join | Reader Spoils Summer Must-Read and iPad Mini Giveaway
I love reading! I usually read books often when I was still single especially during summer breaks.
As we all know, when it comes to summer reading, indie authors offer a refreshing alternative to predictable plots from big name writers. Here's a list of ten titles from emerging indie authors, pick your favorite and vote on Facebook HERE!
As Iraq teeters on civil war, and climate change becomes more obvious every day, ELECTED imagines another history of the 21st Century … one with gasless cars, but without the war in Iraq – in a book readers are finishing in one sitting and starting over again.
More About the Book
"The style was fresh, the writing slick and fast-paced, with witty dialogue and delightful details that gave realistic characterization and narration. Travis' creative liberties added an original kick, but did not stray so far from what happened in history to make it seem like two different Americas. The progression of the novel
was noteworthy, I like the way the characters develop and change throughout the period of time that elapsed. One of my favorite things about the novel was the international scope, which still plays a huge part of American politics."
Read the reviews on by Amazon readers, more about the author and other books by Cathy Travis.
Special Must-Read Price Cut: E-book was $5.00 and is now .99 cents!
Every book on our Nation's recent financial collapse strives to explain how it happened, Vile Acts of Evil explains why, and why every American should pay very close attention.
More About The Book
"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." Gloria Steinem's glorious adage appears in the Preface of Michael Kirchubel's Vile Acts of Evil - Banking in America for good reason: This work is certain to anger you because the truth is far worse than anything you could have ever imagined. "Vile Acts of Evil" is the worker's guide to the history of American banking. This is the real story of money, greed, and power in America. The book's format is unique: quotes from newspapers, historians, economists, bankers, and political figures drive the story line and alternate with Kirchubel's insightful, clarifying commentary. The result is a lively and surprisingly captivating conversation on the true, unseen causes of our nation's major calamities: the recessions, depressions, panics, wars, foreclosures, and bailouts. This is a totally new analysis of our American economic and political history, from colonial times to today, complete with simple recommendations for preventing further calamities. Vile Acts of Evil is truly a modern-day Rosetta Stone, a powerful, interpretive, clarifying lens through which all historical, economic, and political works must now be reviewed and every American's comfortable, well-worn political convictions re-examined.
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One Man & One Woman by Daniel Archangel
With the U.S. Supreme Court dodging the chance to define "marriage" in the law, this ultra-realistic legal drama engages the reader to tackle the issue head-on.
More About The Book Who Decides What Makes a Marriage? In a tale that ends the marriage debate, One Man & One Woman goes beyond ceremonies, vows, celebrations and gifts to delve into what a marriage truly means to those who enter into it. Read more about the author, Daniel Archangel.
Special Must-Read Price Cut! If you like thematic fiction, buy One Man & One Woman and receive a free PDF EBook of any other novel by Daniel Archangel (see Amazon) or trade paperback for just $5 (plus $4 S&H). Order from Liveware Publishing directly or send your Amazon receipt email@example.com to take advantage of this offer.
Just when I thought I had figured out what comes next, JD Young throws a curve that I never expected and could not wait for more - it is wicked good reading.
More About The Book
Young does a very good job telling a well-rounded story; giving you bits and pieces, hints of connections here and there, but not enough for you to figure things out until he wants you to. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Young and I hope this is only the beginning of Simon's story!
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If your favorite activity in the summer is to be with a captivating book, curled up under the beach umbrella or on the mossy rock by the river or anywhere that is alone, then this summer's list will surely include William Kenly's "The Dogs of Luck, Comic Confessions From Warren PA, Corporate America and Family Life".
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Kenly is a writer; he's got that mysterious thing analogous to perfect pitch. Kenly's writing flows with the natural ease of a conversation with an old friend. His story unrolls with its own momentum. (Kenly) did a great job of capturing and holding my attention. I enjoyed reading about life growing up in Pennsylvania. The Boy Scouts, the river, the Christmas trees all seemed so familiar to me. There are so many things that we could do as kids that no one would get away with now. I also enjoyed reading about "life in corporate America" (particularly things I never knew about the men's room) and I loved, loved, loved reading about the adventure to Russia. I felt I was right there in with him. The chapter "Sign Posts on the Journey" was one
of my favorite chapters. It was a magical, wondrous chapter full of wisdom and insight. So much was said in that chapter in a simple and profound way. The book is a sophisticated mixture of happiness, sadness, beauty, comedy, and philosophy that grabbed at my emotions and brought me to many different levels at the same time. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in reading something that is light and funny in some parts while, at the same time, provides you with food for thought. A+++
Adventures Unfold With the Question: "What if…?"
More About The Book
Raised in the forest alone by his father after a series of misfortunes turned their family's life upside down, Robert's life experience isn't typical. But now, at the age of thirteen, it's time for him to go out into the wider world. With only his native intelligence and the wisdom his father has imparted to him, Robert entered the
American lifestyle in 1969. Always guided by his father's principle that when faced with a difficult decision, he should stop and ask himself "What if…?" Robert navigates a world full of people whose motives are less than pure, and finds friends who will last a lifetime. Follow Robert from the wilderness of Colorado to the wild side of Woodstock; from the back of a VW van to a safe haven with a family he never expected; from rags to riches; and from living outside the world to finding a secure place and identity for himself. Colorado to Woodstock and Back Again will prove to you, as well as to Robert, that "if" is at the center of "life"!
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This is a love story of MAGNIFICENT aspirations: after seven years of searching, a Arkansas farm girl reunites with the young Chicago engineer who, on a two-hour plane ride, inspired her to dance -- reunites with him, that is, just as her star shoots on Broadway.
More About The Book "FIVE STARS! I really enjoyed this tale. Philip Kraske is a talented author having created two diverse but fascinating characters."-- Ann Boling for Readers Favorite Awards, awarding the top five-star rating to "The
Magnificent Mary Ann"
"Consummate craftsmanship....a great read."--David Shea.
Slum is page-turning adventure-romance that will make you want to read even more after the final page, and happily there's a sequel, Slum Song.
More About The Book The 2013 Eric Hoffer Awards honored Slum as a finalist for the Montaigne Medal, awarded to "the most thought- provoking book." Slum was also a finalist for the First Horizon Award, given to "superior work by debut authors." In addition, Slum made the short list for the grand prize.
Special Must-Read Price Cut: Just 99 cents on Kindle and Nook
The best way to have a relaxing summer is to get rid of your stress.
More About The Book I buy Tom's books because I've known him for a few decades. I read his books because they offer practical solutions to everyday living situations we all face. Stress Free Living published at a time where there were extensive personnel being made at my company. His advice was timely, practical and got me through the transition with grace and clear thinking. Buy it. Read it. You can also visit Thomas Mayberry's website for more information.
Special Must-Read Price Cut: E-book was $2.99 and is now 99 cents. Paperback was $9.99 and is now $6.99.
A story about the killing of landlords in New York.
More About The Book After more than forty years of practicing psychiatry, Dr. David Peretz has turned to a life of crime (fiction, that is). VENGEANCE OUT OF THE SHADOWS is the third in his Ross Cortese NYPD series. Be sure to follow David Peretz on Facebook.
Now, Are you ready to win an IPad mini?
A group of bloggers are excited to join Children Teaching Mama and bring you this great event sponsored by Reader Spoils!
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One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries to receive a 16GB white and silver iPad Mini valued at $329.99! Complete the tasks on the Rafflecopter form below. All entrants must complete the mandatory entry (voting for your favorite book above) to be eligible to win. Good Luck!
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While my calendar may tell me differently, it only seems fitting to consider the last day of August the official end of Summer. Like most transitions, saying goodbye to watermelon popsicles, poolside days, and tank tops and hello to caramel apples, bonfires and cardigans is bittersweet. But whether you've been waiting for relief from the heat since May or you've already started your countdown to Summer 2011, it would do you good to spend today soaking up the last of Summer's sweet offerings. Do a little reading on your patio before dinner, treat your family to an ice cream surprise or cook up an unquestionably Summer dish like a grilled corn and tomato salad. Summer is such an enlivening season- it deserves to be celebrated! If nothing else, take advantage of the Summer to Fall sales events going on! You may have to store the best deals until the sun comes out next year, but if the price is right it's worth doing. Check out a few of the price cuts that caught our eye.
West Elm
Z Gallerie
Fan Coral Embroidered Pillow - Pottery Barn
Pier 1


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COPENHAGEN – Cycling through the heart of some European cities can be a terrifying experience as you jostle for space with cars, trucks and scooters that whizz by with only inches to spare.
Thankfully for bicycle enthusiasts, a movement is afoot to create more room for cycling in the urban infrastructure.
From London's "cycle superhighways" to popular bike-sharing programs in Paris and Barcelona, growing numbers of European cities are embracing cycling as a safe, clean, healthy, inexpensive and even trendy way to get around town.
Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, and the Danish capital, Copenhagen, are the pioneers of this movement, and serve as role models for other cities considering cycling's potential to reduce congestion and pollution, while contributing to public health.
The trend is catching on also outside Europe, says John Pucher, a professor of urban planning at Rutgers University in New Jersey and co-author of a new book titled "City Cycling." Pucher says urban cycling is on the rise across the industrialized world, though Europe is still ahead of the pack.
"Americans make only 1 percent of their trips by bike compared to 26 percent in the Netherlands, 18 percent in Denmark, and 8-10 percent in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and Finland," Pucher told The Associated Press, citing official statistics.
But you don't need statistics to realize that cycling is in vogue. From airbag helmets to e-bikes, here are some the ways the bicycle renaissance has hit the streets of Europe:
They're not anything as spectacular as multiple-lane expressways for cyclists, but city planners believe they're central to the bicycle revolution: They combine bike paths with bike lanes on regular streets to give pedaling commuters a smooth ride from the suburbs to the city center.
London opened four "cycle superhighways" in 2010, which basically amount to a blue lane for cyclists on the edge of city streets. Copenhagen's approach is more ambitious, seeking to keep bicycles and motor vehicles physically separated as much as possible. The Danish capital plans 26 such routes — the first of which opened this year — building on bicycle-friendly features that have been in place for years.
Stop lights are adjusted to the rhythm of bicycles, not cars. Intersections have foot rests and hand rails so that cyclists don't need to put their foot down when they stop. The route is lined with air pump stations and trash cans that are tilted for easy access from the saddle.
"A cycle highway is where cyclists get highest priority, with few obstacles and as few stops as possible," said Marie Kaastrup, a Copenhagen city official in charge of bicycle programs.
Bike sharing, or "city bike," services that offer bicycles for short trips in the downtown area have come a long way since the first large-scale program started in Copenhagen in 1995. That concept was simple: deposit a coin to release a bicycle from any of a number of bike racks across the city — like unlocking a shopping cart at the supermarket — and get your coin back when you return the bike (not necessarily to the same rack).
Less than two decades later, scores of bike-sharing programs have been launched in Europe and beyond. The most recent ones are high-tech, with customers using smart cards or even mobile phones to unlock bikes from docking stations. A milestone was reached when Paris introduced its "Velib" program in 2007, showing that bike sharing works also in a major metropolis. With more than 20,000 bikes it's the biggest system in Europe.
London's bike-sharing system has registered more than 17 million bicycle hires since it started two years ago.
"In places where cycling wasn't a big part of transport — like Paris or London — it's been a real game-changer. It's normalized cycling," said Julian Ferguson, a spokesman for the European Cyclists' Federation.
U.S. cities including Washington D.C., Minneapolis, San Francisco and Boston now have bike-sharing programs. A system with 10,000 bicycles that was supposed to open in New York this year has been delayed and is expected to launch in 2013. But the fastest growth is happening in Asia where some of the world's biggest bike-sharing programs have been introduced. The Chinese city of Hangzhou has a system with 60,000 bicycles.
Ironically, Copenhagen's pioneering city bike system was scrapped Wednesday after city officials decided to redistribute funds to other cycling initiatives.
So you've cycled to town. Now where do you park? Europeans are creative in this respect, chaining their bikes to lamp posts, street signs and drainpipes, or just parking them in random clusters on street corners. But theft is a major concern.
To create order, some cities have built ambitious parking lots for bicycles, typically close to major transit hubs like train stations. Amsterdam has come up with some of the most eye-catching solutions, including a high-tech rack that works a bit like a jukebox. You put your bike in the rack, and it revolves underground. When you want it back, it rotates yours back to the surface. It doesn't seem to be a big hit among Amsterdam's cyclists, though. It only has space for 50 bikes and access is often blocked by bicycles parked in front of it.
For people living far from the city center, getting to work by bicycle alone may not be time efficient. That's why many European countries encourage mixed-mode commuting, allowing cyclists to bring their bicycles onto trains or subway cars.
Austria's next generation of high-speed train, expected to arrive in 2013, will have a bicycle compartment for six bikes per train car.
In the Netherlands, you can use the same smart chip card you use to catch a train or tram to get a bike from a sharing system and cycle the last part of the journey.
Today cycling in Europe is embraced by people of all social classes and political persuasions. But a new subgroup has emerged: the cycling hipsters. They don't just consider the bicycle as a means of transport, but a fashion statement. Danish-Canadian photographer Mikael Colville-Andersen has captured this phenomenon in his Cycle Chic blog, showing Europeans looking oh-so-stylish on their vintage two-wheelers or aerodynamic racing bikes. An unwritten style rule for the cycling fashionista: the color of the helmet should match that of the frame.
Speaking of helmets, many cyclists don't wear them, saying they look bad and ruin hairdos. Two Swedish designers came up with a solution that protects both head and hairstyle: an inflatable airbag that you wear around your neck in a collar. It's a lot more inconspicuous than those traditional egg-shaped helmets — until it ignites. If you have an accident, the airbag inflates in a fraction of a second and wraps around your head. You'll hit the ground looking like an astronaut, but at that point you probably don't care. The price tag of 4,000 Swedish kronor ($600) may be discouraging, though. After all, you can only use it once.
The daredevil bike messenger weaving through traffic with Tour de France-like determination is gradually being replaced by a clumsier, but more practical, cycling equipage: the cargo bike. Many of these bicycles look odd because they are custom-made to carry packages of particular shapes and sizes. They usually have a wide flat area in front of the seat. Some are designed to serve as billboards for companies, like the "sperm bike" used by a Danish sperm bank to transport sperm to fertility clinics in Copenhagen.
But it's not just for show. Amid efforts to cut down on carbon emissions, transport officials have started discussions on how to make more use of cargo bicycles across the European Union. The European Cyclists' Federation estimates that 25 percent of all urban goods could be delivered by such bikes.
Electric bikes are one of the hottest cycling trends in parts of Europe. Also known as e-bikes or pedelecs, they are fitted with a small electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery, which can give you a nice boost when cycling uphill.
It's not a new invention: bicycles powered by electricity have been around for more than a century. But sales have taken off with the development of lighter and higher-capacity batteries and sexier designs.
China is the dominant market, with more than 100 million e-bikes on the streets. But sales are surging rapidly in Europe, especially in Germany but also in the Netherlands, where about one in five bicycles is electric, according to industry reports.
Ritter reported from Stockholm. AP writer Toby Sterling in Amsterdam contributed to this report.


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Free Fight
This Saturday, Renzo Gracie black belt Ricardo Almeida takes on the man who beat his mentor, Matt Hughes, but as the "Big Dog" insists, this fight is not about revenge...
By Martins Denis
What can a vacation do for hard workers? The quick answer is that it can provide mental and physical rest, and if you're a mixed martial artist, add to it the avoidance of sore joints while stopping any symptoms of overtraining. And when we talk about welterweight Ricardo 'Cachorrao' Almeida, who meets former two-time champion Matt Hughes in a classic wrestling vs. BJJ match, you have to include his tradition of surfing in great places around the world in searching of that inner peace.
But inner peace would be impossible for him after seeing his mentor Renzo Gracie get beat in April by the man who will face him Saturday night. And for Almeida, there would be no hesitation in his decision to fight Hughes.
"Soon after the Renzo-Hughes and Frankie Edgar-BJ Penn matches I knew I'd fight against Hughes, so no time for surfing," said Almeida. "I took some waves in New Jersey before the summer, but I didn't stop working; I haven't stopped since the Matt Brown fight (his 170 debut in March at UFC 111). Edgar knew he'd give an immediate rematch to Penn, so we kept the work from our prior fights. After UFC 118 I intend to reschedule my plans and visit my parents in Brazil."
Coming from a successful welterweight debut against Brown in his backyard of New Jersey, Almeida felt pretty good in the new division. The way he started the beginning of the end for Brown began with his striking and he finished with a display of his Brazilian Jiu-jitsu wizardry. And if you can believe it, he says that thanks to a nutritionist, he had more weight on than in his last middleweight match against Kendall Grove in August 2009.
"Yes, I was heavier than when fought UFC 101 as a 185 pounder," he reveals. "My main concern was my knee; I injured it in 2009 and I was apprehensive, I didn't know how my knee would react. When I warmed-up, I loosened my game, dropped him with a counter-attack and subbed him with a rear naked choke."
And since the hoped for free time was replaced by a hoped for match, Almeida took advantage of the early announcement of the fight against Hughes to increase all aspects of his game for his second welterweight commitment. From April to August, he has focused on the increase of his conditioning to face the dominant former champion.
"I tried to get better physically because Hughes is very strong and likes to use his wrestling to get the advantage over his opponents. Much of my training consisted on neutralizing his game."
Physical preparation is a tough question to ask Almeida when we recall the recent performances of two different generations of Gracie family members in Renzo and Rolles in the UFC. Both gassed out and people questioned what was wrong for both in terms of efficiency when the first five minutes were over.
"Everybody gets tired you know," said Almeida. "The problem is how to handle it with the lack of experience or ring rust that maximizes the fatigue. I believe they'll turn things around and show their real potential."
And as far as using this weekend's bout as a grudge match, a way of avenging Renzo, Almeida doesn't see the fight this way, choosing instead to approach it with the calm of a veteran looking to take out his opponent.
"Vengeance is a negative feeling. I try to be the best strategist possible inside the Octagon. Liking or disliking Hughes isn't going to give me the win."
He continues.
"There are fighters that put their heart on the fist, but this is not my style. I prefer to concentrate myself on training and on the task of overwhelming Hughes by technical and physical aspects. The rest is only distraction. I know I'm a human being who grew up in Brazil, and our blood is hot and it influences things. I was in Renzo's corner when Hughes beat him, and I asked for the fight right after. For the fighters, the Octagon reveals strengths and weaknesses and in the moment I saw Renzo being TKO'd, I wanted to jump in and fight Hughes at that time. But as soon as the blood got cold, I tried to analyze the situation the right way. I have the chance to face a legendary MMA fighter, perhaps the best welterweight who ever fought in the Octagon. He comes from two wins over Renzo and Matt Serra, so I take this as a great opportunity and I'm not wasting my time thinking about revenge. Confucius taught me, 'Before you seek revenge, dig two graves.'"
So tossing the obvious storyline to the side, Almeida took a deep look at what Hughes has in store for him and what he has in store for Hughes.
"Hughes competes very well. He had problems with Renzo in the first round, but he kept calm, changed his techniques in the second and got the TKO in the third. Beating him is by submission or knockout, if not in those ways, he keeps coming until the last second."
To beat Hughes, who has a good percentage of victories over BJJ black belts such as Serra, Renzo, Royce, Jorge Pereira, BJ Penn, and Renato Verissimo, Almeida's plans are not only to use his gentle art, as he knows Hughes isn't only a ground and pounder.
"Always when he faces BJJers he prefers to stand, and then when the opponent is tired he takes him down. I'm ready to fight three rounds standing or on the ground."
Without presuming the result, but wishing for the victory, Almeida just foresees the evolution of his name in the welterweight division.
"I'm a competitive guy, but my current journey is to get better. This is my goal between fights. I believe in my technique and in my potential, but when I see the GSP's wrestling, Jon Fitch's endurance and Thiago Alves' Muay Thai, I think I still have a lot to evolve."


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24 Season 8 Episodes 1 and 2 Press Release
NEW DAY. NEW THREAT. NEW YORK. JACK BAUER BEGINS ANOTHER ASTONSHING DAY ON THE SEASON PREMIERE OF "24" SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, ON FOX Part 2 of the 2-Night, 4-Hour Season Premiere Airs Tomorrow Night Set in New York City, Jack Bauer is unwillingly drawn back into action just as President Allison Taylor negotiates international security… View Article


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The documentary Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel claims to go beneath Hef's bathrobed persona to reveal the man who championed civil rights, equality, and free speech. Critics say it's a two-hour infomercial that glosses over Playboy's objectification of women.
The film, which opens today, shows that over the years Hef has aligned himself with various laudable causes, including civil rights, the anti-war movement, and equal rights for women. However, it doesn't examine the negative effects Playboy has had on American culture, or why Hef felt a nudie magazine was the best way to promote these causes.One possible explanation is that German director Brigitte Berman's goal was to show "the other side of Hugh Hefner that had not yet been portrayed in any of the prior documentaries about him." But since it ignores the darker side of Playboy, the film comes off as a Hefner hagiography.
Below, the reviews:
Hef was one of the few rich and famous people who openly challenged segregation and obscenity laws. And although most of his life has been about him being surrounded by scantily clad women, the documentary hints that he was often lonely and longed for the real love he found at times.
The film humanizes Hefner in a way no one has attempted to do before on the big screen. His recent dalliances with his overexposed ex-girlfriends from the reality show "The Girls Next Door" become unimportant once the documentary shows video of him being arrested for standing up to ridiculous obscenity laws, or challenging religious intolerance followed by pictures of him receiving a NAACP Image Award from Jim Brown for Hefner's tireless work to eradicate racist segregation laws.
Unfortunately, Berman skips past the darker implications of Hefner's sexual universe and omits discussion of how the periodical business – and access to erotic imagery – has changed in the Internet age. Still, the movie remains an involving look at an American icon as well as an adept snapshot of our national zeitgeist from the McCarthy era through the Reagan years.
That's the message of "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel." Part hagiography and part history of the girlie-magazine-turned-literary-journal known as Playboy, the documentary by Brigitte Berman takes a mostly uncritical look at the man known almost universally as Hef. In the movie's view — and in the views of the vast majority of its talking heads — the now-84-year-old publisher should be remembered not for his iconic skin mag, but as a tireless champion of gay and civil rights, free speech and liberty, and as a ferocious opponent of censorship, violence, war and religious persecution.
Those few unlucky souls who appear on camera badmouthing him — mainly feminist Susan Brownmiller, singer Pat Boone and conservative talk-radio host Dennis Prager — end up sounding like humorless nerds at best, and puritanical killjoys at worst. "Without some suppression of the sexual genie," Prager sniffs, "happiness is not possible."
No, the Hugh Hefner in this movie is Thomas Paine, Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi and William Kunstler all rolled into one.
The documentary emphasizes the magazine's literary and cultural aspirations. Television shows like "Playboy's Penthouse" and "Playboy After Dark," which brought jazz and folk music into the nation's living rooms and featured racially integrated guest lists, were groundbreaking in their day.
The movie ultimately makes a strong case for Mr. Hefner as a consistent and underappreciated champion of racial equality and sexual emancipation. But that emancipation had a dark side. There is simply no getting around the fact that Playboy, for all of Mr. Hefner's assertions that it helped level the playing field in the battle of the sexes by affirming women's right to pleasure, also objectified women as compliant, ornamental playthings. As for the man who invented it all, he remains a mystery in the film, living out his days in sybaritic bliss.
The false logic at the heart of the documentary holds that because Hefner aligned himself with various laudable causes through the years (civil rights, the antiwar movement, etc.), his magazine is a force for positive change. No one in the documentary questions whether Hefner could have accomplished all the same things without publishing photos of topless women ("girls," as the oh-so-enlightened Hef calls them) dressed like rabbits. According to Tony Bennett, once readers finished masturbating to the pictures, they actually read the articles-a fairly insulting characterization of the typical Playboy reader as needing a spoonful of cheesecake to help the medicine go down. The fact that magazines that publish insightful journalism and quality fiction without the nudie pics (The New Yorker, Esquire) are still around, and in better financial shape than Playboy, which has been losing money and subscribers for years and came close to bankruptcy in 2008, would disprove this notion.
Viewed from several decades' distance, the whole package doesn't seem to fit together too well: Are we supposed to believe that this wholesome secretarial-school nubile cares what you read, or buys into the whole proto-metrosexual Playboy package of jazz, modern art, cologne, tailored suits, high-octane automobiles and friendship with Negroes? No; like those things, she was an accoutrement, a lifestyle accessory. She brought with her a specific and ego-critical form of gratification, but it wasn't the only important kind.
It wasn't entirely fair of '60s feminists to insist that Playboy was hostile to female pleasure or female desire, and it was clearly ludicrous to claim that no women found the Hefner vision of masculinity attractive. (One does not have to approve of the objectification of women to notice that some women, some of the time, enjoy it.) Satisfying your woman, sexually and otherwise, was absolutely part of the Playboy self-conception, but she was always a second-class citizen in that universe. The idea that she might want to be the protagonist of her own universe, as vast and mythic and fueled with mysterious desire as that of Playboy, would never have occurred to Hugh Hefner, or pretty much any other American man of the time.
German director Brigitte Berman barely conceals her admiration, but perhaps that's because there's a lot to admire. Beginning in the 1950s, Hef's secondary career as activist and provocateur began when he realized that, if the current sex laws were enforced, most men would be serving time. The consequence was an ongoing personal crusade for individual and civil rights that would have a profound effect on national policy; whether risking his livelihood to employ blacklisted writers like Dalton Trumbo or support controversial figures like Lenny Bruce, Hef revealed the passionate libertarian inside the libertine.
More revelatory than risque, Hugh Hefner offers a tantalizing timeline of what we view as the ideal woman's body, from peachy and cushiony to tanned and toned, from Monroe curves to Fawcett athleticism. Squeezed between the mammaries, we find a respectable record of hard journalism and provocative fiction, like Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.
Sure, I watch documentaries about Playboy-but only for the stories. With the strenuously high-minded Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, you might actually forget that the berobed icon really has a thing for tits. Hef's massive empire, built on its celebration of the female form, gets short shrift in an overlong profile that dwells on historic interviews by Playboy writer Alex Haley, intellectual TV chats and the mag founder's workaholic appetites. The result is a frustrating coyness that goes a long way toward negating what was truly provocative about Hefner's salad days: the creation of a lopsided if unencumbered lifestyle for men and women, symbolized by the unending party at the Mansion.
Mention is not made of the concurrent women's movement until an hour and twenty minutes into this too-long documentary. It is summed up briefly by pointing to televised debate in which Hefner and Brownmiller participated. It took him 35 years to formulate a rebuttal to her suggestion that he come on television with a bunny tail glued to his rear-end, and here it is: "If women weren't sexual objects there wouldn't be another generation – that's what makes the world go around. It doesn't objectify women in that other, negative sense. But I just didn't have the language back then."
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Stars and Stripes and Racetrack Lights Heavyweight Ladies Racing Tee
This tee is a showstopper! With its colorful stars and stripes design, and racetrack inspired lights, you'll be the talk of the race. Made of heavyweight material, it's built to last. Perfect for any racing fan who wants to make a bold statement.
Printed on: Bella + Canvas Unisex T-Shirt
This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you.
🏁 UNISEX SIZING: Slightly larger than women's shirts and slightly smaller than men's shirts. Order your normal size for a regular fit. (Includes all t-shirts, sweatshirt and hoodies, and Bella + Canvas Tank Tops)
🖤 Women's Sizing runs true to size. Order as normal. (Includes Next Level Tank Tops & Bella Muscle Tees)
🏁 Bella + Canvas Muscle tees run slightly small. We suggest sizing one size up.
🏁 Machine wash cold, dry on lowest heat or hang dry
🖤 Light, airy fabric; super soft and ready for raceday; unisex fit
🖤 Returns or exchanges must be initiated within 14 days of receiving your item. Any returns outside this window will not be accepted. Buyer will pay all return shipping. Please use the chat feature to initiate a return. Refund or exchange will be submitted after item is received back at our shop.
🏁 Because items are created specifically for you immediately after you place an order, we cannot alter you order after it has been placed.
🏁 All shirts are shipped via USPS First Class Mail and can take up to 7 business days to arrive
🖤 Production time is 3-5 business days, regardless of chosen shipping speed


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Note: This tutorial is related to Ubuntu, however the clueful can use it easily enough
My kids old apple bit the dust the other day, so i thought 'stuff buying another overpriced machine, their linux box can suffice'
They use gnome, and are familiar with rhythmbox – which i might add, works brilliantly with iPods.
So after a few days the kids started moaning that half the music had disappered. I double checked, and it turns out half it bought of iTunes was in m4a format which wasnt readable.
If you are not tied to rhythmbox then jump in and install xmms and xmms-faad packages.
If you are then this is the solution.
Install the Medibuntu sources
sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/`lsb_release -cs`.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list; sudo apt-get -q update; sudo apt-get --yes -q --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring; sudo apt-get -q update
Then install the following packages
sudo apt-get install libavcodec-unstripped-52 libavdevice-unstripped-52 libavformat-unstripped-52 libavutil-unstripped-49 libpostproc-unstripped-51 libswscale-unstripped-0 ffmpeg
Now convert!
ffmpeg -i file.m4a -acodec libmp3lame file.mp3
Now you need to add the id3 tags,
id3tool -t "title of song" -a "album name" -r "Artist" file.mp3


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Be detailed and unambiguousIf you leave out details there is a good chance that what is understood is not exactly what you meant. Therefore it is good to put in a little effort and give details. If you feel there is a chance of ambiguity creeping in you should specifically address that. And make sure that a misunderstanding does not take place. If you will take the time to give details people will listen to you more attentively. They will also be more earnest when they put the communicated information to use |
Respect your language and use it wellLanguages are one of the greatest gifts we receive from our forefathers. We should respect languages and learn to use them well. Improve your vocabulary all through your life and also pay attention to the right pronunciation of each word. A good command over language will go a long way towards communicating well. |
Pay attention to your body language as wellWhen we talk our body's posture and our gestures become part of the conversation. You should use them well and make them add to the effectiveness of your communication. Remember if you do not use body language well, it may detract from your ability to communicate effectively. A stable body posture and small controlled gestures will help you have a serious conversation. Although if you are naturally more expressive with your body language that is fine. So long as it is not too distracting. Your audience needs to focus on the spoken words while they visually interpret your body language. |
Also pay attention to your tone and dictionIf you take care to speak your words clearly then your listeners will appreciate it. They will be able to understand you more easily with little need for interrupting you. Your tone of voice is important as well. When used wisely you can get more feeling across than is carried by words alone. But an incorrect tone of voice can also put off people and make them lose their interest in listening to you. |
Use silence wiselyWe learn that silence is golden. What you leave unsaid can be as or even more important than what you say. However it can also be that the communication suffered, because something needed to be said and was left unsaid. Nice things are easy to say and you should try to say them if you feel that way. When what you have to say may not be nice for someone, you should decide where the greater good lies. And if the greater good lies in saying it you should have the courage to go ahead and say it. |
Check your factsWhen you are using verifiable facts in your communication take care to double check them. This will require some extra effort but it is well worth it. Getting the facts wrong will lead to loss of credibility. And then you have to wait till you can earn it back. And chances are, once in a while, you may have got the facts wrong. At such a time you will be happy you made it a habit to check your facts. |
Be a great listenerYour ability to listen attentively and patiently is key to having good communication skills. You should avoid interjecting a listener. Though it is fine to communicate that you are able to understand, say with a simple nod. At times you may not be sure that you have understood what was said. At such a time you can state what you have understood and request the speaker to confirm. It is not a good idea to pretend to listen and let your mind wander. If you have something on your mind, you can inform that you wish to talk some other time. |
Take due care that people are emotional beings when you are communicatingYou should avoid being casually critical, judgmental or accusatory. If you are unduly critical, judgmental or accusatory you will create resistance to your communications. At times though you may need to have a sensitive conversation that you know can affect the other person strongly. At such times it is a good idea to choose words and tone carefully. And also to make sure your body language serves to help the other person cope with the situation. Words that are critical, blaming, judgmental or accusatory tend to create a resistant and defensive mindset. This is not conducive to productive problem solving. |
Conflict & conflict resolutionConflicts and attempts to resolve them test our communication skills a lot. Conflicts also rarely result in discussing an issue well and lead to nothing more than bruised egos on either side. If you are getting into a conflict like situation you should keep your emotions in check and stay polite. You should articulate your view point and reasoning in a calm manner. And prevent things from getting aggravated. Do not get personal and do not let your tone carry messages that your words do not mean. When trying to resolve a conflict it is not necessary to back down or concede a point that you do not wish to concede. A common reason for a conflict is that some person or persons are not aware of the relevant details. They make incorrect assumptions which leads to a conflict. This can be resolved relatively easily, if everyone goes through the relevant details carefully. If a conflict seems imminent, you can move away from it. You can step away from the conversation, or agree to disagree, or you could request an intervention. You can even go ahead and just say what you have to, but do not be rude, insulting or show someone else down. If you are able to take the heat out of the conversation, it is quite possible that a mutually acceptable solution emerges. Human history is filled with instances of divergent views getting reconciled or co-existing. There are many conflict free methods of discussing issues where opinions differ. You can choose an option to properly debate the issue in a conflict free manner. A lot of the communication done today is with email. Here are some tips to help you communicate well using email. Be promptEmail replies should be sent preferably within two days, if not sooner. If you cannot send a detailed reply you can just send a message indicating by when the person can expect a reply. This will let people know you are a responsible communicator. If a mail remains unreplied for more than two days it can imply that the communication is not dependable. If you are waiting for a mail be sure to check in the junk or spam folder. It can be that the mail has been placed in that folder by your mail client software Avoid spelling mistakesYou should also spell-check your mails to avoid sending obvious misspellings and typos. Since email is a very fast means of communication errors can creep in. A simple spell-check will solve that problem for most mistakes. If it is an important mail you should carefully read through it before sending it as well. You should also avoid using short forms in an email that you use in an sms. Unless the mail is being sent to a person, who you know will be fine with the short forms. Use proper formattingYou should capitalize words just as you would if you were writing a letter. Using all lowercase (small) letters gives a sense of informality and even laziness. Do not use capital letters unless for effect, people will feel you are shouting out your message. Use bold case only where you really emphasize something. Avoid using different fonts and colours of text and background unless it is a fun communication with a friend. Be emotional when you need to but with careIf you receive an email that strongly affects you emotionally, take care to read it more than once. Make sure you have understood it correctly. It is easy to jump to conclusions when you get emotional and you should be careful about that. If you are sending an emotionally charged mail take some time before you hit the send button. You may want to reconsider sending it or you may want to change the wording. Do remember that email is a fast means of communication and misunderstandings can happen quickly. Take care to address the email carefullyMake sure you are sending the email to the right address or addresses. Read them an extra time to be sure, email addresses can be deceptively similar. Make sure you use the To, CC and BCC options properly. Use the BCC option judiciously. It may not be proper to share the contents without the receiving person's consent. Avoid forwarding mails from strangersForward only mails that are from persons known to you, professional or personal. Unless you have a compelling reason to believe the mail is not spam. Forwarding mails from strangers that you have received as spam is risky. You may only be helping to spread a hoax mail. |


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…so that I could order a few of these.
To celebrate the birth of a baby in a way that makes it feel like the kid's right there in your arms, a rice shop in the southwestern Japanese city of Kita-Kyushu will send out a customized dakigokochi, a roughly baby-shaped bag of high-grade rice to everyone on your birth announcement list. The bag will be printed with the kid's picture, stats, and a greeting–and it will weigh the same as the kid did at birth.
One of the million reasons that I love Japanese culture. Wish I had a rice bag o' Eliza!


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Commemorate their kind nature and gentle spirit with a moving tribute in soft pink shades. Our fireside basket arrangement, hand-designed by expert florists with a splay of pink roses, lilies, daisies and carnations, captures your warmest thoughts and prayers in a grand display beautifully suited for the funeral or gravesite.
Order by 1:00 PM EST for same day pickup or delivery!
* Fee charged in addition to the Standard Delivery Fee
Enter full name. We'll ask for delivery information at checkout.


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On June 30, 2012, I married the love of my life!
The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way. Getting married is a lot of fun!
I woke up at 5:45 am, took a quick shower, and headed downstairs to get ready in a specially designated conference room. The makeup artist did my makeup while the stylist worked on my sister's hair. Such a fun process. My mom joined us two hours into the morning and watched with such happiness in her eyes. She was so cute!
Because I knew that by the end of the wedding ceremony I would be a huge mess, Vishnu and I decided to do a "first look" and pictures before everything officially started. Seeing each other before the ceremony goes against tradition, but honestly, it was the best decision we made. It wasn't too hot, my makeup was fresh, and it was actually a great way to relieve any stress that we were feeling.
A preview picture Amy, the photographer, sent me a few weeks ago…
After our photo session with our siblings and my bridesmaids, we parted ways. Vishnu headed to a pre-wedding religious ceremony with his family, and I headed back to the conference room to hang out and eat lunch.
Around noon, some of my bridesmaids headed outside to see what was happening with the baraat.
Let me explain…
Vishnu and his family and friends all met in the back of the parking lot where a horse carriage was waiting for them. Once Vishnu's side made it to the front of the hotel, they were greeted by my family. Before heading to the ballroom, everyone danced to Bollywood music. And get this, it was over 100 degrees that day. Some of our friends were soaked in sweat. That's how you know it was a good baraat.
Before Vishnu was officially welcomed by my family, he and and his friends did a pre-game chant. For those of you who are football fans, the chant was inspired by Drew Brees. The only difference between Vishnu and Drew was that Vishnu chanted about his shoes.
This brings me to another fun tradition – stealing the grooms shoes. I have no clue how this one started, but the basic gist is that the bride's side has to steal the groom's shoes and keep them hidden until the end of the ceremony. If they are successful in doing so, the groom has to pay them big bucks. Vishnu ended up dishing out $210 for his shoes – my side prevailed! It was quite the fight though…
And yes, that is Vishnu's brother lying on the floor. I don't even know.
Anyways, before I knew it, it was my time to enter the ballroom. Vishnu's little cousins, the flower girls, led the procession. Next came the most amazing bridesmaids ever! And then it was my turn!
I had been dreaming of that walk down the aisle for as long as I can remember. And it was better than I ever imagined – I can't even put into words what I was thinking and feeling. I just know that I'll never forget it. Ever.
Once I made my way into the mandap (an Indian altar), the pandit (priest) performed a number of ceremonies, including the giving away of the bride by her parents (Kanyadaan), walking around the fire, and taking the seven steps together. And just like that, we were declared husband and wife!!!
Before I knew it, the group pictures were over, and it was time for the vidai (the bride's farewell). Vidais are incredibly sad, and mine was no different. I cried…a lot! So did my family, especially my mom. Even though I'm still my parents' daughter and my sister's sister and everything else I was before, it was an emotional moment that marked my new role in life, that of a wife, daughter- in-law and sister-in-law.
After the vidai, Vishnu and I headed up to the honeymoon suite to relax for an hour or so before the reception madness began…
One more wedding recap to go!


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Tabbouleh with heirloom tomatoes and shiso
I haven't been posting a lot of recipes here recently. This is mainly because I haven't actually been doing a lot of full-on cooking, as in hauling out a lot of pots and pans and having the oven full blast and so on. It's summer after all, and I've been enjoying fruits and vegetables as close to their natural, fresh, ripe state as possible. So this week I'll be posting a few such recipes - requiring minimal active cooking, full of fresh summer vegetables, and nice to have on a warm summer day or evening.
The first one is my standard recipe for tabbouleh, with a twist - instead of using mint, I use shiso (perilla). Shiso has a slightly minty but wholly unique flavor which I really like in just about anything. I also make it with a lot less olive oil than most recipes call for, which I think adds to the fresh taste. We love to have a bowl of tabbouleh in the fridge for easy self-service lunch and snacks throughout the day - it tastes so healthy and is quite filling. It's also a great side dish for a barbeque.
Fresh tomatoes are the key to a great tabbouleh in my opinion. You need ones that are ripe and full of flavor, yet firm. One of my favorite tomatoes at the moment are an heirloom Swiss variety called Berner Rosen - they are a rosy pink when ripe, and full of juice and flavor. (If you're in Switzerland, Berner Rosen are all over the place at the markets right now.) If you can't get hold of a good heirloom variety like this, use cherry tomatoes, which are usually reliably firm yet flavorful.
Tabbouleh with heirloom tomatoes and shiso
Makes about 6-7 cups
- 220g / about 8 oz (or about 1 1/2 cups) bulgur
- 250g / about 9 oz finely cubed cucumber (or one large English type cucumber, deseeded)
- 500g / about 1lb 2 oz chopped up tomato (or 6-8 medium to large ripe tomatoes, deseeded)
- 250g / about 9 oz finely chopped red onion (or 3 medium onions)
- 2 cups of flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 large handful of shiso leaves, or a very small handful of mint leaves, finely shredded (go easy if you are using mint)
- Juice of 3 large lemons
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Soak the bulgur in enough water to come about 1 cm or 1/2 inch above the surface. Cover and let soak for at least 1 hour.
While the bulgur is soaking, chop up the vegetables. It's better to do this by hand, but if you use a food processor be very careful that it doesn't all turn into a pulp.
When deseeding the cucumbers and tomatoes, reserve the seed part and pass through a sieve to take out the actual seeds but extract the watery pulp around them. This pulp is full of flavor and it will be added to the tabbouleh later. (Skip this step if you don't want to bother.)
Drain the soaked bulgur very well and put into a bowl. Add all the vegetables and herbs, the sieved seed pulp, lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper; mix well. Taste to see if it needs more salt (remember the saltiness will mellow a bit). Cover well and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
This will keep for several days in the fridge, mellowing every day. If you want to keep it longer than a few days, omit the onions. You may want to add more parsley leaves and/or shiso leaves when serving.
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I just received some home grown tomatos from my colleague. And I love shiso! This sounds so refreshing! I'll have to try this.
Amazing coincidence! Just
Amazing coincidence! Just recently I saw someone had packed tabbouleh in their bento. I had never heard of it before and looked up some recipes. Then, before long, you post a recipe too!
Thank you very much, Maki! It sounds great. I'll definitely have to try it as soon as the tomatoes in the garden ripen.
This sounds delicious!
This sounds delicious! However, since i'm currently living in Japan I can't find bulgur anywhere. Can I substitute couscous?
Uhm. I'm Arab and this is
Uhm. I'm Arab and this is so far from tabbouleh it isn't even funny. Mint is just a small component of tabbouleh. It is about 3/4 parsley to 1/4 everything else.
Re: Tabbouleh with heirloom tomatoes and shiso
This is the problem with coming near my computer- I have plans to do XYZ, come across your site, cancel plans, new plan; make a number of the recipes that I found here and looking into growing my own shiso (very expensive here) :D
I eat tabbouleh every single week and I'm looking forward to trying your twist on it, thanks!
Regarding the soaking of your bulgur please give this traditional method a try - soak the bulgur in your lemon juice; ratio 1/2 the lemon juice to the bulgur quantity, for example 3/4 cup lemon juice to 1 1/2 cup bulgur) for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork. No discarding of liquid or loss of nutrients.


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Christmas 2015 is the season to re-visit the history, celebrations and origin of Christmas.
Merry Christmas
Christmas is the most popular festival, perhaps, throughout the world. Europe and America are not the only continents that are gripped by the Christmas fever in the season but Africa and Asia are some of the other continents, where one can see the people excited and thrilled to welcome the Christ on 25th of December every year. The day before is known as Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass is held on this day, where people read Bible and sing hymns is the praise of Christ until midnight, when bells are rung to mark the end of the service and the celebrations begin with cake and wine. The lovely Christmas trees with all their decorations, toys, ornaments, bulbs and candles are important part of Christmas celebrations.


text: This area incorporates all the lighting effects, sound kits, and power supplies we currently offer under RR lighting. The new Sound Effects modules shown at the Chicago Scale show and the York Show 2019. Stay tuned for more details or drop us a line if you have questions. Got Questions? Drop me a line at email@example.com


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August 31 2012: Demolition and preliminary construction work is underway for the luxury 36Hazelton condo in Yorkville
August 30 2012: The facade of the historic St Basil's School at 34 Hazelton Avenue will be incorporated into the new building …
… as shown in this artistic rendering that appears on the 36Hazelton project website. The building has been designed by Toronto's Quadrangle Architects.
Meanwhile, drilling and preliminary excavation work is underway three blocks up the street at the southeast corner of Davenport Road …
… where the 133 Hazelton Residences condo and townhouse complex will rise on the former site of an interior design showroom
This artistic rendering of the building, designed by Toronto's Page + Steele IBI Group Architects, appears on the 133 Hazelton Residences website
Low rise, high end: Construction has started in Yorkville on two Hazelton Avenue condo projects aimed at affluent real estate investors and purchasers.
Toward the south end of the tree-lined residential street, demolition work is underway on 36Hazelton, an 8-storey luxury condo and townhome complex being built on the site of the 84-year-old St Basil's School, a city-designated heritage structure whose facade will be incorporated into the new development.


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Nordica Speedmachine 75W Women's Ski Boots - 2023
The Speedmachine 75 W delivers top of the line all mountain performance, regardless of the conditions. With its fully customizable Infared Tri-Force shell, precision fit liner, anatomical women's cuff and liner design and Primaloft insulation the Speedmachine delivers high performance and precision without sacrificing comfort and warmth. This boot was built to bring your skiing to the next level. Powerful, comfortable, and fun.


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This 2-meter charge cable features a magnetic MagSafe 3 connector that helps guide the plug to the charging port of your Mac notebook. Pair it with a compatible USB-C power adapter to conveniently charge your notebook from a wall outlet and take advantage of fast-charging capabilities. The magnetic connection is strong enough to resist most unintended disconnects, but if someone trips on the cable, it releases so your Mac notebook stays put. An LED turns amber when the battery is charging and green when it's fully charged. Made with a woven design for long-lasting durability.
USB-C Power Adapter sold separately.
USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
MagSafe 3


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Press Index
November 20, 2010 by jim.pickell
Filed under Press
- 4 Hours In Todos Santos, Mexico
- Appreciating Pacific Beaches: Where el Nino and la Nina Come to Shore
- Baja California Real Estate in the News
- Baja California Sur – President Calderón Inaugurates Hospital in La Paz
- Beware Airline Surfboard Bag Fees
- CalyCanto Casitas Launches Boutique Resort in Mexico
- Citizen Vigilance Program to Limit Illegal Fishing in BCS
- Coastal Living Recommends 10 Road Trips with Water View
- Disappearing Into Todos Santos
- Fish Tacos Are Just Part of Mexican Food Tale
- Flu? What Flu?
- Hotel California, Tequila, Todos Santos and the Eagles
- Hurricane Jimena Heads Towards Todos Santos as a Cat 4
- Mexican Resort Offers Roadside Welcome to Driving Californians
- Mexico Denies Gold Mining Permit to Canadian Company
- Mexico Vacationers Safe, Smiling and Planning to Return, Despite the U.S. Department's Travel Alert
- Press Index
- Rare Albino Sailfish Caught (and Released) Off Cabo San Lucas
- Real Estate – Baja Rental Occupancy Rates Improve
- Relishing the Waves, Not the Crowds, in Mexico
- Sea Monster from Sea of Cortez Resurfaces in Shape of an Oarfish
- Second homes: In Mexico, sleepy-resort feel with laid-back prices
- She Can Checkout Anytime, But She'll Never Leave
- Six Beaches of Todos Santos
- Southern Baja is Safe from Crime
- Todos Santos Architect and Builder from Italy
- Todos Santos BCS Tops National Geographic's List of Warm Weather Escapes
- Todos Santos Dunes Building Stopped!
- Todos Santos is Baja's 'Magic Town'
- Todos Santos Makes Cover of Lonely Planet?
- Todos Santos Ranked Top Emerging Destination in the World
- Todos Santos Real Estate: Brim with Mexican Magic
- Todos Santos Top 10 Artist Colony
- Todos Santos Water is Worth More than Gold to Its Citizens
- Todos Santos, Mexico, Top Emerging Destination in the World
- Todos Santos: It's the New There
- Todos Tortugueros – Turtle Action Alert
- US Earns Mexico's Thanks Over Swine Flu Response
- Water Supply
Possibly Related Posts:
- Beware Airline Surfboard Bag Fees
- Todos Santos Ranked Top Emerging Destination in the World
- Southern Baja is Safe from Crime
- Todos Santos Dunes Building Stopped!
- Baja California Sur – President Calderón Inaugurates Hospital in La Paz