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By: Joey Nolfi
Twitter: @joeynolfi
What makes a movie worth something? In the blistering months of summer, we find ourselves flocking to the theater in droves to see them: the good ones, the bad ones, the everything-in-between ones. We accept the notion that this is a supposed to be a time for relaxation, a time to drift away from the 40-hour workweek and into the soft caress of increasing temperatures and cool breezes in that wide open space that's in between your front door and your air-conditioned sedan.
But, being the good cinephiles that we are, we shut ourselves away in tiny, cramped, darkened little theaters and let others create the fantasy for us. We still associate film with escapism, just the same as we hold onto the coded image of summer as if it still bears the same fruits that three months of nothingness ahead of you in the waning days of May did when you were 15 years old.
Of course, the reality for adults is much different. Summer is simply supposed to be synonymous with easy, but the film industry often kicks into overdrive during these months, pummeling us with male-driven tentpole after male-driven tentpole in a cycle that's driving its top-heavy films into the ground, pushing "minority" characters and stories to the side, and testing just how much audiences will put up with (grosses for 2014's summer flicks thus far trail last year's grosses by 15%, according to Deadline Hollywood) en route to a monolithically-male American film culture.
In an industry where real female characters in front of the camera are rare and a female eye behind the lens is even harder to come by, it's unfortunate that a film like Tammy—one undoubtedly meant as a lighthearted tread through fields of breezy summer tastes that appeal to the masses—lands itself amid an inescapable storm of web-based chatter from all possible perspectives. People don't want to let the film be as it is without all the extra baggage it may or may not be carrying with arms of its own. Still, we talk; "Tammy is a film about equality for big girls" some say. "Can we please stop talking about Melissa McCarthy's weight?" others, like Entertainment Weekly's Karen Valby did here) chime in. Tammy is being pulled in a million different directions so much that feels like we've run the course with it even though we're still a good 24 hours away from its official opening.
What is true "worth" when talking about a summer blockbuster, then? If we tip so heavily to the side of male taste, is there room for anything else—even, say, a subpar overall film like Tammy—to be worth something in bits as opposed to as a whole?
Heavy discourse might be valid when talking about a film that's worth something in the eyes of the masses, which Tammy will be if good word of mouth carries it past the modest $30-$40 million holiday haul it's poised for, though we seem to be more preoccupied with throwing our own words around prior to seeing the actual film than seeing Tammy for what it is; a ridiculously uneven spectacle that digs its own holes that are similar in size and size and scope to the ones dug by others it so desperately seeks to climb out of. But, in the age of the internet court, where everyone's voice is falsely validated by their ability to fit it into a 140-character space, criticism becomes something that altogether precedes content, and it's dangerous to glob a film like Tammy into a grey box in an industry that so blatantly separates gender into black and white despite its shortcomings.
We have to pick and choose what we pull from films like Tammy, which stars Melissa McCarthy as a 30-something slob with an ex-job, soon-to-be-ex-husband, and an excommunication from a reality, as she attempts to capitalize on her newfound freedom with a road trip to Niagara Falls with her grandmother, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), though they veer far off track and the film careens into all-over-the-place territory as Tammy embarks on a true journey of self-discovery. McCarthy's script (co-written with her husband, Ben Falcone, who also directed the picture) feels like a series of aimless vignettes that wear the same comedic gimmicks that McCarthy has relied on for three years now so extremely thin that the barely-there thread connecting everything feels as if its about to snap and coil in on itself if one more self-deprecating fat joke or improvised run-on slithers out of McCarthy's mouth.
Take it like any subcultural film movement appropriating the normative culture's use of words that are derogatory (the "f" word, the "n" word), but McCarthy's use of fat jokes at first doesn't seem like a harnessing of control, but rather feels like a repetitive reliance on an easy gag. The laughs are there, but the punch isn't. For that reason, it's nearly impossible to leave the discussion about weight and gender at the door, namely because the film is more than attributable to McCarthy's own doing: she wrote the script, after all, and her husband called the shots on set. That doesn't do much for objectivity on their part, and it makes for a film that feels more self-indulgent on McCarthy's part than it does self-revelatory for the character she's created on the page and on the screen…for the first half, that is.
So, the overwhelmingly negative response the film is receiving from initial screenings is warranted for the most part: the film's first half is a silly romp that does very little to elevate itself above the rest of the summer muck. Again, we must be careful, as so rarely are we given female characters like the ones in Tammy that the film surrounding them takes a backseat to the importance of their existence as characters in the first place. The film's back half, however, turns the nose of the sinking ship toward the sun.
For starters, it's become quite common to observe that Melissa McCarthy's body type doesn't fit in with the normal blueprint Hollywood has drawn for women to build upon, and when lines like "you didn't fuck the ice cream man just for the ice cream, did you?" and "I kind of got into the pies" punctuate a film that includes scenes of an overweight woman struggling to climb over a small counter top and falling to her knees after dropping three feet off the top of a table, what is an audience supposed to think? McCarthy begs us to view her body as a comedic tool, and while that makes it impossible to leave discussion about its star's body out of the equation, it does indicate that there is a consciousness to her methods.
Tammy is a studio production aimed at pleasing the crowds, and it will do that on some level, but the film also explores things you'd never see in the male-driven industry today, thanks largely in part to McCarthy's power as a box-office draw and audience darling. There are female characters (even lesbians!) that are defined by more than their sexuality and/or their relationship to a man—in a Hollywood production! Though the lack of objectivity and more creative license given to McCarthy in terms of script and performance speaks to her power as a female star with a box-office draw, her decision to include the fat jokes in her own script indicate a comfort and an acceptance of her body. That's obvious. It's just wholeheartedly discouraging to see her reducing herself to fodder for trailers with material that's just not very creative, and altogether makes her body something that we have to think about as something someone has to "accept" in the first place. Is there something wrong with you if you aren't Melissa McCarthy but have Melissa McCarthy's body type and no outlet to show off your self-deprecating humor?
Sure, we can say that it's unfair to talk about women's bodies and focus on the weight, but Melissa McCarthy's films seem to fixate on it more than the rest of us do: the jokes are at the expense of her weight and wouldn't work on a skinny person. McCarthy doesn't use these jokes as a crutch beyond the first half of the film or so (they're peppered throughout the entire thing, but ultimately don't define it), she's just playing up her assets, and she treats her body as such; she doesn't create a character who's disgusting, but rather someone who's in control of losing control of her body for comedic effect.
It's this consciousness of what makes McCarthy "different"—both as someone who doesn't fit the "normal" mold of Hollywood actresses and as a powerful woman in an industry dominated by men—that makes aspects of Tammy accessible in a way we're not used to seeing in a big-budget Hollywood production. There's a deliberate effort to construct a non-mainstream, non-typical woman and give her the agency that beautiful, rail-thin leading ladies in other films don't even get. Without spoiling anything, we do see Tammy getting a choice along her path to romance, the freedom from hinging her life's decisions on the pursuit of a man, valuable, complex relationships with women based on things that don't have to do with men, and the power to be the agent of her own story, not dangle from the hands of someone else. This is a story about women helping women, even if the beginning bits distracted us along the way.
So, what does Tammy want to be, and what does it end up being? It's a line we can't clearly draw because the film itself is so structurally misshapen, but we can appreciate what little glimmer there is to be extracted from the earnesty of its all-poweful female star and screenwriter. We can't blindly accept films like Tammy as a whole simply because there are elements that subvert the norm. A mediocre product from a woman, starring a woman who contrasts what other studios are pushing doesn't make it a great film, but you can make a dry, crusty, dirt-browned potato shine like a juicy red, freshly-plucked tomato; you just have to tilt it a little and lift it into the sun for closer inspection.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @joeynolfi


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Erie, CO Real Estate
Erie is an emerging destination spot for food and events, convenient to Boulder, Denver, and surrounding communities. Located less than 25 minutes from downtown Denver and a few miles east of Boulder, the community of Erie is home to more than 22,000 residents who help to conserve and enhance its small town character. In its early days, Erie thrived due to coal mining, railroads and agriculture. Today you can enjoy the popular historic downtown, home to a variety of events, delicious foods and 18-hole championship golf course at the Colorado National Golf Course.
Erie is full of outdoorsy people from young professionals, to growing families, to active seniors who enjoy the close proximity to the mountains and the scenic trail system. The Vista Ridge community offers five-star resort amenities, including homes for every budget and lifestyle. Vista Ridge offers custom, single-family, condominium and low-maintenance homes.
The 41-acre Erie Community Park further improves the quality of life with ballfields, concession stand, playgrounds, soccer fields, tennis courts, walking trails and picnic tables. Erie also boasts premier educational and research facilities including a public library and St. Vrain and Boulder Valley School District schools.
- Square Miles19.8
- Population24,234
- Per Capita Income$42,208
- Median Household Income$110,877
- Housing Units7,725
- Homeownership Rate85.9%
- Median Home Price$480,000
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The town of Erie, incorporated in 1874, has its roots in agriculture and coal mining. In the early 1870's, a line from Brighton to Erie was added to the Union Pacific line (Denver to Cheyenne) to haul Erie's generous coal supplies to fuel the railroad's massive steam engines. The town of Erie was named by its founder, Reverend Richard Van Valkenburg, a Methodist preacher who connected widespread local citizens through gospel. Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Reverend Valkenburg honored his native city with the naming of Erie, Colorado. Reverend Valkenburg went on to serve as mayor, postmaster, police judge and more for the burgeoning coal mining town. By the mid-1870's, Erie began to see growth. A community emerged with a town hall, jail, large school, churches and doctor offices. Erie's history as a coal mining town includes several worker strikes and tragic mining accidents. Tributes and memorials to Erie's miners can be found around the town today.
In the 1940's, demand for coal slowed, and Erie's coal production dwindled by the 1960s. Around the turn of the century, Erie experienced incredible growth and has boomed into a substantial suburban community, tucked between Boulder, Longmont and Denver.
24 Carrot Bistro
A WK favorite, experience this farm to table cuisine and homemade cocktails using locally...Website
Azteca Mexican Restaurant
Delight in this authentic Mexican food or swing by for happy hour from 3-5 every day.Website
Echo Brewpub & Pizzeria
Echo Brewpub and Pizzeria excels in Neapolitan-style brick oven pizza and ales and lagers.Website
Miner's Tavern
Established in 1926, The Miners Tavern serves meats supplied by a local Erie butcher and a...Website
The Dugout Grill & Bar
All your favorite game-watching foods and drinks can be found at the Dugout Grill and Bar.Website
The Lazy Dog Bar and Grill
Third generation restaurateur, founder Chris Simms, values meals made from scratch and carefully...Website
The Old Mine Cidery and Brewpub
Grab an artisan pizza, slow-smoked BBQ, hard cider or beer at this local community hotspot.Website
Boulder Valley Velodrome
This Olympic-caliber, 250-meter velodrome provides an incredible opportunity to the Erie...Website
Erie Hiking Trails
Erie's recreational trial system provides a community-wide off-road network that connects major...Website
Erie Lake & Thomas Reservoir
Spanning 31 acres, beautiful Erie Lake is a fantastic fishing spot, complete with a handicapped...Website
Children's Music Academy of Erie
Music lessons for children ages 3 and up in a fun, positive, affirming, and creative...Website
Erie Arts and Culture:
See a full list of Erie's arts, culture and entertainment businesses.Website
Gallery 58
An art gallery that also offers classes and workshops, gifts, custom art and framing...Website
Pop-Up Culture
Offering events and classes in non-traditional venues, check out Pop-Up Culture's website to...Website
Biscuit Day
This revival of an old 1870s tradition, celebrates the history of Erie with biscuits and gravy,...Website
Boo! On Briggs Street
In honor of Halloween, head over to Briggs street to enjoy a truck or treat, storefront trick or...Website
Concerts in the Park
Enjoy live music throughout the summer on specific Saturday evenings. Check their website...Website
County Christmas and Parade of Lights
Country Christmas incorporates traditional Christmas fun like singing, food and drink. A Parade...Website
Erie Town Fair & Balloon Festival
Every year, Erie's town fair starts with an early morning hot air balloon launch and pancake...Website
A Quilter's Corner
Just ranked as one of the nation's top 10 quilting stores in Better Homes and Gardens Quilt...Website
Erie Community Center
Erie's recreational facility provides a variety of activities such as a fitness area, climbing...Website
Erie Community Library
Built in 2008, Erie Community Library is a state-of-the-art facility that holds a vast...Website
Farmers Market
Specializing in Colorado-grown organic, transitional and pesticide-free vegetables, the farmers...Website

subset: commoncrawl


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Palm outside my parents house...
The token poolside feet shot. Had to do it :)
My sweet cousin who was celebrating her Sweet 16 that night! Complete with Karaoke and a Chocolate Fountain. Ahhhh, to be that young again!
Our daily lunch spot.
Modeling my favorite new Ray Ban Cat-eye sunnies! And you can't really see them, but these enormous new faux-Turq earrings from Forever 21 that I am obsessed with ($3.80)
A west coast favorite...and a major craving for me, In-N-Out Burger!


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Zeno Clash is an upcoming videogame developed by ACE Team, an independent game development studio located in Santiago, Chile. The game is an action / fighting adventure set in a punk fantasy world.
The story begins when Ghat (the protagonist of the game) is banished from his family. Ghat is one of Father-Mother's dozens of children. Father-Mother is a hermaphrodite creature who is parent to a large clan that lives in the main city of the game's world. The reason for Ghat's rebelliousness and expulsion is not clear.[2]
On January 2009 Zeno Clash has been nominated finalist in the Independent Games Festival yearly competition, in the category of Excellence in Visual Art. Zeno Clash is one of the 5 games to be selected for this award, from a total of 226 participating titles in 2009's IGF.[3]
After seeing it on upcoming games on steam, I went ahead and bought it (£11). Whilst I'm concerned about the first person fight em up, its got such creative, rich imagery that it looks like it could be an experience. Reminds me of the likes of Shadowman (loved the N64 version, all of them were great but the psx version), American McGee's Alice, etc. which are some of my favourite games. Although there's something of a Serious Sam about the videos. There is no multiplayer but there's an arena mode.
Purchase / Info link:
Cross post from:


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ORLANDO, Fla. – Right now the water market, which is already a multi-billion dollar industry is gushing with options.
The American Beverage Association says the trends are all about choice with twenty percent of households that buy bottled water also buy "liquid flavor enhancers".
But are all these 21st century water innovations healthy?
We found some are loaded with sugar with one flavored water we looked at containing 32 grams and packing a 120-calorie punch in twenty ounces.
Some zero calorie options contain artificial sweeteners.
But in the flavored water future you may see more natural enhancers.
"You've got food technologists looking at different ways to put sweeteners together. Some new ones with the old ones," said an expert with the ABA.
Experts say specialty waters can be a tasty treat, but don't give up just plain water.
The key, as with anything, is moderation.
If you're looking to kick a flavored or fizzy water habit, experts say try mixing a piece of fruit with regular water to give it some zest.


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DALLAS (AP) — The Big 12 announced a seven-game bowl lineup that begins in 2014, runs six years, and includes an agreement to alternate playing postseason games in Fort Worth, Texas, and Dallas.
The Big 12 had already lined up a spot in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans over the next 12 years as part of the College Football Playoff.
The remaining lineup had been coming together over the last few months and was released Friday.
- Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, vs. Pac-12 opponent.
- Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando, Fla., vs. Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.
- Texas Bowl in Houston vs. Southeastern Conference opponent.
- Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., vs. SEC opponent.
- Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., vs. Pac-12 opponent.
- Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Conference USA opponent or Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth vs. American Athletic Conference opponent.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Sports Stories You May Also Be Interested In:
[display-posts category="sports" wrapper="ul" posts_per_page="5″]


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Blog Archive
About Me
Monday, May 3, 2010
Evolution of a project...
8:44 PM | Posted by Andy Hearn | Edit Post
After more than three years of hard work the 'Bornean Wild Cats & Clouded Leopard Project' is sadly drawing to a close. The Parangs (local style machete) have been placed back in their sheaths, the camera traps removed from the forest, and we're now busy translating the hard won data into tangible conservation science.
But alas this is not the end of our project; Borneo's wild cats remain threatened, and there is still much to learn about them in order to help develop appropriate management and conservation actions. Rather this is the closing of the first chapter, and the beginning of the next, for the project is evolving into the: 'Bornean Clouded Leopard Programme'.
The Global Canopy Programme have now handed the reins over to the WildCRU, at the University of Oxford, who, having previously been the scientific advisor to the project, will now be the lead partner in our new programme. Please check back here soon for details of our new programme.
So at the dawning of our new endeavour we'd like take a step back and offer a big thank you to all those that have supported the project and shared our desire to help begin shedding light on this unique, but little known guild of Bornean felids.
We thank the many organisations that have provided financial support, and in particular, we thank the UK Government's Darwin Initiative, who provided the core funding to our previous work in Sabah. We thank our research assistants and the volunteers that helped us with the often challenging fieldwork. A big thank you to the host country organisations that have supported us and given us permission to carry out the project, including the Yayasan Sabah, Sabah Wildlife Department, DVMC, Economic Planning Unit, and of course our project partners at the ITBC, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Sincere thanks go to our project counterpart, Dr Henry Bernard, and the Royal Society SEARRP's Dr Glen Reynolds, who both provided invaluable logistical and technical assistance, and also a friendly ear.
Lastly we offer a big thank you to the Global Canopy Programme's Andrew Mitchell and Katherine Secoy, both for doing a sterling job at managing the project and for seeing the potential in two eager Conservation Biologists, desperate to start a wild cat conservation project in Borneo.
(Photos: Top: A leopard cat photographed at the Danum Valley Field Station - one of the projects very first cat photos - we now have well over a thousand! Bottom: Andy, Katherine Secoy and Jo, overlooking the Danum Valley canopy.)
1 comments:
- TheCric said...
I hope all your photos will help to preserve all those magnifical animals
Beautiful work anyway
Note: you should get read of all the spam comments above
- July 31, 2010 at 3:33 PM
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The standard format used for presentations is PowerPoint®. But most PowerPoint® presentations are composed of a series of boring bulleted slides that do nothing to keep your attention. We'll show you how to use SmartDraw to create attention-getting, visually rich presentations in no time at all.
To get started, let's select the Presentations SmartTemplate.
With SmartDraw's PowerPoint® builder you create your presentation visually in a storyboard format. In the storyboard, each shape on the line represents a slide. The top area of the slide is the title. The bottom area contains the visual that will show below the title.
SmartDraw helps you get started by providing some common default slides. Add the title to your presentation by simply clicking the top area of the slide and typing it in.
To edit the bottom portion of the slide where the default visual is located, double click the visual portion of the slide box. Make any edits to the visual that you want to make and it's automatically saved in your main PowerPoint® builder file. You can edit the subsequent visuals in your storyboard in the same way. Just double click and a new instance of SmartDraw is opened allowing you to edit the visual you wish to edit.
It's easy to delete a slide or add a new slide. Just click on the slide you no longer want and hit the delete key to get rid of it.
Add more slides to your storyboard by first selecting the
type of slide to add in the SmartPanel and then either dragging the selected slide
to the page or using your keyboard shortcuts. Holding down
the Ctrl plus an arrow key will add the selected slide type
in the direction of the arrow.
If you want to change the order of the slides, it's as easy as dragging them to where you want them to go.
You can easily change the visual in any slide by clicking on "Change Visual" in the SmartPanel.
You can edit the visual in each slide by double-clicking on it. It opens in a new instance of SmartDraw so that you can edit it. Closing the visual saves it back to your presentation storyboard.
You can customize the appearance of your PowerPoint® presentation within SmartDraw by changing the Theme. Click on the Theme options in the SmartPanel and select "More". Find the PowerPoint® Template file that you want to use and that will set the theme of your presentation. When you build to PowerPoint®, your presentation automatically uses your preferred theme template.
Even the best visual can be ineffective if displayed in the wrong way in your presentation. Showing a visual to your audience all at once can be overwhelming. It's better to reveal the visual in a series of steps called "sequencing". By stepping through a graph or a mind map, your audience can follow the argument with much greater comprehension than just putting the whole graph in front of them in one pass.
Charts in SmartDraw are automatically set up to sequence. Just select the PowerPoint® tab, hit the "Preview" button and click through the steps. Often, you'll want to control the steps through which your slide sequences. You can see in the PowerPoint® panel that your main topic is already set to Step 1. Select the next layer of subtopics and select Step 2. Now designate the final layer as Step 3. Hit "Preview" and see how it looks. You can sequence one topic at a time or sequence groups of subtopics or animate in whatever order best communicates your message.
You can store slides and use them again later by putting them in your own slide library.
To do this, click on the Library tab, next the SmartPanel tab. Click on the white space in the library tab to open up a library. Open the My Symbols folder and open the "slides" library. To add your new slide to the library, simple drag it into the library panel. Confirm that you want to add the new symbol to the library and your slide is saved there for future use, with your edits and sequencing preserved.
With SmartDraw's PowerPoint® builder, no matter how many visuals you add, your whole presentation is contained in a single file.
This makes them easier to manage and also makes it easy to make last minute changes. You never have to
hunt down the source file for one of your charts, for example. Exporting to
PowerPoint® is a simple click away. Just hit the "Build Presentation" button and watch your
sequenced slide build automatically.
SmartDraw's presentation features totally reinvent the way you use PowerPoint®.
Not only does SmartDraw make it easy to replace boring bullets with powerful visuals,
it gives you a better way to compose, build, and manage all your presentations.
The result is better, more effective presentations that are even easier to create and edit.
Make your next presentation impactful and memorable by making it visual with SmartDraw.
*Full PowerPoint® integration is only available in SmartDraw for Windows Desktop.
©1994-2020 SmartDraw, LLC


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Woman complains of sexual molestation after fronting TSA opt-out protest
Paul Joseph Watson
May 27, 2013
An activist who fronted a national TSA opt-out campaign last year has released a video of a pat down during which she accuses a TSA agent of touching her vagina.
Ashley Jessica, who led the Infowars Opt Out & Film the TSA campaign last Thanksgiving, is shown in the clip undergoing an invasive pat down having exercised her right to refuse to go through a body scanner machine.
Although the two lines at the security gate initially led to a body scanner and a metal detector, the metal detector was roped off as soon as Ashley and her mother joined the queue. When the two opted out, they were told they would receive, "an extensive pat down which would involve going all the way up the leg," according to Ashley.
After first filming her mother receiving a pat down, a separate TSA agent arrives to perform the same ludicrous procedure on Ashley, first patting down her hair.
The TSA screener then puts her hand on Ashley's breast to which she responds, "sorry, you just touched my boob."
When Ashley tells the screener she is not comfortable with having her breasts fondled, the TSA screener threatens to stop the screening process and bar Ashley from flying.
The screener then runs her hand up the inside of Ashley's thigh and appears to touch her vagina as Ashley recoils.
"She just touched my vagina, seriously, that was not my upper thigh," complains Ashley.
The TSA agent completes the procedure and America has been protected from another potential terrorist (while a plethora of other travelers pass through body scanners which it has been proven can easily be fooled).
"Having the camera on empowered me to interrupt the pat down when I was being violated and tell them what was and wasn't acceptable," Ashley told Infowars.
Hundreds of complaint letters about the TSA's invasive security procedures which were released last year under the Freedom of Information Act include numerous horror stories about TSA screeners directly touching people's genitals during pat downs. There have also been numerous cases of public figures having their "junk" touched.
We first reported back in 2010, that the TSA's new security procedures for "advanced pat downs" include literally touching and in some cases groping the genitals of travelers.
Whether Ashley was deliberately targeted for her involvement in anti-TSA activism is unknown, although other critics of the federal agency have admittedly faced retribution through invasive pat downs and other forms of harassment.
The TSA has characterized people who do not fully comply with airport screening procedures, no matter how bizarre or invasive, as "domestic extremists."
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.
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Item Description
Report of H. J. Strickler, Commissioner to Audit Claims of Citizens of the Territory of Kansas
Author: Strickler, Hiram Jackson
Date: 1859
This introduction to the Report of H. J. Strickler, Commissioner to Audit Claims of the Citizens of the Territory of Kansas explained how the process worked including how notices of the various hearings were published. Each claimant had to submit an itemized list and have two witnesses attest to the losses claimed. The introduction also provided definitions of public and private class because claims were assigned to these two classes. The claims were submitted during 1857 with the report presented to Congress on April 7, 1858. Claims for losses since May 31, 1854, were eligible for consideration. The report is dated February 27, 1858. A number of the specific claims are part of this project. Even though many of these claims were approved for payment, no funds were ever appropriated or distributed.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: 328.7304/Un3/Serial Number 1017
Item Number: 101151 Number of images: 6
Keywords: Damage claims; Strickler, Hiram Jackson; United States. Congress. House
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pg. 2
pg. 3
pg. 4
pg. 5
pg. 6


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Press Release:
Los Angeles, CA-May 21, 2013-The LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION presents JON BERNTHAL from THE WALKING DEAD AMC Cable series and TYLER HOECHLIN and HOLLAND RODEN from MTV'S TEEN WOLF appearing in person at the SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2013 show.
JON BERNTHAL starred as "Shane Walsh" in Season One and Two of THE WALKING DEAD Cable Series. JON will be signing autographs 12:00 P.M.-3:00 P.M. THE WALKING DEAD is the #1 Best Selling Comic Book series and Highest Rated Cable series with over 12 million viewers for the third season. JON'S upcoming Movie roles include The Wolf of Wall Street (Directed by Martin Scorsese and also starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey) and Grudge Match (also starring Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone and Kim Basinger).
TYLER HOECHLIN and HOLLAND RODEN, the stars of MTV'S TEEN WOLF appear to sign autographs from 1:00 P.M.-3:00 P.M. TYLER stars as "Derek Hale," a mysterious werewolf, and HOLLAND stars as "Lydia Martin," a person who has an immunity to supernatural abilities. MTV'S TEEN WOLF is an edgier adaptation of the 1985 Michael J. Fox Movie. The third season of TEEN WOLF starts in June.
Other Special Guests Appearing:
ALEX NINO, Classic Marvel and DC Comics Artist, will appear in person to sign autographs and do sketches. ALEX'S unique visual style has been featured in such Classic DC Comics as Weird War Tales, House of Mystery, Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion, Secrets of Sinister House, Weird Mystery Tales, The Witching Hour, Korak, and Rima the Jungle Girl. ALEX'S Marvel Comic work includes The Savage Sword of Conan and Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction. ALEX'S magazine work includes Heavy Metal and Warren Magazines Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. ALEX will have his recent works Andie and the Alien and Monster Candy (Bliss on Tap Publishing) on sale.
BARBARA LUNA starred as "Lt. Marlena Moreau" in the Classic STAR TREK episode "Mirror, Mirror." BARBARA'S other television credits include starring as "Koori" in two episodes of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Wild, Wild West, Zorro, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Hawaii Five-O, The Invaders and many others.
BUTCH PATRICK starred as "Eddie Munster" in two seasons of THE MUNSTERS and the movie MUNSTER, GO HOME! BUTCH'S other television credits include Lidsville, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, and the animated movie The Phantom Tollbooth (starring as the voice of Milo).
RICHARD ANDERSON starred as "Oscar Goldman" in the ABC-TV series THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and THE BIONIC WOMAN. RICHARD'S other credits include the movies Stanley Kubrick's The Paths of Glory, Forbidden Planet, Curse of the Faceless Man and television series such as Boris Karloff's Thriller, The Green Hornet, Land of the Giants, The Rifleman and many others.
T.C. CARSON starred as the voice of "Mace Windu" in the animated series STAR WARS: CLONE WARS (2003-2005) and STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (2008-2013) and as the voice of "Kratos" in the GOD OF WAR Video Game series. T.C. is also known for starring as "Kyle Baker" in the television series Living Single.
The LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION will take place SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2013 at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center, 700 West 32nd Street, in Los Angeles, across the street from USC College. Show Hours are 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Regular Admission is only $10.00, five years and under are free. Early Admission is $12.00. The Dealers Room features over one hundred tables full of Old and New Comic Books, Toys, Action Figures, Trading Cards, Trade Paperbacks, Graphic Novels, DVDs, Movie Memorabilia and many other collectibles! All celebrity guests charge for each autograph but it includes a choice of photo. Check www.comicbookscifi.com for more information!


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hi guys,
i am a computer science engg. student from india.i started my course 4 years back with a lot of passion and interest as computers and programming was the first thing in my life which gave me feelings of accomplishment. i carried that passion into my studies as well and for the first time in my life, became a good student. i also managed to get into a good indian software company through campus recruitment(thank GOD).
i have one more semester left now. but the problem is that i dont want to settle down as a regular s/w engg. working for salary,looking for promotions etc. i wanna make it big. i had never been studying these few years i was really enjoying learning about computers.
now i want to develop something new and revolutionary(eg. facebook). but i am just not getting that start.i am looking for a that small spark for ignition.
i know some of you guys are already laughing your hearts out
but please do help me.please tell me where i should start.


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Our Terms of Trade templates are reviewed by an independent law firm. We are not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice and we recommend that you seek your own legal advice on the Terms of Trade contract.
If you require a specialised or personalised Terms of Trade contract, we can refer you to an independent law firm who will engage and liaise with you directly and provide you with legal advice.


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Robbing Peter to pay Paul
I've spent much of this week at work banging my head against the wall that of all the offsets Congress could have found to use to pay for state fiscal relief (FMAP) and education jobs, the one they chose to use was a cut in Food Stamps (SNAP). And then the Senate decided to cut Food Stamps some more to pay for child nutrition programs.
I get that inflation has been lower than predicted, and so the Food Stamp increase in the recovery act is lasting longer than expected. But, as Dave Obey said, that would have just meant that "some poor bastard is going to get a break for a change." (And kudos to @AnnieLowrey for following the story from the start.)
At least with the FMAP/EduJobs bill, I can make the macroeconomic argument that it makes sense to spend more money today, prevent huge layoffs in the states and local governments, and cut spending in 2014. (If the economy is this bad still 4 years from now, we're going to have much bigger problems.) But in the child nutrition bill, the increases would actually come AFTER the cuts.
Matthew Yglesias wrote about the child nutrition bill s today and noted that it really is robbing Peter to pay Paul — taking from dinners to pay for lunches, and from the summer to pay for the school year. I wanted to highlight one of his commenter's responses, since it's rare to hear from people who are directly affected. JRoth wrote:
I've been on SNAP benefits for over a year (family of 4, household income in '08 and '09 around $20k), and I can tell you that the margin between the old benefits ceiling (somewhere around $500) and the new (well over $600) makes a huge difference in my family's grocery budget. With the former, I can just about squeeze the entire month's food into the SNAP budget – a couple months we had to go the last 2-3 days on leftovers and cobbling together whatever was in the freezer. Under the new benefits, I can buy my kids fresh fruit without stressing over the difference between a $2 pint of blueberries and a $2.50 pint.
Point being, insofar as the public health goal of SNAP is enabling more healthful family eating, an extra $25/person/month goes a long way in obviating the (perceived) need to buy the high calorie/low nutrition food products that are implicated in low income obesity.
As for school lunches, the current budget is laughably small (under $2/child/lunch, iirc), and so any improvement in that number will represent an improvement. But school lunches remain a nutritional wasteland, even in places where there's an awareness (my kid's school offers whole grain in most meals and healthful-seeming dishes, but the reality is A. they still taste gross and B. the backup options are unconscionable things like Uncrustables.
That sounds right to me. I was shocked and slightly horrified to read last month that Fairfax schools were selected best in the country for nutritious school lunches. My kids eat the school lunch about once a week (N thinks it's a huge treat, and would have it every day if we let him; D only wants to do it on the days that they have grilled cheese or breakfast for lunch.) If that's the best, I can't begin to imagine what the worst looks like.


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Enjoy a treasure house of transport history at the Grampian Transport Museum.
Follow the history of travel and transport in the north east of Scotland through dramatic displays, working exhibits and DVD presentations.
The Grampian Transport Museum is a living museum of land travel and transport. A visit includes climb aboard vehicle exhibits, extensive use of video and some great temporary exhibitions.
There is also an exciting events programme, where you can experience rides on a road circuit in a wide range of historic and modern vehicles.
We are open daily 10am – 5pm until the end of September, 10am – 4pm October and close on Sunday 23rd .
We have a wonderful collection for 2016 including the Guy Martin collection; Guy has very kindly loaned us several items from his personal collection including a stunning Rolls Royce Merlin engine from a Spitfire. We also have several of his motorbikes plus the Gravity racer which he crashed spectacularly at 90mph.
Next of Kin, a travelling exhibition which takes a look at the family stories behind the First World War, is on display until 31st August.
Ever year the museum aims to refresh 1/3 of the displays and the updates continue with a Ford Focus WRC, driven by the late Scottish champion Colin McRae in 2001.


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These fused glass cabinet knobs or drawer pulls are approximately 1.25×1.25 inches by 1/4 inch thick. Each 5/8 inch knob base comes with a 8/32 inch screw and are shown above with a satin nickel finish, but are also available in chrome and dark oil rubbed bronze. See a comparison photo for the knob base finishes here.
Photographed sample knobs are shown against 4 cabinet finishes in the following order: Light Stain, Light Gray Paint, Dark Stain, and White Paint. Cabinet doors are for display only and are not included in the sale.
Listing price is for one knob only. Flat rate USPS Priority Mail shipping in the Continental US. Each one is handmade in the USA by the artists/sellers.
Available Qty: 33
Price: $8.00
Kitchen Hardware Cabinet Door Knobs Cupboard Handles Drawer Pulls Fused Glass – Amber Red Color Mix KB18022F


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Red Shell (10mm)
Black Glass Ovals (20x15mm)
Sterling Silver Beads (8mm)
Silver Plated Bead Caps
Silver Plated Hook Clasp
18 and 20 inch Strands
A statement necklace for all seasons.
PayPal and most credit cards are accepted.
Residents of Texas will be charged 8.25% sales tax on their purchase.
Shipping from United States
All of my jewelry comes to you in an elegant gift box.
All purchases ship by Priority Mail with tracking. Items will ship within 1-2 business days of purchase.
Insurance will be free of charge on orders over $100.
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 14 days of delivery
I don't accept cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
- Custom or personalized orders
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- Digital downloads
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Returns and exchange details
You must be happy with your purchase. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please contact me within 3 working days after receipt of the item. You will receive a full refund if the item is returned unused and in original condition. Return shipping is the responsibility of the buyer.
Custom orders will not be accepted for refund.
Request a custom order and have something made just for you. I have done specialty pieces for brides and bridesmaids as well as for an outfit that needs just the right accessory.


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color your autumn
19 hours ago
Deb Ward, GWS, OWS, PWS, WSI - WATERCOLOR/WATER MEDIA - My passion is teaching adult "beginners". Weekly classes in my home; workshops; classes for Cincinnati Recreation Commission. My work is nationally recognized and published - see "Featured" on my sidebar. I'm a Signature Member of Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana state Watercolor Societies, Cincinnati Art Club, past-President of Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society. Contact info below under "Class Information"
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Just so lovely Deb. Certainly looks like a painting to me! Have a great weekend.


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A hungry teenager ended up paying nearly $300,000 for a Domino's pizza.
19-year-old Nathaniel Bolwell of Newport, England ordered a large pizza, drinks and a couple of side orders from his local Domino's pizza restaurant, according to Metro. The order would typically cost around $30, but the next time he tried to use his debit card, he discovered his account was overdrawn, which struck the teenager as odd.
Bolwell called the bank to find out that his account was overdrawn by 178,000 pounds or roughly $300,000 in American dollars.
Lloyds Bank investigated and Domino's Pizza realized they made a mistake when they accidentally tacked his four digital bank authorization code onto the price of his purchase.
Domino's apologized and the overdraft charges have since been corrected.


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No party for John Boehner
For a man who's getting most of what he wanted, House Speaker John A. Boehner looked pretty unhappy last week.
Only three months ago, when he took the speaker's gavel from Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Boehner declared himself the leader of an unstoppable wave of conservatism. "The American people have spoken, and it's time for Washington to listen," he said.
But now, mired in negotiations with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid over a short-term federal spending deal, Boehner sounds plaintive, not triumphant.
"We control one-half of one-third of the government," he told reporters on Thursday. "We can't impose our will on another body. We can't impose our will on the Senate. All we can do is to fight for all of the spending cuts that we can get an agreement to."
Last week, Boehner and Reid agreed to the core of a possible deal to avoid shutting down the federal government: a cut of $33 billion for the next five months.
That should count as a big victory for Boehner and other fiscal conservatives. It's a deeper cut than Boehner initially sought; two months ago, he would have settled for $32 billion. And it would be a huge cut for President Obama and other Democrats to swallow — $74 billion less than the White House's initial budget proposal.
But it's a cut that's unlikely to satisfy the House's big bloc of hard-line conservatives — and that's a problem for Boehner. So as soon as the outline of the deal was announced, the speaker had to assure his caucus that it wasn't yet a deal.
The toughest negotiations in Washington right now aren't between Republicans and Democrats; they're between pragmatic conservative Republicans like Boehner and radical conservative Republicans like Mike Pence of Indiana, who say they wouldn't mind shutting down the federal government if that might wring out a few billion more in savings.
"It's time to pick a fight!" Pence told a rain-chilled little rally of "tea party" activists across the street from the Capitol shortly after Boehner spoke Thursday. "If liberals in the Senate want to play political games … I say shut it down."
Boehner campaigned last year on a promise to cut $100 billion in federal spending, and so did most of the 87 freshman Republicans who gave him the majority. The problem is, the freshmen are treating it like a real promise. They don't want to have to tell their tea party constituents that they decided to compromise with Reid, a man conservatives loathe, and settle for only one-third of the cuts they promised.
Boehner can't count on Democrats to rescue him. Just down the hall, Pelosi, who points out that she never lost control of her caucus when she was speaker, is quietly enjoying the spectacle of her successor's discomfort. If the House fails to pass a spending bill because of conservative defections, Boehner's hold on his job could be fatally weakened. Two months ago, polls suggested that the public would blame both parties equally if the government shut down; now polls show that a larger number would blame Boehner and the GOP.
Even if the House and Senate compromise over short-term spending this week, it won't be a sign that the Republicans have turned pragmatic or that bipartisanship is back. It will mean only that Boehner has succeeded in postponing his crisis for another day by promising his hard-liners that he will fight for radical budget cuts when they find more favorable ground.
And there could still be a shutdown. Settling on $33 billion in cuts doesn't address the policy issues known as "riders" — Republican-sponsored measures to halt implementation of Obama's healthcare law, prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases, and bar federal money from going to Planned Parenthood. Senate Democrats have said that they're willing to compromise on money, but not on all those policies.
The underlying problem, of course, is polarization. A generation ago, conservatives and liberals called each other names over social issues like abortion or gay rights. But when their representatives came to Washington, they generally found ways to negotiate deals on federal taxes and spending. The debates were vigorous, to be sure, but — in part because each party still had centrists in the room — they often didn't turn bitter.
Now, though, perhaps because the tea party considers federal spending a matter of morality, the fiscal debate sounds more like those old social debates once did. Members of Congress who agree to cut less than $100 billion from a short-term spending bill will be accused — by people in their own party — of not loving their country.
Democrats aren't immune, either; many liberals are furious at Obama and Reid for compromising as much as they have. But their anger seems less intense than that of the conservatives, who came to Washington believing the 2010 election gave them a mandate to remake the government.
The result: At least until the election of 2012, we're in for a stretch of angry, unhappy politics on both sides of the aisle.
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Stalking teddy bears and towels before retiring to harass the family dog, 12-week-old cheetah cub Bunjee was blissfully unconcerned by the cameras trailing him around the Heidenreichs' house.
AJOFRIN, Spain Stalking teddy bears and towels before retiring to harass the family dog, 12-week-old cheetah cub Bunjee was blissfully unconcerned by the cameras trailing him around the Heidenreichs' house.
Outside, at the call of a whistle, his sleek black-spotted mother Bagheera streaked across the ground and into a spacious pen where Christa Heidenreich was waiting for her.
Heidenreich and her veterinary surgeon husband Manfred have achieved with Bagheera and Bunjee something thought almost impossible breeding cheetahs in captivity at their first attempt.
Given two South African cubs seven years ago, the German couple retired to Spain with the hope of breeding them, despite being told they were likely to fail.
They chose Spain because it offered a climate where the cheetahs would feel at home and a place with enough land for them to enjoy hunting. Cheetahs can reach up to 68 miles an hour during a chase.
Last year fewer than 10 baby cheetahs were born in Europe, said Manfred Heidenreich. This is despite strong interest in breeding the endangered felines whose numbers in the wild are thought to have dropped to between 12,000 and 15,000.
He was convinced that access to a tamed animal that would allow him to see exactly when it was on heat, could be a clue to success.
He kept meticulous daily diaries of Bagheera's reproductive cycles for three years and drove her to a German zoo to find a mate she fancied after she turned down Shirkhan, the male she grew up with.
Bunjee, the only surviving cub from a litter of five was the result, but Heidenreich, who has been fascinated by cheetahs since childhood, feels he is barely the beginning especially as Bagheera is pregnant again and due to give birth in November.
"My aim is to establish sure cheetah reproduction ... We want to have three or four females and two males," he said.
Picky Females
One of the main obstacles to successful breeding is the habits of females, who are in heat for very short periods, solitary by nature and fastidious about who they will mate with.
They are not interested in males they have grown up with -- even if they are not blood relations -- nor do they look kindly on male cheetahs who attempt to mate with them when they are not ovulating.
The Heidenreichs hoped to convince Bagheera to consider Shirkhan as a mate by splitting them up for a long time but she still recognized him as a "sibling."
"We tried separating them for a year, and put them together, and Bagheera seemed interested at first but she recognized him and when it came down to it she would not let him copulate with her. We had to find a male she did not know."
Female cheetahs in the wild usually come into contact with males only when they want to conceive so owners who put a female who is not fertile with a male who tries to mate her risk turning her off him, Heidenreich said.
Nor is artificial insemination likely to work, as a female cheetah releases her eggs only on penetration, Heidenreich said.
Easily Tamed
Popular as hunting animals and elegant pets with rulers ranging from Charlemagne to Akbar, the 16th century emperor of Mughal India, cheetahs are the only big cats that can be trusted not to turn on their owners if tamed, according to Heidenreich.
"Taming a cheetah is very easy, they are different to other big cats, never aggressive ... In 5,000 years there have been no accidents reported between cheetahs and humans.
"They never look for a fight because even if they get a very small injury on just one foot, they cannot run again and will die," he added.
However despite their great beauty, usefulness as hunters and non-aggressive nature, the spotted sprinters have never been domesticated because of the difficulties of breeding them.
Akbar's cheetah stable is reported to have contained up to 1,000 animals, but almost all were caught wild, probably between the ages of three and five, and tamed.
"Why are they not a domesticated animal if people have been living with them since 3,000 years before Christ?" said Heidenreich. "Because it was almost impossible to breed them in captivity."
Source: Reuters


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It's no secret around these parts that I'm very into musical theater, but truth be told, I hadn't given comedians/MADtv alums Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele much thought beyond "Oh, they seem funny," until late last night when a friend sent me this clip from the recent Key and Peele season premiere, featuring the Les Mis parody to end all Les Mis parodies.
I spent the rest of the night watching every Key and Peele clip that I could find on the internet and laughing so loud that my roommate had to bang on the wall and yell at me to shut up. That relationship might be ruined now, but who needs a happy living arrangement when you have Key and Peele for company?
While you're at it, watch this clip, too.


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Now that Madelyn is here and we finally have internet in our hotel room I thought I'd share some details about our miracle in between feedings and muddy diapers. I'm going to try my best to do a condensed version but be prepared for a novel.
It all starts with our move to Connecticut last summer and having dinner one Sunday afternoon with our bishop's family, a family who's two youngest are adopted through the state, when a thought crossed our mind "mmm maybe that's why we moved to Connecticut... to adopt!'. Months went by and the day we were set apart as ordinance workers for the LDS Boston Temple in February we met a woman who had adopted all four of her children. I don't know if we both knew at that moment, but I knew that adoption would be in our life after talking with this woman for over an hour. We just weren't sure how or when. However, both of us did know if we began serving in the temple, we would be blessed with a child. Part of me thought it would mean we'd get pregnant. Everyone told me if we adopted or started the process we would get pregnant but that just started messing with my thought process. So I have a word of advice: don't give that counsel to anyone who is thinking about adopting and struggling with infertility. It's not very nice for various reasons.
At this point we still weren't 100% sure if we would be working with LDS Services at all, but we needed to attend a workshop in order to meet a training requirement they have and there just by chance happened to be one the following weekend in Boston. That was a miracle within it self because they aren't always in one location and could have been as far away as Ohio or earlier in the year. We learned so much that weekend and it was exactly what we needed to move forward with our relationship with Devon, our birth mom. That weekend was also special because we were able to get to know a birth mom who happens to be in our ward (church congregation) that had just placed her baby 8 weeks prior. Sophia's emotions were so raw and moving it lit a lightbulb in us that helped us understand the other perspective and that it was ok to show our excitement and trust Devon. The workshop was very magical not just because of the knowledge we gained but because the people we met. People who understood exactly the challenge(s) we were experiencing.
Some thing's are too special to share but after that weekend we felt very impressed to write an email to Devon and later we found out that our words were an answer to her prayer. Her parents too. That same Sunday while trying to listen in church, a name popped into my head for baby girl and I KNEW that was her name. We weren't agreeing on names up to that point but once I whispered it to Cony, he knew it was perfect too. Shortly after he checked my email to see if Devon had written back, she had and in return answered our prayers with her words and we had a moment between us that I'll never forget that was filled with tears. (Like I said, that weekend was magical.)
After that magical weekend, the race was on to get things done and ready but most importantly let Devon get to know us. Modern technology is a huge blessing in times like this and we were able to talk with her and meet her family. I need a whole other post to describe Devon and her amazingness. She is the most easy going, thoughtful, considerate person I know. Because adoption includes so many people and backgrounds, I've learned that adoption is the most beautiful thing on earth. And if you try to argue with me that it's not, I will fight you to the death. I'm 100% ok if I never get pregnant and have the opportunity to adopt all my children. It encompasses everything good in life... faith, hope, love, sacrifice, happiness and peace. Our hope in the next few months is to become huge advocates for adoption in one way or another. Please realize our silence on the good news was because we wanted to respect Devon's sacrifice and her personal journey, along with our journey.
There are many more wonderful things to share but for now, this will have to do. We seriously count ourselves the luckiest people in the world because of the people we share it with. Thank you for all your prayers and service. It means the world to us. Fairytales do exist and it's the heartache we have to experience that makes life that much sweeter. God is good. God knows us and loves us and that's the sweetest gift we have....


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CFP: Lesbian Existence and The Lesbian Continuum (Ireland) (4/27/07, Lesbian Lives XIV, 7/14/07-7/16/07)
Lesbian Lives XIV: Thursday 14 - Saturday 16 June 2007
Lesbian Existence and The Lesbian Continuum.
A 3-Day, International, Interdisciplinary Conference to be held at the
Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre (WERRC), School of
Social Justice, University College Dublin, Ireland
Keynote Speakers
Adrienne Rich; Lesbian feminist Scholar and author of more than 19
volumes of poetry including Diving into the Wreck (1973); The Fact of
the Doorframe: Selected Poems 1950-2001 (1984); Midnight Savage; and
Fox. She also written several collections of essays, among them, On
Lies, Secrets and Silence (1979), Blood, Bread and Poetry (1986), and
What Is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics (1993 Of Woman
Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution (1976), and edited many
influential lesbian-feminist journals.
Ruth Vanita: Professor of Liberal Studies & Women's Studies at the
University of Montana, she is currently teaching at Delhi University,
India. She is the author of Sappho and the Virgin Mary: Same-Sex Love
and the English Literary Imagination (Columbia, 1996); co-author of
Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History (Palgrave,
2000); editor of Queering India (Routledge, 2002), and A Play of Light:
Selected Poems (Penguin India, 2004). Her most recent books include
Love's Rite: Same-Sex Marriage in India and the West (Palgrave,NY and
Penguin India, 2005) and Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on
Gender, Sexuality and Culture (Yoda Press, 2006).
Call for Papers
Proposals are welcomed on (though are by no means limited to) the
Literature, biographies, histories, lesbian activisms, alliances and
ruptures, radical feminisms, identities, ethnicities, historical
literature, Motherhood, Worldwide Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movements,
Community and Social Activisms, Histories of Sexualities, Queer
Readings of Literature And Histories,
The conference organisers welcome proposals for (A) individual papers,
(B) sessions, (C) round table discussions, and (D) workshops.
Individual Papers: Individual papers should last 20 minutes.
Individuals should submit: (1) paper title, (2) abstract (3) biography
(4) institutional affiliation and address, (5) AV requirements.
Sessions: Panels of academic papers should include 3 speakers and 1
moderator. Each paper should last for 20 minutes, with a further 30
minutes for questions and discussion. Proposers should submit (1)
session & paper title, (3) abstracts for each paper (3) biography for
each participant (4) institutional affiliation and address for each
participant, (5) AV requirements.
Round Table Discussions: Round table discussions should include 6
speakers and 1 moderator. Each paper should last for 10 minutes with a
further 30 minutes for questions and discussion. Proposers should
submit (1) round table title, (2) rationale for round table (3)
biography for each participant (4) institutional affiliation and
address for each participant, (5) AV requirements.
Workshops: Workshops last 90 minutes. Proposers should submit (1)
workshop title, (2) rationale for workshop (3) biography (4)
institutional affiliation and address (if relevant) (5) AV requirements
E-mail proposals to lesbian.lives_at_ucd.ie or post them to:
Lesbian Lives XIV: Lesbian Existence and the Lesbian Continuum
Women's Education Research and Resource Centre (WERRC),
School of Social Justice,
Hannah Sheehy Skeffington Building,
University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
For further information see our website at www.ucd.ie/werrc or
telephone +353 1 7168572
The closing date for the submission of proposals is Friday April 27th
From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
Full Information at
or write Jennifer Higginbotham: higginbj_at_english.upenn.edu
Received on Wed Apr 04 2007 - 15:49:26 EDT


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Dad's Best Single Chambered Black Bat House
This bat houses is made using an exterior grade plywood and quality cedar and finally painted with two coats of premium water-based exterior paint to last for years and still is safe to the bats. The bat house is 24" tall, 4" deep (at the roof), and 13-1/2" wide and has a single chamber, great to attract male bats. There is a screen mesh inside the bat house to assist the bats in landing and moving around inside their new habitat. Bat conservation is needed to help the declining bat population throughout the world.
Here are some tips from Bat Conservation International on installing your new bat house:
Once your bat house is constructed or purchased, it's important to choose an area for installation that has the best chance of attracting bats. How and where you mount your new bat roost depends on the style and size of bat house, average temperatures in your area in July, and certain other physical limitations. Bat houses can be mounted on wooden posts, steel poles, pivot poles, or on the sides of buildings, but should not be mounted on trees for three reasons:
Bats find houses mounted on poles or buildings in less than half the time it takes them to find tree-mounted roosts. Houses mounted under the eaves on wood or stone buildings, but still exposed to the sun, tend to be better protected from rain and predators and have been especially successful. Bat houses should be mounted in an area that gets 6-8 hours of direct sunlight (facing either East or South).
Bat houses on a barn Credit: Mylea Bayless
Buildings offer good mounting sites almost everywhere, but they are essential in very cool or dry climates. In dry areas, where day-to-night temperatures may vary by more than 28°F, buffering from nighttime extremes is needed. Buildings are the right choice if you are installing only one, single-chamber bat house. Unless two are installed back-to-back, pole-mounted singled-chamber roosts don't seem to offer enough options for bats to move about in response to temperature fluctuations. Pole mounted bat houses can however be very successful. Nursery colonies of up to 1,100 bats have been recorded to take up residence in pairs of nursery houses mounted on poles back-to- back, 3⁄4 inch apart and covered by a tin roof.
Where climates are moderate to hot with average to high humidity, it is best to test pairs of houses mounted back-to-back on poles –a light one facing north and a moderate to dark one facing south. Houses of different colors can also be tested side by side on buildings, with both houses facing the same direction, in any climate. By observing roost choices of the first occupants, bat preferences can be determined and met by varying the color or sun exposure for subsequent houses.
To the extent possible, locate all houses 20 to 30 feet from tree branches or other obstacles and 12 to 20 feet above ground (or above the tallest vegetation beneath the bat house). Those located nearest an area's largest water source are typically the most successful, as are those in or adjacent to the most diverse or natural vegetation. The best locations are along streams, rivers, lakes or forests because these are natural bat flyways.


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Wild Goose with Giblet Stuffing
This recipe is one of our favorite ways to prepare goose and it's especially nice for the holidays. My husband does a lot of hunting, so I'm always looking for new ways to fix game. — Louise Laginess, East Jordan, Michigan
Total TimePrep: 30 min. Bake: 2-1/2 hours
Makes6-8 servings
- 1 wild goose (6 to 8 pounds)
- Lemon wedges
- Salt
- Goose giblets
- 2 cups water
- 10 cups crumbled cornbread
- 2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 to 2 tablespoons rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Butter, softened
- Rub inside goose cavity with lemon and salt; set aside. In a saucepan, cook giblets in water until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove giblets with a slotted spoon and reserve liquid. Chop giblets and place in a large bowl with the cornbread, apples, onion, parsley, sage, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to make a moist stuffing; toss gently. Stuff the body and neck cavity; truss openings. Place goose, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Spread with softened butter.
- Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 25 minutes per pound or until fully cooked and tender. If goose is an older bird, add 1 cup of water to pan and cover for the last hour of baking.


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I am going through a Lewis and Loftus book doing all of the examples, trying to get myself reacquainted with the Java language. I've included the exercise's requirements inside of the [CODE] tags.
I've tried everything from a BUNCH of if statements, to trying to make up the 'area' variable out of three separate characters, but I cannot seem to get it right. How do I go about limiting the output so that there are no 8 or 9s?
import java.util.Random; /* Write an application that creates and prints a random phone number of the form XXX-XXX-XXXX. Include the dashes in the output. Do not let the first three digits contain an 8 or 9 (but dont be more restrictive than that), and make sure that the second set of three digits is not greater than 742.*/ class Test { public static void phoneNumber(){ Random random = new Random(); int area = random.nextInt(900)+100; int mid = random.nextInt(643)+100; int last = random.nextInt(9000)+1000; System.out.println(area+"-"+mid+"-"+last); } public static void main(String[] args){ phoneNumber(); } }


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Imagine driving at speeds approaching 200 mph in an open convertible. Imagine a McLaren MP4-12C without a roof. McLaren's 616 hp twin-turbo V8 powered 12C Spider can do just that. We know because Formula 1 driver Jenon Button has been there and done that.
We have to assume that the car's wind dynamics must be well thought out, otherwise driving top down at 186 mph would be like jumping out of an airplane. But if there's any turbulence associated with the ride, Button isn't letting on.
"You feel like you're more part of the world without a roof," Button said in a McLaren promotional video. "You smell the tires, you smell the brakes, you smell the car. It really makes you feel part of that car."
So far all we have is the teaser above, but we can smell it, too.
Photo credit: McLaren