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Summary: Straight married man submits to a young stranger at airport.
Note: This will be a multi-chaptered tale of one man's journey from straight as an arrow, to submissive, eager cocksucker and much more.
Note 2: Thanks to goamz86, Robert, and Mab7991 for editing this story.
I was pissed off. I had rushed my ass off to make my flight only to learn it had been delayed by an hour and a half.
Exhausted, I sat down and texted my wife:
Flight delayed...grrrr.
I looked around and saw many others sitting around, seemingly as annoyed by the delay as I was. Realizing that I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now one-thirty, I went to a little bar and grill to have a beer and a meal. I grabbed a seat at the bar, as there were no tables available.
My wife texted back:
Just relax honey...grab a bite to eat.
I texted back:
Already at the bar getting ready to order. Text you later.
She texted back:
Love you!
After ordering, a young guy, maybe twenty-one, asked, "Delayed?"
"That obvious?" I asked.
"You have that frazzled, rushed to get here, and now I have to fucking wait look," he answered.
"There is a look for that?" I joked.
He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of me. I was about to ask 'what the fuck?', as he turned the phone around and showed me the photo he had just taken.
"Fair enough," I laughed, the photo caught me indeed looking pretty frazzled.
"I'm Gary," he said, extending his hand.
"Chris," I offered back, shaking his hand, amazed at just how blue his eyes were, like the water in the Bahamas, which I had visited last year with my wife.
"You have rather soft hands," he said.
I shrugged, "A business man," still unable to stop looking into his eyes.
"You okay?" He asked.
"What? Oh, it is just that you have ridiculously blue eyes," I said.
"I get that all the time," he shrugged.
"I imagine so," I nodded, again looking into his exotic blue eyes.
"Why don't you buy me a drink?" He said, casually.
Not wanting to be rude, I agreed, "Sure, what are you drinking?"
"Rye and coke," he said, again his eyes boring into me.
I was not gay. I had never even considered a guy sexually attractive, yet something about his eyes had me drawn to him. If I was single, and he was a woman, I would have launched a full on frontal attack.
The bartender came and I ordered a drink for Gary and another one for me.
When the bartender returned with the drinks, Gary put his hand on my leg, gave it a squeeze and said, "Thanks Chris," before just as quickly moving his hand away
"You're welcome," I said, stunned by his sudden contact with my leg and the realization that he might be gay.
We chatted for ten minutes about sports, his school and my work, and I concluded his squeeze on my knee was just him being overly friendly. I would be lying if I denied that there was something unexplainable about him. I wasn't attracted to him, yet his eyes seemed to be causing strange feelings inside me.
He asked, "Buy me another drink?"
"Sure," I shrugged, finding it strange he didn't buy this round but figuring it was because he was just a young first year college student and probably didn't have a lot of money.
So I bought another round and when the bartender left with us our drinks, Gary's hand returned to my leg, but this time it didn't leave. "Thanks, Chris."
"N-n-no problem," I stammered, distracted by his hand on my leg and the sudden growth in my pants.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
I should have said the obvious, 'you're hand is on my leg', but, for some unexplainable reason, those were not the words that came out of my mouth. The words that did come out of my mouth sealed my fate forever, when I didn't protest his sexual advancement, "Oh nothing, I just still can't get past how exotic your eyes are."
A male stranger hits on me and instead of punching him in the face, I give him a compliment. What the hell was wrong with me? Also, why was my cock growing in my pants?
"Exotic as in beautiful?" He asked.
"I guess," I shrugged, knowing how gay it would sound to compliment his eyes with a feminine word like beautiful.
"You guess?" He scoffed, his hand moving up my leg ever so slowly.
"Yes, they're beautiful," I said, for some reason just wanting to please him.
"You're married, I see," he responded.
"Twenty-one years," I said, my tone implying it felt a lot longer.
"You must have a nasty itch," he said.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Well, they say that marriage gets stale after seven years, and you are triple that," he said.
"Oh, I love her it's just..." I began and stopped.
"It's just what?" He asked, his hand moving up a bit more.
"The sex isn't what it used to be," I admitted.
"No more head?" He asked knowingly.
"Only if she is really drunk," I admitted, wondering why I was revealing such intimate details of my pathetic love life to a gay stranger. I reflected on how, for twenty years, our sex life had been good, but over the last year or so it had declined to almost nothing.
"Sex once a month?" he asked.
"On a good month," I joked.
"Give me your wedding ring," he said.
"What?" I asked, surprised from the sudden shift in our conversation as well as the odd request.
"Now!" He said, suddenly authoritative. I looked into his blue eyes and felt compelled to obey.
Taking off my wedding ring, which I never do, I handed it to him without a word.
"Good boy," he said, his tone back to normal as he moved his hand and squeezed my stiff cock. I watched him put the ring in his pocket. Smiling, he seemed to flirt, "You may want to adjust that thing, it seems as if is feeling rather trapped."
Without hesitation, I adjusted my cock so it was comfortable....but still begging for attention. Stunned by the reality that he had just squeezed my cock, and how I wanted his hand back on my leg or, even better, on my cock.
Just then our food arrived and we ate in silence. My head was a mess. I had just given some stranger, a gay stranger, my wedding ring. A stranger had squeezed my cock making it as hard as steel and begging for more attention. Yet, I wasn't gay. I had never even considered doing anything gay before. Oh sure, I could tell when a man was good looking, but I never got hard, never fantasized about a guy and had definitely never masturbated about one. Yet, I ate in silence, waiting for him to talk to me again...like a girl waiting by the phone for the guy to call, I imagine...my cock never really going down.
Both of us done eating, he asked, "Want some dessert?"
"I probably have room," I said, always having a bit of a sweet tooth and completely naive to the real meaning of the question.
"Pay for the meals and meet me in the bathroom in the last open stall, just to the right when you exit the restaurant," he ordered, standing up and leaving before I could protest.
I went to speak, to say this was all a major misunderstanding, but of course by then I was alone...and I was no longer sure if it actually was a misunderstanding. I was definitely attracted to him, he definitely turned me on, and I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Yet...I kept telling myself...I am not gay; I am married. I have two children. I would never cheat on Laura.
Yet, it no longer seemed black and white. Straight and gay were suddenly blurred lines and not the distinct definitions I had always perceived them to be.
I paid for both our meals and drinks, and continued to ponder my current situation. It would be rude to just leave him in the washroom, yet I didn't want him to think I was interested. I wasn't...was I? My cock was even harder now, it seemed, yet I still didn't see myself getting involved in a gay sex act. I decided to just go and clarify my position so as not to offend him.
I headed to the bathroom, adjusting my stiff cock again. There were a couple of guys in the washroom washing up and another at the urinals. I realized then that I would have to go into a confined stall with him to explain, yet even though I knew it was wrong, I took a deep breath and entered the second to the last stall.
"Close the door, Chris," he instructed.
I did, but whispered, "Gary, I think there has been a misunderstanding."
"I don't think so, Chris," he said, with the same confidence I have often used in sales presentations when I we knew we were going to get the deal.
"I'm not gay," I said.
"I'm not either," he said, "but I know when a straight guy is dying to cross the line and submit to his inner curiosity to suck cock, and you Chris, are the 'straight but curious' prototype."
"I don't think so," I replied, although after the past hour I wasn't all that sure anymore.
"You are in a marriage of convenience, you are right around your middle age crisis and even though you knew it was wrong, even though you knew what I was expecting when I ordered you here, you came," he continued.
My resolve weakening, I tried to explain my position, "I just came to tell you I can't do this."
"On your knees, Chris," he demanded, ignoring my refusal.
"I can't," I weakly said, his eyes still drawing me in undeniably.
"Tell you what. Get on your knees and pull out my cock. If after one minute it is not in your mouth, I will return your ring and leave you alone," he said.
The ring, shit, I had forgotten about that. "That's all I have to do?" I asked.
"That's it," he shrugged, "resist my cock for one minute."
"Okay," I said, slowly dropping to my knees, a compromise that somehow seemed fair.
"Go ahead, unbuckle my belt," he instructed.
My hands were trembling as I struggled to complete the simple task of undoing a belt. His belt finally unfastened, he said, "now unzip my pants, Chris."
I again obeyed, my head spinning with just how surreal this situation was.
"Zipper," he continued.
Hands still trembling, I pulled down his zipper.
"Pull it out," he ordered.
Tentatively, I did. It wasn't even completely hard, but it was at least seven inches long and growing. I stared at it. My cock twitched in my pants. My mouth watered against my will.
Gary said, "Stroke it."
That wasn't part of the deal, but feeling his cock in my hand felt strangely natural; stroking it just seemed to be the next step. I slowly stroked it as it continued to grow right in front of my eyes.
"Go ahead, Chris, get it nice and hard," he instructed.
I was mesmerized by his cock. Like his eyes, it was drawing me in to a part of myself that I didn't even know existed. I loved the feeling of his cock in my hand and the thought of it in my mouth would not leave my mind. I slowly stroked his cock until it was completely erect and ten inches long, twice the length of mine.
"Impressive isn't it?" He asked smugly.
In a daze of admiration, I said, "It's huge."
"I know. That's why all the ladies, and all the cocksuckers love it," he said.
His declaration clarified that first off that he was not gay, but bisexual, much to my relief. But his view of me as a cocksucker disturbed me.
The term 'cocksucker' was degrading, and yet, as I stared at his massive tool, in utter awe of its majestic beauty, slowly stroking it with my hand, I couldn't pull myself away like I should have.
"Go ahead, Chris, take it in your mouth," he said, his hands going to my head.
My mind screamed 'No!' Yet my body ignored logic, morals and consequences as I felt the magnetic pull, and I leaned forward, opening my mouth.
As his cock slid between my lips, he purred, "There you go, Chris. Now be a good cocksucker and worship my cock like it deserves to be worshipped."
I have no idea what I expected it to feel like, having never fantasized about it until it happened, but it seemed strangely natural. I sucked just on his mushroom head at first, getting used to having a cock in my mouth. My cock head was super sensitive, so I swirled my tongue around his, trying to replicate the way I liked to be sucked.
Gary said, "That's it cocksucker, get used to having a cock in your mouth."
I noticed he said 'a cock' and not 'his cock', but prayed it was just semantics.
As I slowly tried to take a little more of his cock in my mouth, my brain shut off and I concentrated on just pleasuring his tool. I wanted to hear him moan; I wanted to take as much of his cock in my mouth as I could; I wanted to taste his cum.
A couple of minutes later, as I slowly bobbed back and forth on a third of his cock, I heard over the intercom, "Boarding for flight 647 to San Francisco."
"Isn't that your flight?" He asked.
His big cock in my mouth was more important than making my flight as I continued bobbing on his cock hungrily.
"Do you want my cum, cocksucker?" He asked, even though his tone implied he already knew he answer.
Taking his cock out of my mouth, I answered, "Yes."
"Yes, sir," he corrected me.
"Yes, sir, I want your cum," I repeated, calling someone half my age 'sir'.
"But you're married," he said, tapping my lips with his cock.
Although I loved my wife, I surprisingly felt no guilt, as all I wanted was to please him. "And I'm your cocksucker," I said, taking his cock back in my mouth.
Pulling back out, he said, "You understand I plan to use your mouth whenever I want."
"Yes, sir," I said, the thought both undeniably exciting and yet just as undeniably frightening. My whole marriage could fall apart, my children could find out and my career could be ruined, but at this moment, this cock, this big juicy cock, was all I cared about.
"Open up, cocksucker," he ordered, shoving his cock in my mouth and began pumping his cock, "I expect you to eventually be able to take all ten inches of me in that mouth of yours."
I moaned in response, the thought of taking all his cock both a turn-on and yet seemingly impossible. He only pumped half his cock in my mouth for a couple of minutes before pulling out and instantly shooting his sticky white seed all over my stunned face.
I was expecting to swallow his load and not get a facial. My mouth wide open, a few drops of his cum landed in my mouth and on my lips. I swallowed them, getting just a small sample of his taste and instantly wanting more. His cum on my face felt sticky and heavy, as if I had a coat of paint on me.
Once spent, he shoved his cock back into my mouth and said, "I could tell the minute we started talking you were a cocksucker."
I couldn't fathom how that was true, since I had never considered it before this day, yet somehow he was right. I had become his cocksucker.
Pulling out he said, "Give me your phone."
"Yes, sir," I agreed, pulling it out of my suit pocket and handing it to him.
He typed something into my phone and handed it back to me. "First, you will not wash my cum off your face until you get to your hotel room, is that clear?"
"What? But I...." I began to protest, but was shut down.
"Shut up, cocksucker," he said raising his voice loud enough to let anyone in the bathroom know exactly what was happening in this tiny stall. "Second, you will get a stewardess to take a picture of you once you hit the ground in San Francisco, and text it to me to prove you have obeyed. Is that clear?"
"Y-y-yes," I stammered, stunned by his expectations.
Pulling his phone out he ordered, "Smile, cocksucker."
"Please no," I said, not wanting photo evidence of my submission.
"I wasn't asking your opinion, cocksucker," he said, raising his voice again, clearly showing no patience for disobedience.
"Sorry," I whispered, mortified that we might be heard by other travellers.
He snapped a couple pictures and continued his expectations for me tonight, "You will then take another one, a selfie this time, in your hotel room, is that clear?"
"Yes," I nodded, unable to believe what was happening.
"Second call for passengers with tickets to flight 647 to San Francisco," a woman said on the intercom.
"May I have my ring back?" I asked, looking at my watch.
"When you complete all your tasks," he said.
"How many?" I asked, petrified at the power this beautiful young man had over me as I looked up into his blue eyes and back to his still erect cock.
"Seven," he revealed, before adding, "unless you disobey and I have to add more punishments."
"I-I-I'll obey," I stammered, his ominous tone scaring me.
"I'll text you your first task tonight," he said, putting his cock away.
I felt a rush of disappointment as his cock disappeared from my view.
He laughed, "You look like a child who just had their teddy bear taken away." I felt a rush of humiliation at both his assessment and the fact that he was right. My face burned with shame as he asked, "Do you want to kiss it goodbye?"
The question was humiliating, ironic since I already sucked his cock in an airport bathroom stall with people in it and was wearing his cum on my face, but once the question was asked, it was all I wanted to do.
"Yes, sir, may I please kiss it goodbye?"
"Tell me what you are first and say it loud and proud," he ordered.
I could hear people in the washroom, knew that some had to know what had transpired and I knew I would eventually have to leave this stall. Yet, I said, in a loud clear voice, "I am your cocksucker, sir."
"My cum bucket?" He continued.
"Yes, sir, your obedient cum bucket," I repeated, shame and excitement bouncing inside me, battling for control.
"And what about your wife?" He asked.
"I'm yours first, sir," I said, without hesitation, wondering if I had to choose between my almost sexless marriage with a woman I still loved, or serving this gorgeous stranger and his beautiful cock who I would choose.
"So if you are in bed with your wife and I call," he started.
"I will lie to her and come serve you," I said, finishing his sentence.
He pulled his cock back out and said, "Tell it how much you love it."
So drawn into the submission, so in lust with his cock, I said, like a complete queer, "Oh I love you, cock." I kissed the head, before adding, "I'm going to miss you while I'm gone." I kissed the shaft and finished, "And I can't wait to see you again, my love."
"Passenger Chris Wellington, for flight 647 to San Francisco, please report to gate 67 immediately," the female voice announced.
"You better go cocksucker," He said, again putting his cock away.
"Yes, sir," I said, getting off my sore knees.
"And when you get there I want you to turn on your phone recorder and tape yourself telling her why you are late. That will be task one," he instructed.
"Oh God," I gasped, the task mortifying.
"You already have cum all over your face and hair, cocksucker, it won't be much of a mystery," he said.
"Okay, sir," I nodded, defeated, humiliated, late and unable to say no to this stranger.
"Go, cocksucker," he said.
"Yes, sir," I said, opening the door to see a dozen people staring at me.
I lowered my head and quickly scurried out of there, so humiliated I thought I might die. What if I knew one of those people?
I made it to the gate, my phone already on to record my next public humiliation, where a very pretty women my age looked at me smiling and I watched her smile fade as I said, "Sorry, ma'am, I am Chris Wellington, I was just getting a goodbye gift from my master." As soon as I said the word master I gasped to myself.
She said in disdain, "I think you forgot to clean up your goodbye gift, sir."
"Oh no ma'am, my gift goes with me as a reminder of his beautiful penis," I said, trying to be politically correct.
"Ticket," she said, so repulsed by my words and face that I felt yet another rush of shame coursing through me.
"Bye cocksucker," I heard Gary say from behind me.
"Want to say bye to your Master?" She asked, condescendingly.


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Is U.S. Economic Growth in the Hands of Women? The Kauffman Foundation Thinks So/
The Kauffman Foundation, which specializes in supporting entrepreneurs, has taken a keen interest in women in its latest research. Its recently published study, "Sources of Economic Hope: Women's Entrepreneurship," asserts that "American entrepreneurship and growth is in the hands of women. We need to figure out what will help the country take advantage of this opportunity."
That's a striking proposition, albeit an increasingly familiar point coming from funders. Before drilling deeper, though, let's talk a little about what the Kauffman Foundation is funding these days, and how its research on women fits into its broader strategy.
Lots of funders talk about jobs and opportunity. What makes Kauffman special is that it fosters entrepreneurship and the creation of new businesses—which, of course, is how many new jobs get created in this country. You don't need to buy into the glorification of "job creators" to see how important Kauffman's approach is, or how different from the more typical funding strategy of boosting education and skills on the dubious assumption that enough jobs will exist for all these people or that better human capital itself can drive growth.
Kauffman's grants over the last six months have mostly ranged from $5,000 to $200,000, with two big exceptions: $3.2 million for the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, for multiple projects including conferences and a Boot Camp for entrepreneurs; and $3.5 million for the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation & Affiliated Trusts to provide scholarships. You can see the full list here.
Its myriad smaller grants support entrepreneurship in higher education, general operating support for arts organizations, as well as research on economic issues and entrepreneurship. It seems to favor community colleges in its higher ed giving, which makes sense given the crucial role these schools play in ensuring that growing local businesses can find the skilled workers they need.
Kauffman is also funding a lot of research into "high-growth firms" in the U.S., trying to learn what kinds of businesses that do well in today's economy and why. While a higher proportion of its giving appears to go to Kansas and other mid-western states, it's also recently given to programs in Texas, Virginia, and Massachusetts.
Kauffman, like many foundations of the mid-20th century, was founded by a ROWG (in texting slang, that's Rich Old White Guy). Ewing Marion Kauffman was a small pharmaceuticals manufacturer who hit the big time. He started developing his Marion Laboratories in his basement, and went on to grow his initial $5,000 investment into a merger with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals in 1989, with estimated revenues of $930 million.
No wonder the guy became such a big booster of the American dream.
Kauffman is perhaps most famously known for establishing the Kansas City Royals and bringing baseball back to the Midwest. Kauffman Stadium, the only American League baseball stadium named in honor of a person, was regarded as well ahead of its time when it opened in 1973. One other compelling factoid on Kauffman: He is a case study for early reading portending well for later success, since at age 11 he was bedridden with a heart condition and read 40 books a month for a year.
He established the Kauffman Foundation in the mid-1960s, out of a strong desire to help young, disadvantaged kids. Kauffman loved innovation, and he wanted his foundation to foster that love in others, and to spread their good ideas to other communities. He was an early dealmaker with high school students when, in 1988, he told some Kansas students that if they would stay in school, stay off drugs, and avoid teenage parenthood, he would pay for them to go to college. While similar programs rose up around the same time in different parts of the country, Kauffman wanted his program to be a philanthropic model of risk taking and community engagement to foster change.
And grants specifically supporting women in entrepreneurship? The Kauffman Foundation has been supporting women in business for at least a decade, with larger grants for women and entrepreneurship since 2010, when it began supporting Astia, a global nonprofit that advances women's entrepreneurship.
Astia is right on target with Kauffman's mission to support women entrepreneurs. Astia's goal is to "propel women's full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth business, fueling innovation and driving economic growth." Along with providing early professional development for women's businesses, Astia helps women access capital so they can grow their businesses, since research like Kauffman's recent study shows that many women lack access to the dough that men have.
The larger context of Kauffman's recent work, obviously, is that the past decade has seen a stampede of funders zeroing in on women's empowerment as a key to economic development, especially in poor countries. Most notably, the microfinance movement has had a strong gender lens.
Curiously, a search of recent grants by Kauffman does not turn up any grants in 2014 specifically for women. So perhaps with its most recent study, it's trying to figure out its next move.

subset: commoncrawl


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The film's working title was A Night At Tony Pastor's. Antonio Pastor was born in 1837 and, as a child, made his first theatrical appearance with impressario P. T. Barnum. Displeased with the vulgarity of variety theater, Pastor opened his own theater, which he named Tony Pastor's Opera House, and banned drinking and smoking. He always appeared in his own shows as a singer of popular ballads. In 1881, he presented the first performance of what later became known as vaudeville at the Fourteenth Street Theater and operated it for twenty-seven years. Stars such as Weber and Fields and Lillian Russell appeared at the theater. Pastor died in 1908. A November 17, 1942 Hollywood Reporter news item notes that the film was to have starred George Raft.


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Recent consortia of financial institutions utilizing blockchain technology has led to a greater need in educating those who are thinking of implementing blockchain-based solutions and protocols into their industry. The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance just announced speakers for the upcoming Blockchain for Wall Street Education Day where numerous blockchain industry leaders will speak and educate those within the Wall Street and financial industries about the burgeoning tech. Key participants include ConsenSys, (a blockchain production lab), Credit Suisse, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the Hyperledger Project, (part of the Linux Foundation), IBM, Mizuho Securities (a Japanese investment banking firm), Symbiont (a blockchain tech company), and Synechron (an information technology company).
The participants will lead a number of sessions by providing insight, perspective, and education on how to leverage blockchain, distributed open and permissioned ledgers, and the smart contract technology.
Read below for the full press release:
WSBA Announces Program, Speakers and Sponsors Supporting
Debut Blockchain for Wall Street Education Day
November 29 New York City Event to Help Financial Markets Move From
Blockchain Talk to Blockchain Walk
New York, New York (October 31, 2016) – The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA), a non-profit 501 (c) (6) trade association, in partnership with Lighthouse Partners' The Blockchain Conference, has announced key speakers and sponsors supporting its November 29, 2016 Blockchain for Wall Street education day (www.blockchainforwallstreet.com). Participants include ConsenSys, Credit Suisse, DTCC, Hyperledger Project, IBM, Mizuho Securities, Symbiont and Synechron.
A key mission of Blockchain for Wall Street is to support financial markets players as they move beyond "blockchain talk" to engage in "blockchain walk" – the financial markets have witnessed a myriad of blockchain "proof-of-concepts" over the past year or more. The industry is now preparing for a future of production blockchain implementations.
Underpinning the event's mission is an educational program featuring a number of sessions that will provide practical insights and perspectives on how to leverage, select, deploy and manage blockchain, distributed ledger and smart contract technologies. Sessions will focus on:
· Killer Apps for Blockchains – focusing on specific business areas that will benefit from early adoption of distributed ledger technology.
· Making the Right Blockchain Choice for Financial Applications – discussing permissioned vs. permissionless approaches, consensus and governance models and proprietary vs. open source offerings.
· Blockchain Implementation Considerations – covering best practices for blockchain deployment, integration with legacy systems, cloud hosting of blockchains and cyber security issues.
· Deploying Legally Sound, Predictable and Secure Smart Contracts – gives insight on how to ensure that smart contracts reflect legal agreements, are thoroughly tested and monitored, and can access external information sources.
· Defining Standards for Blockchains and Smart Contracts in the Financial Markets – providing an overview on what existing standards have relevance and initiatives to bring them into the blockchain world.
Notes Ron Quaranta, Chairman of the WSBA: "We are excited to debut the Blockchain for Wall Street education day, which is helping to accelerate real-life deployment of distributed ledger and smart contract technology in the financial markets. Our sponsors AlphaPoint, Calypso Technology, Cloudsoft, Polsinelli and Synechron are all contributing by bringing their thought leadership and real-life experiences to the program."
About The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance
The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA) is a 501 (c)(6) non-profit trade association created for financial market professionals, by financial market professionals. Our mission is to guide and promote comprehensive adoption of distributed ledger technology across financial markets. It does this by engaging with industry leaders, policymakers and technology innovators through direct communication, comment letters, best practice recommendations and more to guide the industry dialogue about this important technological innovation, so that the financial markets can realize the full potential of these capabilities.
For information about the WSBA, including membership, visit www.wsba.co or email to email@example.com.
Lighthouse Partners' The Blockchain Conference
Lighthouse Partners created The Blockchain Conference series as a practical way to support the acceleration of blockchain, distributed ledger and smart contract technology in the real business world, through the articulation of vision, education and market engagement. Further events are planned for 2017.
About Lighthouse Partners, Inc.
Lighthouse Partners, Inc. is a business and technology consulting firm providing business acceleration services related to transformative enterprise technologies with specific focuses on go-to-market and growth strategies involving partnerships, thought leadership creation and events. Lighthouse Partners, Inc. works directly with global IT innovators to analyze business opportunities and create launch and business growth plans for a range of technologies, including blockchain, distributed ledgers, API management, in-memory big data analytics, compute acceleration, low-latency middleware and high performance cloud.
Founder Pete Harris applies his 40 years of business and technology experience and extensive knowledge of enterprise technologies through Lighthouse Partners, Inc. to help accelerate market development with education, market intelligence, POV, product positioning and customer engagement programs. Pete Harris is also an industry analyst, author, community organizer and conference producer, and has curated and edited online resources covering block chain deployment across a number of vertical markets.
More information can be found at www.lighthouse-partners.com.


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Catamount Community Radio - February 16, 2014
The snow is melting; only in the shady areas is there still snow. I've been back on the bike. In fact yesterday, as I was approaching 107, a grey fox darted across the road in front of me.
For some reason, I'm not much one for movies. But I did watch one the other day: Woody Allen's latest, Blue Jasmine. I wanted to like it, but I have to confess that it left me rather indifferent. I still think of Woody Allen movies as featuring Woody Allen as an actor, with that sort of neurotic humor. Woody didn't act in this movie, and it didn't provoke a single laugh, in spite of the fact that Louis C.K. and Andrew Dice Clay acted in it. I can't deny that Kate Blanchett was very good in her role as a women who went from privilege and wealth to muttering to herself in the street. But I couldn't escape the feeling that I would rather be doing something else than sitting there watching it.
I had a similar feeling at the play the other night. We saw a production of Ibsen's The Doll House, which was fast-forwarded into the fifties or sixties. If you're tall, like I am, and have crossed the ocean in an airplane, you know the claustrophobic feeling of not having room for your legs and just wanting to be somewhere else besides in your seat. Well, that's how I felt at the theater. What's more, I had some digestive essences inside of me that were longing for their freedom, but social convention dictated that I keep them imprisoned. Two seats to my left, the mother-in-law kept muttering in Nepalese about the guy sitting in front of her with the big head.
Am I becoming a philistine? I wouldn't doubt it.


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Coltin and Emily
Here is my latest photo session. I was lucky enough to stage our setting and be the photographer for this session and I think it turned out amazing! This was one of THE cutest couples to photograph! And I love that the groom-to-be proposed not far from our photoshoot location.… continue reading
My little brother Justin will be getting married Friday! Since the wedding is now here I thought it would be appropriate if I posted about their engagements. I took their engagements and of course used thrifted props. Since they are getting married on Friday the 13th they wanted to do… continue reading


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Please read description carefully.
Do not base your order on the picture presented.
Description of the Lumex Deluxe Hand Held Shower Head, Brushed Nickel Finish
Improved! 6 spray options provides ease of bathing pets, children, and persons with special needs
Saturating, Saturating & Bubbling, Bubbling, Massage, Saturating & Massage, and Pause Spray function
New! Pause Spray function
Matching extra-long 84" reinforced hose provides extra convenience
Stainless steel hose
Attractive retail packaging
3 year Limited Warranty
New! 3-Way Diverter Valve:
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Simple Controls:
Easily change your spray settings with your fingertips even with wet soapy hands
Easy Installation:
Shower head can be installed in minutes on any standard shower arm
Medex SKU: GRF-12042


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Mathewson III, R. Duncan
Library of Congress: 85-30978
Category: Sunken Treasure
Keywords: Atocha, Mel Fisher, 1622 Fleet
Comments: Includes a bibliography; illustrated
Size: 6.25″ x 9.25″
Pages: 160 + 32 pages of photos
Editions: The first edition (stated) was published by Pisces Books/E.P. Dutton, New York City (1986), in hardback with a dust jacket. The book was also published in hardback with a black dust jacket (gold coins on the front) by Pisces Books, New York City, in conjunction with the Seafarers Heritage Library (1986). A second printing (stated) of this edition was published in 1987. There was also a "Special 1988 FUN Show Commemorative Edition" of the second printing, which is noted with book plate that is attached to the page across from the title page. A UK edition (First Published in Great Britain – stated) was published by Sidgwick & Jackson Limited, London (1986), in hardback with a black dust jacket. The book was reprinted in 1998 by Pisces Books/E.P. Dutton, New York City, but retains the 1986 copyright date (there is no "first edition" stated and the book is significantly thinner than the first edition). A Canadian edition (First Edition – stated) was published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd., Toronto (1986), in hardback with a dust jacket.
Description: This book tells the story of the finding and salvage of the "Atocha", which sank off Key West, Florida in 1622, from the archaeologist's perspective. The author was the lead archaeologist who worked on the "Atocha" salvage. One of the "Top 75 Books".


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From: Edgar M. Krentz (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Date: Tue Feb 18 1997 - 17:19:57 EST
Randy Leedy wrote in response to Carl:
>Now we're back to the assumptions again: we cannot approach the
>Scripture without them. Either we assume that the Bible is free of
>error or we assume that it is not. Since it clearly claims the
>former, fairness would seem to demand that we start with that
>assumption and continue to operate with it until it fails to answer
>to the whole body of evidence as well as the errantist assumption
>does. Based on clear teaching of Scripture, I can confidently
>maintain that those who start with the assumption of Scripture's
>inerrancy, coupled with the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of
>wisdom, will encounter no reason to abandon it but will rather find
>it constantly confirmed in ways that overwhelm any minor points
>tending to discredit it. God has seen fit to give people enough rope
>to hang themselves if that is what they insist on doing. (Apologies
>to the strong Calvinists.)
>Of course I don't expect everyone to agree, as much as I wish
>otherwise. And I trust that those who will allow Carl the liberty to
>disparage the Scripture (by contradicting its claims) while
>unnecessarily dragging the issue of inerrancy into a discussion of
>writing style will also allow me the liberty to defend the Scripture
>in the process of trying to pull the two issues apart again.
>With due respect and regard to all,
I am respopnding to this off-the b-greek discussion group because I do not
think it belongs there. I appreciate the friendly tone of both of you--and
hope mine is equally pacific.
I agree with Randy that we come to the Bible with assumptions. I come with
the assumption that the Bible "neither goes astray or leads astray," but
not that it is inerrant. It does not, IMHO, clearly claim inerrancy. I was
raised in a church that taught a form of inerrancy, but the more I read the
Scriptures, the more I found the claim impossible to maintain in matters of
history, geography, science, medicine, and the like. Certainly the N T does
not cite the OT accurately in many places. Compare Eph 4:8 and Ps 68:19 for
one example.
That does not mean that one makes fun of the Bible, regards it as a poor
guide, etc. I do find that my appreciation of what the wrtiers of the NT
did in their world goes up as I anchor them more firmly there.
I don't erpect you two to agree with me. In the sense described above I can
speak of the Scriptures doing what God wants them to do, saying what he
wants them to say, descrbe them as infallible in their proclamation of law
and gospel, as the pure and true fountain of Israel--and recognize errors
in them.
I do not write this to put anyone else's opinion down. I do write it to say
that one can value the Bible as Word of God, revelation, without holding
Edgar Krentz, New Testament
firstname.lastname@example.com OR HOME: firstname.lastname@example.com
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 East 55th Street
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:38:06 EDT


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By Uttara Choudhury
A group of South Asian bankers in spiffy dark suits working next door at Goldman Sachs had slipped into FinancierPatisserie in New York's glass-enclosed World Financial Center for coffee. Suddenly news broke that Galleon founder Raj Rajaratnam had been convicted of insider trading and prying illegal information from a cluster of Indian tipsters. Will the guilty verdict tarnish the growing number of South Asians working on Wall Street?
"It's a big embarrassment," muttered the Indian banker at the World Financial Center before dashing back to the tall, fortress-like Goldman Sachs headquarters on Vesey Street.
Others feel the only "cultural significance" of the largest insider trading case involving hedge funds is as a signal that South Asians have risen high enough in finance to be entangled in a multimillion-dollar fiasco.
"Call it the law of large numbers or probability. When there are so many South Asians on Wall Street some will inevitably get enmeshed in these incidents. There is embarrassment involved but why should every South Asian feel defensive?" Arvind Panagariya, professor of economics at Columbia University and author of the bestselling book, India: the Emerging Giant told Firstpost.
During Wall Street's halcyon days, the second annual "Asians in Wall Street" networking event hosted by Merrill Lynch saw hundreds of Indians fill a 500-seat auditorium. The organiers had to turn away 700 bankers at the door because the venue was filled to bursting. Next year, they wisely pulled rank and invited only middle-level and senior bankers. According to the industry, there are more Indians and Chinese in bulge bracket investment banks like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse than any other minority community.
Undoubtedly, the insider trading scandal has shocked all the Indian American overachievers. "It's an uncomfortable moment. Suddenly we are not just perceived as conformist, law-abiding people brilliant at math, science, computers and medicine. I think there will be this cloud hanging over the South Asian community," said financial analyst Kaliyur Venkat.
"Indian rock stars in the corporate world like Rajat Gupta are teetering. He could get a clean chit in the civil suit but it is a damaging moment," added Venkat.
From US attorney Preet Bharara who brought the insider trading case,to the accused, to a galaxy of star witnesses, there are South Asian fingerprints all over the sordid Rajaratnam saga. It has diminished the reputation of former McKinsey global head Rajat Gupta who retired in 2007 after becoming the first Indian-born CEO of a big transnational company. After his 34 years at McKinsey, Gupta won a seat on Goldman Sachs.
But prosecutors sought to maximise the impact of the Gupta tape by calling Goldman Sach's chairman Lloyd Blankfein to testify that Gupta's gossipy, buddy-buddy phone call to Rajaratnam violated the investment bank's confidentiality policies. In a July 2008 call, Gupta dishes the dirt on confidential board-privileged M&A discussions regarding Goldman's interest in acquiring Wachovia or AIG.
Anil Kumar, another former McKinsey consultant who has been a trial witness for the government, has testified that he violated client confidentiality. He leaked secrets about chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices.
Eyebrows are now being raised about the "ethnic clubbiness" of desis on Wall Street but that is a tad unfair as Wall Street is rife with countless cliques that trade tips. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Rajaratnam's personal network embraced other South Asians like Kumar he had studied with in the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton B-school in the early 1980s.
"Hedge funds strive very hard to get an informational edge but Raj obviously crossed the line. I don't think you can paint all South Asians as unethical. This incident has more to do with the hedge fund industry and the pressures to get an edge in the business. I don't think it has anything to do with whether you come from the East, West or the middle," Amit Bhatiani, a partner at private equity firm CX Partners, told Firstpost.
"Yes, Raj's personal network was South Asian so a lot of his friends are caught up in the scandal, but it still doesn't mean all South Asians are in the dock. It has put the hedge fund industry on the backfoot rather than South Asians. The hedge fund industry has to be more cautious about how it gets information."
Your guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.
Updated Date: Dec 20, 2014 03:45:54 IST


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Introducing Megadungeon #1
.pdf is 5.99$, print version coming very soon* at 9.99$.
It's awesome.
What is it? It's a magazine about Megadungeons. It details the famous OSR megadungeon Numenhalla, but material is usable in any campaign. It is dual-stated for B/X and 5e.
|I drew all the maps
*Very soon for values of I've had trouble with RPGnow's POD before. It's processing now. Assuming it's a success, it'll take 7-10 days for the proof to arrive. So if there are no problems, expect POD on the 18th (and knowing how things work, that's really probably after the start of the year.)
Hopefully #2 will be much faster. :-)
If you're a Patreon you should know you've already received your free .pdf this weekend!


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Even though the summer is over (and it flew by so fast!), that's no reason to neglect taking care of your feet. You might not be showing them off in sandals or flip flops for a few months, but I think we can all agree there's nothing worse than rough skin rubbing against your tights and socks. Also ugly feet are definite romance killers, if you know what I mean!
That said, it is, of course, easiest to go to the nearest salon and get a pedicure. However, if money is tight or you just don't feel like going out, let me tell you a little secret: you can do it yourself, for a few pennies and with just a wee bit of work.
The first thing you want to do is to make your very own, luscious scrub. It is easier than frying an egg or making lemonade! Just take a small bowl and mix together 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar (or regular if that's all you have) and 1 tablespoon of oil (if you want it extra luscious, use olive oil).
When done, take a good book, get a washbowl and fill it with warm soapy water and dunk your feet in. Enjoy this for 15 to 20 minutes, then wipe your feet with a towel and apply the home made scrub generously. Massage your feet in small circular motions for a few minutes. Rinse well, apply lotion and voila – lovely, soft feet!
This scrub can be used on elbows and knees too, but too harsh for face and softer body skin. Hope you enjoy!


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1. Majuli island recently became the first river island district of India. The island is situated on which of the following rivers ?
(a) Ganges
(b) Yamuna
(c) Saraswati
(d) Brahmaputra
2. Om Prakash Kohli, who recently sworn in as the governor of Madhya Pradesh as addition charge, is the present governor of :
(a) Goa
(b) Assam
(c) Gujarat
(d) Nagaland
3. The 2016 Summer Paralympic Games began on 7 September in which of the following cities ?
(a) Tokyo, Japan
(b) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(c) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(d) Los Angeles, United States
4. What is the capital of Laos ?
(a) Paris
(b) Vietnam
(c) Philippine
(d) Cambodia
5. India recently received certificates from World Health Organisation recognising India free from Yaws. Yaws is caused by :
(a) Virus
(b) Algae
(c) Bacteria
(d) Protozoa
General Knowledge Books
Products from Amazon.in
General Knowledge Books
Be a Part of the New & Next
Share the Knowledge


text:
Your version of Microsoft Internet Explorer is not supported for secure online transactions. Would you like to update your IE browser?
Clicking on the following links will update content below
Omni Hotels offers guests online check-in. Save time at the front desk and check-in online 48 hours prior to arrival and we will have your room ready when you arrive.
Simply pull up your reservation online up to 6 p.m. hotel time and confirm your billing details and you will be set!
View reservations in your Select Guest Account
You can retrieve your Omni Hotels reservation information by entering the last name on the reservation and your confirmation number.
Member Number:
Nights to Next Level:
Free Nights:
The Omni Kids Crew program at Omni Puerto Aventuras caters to our youngest guests. Upon check-in, kids receive a backpack filled with fun items designed specifically for them. Kids also receive milk and cookies delivered to their guest room on the first night. Our Omni Kids Crew coloring menu is also available at our restaurants, with crayons and an Omni Kids Crew cup.
Enjoy views of the sparkling Caribbean as you relax poolside.
Enjoy complimentary perks as a member of the Select Guest® Loyalty Program.
Soak up some sun on our beach or explore the coral reefs on a snorkeling excursion.


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Wednesday, January 20
'Shine on...
high cotton is so excited to be participating in a wedding event at swoozie's tonight. we wanted to make something a little different and fun (and southern, of course) for the participating brides and stumbled across this little gem of a recipe:
moonshine jelly:
3 cups of white wine
5 1/4 cups sugar
1 package of pectin {sure-jell, etc.}
1/2 tsp margarine {to reduce foaming}
Put ingredients in big pot. Bring to a full rolling boil and stir until the liquid {i love this} "clabbers off" a spoon. Clabbering is when you let the mixture fall off the long edge of a tablespoon. It should sheet off in waves instead of just dripping- that's clabbering. Skim off any foam from the pot. If you leave the foam in there its going to look nasty. So don't skimp on the skimming.
Pour into half pint jars and set on the counter or process in a water bath {boil water in a pot and put the jars in for approximately 5-10 minutes}.
Let me say a word about the white wine...if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. You'll have a little wine left, so why don't you pour yourself a glass. Enjoy!
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Gay Symbols
This page is here to introduce you to some gay symbols.
There is so much to learn when you first find out someone you love or care about is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Once you become more affiliated within the gay community and culture you will come across these symbols regularly.
I remember when I first saw one, I didn't know what it was or what it represented. But later as I became aware of them I realised they were not only used for gay pride but were very helpful to me and both my sons for a number of reasons.
Firstly, I personally like to wear gay symbol badges or have gay symbol stickers on my car so as to have people ask the question "what does it stand for?"
I find this a great way to open up the conversation on gay issues. The more people willing to discuss these issues in a confident and relaxed way, the more we can educated society correctly. Making the world a more accepting and better place for our gay children or loved ones.
The other way that these symbols have helped us is by being visible on the doors and windows of shops, restaurants, health related services, etc. For most of the public they are unaware of what they stand for but for us it lets us know it is a 'gay friendly' place, without actually saying "gay friendly" on the door.
There are a few different gay symbols being used today although I will only be sharing with you the two most popular, being the rainbow flag and the pink triangle.
The rainbow flag has become the easily-recognised colors of pride for the gay community. The rainbow also plays a part in many myths and stories related to gender and sexuality issues in Greek, Native American, African and other cultures.
Use of the rainbow flag by the gay community began in 1978 when it first appeared in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedon Day Parade. Borrowing symbolism from the hippie movement and black civil rights groups, San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in response to a need for a symbol that could be used year after year.
Baker and thirty volunteers hand-stitched and hand-dyed two huge prototype flags for the parade. The flags had eight stripes, each color representing a component of the community: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit.
The next year Baker approached San Francisco Paramount Flag Company to mass produce rainbow flags for the 1979 parade. Due to production constraints, such as the fact that hot pink was not a commercially available color, pink and turquoise were removed from the design and royal blue replaced indigo.
The six color version spread from San Francisco to other cities and countries and soon became the internationally known symbol of gay pride and diversity it is today. It is even officially recognised by the International Congress of Flag Makers.
In 1994, a huge 30 foot wide by one mile long rainbow flag was carried by 10,000 people in New York's Stonewall 25 Parade.
The rainbow flag has inspired a wide variety of related symbols, such as freedom rings and other accessories. There are plenty of variations of the flag.
The pink triangle is easily one of the more popular and widely recognised symbols for the gay community. The pink triangle is rooted in World War II times and reminds us of the tragedies of that era.
Although homosexuals were only one of the many groups targeted for extermination by the Nazi regime, it is unfortunately the group that history often excludes.
The pink triangle challenges that notion and defies anyone to deny history.
The history of the pink triangle begins before WW II, during Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Paragraph 175, a clause in German law prohibiting homosexual relations was revised by Hitler in 1935 to include kissing, embracing and gay fantasies as well as sexual acts.
Convicted offenders, an estimated 25,000 just fom 1937 to 1939 were sent to prison and then later to consentration camps.
Their sentence was to be sterilised and this was most often accomplished by castration. In 1942 Hitler's punishment for homosexuality was extended to death.
Each prisoner in the concentration camps wore a colored inverted triangle to designate their reason for incarceration and hence the designation also served to form a sort of social heirarchy among the prisoners.
A green triangle marked its wearer as a regular criminal; a red triangle denoted a political prisoner. Two yellow triangles overlapping to form the Star of David designated a Jewish prisoner. The pink triangle was for homosexuals. A yellow Star of David under a superimposed pink triangle marked the lowest of all prisoners– a gay Jew.
In the 1970's, gay liberation groups resurrected the pink triangle as a popular symbol for the gay rights movement.
In the 1980's, ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) began using the pink triangle for their cause.
They inverted the symbol, making it point up, to signify an active fight back rather than a passive resignation to fate.
Today, for many the pink triangle represents pride, solidarity and a promise to never allow another Holocaust to happen again.


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What to do? One solution is to deny the need for broader solutions or for any kind of sisterly help. It's every woman for herself, and may the best one win. I don't, I think, have, sort of, the militant drive and, sort of, the chip on the shoulder that sometimes comes with that, said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer in an interview with PBS, in which she declined to label herself a feminist. I think it's too bad, but I do think that feminism has become in many ways a more negative word. (I went to Stanford, worked at Google, got pregnant, and still became the chief executive of a Fortune 500 company, she seemed to say. If you're smart enough, so can you.) But others, as you may have read, believe it's time for women to resume the good fight. In her much-discussed Atlantic piece, Anne-Marie Slaughter, by profession a policy wonk (now at Princeton, formerly at the State Department), calls for better workplace programs: more parental leave, more part-time and flextime options. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, in her new book, Lean In, acknowledges the need for better policies, but argues that the new revolution needs to start with women themselves, that what's needed to equalize U.S. workplaces is a generation of women tougher, stronger, wilier, more honest about their ambition, more strategic, and more determined to win than American women currently are.
But what if all the fighting is just too much? That is, what if a woman isn't earning Facebook money but the salary of a social worker? Or what if her husband works 80 hours a week, and her kid is acting out at school, and she's sick of the perpetual disarray in the closets and the endless battles over who's going to buy the milk and oversee the homework? Maybe most important, what if a woman doesn't have Sandberg-Slaughter-Mayer-level ambition but a more modest amount that neither drives nor defines her?
Reading The Feminine Mystique now, one is struck by the white-hot flame of Betty Friedan's professional hunger, which made her into a prophet and a pioneer. But it blinded her as well: She presumed that all her suburban-housewife sisters felt as imprisoned as she did and that the gratification she found in her work was attainable for all. That was never true, of course; the revolution that Friedan helped to spark both liberated women and allowed countless numbers of them to experience financial pressure and the profound dissatisfactions of the workaday grind. More women than ever earn some or all of the money their family lives on. But today, in the tumultuous 21st-century economy, depending on a career as a path to self-actualization can seem like a sucker's bet.
Meanwhile, what was once feminist blasphemy is now conventional wisdom: Generally speaking, mothers instinctively want to devote themselves to home more than fathers do. (Even Sandberg admits it. Are there characteristics inherent in sex differences that make women more nurturing and men more assertive? she asks. Quite possibly.) If feminism is not only about creating an equitable society but also a means to fulfillment for individual women, and if the rewards of working are insufficient and uncertain, while the tug of motherhood is inexorable, then a new calculus can take hold: For some women, the solution to resolving the long-running tensions between work and life is not more parent-friendly offices or savvier career moves but the full embrace of domesticity. The feminist revolution started in the workplace, and now it's happening at home, says Makino. I feel like in today's society, women who don't work are bucking the convention we were raised with Why can't we just be girls? Why do we have to be boys and girls at the same time? She and the legions like her offer a silent rejoinder to Sandberg's manifesto, raising the possibility that the best way for some mothers (and their loved ones) to have a happy life is to make home their highest achievement.
What these women feel is that the trade-offs now between working and not working are becoming more and more unsustainable, says Stacy Morrison, editor-in-chief of BlogHer, a network of 3,000 blogs for and by women. The conversation we hear over and over again is this: The sense of calm and control that we feel over our lives is so much better than what is currently on offer in our culture.' And they're not wrong. The number of stay-at-home mothers rose incrementally between 2010 and 2011, for the first time since the downturn of 2008. While staying home with children remains largely a privilege of the affluent (the greatest number of America's SAHMs live in families with incomes of $100,000 a year or more), some of the biggest increases have been among younger mothers, ages 25 to 35, and those whose family incomes range from $75,000 to $100,000 a year.


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Jeffrey Lambert: Co-Founder & CEO: Lambert, Edwards & Associates/
My NativeAdVantage:
Jeffrey Lambert is CEO and managing partner of the public relations, investor relations and public affairs firm Lambert, Edwards & Associates. He co-founded the company in his basement in 1998 and has built it into a top-5 Midwest based agency with over 100 clients based in 20 states and six countries. Jeff has led LE&A through a 18-year track record of growth, five acquisitions including John Bailey & Associates in Detroit and Sterling Corporation in Lansing, and two "PR Firm of the Year" honors – PR Week and PR News – culminating in the firm's position as Michigan's leading PR firm and a top-15 investor relations agency nationally. Jeff is a regular author and speaker including addresses at the PR Firm Management Summit in New York, the Michigan PR Society's annual conference, the Brandt and Zabrusky lectures at Michigan State University, the Michigan Bar Business Law Institute and the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. He was also a winner of the Ernst Entrepreneur of the Year, named among PR Week's "40 Under 40" national leaders, honored as PR Practitioner of the Year by the West Michigan Public Relations Society, and the second winner ever of the Grand Rapids Business Journal's "40 under 40" Distinguished Alumni award.
What do you do best?
Having a dual-mindedness on marketing and creativity viewed through a business lens is a unique attribute of our firm and my personal success.
What makes you the best?
I think my competitiveness is a key asset. I find myself drawn to talent, colleagues and clients who share a drive for success and perpetual growth, and I learn a great deal from them in the process.
What are your aspirations?
My personal goals are to build an organizational platform for people to do great things and to enjoy what I do every day. My long-term goal is to acquire additional businesses, introduce a new product or innovation, and ultimately exit through a sale to my partners, a private equity firm, or a major consulting company versus a traditional advertising or PR firm based on our business focus.
Biggest Success?
My three kids. The sentiment of living vicariously through your children is true, and I take great pride in seeing their successes and helping them overcome their own life lessons.
Most Challenging Moment?
I think the challenge of remaining focused when you have personal issues going on plays a big role and even more, recognizing the impact that it has on others has been a key learning. It created challenges in the business that only I could fix by refocusing, but it wasn't easy.
"Bring it."
Favorite People/Role Models?
My first role model would be my dad who I followed into business and learned, perhaps through genetics, the finance side but also work ethic, which I believe is almost impossible to teach. I got my creative, fun side from my mom. In terms of inspirational influence, I would give credit to a special group, YPO (Young Presidents Organization). The individuals in my region and more focused YPO forum give me perspective and inspire me on how to be a better leader and better person.
Favorite Places/Destinations?
My favorite destination would be the final four basketball game, featuring Michigan State University. My favorite place is my cottage on the beach of Lake Michigan.
Favorite Products/Objects?
I still enjoy a mechanical pencil, a clip board and a hard cover thesaurus. There's something traditional and tactile that I appreciate about each.
Current Passions?
Dr. Seuss – Specifically The Cat in the Hat. In a creative and fun way, he has many ideas that apply to business. His story as an artist, author and single handedly changing the face of childhood literacy is an inspiration.


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Don't Starve: Pocket Edition 9+
Klei Entertainment
- #16 in Adventure
- $4.99
***NOTE: Don't Starve requires iOS 8 and at least an iPhone 5, iPad 3, or iPad mini 2. Due to memory constraints, it will not run on older devices.***
Don't Starve: Pocket Edition, brings the hit PC game enjoyed by over 4 million players to the iPhone and iPad. Now you can experience the uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic on the go!
Play as Wilson, an intrepid Gentleman Scientist who has been trapped and transported to a mysterious wilderness world. Wilson must learn to exploit his environment and its inhabitants if he ever hopes to escape and find his way back home.
Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style. Play your way as you unravel the mysteries of this strange land.
- Independent Games Festival: Grand Prize Nominee
- Independent Games Festival: Excellence in Design Nominee
- Independent Games Festival: Audience Award Nominee
- Capsule Computers: Editor's Choice
- Indie Game Reviewer: Game of the Year
Key Features:
Optimized for Touch: New intuitive touch interface lets you explore, fight, craft and manage inventory with ease.
Uncompromising Survival & World Exploration: No instructions. No help. No hand holding. Start with nothing and craft, hunt, research, farm and fight to survive.
Dark and Whimsical Visuals: 2D characters and odd creatures inhabiting a unique 3D world.
Randomly Generated New Worlds: Want a new map? No problem! At any time you can generate a new living and breathing world that hates you and wants you to die.
What's New
Version 1.36
- The lateral black bars in certain devices were removed.
- The position of the HUD elements that could be covered by the notch or the Home slider has been updated. Now the elements adapt their positions dynamically.
- The resolution has been improved in some devices and now adapts better to the screen.
- Fixed some controller issues where the input didn't swap correctly.
- The hover menu was relocated to avoid being cut off by the screen.
- The chest layout has been relocated. Previously the layout was partially cut off by the screen in some devices.
Ratings and Reviews
Editors' Choice
Just from reading the title, you know your objective. But as you explore amazing paper-cutout landscapes, you'll uncover a weird world dense with secrets and danger. Slick controls make traveling and harvesting food simple, but balancing your hunger and health—and sanity—requires crafting weapons, traps, machines, and more. With tons of mysteries to uncover and challenges to complete, Don't Starve will keep you enthralled.
Plays surprisingly well for mobile
Bug: Full moon only works if you re-enter in the game. I'm playing a perpetual night world where getting s full moon is a saving grace. And if you re-enter in the game to get the full moon effect, it doesn't go away after the full moon has past. So if wear pigs are chasing you, they never change back.
I'm listing all the negatives here but I've played this game for many hours and enjoying it.
Some cons I found:
- Cooking and eating is tedious where it takes 5 actions to cook and eat something. And you must have an empty slot.
- Hard to attack specific targets. I was attacking some hounds when they were attacking lightning goats. The attack button locked on the goat so both agroed on me. I had to book it out of there.
- The build menu is a bit fiddly. Sometimes you can't collapse one section and expand another without exiting first. The game pauses when you open it so it's not a big deal.
- Can't really multi task. While I was using the virtual joy stick, I wasn't able to open the map without stopping first. Not a big deal until you are being chaste by a wear pig and trying to find where the beefalo are on the map. The pig killed me because of it.
Solid game, worth the price
I must say, having played this on console before, I didn't expect this game to port so well! If your a fan of games like terraria and Minecraft but want more of a challenge, then this is a must have.
Something to note, this game is HARD. If you don't prepare for winter ( or sometimes summer) you WILL die. This game is not for casual players and unless and really like a challenge then I recommend at least looking a few things up. My only complaint is that the multiplayer edition isn't here. But don't starve is a massive enough game to not need that for years and years to come. Overall, if you like a good challenge and got the time to spend, try this game
Editors' Choice
Just from reading the title, you know your objective. But as you explore amazing paper-cutout landscapes, you'll uncover a weird world dense with secrets and danger. Slick controls make traveling and harvesting food simple, but balancing your hunger and health—and sanity—requires crafting weapons, traps, machines, and more. With tons of mysteries to uncover and challenges to complete, Don't Starve will keep you enthralled.
- Seller
- Klei Entertainment Inc.
- Size
- Category
- Games
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Languages
- Age Rating
- Rated 9+ for the following:
- Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
- Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
- Copyright
- ©Don't Starve ©Klei Entertainment Inc. 2013
- Price
- $4.99
Family Sharing
With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.


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The Springboks were the only team last year to fail and win both matches against Argentina, but it seems that the weakening of Los Pumas should make the opening match between the two sides a less than even affair. More
For the second straight year, the Rugby Championship kicks off in the four-team format, as Argentina continue to look for their first win in the competition, while South Africa and Australia are hoping that something can be done against the uber-dominating All Blacks, sweeping their way towards the title last year.
In the first half the stormy weather and a surprisingly tenacious and efficient Argentina took the All Blacks by surprise. In the second half the storm settled, and so did the New Zealand players, looking much more accurate and confident on offense, with Cory Jane and Julian Savea making it a third consecutive win in the Rugby Championship, 21-5. More
No more Tri-Nations. From now on, these are the Rugby Championships, the Southern Hemisphere annual rugby union competition, as Argentina make their debut, hoping that the challenge of facing Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on an annual basis proves to be a positive thing instead of just constant losing and a demoralizing experience. More
The All Blacks had a rough first half in their quarter final against Argentina, but Piri Weepu's perfect kicking (7 for 7 penalty kicks) and later on Kieran Read and Brad Thorn's tries gave New Zealand a 33-10 win in the quarter final, setting up a match vs Australia in the Semis. More
Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino scored the only try of the match with Scotland celebrating second earlier after a Dan Parks drop goal. Settling for the 3 points instead of going for the try or eating up the clock eventually doomed the Scottish side, losing 13-12, now in a must win situation before facing England. More


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Energy. So much of life is about energy.........from electricity, fossil fuels, heat, food, hybrid, to vibrations, Qi, exercise, ecstasy, good health, etc. Its one of those things that we use a lot of without really knowing what it is, where it comes from, and what happens to it.
What is energy for you?
How do you engage with "energy"?
When you design for energy, what are key considerations?
I like the approach taken by my Tai Chi teacher in England. As we flow through the movements he questioned us, "what can we do less of?" We would explore how we can use less energy to do the same moves. Similarly in tea ceremony practice, the movements are about beauty and efficiency with as little waste as possible. Then there is aikido where I learned about how to redirect violent energy toward a constructive compassionate direction. I think these are important lessons for me, as I bring awareness of my daily movements and how I design my physical environment.
Below are some pictures and simple explanations from the energy tour that Doug and Sam Bullock ran during the PDC. I did not include our solar showers and various PV systems in this entry. Enjoy:)
The energy tour started with our beloved solar (boom) cart. I think this was a previous Pc (permaculture) Design Course project to give participants a basic understanding of the home solar electrical system. Free energy is captured on the solar panels and flows through a charge controller, volts/amps meter, a car-battery that runs a car stereo and speakers. All you need to do is plug your mp3 player or computer and bump that music.
We use the boom cart when we work in the gardens, in the kitchen, in the Aloha lodge for dance parties and movie nights. We are hoping to make a smaller and lighter version.....what else can we stack onto a solar boom cart? Maybe a mini fridge with beers and ice-cream? Switch that into a tea-water boiler for the winter. And some moving laser lights for late-nite dance parties.
Next on the tour is the solar dehydrator made of an old fridge painted black with a home-made solar heat collector. Air is sucked into the solar heat collector through vents on the bottom, then heated in a box painted black with a sealed glass lid. The hot air continues to rise to the bottom of the fridge unit and moves up until it exits through the chimney. It is essential to have the solar heat collector to be lower than the dehydrator in this type of design. There is a lot of resources online for you.
Our greenhouse is an excellent space for examples of energy use. Heat is an essential element in a green house and winter is the challenge/design opportunity in the Pacific North West. The gravel on the floor of the greenhouse acts as thermal mass that will absorb heat when the sun is out and radiate heat as the greenhouse cools. For the winter, we move our kitchen back into the greenhouse, so we are able to generate heat from our bodies, propane stove, and on-demand water heater for the sink. The sauna annexed to the greenhouse and the rocket stove water heater Doug is standing next to (for heating shower water), both release quite a bit of heat into the greenhouse. We are also making dehydrator racks for the sauna, so in the Fall when we have abundance of produce and much desire for the sauna, we can sauna then with the excess heat dry food.
The rocket stove above consists of two cylinders with water between (aka water jacket). The black color helps to heat water when the sun is out too. The silver object to the top left of the rocket stove is a hot water tank (with silver bubble wrap insulation). Its critical to locate the hot water tank above the rocket stove for the thermosiphon to work effectively.
Here is a brief description of rocket stoves,
"a rocket stove achieves efficient combustion of the fuel at a high temperature by ensuring that there is a good air draft into the fire, controlled use of fuel, complete combustion of volatiles, and efficient use of the resultant heat. It has been used for cooking purposes in many third-world locales (notably Rwandan refugee camps) as well as for space and water heating." (wikipedia) See below for a cob rocket stove for cooking.
Here is a demonstration of a thermosiphon, "a method of passive heat exchange based on natural convection which circulates liquid without the necessity of a mechanical pump." (wikipedia). The sun heats the water inside the black pipe (not covered by the tarp) that then flows into the top of the water tank as cool water exits the bottom of the water tank and travels down the slope to heat and recirculate. This is the mechanism for our 3 passive solar heated showers, rocket stove water heater, and solar dehydrator.
Think about how much these simple systems can save you on energy bills, and more importantly our consumption of fossil fuels that keep us dependent on some of the worst human rights abusing democracy-subverting organizations of the world.....energy corporations. Particularly the 6 oil supermajors: ExxonMobil (US), Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands/UK), BP (UK), Chevron Corp.(US), Total SA (France), ConocoPhillips (US).
Large-scale energy independence is not only an essential step to restoring our life support system (the ecosystem), it would also be a great leap for building true democracy in a political system that continues to be manipulated by financially and politically wealthy corporations.
Yeah, thermosiphoning passive solar water heaters for democracy!
One of the books that heavily influenced my perspective and direction in life is "The Party's Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Societies" by Richard Heinberg. He writes very simply but with extensive research on extremely pertinent issues related to energy and ecology. From understanding the basics of what energy is, what electricity is, what the laws of thermodynamics are and why they matter in our everyday life, to how our energy use and production has evolved through human history. I really enjoyed his brief exploration of Western history looking at the rise and fall of empires through the lens of energy. He also does a sobering examination of alternative energies in context of our modern society and industry attempts to maintain control through centralized systems. It makes so much sense that by consuming less energy we would solve so many problems that plague us today, but then again consuming substantially less in a consumer culture is a big leap for many.
Energy independence is a revolutionary act.
Here's a demo of how much electricity this set of PV panels are producing. There are several sets of PV systems on the homestead that either keep our water pumps going or run our electricity demanding appliances, power tools, and charge batteries . I might go more in depth of the PV systems later but my understanding right now is quite basic.
For anybody wanting a project to learn about PV systems, you might start with an all DC solar music unit.
BONUS: a few more energy related technologies we use.
Cob rocket stove made from clay harvested from the site. Cob is basically a mix of clay, sand, straw, and water. We have 2 rockets stoves, a pizza/bread oven, and a bath shell made of cob on-site. Rocket stoves are easy to make, materials are cheap or free, you can use small-diameter fuel (e.g. twigs and wood scraps), and it produces efficient concentrated heat. There are lots of variations of this and its up to your imagination what you can do. For example, http://small-scale.net/yearofmud/2009/04/27/building-a-rocket-stove-part-2-cob-bed-and-bench/
The hay (Yeah!) box. This is an amazing technology that can be easily made. Its basically an insulated box that utilizes the heat of the food that is being cooked to continue the cooking process. Like grains and beans. Just bring to a boil and throw it in the box overnight and if you did it right, you will have hot cooked food by morning. We also make yogurt in the hay box.
This one looks like a plywood shell, a cardboard inner box, with random pieces of wool stuffed in between. The lid (top left) is heavy and is probably insulated in a similar fashion. We stuff an old wool sweater around the pot or yogurt jars and put a cotton cushion on top before closing the lid. The more insulation the longer the heat will be retained. As an added bonus, pressure cookers can also save energy by cooking food much faster.
More about energy in the future. On a final note for today, it is important to be aware of embodied energy, the energy consumed to produce, transport the product, and the energy costs to retire them. Basically accounting for energy needed for the entire life cycle of a product.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Energy Tour
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Cross contour animals are a great way to introduce volume to middle school students. After a lesson on contour line, we discussed how cross contour lines convey volume. Students selected an animal they wanted to draw. After drawing was complete, cross contours were applied with sharpie. The backgrounds are done in a student generated pattern colored in prismacolor. Shout out to Ms. Power for coming up with this awesome lesson.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Social issue Silhouette
Kara Walker is an amazing artist, unfortunately, not very appropriate for Middle School students. My colleague and I have wanted to try a K. Walker project for some time but were always too scarred. We decided to show some examples of Bansky and one 2 PG rated Kara Walker projects. Students had to express a point of view relating to a social issue (They chose from a PG list of social issues, some of the heavy ones were edited out). They were only allowed to use silhouette. We also discussed classical composition strategies leading up to this project. Students had to generate their own imagery although the last painting is done from the child's head. These were painted on watercolor paper with flat tempera paint.
|Environmental destruction
|Video game violence
6th grade 1 point perspective museums
This project was a big hit with the kids. They created a one point room using a ruler, following along with me on the document camera. Leading up to the project, we had done lots of practice. Students then created their own museum. We talked about the job of a curator and how they would curate their own museum. I limited imagery on the walls to 60% from our art text book and 40% from their imagination.
smash face
I pinned this lesson (not an active link, please post original source if you have it!) and just had to have my kids try it! we used my classroom scanner to "smash" their faces on the glass. Students gridded their photos and added value with charcoal. I think they are fantastic!
Posted by Shea at 10:00 AM 2 comments:
7th grade owl drawings
I gave students 4 pictures of owls printed on a single sheet of paper in black and white. We made 3x3 inch view finders with construction paper and cropped in to one view of an owl eye. They made 3 thumbnail sketches and the students chose their favorite one. Drawing were scaled up on 9X9 brown bogus paper and shaded with black and white colored pencil and a pop of eye color.
Posted by Shea at 8:49 AM 4 comments:
Fairy Tale Mash Up 8th grade Pre AP
For this Project, 8 grade Art 1 Pre Ap Students had to Remix a classic Fairy tale or two! Students were responsible for taking their own reference photographs and arranging the compositions in a pleasing way. These were colored with Prisma colors, but some also have graphite or charcoal.
Fairy tale Saga
Group Norms: Stay on topic, don't play around, respect everyone in your group, work as a team but strive to be an individual.
Grading: you will receive several daily grades and two test grades based on Criteria met (25) Creativity (25) Craftsmanship (25) Composition (25)
Step 1: Divide into groups and choose a fairy tale/ fable/ or nursery rhyme to interpret. Use books provided or go to http://www.ivyjoy.com/fables/
and choose one there. Every group must choose a different story.
Step 2: Read the story. Take notes and discuss story themes, plots, and symbolism. Discuss how the story is different from what you thought the story was from watching Disney. Brainstorm photography and drawing ideas.
Step 3: After discussion, go to the drawing board. Each member of the group must produce 3 ideas/ sketches of their interpretation of the fairy tale in modern time. Don't be cliche here. I down want to see Snow White waiting on her kiss. Dig deep into the story and create one-of-a-kind interpretations.
Step 4: Photography time! each member of your group will stage the scene from your sketch. Each student will set up their own photo with the help of the group. Consider lighting, props, and facial expressions. Use phones to take several photos from different angles to choose from later
Step 5: Prepare photographs for gid. You may collage in elements. Grid your photo/ photo collage and prepare your drawing surface.
Step 6: transfer your photograph into a beautiful and interesting drawing using pencil, prismas, or charcoal.
|Pinocchio meets Humpty Dumpty
|Beauty and the Beast
|Ring around the Rosies
|Ring around the Rosies
|Little Red Riding hood
7th grade two point perspective cities
Students created these imaginary cities using only rulers, and pencils. I showed them how to construct buildings in two point perspective. There are a lot of great youtube tutorials if you need a refresher on this technique.
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