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20 October, 2015 03:00 PM ET [15:00] (New York), 07:00 PM UTC [19:00] | Special Webcast
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Dr. Elisabeth Marx will pinpoint success secrets from top international teams and demonstrate how high-performance teams can be developed to confront key challenges international business leaders face. HRCI and SHRM credit available.


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Happy 10th December everyone. This advent story is actually one that I started over two years ago and finally decided to finish. Because I've been working on it for so long, it's also the longest advent story I've written this year and the only one so far that's pure AH. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading it.
Thanks to my beta for this, rachelgarner, and as per usual, I do not own Twilight.
Second Chances
I sat picking at my cereal while opposite me my step-brother shovelled bacon, eggs and toast into his mouth. An empty bowl of cereal was also sat in front of him and when I had come into the kitchen this morning he had already been chewing on a hastily-made pop-tart. I didn't know where he put it all, or how he could even eat that much in the first place.
Seth paused with a forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth. "What?"
I shook my head and got back to picking at my own breakfast. "Nothing."
Sue, his mother and my father's wife, smacked the back of his head lightly. "I think Bella was admiring the sight of half-chewed food. You weren't raised by a pack of wolves; keep your mouth shut while you're eating."
Seth gave both of us an apologetic egg-y grin and I giggled as Sue rolled her eyes.
The two continued to banter back and forth as I ate. It was a very strange feeling to be surrounded by so much noise; when we had lived alone before, Charlie was usually gone to work before I had woken up, so I was used to spending most of my time at home in silence. After ten months, I still wasn't used to living with so many other people.
Well... two other people.
"So what are you up to after school today? Got any plans?" Sue sat down at the table, her hands curled around a mug of coffee.
Seth made a big deal out of chewing and swallowing before he spoke. "Going to Brady's after school. You do remember I'm staying over tonight while you and Charlie are in Seattle, right?"
"I remember," Sue grimaced slightly. "And you better be on your best behaviour while you're over there. I don't want to hear from his mother that you've been running wild down at the Res just because I'm not around."
"I promise." Seth attempted to smile innocently. I don't think either of us believed him.
"What about you, Bella? Got any plans?"
Sue's innocent question cut deeply. It was a Friday night, I had lots of friends, I was a reasonably average looking girl. Did I have plans?
"No. No plans for tonight. I just thought I'd stay in and read."
"Blah, books." Seth stuck his tongue out and wrinkled his nose. "I don't know how you can stand to read them all the time."
"Seth!" Sue reprimanded. "You'd do well to read more like Bella does. Maybe then you wouldn't be struggling so much in English like you are now."
Seth began to protest at his mother's assertion, but the damage was already done. Even fifteen-year-old Seth had more of a social life than I did. My face burning with embarrassment, I stood up and dumped my bowl in the sink before heading up to my room to grab my bag for school that day.
When I headed back down, Seth was gone. Despite moving in with us pale-faces up here in Forks, he still attended school with all his friends down at the La Push school. Sue, however, was waiting for me.
"I hope Seth didn't make you feel uncomfortable earlier."
"What?" I frowned at her. "Ummmm, no. Why?"
Sue shook her head but didn't say anything, switching the subject instead. "Are you sure you'll be alright staying here by yourself for the weekend? Me and your father were thinking of spending an extra night up there."
"Where's Seth going to be?" I asked.
"I've already spoken to Brady's mother and she's happy to keep him until Sunday. I didn't want to put you in a position where you had to look after him."
I smiled and nodded, but secretly wished that at least I would only be left only for one night, not the whole weekend. Although I didn't mind my own company, there was something reassuring about having someone else in the house at night with me.
"Of course. That makes more sense."
Sue smiled and brushed her thumb over my cheek. "You might not be alone for too long anyway. Leah was talking about coming home early so you might see her at some point."
I swallowed heavily at the mention of Sue's daughter, my... step-sister.
Except she wasn't just that, and never had been.
"Leah's coming back?" My voice wavered on the end of the question.
"It's the summer break up at the college next week. She did think she'd have to stay up there for the whole time because of her job, but luckily they've got temporary staff members in to cover all the students and give them the time off, so she was thinking of coming back to Forks early."
"That'll be nice then. I should really get to school now." I had to get out of there as quickly as possible.
"Sure honey," Sue called. "I'll see you on Sunday."
"Enjoy your trip," I yelled, already halfway out the door. I managed to shut myself inside my truck before I began hyperventilating.
Leah was coming home. She was coming back here. To this house. Possibly when we would both be alone in it together.
This could only end badly. Just like it had last time.
Trying to rid my head of those thoughts, I focused all my concentration on driving to school safely and making it to my first class without tripping up the concrete stairs or falling over something on my way. I needed to not think about her; it never did me any good when I did.
Unfortunately, my plan to distract myself with my classes didn't really go according to plan as teacher after teacher wheeled in the school's outdated VCRs as a special end of semester treat, never mind that we still had a week of school left before we broke up for the holidays. It left me far too much time to dwell on the past.
I had first met Leah down at a bonfire at La Push beach. We had all gone to celebrate the end of exams and had been joined over the course of the day by more and more of the teenagers from the reservation. I wouldn't even have noticed her if Lauren hadn't pointed her out to me.
"Hey, Bella. Check them out."
I turned to see what she was pointing at only to see two girls heading our way from the other end of the beach. They would have been completely unremarkable if it weren't for the fact that they were holding hands. They were both beautiful girls, but looking at them, I thought that the taller girl with longer hair was the more attractive of the two. The other girl was pretty but there was hard set to her eyes that I didn't like. As we watched one of them leaned over to kiss the other. They both broke apart smiling.
"Looks like the Res has got itself a couple of rug-munchers. Want me to ask if you can join in?" She laughed hysterically and I flinched at the high-pitched sound.
I hated people like Lauren. Absolutely despised them. And living in Forks had exposed me to more of them than I had ever come across in a lifetime in Phoenix. Small towns had a reputation of intolerance for a reason.
It turns out I wasn't the only one pissed off by her joke. A young boy who couldn't be more than thirteen stood up and began to stalk towards her, a look of fury on his face.
"You want to repeat that?" he asked threateningly.
Lauren appeared shocked that anyone had actually called her out for her behaviour. Edward and Jasper had on a couple of occasions, and she usually stuck to picking on me when they weren't around, but everyone else (myself included) just tended to ignore her, glossing over her bad behaviour and moving onto the next topic of conversation without pausing. It just wasn't worth the effort trying to make people like her understand.
This boy though, hovered over her, scowling. "I said, do you want to repeat that?"
"Seth." One of his friends finally stepped up and placed a restraining hand against his arm. "Just leave it. She's not worth it."
An ugly look twisted Lauren's face. "Excuse me?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Yeah," another boy called out. "You don't wanna get too close to her, Seth. Isn't she the one that gave Sam Uley herpes?"
Lauren had now turned bright red in fury as all of the boys began hooting and cat-calling loudly. I couldn't stop my own snort of amusement and behind me, I could hear most of the Forks' teens laughing as well.
The two girls finally reached the circle of people who surrounded the bonfire and looked around curiously at the laughing crowd.
"What's so funny?" one of them asked.
Lauren had let out a shriek of angry frustration and stomped back up to the parking lot where we had left our cars. Shortly after, we had all followed.
I hadn't given much thought to the two girls, other than noticing that perhaps Forks' small gay community wasn't as closeted as I thought. Edward and Jasper were out, proud and scandalising people at every opportunity they could get, and obviously these two girls weren't trying to hide their relationship at all. There wasn't much point in me dwelling on them though – they were obviously together and I was relying on college to throw up a wider group of people like me.
It wasn't until a couple of months later when I was invited to meet Charlie's 'good friend' Sue, and the rest of her family, that I met Seth and his sister again. I barely recognised them from when I had last seen them; Seth was at least half a foot taller, evidently having had a growth spurt, and Leah had now shorn her hair to just below her chin, a scowl etched upon her face. She looked nothing like the happy, smiling girl I had seen on the beach. She was still gorgeous though, even if it was now in an angry kind of way.
The whole meeting was awkward, made even more so when Seth declared, "Hey, you're that chick that was getting picked on at the beach. Remember I told you about that, Leah?"
I had blushed at the reminder and ducked my head. When I had finally glanced up, it was only to find that Leah was now alternating her glare between myself and her brother.
"You're gay?" she accused.
I had merely shrugged, not knowing what answer she expected, and Charlie and Sue had immediately worked to diffuse the sudden tension that had fallen over the room.
I was rather taken aback and confused. Leah had seemed really angry that I was gay, but I didn't understand why. I knew it couldn't be because she was one of the narrow-minded small town people that were around here; I had seen her with her girlfriend, so I really didn't get it.
She didn't become any friendlier over time, even when our parents moved in together. It was the one sticking point in the family. Seth was so easy-going and exuberant that he was impossible not to get on with, and Sue was lovely – very maternal, which was quite a shock after Renee's 'sisterly' friendship.
Despite her behaviour, I still found myself studying Leah carefully whenever I got the chance. She kind of fascinated me. Of course, I was going to say anything, I wasn't that much of a masochist, but I did find her attractive and did occasionally idly daydream about what it would be like to have her as a girlfriend. In the end though, I figured that being stuck in Forks without any available gay girls was turning me crazy and it was best to banish those kind of thoughts out of my brain.
Eventually we just seemed to mutually decide that ignoring each other was the best way to go. Leah had been due to leave for college that fall coming up, so there were only a few more months of tension to deal with before she eventually left. I could only be thankful that Charlie, in a rare moment of insight, had decided to build an extension onto the house to give us all more room – I didn't know much hostility I could have coped with if I had had to share a room with Leah.
It was still awkward though, made more so for the fact that Leah seemed to openly despise me, glaring every time I walked into the room and making snarky comments behind my back. I knew that Sue and Charlie had had words with her on several occasions, but it never made a difference to her hostility. It was only after one occasion when Leah had argued with me over the laundry, of all things, and Seth got upset that Sue had finally put her foot down, telling her daughter that if she couldn't say anything nice to me then she shouldn't speak at all.
Leah had stopped talking to me.
Granted she was perfectly polite when our parents were around, but the rest of the time she chose to ignore my presence within the house. It worked for me; I wouldn't have known what to say to her anyway. And so in that way we all muddled along reasonably happily. Leah and Seth both went to school on the reservation, so I only saw them in the evenings and even then, only when none of us were busy.
The one person I did see on a regular basis was Sue, and I was surprised to find that I enjoyed spending the evening quietly in her company while everyone else was out. I was pleased for both her and my father therefore when they announced that they would be getting married in the summer before Leah went away to college in Seattle.
It was at the wedding though, two days before Leah left for college, that things finally came to a head.
Charlie and Sue had decided to have an open bar at the reception, and somehow, in all the excitement, I found myself drinking glass after glass of champagne. I wasn't one for alcohol really, but I found that I liked the slightly off-centre buzz that it gave me, and so when people kept offering to refill my glass, I kept on accepting.
The ceremony had been held down at La Push and after a while I escaped away from the crowds and down to the beach, glad for the unseasonably warm weather we were experiencing as the spaghetti straps of my bridesmaid's dress provided little warmth against the elements. The music from the rec centre blared out across the sand and I spun around unsteadily to the beat, the combination of the alcohol and the salt sea air making me light-headed.
One particularly enthusiastic spin sent me sprawling to the ground, the sand luckily cushioning my fall.
"You're drunk out of your mind, Swan."
It took me a second to work out where the laughing voice was coming from before I finally managed to focus on Leah walking towards me out of the shadows.
"Hmph." I turned my back on her, but the suddenly movement just made my head spin. To try and stop the blurring happening in front of me, I reclined backwards so I was lying on the sand, looking up at the stars. "It's so pretty up there," I mused, forgetting for a moment that I wasn't alone.
"I guess. Just looks like normal to me."
I glared at my companion. "Well I think it's pretty," I stated belligerently.
She held up her hands in protest, still laughing at me. "Fine, it's pretty."
I sighed. "You're pretty too, or at least, you would be if you didn't scowl all the time." I didn't know where all this was coming from, but the alcohol had obviously loosened my tongue.
Leah huffed and then flopped down to sit on the sand next to me.
"I don't scowl all the time."
"Yes, you do," I argued back. "I mean you don't scowl at your mom, or my dad, or Seth, or anyone else really, but you scowl at me all the time." In a fit of childish pique, I stuck my tongue out at her. My earlier good mood was disappearing, the effects of the alcohol vanishing in the face of Leah's constant disapproval.
An indefinable look crossed Leah's face, but she didn't say anything.
I wasn't going to be ignored though, not this time. I sat up, ignoring the blood rush that left my head reeling and poked her in the arm with one finger.
"So, what's your problem?"
Her relaxed appearance was gone and she looked almost guilty. Catching the curious expression on my face, she glared at me.
"There's no problem."
I snorted in disbelief and struggled to my feet. "Sure there isn't. You keep telling yourself that." I waved my arms about. "This is ridiculous, you know. I never did anything to you, except exist...although that seems to be enough to irritate you. And you know what? You don't have to like me, whatever your reasons are." I put my hands on my hips and frowned down at her. She avoided eye contact with me, concentrating on trailing her fingers through the sand.
"But our parents are married now," I finally continued. "We have to live together. So I would appreciate if you just admitted that you hated me and we could all move on and just avoid speaking to each other unless we have to, because I'm not going anywhere."
"I know you're not," she mumbled. "That's the problem."
I don't think she meant for me to hear that last part but I did and I could feel my face flushing red as a mixture of anger and embarrassment seized me.
"Fuck you, Leah!" I spat out, tears pricking at my eyes. I wiped at them impatiently. "Just stay away from me." Spinning around, I ran clumsily back to the rec centre, stopping to gather my composure before I re-entered the building.
Seth and his friends were gathered in the corner laughing over something, and Charlie and Sue were talking to Billy and Jacob Black. Seconds later, Sue spotted me and tapped Charlie on the shoulder, pointing me out.
Hand in hand, they approached me, smiling.
Charlie reached out and hugged me into his side. We weren't the most demonstrative people so it took me slightly by surprise and it was only when I saw the flush that lit up my father's cheeks that I realised that I wasn't the only one who had been drinking tonight.
"We're off to the cabin in a minute. Are you alright to get back to the house or do you want us to ask someone to give you a ride?"
I hadn't even thought about how I was getting home, but I didn't want to cause any trouble when Charlie and Sue had their own plans for the night.
"I'll be fine. You two can go ahead."
"I'll take her." The voice came from behind me and my shoulders began to creep up in defence. "I haven't had anything to drink so I'm safe to drive."
Sue happily handed over her car keys to her daughter and giggling, kissed my flustered father.
"It'll just be you girls at home tonight. Seth's asked to stay at Brady's tonight, so we'll pick him up on our way back tomorrow. You two should be alright tonight -"
"Of course we will," Leah interrupted her mother. "You both have a good time and don't worry about us."
Sue giggled and, to my surprise, so did Charlie. It was slightly disturbing. Plans for the evening sorted, they took their leave to a round of cheers and catcalls, both waving enthusiastically as their car turned the corner and disappeared into the darkness.
Things wound down pretty quickly after that and all the guests dispersed into the night. I was gathering up the presents that Charlie and Sue had left behind when a cool hand touched my shoulder, making me jump. I narrowed my eye when I saw it was Leah.
"What?" I was in no mood to try to be polite to her.
She shuffled uncomfortably. "Are you ready to head out now?"
I glared at her for a second and then relented.
"I need to finish gathering up the rest of these presents and then I'll be ready to go."
She helped me identify everything that needed to be taken back to the house and then we headed back towards Forks, the heavy silence in the car stifling me. I breathed a sigh of relief when home finally came into sight.
After dumping all the wedding presents in the living room, I ran upstairs to my room, ignoring Leah's presence and, in a fit of impotent rage, slamming the door. I huffed as I slivered out of my bridesmaid's dress, ditching the strapless bra that came with it and pulling a tank top over my upper half.
I was just so angry and so hurt. I didn't deserve Leah's attitude towards me. I knew that whatever her problem was, it was her problem alone, but that didn't mean that I wasn't upset by it.
Flopping back onto my bed, I grabbed a book, trying to put the ugly events of the evening behind me. A knock came on the door though and Leah opened it and came into my bedroom without asking.
"Hey. Can I talk to you?"
I rolled my, but short of kicking her out, which I wasn't sure I was capable of, there wasn't much I could do. Tossing my old copy of Wuthering Heights to one side, I sat upright, crossing my legs.
"What's up?"
I avoided making eye contact with her, staring instead towards my rocking chair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leah sidle forward and sit on the edge of my bed, her hands twisting.
"I want to apologise," she began.
"Apology accepted." I didn't want to drag this out.
She shook her head. "Seriously, Bella, please hear me out."
I shot her a quick glance and then nodded when I saw the expression on her face. She looked utterly devastated. I tried to harden my heart against her – she had behaved horribly towards me – but at the same time I felt a little sorry for her.
"Fine." Just because I was listening didn't mean I had to be nice about it.
"I don't... I don't hate you."
Against my will, I snorted.
"I don't," she reiterated. "I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I do like you."
I shook my head disbelievingly. "Yeah, right."
"I do!" she insisted. "I just...can't."
"Can't what? Can't like me?" She was making absolutely no sense to me and I was beginning to get impatient with her explanation. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Leah. Of course you're allowed to like me. I'm your step-sister. Why shouldn't you like me?"
She jerked up off the bed and paced around the room, her hands buried in her hair.
"No! You don't...you don't understand..."
I stood up too, not wanting to be on an uneven footing. "Of course I don't understand, because you're not making any sense."
Leah just shook her head and continued to pace back and forth. Her lips were moving silently, almost as if she was having an argument with herself. Every now and then she paused and looked at me with an inscrutable expression that I couldn't decipher.
My head was starting to ache with the stress of the day and the beginning of a hangover and Leah's see-sawing mood wasn't making it any better. Staggering backwards, I sat down heavily on the edge of my bed.
"Leah, can you just go please. I've got a headache and I want to get some sleep. It's been a long day so can we just agree to disagree so I can get into bed."
I rubbed my temples, trying to stave off the growing pain.
Leah stopped walking and was now stood in front of me.
"No?" I was starting to get angry again.
"I'm not going until I can explain."
"Well then hurry up," I cried out. "I'm tired and all you've done so far is tell me that for some reason you can't like me. Either tell me why or get -"
I was interrupted by her mouth meeting mine, the force of the kiss propelling me backwards as her hands pressed down on either side of my hips.
Her lips were incredibly soft against my own and despite my surprise, I found myself kissing her back enthusiastically. I had already noticed that Leah was incredibly beautiful, I had even on occasion wondered what it would be like to kiss her, but I had never thought that she felt the same way. My hands crept up to bury themselves in her hair and I moaned.
We broke apart panting, and I opened my eyes slowly. Leah still had hers shut and her lips were still slightly pursed. She blinked and then looked at me. Gripping my wrists, Leah carefully pulled my arms from around her neck.
"That's why you don't understand," she finally said. "I don't hate you, Bella, far from it. But you're my step-sister now..."
I blinked in confusion, still caught up in that kiss we had just shared. "We're not related, Leah. It's not illegal."
I leaned forward to capture her lips again, this time using my body weight to pull her on top of me. She returned my kiss eagerly, pinning me to the bed as she licked my bottom lip and I allowed her tongue into my mouth.
I tangled my hands in her hair as our tongues lazily entwined, tugging lightly at the long, silky strands. In return, she shifted to one side and ran her hand up the side of body, her fingers trailing over the exposed skin at my waist, before sliding up under my tank top and cupping my breast. I moaned her name as her thumb brushed over my swollen nipple.
My voice acted like a bucket of cold water to her. She jerked backwards, a scowl on her face, scrambling to disentangle herself from me. She scurried backwards until her back hit the far wall, a crumpled look on her face.
"Don't be so fucking naive, Bella. You think it matters that we're not related? People only see the obvious – that your dad is married to my mom. You don't really think everyone'd be overjoyed if we got together." She shook her head and brushed her hair back, taking another step away from me. "No! All they'd see is two girls who live in the same house and are supposed to be sisters getting on with each over."
I bolted upright, surprising Leah by the force of my reaction. "So if you care so much about what other people think then why did you kiss me, Leah? Was it all an experiment? Did you wonder what it would be like to kiss the only lesbian in Forks besides your ex-girlfriend? What was the point of it all? Huh?"
She shied back from my aggressive reaction. I almost felt sorry for her and then remembered that this was the girl who hadn't cared a bit for my feelings over the last year, no matter what she tried to claim now.
"The point was... I liked you." Her voice got steadily quieter as she admitted that and for some reason that made me even angrier than if she'd just proclaimed it out loud.
"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it."
We faced off, staring at each other in silence, and I stood there, I thought that the saddest part of this was that for all her hatred of me, I had actually really liked Leah. I had just never been able to admit it, either to myself or to her.
I flopped back on the bed as if my strings had suddenly been cut.
"You should go."
Leah hesitated. "Bella -"
"Just go," I interrupted whatever it was she had to say. "You don't really want to be here, so just go."
She paused for a moment and then nodded and left. Seconds later I heard her bedroom door slam shut.
I clapped my hands over my face.
What the hell had just happened?! Because it seemed like Leah had admitted that she liked me – more than just friends, more than just sisters – and then cut me down before I knew what to do with that information.
Leah's feelings were far too twisted up for me to try and untangle, so I turned my thoughts to my own emotions.
Did I like Leah?
Yeah, I could finally admit that I did.
She had intrigued me the first time I had met her, but my curiosity had been abruptly cut off by her blatant hostility towards me. Her attitude had made it difficult to see myself as being anything other than a nuisance towards her.
Still, from her reaction to our kiss tonight, it was unlikely that her attitude was going to change anytime soon.
I buried my face into my pillow and screamed. This whole situation was completely bewildering and frustrating in equal measures.
What did I do now?
Did I press Leah further and see if she was willing to try with me, or did I just leave it as it was tonight?
I could've easily screamed again.
Instead, I decided to just go to sleep. I was tired and still somewhat tipsy and I wasn't sure that my decision making skills were at their best at the moment. Things would become clearer in the morning and by then hopefully Leah would've cooled down somewhat and wouldn't be so spiky to talk to.
Only I never got a chance to talk to her that morning.
I woke up late the next day, finally surfacing from my room in mid-afternoon, only to find that Sue, Leah and Seth had disappeared up to Seattle, leaving Charlie behind.
"Morning, kiddo. Have a good sleep?"
"Yeah, I guess." I rubbed my forehead. "Where is everyone?"
"Well, Susie and I got back a few hours ago, but it turns out that Leah got a call offering her early-accommodation in Seattle, so they left about an hour ago to drive up there."
My father returned to watching his game while I stood there and stared at the back of his head in shock.
"She's gone up to college already?"
Charlie glanced back at me. "Hmmm, oh, yeah. I guess sometimes these things just come up."
My mouth dropped open.
She had run away. She had run away like a coward.
"Well, did she say anything before she went?"
My father's brow furrowed at the interruption. "What's that, Bells? Oh, no. She just said to say bye." He craned his neck around. "Why? Did you two get into it again last night?"
I had to hold back my bark of laughter at that. Yeah, I guess in a way we had got into it.
"No. I barely talked to her. We pretty much just said goodnight and then went to bed. I just...wondered."
Charlie grunted, satisfied by my answer.
I went back upstairs, wrapping my arms around myself. I couldn't believe that she had run. It was such a cowardly thing to do, which given how confrontational Leah was, was completely out of character.
Maybe I should just let her have her space. She obviously didn't want to talk about what had happened, and I still didn't really know how I felt about it. It was probably good for both of us to have some time to think. I consoled myself with the thought that at least I could speak to her the next time she visited.
Except she didn't.
Leah steadfastly avoided coming home at all during the year, even going so far as to spend Christmas with her new girlfriend's family up in Seattle.
I got the message loud and clear.
Whatever Leah thought she felt for me, it clearly wasn't something she was going to dwell on. The proof that she had moved on and was now dating other people was the wake-up call I needed to accept that anything happening with Leah was not in my future.
I could live with that. Especially as nothing had really began between the two of us.
It didn't stop my feelings of irritation though when I thought of her. Whatever we may or may not have been, I didn't think there was any excuse for how she had treated me in the past. Still, not having to live with her anymore or even see her anymore certainly made things easier.
So the prospect of her coming home for the summer shouldn't have filled me nerves the way it was. I was so lost in my thoughts that when the bell rang signalling the end of the day, I jumped and banged my knee on the desk.
"Careful there, Bells, wouldn't want to dislocate your knee a week before summer vacation." Edward appeared by my side, an easy smile on his face.
I pulled a face. "You never know, it might be preferable to this weekend."
Grabbing my bag off my desk, he slung his arm across my shoulders.
"Now that's a remarkably pessimistic thing to say. What brought that on?"
I stuck my tongue out. "Leah's coming home."
"Ah, Leah." Edward nodded in understanding. Over the last couple of years, he and Jasper had been subjected to a number of my rants on the subject of Leah and her bewildering behaviour.
We walked over to where Jasper was waiting by my truck.
"When's she coming back?"
He let go of me when we reached my car and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, the two of them ignoring me for a minute, while they exchanged a passionate kiss. I was used to their displays of affection my now, but every now and then I found myself longing for that same kind of easy relationship – open and loving.
Jasper turned to me when they finally pulled apart. "Who's coming back?"
"Leah," Edward told him.
Jasper grimaced. "When's she arriving?"
"Some time this weekend." I shrugged. "Sue didn't say. She only said that she would be showing up at some point."
"Ouch." He frowned sympathetically. "Are you going to be okay? You can come and hang out with us if you don't want to be home alone when she gets there?"
I wrinkled my nose.
"Yeah, I remember what happened the last time you invited me to 'date night'. I spent the whole night sat next to you guys at the movies eating popcorn while you too made out loudly next to me. Trust me, it wasn't a fun experience."
Jasper had the good grace to look slightly abashed but Edward merely grinned at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and tossed my bag into the cab of my truck.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine." I took a deep breath. "I can totally handle Leah if I need to."
Edward got a sly grin on his face. "Oh, we know you can handle her." He raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed against my will. "The question is, can you stand up to her and her inherent bitchiness?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'll do my best."
"You mean you'll hide in your room if she gets bitchy?"
My cheeks were burning. "Maybe," I admitted quietly.
Edward laughed delightedly and gave me a hug. "That's my girl."
He waved at me and then dragged Jasper across the parking lot to his own car. Jasper offered me a rueful smile before he got into the passenger seat and the two of them sped off.
The smile dropped off my face as soon as they were out of sight and I fought back a loud sigh.
I really didn't want to go home and face Leah alone. The only thing I could hope was that she didn't arrive back in Forks until tomorrow and then I'd only have one night in her company before my dad and Sue got back.
Of course, luck was not on my side.
Reaching home, I had completed my homework for the weekend, glad that there wasn't much given that finals were coming up, and then made myself dinner. I ate in front of the TV and had just returned my plate to the kitchen when I heard the jangle of keys in the door.
Sitting back in Charlie's armchair, I kept my eyes glued to screen, unwilling to look over and see my stepsister.
There was silence for a few minutes as shuffling and loud thumps heralded Leah's return. Finally, the door shut behind her and I heard her footsteps getting closer.
"Hey." She spoke first and I allowed myself a quick glance backwards.
I wasn't going to talk to her any more than was necessary.
She fidgeted next to me for a moment. Finally she moved back towards the door.
"I should take my stuff up to my room before someone trips up on it."
Innate politeness made me ask her if she wanted any help. "Need a hand?"
She paused. "No. I'll manage."
I nodded and turned back to the TV. I didn't even know what I was watching. My eyes were blurred and the sound went in one ear and then right back out of the other. Still, I needed to keep the illusion up, for the sake of my sanity if nothing else.
Leah came back downstairs after about thirty minutes and again my innate desire to be nice to her no matter what my feelings kicked in.
"There's some leftover over dinner in the oven if you want it. I wasn't sure when you would be back so I saved you some."
This time when I glanced back it was to find her staring at me with an indefinable expression on her face. She blinked twice and jerked out of her reverie.
"That's great. Thank you," she said politely.
I nodded, trying not to follow her with my eyes as she sauntered away to the kitchen, returning a little later with a plate of food and a can of soda.
I tried to watch her subtly as she ate, sneaking glances at her out of the corner of my eye.
She looked good.
There was a softness to her face that hadn't been there before and her curves had filled out a little. She was still slim, but the angular edges to her body seemed to have melted away. Her hair was longer too, falling into curls that hadn't been present in her shorter cropped hair. Her face was healthy-looking and her cheeks glowed.
Obviously college, and her new girlfriend, had been good for her.
I was glad that she looked much happier, but a small part of me was desperately jealous.
I wasn't sure yet whether my jealousy was directed towards Leah and the peace she had obviously achieved or towards her girlfriend for making her happy when I had never been able to achieve any kind of positive emotion from her.
"What?" Leah suddenly asked me.
"You were staring at me."
I blushed again. Crap! I hadn't meant to let my mind wander like that. I especially hadn't meant to be caught watching her like a creepy stalker.
"I didn't mean to," I apologised. "I was lost in thought."
Leah sighed and set the empty plate aside.
"I wanted to talk to you actually."
I froze in my seat. "About what?" I could only pray I sounded more nonchalant than I felt.
Leah leaned forward. "I wanted to apologise, for leaving the way I did, after the night of the wedding -"
"There's nothing to apologise for." I stood up abruptly.
"Yes, there is." She reached out towards me but something in my face must have stopped her because her hand paused, half held out towards me. She withdrew it awkwardly. "The way I just left like that. It wasn't right. I had no right to speak to you the way I did, the only excuse I have is that I panicked and -"
"Leah!" I interrupted her. "It really doesn't matter. Seriously. You don't have to apologise to me; you don't owe me anything. You can't help the way you feel and I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did either."
She frowned. "But -"
"I'm going to go to bed." I cut her off again. I was being rude, but I didn't know if I could sit here and listen while she reiterated all the reasons why she didn't want to like me. "I'm really tired."
She watched me carefully for a minute and then nodded. "Okay then."
"I'll see you in the morning." I tried to smile at her to make up for my earlier rudeness. Goodnight."
"Night," she replied softly.
I ran up the stairs as quickly as I could without falling and got ready for bed as fast as possible. As soon as I was safely behind the locked door of my bedroom, I let out a sigh of relief.
Well, I suppose that Leah's return had gone okay.
We had been polite to each other. I hadn't yelled at her, she hadn't scowled at me.
Yes, things could have definitely gone worse.
And now that that awkward exchange was over we could just avoid each other from now on. There was no need for us to spend any more time than necessary together.
I still wanted to cry just a little though.
I managed to escape the next day to work at Newton's, although I wasn't sure whether spending all day listening to Mike brag about his sporting prowess was preferable to Leah's silence.
When I got back home, I found that in my absence Leah had cooked dinner. I hovered, unsure of myself, in the kitchen doorway until she looked up and beckoned me into the kitchen.
"Hey. I hope you don't mind me cooking. I figured it was only fair since you cooked for me last night."
"It wasn't a problem," I mumbled.
"I know." She smiled at me and that took me aback more than anything else. "Come on, sit down. I promise I won't poison you."
I sidled forward slowly and sat at the table. I did not know what to make of this new Leah.
The meal was surprisingly good and Leah and I made awkward conversation about our days over the food before lapsing into silence. When we were finished, I helped her clean up the kitchen in silence.
"Right. I guess I'm going to go and read or something. Thanks for dinner."
I turned to leave, but Leah grabbed my hand, stopping me from leaving.
"Bella, can you just...stay...for a minute."
I hesitated and then gave in. "Sure."
She let go of me and twisted her hands together. She opened and shut her mouth several times, and at one point her mouth was moving with no words coming out.
She jumped at the sound of my voice and then nodded.
"Okay. Right. I wanted to say, first of all, that I'm so sorry about what happened the last time I was home."
I froze at the mention.
"I thought I knew what I was doing and I just took everything out on you and then left the next day without apologising and I'm so sorry that I treated you that way. You didn't deserve it."
I stared at her. "It's okay, Leah."
"No, it's not okay." She stepped forward and reached towards me and then stopped herself. "It's not okay," she repeated. She swallowed heavily. "Bella, I was a total bitch, both the night of the wedding and before. I was just so confused and so messed up. I mean, you're supposed to be my sister." She shook her head sharply. "What I feel for you isn't sisterly at all."
"What you feel for me?" I was sure I looked like completely stunned, like I had been smacked across the face.
She took a step forward. And then, when I didn't back away, she took another step.
And then she wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me.
I was too dumbstruck for the first few seconds to do anything but just stand there and let her, but then I found myself automatically responding. It was everything I remembered and better. It would've been absolutely perfect, except that this was Leah and I remembered all too well how this had ended last time.
I pulled back abruptly and stumbled against the table.
"What are we doing? We can't be doing this?"
Leah approached me cautiously.
"I made a mistake before, Bella, and I'm so sorry for that. But I've had a lot of time to think over the last year and some of my friends made me see that I was just so afraid of what other people would think. I don't know why. I've never cared about other people's opinions before. I just freaked out and I hurt you and I'd like a second chance to make it up to you."
I just stared at her. I had no idea where all of this had come from. I was expecting her visit this summer to mirror the pattern we had already established before. This plea for...I don't know what...had come out of nowhere.
"Please, Bella." She was near tears now. "I'm sorry that I screwed up before, I just didn't know what to do. I'm not supposed to like you like this; you're my step-sister."
I finally met her eyes.
"What do you want from me exactly?"
She chose her words carefully, speaking slowly. "I'd like another chance. I know I fucked up the last one, but I'd like to try again. As for what I want from you, I just want to see if we can make anything... of us," she finished hesitantly. "Christ, I'm fucking this all up."
"No," I reassured her. "I get what you mean."
She looked at me hopefully. "Is there a chance?"
I thought carefully. Did I really want to try to be in an actual relationship with Leah?
I considered all the worry, heartbreak and disappointment that I had felt over the last year, when she had rejected me. And then I thought about all the time I had spent obsessing over her, wondering what a relationship between us would be like, and yes, even fantasising about her.
Wouldn't it be better for me to just suck it up and try having a relationship with her for real?
I had accepted her apology; I even understood the reason for her hesitation in starting anything with me. But was it all worth it? Would saying yes really make me happy or would I just be going along with what Leah had decided once more?
She looked so nervous in front of me. She was biting her lip and picking at her nails and I saw a glint of tears in her eyes. In that moment I realised that she was preparing for me to reject her.
And that made my decision for me.
"If we do this, we're going to have to have some rules."
Her eyebrows rose is shock and her mouth dropped. She closed it with an audible click and took a shaky breath.
"Of course."
"Firstly," I began, "I'm not going to be treated like I have been for the last two years. You don't get to push me away or scowl or anything. If we're in a relationship then we're in a proper relationship and I won't be treated badly."
I lifted my chin up defiantly and Leah nodded quickly.
"Of course."
"Secondly." This was the tricky one. "We need to tell our parents and Seth. I don't want to be a dirty, little secret for you. I don't care what other people think...Well, I care, but it's just...none of their business." My little stance finished a lot less confidently than it had started.
Leah gulped but nodded silently in agreement.
"And third, we take this slow. I'm not... I haven't had a lot of girlfriends before. I'm not ready to just jump into anything with you."
A relieved smile crossed Leah's face. "Of course." She paused. "So...are we doing this?"
"We're doing this," I confirmed.
Neither of us moved, we were both still anxiously watching each other.
Suddenly, I giggled nervously and that broke the tension between us. Grinning at me, Leah stepped up to me slowly and slid her hands up my arms. I shivered as her fingers danced over my bare skin.
Wrapping her hand around my neck, she drew me towards her and our lips gently met.
If I'd thought our kisses before were something, then this one blew them all out of the water. I could've stayed there and kissed Leah forever.
Eventually though we retreated out of the kitchen, first to the living room and then when it got later to Leah's room, an inner sanctum I'd never ventured into before.
We kissed and we held hands and we talked.
Leah described to me her confusion upon first meeting me. She had found me attractive, but at the same time I had just been introduced to her as her mother's boyfriend's daughter, and over time the guilt over her attraction had grown.
I reminisced about the first time I had seen her with Emily and how I had been so surprised when I arrived back in Forks to find that the small town had a much larger gay community than I had expected.
Eventually, tiredness took over and I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up snuggled against Leah, my head resting on her shoulder, her arm around my waist. I blinked sleepily. I hadn't expected to fall asleep in the same bed with her, but I had just been so tired.
So much for my determination that we would move slow in this relationship. Although I supposed the fact that both of our clothes remained intact and on was good sign of our restraint.
A lock of hair had fallen across Leah's face and I brushed it back. Although her eyes remained closed, she smiled.
"Morning," she whispered.
"Good morning."
Taking the initiative for once, I leaned in and kissed her. Her lips moved against mine and then she drew back, giving me one last peck on the nose, before her eye fluttered open.
"Bella -"
The sound of the front door closing cut her off and seconds later there was the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs.
"Hey, Leah!"
Seth burst into the room and then stopped, his eyes bugging wide.
I felt myself cringing at the sight we must have presented and we scrambled to disentangle ourselves from each other and stand up.
"Mom!" he yelled loudly, making me flinch.
"What is it?" Sue called, starting to climb the stairs. "Is Leah back?"
She appeared on the top hallway, Charlie right behind her, and then stopped, surprised at finding myself and Leah together.
Charlie looked between us and then stepped forwards.
"Bells?" he asked. "What's going on?"
This was it. Although I could never have imagined us telling our parents this way.
Leah was silent for a moment and I felt myself growing angry. Was she just going to lie and cut me out of her life again?
To my surprise though, she didn't move away from me like I thought she would. Instead she took my hand and looked both our parents in the eye.
"Mom, Charlie. Bella and I have something to tell you."
I squeezed her hand, and smiled.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fifth Street Gaming is a diversified Las Vegas hospitality and Casino Management company that owns, operates and/or manages numerous casinos, hotels, restaurants, bars and gaming taverns throughout the Las Vegas valley. Fifth Street Gaming has a management philosophy of being fiscally responsible while providing a unique and interesting guest experience. Fifth Street Gaming's team consists of industry experts who have experience in gaming, hotel operations, restaurant concept development, marketing and strategy development and implementation. Fifth Street Gaming believes in an holistic approach to managing a property no matter the size as the programming of the casino, hotel and F&B are all an integral part of the guest experience and ultimately the collaboration of these divisions lead to operational efficiencies that impact the bottom line. While Fifth Street Gaming's senior leadership team have experience working for large corporations the entrepreneurial spirit of its founders has created a culture among its employees of a small company which makes every employee feel important and instills a level of pride in their work.
Fifth Street Gaming has four main business operations: casinos aimed at the Las Vegas tourist market, casinos and taverns catering to Las Vegas locals, restaurants and bars, and interactive gaming.
The company's flagship casino management property is the Downtown Grand Las Vegas, which features 600 slot machines, 30 table games, 630 hotel rooms, 18 bars and restaurants, an iconic rooftop pool deck named PICNIC and much more. The Downtown Grand is the crown jewel of Downtown3rd, an authentic urban neighborhood that includes the Mob Museum, the famous Hogs & Heifers and the Downtown3rd Farmer's Market. The property is owned by CIM Group, Gaming operations are run by Fifth Street Gaming, Hotel and Food & Beverage operations are run by DTG Las Vegas Manager.
Other Fifth Street Gaming operations include the Lucky Club Casino & Hotel, Silver Nugget Casino, Siegel Slots and Suite and Opera House Casino, which cater primarily to North Las Vegas locals, and Little Macau Ultra Tavern, an upscale gaming lounge in Las Vegas' Chinatown neighborhood. Fifth Street Gaming is also the licensee for Downtown Project's Western Hotel & Casino and Gold Spike Hotel & Casino.
Fifth Street Gaming's restaurants and bars include Triple George Grill and MOB Bar in the Downtown Grand, i♥burgers, Lobster ME on the Las Vegas Strip, and the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Jamba Juice locations around the valley.
Fifth Street Gaming is also a pioneer in interactive gaming, with over ten years experience and the creation of Facebook's first baccarat game (Golden Dragon Baccarat) to its credit.


text:
Inspired by the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's world famous tale, the 4-star Der Kleine Prinz (The Little Prince) is surely one of the best addresses and, of course, the most charming hotel in the German city of Baden-Baden. This 4-star hotel is the perfect place to stay for those who are looking for a quality accommodation. It offers comfort and services in a nice setting and a cozy atmosphere that will make you immediately feel at ease. Der Kleine Prinz is ideal for a romantic weekend and for relaxing moments at Baden-Baden's thermal baths. But you can also have fun at the city's casino, or enjoy an evening at the renowned Opera and Festival Hall. On-site facilities include a gourmet restaurant serving local cuisine for breakfast, lunch, dinner, light fare, and afternoon tea. There is a cozy lobby with a fireplace, a 24-hour drink service, a library, and 4 meeting and conference rooms. Moreover, the hotel offers a daily complimentary tea and coffee service from 2:30-5 PM, and complimentary wireless Internet access in the lobby and library. Guests will also appreciate the complimentary newspapers in the lobby. The hotel offers a roundtrip airport shuttle on request (surcharge), or for guests arriving by car, parking is available for a fee.venere.com
24 hour front desk
Car rental
Babysitting or child care
Bicycle rental
Business center
Concierge service
Currency exchange on-site
Express check out
Gift shop
Hot tub
Laundry service
Meeting/Banquet facilities
No smoking
Room service
Ski storage
Storage available
Get Rates
Get Flight + Hotel


text:
10 Steps to Pick the Right Doctor
Whether you need a primary care doctor or a specialist, these 10 steps will ensure you find the right doctor for you. View Slideshow
- Aortic Repair, Open or Repair of Arterial Aneurysm, Open
- Cardiac Catheterization (incl. Coronary Angiography)
- Cardiac Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
- Cardioverter-Defibrillator or Pacemaker Insertion, Removal or Repair
- Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) or Excision of Infected Graft
- Chest CT (incl. Heart and Lungs)
- Coronary Angioplasty, Atherectomy and Stent
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery
- Decortication and Pleurectomy
- Heart Defect Repair
- Impella Device
- Lobectomy, Open
- Lung Removal (Partial or Complete): Open, or Resection of Lung Tumor: Open
- Maze Procedure
- Non-Coronary Angioplasty, Atherectomy, and Stenting
- Pacemaker Insertion or Replacement
- Peripheral Artery Catheterization
- Resection of Cardiac Tumor
- Thoracentesis
- Thromboendarterectomy or Excision of Infected Graft
- Tracheal Surgery
- Valve Repair or Replacement (Aortic, Mitral, Tricuspid, and Pulmonary)
- Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) or Thoracotomy
- Aneurysm and Dissection of Heart
- Angina and Acute Coronary Syndrome
- Aortic Aneurysm
- Aortic Ectasia
- Aortic Valve Disease
- Arrhythmias (incl. Atrial Fibrillation)
- Cardiomegaly
- Cardiomyopathy
- Carotid Artery Disease
- Congenital Aortic Valve Disorders
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
- Heart Attack (Acute Myocardial Infarction)
- Heart Tumors, Benign
- Lung Cancer
- Mitral Valve Disease
- Pericardial Disease
- Peripheral Arterial Aneurysm and Dissection
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Septal Defect
Background Check for Dr. Altergott
0 Malpractice Claims
- No malpractice history found for Indiana.
- No sanctions history found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
0 Board Actions
- No board actions found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
Education & Training
Medical School
- Loyola University Of Chicago/Stritch School Of Medicine
- Graduated in 1980
Residency Hospital
- Loyola University Med Center
- Complete in 1985
Fellowship Hospital
- Loyola University Chicago Stritch School Of Med
- Complete in 1987
Languages Spoken by Dr. Altergott & Staff
- English


text:
Alabama Firm Recalls Hot Dog Products
Updated: 11/10/2008 - R. L. Zeigler Co., Inc., a Selma, Ala., firm, is recalling approximately 28,610 pounds of hot dog products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Updated: 11/10/2008 - R. L. Zeigler Co., Inc., a Selma, Ala., firm, is recalling approximately 28,610 pounds of hot dog products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Updated: 11/10/2008 - Alabama firm recalls approximately 28,610 pounds of hot dog products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes,
Updated: 11/07/2008 - A warning to you about a couple of things you might have around your house that could be a danger to you and your family. One of which could even kill you. The details are in this week's Recalls and Ripoffs.
Posted: 11/06/2008 - Older adults nearing age 65, or on Medicare due to a disability, are urged to consider their prescription drug coverage options during the Medicare Part D open enrollment period (November 15 through December 31, 2008).
Updated: 11/06/2008 - The use of these syringes may lead to patients receiving an overdose of as much as 2.5 times the intended dose, which may lead to hypoglycemia, serious health consequences, and even death.
Updated: 11/05/2008 - The defendants are U.S. Work Alliance, Inc., d/b/a Exam Services, Tyler Franklin Long, and Brenda Long, all based in Norcross, Georgia.
Updated: 11/04/2008 - Do you know what to do if you have trouble at the polls? Maybe your ballot isn't right or your name isn't on the list. There probably won't be any problems for you, but you need to be prepared just in case.
Posted: 11/03/2008 - The cold weather has finally settled in and many of you, especially seniors are trying to find a way to keep warm and cut costs.
Updated: 11/03/2008 - Everlasting Distributors Inc., Bayonne NJ is initiating a nationwide recall of all their 3.88oz packages of Fresh and Crispy Jacobina Biscuits because it may be contaminated with Melamine.
Posted: 10/31/2008 - Evictions in Richmond County are up and a lot of it has to do with the economy.
Updated: 10/31/2008 - There's a big recall on candy this Halloween. It's contaminated with a chemical that's affected a lot of other food from China lately. But the recall won't necessarily affect you or your child's Halloween.
Updated: 10/31/2008 - It can be a struggle to pay all the bills these days and things could be getting even tougher for SCE&G customers.
Posted: 10/31/2008 - The chain brake can fail to stop the chain on its first application, posing a risk of laceration to consumers.
Posted: 10/30/2008 - Ghost Tealight Holders Recalled by Trade Associates Group and Crate & Barrel Due to Fire and Burn Hazard
Updated: 10/30/2008 - A recent dip in metal prices, because of the economy, is having a positive effect on copper thefts, but investigators say don't get too comfortable -- it's time to protect yourself.
Updated: 10/30/2008 - A south Augusta man separated from his family is trying to figure out what to do after the city condemned his home. Poor living conditions prompted the city to step in.
Posted: 10/29/2008 - Coyne's & Company Inc. issues voluntary recall of the Casper the Friendly Ghost® Halloween Mini-Figurines due to high levels of lead in the paint.
Updated: 10/29/2008 - If you haven't gotten your economy stimulus check or tax return yet, the IRS wants to talk to you. It has $266 million in undelivered checks ready to go and a big chunk of it belongs in Georgia and South Carolina.
Updated: 10/28/2008 - With the downhill ski ride the stock market has been taking lately, many of you may be wondering what to do with whats left of your investments. Do you pull them out or stay the course?
Updated: 10/28/2008 - A major reason for the current economy has been bad home loans. Turns out lots of people have them. Refinancing could help some homeowners. But there are some things you should know before you jump in.
Updated: 10/28/2008 - Right now is a scary time in our economy, especially for those less fortunate. That's why volunteers with the "It's Spooky To Be Hungry" food drive says they need your donations now more than ever.
Updated: 10/28/2008 - A harmful email claiming to be from a trusted source and a recall on a popular kids toy top the list in this edition of Recalls and Ripoffs.
Updated: 10/22/2008 - It's no secret, times are tight. But some things just have to be purchased, like eye glasses. Those can be a major budget buster, unless you know where to get affordable glasses.
Posted: 10/21/2008 - In today's economy, keeping homes warm in the winter months may be tougher. News 12 is on your side with ways to save when the weather is cooler.
Updated: 10/21/2008 - They are voluntarily recalling one specific lot of Hartz Chicken-Basted Rawhide Chips due to concerns that one or more bags within the lot are potentially contaminated with Salmonella.


text:
We are a full-service, commercial real estate firm. By full service, we mean management, brokerage, development and consulting services throughout the United States. Each group responds to our clients' needs, and they work together to utilize the resources that come with more than 130 years of experience and over 200 employees. Together, we manage over 21,000,000 square feet of property and we've developed in excess of nine million square feet of projects in every corner of the nation.
Triwest Healthcare Alliance Corp. leased 64,345 square feet of space at 7930 NW 110th Street, Kansas City, Missouri. Greg Swetnam of Kessinger/Hunter and Adam Tilton and Ross Simpson of Colliers International negotiated the lease.
Plastic Packaging Technologies leased 56,384 square feet of space at Kaw Point, 1401 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas City, Kansas. Matthew Severns, CCIM and Patrick J. McGannon, SIOR of Kessinger/Hunter negotiated the lease.
Walgreen Company leased 3,196 square feet of space at 15200 Santa Fe Trail, Lenexa, Kansas. Debbie Schulte, SIOR of Kessinger/Hunter and Chuck Connealy of Waterford Property Group negotiated the lease.
All Copy Products, LLC leased 4,688 square feet of space at 8932 Bond Street, Overland Park, Kansas. Michael Watson of Kessinger/Hunter and Erik Lund of Jones Lang LaSalle negotiated the lease.
R.S. Hughes Company, Inc. renewed its lease of 8,155 square feet of space at 1610-1614 N. Topping, Kansas City, Missouri. Dan Jensen, SIOR of Kessinger/Hunter negotiated the renewal.
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Dial Plan - Routing via Caller IDReport
Priorities are not complicated. Each extension starts with priority 1, all additional priorities are "n" and you ALWAYS end your extension with a Goto or a Hangup so the call doesn't fall off your intended extension and hump into the middle of some other extension and screw everything up. ================================================================ You are pretty close, I think it's your priorities that are the problem. When I use "Ex Girl Friend Logic" I write my extensions this way:
exten => 6140000000/6149999999,1,Goto(context2,s,1)
exten => 6140000000/6149999998,1,Goto(context3,s,1)
exten => 6140000000,1,Dial(SIP/7777,25)
I agree, priorities are very tricky in this case, and I've spent…
Asterisk InsecureReport
This setting specifies how to handle connections with peers. By default Asterisk will authenticate all connections (this is the same as insecure=no). The parameters invite and port were added in v1.2.x (and are to be used when you trust the IP of the caller), yes and very were removed in v1.6.x. Note: yes/very are deprecated in 1.8
Caller id on follow meReport
Hi there,
I'm giving a try to FollowMe app. I've configured a few profiles and
everything but caller id worked fine. The problem is that caller id is
replaced by "asterisk" and called parties don't see the real caller id
(regardless the PSTN destinations in follow me profiles, those cases are
perfectly understandable because caller id is replaced by trunk or line
used to send the call out). Is it possible to forward or pass-through the
original caller id when using FollowMe app?
Thanks for your help. Paul
Normal ringing tone for the caller, while call waiting.Report
Hi ,
When I make a call to an extension, which is on another call, the called
party (who is on call waiting) will get a BEEP sound. But the caller gets
the normal ringing tone. Is there any way to have a different dialer tone
for the Caller, which lets him know that the other person is on a call.. i.e. When A calls B, while B is already on a call with C, Is there a way to
let A get a message that B is busy on another call. Thank you. Regards,
use of Read cmd with AGIReport
Hello, Using AGI script to accept the input from caller but input value is not getting stored in variable. Extract from AGI Script: $agi = new AGI();
$agi-> exec('Background','press_one0&press_two0&press_zero0');
$agi-> exec('Read','NUMBER,,1,3');
$agi-> verbose ("You have entered".$NUMBER); Console Output:
AGI Script Executing Application: (Background) Options: (press_one0&press_two0&press_zero0)
asterisk MCID detectionReport
Hello List,
Does asterisk 1.8 or 10 provides any events or Dialplan application to detect MCID (Malicious Caller Identification) in an incoming call?
Please provide any sample Dialplan if possible. Thanks & Regards,
Praking lot issues.Report
Ok I now have the basics for dynamic parking working but for some reason
when a caller calls in and is parked with a transfer the return call dials
the sip peer of the caller and not hte peer of the last party that parked
the call. Anyone have any ideas on this? Also when a call is transfered to
a parking space. the caller hears the space number. How can I stop that as
well? Thanks Bryant
Define custom vm-login sound file per VM context?Report
Is it possible to define a customize the which sound file is played when I
send a caller to VoiceMailMain()? By default the sound file is vm-login.
other way to play a different sound file in place of vm-login? I have already replaced the default file and named it the same vm-login.x
but still I am only able to play one file, not a different file depending
on the VM context I send the caller to. I am sure someone has…
Set(CALLERID(name)) when incoming call is "anonymous"Report
I'm trying to figure out why I can't pass through caller ID details
that I set manually if the incoming call that I am forwarding was
anonymous. Our reception staff need to know which number the client was calling
in on so they can give the right greeting message when answering. E.g. I have the following in our dialplan for one reception number
(similar for others): G_RECEPTION=SIP/1111&SIP/2222 exten => 12345678,1,Set(CALLERID(name)=ORG1)
exten => 12345678,n,Set(CALLERID(name-pres)=allowed)
exten => 12345678,n,Dial(${G_RECEPTION},15,i)
exten => 12345678,n,VoiceMail(12345678,su)
exten => 12345678,n,Hangup() Normally this works great with the name "ORG1" and…
Park() ignores 'r' option which should disable music on hold in favour of ringing toneReport
When I receive a call, I want to automatically park it from the dialplan so that I can retrieve it later. However, I don't want callers to be aware that they are being parked, so I want to play a ringing tone to the caller. Park() is supposed to be able to do this:
r: Send ringing instead of MOH to the parked call.
s: Silence announcement of the parking space number. I've created an extension to test this with, here's what I have in extensions.conf: exten => *10,1,Answer
exten => *10,n,Park(120000,special,*59,1,rs)


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Goodbye Letter
Dearest Friends,
We are closing the red studio door one final time.
One Love Generation has provided free programming for the teen artist community since 2009 and we have been able to maintain funding until now. It has been an honor serving the youth of our community and seeing so many kids grow up to be young adults right before our eyes.
We thank Ashley Schick, our program director, and the many "grown up" artist mentors who have also passed through the studio's red door. I know all of the parents are with me when I say "thank you" for sharing your knowledge with the future artists of ATL (out of the goodness of your heart). Much gratitude to the Goat Farm for graciously hosting us over the years & to all of our supporters, partners, parents, volunteers … and to you, person reading this letter.
A message to the six generations of teen artists: Continue to create to limitless extents. Continue to love and be open for others to love you. Continue to explore – there is a whole world out there. You were a part of something very important and you will always be in our family. It has been an honor.
Parents: For questions on transitioning into Atlanta art programs, please feel free to reach out. As the lovely supportive mama, Mrs. Seals, once said, "It remains to be seen what these kids will become."
Teen Art Orgs: We are donating our art supplies to organizations with aligned missions. Please let us know if you are in need & also if you have space for new students in your program.
Thank you for supporting our organization over the years and please continue to invest your time and love in the teenagers of the world.
Hearts and Art signing off,
Miss Jennifer


text: The hostel is a very nice and clean place. It's located very close to General Osorio Metro Station in a very safe place. There's not even at the bell a sign that there is a hostel. So remember to have the exact address when you get there. The staff there is horrible. Not friendly and they couldn't tell us anything,... More


text:
How to Prevent Company Secrets from Leaving the Premises
When you are running a company, you have to work with all sorts of people, some of which will be loyal to you until the end, while some will always be looking to betray you the first chance
Why You Should Not Tolerate Texting in the Workplace
Cell phones have taken the form of electronic drugs, raising a serious concern for employers.
Spy Apps: Are Employers Going Too Far?
The trend of employee monitoring seems to be catching on as employers are turning to spying software like Mobistealth to see how their employees are spending their time at work.
Here's What You Need to be a Cool Spy
Do you want to know the secrets of your friends? Are you interested in becoming a spy, or an undercover agent just for fun's sake? If yes, then you are lucky to live in this world full of
Study finds link between higher wages and less theft at a company
A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois looked at the correlation between a worker's wages and the likelihood of the employee stealing.
Employee monitoring policies being created across the country
The Mehlville Fire Protection District has recently implemented a new social media policy for its firefighters, and it is hoping to stop any problems before they arise, according to the Meh
Attention small business owners: your Mac doesn't make you safe
Small business owners must decide what brand of computer, mobile device and other forms of technology they want their employees using.
Organizations struggle with employees "BYOD"
There has been a growing problem surrounding employers who allow a "bringing your own device" (BYOD) to work policy, as this often gives employees access to the company's n


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Our new "How to Study the Bible" series starts soon! Sign up today.
strong as death. (1.) One of David's thirty warriors (2 Sam. 23:31).
(2.) An overseer over the royal treasury in the time of David and Solomon (1 Chr. 27:25).
(3.) A town in the tribe of Judah, near Jerusalem (Neh. 12:29; Ezra 2:24).
(4.) 1 Chr. 8:36


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6102 reviews | 4.3 out of 5
I was truly amazed at what a great product this is. It blended up huge frozen bananas and whole kale leaves in just 20 seconds. The smoothie was by far fresher and tastier than the ones I have made in my blender.
Nutribullet the fun easy way to make smoothies and juices and anything else you can think of. Easy to clean easy to use. Fun for everyone.
I can't believe the amazing smoothies I am able to make with the nutribullet I was given to test out! It really is an amazingly powerful machine. It is so strong it can blend seeds and stems and make everything drinkable and Delicious. Since I have gotten my nutribullet my husband and i have been replacing a meal a day with a smoothie and we are already starting to feel better after just a week! Just having it around makes you want to be a healthier person. My kids even love it!
The Nutribullet Pro 900 was the highlight of our Smoothie Social! All my guests were curious about it and they all wanted to blend their own smoothie. I liked the convenience of being able to drink from the mixing cup and the various sizes of cups it offered. The recipe book was very helpful in giving us ideas of what to make for the party.
This is a great product for a great deal. The food is yummy and fun to make. The product is great quality!
I have Crohn's and I started using the NUTRiBULLET as soon as I got it in the mail. I've been replacing at least one meal a day with it. I've felt better and more energetic than usual, and I've lost 3 lbs. It really has been a blessing.
We have been using the Nutribullet at least 2 times a day to make smoothies. After all the use and abuse Nutribullet is still going strong. I love you are able to see and watch how is chops up all the goodness.
I loved using the nutribullet and so did everyone else at the party. It was a breeze to use. You really couldn't mess it up. It chopped even the largest frozen strawberries easily. Everyone was so impressed. Amazing!!! I think everyone at the party are going to be going out and buying their own.
For years, I had been making my smoothies via blender that had a dull blade and often left my fruit whole or wouldn't chop the ice up completely. While it still tasted fine, it was annoying gulping down a large berry and the thing was a PAIN to clean. Que: Nutribullet Pro 900-this thing has been a GAME CHANGER! It is super easy to clean, you use so many less parts, you can blend it in the same cup you take with you out the door. Truly the best thing!
The NutriBullet® Pro 900 is an amazing product to have in the kitchen. We used it to crush and blend ice not thinking that it would be as smooth as it was. We were so surprised that even with piling a bunch of hard ingredients in there, it turned them into a soft and smooth mouthwatering treat. No chunks to be seen for days! We absolutely loved the quality of the FREE NutriBullet® Pro 900! A few folks even ran out to buy one that day! Every family should consider investing in one of these for those hot summer days for cool iced drinks, and for those healthy "start your morning" day awakening treats!
I have always seen and heard about NutriBullet's and how awesome they are, so I was very pleased that I got to review a NutriBullet Pro 900 for myself!! I knew right away I would love this new product in my kitchen. Beforehand, I've always used a juicer and hated the idea of wasting all that fruit and veggie pulp. I knew there had to be away we could soak up all the goods from the fruit and veggies we're grinding up, and NutriBullet solved that problem for me! And it is SO easy to use! Adding in whatever produce you want, with some ice and water, or delicious Silk milk products, placing the lid on and letting the bullet blend it all into a delicious and healthy drink with no foods being wasted. It's like a dream come true. And even the clean up afterward is so simple. The NutriBullet has truly become my new best friend. I love the benefits in using it, as I can now intake the much needed fruit and vegetables I need each day. I've felt so much better since having the NutriBullet, it's a product I definitely recommend. Disclaimer: I received the following product for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.
I recieved the nutribullet pro 900 free from houseparty to try out and share with friends and I absolutely love the power this machine has! In such a short amount of time, it pulverizes everything in the blender for a very smooth drink. I'd definitely recommend it.
I received the Nutri bullet 900 free from House Party, so glad I got the opportunity to get this product and share with friends and family. We had a great time making all kinds of smoothies and we even made a black bean dip too. The Nutri bullet works great, so easy to use and will make trying to eat and be healthier such an easy thing to do on a daily basis .
I received a free NutriBullet Pro 900 from House Party. It's really easy to set up and remove. I love the fact that it came with so many cups of different sizes with different lids; it makes things very convenient. It also came with recipe books, that included recipes for food as well as smoothies!
It was hard to get the bigger chunks of frozen fruit to blend well. I had to do quite a bit of tapping, and even removing the cup and stirring. But it didn't take that long, and the end product was worth it. It's very easy to clean. I recommended it to my friends!
I had heard so much about the Nutribullet, but honestly thought it was just really a high priced blender and I could do the same thing with a conventional blender. Yep, I was totally wrong there! The Nutribullet Pro made the blender look like a dinosaur when it came to making smoothies for the party. Not only was the final beverage from the Nutribullet Pro better blended to a smooth delicious texture and consistency, the bullets really help you make just the right size smoothly so you don't waste ingredients by making too much or too little. It is super easy to clean and with 2 blending bases, 4 bullets and tops that attach to the bullet so you can take it with you on the go, this is now at the top of my gift list to give to friends and family for future events.
Having the NutriBullet will be a asset to my kitchen. I am so glad I won this party and received the NutriBullet for Free. The Nutribullet pro 900 was sooooo smooth and it can blend up and turn anything into a liquid quick ,fast and in a hurry.
This five star FREE houseparty was a blast to host using the Nutribullet Pro 900!! All of my guests were amazed at how easy it is to simply rinse and reuse! Everything we tried was free and it was a great, healthy meal or a treat to share with others... like my new grandbaby! These delicious Nutriblast Smoothies will be fresh and quick to make before or after a workout or early in the mornings for a boost!
The NurtriBullet Pro 900 crushes all other smoothie makers and it not only crushes other brands it crushes ice cubes. It was so easy to use. I also loved that I could make a smoothie, rinse it out and make my daughter a different flavor of smoothie. I simplicity of it makes it 5 stars! there are not a ton of parts to clean, it is compact so it is easy to store and it makes the smoothest smoothies. Thank you so much NurtiBullet for making a 5 star product that my whole family can enjoy!!!!
The nutri bullet was super easy to use and even easier to clean up. I have made smoothies before in a regular blender and couldn't believe what a difference a high-powered blender could make. There are so many possibilities I can't wait to make more. Although I did receive the product for free to test, this is an unbiased review.
by far the best blender i have ever owned.. threw my old one out.. nutribullet 900 is only blender for me


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NPR Newscast
4min 45sec
Rita Wilson, seen here performing in March, is the editor-at-large of the Huff/Post50 section of The Huffington Post.
Michael Buckner/Getty Images
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May 31, 2013 Rita Wilson talked to Tell Me More on Friday about editing a section of The Huffington Post.
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Cover of What Soldiers Do
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May 31, 2013 Historian Mary Louise Roberts' new book explores the interactions between soldiers and French women after the U.S. liberated France. She found that American soldiers horrified some towns by having sex with prostitutes in public places, and 1944 saw a wave of rape accusations against GIs.
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In The East, Ellen Page (left) and Alexander Skarsgard play members of an anarchist eco-terrorist collective.
Fox Searchlight
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May 31, 2013 The East is a romantic activist outlaw fantasy in which Brit Marling plays an agent who poses as a radical activist to catch an eco-terrorist group. It's one of those melodramas in which someone on the morally wrong side has a spasm of conscience and maybe crosses over. Maybe.
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The cast of WE tv's Pregnant & Dating. They are all pregnant. Also dating.
WE tv
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May 31, 2013 What do you expect from a show called Pregnant & Dating? Presumably you expect pregnancy and dating.
May 31, 2013 Some news organizations are saying 'thanks, but no thanks' to an off-the-record meeting with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He offered to discuss guidelines involving the Justice Department's investigation of security leaks to the press. Host Michel Martin checks in with the Barbershop guys.
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May 31, 2013 Author Andrea Davis Pinkney won this year's Coretta Scott-King award for her children's book, 'Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America.' It's all about digging deeper into the lives of some of America's most important figures. For Tell Me More's occasional 'In Your Ear' series, she shares the songs that inspire her.
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May 31, 2013 Host Michel Martin and editor Ammad Omar crack open the listener mailbox for backtalk. This week, they talk about a controversy surrounding the possible sale of fine art in Detroit to settle the city's debts.
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May 31, 2013 Some people say your 20s and 30s are the prime of your life. But actress and producer Rita Wilson says 50 is a great age. She's the editor-at-large of the Huff/Post50 website. She joins host Michel Martin to talk about how she's been able to follow her dreams after 50, and help others do the same.
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May 31, 2013 In honor of V.I.P. Dan Kennedy and his new novel American Spirit, puzzle guru John Chaneski cooks up a patriotic final round in which all the answers are phrases or titles that contain the word "America" or "American." America's got talent" — and yes, we mean you, brainy listeners.
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"I was just having an out-of-body experience, where I was like, 'You're on a game show, and Hootie and the Blowfish is the answer.' How did this happen?" — Dan Kennedy, author and host of The Moth podcast.
Lam Thuy Vo/NPR
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May 31, 2013 The author and host of The Moth Podcast explains why his interests run the gamut from wildfire-suppression techniques, to the dietary habits of trout, to blurring the lines between fact and fiction in his new novel American Spirit.
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May 31, 2013 We all know King Arthur's famous Knights of the Round Table, like Sir Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake. But do you know the Knight of Scales, Fangs and Coils: Sir Pent? In this game, host Ophira Eisenberg offers more descriptions of a word or phrase whose first syllable sounds like "Sir."
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May 31, 2013 Can you name all the members of the Village People? In this game, house musician Jonathan Coulton pays tribute to the group's perennial dance classic, "Y.M.C.A.," with the song's lyrics rewritten test your knowledge of other four-letter abbreviations. You'll be singing along A.S.A.P.!
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May 31, 2013 A "spoonerism" is a play on words in which the initial sounds of two words are reversed. Play a game in which puzzle guru John Chaneski asks contestants to make spoonerisms out of movie and song titles.
<iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/187052665/187052652" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">
May 31, 2013 Can you guess the Simpsons character whose first name is a Presidential middle name? In this game, Jonathan Coulton spices up the names of U.S. Presidents by "expanding" their middle names to include other famous people or characters.
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May 31, 2013 This game pays homage to the board game Clue, and its hilarious film adaptation, by adopting its standard phrasing for a solved murder mystery: "Professor Plum, in the billiard room, with the candlestick!" Host Ophira Eisenberg doles out Clue-style descriptions of murder plots in famous films.
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It's a "Christian parody" of Bruno Mars' "Grenade." It's a parody, I assume, because everything she says in the lyrics are laughable…? (via Joe. My. God.) [Read more...]
He Gave Up His Life for You…
Rapper Gripp Releases Atheism-Themed Album
A rapper by the name of Marshall "Gripp" Gillson (also a 2009 graduate of Morehouse College) is independently releasing (PDF) an album today called Head in the Cloud. Several of the singles from it have atheistic themes, including the song "The Future Goes": An excerpt from the lyrics (at the 1:14 mark): So when we [Read More...]
Swan Pride
Here's a terrific music video with an even better message: Support marriage equality. The band, Bye June, conveys the message via shadow puppets and swans. The obstacle to the swans' love? Not a surprise… The lead singer/songwriter, Gil Kline, said this about the video: "I wrote this song because my cousin is in 10 year [Read More...]
A Super Bowl Sunday Ad You Won't See During the Game
American Atheists will have a plane fly a banner over Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon, hoping to get the attention of tailgaters… and the media: The banner will read "Football beats church anytime – atheists.org." The banner is scheduled to be in the air from 9:30-11:30 AM local time. Dave Silverman, President [Read More...]
Former Survivor Contestant Rupert Speaks Out in Favor of Marriage Equality During Gubernatorial Bid
I feel like such a fair-weather Survivor fan for saying this, but I had no idea popular contestant Rupert Boneham was running to become the Governor of Indiana (as a Libertarian): He recently released this video promising to fight against House Joint Resolution No. 6, which would limit marriage to that between a man and [Read More...]


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Deerhoof: Reveille
Kill Rock Stars/5RC
Perhaps you had a friend like Deerhoof's singer Satomi Matsuzaki in grade school: the forlorn, creative type who turned every doll's tea party into a miniature Dadaist excursion at Cabaret Voltaire. Even in her adult years, Matsuzaki is still that type of girl. But just one listen to the San Francisco quartet's third full-length release suggests that such a colorful worldview isn't just passing nostalgia.
Reveille is a giddy fusion of tweedle-dee vocals and haphazard instrumentation that can only evoke those bygone wind-up-toy days. In its vinyl form (which is distributed courtesy of Minneapolis label Global Buddy), Reveille instantly evokes memories of all of those freewheeling moments you spent listening to the record player, banging along to the songs with makeshift percussion. This is, after all, a group so playful that it covered the Shaggs' "My Pal Foot Foot" on a recent 7-inch--a testament to frivolousness if ever there was one.
But Deerhoof, who have been together since the mid-Nineties, are no amateurs, and Reveille is anything but a kid's record. However hummable the songs may be, there's a depth to them. The band's own reveille sounds with "This Magnificent Bird Will Rise," an assemblage of magnetic-poetry-style spoken word, broken down by a noisy guitar grind. The song is followed by the soap-bubble pop of "The Eyebright Bugler," a miniature that's sweet yet foreboding--like an Everlasting Gobstopper suddenly swallowed. But the mood quickly shifts on "Punch Buggy Valves" with fragmented lyrics and barely distinguishable eeps and oops, which sound like someone spontaneously composing a fugue on the way to school.
Still, an album like Reveille could never come together impulsively: There's precision in the movements of "The Last Trumpeter Swan," which contains an up-and-down guitar line that could have been filched from KRS label mates Unwound. On "Days and Nights in the Forest," Matsuzaki's day-dream lyrics about spirits in the trees could only come from someone who's still in touch with her mischievous side. Reveille was obviously conceived with imagination. It takes a certain degree of trained musicianship to create such beauty from chaos. Anything else is just child's play.
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Great going Chuckie boy, we knew you would turn some day. Full Circle: LGF Now Defending Palliwood MPJ: It's not laughable as much as it is sad. You'll notice just how elaborate a scenario has to be constructed to try … Continue reading
Category Archives: LGF
H/T Atlas Bing! Pamela nails the green lizard drag queen once again. HAHAHAHAHA Share this:Facebook … Continue reading
Thanks to Zip at Weasel Zippers for this: Chuckie sees waycists at the Tea Party It's state flag of Tennessee HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Robert Spencer adds: Weasel Zippers has found the comment above, in which Johnson says that he is "fairly sure" … Continue reading
Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs, a friend and colleague of the Tundra Tabloids, once again pulls back the "Little Green Curtain" to expose the mendaciousness of the former popular blogger, Charles Johnson. The editor of the former pseudo right-wing blog LGF, recently … Continue reading
Vasarahammer nails it: "King Charles's methods have been exposed in NYT." That is what LGF will be remembered for, not Rather-Gate. KGS NYT: "I was such a small fish at the time," Geller said. "I realized I was basically committing … Continue reading
When he's not busy libeling someone he's in search of waycists The Baron tosses the Tundra Tabloids the following bit of news concerning Danish magazine 180grader, which quotes the out-of-the-closet Leftist as saying that, Lars Hedegaard, chairman of Trykkefrihedsselskabet, is … Continue reading
THEY DON'T PROVE A THING! BUT ACCORDING TO JOHNSON IT'S THE SMOKING GUN! The Tundra Tabloids received information about the latest nonsense coming from CJohnson at LGF, (a staunch GW supporter) who can't stand to see Al Gore taken to … Continue reading
PURE HUMOUR WRAPPED IN IRONY JOHNSON CAUGHT LYING ON THE INTERNET IT'S NOTHING NEW BUT SURE IS FUN TO WATCH! Weasel Zippers catches Johnson in yet another escapade of lies and obfuscations, that expose the Green Lizard for what he … Continue reading
In the latest adventures of lgf's Charles Johnson a.k.a. "Race Detective", Bite Me Comics presents CJ in his newest role as "The Green Lizard". It's rip roaring funny! read it all HERE. H/T: The 'Smokin Hot Chick' Pamela Geller READ … Continue reading
LGL..LGF..LGF H/T PAMELA Share this:Facebook … Continue reading
GONE! Thanks to Holger Danske for the following bit of news, of Charles "the insignificant" Johnson, who's now come out of the closet to reveal his hidden secret that he's a Lefty. Good to finally get rid of this huckster … Continue reading
CLICK THE PIC FOR A CLOSEUP CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE SEGMENT OF THIS WEEKS EDITION OF: RACE DETECTIVE! A special thanks to that someone (you know who you are) for the heads up.KGS Share this:Facebook … Continue reading
Pamela Geller @ Atlas Shrugs: It doesn't get any better than this. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The Tundra Tabloids is impressed! This happens to be one of the best portrayals yet about the of serial libelist and paranoid pony tailed pseudo conservative blogger, Charles Johnson. Click … Continue reading
CJ: "As Glenn Beck does his best impression of Joseph McCarthy and tries to get White House Communications Director Anita Dunn hounded out of office for quoting Mao Zedong in a speech at St. Andrews Episcopal School, all I can … Continue reading
LGF JOKERMAN OCCUPATION: Lying libel spewer Many thanks to Pamela Geller for the heads up, the Tundra Tabloids and Atlas had a great laugh together over the picture, which captures Charles Johnson perfectly. The man is as Geller says, a … Continue reading
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I am so much a cheese head I can't tell a 'centrist' from a hard core Leftist radical (click to enlargen, the url is here) The highly esteemed Charles Krauthammer has just recently stated that B.Hussein Obama is not a centrist, but a … Continue reading
LGF: OVERNIGHT OCEAN THREAD Is Charley boy letting his mask slip, showing his true political leanings in the picture he took, and used for an open thread at LGF? HAHAHAHAHAHA UPDATE! LGF teams up with LoonWatch Malevolent libel blogger Charles Johnson … Continue reading
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAAHHHAHAHAAHAHA KGS The following video is to provide context: Glenn Beck boils a frog Share this:Facebook … Continue reading
But 'wonder boy' has something to say Contrary to what Little Green Footballs states, the incidents of terror attempts are not waning, it's that law enforcement is getting better at fishing the Islamic-fascist terror cells out before they can carry … Continue reading
Apostate From Islam Watch: Rifqa Bary is 'Johnsoned' by Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs…….
Rifqa Bary: I'll pray for ya Chuck Rifqa Bary: The NOOR Mosque Marks Anniversary of US Marine Bombing in Beirut by Hosting Hezbollah Supporter Libel blogger Goes Anti-Rifqa Bary Charles Johnson at LGF attempts another try in defeating the Counterjihad … Continue reading


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Book your room at Residence Inn Milwaukee Downtown by Marriott
Get an overview of this hotelFamily-friendly Milwaukee hotel in Downtown Milwaukee, near BMO Harris Bradley Center
This family-friendly Milwaukee hotel is within a 15-minute walk of Riverside Theater and BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World are also within 1 mi (2 km).
Hotel Features
This hotel features a 24-hour fitness center, a 24-hour business center, and self parking. Free WiFi in public areas and a free manager's reception are also provided. Additionally, coffee/tea in the lobby, a meeting room, and dry cleaning are onsite.
Room Amenities
All 131 rooms feature kitchens with refrigerators and microwaves, plus free WiFi and free wired Internet. Guests will also find sofa beds, dining areas, and sitting areas.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary. This 3-star property offers access to a 24-hour business center and a meeting room. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast as well as a complimentary manager's reception (may not be available daily). This family-friendly hotel also offers a 24-hour fitness center, gift shops/newsstands, and coffee/tea in the lobby. Parking is available onsite for a surcharge.
- 24-hour business center
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- 24-hour front desk
- ATM/banking
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Free reception
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-out
- Fireplace in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Free WiFi
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Laundry facilities
- Long-term parking (surcharge)
- Luggage storage
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Number of floors - 5
- One meeting room
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Shopping on site
- Television in lobby
- Total number of rooms - 131
- Year Built 2001
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Kitchen
- Laundry facilities
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Separate dining area
- Sofa bed
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Long-term parking (surcharge), Self parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Cable TV service
- Climate control
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free newspaper
- Free toiletries
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Desk
- Free WiFi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Hair dryer
- In-room safe
- Iron/ironing board
- Kitchen
- Microwave
- Phone
- Premium TV channels
- Refrigerator
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Room service (limited hours)
- Separate dining area
- Separate sitting area
- Shower/tub combination
- Sofa bed
Where to Eat
A complimentary breakfast is offered. The hotel offers a complimentary manager's reception on select days.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessibility equipment for the deaf
- Accessible bathroom
- Accessible path of travel
- Braille or raised signage
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
Hotel Policies
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 10 per night.
- Cribs (infant beds) are available.
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Optional extras
- Self parking fee: USD 17 per day
- Rollaway bed fee: USD 10 per night
We should mention
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.