text:
Book your room at Coral Sands Inn
Get an overview of this hotelWaterfront hotel with an outdoor pool
Located in Ormond Beach, this beachfront hotel is in the entertainment district and within 1 mi (2 km) of St. Brendan Catholic Church, Tom Renick Park, and Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church. Al Weeks Sr. North Shore Park and Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park are also within 2 mi (3 km).
Hotel Features
At Coral Sands Inn, relax by an outdoor pool or hit the private sand beach where you can enjoy surfing/boogie boarding.
Room Amenities
All 68 rooms provide conveniences like refrigerators and microwaves, plus free WiFi and cable TV. Other amenities available to guests include coffee makers, free local calls, and ceiling fans.Would you like to give us feedback? Share it! Opens in a new window
Coral Sands Inn1009 Ocean Shore Blvd Ormond Beach FL 32176
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Step outside to unwind on the sand beach. Lie back and work on your tan with relaxing beach amenities like cabanas (surcharge) and sun loungers.
Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. Limited complimentary onsite parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Coral Sands Inn is a smoke-free property.
- 24-hour front desk
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Beach cabanas (surcharge)
- Beach sun loungers
- Beach towels
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-in
- Express check-out
- Free self parking
- Free WiFi
- Laundry facilities
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Number of floors - 5
- On private beach
- Outdoor pool
- Parking (limited spaces)
- Picnic area
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Smoke-free property
- Television in common areas
- Total number of rooms - 68
- Free use of nearby fitness center
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry facilities
- Microwave
- On private beach
- Outdoor pool
- Refrigerator
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, Parking (limited spaces)
Room Amenities
- Access via exterior corridors
- Air conditioning
- Cable TV service
- Ceiling fan
- Coffee/tea maker
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Cribs/infant beds (surcharge)
- Daily housekeeping
- Free local calls
- Free WiFi
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Microwave
- Private bathroom
- Refrigerator
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include a private beach and an outdoor pool.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Kayaking nearby
- Parasailing nearby
- Fishing on site
- Surfing/boogie boarding on site
- Golfing nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
- Pets not allowed
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
- Late check-out fee: USD 30.00
- Crib (infant bed) fee: USD 15.00 per stay
- Rollaway bed fee: USD 15.00 per stay
Hotel Name
- Coral Sands Cottages
- Coral Sands Inn
- Coral Sands Inn & Seaside Cottages
- Coral Sands Inn & Seaside Cottages Ormond Beach
- Coral Sands Seaside Cottages
- Coral Sands Seaside Cottages Ormond Beach
- Coral Sands Inn Ormond Beach
- Coral Sands Ormond Beach
- Coral Sands
- Coral Sands Inn And Seaside Cottages Ormond Beach
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.


text:
Top Definition
To kill or maim in an excessively embarrassing manner. To pwn in the extreme.
I goatlanced Jimmy last week at checkers, I don't think he'll ever walk straight again.
ayon kay weakness ika-12 ng Enero, 2009
Trending Now
Ang mga sulat are galing sa email@example.com. Kailanma'y hindi kami magpapadala ng spam sa inyo.×

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|"Hoss Man (JIRA)" <j...@apache.org>
|[jira] Commented: (LUCENE-1791) Enhance QueryUtils and CheckHIts to wrap everything they check in MultiReader/MultiSearcher
|Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:50:14 GMT
[ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LUCENE-1791?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel&focusedCommentId=12743039#action_12743039 ] Hoss Man commented on LUCENE-1791: ---------------------------------- bq. The filter is applied per sub-reader Doh! .. right, that's the part i was forgetting -- filters are another thing that happen per reader now. sweet. i'll review the patch for real tomorow or sat, and maybe rip out the ItemizedFilter and replace it with something more sensical (it's a bad example that people might stumble upon, that seems even more confusing now, and i feel responsible since i'm the one that wrote it for those explanation tests anyway) > Enhance QueryUtils and CheckHIts to wrap everything they check in MultiReader/MultiSearcher > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Key: LUCENE-1791 > URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LUCENE-1791 > Project: Lucene - Java > Issue Type: Test > Reporter: Hoss Man > Fix For: 2.9 > > Attachments: LUCENE-1791.patch, LUCENE-1791.patch, LUCENE-1791.patch, LUCENE-1791.patch, LUCENE-1791.patch, LUCENE-1791.patch, LUCENE-1791.patch > > > methods in CheckHits & QueryUtils are in a good position to take any Searcher they are given and not only test it, but also test MultiReader & MultiSearcher constructs built around them -- This message is automatically generated by JIRA. - You can reply to this email to add a comment to the issue online. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com For additional commands, e-mail: email@example.com
|View raw message


text:
How The Mill Creating the First Fully Adjustable Car Revolutionises Car Advertising
This revolutionary rig can match the length and width of almost any car, capture environments virtually and even be used in augmented reality.
This revolutionary rig can match the length and width of almost any car, capture environments virtually and even be used in augmented reality.
Discover the 5 most powerful, light and stylish laptops for designers and artists across graphic and digital design, UX, 3D and CG.
How do you edit it in tools such as Premiere Pro? And how powerful a computer do you need to edit 360 video? Find out here.
To prove the wonders it can create, Apple commissioned a bunch of artists to draw with the Apple Pencil. Here are the best creations.
Can Facebook succeed where Google Glass failed?
Facebook will make the camera's hardware and software all open-source, starting this summer.
Microsoft says its Signature Type Cover is "unlike anything you've ever experienced."
Eight years ago – before Monsters, Godzilla and Rogue One – director Gareth Edwards told us about creating a CG cast of thousands at home for the BBC2 documentary on Attila the Hun.
A report in the Wall Street Journal claims that Intel is independently building an augmented reality, 'HoloLens'-style device.
HP aims its upcoming 3D printers at designers and manufacturing, not home users.
The leak is a tutorial for Actiongram, an app where you can create mixed reality videos.
Leading VR companies who've created 360-degree video and animation projects for VR and the web reveal the approaches and techniques behind their best work.
Artist Damien Borowik handcrafts machines that can create beautiful, unique art.
It can work with dozens of materials and is perfect for smaller-scale projects. You can pre-order now.
We pick seven of the best Android styluses for artists, including the Adonit Jot Dash and the Sensu Artist Brush.
Improve your iPad artwork using these 10 iPad styluses designed for sketching, drawing and painting.
Want to be a better artist, designer, creative director, animator, filmmaker or editor? Check out the 12 most popular in-depth features we've published over the past 12 months.
We test and review a collection of great camera bags for the style conscious and budget limited.
Vaio may have just introduced the fastest Surface clone yet.
The iPad Pro is ready to work, with a huge screen perfect for multitasking and an Apple Pencil for precision design and artistry.
Should I upgrade to Windows 10? Why upgrade to Windows 10? Is Windows 10 good? The pros and cons of!......


text:
Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Well after this last week of 2009 Cubs baseball, a week that included a double-header sweep by the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field the day after the Cubs were eliminated from even sniffing the playoffs, there's really only one thing to do.
Go have a giant martini.
Go out for it, to someplace worthy.
Don't have it on the rocks.
Don't have it silly.
"Apple", "Cran", "Dirty"...none of these modifiers should be used when ordering the martini I'm talking about.
Never order off a "martini" menu.
You can order "vodka shaken with ice and served up in a martini glass", but that's all it is and that's how you should order it.
A martini is made with gin.
My favorite is the original Bombay in the clear bottle with that weird woman on the label.
If you like, you can add dry vermouth, and maybe a twist (which would be lemon), or an olive.
But that's where it stops.
There should be no toying, at all, with this drink.
Only respect.
One time I was lucky enough to have one at the bar in the Redwood Room in the Clift Hotel in San Francisco.
The bar, the paneling, the tables, everything, I was told, was made from a single giant redwood tree (of course that would have been a looong time ago when such a thing wasn't so politically incorrect).
You don't want to be a dope in here.
The bartender was very distinguished and older - a man of the world.
I asked for a Bombay up with an olive.
He shook it with dignity and reserved panache, he poured it in the properly chilled glass, he set it down in front of me and turned his back.
When he turned around, he put another napkin on the bar.
Then he put the an olive on the napkin.
Now, I set myself up earlier in this post - you already know I'm the dope.
I said, "Hey, what's with the olive on the napkin?"
He crinkled his eyes.
"The oil from the olive. Kind of spoils the whole thing, doesn't it."
Now, you might take that as a put-down.
I took it seriously.
I have ever since.
And you should, too.
A toast to the 2009 Cubs season.
And then lets be done with it.
This illustration is a watercolor done from a "live" subject which was consumed after a re-shaking.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
hmmm....what's Dusty's toothpick doing in my martini?
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
What's Lou's nuts doing in my martini?
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
I always have trouble finding the "Nina"s in these things.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
F'ing girlie drinks. No thanks.
Give me a Whiskey Sour.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
That was a joke btw, though the Whiskey Sour is my preferred cocktail.
I'm kind of stoked about the Tigers/Twins game. I have some extended family that are Tigers fans, so I'll be rooting for them. It will be a tough assignment in the Metrodome as that gives the Twins an automatic advantage against most teams.
If Scott Baker is "on" he's pretty damn tough and has a nice snappy fastball. He's young, though, so it will be interesting to see if the nerves rattle him. On the Tiger's side it will be all about their streaky offense and if they can put together some runs.
Hope MLB broadcasts the game on a "normal" channel and doesn't black it out for anyone in a 3000 mile radius of Minnesota.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
The game will be on TBS.
Hoffman re-ups with the Beermakers, 1/$8.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Maybe he'll get old this winter.
Bullpen for next season
I think one positive to come out of the final month of the season was the performances of Caridad and Berg out of the bullpen. Those guys will obviously compete for spots next year, but even if they have poor spring trainings and don't make the squad, their solid work in September may have convinced both Lou and Hendry to cut bait on Heilmann and Gregg before spring begins in Arizona anyways. That will save some cash and I can't imagine that either Berg or Caridad would have the gopher ball tendencies of that duo.
Although I'm not enamored of Grabow, I imagine he'll be signed to a two or three year deal. If that's the case, I could see an effective, cheap bullpen forming next year composed of:
LHP Grabow
LHP Gaub
LHP Marshall
RHP Marmol
RHP Guzman
RHP Caridad
RHP Berg
There are also some interesting relief prospects on the horizon like Huseby. Obviously a lot depends on the offseason and how spring training shapes up, but I don't see any reason for Hendry to blow cash like he's prone to do on mediocre bullpen arms this winter.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
I think this is the first year that I have not felt even a little bit depressed that there won't be any more Cubs games this season. I didn't even feel this apathetic at any point in the Dusty Baker era.
No more facepalm for me until April and I couldn't be happier.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
The more Jim Hendry talks the worse he looks. He's quoted today as saying the Cubs are "not an old team."
Right, and Geovany Soto is not overweight. He's just "big boned."
This is a total deja vu event. Hendry has done this before.
I'd say the Cubs are old and getting older. If he brings everyone back next year the average age will be 30.0 years.
The oldest team in MLB this year is the Phillies at 30.8. The second oldest is the Dodgers at 29.6.
THIRTY IS OLD, JIM!! If you want to see how to build a good team around old players, look at the Phillies, Dodgers and Cardinals. If you want to see how not to do it, look at the Mets and yourself. But don't pretend you're not old. The Cubs are old.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
It's even worse when you consider that several key players are well past thirty. In 2010, Ramirez will be 32, Lee 35, Soriano 34, and Fukudome 33. It is virtually certain that they will decline as a group, even without injury, and they all have injury histories. It is very likely that one or more will decline significantly. They could hold the line and play up to their career norms, but the chances are not good; decline after 28 is a well-documented pattern.
ARam and DLee are FAs after 2010, but we're probably stuck with Soriano and Fukudome. In the meantime, I'm going to hope for the best, but I'd sure like to see the Cubs hang on to Fox and Hoffpauir in the almost certain event that one or more of those guys go down or are ineffective for an extended period of time.
I strongly agree that the Martini must be respected, though I prefer a Sazerac myself. Rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters, bar syrup, mixed with ice in a shaker and strained into a chilled rocks glass that has been seasoned with Herbsaint anise liqueur. Laissez les bons temps rouler.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
we live in the era of drugs and high-paid workout regimens.
all these 1900s players and their health/decline barriers don't matter. 32-34 is the new 28...
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
use to be a range of 26-30, 'roids might have bumped it to 28-32 at least by one study I remember reading...it sure isn't 34 though.
33 for the longest time was age of dramatic fall-off, conveniently Soriano's age (also D. Lee's though).
Cubs are ancient though by baseball standards. Even the young guys (Hoff, Theriot, Fontenot) are about to hit 30.
Old pitchers don't bother me as much as old hitters, but Hendry would be wise to do a few more DeRosa-like trades and start getting younger.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
crunch, love your posts all summer, admire your brave efforts to be rational about Bradley. But I don't think workouts and drugs can repeal the laws of nature: http://m.si.com/news/to/to/detail/1705021;jsession.... It's been a long day, just cut and paste, dudes.
As I said in my original post, I would love to see the Cubs' aging players defy the odds, but one has to look at the general probabilities, and those don't look good.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
That article reinforces crunch's point.
Succinctly, you can't take any trend, or in this case a grab bag of anecdotal evidence and apply it to two or three guys and come out with an accurate forecast.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
In 2010, Ramirez will be 32, Lee 35, Soriano 34, and Fukudome 33. It is virtually certain that they will decline as a group, even without injury
I've noticed the Cubs crowd and TCR especially prefer young players over veterans. That's respectable and I don't want to start a big fight over it, but personally I don't mind a veteran team. A Ram, D Lee, they aren't done. That's a silly notion, imo.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
some other studies, fwiw...
also, don't think that James/Posnanski article was a study, although I believe James did one before, those SI articles are just the two of them trading emails and Posnanski edits it into an article...
considering HR numbers seem to be getting back to "normal", I think we'll see more traditional aging patterns again...of course, players break those all the time, like Derrek Lee did this season.
But I'd start looking to try and get 28 and younger sooner than later if I were Hendry....injuries, Soriano like drop-offs, etc are going to become pretty common with this current bunch....
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
The Cubs are built to win in a narrow window. From my perspective we are heading into year #4 of rying to win a World Championship in a 5 year window.
If we don't get it accomplished in the next 2 years, then the roster is probably beyond the point it will bring you a championship.
That means fire sale, a real fire sale of talent that the Cubs havent done since i have been a fan. No band-aids, no half ass fixes.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
what fire sale? most everyone's contracts are up after 2010 or 2011.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
I kind of just assumed "fire sale" = "how do you get rid of Soriano when the time comes"?
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
you've confused fire sale with donation drive....
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Can't we just set Soriano on fire? Actually, I'm holding out some hope (not a lot, but some) that he comes back healthy next year and rebounds.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Next year if Soriano, and Soto do not return to form, and the starting pitching is not as good as it was this year...the window is closed.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Any idea how much Heilman is going to make? Will he be with the Cubs in February?
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
every team but the cubs has 4+ high-end sluggers...the poor cubs only have 3 (soriano, dlee, aram)...it's just not fair for a big market team to work without something everyone else has.
sure, riot and fuku get on base well up top and fuku even hits a slew of doubles with 10-15 homers, but so what...every other team has that, too.
and what is up with only having Z, dumpster, lilly, and wells? every other team has 5 kickass starters. laaaaaaame.
it's about time the cubs gave their manager something worth managing besides this trash.
this entire organization is worse than hitler, i mean milton bradley (who hit .010 with 0 homers, and 250Ks in 2/3rd of a season's worth of play when he wasn't making everyone else on the team suck via osmosis).
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
{Angry response.}
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
140 million don't buy what it used to.
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
[Out-of-context quote]
Re: Cub Fans, Go Have A Martini
Just finished my 2009 Cub cocktail. A Partida reposado on the rocks with a touch of lime juice. Not that over-sweet Rose's stuff. But actual juice squeezed from the lime. In fact, with the bottle and lime still out, seems crazy not to have another.
I Blame Michael Barrett
Re: I Blame Michael Barrett
Also, the Cubs are apparently offering Jason Schmidt 3/44.
Re: I Blame Michael Barrett
...Love you.
Re: I Blame Michael Barrett
I should have known it was already posted.
Have a safe and productive off season.
Recent comments
Three amigos? Because the Dominican, the Venezuelan, and the Cuban?
Maybe the three-headed dragon?
Who says Contreras can't frame? Stone cold robbery of Eaton with that called third strike for the first out in the eighth
Three amigos time?
he should hit more of those. that would be an ideal outcome. /moneyballs
Russell with 19 RBI in July so far. Grand Slams help.
...and Familia with back-to-back blown saves. Blows a one-run lead vs. Rockies today, gets his 2nd consecutive loss.
I am OK with the Mets missing the playoffs and suffering crushing losses at home --- just want them to beat St. Louis.
He played with fire twice agains the Cubs -- unfortunately, the Cubs couldn't stop swinging.
How about Kyle Farnsworth? I know he was consistently upper 90s.
If he puts up Soriano numbers I will be ecstatic
I think Javy is learning--but he's learning to make contact, not learning to lay off pitches out of the zone. A quick glance at his plate discipline numbers on Fangraphs shows that his contact rate is up, especially his contact rate out of the zone, but his swing rate is up too, especially his swing rate out of the zone.
I definitely saw ballpark radar guns go up to 102 on Kerry Wood back when he was still a starter, but who knows how accurate they were.
They've mentioned Henry Rodriguez (2013), Chris Carpenter, and Andrew Cashner as Cubs who have gone 100+. They said Rodriguez was tops at 100.8. Who knows before 2008?
Regarding Heyward--
He'll play regardless of what he does, just like Soriano played for seven years before they finally ditched him.
What can they do? All I can think of is they can keep hiring and firing hitting coaches until they find one who can get him to stop hitting balls with the handle of the bat.
(All those broken bats added to his paycheck is just a bit much.)
Lester will probably be all right.
I think Arrieta might have added too much muscle preparing for that butt-naked ESPN photo shoot. Pitchers are supposed to be loose, not muscled up.
I have basically written off Heyward for this year -- if you are working on major swing changes in late July, you are going to struggle. Hopefully, he can be more productive at the plate next year. It will be interesting to see what they do with him if the Cardinals keep winning and close the gap. Heyward is dead last in the NL in slugging and in the bottom 5 in OPS -- yet still has a positive WAR. Hunh.
Has anybody in a Cub uniform ever thrown a ball 103 before?
He certainly looks better, no doubt, and is a different player than what we saw when he first came up. Full credit to him for changing his approach and saving his career.
But he has zero walks in 35AB since the break, and 10 in 251 AB all year. He does seem to be able to hit some pitches out of the zone, but, a guy with his pop should be drawing more walks. However, it's easy to forget he is still only 23, and probably trying to make an impact to prove he should be an everyday player.


text:
Videos with Kid Jamaica
Show details
Hide details
List details
Date added: 2015-12-02 Length: 00:18:35
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : Gorgeous Latina pussies and buttholes get ruthlessly pounded in an erotic showcase of hard-core action from the files of legendary director Buttman. Stunning, glamorous, big-assed Brazilian beauties get their tender holes drilled by thick, throbbing Latin cocks. The girls passionately ride huge, stiff pricks in this epic selection of wild, nasty clips that cut to the chase. Fuck the tease; here's the pleasing pay-off!
Date added: 2015-12-01 Length: 00:18:42
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : Toys, multiple fingers and tongues -- that's what it takes to tame the hungry assholes of the tanned, sultry Brazilian beauties here. In a selection of explicit, up close and very intimate video clips, legendary director Buttman examines the winking anuses of five stunning Latinas. The fine sluts stuff their rectums with all manner of objects in a private anal showcase for your erotic enjoyment.
Date added: 2015-11-30 Length: 00:18:01
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : In this highlight reel of sensuous, hard-core clips from his travels in sultry Brazil, legendary director Buttman presents a bevy of gorgeous Latinas that love getting their sweet pussies and tender buttholes pleasurably licked, eaten and worshiped by horny studs and other naughty girls. These sluts get their most sensitive holes thoroughly cleaned and probed by a series of eager tongues.
Date added: 2015-11-29 Length: 00:12:31
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : A series of sultry Latin beauties enjoys hot loads of tasty sperm in this highlight reel of messy video clips assembled from director Buttman's travels in tropical Brazil. See tanned, sensuous sluts worshiping fat cocks with their hands and mouths ... and getting their gorgeous faces and tits splattered in splooge! Our horny girls do their oral best before eagerly lapping up puddles of creamy cum.
Date added: 2015-11-27 Length: 00:29:08
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : In this highlight reel of sensuous tease clips, beautiful Brazilian babes present their firm, thick, bouncy booties for American director Buttman. Peeling down their underwear, parting their tanned ass cheeks and showing off their adorable, winking buttholes for our view (and a probing tongue), our luscious ladies get off on spreading themselves for your pornographic pleasure.
Date added: 2015-11-26 Length: 00:05:57
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : Nothing displays a big, juicy butt better than skintight spandex (or similarly form-fitting attire). In this highlight reel of intimate video clips, director Buttman shoots the thick, round booties of Latina beauties in Brazil. With thin leggings wedged up in the cracks of their outrageously plump asses, these luscious ladies tease the camera as their duds hugs every curve and leave nothing to the imagination!
Date added: 2015-11-25 Length: 01:10:34
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : These gorgeous ladies are some of the finest cocksuckers Brazil has to offer! In this highlight reel of hard-core blow jobs, seven luscious Latinas gag on huge, meaty dicks. It's wet, intimate throat-fucking, ball-licking oral action. Agatha Moreno gives stud Jazz Duro some sloppy, deep-throat attention; dark-skinned Bella takes on two relentless dudes with massive boners; and sweet Talita Brandao uses her talented mouth to worship her man's thick, throbbing shaft.
Date added: 2015-11-24 Length: 00:03:40
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : When legendary director John 'Buttman' Stagliano visits Brazil, he can't keep his camera from pointing at the sweet, ripe tits of the local Latina bombshells. In this intimate highlight reel of sultry tease clips, gorgeous, show-off sluts like Jessica Taylor, Agatha Moreno and Bella preen and pose, unveiling their fat, tan-lined boobies -- and sensuously stroking their nipples for their enjoyment (and ours).
Date added: 2015-11-23 Length: 00:46:45
Created by: John Stagliano
Description : In this highlight reel of sensuous tease, director Buttman captures the incomparable beauty of Brazil's sexy ladies. On the city streets, at the beach or in private hotel rooms, richly tanned, gorgeous Latinas show off sweet tits and fine, jiggling booties for our inspection. Get ready for big ass teasing, pussy spreading -- and even some hard-core fucking -- with these beautiful, voluptuous sluts.
Date added: 2015-04-28 Length: 00:32:19
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Busty Romanian bombshell Donna Bell is outside doing a photo shoot, but she's distracted by a nearby, good-looking black man, Kid Jamaica. She invites him to pose with her, and tempts Jamaica by pouring milk all over her huge, bare boobies. Dropping to her knees, she orally worships his massive member, squeezing his shaft in her oiled cleavage. This glamorous bitch enjoys a cigarette and a rough anal ride on Jamaica's black cock... until he spurts his creamy load into Donna's mouth.
Date added: 2015-04-26 Length: 00:40:51
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Kid Jamaica is training for a big fight, but he can't concentrate while working out next to busty blonde Cathy Heaven. Staring at her tight ass, Jamaica buries his tongue inside her sweet asshole. Cathy grinds on the stud's face and swallows his massive black cock, then takes a rectum-stretching anal reaming. Next, top-heavy slut Jordan Pryce brings her enormous, round knockers to the party; the interracial ass fucking three-way ends with Cathy drooling cum onto Jordan's gigantic boobs.
Date added: 2015-01-01 Length: 00:46:42
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : When horny stud Kid Jamaica finds Euro-model Sophie Lynx and her gorgeous friend Nicoline out in the snow, he quickly convinces the sultry bitches to come back to his garage for some fun. First, the girls slurp on Jamaica's huge black cock, riding his pole, eating each other's gaping asshole and sucking his meat ass-to-mouth. By the end of this nasty threesome, Sophie's got a faceful of cum; Nicoline tastes the goo in a slobbery kiss.
Date added: 2014-10-01 Length: 00:40:57
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Flashy blonde Ivana Sugar stalks a construction site complaining bitterly. She gathers that studly builder Kid Jamaica has been distracted by Anastasia Brill, a black-haired cutie with deep cleavage visible in her low-cut top. Inside, competitive Ivana shows Jamaica that she prefers a huge erection to shoddy construction. Through a window Anastasia spies Ivana wildly sucking and fucking Kid's black boner. Ivana challenges Anastasia to make it a threesome, and soon each girl is getting her asshole plowed ... and tasting the other's rectal flavor on big black cock.
Date added: 2013-12-01 Length: 00:39:03
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Adorable and slender, young Daisy Hot is a sexy model visiting trainer Rocco Siffredi for rock climbing practice. As she scales the wall, Rocco and assistant Kid Jamaica admire her small, soft buns in her skimpy pink short shorts. Daisy challenges the guys to a dance competition, and soon this all-natural slut is grinding her sweet ass on Jamaica's lucky face. Daisy seduces the older gentlemen... eagerly she sucks their massive cocks, one white and one black. She offers up her tender holes for a nasty interracial anal three-way that climaxes in a mess of gooey sperm.
Date added: 2013-10-30 Length: 00:41:29
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Pale, slinky brunette slut Mea Melone gets the royal treatment from director Rocco Siffredi. First he spreads the fishnet-clad model's ass cheeks and pushes a butt plug into her anus; he pulls it back out for Mea to lick clean. The director gives this slender beauty a gift: a bound, blindfolded stud, Kid Jamaica. Mea unbuttons Jamaica's jeans, wraps her red lips around his huge black cock and thoroughly worships the thick shaft with her mouth. She unties the muscular stud and straddles his giant black dick for a nasty interracial butt-fuck. Mea's enthusiastic work earns a hot cum facial.
Date added: 2013-08-18 Length: 00:47:10
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Glamorous European ladies Angel Rivas, Blue Angel and Teena visiting director Rocco Siffredi, who warns the sexy ladies about a wild man caged up nearby. It's muscular black stud Kid Jamaica ... adventurous Blue Angel and Teena stick their beautiful, bare feet through the bars so he can slurp at their toes. Soon they're sitting on his face and sucking and grinding on Jamaica's big black cock. Angel releases Jamaica to continue their twisted interracial celebration, and after he plunders their soft, white asses, the sensuous sluts share a hot load of the black man's sperm.
Date added: 2013-05-04 Length: 00:18:19
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Resplendent in a lacy bustier and vinyl skirt, super-stacked blonde Angel Wicky performs for a panel of judges, singing a pop song while grinding atop black stud Kid Jamaica. She straddles his head, practically smothering him with her pale, generous ass; he parts her plump buttocks to eagerly tongue Angel's tender butthole. The sexy blonde wraps her lips around his big black boner, sucking him in a lewd sixty-nine, and squeezes his throbbing shaft between her giant jugs before taking an interracial ride on his pole. After he's thoroughly fucked her ass, Jamaica feeds Angel a taste of creamy sperm.
Date added: 2013-02-24 Length: 00:30:31
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Super-cute, petite, young brats Stacy Snake and Diamond Cross are out painting graffiti all over a building when they're ambushed by security guard Kid Jamaica. In order to keep out of trouble, the naughty girls seduce the black rent-a-cop, releasing his huge ebony prick. Diamond and Stacy wrap their hungry lips around his throbbing black shaft and wetly suck on his balls. Soon these frisky delinquents are taking turns eating ass, riding on Jamaica's massive cock and getting their white asses expanded to full-on gaping. They savor forbidden tastes of interracial lust, rectal debauchery, ass-to-mouth cocksucking and gooey cum.
Date added: 2013-02-22 Length: 00:53:09
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Description : Suave director Rocco Siffredi greets glamorous, sultry Lynett Slag, a busty, half-Cuban beauty in sheer stockings. While, adorable, petite blonde Blue Angel is teasing the director's boatman - well-hung black stud Kid Jamaica - gorgeous Lynett takes on a whole crew of big-dicked muscle boys, exposing her succulent, puffy nipples and slurping their raging cocks with the help of naturally stacked Spanish slut Shione Cooper. Then Lynett joins Blue Angel, Rocco and Jamaica for a nasty four-way butt-fuck party featuring lots of intense, sphincter-stretching sodomy, ass-to-mouth cocksucking and even a double-anal penetration! Both girls end up rewarded with tasty sperm.
Date added: 2013-01-28 Length: 00:22:41
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Date added: 2013-01-27 Length: 00:32:40
Created by: Rocco Siffredi
Pictures with Kid Jamaica
Show details
Hide details
Date added: 2015-04-28
Date added: 2015-04-26
Date added: 2015-01-01
Date added: 2014-10-01
Date added: 2013-12-01
Date added: 2013-10-30
Date added: 2013-05-04
Date added: 2013-02-24
Date added: 2013-02-22
Date added: 2013-01-15
Date added: 2013-01-04
Date added: 2013-01-02
Date added: 2012-11-30
Date added: 2012-08-05
Date added: 2012-08-03
Date added: 2012-03-25
Date added: 2012-02-03
Date added: 2012-01-15


text:
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood TV Show Watchlist
Season 29, Episode 4 Noisy and Quiet
First Aired: February 18, 1999
Marine biologist Sylvia Earle discusses loud and soft noises, and shares a video that features the sounds fish make underwater. Also: in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Henrietta and X take refuge in Lady Elaine's "scared and safe" room.
Cast & Details See all »
- Rating: TV-Y
- Premise: The genial, soft-spoken man made every day `special' and every kid welcome in this long-running series. Once described as `a singing psychiatrist for children,' Rogers used puppetry, songs and storytelling to teach youngsters about family values and how to… (more)
Trending TonightSee all »
Bobby Jones Gospel8:00 pm | BETI'll Watch265 Watching
The Last Ship9:00 pm | TNTI'll Watch110 Watching
Big Brother8:01 pm | CBSI'll Watch83 Watching
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?
By Starz / Anchor BayBuy New: $61.11
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood - Adventures in Friendship
By Starz / Anchor BayBuy New: $43.84
Revisiting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Essays on Lessons About Self and Community
By McFarlandBuy New: $35.00
Popular Shows
- 1. Orange Is the New Black
- 2. UnReal
- 3. Mr. Robot
- 4. Game of Thrones
- 5. Outlander
- 6. Preacher
- 7. Pretty Little Liars
Popular Movies
Popular Celebrities
- 1. Rami Malek
- 2. Taylor Schilling
- 3. Constance Zimmer
- 4. Emilia Clarke
- 5. Tom Hiddleston
- 6. Kit Harington
- 7. Gina Rodriguez


text:
Jackie Bigfordmoderator➥ Discussion -
It turns out Father's Day was invented by a young, female entrepreneur. In 1910, 27-year old Sonora Dodd from Spokane, Washington, helped to create the first Father's Day. Sonora drummed-up support for the idea, going to churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers, and government officials because she wanted to honor her father who raised her and her five siblings after her mother died in childbirth.
Thanks to Sonora's advocacy and pioneering spirit, Father's Day has become a celebration of the influence that fathers have on society. President Calvin Coolidge stated in 1924 that Father's Day would "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children" and "impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations."
Here's the top tweeted emoji's around the globe by country! Via https://twitter.com/GMA/status/754695353551687680
#wildlifephotography #bigcats #tigers
"On July 2nd, World Heritage Species Day and the anniversary or Cecil's death, I am going to take a quiet minute and dedicate that 60 seconds to Cecil. I'm going to use that time to reflect on what this individual's death has meant for the world and its sentient beings. I urge you to do the same and reflect on what this has meant to you so we can summon up even more energy and honour this lion with actual change."
Brent Stapelkamp
Please join us in remembering Cecil, tomorrow, July 2nd, at 18:00 (6pm) local time in Hwange, Zimbabwe. #CecilTheLion
- The Social ArchitectsSocial Media Strategist, 2014 - presentManaging all aspects of Social Media for several high profile clients
- JackieBigford.comSocial Media Professional, 2014
- Social NotzPartner, 2012 - 2014Social Media Strategy for small to medium business
- Partner - Social Steamr.comPassionate Social Media Marketer, 2013
- For The Love of Dolphins (current)
- A Day Without Hunger (past)
- Savvy Media Marketing (past)
- Social Notz (current)
- SocialSteamr (past)
- Jackie Bigford (current)
- USA Herald (past)
- Examiner - Social Issues Canada (current)
My main focus is to develop strong relationships with people of like minds. I love to laugh and humour with a positive professional attitude are the principles I live with.
- Carleton University
Marketing, Social Media, and Technology!
The Top Benefits of the Sharing Economy « SocialSteamr Social Media Prom...
socialsteamr, social media promotion, social media support, rob nielsen, social media league Blogging has become the most effective and leas
Agent Caffeine Live
Home · The VOICE, Kelly Mitchell · The WHY · The BUZZ · The PODCASTS · Agent Caffeine Live · The Agent Caffeine Show Calendar · Listen to Pa
Food Trucks Aid Those Displaced by Calgary Floods #YYCHelps
Record rainfall, combined with snowmelt from the Canadian Rockies, caused unprecedented flooding in Calgary, Alberta, Canada's third largest
SocialSteamr's XeeMe
My XeeMe helps you find all my social networks and groups on one page http://xeeme.com/SocialSteamr. If you would like your own go to http:/
Social Media Promotion, On-Demand, From Trusted Professionals.
Episode #64: Why Traffic and Big Data Mean More Business with Kevin Fore...
Kevin Foreman, @KevinForeman1 GM of INRIX talks Big Data and Street Traffic. Great ways to leverage traffics stats to improve your life, you
Me... And My E-e-ego...Strolling Through My Kids Bedrooms...
kitchen-somebody Just me…and my e-e-ego, all alone and feelin'…like this shoe is ripping my toe nails off! Jeez-sus…someone hand me a crow b
Buying a Website ? | Website Buyers Beware
How to explain to employers that website management training is essential for all staff involved in website procurement, website content cre
Charleston Photographers-Top Weddings+ Portraits- King Street Studios
Rated World's Best Photographers - Junebug Weddings. Top Quality Weddings + Portraits. Professional Charleston Photographers Portrait Stud
Girlfriend Social - The Social Network for Women
Girlfriend Social is the biggest female-only free social networking friendship site in the world.
Jackie Bigford (@JackiesBuzz) Savvy Media Marketing #ProjectForgive #EAv...
Empire Avenue: Social Media Rocket Fuel to Expand, Engage and Evaluate your Social Networks!
Join HOMELOANS on Empire Avenue www.empireavenue.com
Build Your Empire: Get rewarded for being social online
Women of Google+
Destination to learn, share and explore what it takes to thrive on social networking platforms both personally and professionally.
Romney dog tale resurfaces in Gingrich attack ad
For Mitt Romney, the dog days aren't over. A nearly 30-year-old story involving the GOP hopeful's treatment of the family pooch resurfaced W
Where The Boys Are ft @oakridgeboys and @marysarahmusic
iTunes Download CRAZY GOOD my new album here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/crazy-good/id434284945 http://www.twitter.com/MarySarahMusic
GO GREEN TIP #82: DIY Aquaponics- The Future of Green Gardening | Green ...
Aquaponics is the combination of tank fish production and traditional hydroponic horticulture. It turns 2 forms of waste into 2 forms of nou
How to Catch the Big Fish: 5 Ways to Source Tomorrow's Top Talent
Are you looking to attract new high-end talent to your company? Finding great employees to hire can be difficult given the demand for skille
Sea Shepherd :: Endangered Steller Sea Lions Could Become Next Target on...
October 18, 2012. Endangered Steller Sea Lions Could Become Next Target on the Columbia River as Case for California Sea Lions Returns to Co


text:
BEST WESTERN PLUS Marina Gateway Hotel
No prices found through our partners. Please contact the business directly or check some of our recommended alternatives.
How has this hotel rated in the past?
- Swimming pool
- Restaurant
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Room service
- Fitness/Health center
- Business Services
Travelers also recommend:
- More recommendations
TripAdvisor Reviews BEST WESTERN PLUS Marina Gateway Hotel National City
Travel Blogs from National City
SanDiego Zoo
... above, so we joined the queue and in we went... I was literally shaking - as was Jake as he is more scared of heights. The views, when I could eventually look, were lovely. We got down to the bottom with a jolt and went to explore part of the lower area, before getting back on the sky ride to get back up to the top area where an elephant keeper talk was about to commence. We weren't as scared this time but were still apprehensive. The elephants were amazing. They are so beautiful, ...
Museum and back roads
... tortilla chips was so hot neither of us could eat it.
After the museum we went for a drive out scenic route 8 as far as Boulevard CA. We then picked up historic and scenic route 94. Route 8 was a 4 lane highway with lots of scenic views of the Santa Rosa Mountain foothills and then the mountains themselves. 94 was a twisty curvy two lane road. (We have decided that scenic is a euphemism for twisty.) These mountains were a different variety than we were used ...
San Diego Zoo
... to the entrance. That had good views. By 2pm I had seen all the zoo and was ready to head back. On way back we picked up another woman who had been at the Natural Museum and Botanic Gardens next to the Zoo. They sounded good. I wish I had walked over there after zoo and gotten picked up later. When I got back here I walked to the over hotel to look at the Knitting and Crochet convention. ...


text:
Healthy Pets
Stem Cell Therapy for Pets
In this article
There's controversy surrounding the use of stem cells, particularly in humans. But stem cell therapy is being used to treat beloved pets. Here's how it works in animals.
What are stem cells?
Recommended Related to Pets
We all love spending the long, sunny days of summer outdoors with our furry companions, but being overeager in hot weather can spell danger, warn ASPCA experts. "Even the healthiest pets can suffer from dehydration, heat stroke and sunburn if overexposed to the heat," says Dr. Lila Miller, ASPCA Veterinary Advisor, "and heat stroke can be fatal if not treated promptly." Take these simple precautions, provided by ASPCA experts, to help prevent your pet from overheating. And if you suspect your...
Read the Hot Weather Tips for Your Pet article > >
In all animals, stem cells are like blank slates. They start out without any clear identity, but can divide and grow into many different types of cells, like muscle or blood cells.
What is stem cell therapy?
Stem cells are being used to treat illness and heal injuries in pets. They are injected into the body to repair muscles, joints, and ligaments that have been damaged by arthritis or injury. Some cancers are treated with stem cells taken from the pet's own bone marrow. And research is underway to test stem cells for diabetes treatment, and to treat animals that have lost control of their bladders.
Does stem cell therapy for pets work the same as in humans?
Yes. The basic idea is the same, but because there are fewer regulations for treating animals, stem cell therapy is used more often in pets than in humans.
How long have veterinarians been using this type of treatment?
Vets have been testing stem cell therapy in animals for about 10 years, but serious work has amped up in the past 4 or 5 years.
What does the procedure involve?
Stem cells are usually taken from the animal's fat tissue or blood plasma. They're then separated out from other cells and put back in the animal, usually by injecting them directly into the problem area.
Does it work?
Right now, there are no big studies to show that stem cell therapy works in pets. All we have is anecdotal evidence, or stories from pet owners and veterinarians. Studies are underway to give us better insight into how effective stem cell therapy is in pets.
Are there any risks?
The biggest risk is your pet developing cancer. Studies are being done to see how to lessen it.
How much does it cost?
In pets, stem cell therapy usually costs between $2,000 and $3,000, but it can go much higher.
Where can I look into pet stem cell therapy?
Teaching hospitals are a great place to start your search. Here are a few:
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis
- Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
- University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
- Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
WebMD Medical Reference


text:
Well, almost everything is in title. I have a dbf file which I would like to copy even if it is locked (edited) by another program like DBU.
If I try to open it or copy with shutil.copy I get
>>> f = open('test.dbf', 'rb')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'test.dbf'
I know that it is locked on windows level because I am unable to copy it witch batch or with windows explorer. But is there any method to copy such a file?


text: × Take a short survey to help us improve our data-related literature resources. Search Results Studies Variables Publications (1) Your query returned 1 citations. Sort by: Pub Date (newest) Title Recent Additions Author Clear All Pub. Year Citation 1. 2016 Stringer, Richard J., Holland, Melanie M. It's not all black and white: A propensity score matched, multilevel examination of racial drug sentencing disparities. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice. Full Text Options: DOI Worldcat Google Scholar Export Options: RIS EndNote XML Results 1 - 1


text:
mobile payments
Flint Mobile Payments Go Offline, Tells Customers To Use Stripe To Continue Service
The number of startups hoping to break through into the world of payments appears to be shrinking a little bit more. Flint Mobile, a startup backed by the likes of Verizon and True Ventures, has ceased payment operations, and this week it started directing its customers to use Stripe for payments services. The shutdown has been slow and confusing, it seems. We have been trying to reach out… Read More
India's Paytm Is Raising Another $400M To Build Out Its New Payment Bank
Alibaba-backed Paytm, one of the bigger e-commerce startups competing against Amazon in India, is raising money again, just months after a reported $680 million round. Sources close to the company say that Paytm is now looking to raise $400 million by June to help with the launch of Paytm's new payments business, Paytm Payment Bank. The news comes at the same time that… Read More
Google Tests "Tap 10," A Rewards Program For Android Pay Users
Google confirmed it's now running a limited promotion in the U.S. dubbed "Tap 10," which is aimed at increasing usage of its Android Pay mobile payments service, a rival to Apple Pay and others. Some Android users are being gifted rewards like a free Chromecast or free songs, movies, or subscriptions on Google Play in exchange for using Android Pay at local stores. The… Read More
Axway Acquires Mobile App Development Platform Appcelerator
Appcelerator has been acquired. The mobile app development platform that counts the likes of T-Mobile, PayPal and GameStop among its customers has been bought by the B2B enterprise company Axway in an all-cash deal. Chances are, Axway isn't a company you're necessarily familiar with, but it's a large publicly traded company with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona… Read More
Visa Checkout Announces Walmart, Starbucks As Merchant Partners
Today, Visa Checkout announced that some major new companies would se starting to utilize the service. Starbucks, Walgreens, NFL Shop, HSN and Match.com have all signed on and will be joining Checkout's more than 250,000 merchants using the express online payments service. Walmart.com integration will also be coming later this year, according to the company. The online payments… Read More
Crunch Network
5 Things That Will Disappear In 5 Years
Just five years ago the world was a very different place. In 2010, the iPad had just made its debut, Kickstarter was introducing a new form of venture capitalism that would change the face of fundraising and Square was letting vendors of any size accept payment with a swipe of a card on a mobile device. And we haven't looked back. The next five years will no doubt unleash products… Read More
Samsung Pay Will Launch Online Payments In the U.S.
Samsung Pay plans a major expansion in the United States next year. Users will be able to make purchases on websites with Samsung Pay, which puts it into more direct competition with services like Paypal, Reuters reports. The mobile wallet platform will be also available on lower-end Samsung smartphones, not just flagship models like the Galaxy S6 Edge. Read More
Yoyo Launches Mobile Wallet In The U.S.
UK-based mobile wallet app Yoyo Wallet has quietly brought their mobile payment technology to the U.S. and has been stealthily rolling out services with select partners in a private beta. The company is planning its official launch in the first quarter of 2016. Beyond basic card payments, the Yoyo wallet provides loyalty programs and rewards offerings it can automatically deliver to… Read More
Walmart Will Launch Its Own Mobile Payments Service
Mega-chain Walmart announced today that it plans to offer mobile payments to its shoppers. Called Walmart Pay, the service will launch next year as a feature in Walmart's existing smartphone app. The company accounts for about 10 percent of retail sales in the U.S., so Walmart Pay can potentially pose a challenge to Apple Pay and Android Pay if enough customers start using it. Read More
Google To Donate Up To $1 Million Toward Education In Android Pay Charity Campaign
In an effort to kickstart its mobile payments solution, Android Pay, Google this morning announced a holiday campaign that will see the tech giant donating up to a million dollars toward special education projects in partnership with nonprofit DonorsChoose.org. This is the first time Google has ever worked with an NGO on a mobile payments campaign, the company notes. However, it's not… Read More
Crunch Network
How Venmo Won In One Of The Most Crowded Spaces In Tech
Seamless peer-to-peer mobile payments have been considered inevitable for quite a while. And for good reason: One experience figuring out the bill at a group dinner party or splitting the cost of a wedding gift and you understand the headache that can be caused by friends dealing with money. Who wants to deal with cash or checks when you can send money in a tap? Read More
The Problem With Chase Pay, The Bank's Forthcoming Apple Pay Competitor
Big retail is looking to carve out a piece of the mobile payments pie, where competitors like Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal, Square and others now battle. This week, the retailer-backed mobile payments consortium MCX announced it would be the premier partner for the newly unveiled mobile payments platform Chase Pay from JP Morgan Chase. Read More
Crunch Network
Where Does Apple Pay Stand On Its First Birthday?
While the "year of Apple Pay," as Apple CEO Tim Cook dubbed 2015, still has a ways to go, the product's first anniversary is rapidly approaching. And, considering Android Pay's recent unveiling, it seems that its competitors are, as well. So, as we prepare to celebrate, the question is: How are things going? Read More
Starbucks' Mobile Order & Pay Now Live Nationwide, Delivery Service In Testing By Year-End
Starbucks, a longtime industry leader when it comes to adoption of mobile payments and mobility loyalty in-store, announced this morning that its "Mobile Order & Pay" system is now available nationwide. The service, which allows Starbucks customers to place orders via the company's mobile application ahead of arrival at their local store, was previously available in… Read More
Payments Startup ShopKeep Buys Ambur To Cater Better To Restaurants
More consolidation underway in the area of point of sale services. New York-based payment startup ShopKeep is buying Ambur, a payments service for restaurants, food trucks and other food and drink establishments. ShopKeep will keep the product alive as it integrates it, and will be taking on Ambur's 1,500 customers in the process. The terms of the deal were not disclosed… Read More
Lightspeed POS Raises $61M To Boost Its Retail And Restaurant Sales System
As Square gears up for a public listing that may come as soon as next month, another startup that makes point-of-sale systems for restaurants and other retailers has raised a big round of funding. Lightspeed POS, a startup based out of Canada that provides apps and other services for managing and selling inventory across both online and offline shopfronts, has picked up $61 million, money… Read More
Android Pay, Google's Apple Pay Rival, Arrives Today
Google's new payments platform Android Pay, a rival to both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, is starting to roll out, the company is announcing today. The system allows consumers to make purchases at point-of-sale using NFC technology, as well as pay for in-app purchases on Android devices. At launch, the payments technology will work at millions of locations around the U.S., including… Read More


text:
Announced at New York Toy Fair, Gale Force Nine is bringing out a Firefly board game. According the the description, you captain a ship, take on jobs, and avoid Reavers and the Alliance. This is the first in a series of Firefly board games and miniatures games coming out in the next year, and should hit shelves this fall.
Good news, everyone! Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, and one of the comics available for free contains Serenity and Star Wars stories, both written by Zack Whedon. The best part is you can read this preview of the Serenity comic right now.


text:
Currently browsing "Self-Control"
Don't Delay! Impatient People are Also the Worst Procrastinators
Across a series of experiments, impatient people were more likely to put things off - even when it meant a financial penalty. ... More>
Teaching Current Directions
Teaching Current Directions in Psychological Science
Aimed at integrating cutting-edge psychological science into the classroom, Teaching Current Directions in Psychological Science offers advice and how-to guidance about teaching a particular area of research or topic in […]... More>
Cover Story
Passport to Collaboration
In her wide-ranging developmental research, APS Fellow Terry Kit-fong Au found an ideal way to explore cultural differences in disease prevention attitudes, language development, and parenting: She left a faculty post at the University of California, Los Angeles, and returned to her home city of Hong Kong. Au, APS Treasurer Roberta L. Klatzky, and APS Fellows Ralph Hertwig and Yi-Yuan Tang share the challenges and achievements they experienced when their careers went global. ... More>


text:
When it comes to headphones there are two types of people typically, those we prefer in-earRead more
Views 41
Last week at CES we got a sneak peak at ROCCAT's latest gaming headset, the Renga. Now that ROCCATRead more
Views 113
DJs are making millions upon millions of dollars to perform in the hottest venues throughout theRead more
Views 22
Fresh from Sweden, Urbanears is looking step into the active/sport headphone market in a big way.Read more
Views 34
Plantronics was showing off two new Bluetooth headsets at CES Unveiled this year. One is moreRead more
Views 23
The original Tt eSPORTS Cronos gaming headset was released back in 2013, we were really impressedRead more
Views 65
Audiofly has really impressed us with their in-ear headphones. We first took a look at theirRead more
Views 80
I have reviewed quite a few different pairs of Bluetooth headphones over the years, but none of themRead more
Views 96


text:
OPINIONS OF "THE HADRIAN ENIGMA" - brief excerpts from 22 USA & UK Amazon reviews ...
JANE (Canada), at Amazon USA
"...I recommend it to any historical fiction fan, especially any fan of the redoubtable Mary Renault. ..."
J.R. Tomlin, author of historical fiction, at :- http://jeannetomlin.blogspot.com/
"Five stars ... a tour de force ..."
Elisa Rolle, Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer, USA & UK, & at : http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1092070.html
" ... an absorbing new book ... compelling writing ... action sequences that are brilliantly staged & paced ... on a higher plane than mere homoerotic titillation ... courageous & convincing ..."
Reader Down Under (Australia), at Amazon USA
"... extensively researched picture of life in the Roman Empire ... a mix of mystery, comedy, gay & straight romance - is an entertaining read ..."
Laura Staley, Historical Novels Review, USA, at :-
"... an age-old love story with a twist ... an unexpected delight ... his storyline hooked me immediately ..."
Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson of READER VIEWS, Austin TX, USA
"... You will feel engaged and challenged ..."
Nan Hawthorne, author Beloved Pilgrim, at Amazon USA
"... extremely readable ... it's a page turner ... Gardiner has written an interesting & gripping story ..."
Kim at http://www.desicritics.org/ India
"... Five Stars ... a compelling crime mystery ... a hard book to put down ..."
Terence Charters, Hobart, Australia, at Amazon USA
"... An adventure through Hadrian's world. The story is easy to read and full of the homoeroticism that we love about this era. ..."
P. Novotny, London, at Amazon UK
"... a definitive Five Star read for me ..."
Aleksandr Voinov, UK, reviewer at Speak Its Name
"Five Stars ... A masterful recreation of Ancient Rome ... the historical details are a delight ... characters are outlined in a vivid way which is like meeting old friends ... "
Ernest Gill, Hamburg, at Amazon USA & UK
"Five Stars ... as a reimagining of the Hadrian-Antinous relationship in the context of the age it is fascinating."
Muriel Perkins, Texas, at Amazon USA
" ... this is a novel about the nature of love ... but this is far from just being a gay romance. ..." Kit Moss, historical author, at :- http://kitmossreviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/the-hadrian-enigma-forbidden-history-by.html
"A truly exceptional book on 'What Greek Love" is all about ..."
John R. Shelton at Amazon USA
"Five Stars. I so enjoyed this book. Highly recommend it ... "
NOTE: ***Amazon USA's book or ebook purchase site with its 22 reader's reviews (twelve awarding Five Stars for excellence!) can be read in full by clicking on :- http://www.amazon.com/Hadrian-Enigma-Forbidden-History/product-reviews/0980746906/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
THE HADRIAN ENIGMA: A Forbidden History
A novel
(C) George Gardiner
ISBN13: 978-0-9807469-1-4 (at Amazon USA, UK, Europe, Australia etc) in 498-page paperback or Kindle ebook.
The scene: ancient Rome, 130 years after Christ yet two centuries prior to Christianity being legal. Caesar Hadrian is the popular ruler of a vast pagan empire at the height of its power & wealth.
Hadrian, one of Rome's "five good emperors" searches for & eventually locates the love of his life .. Antinous, an elite Greek athlete, huntsman, & cavalry cadet. They become 'companions' under the ancient Greco-Roman mentoring tradition of an erastes (mentor) & his eromenos (student).
During an imperial pleasure tour of Egypt Antinous is discovered dead in the River Nile. Hadrian is distraught. Is the death a drunken prank gone wrong, suicide, murder, or something far more sinister? Hadrian assigns historian playboy Suetonius Tranquillus to investigate.
THE HADRIAN ENIGMA is the outlawed record of Caesar's investigation into one of history's most suspicious fatalities. It reveals more than Hadrian may want to know, or wants others to know. Set in a society increasingly reflecting facets of our own times, it portrays an era of torrid relationships, raging ambition, wealth inequalities, & uninhibited morals within a severely macho culture of honor, shame, pride & prejudice.
BUY ONLINE ONLY (not in street stores). CLICK NOW ON A LINK BELOW to select or compare your preferred purchase & delivery options ...
For an Amazon-USA or overseas paperback :
for Amazon's Kindle ebook or Kindle-For-PC's download :
for Amazon UK :
for The Book Depository UK paperback with free global shipping:
for Barnes & Noble USA :
for Barnes & Noble NOOKbook download:
COOL GAY STUFF now posts current selective miscellany in both columns ...
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
CONNECTING WITH GAYS / A brief history ...
---- an introductory excerpt from an extended opinion-piece by John Walker at Fusion.net (Florida), 20 July 2016 :-
'..... Over a hundred gay men descended upon the same Manhattan hotel last week for a "Scruff meet-up" of sorts, though probably not the kind you're picturing. The gathering was held in honor of the sixth anniversary of Scruff: a geolocation-based mobile app that many gay men—as well as plenty of LGBTQ folks who don't identify as gay men—use to meet other people for sex, dating, friendship, articles they're writing, and even professional networking.
While apps like Scruff, Grindr, Tinder, and Jack'd have been accused of everything from "ruining romance" to killing off queer nightlife, I'd suggest we consider their place within a different legacy. LGBTQ people have long used digital spaces as a means of connecting with others like themselves. .... '
---- see more of John Walker's substantial report at Fusion.net (with thanks) at :-
Monday, July 25, 2016
"LOOKING" / the final episode ...
---- a selected par from an extended review of the final episode of a provocative tv series reviewed by J. Bryan Lowder at SLATE (USA), 22 July 2016 :-
'.... with Looking at an end, it's worth asking what we found. Because precious few examples exist in the world, any art that seriously attempts to represent the gay experience will be asked to do an unfair amount of work, to meet the incommensurable expectations of an innumerable audience. For some, Looking was a gorgeous and subtle portrait of a specific collection of flawed humans by the bay. To others, all those moody hues were imbued with tropes too familiar and grating to ignore. And still others found it, well, boring. Haigh, Lannan, and company could never hope to satisfy us all. ....'
--- see J. Bryan Lowder's complete appraisal of the final episode at SLATE.com at :-
---- and visit too the 1'30" trailer for the final episode in the side-bar here (at right, after brief pop-up ad).
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
---- a very brief excerpt from an exceptional historical account published as the chapter "The Growth of Urban Gay Scenes, Berlin's Gay and Lesbian Bars," from Queer Identities and Politics in Germany: A History, 1880-1945, by Clayton J. Whisnant. professor of history at Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C. (with thanks to GAY.com (USA), 18 July 2016 :-
' .... On the stages of Berlin, the Tiller Girls showed off their legs, dancing a Rockettes-style performance that amazed and titillated spectators. In crowded cabarets, audiences admired "tableaux" of women posing naked or watched actors telling risqué jokes and singing lewd songs.
Clubs full of men wearing powder and rouge as well as shorthaired women dressed in tuxedoes offered images of a world seemingly turned upside down. For the general public, this world was bewildering—and quite possibly terrifying.
For Germany's gay men and lesbians, though, Berlin represented promise. Its gay scenes offered exciting places to hunt for love and happiness. Christopher Isherwood, whose short stories based on his stay in Berlin eventually became the basis for the 1972 film Cabaret, with Liza Minnelli, put it simply enough: "Berlin meant boys." ... '
--- see more of C.J. Whisnant's colorful pre-WWII history of Berlin's gay-&-lesbian scene at :-
[Clayton J. Whisnant's book is available August 2016 from Harrington Park Press, USA]
Sunday, July 17, 2016
GAY TV CHARACTERS / A forgotten history ...
---- a brief taste of an interesting recollection of a 'forgotten history', by Matt Baume at Unicorn Booty (USA), 17 July 2016 :-
'.... This month marks the birthday of a strange, groundbreaking yet mostly-forgotten sitcom: Brothers, the first TV show to have a gay lead character. It premiered in July of 1984.
Sure, there had been gays on TV before: most notably, Jody on the show Soap, played by Billy Crystal. He was a remarkable character, seen dating and having relationships and even winning custody of his child.
But he wasn't a main focus on the show to the extent that the star of Brothers was. There were also gay episodes of shows like Maude, on which characters went to a gay bar — but that was a one-off. More than a decade before Will and Grace, Brothers was television's first gay sitcom. .... '
---- see more of Matt Baume's perceptive revisit to an historical point in the evolution of television subjects at Unicorn Booty at :-
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
---- a selected quote from a sensitive critique by Gabriele Neher [Assistant Professor of History of Art, University of Nottingham], 12 July 2016 :-
' .... Debates about the validity of history in fiction are well rehearsed, but there are few better places to start than Hilary Mantel, who wrote in 2009:
The past is not dead ground, and to traverse it is not a sterile exercise. History is always changing behind us, and the past changes a little every time we retell it. The most scrupulous historian is an unreliable narrator … Once this is understood, the trade of the historical novelist doesn't seem so reprehensible or dubious; the only requirement is for conjecture to be plausible and grounded in the best facts one can get.Mantel here argues for the value of informed conjecture. The medium of the historical novel allows us to think through the human element of history and the ways in which the seemingly fixed narratives we are familiar with might so easily have spun off into an unfamiliar and different direction. ....'
---- see more of Gabriele Neher's reflections on historical fiction (plus brief reviews of recent titles) at the always-interesting The Conversation (UK) at :-
Sunday, July 10, 2016
---- the opening pars of an extended ELECTION 2016 survey by Jeremy W. Peters at The New York Times (USA), 10 July 2016 :-
'CLEVELAND — Same-sex marriage and transgender rights are emerging as points of serious strain between social conservatives and moderates who are trying to shape the Republican platform, reviving a festering cultural dispute as thousands of party activists and delegates prepare for their convention.
Friday, July 8, 2016
ANGELS IN AMERICA / A US playwright's creation of a powerful literary masterpiece ...
---- the opening pars of an extended account by Isaac Butler & Dan Kois of a major 21st Century literary work by US playwright Tony Kushner at SLATE Magazine (USA), 28 June 2016 :-
'How Tony Kushner's play became the defining work of American art of the past 25 years:- Twenty-five years ago this summer, Tony Kushner's Angels in America premiered in the tiny Eureka Theatre in San Francisco's Mission District. Within two years it had won the Pulitzer Prize and begun a New York run that would dominate the Tony Awards two years in a row, revitalize the nonmusical play on Broadway, and change the way gay lives were represented in pop culture.
Both parts of Angels, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, put gay men at the center of American politics, history, and mythology at a time when they were marginalized by the culture at large and dying in waves. It launched the careers of remarkable actors and directors, not to mention the fiercely ambitious firebrand from Louisiana who wrote it—and rewrote it, and rewrote it, and rewrote it again.
Its 2003 HBO adaptation was itself a masterpiece that won more Emmys than Roots. But the play also financially wiped out the theater that premiered it; it endured casting and production tumult at every stage of development, from Los Angeles to London to Broadway; its ambitious, sprawling two-part structure tested the endurance of players, technicians, and audiences. Slate talked to more than 50 actors, directors, playwrights, and critics to tell the story of Angels' turbulent ascension into the pantheon of great American storytelling—and to discuss the legacy of a play that feels, in an era in which gay Americans have the right to marry but still in many ways live under siege, as crucial as ever.
Tony Kushner (playwright of Angels in America): Around November of 1985, the first person that I knew personally died of AIDS. A dancer that I had a huge crush on, a very sweet man and very beautiful. I got an NEA directing fellowship at the repertory theater in St. Louis, and right before I left New York, I heard through the grapevine that he had gotten sick. And then, in November, he died.
---- see more of Isaac Butler & Dan Kois's revealing essay about Tony Kushner's inspiration in creating this major theater work at www.slate.com at :-
Monday, July 4, 2016
COMING OUT AS LGBTQ / A testimonial ...
---- the opening pars of a personal recollection by Julia Carpenter at The Washington Post (USA), 30 June 2016 :-
'It can feel like "coming out" is everywhere — people talk about coming as every letter of the LGBTQ acronym, coming out with mental illness. The New York Times has noted that the Orlando massacre has inspired more people to come out as gay.
But coming out usually isn't a singular pronouncement — an Ellen DeGeneres moment or a "Glee" moment. Instead, it's a series of moments.
For Tia Bryan, a 30-year-old bisexual woman in Dallas, coming out is a process that happens every day. She and her fiancee feel supported by an accepting community, but she still finds herself explaining the ring on her finger to co-workers, strangers and friends. Leading up to their wedding next April, Bryan and her fiancee are experiencing a variety of coming-out moments — big conversations with family members as well as quiet public displays of affection.
"It's definitely a lot more than some proclamation," she says. "Even something as small as holding someone's hand or kissing someone's cheek or brushing their hair out of their face can speak volumes when done in public. It's saying 'I'm not afraid to be who I am.' " ....
---- see more of Julia Carpenter's personal testimonial at www.washingtonpost.com at :-
Sunday, July 3, 2016
GAY PEOPLE IN WESTERN EUROPE / Celebrating Yale's John Boswell ...
---- the opening pars of an extended literary review celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the publication of deceased Yale historian John Boswell's (1947-1994) ground-breaking account of the evolution of the Christian world's responses to homosexuality, published at The Gay & Lesbian Review (USA). 1st July 2016 :-
'IT WOULD BE NO EXAGGERATION to say that in gay historical circles, and more specifically gay religious studies, there is before John Boswell and there is after John Boswell. It can be argued that the 1980 publication of openly gay Yale historian John Boswell's groundbreaking work, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century, by replacing one conceptual worldview with a radically different one, gave rise to the kind of paradigm shift that Thomas Kuhn talked about in his landmark 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
By analyzing biblical texts from both the Old and New Testament and the historical record up to the 14th century, Boswell upended the traditional Roman Catholic Church's understanding of its gay members. And so, on the 35th anniversary of the publication of his magnum opus, it seems the right time to analyze this paradigm shift and explore the impact of such an intellectual and spiritual upheaval in the intervening decades .... '
---- see more.of Brian Bromberger's perceptive historical essay at www.glreview.org at :-
Saturday, July 2, 2016
---- a brief excerpt from an extended candid interview with longtime US theater icon Fierstein, reported by Adam Hetrick at PLAYBILL (USA), 30 June 2016, with thanks :-
'.... Hetrick: There are so many younger LGBTQ people who aren't aware of the history of the gay rights movement that came before them. Too often I feel like I hear people say things that the Pride March isn't for them, or that it doesn't reflect them, or who gay people are now. What do you say to those people?
Harvey Fierstein: I just laugh. Children are always privileged. I don't think I'm the first to notice that. You're born into a world that is the way it is, and then it's not even comfortable. It's a hard thing to try and look back and see how you got there, especially since most of our history has been decimated. Our history was never written down, and most people who were gay had marriages, or beards of some sort. How many years do you have to go back—two, three—to find that that's the way people lived?
It's a very hard thing, and our history is not taught in schools, obviously. We are a minority, because there's not as many of us as there are heterosexuals, but we are in every culture. We are every color, we are every religion, we are every social and economic background, in every country, in every tribe, and we're everywhere. So it's very hard to create a community out of such disparity. ....'
---- see more of Adam Hetrick's candid interview with Fierstein at PLAYBILL at :-
Thursday, June 30, 2016
---- a brief excerpt from a substantial, sizzling interview with Alexander Skarsgard (Tarzan in "The Legend of Tarzan") by Chris Azziopardi at PrideSource (USA), 28 June 2016 :-
'.... I don't know if you know this, but gay men love you.
Oh, really?
They do. Is that surprising to hear?
Well, I don't know. I've always been... I don't know how to answer that question, but thank you. That's very flattering to hear.
It's always been the most natural thing to me because my uncle and godfather is a gay man and so growing up, even as a little toddler, it was just as natural as being straight. My aunt would show up with her husband and my uncle would show up with his husband. He was, by far, out of my father's four siblings (Alexander's father is actor Stellan Skarsgard), the most fashionable and the most trendy, cool guy. So, when I was a kid, he was the one I looked up to. I thought he was really badass: fit and awesome and cool, and obviously not because he was gay.
When I became a teenager and the kids made fun of other teenagers who were gay, I never really understood that. It just baffled me because my idol, my godfather, was gay, and he was the coolest guy I knew. I just couldn't understand how that could be an insult. ....'
---- see all of Chris Azzopardi's wildly entertaining interview with actor Alex Skarsgard at :-
---- and check Mr. Skarsgard's physical tone in playing Tarzan in the side-column, opposite.
---- "THE LEGEND OF TARZAN" is now screening in many global cinemas.
Monday, June 27, 2016
---- selected lines from the opening pars of a news report by Nico Lang at ADVOCATE.com (USA), 27 June 2016 :-
'Pope Francis believes that it's time for Catholics to apologize to the LGBT community.
.... "I believe that the church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended," he said, "but has to apologize to the poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor; it has to ask forgiveness for having blessed many weapons."
"The church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times — when I say the church, I mean Christians!" he added. "The church is holy, we are sinners!" ....'
---- see Nico Lang's entire controversial report at www.advocate.com/religion at :-
---- see another perspective on this issue at The Boston Globe (USA), 28 June 2016 :-
Sunday, June 26, 2016
---- the brief introduction to a news report by Yesim Dikmen published at HAARETZ (Israel), 26 June 2016 :- ,
'REUTERS - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday for an annual parade celebrating gay and transgender rights, with many expressing concerns as Britain gears up to part ways with the European Union after Thursday's referendum.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
---- the opening pars to a news report by Zack Ford at Think Progress (USA), 24 June 2016 :-
'President Obama announced Friday that he is officially declaring a national monument at the Stonewall Inn, commemorating the historic rise of the modern LGBT movement that started there. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the gay bar, spurring the LGBT patrons to riot and begin organizing resistance efforts that turned into what is now known as Pride.
Technically the new national park is Christopher Park, the area directly across from the Stonewall Inn. Obama's proclamation notes that the park has become "a popular destination for LGBT youth, many of whom had run away from or been kicked out of their homes," as well as a place of organizing for other LGBT milestones ....
----- see more of Zack Ford's commemorative post at http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt at :-
Friday, June 24, 2016
GAYS / Are they an ancient or modern phenomenon? ....
---- the opening pars to an extended essay by Mike Albo at Daily JSTOR (USA), 24 June 2016 :-
'.... it is Gay Pride month, the LGTBQ community is increasingly visible, and the society at large is slowly embracing new definitions of sexuality and gender. Just this week, Jamie Shupe of Oregon, who prefers the article "they," is the first American to be granted the legal right to pronounce themself "non-binary" under the law.
Then, the shooting in Orlando happens, and we are in darkness. What becomes visible is the hate and anger towards sexual identity outside of the heterosexual norm, and once again, questions about the relevance of gay sexuality bubble to the surface, as they have so many times in the past.
The core issue always seems to boil down to: Should gay people be alive? Are we as "worthy" to humankind as heterosexuality? Are gays ancient? If not, it follows that we gay people are simply modern cvreations. ....'
---- see more of Mike Albo's insightful essay at http://daily.jstor.org/gay-culture at :-
Thursday, June 23, 2016
---- as part of the brand's Pride Month effort, writer Kristina Monllos submits an exclusive. Here is the opening par to Kristina's report, published in ADWEEK (USA), 21 June 2016 :-
'If you pick up this Sunday's print edition of The New York Times and thumb through it, you'll find that it features a couple full-page print ads from American Express that show the brand's support for gay marriage.
It's no coincidence that the brand is rolling the ads out on Sunday, June 26, since that's the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same-sex marriage.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Issues Statements in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month 2016 and the joint guidance on transgender student protections provided by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice ---- the opening par of a formal statement by the US Commission on Civil Rights, published at PR Newswire (USA), 20 June 2016 :-
---- see more of this formal statement at www.prnewswire.com/news at :-
Monday, June 20, 2016
"HOW TO MAKE WHITE PEOPLE LAUGH" / The wit of Negin Farsad ...
---- at a time of the western world's tendency to be prejudicial about aspects of Islam or the Muslim members of their societies, we present the opening pars of a lively & challenging interview with USA-Iranian (& Muslim) comedian Negin Farsad, published at SALON online magazine, 18 June 2016 :-
'Salon talks to Farsad about her debut memoir and the power of comedy to combat racism and launch social change.
New York City-based comedian, writer and director Negin Farsad's debut nonfiction book, "How to Make White People Laugh" (Hachette Book Group, 2016), is best described as 'memoir meets social-justice-comedy-manifesto'. ....
.... Her illuminating memoir offers a frank and hilarious conversation about growing up as an Iranian-American Muslim woman in a post-9/11 world, as well as what it means to have a hyphenated identity. It's at once a comedy and a reflection on the power of comedy to initiate social change — with plenty of research, graphs, images, and footnotes to back it up. Salon spoke with Farsad about her career as a social justice comedian, and what inspired her debut. ....'
---- see more of this striking interview with Farsad at www.salon.com at URL :-
Thursday, June 16, 2016
---- at a time of continuing challenges by advocates of Judeo-Christian puritanism, Joe Morgan at GAY STAR NEWS (UK/USA) offers 25 concepts from religious authority which dispute a grossly puritan interpretations of doctrine :-
'Take a look at the actual facts that should have homophobes who pick and choose what to preach quaking in their boots :-
1. There is no record whatsoever of Jesus preaching against homosexuality.
2. Paul writes: 'Make no mistake: no fornicator or idolator, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion, no thieves or grabbers or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers, will possess the kingdom of God.' While this is another line that many use to attack gay people, others suggest 'homosexual' is actually a [16th Century] mistranslation of 'prostitute'.
3. The Bible explicitly tells you not to force people into believing or boasting about your religion.
4. The church sanctified gay marriages in the so-called Dark Ages, with one being the Byzantine Emperor Basil 1 (867-886) and his partner John. ....
.... and 21 further related appraisals of the status of homosexuality in religious texts.
---- Check Joe Morgan's full list of 25 facts at GAY STAR NEWS at :-
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
PRINCE WILLIAM makes history ...
---- the opening pars of a substantial publishing announcement at USA TODAY (US), 15 June 2016 :-
'Prince William is offering a show of royal support to the LBGT community in one of its darkest moments.
A day after signing a condolence book for victims of the Orlando shooting, he has become the first member of Britain's royal family to appear on the cover of a gay magazine with the July issue of Attitude, akin to America's Out.
The magazine, which went to press mere days before the massacre at Pulse, arrives on newsstands next week. The digital version is already available for purchase. .... '
---- see more of the Attitude report at USA TODAY at :-
[ Note: Text-only items received by smartphone users as SMS's (short message services) will possess supporting images or videos at the twin-columned Blogger Cool Gay Stuff platform at url :- http://mmromancenovels.blogspot.com.au/ ]
Sunday, June 12, 2016
GAY RIGHTS parades in Catholic Europe ...
---- the opening pars to a substantial news report [via Associated Press] posted at The Star (Toronto, Canada), 11 June 2016 :-
'WARSAW, POLAND—Thousands of people marched Saturday in colourful gay pride events in Italy, Poland and Croatia urging support for minority rights in the mostly Catholic nations.
Friday, June 10, 2016
GAY CLASSICS / "A Boy's Own Story"(Edmund White USA 1982)
---- brief pars from the introductory section of a substantial book review at The Guardian (UK), 10 June 2016 :-
'A Boy's Own Story chronicles a teenager's journey to adulthood in the 1950s midwest USA. .... A Boy's Own Story is both a masterpiece in the literature of adolescence and a pivotal book in the history of gay writing, opening up the landscape of teenage homosexuality with revelatory frankness. .... More than 30 years on, in a culture in which sexual truth-telling is ubiquitous, it retains its power to startle: in the tense insouciance with which it describes a 14-year-old's lust for his father, or his earning money to pay for a hustler; or in the hair-raising betrayal that brings the novel to its close, a wilful act towards which we see the whole narrative has been moving with an awful logic. .... '
---- see more of Alan Hollinghurst's appraisal of US author Edmund White's highly-regarded book at www.theguardian.com (UK) at :-
---- • A Boy's Own Story is a 1982 196-page semi-autobiographical novel by Edmund White. It is now to be published as a Picador Classic on 16 June.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell is recalled ...
HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY review of "THE HADRIAN ENIGMA" ...
A fair-haired young man, dressed in rich ceremonial armor, is found dead in the Nile River. When he is identified, everyone realizes the dangerous political implications of this death, because Antinous was the eromenos—the lover and protégé—of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
A grief-stricken Hadrian appoints two members of the court, Suetonius and his patron Clarus, to find out how and why Antinous died. They have two days to find the answer, permission to interrogate anyone except the Emperor and Empress, and the promise that they may forfeit their lives if they fail to satisfy Hadrian.
Failure is a distinct possibility. While Antinous was well-liked and respected, the circle of suspects is wide, as it often will be when the victim is the confidant of an absolute ruler. The two sleuths quickly draft unlikely but able assistants to help them, including a scribe and an observant, multilingual prostitute.
The book offers an extensively researched picture of life in the Roman Empire of 130 AD. Gardiner is equally convincing when writing about imperial politics and succession laws, marriage and sexual customs, philosophy and the theater.
But The Hadrian Enigma—a mix of mystery, comedy, gay and straight romance—is an entertaining read.
(See more at :-http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-hadrian-enigma-a-forbidden-history/
THE HADRIAN ENIGMA - an unedited review by historical novelist NAN HAWTHORNE ...
THE HADRIAN ENIGMA | A review by historical fiction author J.R. Tomlin ...
" .... In 130 AD, while accompanying the Emperor Hadrian on a tour up the Nile, the beautiful youth Antinous plunges into the Nile and drowns. Hadrian, near maddened with grief, declares Antinous a god. However, Suetonius just happens to be along on this imperial tour. Already the author of juicy books on contemporary Roman life, he is perfectly placed to investigate this mysterious death, so Emperor Hadrian commands him to investigate and find the murderer within 48 hours or suffer the consequences.
In the imperial compound on the Nile, Suetonius searches for clues. Here, semi-isolated, the bubbling cauldron of the Roman court has been transplanted to a fabulous tent city. Yet, the mystery of Egypt is an ever present backdrop to this baffling death. .... Why was Antinous clad in heavy ceremonial parade armor and weapons when he died? How did he come by a slit on his left wrist and strange marks on his throat? And how can Suetonius unravel all this when the Emperor refuses to let Suetonius even touch the body to examine it? The characterization is vivid and the historicity meticulous in this novel. I enjoyed savoring the characters and setting as Suetonius unraveled the imperial goings on. .... "
See more of J.R. Tomlin's review at her author's blogsite "Writing & More" at : http://jeannetomlin.blogspot.com/
By a reader down under (New South Wales, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is for: THE HADRIAN ENIGMA: A Forbidden History (Paperback)
George Gardiner's absorbing new book, which focuses on the relationship between the Roman emperor Hadrian and his young paramour, Antinous of Bithynia, quite possibly heralds the thrilling emergence of a new Mary Renault. (As uneven as it is in some places, to my mind it is a big improvement on Margeurite Yourcenar's book on Hadrian from the 1950s).
Gardiner begins his narrative with the discovery of the dead body of the beautiful youth, who has apparently drowned in the Nile. He coopts as his central figure cum narrator the actual historical figure of Suetonius Tranquillus, who is charged by the supreme colonial ruler Hadrian Caesar with the urgent responsibility of uncovering the reasons for, as well as the manner of, the death. Suetonius works night and day as a kind of investigator/ prosecutor and his dogged inquiry drives the plot. The narrative unfolds as a kind of antique murder mystery, then, and one of the book's great strengths is in the well-paced twists and turns of the plot, throwing up a number of suspects and scenarios along the way that keep the reader intrigued until the very end. Gardiner's humour shines through this character, who is forced to carry out his investigation under the double pressure of a pressing deadline (why is Hadrian so intent of winding it all up in such a short time, we wonder) and the threat of execution if he doesn't come up with the answers.
This is compelling writing. Suetonius is a good choice, as he is known for his history of a dozen Caesars, and the author brings him vividly and humorously to life. Indeed, Gardiner skilfully and imaginitively re-works established historical figures and creates a cast of composite characters where necessary to serve his narrative ends. The fact that he can do this convincingly, with such an extraordinary mixture of ethnicities and beliefs, is writing of a high order. The mastery of research is remarkable, not only for Gardiner's command of the details of ethnic artefacts, weaponry, costume, architecture and so on, but also for the complex politics of Roman colonial expansionism in its abrasive encounter with other cultures. The era was marked by a complex intermingling of belief systems, and Gardiner's fictional world is woven from a rich and amazingly detailed fabric. Very occasionally the research seems almost oversupplied but for the most part it serves to underpin his imaginative reconstructions with persuasive authenticity.
Also among the book's strengths are the finely imagined conversations between characters, both historical and concocted, that move the investigation so beautifully along. There are certain set action sequences pieces, too, that are brilliantly staged and paced--the boar hunt, for example, when Hadrian rescues Antinous, and the marvellous climactic scene where Suetonius brings his prosecutorial charges home (albeit uncertainly, with some lines of inquiry that don't pan out).
The only thing that broke the spell for me was Gardiner's occasional jarring choices in language idioms. There's no doubt that the language(s) of the time and place would have been salted with colourful vulgarities, and the dialogue should reflect that, but some of the terms chosen have such strong contemporary associations for us, here at the beginning of the 21st Century, that they they jar and jolt in the reading. `Toyboy' is one example, `getting your rocks off,' `muscular stud' and `gaga' are others that don't ring well to my ear. It's a pity, because sometimes they drop the reader right out of the spell he weaves so skilfully, otherwise.
In contrast, many of the scenes and dialogue move with stately Latinate constructions within a convincing and well-sustained narrative voice. Gardiner has set himself the difficult task of creating a hybrid language that can include both convincing formal language, and everyday vulgarisms, that ring true within his own reconstruction, yet sound right to our contemporary hearing. It's a delicate juggling act and sometimes he drops his balls. (If he had perhaps reserved their use strictly in dialogue, say, to help with characterisation? Perhaps some of his choices might be better realised in a second edition.)
Another of the book's great strengths is hinted at by the book's sub-title. It's a `forbidden history' not simply because Hadrian issues an edict that only the official `party line' should be recorded (and by implication, Suetonius' project of recording events for us to read goes dangerously gainst the edict of his Emperor). It's forbidden history too because Gardiner has constructed a counter-narrative to the centuries of heavily judgemental readings of this iconic same-sex relationship. Positive affirmations of same-sex bonding were exiled in silence as soon as the early Christian commentators started to impose their dominant narratives over all acceptable behaviours and ideals.
In Yourcenar's 50s version, Antinous's moody adolescent pouting makes Hadrian looks like a bit of a fool for dallying with the youth, but Gardiner proposes a heroic reading here that highlights the finer elements of the erastes/eromenos partnering, which was not only tolerated but celebrated in ancient times. For me, this moves the book onto a higher plane than a mere homoerotic titillation and places the relationship where it belongs, in the heroic company of Patroclus/Achilles and the legendary band of Theban warrior-lovers.
Gardiner successfully and daringly recuperates the much-despised and consistently misrepresented ideal of man-to-man love, here based on respect, admiration and the inspiration of noble ideals, as much as the undeniable and enjoyable erotic attraction, which we see only fitful glimpses of among sporting figures and others today. During the continuing culture wars of our own times it's a relief to read this inspiring alternative with its healing potential as an affirmative voice emerging from the diminishing, culturally imposed silence.
In a strange way `The Hadrian Enigma' is reminiscent of E.M. Forster's gay-affirmative novel `Maurice', which Forster was unable to publish during his lifetime. Forster's wistful happy ending for a same sex coupling was unthinkable in the mid-twentieth Century, and even today, it's hard to read such partnering as anything other than morally sinful - such is our pervasive indoctrination by churchmen - or psychologically misdirected (`homosexuality' is still construed as a kind of `failed development' in conventional psychological readings). Certainly such a relationship will still be regarded as second best to the pressing imperative of reproduction. Gardiner has struck a blow with this courageous and convincing re-telling.
So, for me this is a 5 star book for the outstanding and detailed research and the creative work that underpins the imaginative reconstructions; at least 4 stars for its plotting, but only 3 stars for the strange inconsistencies in his prose style. This averages out to a solidly earned 4 stars.
I do hope Gardiner is deep at work on his next book of historical fiction. He certainly has all the skills required.
See this review in situ at Amazon at :-
This blog claims no credit for the images or texts featured here. Content is credited where a credit is available. Links to originating sources are provided.
Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 (USA). This allowance is made for "Fair Use" (or "Fair Dealing"), including non-profit, educational, or personal, and allows the re-broadcast of copyright materials for the purpose of commentary, criticism, and education. Further disclaimer under the Speech Act of 2010 (USA). No copyright infringement intended.
Items remain on view for up to one month only. However, items will be deleted on request from proven copyright holders.
Bye-bye for now from George Gardiner's THE HADRIAN ENIGMA news site ...