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I have always wanted to take on the delight of putting my design touches on this lovely older home.
Good morning all my lovely readers! I am tackling the same scenario I recently guided you through—downsizing! My goodness a lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into accomplishing this new journey in life. My husband and I have made this move for personal reasons. Caring for and being more involved with a member of one's family sometimes requires you to make some changes. And that is just what we have done—we have relocated to lend a hand.
I must admit that I have always wanted to take on the delight of putting my design touches on this lovely older home, which has been in our family for more than 35 years. By European standards, this might be viewed as a relatively new home, but in my family this is a house with some history! And, as Europeans do, I am naming my new home: Highland House! Remember when I told you about naming rooms to give them a personality that can literally guide the design concept? Besides, naming things is just fun, and I like having fun—don't you? I have never in all my 61 years lived in an older home, so learning to understand the joys and sometimes bad behavior of my new Highland House will be a wonderful journey for me. I hope you will read the undertakings and growing pains the two of us have with one another and maybe even pass by on occasion to see our changes.
Let me start off by sharing one recent treat that literally warmed my heart! I was at Highland House and my dearest friend from childhood stopped by for no real reason—she just wanted to check on me. This may not seem unusual as it is common practice in this lovely community. But for me, I haven't had someone just "pop over" to my home since living in a small neighborhood in Lenexa, Kansas, in the late 1970s. I've spent a good portion of my life in larger cities, so popping over just did not happen. After a quick look at the changes I had made so far, we went out on the porch to visit. Within about an hour another friend popped over for a visit! She too had no real reason for the visit—just came to talk.
Now, for some of you, this may seem silly that it's such a big deal to me, but it is a big deal to this designer. Friendships are wonderful "designs," even though some friends need more "fluffing" than others, and some are literally part of your "foundation," like my dear friend from childhood! So we all lingered on the porch, which by design standards is in need of some TLC! I plan to handle the porch sometime soon, but for now putting things away and learning to handle a cranky plumbing problem has my focus. I do invite you to pop over, though, if you have a design question or just like to visit. I promise to bring lemonade or ice tea out to the porch for you on a tray! Gracious living can happen absolutely anywhere! And don't we owe this to ourselves—to live graciously!
So, enough about me and Highland House. Let's talk about some really really simple design changes that will have you humming! Recently I had the need to put shelf paper in cabinets and drawers for the first time in my life. I am not sure how I missed this brilliantly beautiful product, but my new attraction to it is now grand. (Although I'm not sure why it's called shelf paper—I think it's more of a rubber product.)
Consider sprucing up your cabinets with this amazing design element. Opening a cabinet door and seeing a wonderful plaid paper under glasses is just a delicious little gift to yourself. Let me share with you a few reasons why I've decided this product is the cat's meow!
Shelves with some wear and tear look like they have been upholstered in lovely fabric. Open the cabinet and the interiors become a magical treat!
Shelf paper protects the painted finish and discourages paint damage.
The padding completely eliminates the clanking of crystal on a shelf.
It just looks so clean and pristine! If you are in an older home, placing your utensils in the old drawers surfaces can be a bit icky, so a shelf product gives you a sanitary peace of mind.
If things get spilled, it is an easy clean up. Be sure to read the instructions on the packaging to check the possibility of washing by machine. Or, merely spray it off in your sink, let it dry and put it back in your cabinets.
Brands such as Easy Line and Duck are easy to find at Walmart, The Home Depot and even some grocery stores. Finding wonderful designs at the dollar stores is a simple treat—and an inexpensive one, too! I also found an online store, www.chicshelfpaper.com or 877-333-4181, and, oh my gosh, it will make you mad for shelf paper! This company is actually a printer and can do custom coloring to match fabrics and paint colors as well as reproduce logos. They can also custom cut your paper so that you simply pop it into the drawers and shelves when it arrives—how easy is that? A nifty calculating tool on the site provides assistance. You might consider applying one of their four types of shelf paper to the backs of bookcases, cabinets or even entertainment centers for an unexpected touch of refinement or a contemporary edge. Now we are talking taking shelf paper to the most elegant level of design.
For a pretty edge treatment on the paper in perhaps a Shabby Chic design or even Grandma's lovely world of lace I have another web-site for you to visit. Check D. Blumchen & Company est. 1985, HYPERLINK "http://www.blumchen.com/"www.blumchen.com, which offers the most charming doily/lace edging to add to shelf paper. So delightful! According to their website: "The classic white doily border was a popular edging for kitchen shelving and china and linen closets during the early to mid 1900s, and is still a much-requested item. Each strip of border trim is 40″ long and 3″ wide."
As I often say, it's attention to the small details that makes our lives a bit more wonderful! Who would guess that I would, after so many years in the design world, be absolutely goofy over shelf paper?! But here I am indeed, goofy over shelf paper. Buy yourself a roll or two or thirty, and suddenly all your drawers and cabinet shelves become masterpieces of organization!
See you next week for coffee on the porch!


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It's no secret that Karl Freund's 1932 Universal Monsters classic The Mummy shares a LOT with Tod Browning's triumph of the previous year, Dracula. Boris Karloff's Imhotep/Ardath Bay and Bela Lugosi's vampire count are both creatures of ancient evil who find themselves in modern London, chasing down their reincarnated loves while dealing with the inconvenient intelligence of Edward Van Sloan and the pretty-boy uselessness of David Manners. Except for the opening tomb-crawl and the lack of a bug-eating servant, Imhotep really has more in common with Dracula than with any of the foot-dragging brutes in Universal's string of quality-dwindling sequels.
No stranger to repurposing monster lore to fit his unique cinematic vision, Paul Naschy took a similar tack when scripting his sole excursion into the land of the pharoahs, 1973's The Mummy's Revenge (La Venganza de la Momia), paying attention to his character's Egypt-specific lore while also infusing him with the characteristics of other cinematic monsters. And since the well-established Naschy Monster Mantra is always "MORE IS MORE IS MORE," he didn't stop with Dracula--he used elements of no less than five classic monsters together with one of his own most celebrated characters to create a Fusion Mummy that is pretty much unlike any other.
We open in the court of Amenhotep (you see what he did there?), a brutal despot from a forgotten dynasty. From a portentious voice-over we learn that the Pharoah (Naschy, of course) and his wicked consort Amara (Rina Ottolina) rule over Egypt with extreme cruelty: "Amenhotep murdered beautiful young women, satiating his shameful, repugnant appetites!" Like you do. Of course we get to see a few of these unfortunate nubiles strung up in chains (CHAINS!) in the Pharoah's court and sacrificed in various ways. Later we learn that far from being the jaded entertainments of an all-powerful emperor, the sacrifices have a far more sinister purpose:
"Amenhotep, monstrous pharoah of Egypt, wrought the most horrendous tragedies on its people, making an alliance with the forty-two evil spirits of the unknown...Employing them for his own despicable crimes, drinking the blood of virgins and eating the flesh of his fellow man at diabolical banquets, he honored these same renegade spirits..."If all that blood-drinking and flesh-eating sounds familiar, it should...but we'll get to that in a minute. For now the important thing is that the High Priest of Amen-Ra (who looks disturbingly like a slightly made-up Sir Ben Kingsley), spurred to action by the King's atrocities and the people's suffering, has Armana stabbed and slips Amenhotep a paralyzing poison before cursing him to the anceint Egyptian's worst fear: denied entrance to the world of the dead, Amenhotep is doomed to eternal life in his earthly form. Unbowed, the paralyzed king swears his descendants will carry out his will and bring him back for his revenge. Not exactly cursed from the pyre, but the same principle, obviously.
Time passes. Eventually the tomb is discovered by a team of American archaeologists financed by the British Museum of Natural History, Stock Footage Wing, including repeat Naschy collaborators Jack Taylor (Dr. Jekyll and the Wolf Man) and María Silva (Curse of the Devil). Wearing enough eye-liner to make Ozzy Osbourne blink twice, Taylor quickly transports the golden Paulcophagus and accompanying hieroglyphic scroll back to London for further study. At a dinner party hosted by wheelchair-bound Dr. Landsbury and his young daughter Elena (Ottolina again--you see where this is going), Taylor spills the beans on their important find while Egyptian professor Assad Bay (Naschy again) listens with keen interest.
Of course unbeknownst to his colleagues, Bay is a direct descendant of Amenhotep, and with the help of his eeevil and completely SMOKIN' HAWT lady-friend Zenifer (ice-queen extraordinaire Helga Liné) plans to resurrect his forebear in exchange for the limitless power and immortality Amenhotep will doubtless grant him. And how will they accomplish this dastardly feat? By sacrificing seven virgins to the 42 Unknown Evil spirits, mixing their blood with crushed tana leaf tea, and feeding it to the Pharoah's mouldering corpse.
Of course seasoned Jacinto-philes will recall that Paul and Helga had teamed up memorably just a couple of years earlier in the classic Horror Rises from the Tomb as blood-drinking, flesh-eating eeevil aristocrat Alaric de Marngac and his lover Mabille, who likewise needed the blood of seven innocents in order to regain their diabolical powers after centuries of living death. Yes, de Marngac is the Dracula to Naschy's Mummy, right down to Paul's dual role as both the evil ancestor and his modern-day descendant.
Derivative? Maybe, but if you're a fan of the earlier film you won't scoff at the opportunity to see one of the greatest evil couples in cinematic history at it again, and Osiris be praised, Naschy and Liné are more than up to the task. It's not long before the pair have chained and tortured three finishing-school girls to get enough blood to jump-start the mummy. Soon the ceremony is complete (worth the price of admission for Helga's OMG HAWT Egyptian Nymphet garb, complete with headdress, Bo Derek-style braids, and a midriff-baring top displaying her frankly STUNNING navel in all its glory), and the corpse of Amenhotep walks among the living again.
The Pharoah has lost none of his beefiness despite 3000 years in the grave, and Paul wastes no time letting his audience know this is NOT your grandfather's lumbering pile of bandages. Neither slow-moving like Kharis nor shying away from human contact like Karloff's wrinkled spectre, the risen Amenhotep stalks through the museum, crushing a guard's head like a melon before heading out into the London fog to seek a proper body to house the spirit of Amarna--because like Alaric de Marngac, his first order of post-resurrection bidness is to reincarnate his WOMAN.
It's here that Naschy really fires up the stove for some fusion-cookin', as Amenhotep goes on a KILL-CRAZY RAMPAGE throughout London in search of the remaining virgins he needs to solidify his powers and raise Amarna from the dead. First he spies on a honeymooning couple through the window of their cottage, watching the girl undress before eschewing stealth completely to BURST THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR DANINSKY-STYLE, grab the flummoxed groom by the throat, and splatter his brains against the wall with a mighty flex of his dessicated triceps! After delivering this first virgin back to the temple, Amenhotep creeps through the foggy moors of Hyde Park, stalking another victim and again acting like some kind of awesome Werewolf/Mummy hybrid.
scaring the bejeezus out of a London streetwalker (Jack the Ripper), leading two Bobbys on a merry chase through the fog-shrouded streets (Mr. Hyde), and descending into the shadowy sewers beneath the city where the feeble police are no match for his cunning and strength (Phantom of the Opera). Later Amenhotep somehow finds his way to some stables where he surprises a young couple in flagrante de hayloft, tantalizing with the possibility of an upper-story Mummy LEAP ATTACK but opting instead for a pitchfork spear to the young lover's gut. Why he kidnaps this obviously un-virginized chick is unclear; obviously this is a mummy who lives by his own rules.
Relations get strained between the Pharoah and his mortal servants. Inspecting the bodies Assad and Zenifer have procured on their own, Amenhotep expresses his displeasure by crushing each corpse's head like a cherry cordial, giving us several shots of pulped heads (complete with jutting teeth and what looks like actual sheep's eyes) that are miles above any of the other gore fx in the flick. When Zenifer starts planting the seeds of doubt about the Pharoah's good intentions toward them, Assad must choose whether to serve his master or stick with his girl.
Of course Jack Taylor and his girlfriend soon get suspicious of Assad Bay, thinking he's faking the mummy attacks in order to revenge the looting of his country's tombs. Their investigation leads them further and further into danger; meanwhile, Amenhotep discovers Amarna's spitting image in young Elena, and so kills her father and one of the old man's servants (with a museum-quality pole-axe!) in order to get her in his rotting clutches. This leads to a scene in which it is strongly implied that Elena, hypnotized in her bedroom by the charismatic corpse, engages in a little between-the-sheets necro-boogie with her past-life love. How often does a movie mummy get laid? About as often as a hunchback, I'd wager.
There are a lot of not terribly sensical but nontheless entertaining scenes scattered throughout the last half of the movie, including Elena's guilt over her father's paralysis, a few shifty-eyed corpses, dandyish footman livery, Taylor's investigation interrupted by a tree being struck by lightning, the wimpy archaelogist somehow employing a grappling hook to get himself and his girlfriend into Naschy's abode, Amenhotep shaking off bullets to the chest, arms, and face, and in the most unrealistic scene in the flick, Jack Taylor besting Naschy in a fist-fight. Which took me right out of the movie, I have to say--I can buy all the rest, but that shit would just NOT HAPPEN.
It all leads to a confrontation in the temple during the final ceremony that is typical Naschy excess (read: excellent) complete with a telegraphed face-turn, liberal use of a weaponized hanging kettle (aka HOT SOUP WRECKING BALL!), and the deployment of every mummy's kryptonite--a burning torch--leading to the expected fiery cataclysm.
The Mummy's Revenge has only been released once or twice in the US, on videotape, and according to the indespensible Mark of Naschy website, neither version is the true "hard" export version--you can tell there are several places where sex and gore scenes have been cut, and what's left is so suggestive you can't help but wish for that uncut print to turn up. (Don't hold your breath, though--the website further states "This 'hard' version is so elusive and sought-after that even Naschy himself has hunted for it.") As usual director Carlos Aured captures many effective compositions, with the opening Egyptian scenes and the atmospheric shots in the museum being standouts. And Naschy's script--well, MORE IS MORE IS MORE.
As for the acting, Naschy is in top form as usual, both as the modern day schemer Assad Bay and in the Kharis-style zip-up bandage suit as Amenhotep. His take on the Mummy as less a heartbroken romantic who risked his soul and lost it for love, and more a force of sadistic, sexually perverse evil steeped in the powers of the occult, is one I hadn't seen before, and a refreshing change. (However, the Pharoah's English dub voice here--all gruff and cartoon-villany--is unfortunate.) Liné is Naschy's perfect match as usual, cold and calculating, seductive and dangerous, elegant and ruthless. And enough cannot be said about the way she wears that Egyptian outfit. ZIGGITY ZANG. As for the rest, Taylor is wooden and stern as usual, and the remaining cast members perform their roles without distinction.
It may be true that I never saw a Naschy film I didn't like, but The Mummy's Revenge really brings the gravy. Fusion-monsters, self-referentiality, implied perversity and periodic flashes of disturbing gore, and a total WTF ending, all tied up with typically Naschyan plot developments and Helga Liné's navel to boot? What's not to like?
As if there were any doubt: 3+ thumbs. You can find this movie at various places on the internet, though sadly not on any official DVD release yet. Sacrifice a few virgins to Amen-Ra and see if we can change that, m'kay?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Mummy's Revenge (1973): or, Never Slip a Mummy the Tongue
Posted by The Vicar of VHS at 12:30 PM
Labels: '70s, 3+ Thumbs, Helga Liné, Mummies, Paul Naschy
7 comments:
- Tenebrous Kate said...
See, THAT'S the Ancient Egypt *I* am interested in, not the sorta-stodgy-and-stagnant one of real-life history that crushed my childhood dreams of scouring the sands of the Sahara in search of buried AWESOME. Everything I needed to know about eyeliner I learned from mummy movies, and it looks like I still have a lesson to learn here! Extra double bonus points for Ms. Line looking *stunning* in Cleopatra garb. Take THAT, Liz! *rrrooooowr*
- April 23, 2009 at 1:01 PM
- The Duke of DVD said...
A superb review as always, dear Vicar! This movie has a little bit of everything, doesn't it, minus the leap attack that almost was. Did you count the number of head-crushings in the movie? It must be a lot.
Extra kudos for inventing a word that will now enter my everyday vernacular: Paulcophagus.
- April 23, 2009 at 1:15 PM
- Jenn said...
I've never seen anything with Paul Naschy I didn't like either and I can't BELIEVE I haven't seen this one yet! Because seriously, no one does a monster mashup like him! It's going on my 'to buy' list post haste. Now I don't know which I'm gonna prefer - Naschy as Pharoah or Naschy as Hombre Lobo?
- April 23, 2009 at 7:58 PM
- The Vicar of VHS said...
@TK--This flick is all about the eyeliner, no doubt. Jack Taylor sports the most audacious example, and he's not even supposed to be Egyptian! As to my girl Helga--I thought I was in love before, and then she busted out the navel on me and made my devotion that much more devout.
I...like navels. A LOT. ;)
@DukeofDVD--there were at least 5 head-crushings in the flick, counting the Jackson Pollack-job Amenhotep did on the bridegroom (pictured). As to the Paulcophagus, it's really a thing of beauty, and if it still exists on our plane, I'm sure it will find its way to your trophy hall eventually. Dibs on sleeping in it when I stay over, though. ;)
@Jenn--Indeed, Paul gives so much joy with his gleeful monster mashes, he should really be counted an international treasure. Don't feel bad about not having seen this one, though--it's one of the rarer monster flicks Naschy did. It's available from several gray-market outlets, though--you might try Trash Video or Shocking Videos and see what you can find. And if you haven't seen "Horror Rises from the Tomb" yet, it's a great one, and will increase your appreciation of La Momia. :)
- April 24, 2009 at 8:08 AM
- Aaron said...
Is there an English version of this? The only ones I can find are in Spanish with no subtitles.
- July 16, 2009 at 1:39 AM
- The Vicar of VHS said...
Hi Aaron!
There is an English-dubbed version available through sites like Trash Palace (it's listed here: http://www.trashpalace.com/collectorsmovies/horror2.htm) and Shocking Videos. Be warned though--the voice they dubbed for Amenhotep is *not* as scary as it could have been, sounding more like a constipated Dick Cheney than a 3000 year old villain. ;) Happy hunting!
- July 16, 2009 at 8:47 AM
- Richard of DM said...
I finally got to see this one yesterday (based on your review). And it's totally fucking awesome. The moment where he bashes the faces of the lovely female sacrifices... I was all :o
- August 1, 2010 at 10:26 AM

subset: commoncrawl


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In Batman: Arkham Asylum the player assumes the role of Batman as he delivers The Joker to Arkham Asylum. There, the imprisoned super-villains have set a trap and an immersive combat gaming experience unfolds. With an original script penned by Emmy Award-winning Batman writer Paul Dini, the game brings the universe of DC Comics detective to life with stunning graphics.


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BP Oil Spill Physics Challenge
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On May 13 Professor Wereley used optical feature tracking to estimate the volume flow of oil from the on-going BP Macondo oil field spill. Several other independent scientists also performed similar measurements at about the same time. These several measurements were all in the ballpark of 20,000-100,000 barrels per day--greatly in excess of the estimates provided by BP of 5,000 barrels per day. The unforeseen effect of these first independent flow rate calculations was to bring the issue of oil flow rate to the fore. Wereley was subsequently appointed to a government task force called the Flow Rate Technical Group to calculate an official government flow rate estimate. The group arrived at an official, government-sanctioned estimate of 35,000-60,000 barrels of oil per day after requesting and receiving better quality and longer videos of the oil flow. This presentation/discussion will center on those calculations, their limitations, their improvement and their future uses in this on-going disaster. In particular, the Purdue Physics community will be challenged to look at these same images and movies and arrive at their best estimates of flow rate.
I am going to go through an exercise in the seminar in which all the attendees come up with their own estimate of the oil flow rate. I will come to the seminar with handouts of still frames extracted from the first movie that BP posted on May 12. The handout is available at: Oil Spill Flow Calculation Worksheet. You can work through the calculations during the seminar. It doesn't take long. Additionally, I know that some of you are excited to get your hands on the videos and do a closer inspection yourselves. In case that describes you, I've posted the video and several frames that I've extracted from the video on my web site. The address is: https://engineering.purdue.edu/~wereley/oilspill/
Feel free to spend some time looking at the video and images extracted from the video and use whatever approach you think correct to come up with a solid estimate of the oil flow rate. Also, the video is posted in a streaming format here: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/548775/
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What is AFQT?
AFQT is the abbreviation for Armed Forces Qualification Tests. The AFQT is not a single test; rather, it is a composite of four core tests that measure knowledge in a group of typical high school level academic disciplines. The four core tests give one overall score. The overall test score, known as the AFQT, is used by the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force to assess minimum qualifications for new recruits, but it is by no means the only criterion for a successful enlistment in those services.
All of the services require a recruit to have completed and graduated from an American high school. The military services accept the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) in lieu of graduation only in a small percentage of cases. The U.S. Army accepts the highest percentage of enlistees with General Equivalency Diplomas. The U.S. Air Force accepts the smallest number of enlistees with General Equivalency Diplomas (GEDs). However, all the services attempt to limit the number of GED equivalencies they accept and all require minimum scores on the AFQT. The services differ in the percentage of General Equivalency Diplomas (GEDs) they accept. They also differ with regard to minimum AFQT scores.
The minimum AFQT score for U.S. Air Force recruits is 36.
The minimum AFQT score for U.S. Army recruits is 31.
The minimum AFQT score for U.S. Marines Corp recruits is 32.
The minimum AFQT score for U.S. Coast Guard recruits is 40.
The minimum AFQT score for U.S. Navy recruits is 35.
Exceptions to the minimum scores are made in rare circumstances by some services but are not at all common. The minimum scores are accurate approximations, but they are subject to change according to the enlistment needs of the services.
Is the ASVAB for You?
While most of the people taking the ASVAB have little intention of entering military service, the military is one of the largest employers in the country for young men and women in the United States. While the very thought of anything military conjures up images of infantry slogging through rough terrain with rifles, or teams of soldiers loading huge shells into giant artillery pieces, the reality of military service is quite different. The increasing sophistication and complexity of military service requires a whole range of support occupations that require a high degree of skill and a variety of aptitudes. The ASVAB is designed to determine whether the potential enlistee has such skills and aptitudes.
Modern military service requires staffing in a variety of areas that might not be immediately apparent to the high school graduate. Peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts on the part of the military services require outreach to students having suitable capabilities. Communication and understanding assume even greater importance, and greater efficiency in many of the areas tested on the ASVAB is required.
The first point of contact for students who are thinking of military service is the military recruiter from the service in question. This contact often proceeds without further action from the student; indeed, most students take the ASVAB, find out what possibilities are open to them, and then decide if they wish to actually enlist in military service and undergo additional enlistment processing. Young people should explore all career options before deciding to take one path or another. It is quite common for many students to visit recruiters, ask questions, answer questions, take the ASVAB, and decide that military service is not for them.
However, it is estimated that approximately 80 percent of persons visiting military recruitment offices have a strong desire to gain experience in military service. With regard to the ASVAB itself, which consists of 10 individual test areas, four of the ten individual test areas are used to obtain a composite score called the AFQT score. The AFQT score is based on the following four areas: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, World Knowledge, and Paragraph Comprehension. The composite AFQT score is designed to measure overall aptitudes that identify those persons who can successfully be trained for specialized military service occupations. The Defense Department considers the AFQT a reliable predictor of on-the-job success. In addition to serving as a screening process by category ranking, the military services also use the ASVAB testing to examine the aptitudes for various job occupations in those services.
Armed Forces / ASVAB
Those people who are taking the ASVAB with a view toward future enlistment are placed in certain fixed categories. These categories are established in order to meet Department of Defense guidelines and recruitment goals. Although the categories may be revised to meet unusual conditions, they are generally fixed categories.
These Department of Defense fixed categories are established directly from the percentile scores of those taking the ASVAB and from the composite AFQT scores. AFQT scores are always expressed as a percentile rank. In other words, the applicant's percentile ranking is a comparison of his or her AFQT scores with the scores of other men and women in the entire national population of test takers.
There are five standing categories established by Department of Defense profiles with Category I being the highest performance category. Category I and Category II test takers are above average in performance as reflected in overall ASVAB scores. Category III is an average performance category in terms of trainability. The performance categories are important to the Department of Defense because the ease with which recruits may be trained is a major cost factor for the Defense Department. Categories IV and V are below average in terms of performance with a very low predictive rate of success in military training. Federal law has an impact upon those who score in the bottom two categories. Both law and policy limit the number of recruits who may be taken from those categories.
Those whose ASVAB scores are well below average and who fall into Category V are not eligible for enlistment in the military services. Those test takers who are placed in Category IV as the result of their AFQT/ASVAB scores may be permitted to enlist in some branches of the Armed Forces of the United States if they are regular high school graduates. The Defense Department distinguishes between "regular high school graduates" and those with a GED. You may want to consider an Army Distance Learning program.
Some of the services allow for the enlistment of an individual with a General Equivalency Diploma or GED, but services like the Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard do not. In nearly all cases, a Category IV performer must have graduated from a high school and be in possession of the high school's regular diploma. In fact, service branches like the Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force rarely permit enlistment with any Category IV performer, since a large number of the military occupations of these services are highly technical. The United States Navy also has generally higher performance requirements on the AFQT, with rare exceptions.
Paper and Pencil Test vs. CAT-ASVAB
The traditional paper and pencil ASVAB test is becoming more and more a thing of the past. The majority of ASVAB test takers prefer the CAT-ASVAB. There are many good reasons for choosing the CAT-ASVAB, particularly in consideration of the fact that today's recruits are more comfortable with computers than at any time before.
There is a distinct time disadvantage in taking the ASVAB on pencil and paper. The paper ASVAB test requires about three and one half hours to administer; the computer assisted ASVAB can be compressed into a time slot of less than two hours. The reason for the compression of the time required to administer the CAT-ASVAB is that the test taker does not have to answer every single question as he or she does on the paper test.
On the CAT-ASVAB, a correct answer on the easier questions will advance the test taker to questions with a higher degree of difficulty. Essentially, you can get credit while you skip the rudimentary question. In other words, the test taker does not waste precious time establishing basic qualifications and answering basic questions.
There are a few disadvantages to the computer-assisted ASVAB, too. For example, there's no way of "jumping ahead" on the paper test. Neither can you go back and change any of your answers once you've entered them. On the CAT-ASVAB, you must take the questions in the sequence the software presents them to you. There is a disadvantage in the area of scoring to taking the paper and pencil test. The score sheets from tests administered at one of the stationary military testing processing centers must be physically carried to MEPS centers for official processing. This can delay scores by three days or more. However, the scores on the Computer Assisted Testing are available immediately.
Another drawback of the paper and pencil test is that it is more prone to error. As with many standardized tests, it can be scored through the use of an Optical Mark Reader, a type of scanning device which "reads" pencil marks. A misplaced or smudged answer can be misread even if the test taker actually knows the correct answer.
The CAT-ASVAB is far more consistent in its scoring, and it is rare for errors to occur. When errors do occur in Computer Assisted Testing, trouble spots are obvious, easier to identify, and easier to correct. Moreover, the test can be scored immediately, and you can be told how well you did as soon as you are finished taking it.


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What could be cuter than mini milkshakes? Sweet, delicious little shooters that are beyond perfect for a little late night party snack! Styled by the talented Rhiannon of Hey Gorgeous Events and photographed by Jenna McKenzie Photography, this mini milkshake shoot is one of the CUTEST submissions we have had.
Rhiannon was searching for fun + clever twists on signature drinks for her client's weddings and VOILA! Mini milkshakes popped into her head! Not just mini milkshakes, but chocolate rimmed and sprinkle covered marshmallow mini milkshakes! The best part is you can make any sort of milkshake that you love (strawberry, chocolate, peanut butter, mint, etc) and you can make these for birthday parties, bbqs, showers and the list goes on.
Rhiannon used an adaptation of this recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes from Joy the Baker!
Marshmallow Fluff
3 large scoops vanilla ice cream or a heaping 1-cup of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a blender mix together ice cream, milk, vanilla extract and marshmallow fluff. Blend well. For a thinner milkshake add more milk. If you'd like it a bit thicker… add more ice cream. Pour into glasses and top with toasted marshmallows. Enjoy!
Cute, huh?! I think I know what little treat I'll be serving up at my next party. What I LOVE is how easy it is to personalize this mini milkshakes. Change out the color of the striped straws, use single color nonpareils to match your party theme, or insert cute personalized drink flags for a little saying! Head on over to Hey Gorgeous Events for even more creative + stylish ideas for weddings, parties and entertaining! Thanks Hey Gorgeous Events!


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Nikki Reed & Paul McDonald: Airport with the Pups!
Nikki Reed and hubby Paul McDonald unload luggage from a car before making their way through LAX Airport with their two German Shephards on Monday (December 10) in Los Angeles.
The week before, the 24-year-old actress and her musician hubby performed at the Bootleg Theater in L.A. alongside her Twilight co-star Jackson Rathbone.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Nikki Reed
Be sure to pick up Nikki and Paul's new five-song EP "The Best Part"!
FYI: Nikki is wearing AG Jeans.
10+ pictures inside of Nikki Reed, Paul McDonald and their pups at the airport…


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One area where Sony manage to consistently trump Microsoft in this generation of the great console war is exclusives. Coming up with the top 5 was a bit of a stretch, and there are plenty of other PS3-only games worth your time aside from this lot. Anyway, on with the list!
there is wayyyy to many maybe top 15
Demon's Souls is my #1, by far.
It all depends on the genre you prefer. Playstation exclusives cover almost every single genre out there. Personally, GT5 was my favorite.
no way, Sony's best franchises are GT, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, and Metal Gear. I can see someone being really into Demon's Souls I guess but the rest of the franchises are weak in comparison to other games in their genre.
in all seriousness it needs a top FIFTEEN list
journey motorstorm and starhawk need to be in there somewhere
What about God of War, Heavy Rain, Little Big Planet, Kill-Zone[2], Journey, MLB The Show?
This top 15 list is based on the games with the greatest WOW moments and the most fun i had with them over the longest period:
1. Heavy Rain (The only time a game made me emotional)
2. God of War 3 (Epic got a new definition)
3. Uncharted 2 (Visuals got a new definition)
4. Killzone 2 (Best multiplayer this gen)
5. Resistance 1 (2nd best multiplayer)
6. Uncharted 3
7. Killzone 3
8. Uncharted 1
9. Metal Gear Solid 4 (Snake! got a new definition)
10. Heavenly Sword
11. Motorstorm 1 (Best arcade racer)
12. Gran Turismo 5 (Best simulator racer)
13. Littlebigplanet
14. Warhawk (3rd best multiplayer)
15. Siren Blood Curse
Didn't even mention great titles such as Infamous, Journey, Flower, Folklore, Ratchet and Clank etc.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
2. Demon's Souls
3. Uncharted 2
4. Heavy Rain
5. God of War 3
The Last of Us and Beyond: Two Souls will be in the list later :)
I played and finished Heavy Rain, but I find the game extremely over rated. It had great atmosphere, but the writing was atrocious. So many holes in the story, terrible controls, stiff animations.
Why the does the killer have internal dialog about trying to find the killer? It makes no sense at all. Developers really need to start hiring actual writers for games, I expect better.
I would prefer a minimalist story, aka Demon's Souls to a overly melodramatic, hole filled story that is Heavy Rain. Let us hope his next game has better writing and execution to it.
Mgs4 was awesome but just not enough gameplay to many cutscenes. Uncharted 2 has to be the best, killzone 2 up there to.
They all have a dark look to them...
Sony needs to use the other 5 million colors in the human visible spectrum.
@ merrill: okay so u prefer a different type of storytelling, but games like Heavy Rain are heavily story based. So if you dont like that, then that's your problem. It was meant to be dramatic. After all, it was trying to blur the line between movies and games
@ 3-4-5
Yeah, I really get sick how the Uncharted series is nothing but greys and browns.
My point is that they didn't do a very good job at it. I love a good story, but I would prefer they do a coherent job of it. I have nothing against a story based game, but make sure you at least check your story for obvious holes and questions left unanswered. They need better writers.
Other than the internal dialog of the killer looking for the killer, why does Madison act shocked when she is told who the killer is? She never met or heard of him? Why the hell did Ethan keep having black outs? No explanation at all, moments like these took me out of the experience.
If you didn't notice any of the story problems, then that's not my fault. Look them up, it's pretty silly.
I did enjoy the game, but it's no top 5, or even a top 10.
Metal Gear
Gran Turismo
Little big Planet
from any direction..
The typewriter bit was terrible. Really crap writing lol. Still loved it though.
I loved heavy rain for its mood an atmosphere but I agree with you 100%. The story in a story driven game should be the main focus but most of that game had weak to incoherent writing.
The blackouts that Ethan kept having were explained though and here's the answer. When Jason was killed the killer was at the scene and him and Ethan developed a psychic link. Every time a child was killed Ethan would have a blackout or hallucinations. This part of the game was not finished and scrapped from the final product, but they left most of it in there to cast suspicion on Ethan. That just tells you how lazy and unorganized quantic dreams was.
Heavy rain spoilers
The other retarded part was in the antique shop where the man is killed with the typewriter and the Shelby looks shocked to discover him dead yet he's the one who killed him and no one else was back there to see his reaction.
How about how ethan escaped a platoon of cops and a helicopter by falling off a small building and carjacking a taxi while the cops just watched him.
I only actually like 5 ps3 exclusives
uncharted 1
uncharted 2
infamous 1
infamous 2
Heavy rain
Even though I really enjoyed Infamous 1, I played it again after Infamous 2 to get a missing trophy. I couldn't do it, 15 minutes in I gave up because they enhanced so much things in the 2nd one, the 1st one was really crappy to play.
Great games age well and that's really not the case with Infamous 1.
well i first played infamous 1 two years after it came out and i loved it.
I still play it sometimes
My personal 10 is:
1. Gran Turismo 5
3. Heavy Rain
4. Uncharted 2
5. God Of War 3
6. Uncharted 3
7. Killzone 3
8. Killzone 2
9. Infamous 2
10. Infamous 2
Pending: Gow: A, tLoU and Beyond
God of war3
Metal Gear Solid 4
Little big Planet
MGS4 And uncharted 2 are my top 1 and 1A
Heavy rain is my #2
Infamous 1-2 #3
Killzone 2 #4
Ratchet and clank tools of destruction #5
When TOD came out it was like playing a Pixar movie
There have been a lot of games this gen to only have a top 5 though
Gotta say I didn't see no. 1 coming but it's always nice when a list surprises you.
Although I would add, WHERE IS RATCHET AND CLANK WHY NO ONE LIKE THOSE GAMES!!!!?!??
Ratchet and Clank A Crack in Time ranks among my top 10 favorite ps3 games.
Where's God of War 3, Infamous 2, Gran Turismo 5, LittleBigPlanet 2, ........
Yeah, I can agree with Valkyria Chronicles and Uncharted 2. Everything else no. I would have replaced Demon Souls with Infamous 2.
1, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
2, Little Big Planet 1 and 2
3, God Of War 3
4, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
5, KillZone 2
But soon this will change.
before i clicked i thought Valkyria Chronicles! i like this list there is some heavy stuff in it! i'd put Killzone 2 or WipEout HD instead of Demon's Souls imo.
mgs4 still is the no.1 ps exclusive, followed by uncharted 2, there are so many ps exclusives that were good and in this year there's god of war ascension and ni no kuni
the last os us
sly cooper etc
for me i can't pick top 5
too many exclusives on ps3 i loved
i just can't pick :)
what i love about the comments here
that every one have a different list than the other
goes to show that ps3 always have games for every one and every taste
how could i forget the epic last of us that is coming this year. thumbs up for mentioning that ^_^
gonna need a top 25 ps3 exclusives after this year!
MGS4 is easily nr. 1.
End off.
P.S: it's the 2nd best selling PS3 exclusive just behind GT5.
Metal Gear Solid 4
Ni no Kuni
Heavy Rain
Yakuza 4
Disgaea 4
two games will join the top list I'll make my bet on it.
the last of us, god of war A
How can you pick 5, I am thinking a minimum of 10, or 15
I got Ni no Kuni launch day and omg, have been playing it none stop going 40 hours + so far its amazing,
Ni no Kuni
Tales of Graces f
Uncharted 1, 2, 3
Ratchet & Clank Future 1, 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
3D Dot Game Heroes
Resistance 1, 2, 3
Valkeria Chronicles
InFamous 1, 2
How's Ni no Kuni ? I'm a bit scared to buy it since I didn't like the demo and I don't trust gaming sites opinion. Should I wait for the game to be used or support the developper and buy it ?
I love it, the demo I wasn't to thrilled with because they threw you into boss fights like right away, and didnt explain the battle system at all. So you had to guess the controls and how to fight the battles.
Alright ! Thanks ! I'll go trade a few games for it then.
I'd have to say, and in order -
Uncharted 2
Demons Souls
God of War 3
Uncharted 1
1. Killzone 2
2. Uncharted 2
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...
holy crap cant even fill a top 5 list!! those are the only PS3 exclusives that i liked (that a own), if fallout new vegas and red dead redemption were exclusives ill put them in those spots but still wouldnt fill the list :T
God of War III is by far the best playstation 3 exclusive.
1. God of War III.
2. LittleBigPlanet (1 & 2)
-(and then the quality drops significantly)
3. Uncharted 2 (1 & 3 sucked)
4. Resistance 3 (SP)
5. Heavy Rain
And yes I've played MGS4 and thought it was absolute rubbish. GT5 is a huge disappointment and I don't like Killzone 2 but Killzone 3 was okay. There's no other noteworthy exclusives to talk about.
By the end of this year it will probably be:
1. God of War: Ascension
2. God of War III
3. The Last of Us
4. LittleBigPlanet )1&2)
5. Uncharted 2/ Beyond Two Souls
DAMN!!!! Sorry about that. I meant to disagree lol.
Here's MY top 15 list for sh*ts & giggles.
1. Mgs4
2. Uncharted 2: Among thieves
3. Demon Souls
4. God of War 3
5. Heavy Rain
6. InFAMOUS 2
7. Ni no kuni
8. Uncharted: Drakes fortune
9. Little Big Planet 2
10. Resistance: Fall of Man
11. Playstation All-stars Battle Royale
12. Sly Collection
13. Motorstorm: Apocolypse
15. Twisted Metal
Wtf you are getting a lot of disagrees. God of War 3 is by far the best ps3 exclusive.
Out of the collection I have so far and of the ones I've finished.
1. Journey
2. Uncharted 2
3. Metal Gear Solid 4
4. Little Big Planet 2
5. God of War 3
Still need to beat Ni no Kuni, Disgaea 3 & 4, Demon's Souls, 3D dot Game Heroes, Valkyria Chronicles and Infamous 2 too many games too little time!
1. uncharted 2
2. lbp2
3. killzone 2
4. heavy rain
My top ten in no order.. Demon souls, uncharted 3, God of War 3, killzone 2, ps all stars, infamous 2, little big planet 2, starhawk, metal gear 4, resistance 3. Currently playing ni no kuni and that's probably going to be put in this bunch over one of them.
Nr. 1
Metal Gear Solid 4
GT5, but is a huge disappointment for me.
God of War 3.
Nr. 4
Killzone 2.
Killzone 3. I really hope, Killzone 4 much better for ps4!
my top series
1 - Resistance
2 - Ratchet and Clank (funny both are from IG, coincidence )
3 - Uncharted
4 - Killzone
5 - Infamous
6 - God of War
But my favourite series of all is Jak and Daxter , unfortunately theres no adventures for them this gen
I love that they moved on from the Jak games, they created 2 masterpieces in doing so (Uncharted and The Last of us). But i hope they find the time next-gen to surprise us and give us Jak 4. My life would be complete.
Resistance 1 is a great game Resistance 2 and 3 ... not so great.
Ahh Resistance. But only fall of man deserves a mentioning.
No order:
Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots
Killzone 2
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves
Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception
God of War 3
my top 5:
1. God of War 3
2. Metal Gear Solid 4
3. Folklore
4. Warhawk
5. Motorstorm Pacific Rift
Replace Folklore with Heavy Rain and that'll be my list.
Good games.
yea its hard to name only 5 ps3 games, Heavy Rain is in my top 10 games as well as Ratchet and Clank A Crack in Time, inFAMOUS2, Uncharted2 and Resistance Fall of Man.
Yakuza getting no love? Excellent games that deserve high praise!
anyone who has KZ3 in their list is a ps3 fanboy . that game is no where near top 10. maybe Killzone 2s multiplayer but cmon
Metal Gear 4 was terrible, almost entirely cut scenes, some crawling around on your stomach, and a lengthy forced "follow that guy" mission that made up the entirity of act 3.
and this is coming from someone who to this day consideres metal gear 1 + 3 as some of the best games of all time.
4 was an overated joke.
My top 5 hasn't changed in a long time...
5. Resistance
4. Demon's Soul
3. Uncharted 2
2. Motorstorm
1. God of War 3
Look at all these amazing games, EXCLUSIVE! to the PS3, anybody who still says (there still are some) the PS3 failed, needs to get both thumbs chopped off.
Killzone 2 is my favorite. Best online MP ever (imo).
Demon`s Soul`s stands tall with Metal Gear Solid 4.
Lack of God of War 3 is a disappointment.


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Time Warner Cable Responds To World Of Warcraft Disconnections
Jeff Simmermon, the Digital Communications Director for Time Warner Cable, has responded to the charges that TWC is responsible for the lags and disconnections plaguing East Coast World of Warcraft players. He took a look at the traceroutes posted on Blizzard's user forums and sent the response.
I'm the director of digital communications at Time Warner Cable, and I'd like to bring some clarity to this discussion. We're happy to to take our lumps when we've earned them, but it doesn't seem to be the case in this instance.
Take a look at some of the traceroutes posted to the thread in question … starting here, at comment #446: http://tinyurl.com/5gqe27
If you follow the commenter's posted trace results, you'll notice that it's only on TWC's Roadrunner (rr) network for the first 6 hops — with maximum response times of 10 ms. The response time jumps drastically at hop # 11 — when the trace is no longer on the Roadrunner network.
Scroll down further on the same page to comment #456, and you'll see something similar — a giant leap in lag times. However, this trace never touches our network. It starts at Verizon, goes to Alter.net at hop #5, and then jumps to ATT.net's network at hop #8. Hop #9 shows a response time of 114 ms — quite a jump from the 49ms at hop #8.
On the first page of the thread, you'll see something similar: http://tinyurl.com/3hfs9k
At comment #10, the lag time leaps from 18ms on our network at hop #6 to 150ms at hop #7 — on Level3, an Internet backbone.
At comment #18 (same page), the trace again never touches our network. The lag jumps from 15 ms at hop #3 to 261 ms at hop #4, while on the Verizon network. The hops vacillate between high and low response times throughout the trace.
Blizzard's comment at the top of the thread that "Unfortunately this means that the only commonality between all the players experiencing these disconnects and extreme latency is Time Warner/Road Runner" is a pretty interesting choice of words, in light of the fact that several of the troublesome traceroutes posted in the forum itself never touch our network.
Jeff Simmermon
Director, Digital Communications
Time Warner Cable
So, is Blizzard just trying to pass the buck to the best available scapegoat? If both companies aren't responsible for the lags and disconnects, whos is? Does anyone know how this crazy Internet works?
(Photo: ashley_dryden)
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


text:
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Release Day for Strange Sabbats
I'm doing the release day happy dance for Strange Sabbats today, my paranormal erotic romance novella with Loose Id. This one's hot, hot, hot, and I had a blast writing the three intertwining stories about lusty witches and their search for love.
Here's the blurb:
Aileen sacrificed her power for the sake of her marriage, only to see her husband die in a car crash. When childhood friend Jon appears on the scene for a Yule celebration, the sex is scorching. But jealousy gets in the way of true love, until Aileen's power returns--and so does Jon.
Aileen's brother, Bryan, still carries a torch for Jon, and fears revealing himself to humans. But when he includes his human friend Dallas in an erotic Beltane ritual, it's clear who holds the whip in that relationship.
Jon's Aunt Sylvie has the erotic relationship of a lifetime with Ty, a younger man--until she's offered a CEO position in New York. On the night of the summer harvest festival, Ty makes Sylvie's most wanton fantasy come true by inviting another woman into their bed.
For three witches related by blood and common circumstances, finding the men of their dreams is a supernatural ride through love, jealousy, kink with a touch of magic, and fierce, red hot witch sex.
Happy Reading!
Eden Rivers
Buy Link and Excerpt for Strange Sabbats
Buy Link and Excerpt for Nature's Pentacle
Posted by Eden Rivers at 12:48 PM
4 comments:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nurturing Ourselves and Our Characters
Today on my author blog (Eden's Blog) I wrote about keeping my head above water, with the fast paced demands of writing full time and raising a family. So I figured a nice companion blog would address how we nurture ourselves when life gets crazy, and how authors nurture their characters.
As for me, I rely on daily yoga, herb tea, my gardens, and a good book at the end of my day. On particularly rough days, a nap works wonders. Chocolate helps. And of course there's what my family refers to as "poodle therapy," which consists of a small, scruffy dog curled up on my lap, giving me puppy-breath kisses. Staring at the full moon is guaranteed to calm me. Ditto for looking out over a lake, or listening to music. A sizzling erotic romance will take my mind off my problems for a while--sex too, for that matter.
For my characters, nurturing can be a bit more complicated, because as an author, I put them through more hell than I'll ever go through. So those quiet moments are even more important, both for the characters, so they don't give up hope, and for the readers, so my books don't become too dark.
In the manuscript I just completed, Broken Pentacle, the sequel to my current release, Nature's Pentacle, Sky and Alec have suffered more than any heroine and hero I've created to date. So the tender moments are even more important to them, since healing is a crucial part of the story.
Sometimes I offer my characters a tranquil moment, such as tender sex in a pond at sunrise. Or a sensual experience--a hot tub, or a gourmet meal in an abandoned tree fort. And since I write ménages, they get more than their share of affection and support, with multiple partners to soothe their hurts and quiet their fears. Touching is important for my characters. So is holding. Here's a mini-excerpt from a tender moment between Sky and Alec in Broken Pentacle:
When she eased off of him, he wanted her back, but before he could complain she sat up and pulled his wrists until he eased his tired body upright, facing her. That accomplished, she wrapped her arms around his back. Answering her unspoken request, he embraced her and pulled her against his chest, her head nestled close and her hair splayed out in a black cloud across his lap. Together they rocked back and forth, each giving and receiving comfort in equal amounts.
Alone, it's sweet. But it's the context of the story, with the hell Sky and Alec have gone through, that adds the real emotional punch. That, and knowing they'll have to face many more challenges before the end of the book.
So, what do you do to take care of yourself when life gets wild? And what are some of your favorite tender or soothing scenes from fiction or movies?
Posted by Eden Rivers at 8:14 PM
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Saturday, May 17, 2008
6 Things About Minx
Come check me out as I reveal a few secrets over at my BLOG this week. Some of the ladies I tagged already posted their responses and they are FUNNY! (Love ya Feisty!)
Posted by Minx Malone at 11:47 AM
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Labels: Minx's Posts
Friday, May 2, 2008
Impulsive Pleasures and Twisted Sex
May is going to be a spectacular month for me. Yesterday Impulsive Pleasures released from Ellora's Cave. This story was originally with another publisher. So when Ellora's Cave picked up my naughty little Cougar, I was beyond thrilled.
To Purchase and to read an excerpt
Blurb: When a twister rolls across Kansas, Mick and Katy grab their most cherished possession and flee to the storm cellar. In the face of danger will they discover what is truly important?
To Purchase and to read an excerpt
Here is the blurb: Jamie's daughter is getting married and now Jamie has to endure a weekend with her ex-husband and his new wife, the home-wrecking trollop. Jamie can be nice…yeah right. The asshole doesn't deserve nice. However, Jamie's bitterness just might be sweetened when young and sexy best man Mark Bentley arrives for the rehearsal dinner. Oh Yum! He might prove to be just the distraction Jamie needs. And if the ex has a problem with it…good.
Only Mark isn't interested in a little flirtation with the mother of the bride. He'd like the cougar to scratch her nails down his back. Will she invite him into her bed…or will he have to fuck her on the floor?
Twisted Sex and Happenstance was also released yesterday from the Wilder Roses. And this one is a FREE READ. So if you'd like a taste of something naughty, get swept away with Twisted Sex and Happenstance available now. You can pick up your copy here. Just go through the checkout process and get your free download.
Blurb: When a twister rolls across Kansas, Mick and Katy grab their most cherished possession and flee to the storm cellar. In the face of danger will they discover what is truly important?
I remember once when I jumped in the car with a couple of girlfriends, took off the T tops, and took off for San Francisco. Drove all night, spent the day playing, then turned around and drove back home to Utah.
Have you ever done anything Impulsive?
Posted by KyAnn at 9:31 AM
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Labels: Guest Blogger, New Release
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20 november 2018
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Somalia -
Sudanese authorities arrest Somali infiltrators
21 november 2013 12:52:39
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA)
- Sudanese authorities have arrested 24 Somalis, including women, for attempting to enter the Sudan, via the Red Sea, illegally, the Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) said Thursday.
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©-Panapress-21 november 2013 12:52:39-thread Society (104words)
Ban condemns attack against Somali police station
20 november 2013 21:27:43
New York, US (PANA)
– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the deadly attacks on Tuesday against a police station in Beledweyne, Somalia, which followed a number of similar attacks on the Somali people in recent weeks.
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©-Panapress-20 november 2013 21:27:43-thread Society (256words)
AU Special Representative monitors situation in flooded Puntland region
15 november 2013 10:53:09
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- Following days of heavy storm and flooding this week in Somalia's Puntland region, the Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said Friday that he was closely monitoring the situation in which at least 300 people are feared to have lost their lives.
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©-Panapress-15 november 2013 10:53:09-thread Environment (163words)
Zuma expresses condolences over Puntland cyclone
14 november 2013 14:02:38
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA)
– South African President, Jacob Zuma, on Thursday conveyed his condolences following the loss of lives in a tropical cyclone that hit the Somali region of Puntland at the weekend.
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©-Panapress-14 november 2013 14:02:38-thread Environment (176words)
AU welcomes UN Security Council resolution on strengthening AMISOM
14 november 2013 09:12:39
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has welcomed the adoption of resolution 2124 (2013) on Somalia by the UN Security Council authorising an increase in the strength of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
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©-Panapress-14 november 2013 09:12:39-thread Politics (343words)
UN Security Council authorizes temporary boost for AU force in Somalia
12 november 2013 21:39:35
New York, US (PANA)
– The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorized a temporary boost for the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Somalia of over 4,000 troops and an expanded logistical package so it can maintain basic security and respond to the evolving threat from Al-Shabaab insurgents.
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©-Panapress-12 november 2013 21:39:35-thread Society (353words)
Kenya, Somalia reach pact with UN agency on dignified return of refugees
12 november 2013 16:54:15
New York, US (PAN)
– The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Governments of Kenya and Somalia have signed an agreement laying out the framework by which Somali refugees in Kenya could return to their homeland.
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©-Panapress-12 november 2013 16:54:15-thread Society (290words)
UN Security Council 'outraged' by deadly bomb attack in Mogadishu
10 november 2013 21:50:26
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Security Council has expressed outrage at the deadly bomb attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, which caused numerous deaths and injuries, and reiterated its determination to combat all forms of terrorism.
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©-Panapress-10 november 2013 21:50:26-thread Society (201words)
UN deputy scribe urges support for African forces in Somalia
30 october 2013 19:56:08
New York, US (PANA)
– UN Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Jan Eliasson, on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to support a 'temporary boost' to national and international forces aiming to maintain basic security in Somalia.
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©-Panapress-30 october 2013 19:56:08-thread Society (663words)
UNESCO chief deplores murder of Somali journalist
30 october 2013 08:21:52
New York, US (PANA)
- The Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Ms. Irina Bokova, on Wednesday denounced the murder of Somali television journalist Mohamed Mohamud, who was gunned down in the capital, Mogadishu.
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©-Panapress-30 october 2013 08:21:52-thread Society (167words)
AU Special Rep slams attempted assassination of Somali journalist
23 october 2013 16:39:43
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA)
- The African Union (AU) said it was appalled by the attempted assassination of a Somali journalist working for the London-based, Somali Channel Universal TV.
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©-Panapress-23 october 2013 16:39:43-thread Society (229words)
Upstream oil companies eager to capitalise on Horn of Africa potentials
04 october 2013 14:28:22
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA)
- While Somalia's hydrocarbon development will remain vulnerable to substantial above-ground risks, a recent deal between the government and the Soma Oil and Gas company increases chances of an uptick in upstream activity over the coming years, according to a new study.
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©-Panapress-04 october 2013 14:28:22-thread Economy (543words)
Shipwreck kills 82 Somali migrants off Italy
03 october 2013 13:28:59
Tripoli, Libya (PANA)
– At least 82 persons, mainly Somali migrants including women and children, were reported dead when the boat they were sailing on sank Thursday off Italy, PANA reported, quoting the Vatican Radio.
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©-Panapress-03 october 2013 13:28:59-thread Society (116words)
Somali President urges int'l support to fight terrorism
27 september 2013 07:17:13
New York, US (PANA)
- President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia has called for international support for his country's efforts to fight terrorism, in particular the struggle to drive out armed groups such as al-Shabaab.
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©-Panapress-27 september 2013 07:17:13-thread Society (412words)
UN envoy urges more efforts to defeat militant groups in Somalia
24 september 2013 22:32:32
New York, US (PANA)
– The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, on Tuesday urged the international community to redouble its efforts to help defeat militant groups in the country, including Al-Shabaab, which has claimed responsibility for the four-day bloody terrorist attack in neighbouring Kenya.
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©-Panapress-24 september 2013 22:32:32-thread Society (462words)
US pledges US$69m for Somalia plan
20 september 2013 14:46:25
Washington, DC, US (PANA)
- The US has pledged US$69 million for Somalia's New Deal Compact to promote and strengthen already existing programmes in community stabilisation, economic growth, education, and enhancing democracy, governance, and rule of law in the African nation.
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©-Panapress-20 september 2013 14:46:25-thread Politics (187words)
UN chief tasks international community on Somali 'New Deal'
16 september 2013 22:32:29
New York, US (PANA)
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the international community to align their political and financial support with Somalia's "New Deal" to drive the country's economic and political recovery.
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©-Panapress-16 september 2013 22:32:29-thread Politics (420words)
UN Security Council welcomes new UN mission in Somalia
14 september 2013 20:17:08
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Security Council on Saturday welcomed the deployment of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), established three months ago in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, and looked forward to the mission playing an effective role in support of the long-troubled country's Federal Government.
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©-Panapress-14 september 2013 20:17:08-thread Politics (590words)
Ethiopia, AU, UN condemn terror attack on Southern Somalia leader
13 september 2013 13:25:54
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- Ethiopia Friday strongly condemned the terror attack on Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam 'Madobe', leader of the Interim Jubba Administration in Southern Somalia, and his motorcade by Al Shabaab rebels.
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©-Panapress-13 september 2013 13:25:54-thread Society (219words)
UN greets Somalia's federal administration on 1st anniversary
11 september 2013 08:21:38
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Mr. Nicholas Kay, has congratulated the president, government and people of Somalia on the first anniversary of the country's Federal Government.
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©-Panapress-11 september 2013 08:21:38-thread Politics (142words)
UN envoy condemns terrorist attack in Somali capital
07 september 2013 17:11:26
New York, US (PANA)
– The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, on Saturday deplored a terrorist attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, which resulted in numerous casualties.
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©-Panapress-07 september 2013 17:11:26-thread Society (225words)
International oil firms set eyes on Somalia for hydrocarbon development
06 september 2013 12:27:36
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA)
- Somalia, slowly recovering from over two decades of anarchy, has continued to face substantial above-ground risks to developing its hydrocarbon sector, including legal uncertainty, political instability and piracy, according to a new study by Business Monitor International (BMI).
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©-Panapress-06 september 2013 12:27:36-thread Economy (710words)
UN expert hails human rights efforts in Somalia
03 september 2013 22:03:10
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Mr. Shamsul Bari, on Tuesday hailed the approval by the Somali government of a road map to help promote and protect human rights in the country.
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©-Panapress-03 september 2013 22:03:10-thread Society (326words)
UN envoy urges political solution to Somalia's governance problems
03 september 2013 09:17:54
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA)
- Among many challenges facing Somalia today in the development, economic, security, governance and human rights sectors, the over-riding challenge is a political problem that needs a political solution, Nicholas Kay, Special Representative of UN Secretary General (SRSG) in the Horn of Africa country, has told the ongoing Vision 2016 National Conference in Mogadishu.
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©-Panapress-03 september 2013 09:17:54-thread Politics (360words)
France hails Somalia, Djoubaland agreement
30 august 2013 22:15:20
Paris, France (PANA)
– France hails the agreement signed on 28 August in Addis Ababa by the Somali federal government and the interim administration of Djouba on the progressive integration of Djoubaland into the Somali federal sate, the deputy spokesperson of the French foreign affairs ministry, Vincent Floréani, said on Friday in Paris.
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©-Panapress-30 august 2013 22:15:20-thread Politics (152words)
UN Mission to set up station in southern Somalia's Kismayo port
29 august 2013 11:32:05
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) will establish a presence in Kismayo to support the new Jubba Interim Administration, Nicholas Kay, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Somalia and Head of UNSOM, has announced.
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©-Panapress-29 august 2013 11:32:05-thread Politics (180words)
Somali govt., Jubba Interim Administration reach agreement
29 august 2013 11:29:34
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- Talks between the Somali Federal Government and Jubba Interim Administration have successfully concluded here, with the two sides signing an agreement establishing the modalities of administration and governance in the Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba and Gedo for the coming period.
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©-Panapress-29 august 2013 11:29:34-thread Politics (432words)
UN envoy calls for collective efforts to achieve progress in Somalia
27 august 2013 14:25:45
New York, US (PANA)
– The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Mr. Nicholas Kay, has stressed that collective and coordinated efforts from the government as well as regional and international organisations are needed to achieve progress in the east African country.
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©-Panapress-27 august 2013 14:25:45-thread Society (548words)
'Somalia reconstruction needs international community's support'
27 august 2013 13:24:14
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA)
- Efforts being made by the government of Somalia to restore peace and rebuild effective state institutions need support from the international community, Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia Ahmed Abduselam has told a consultative meeting underway here on the reconstruction of the war-torn Horn of Africa country.
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©-Panapress-27 august 2013 13:24:14-thread Society (226words)
UNESCO boss deplores murder of Somali radio journalist
22 august 2013 18:30:40
New York, US (PANA)
- The head of the UN agency tasked with defending press freedom on Thursday denounced the murder of Somali journalist Ahmed Sharif in Mogadishu.
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©-Panapress-22 august 2013 18:30:40-thread Society (230words)
UN envoy voices concern over rape allegations at AU facility in Somalia
19 august 2013 16:54:40
New York, US (PANA)
– The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Mr. Nicholas Kay, has expressed grave concern over allegations of rape at a facility of the African Union Mission in the country (AMISOM), and welcomed the government's
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©-Panapress-19 august 2013 16:54:40-thread Society (259words)
UN says sexual, gender-based violence pervasive in Somalia
16 august 2013 19:50:46
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday said about 800 cases of sexual and gender-based violence had been reported in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, during the first six months of the year.
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©-Panapress-16 august 2013 19:50:46-thread Gender (434words)
12 Somalis to be tried in Mauritius for piracy
16 august 2013 13:06:38
Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA)
- Twelve Somali nationals arrested for alleged acts of piracy in January off their country's coast are to tried 7-27 Oct. in Mauritius, according to judiciary sources.
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©-Panapress-16 august 2013 13:06:38-thread Society (132words)
UNICEF steps up efforts to stop polio outbreak in Somalia
05 august 2013 21:58:31
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Monday said an emergency contribution from Japan would enable the agency and its partners to tackle a polio outbreak in Somalia that has already paralyzed nearly 100 children and threatens hundreds of thousands more who are not vaccinated.
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©-Panapress-05 august 2013 21:58:31-thread Health (507words)
UN envoy condemns suicide attack on Turkish staff building in Mogadishu
28 july 2013 19:00:43
New York, US (PANA)
- UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay has strongly condemned a suicide attack on an office housing Turkish diplomatic staff on Saturday in Mogadishu, which left two dead and several others injured.
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©-Panapress-28 july 2013 19:00:43-thread Society (206words)
US condemns attack on Turkish diplomatic residences in Somalia
28 july 2013 10:04:14
Washington, DC, US (PANA)
- The US has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Turkish diplomatic residences in Mogadishu, Somalia.
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©-Panapress-28 july 2013 10:04:14-thread Politics (181words)
UN Security Council extends mandate of monitoring group for Somalia, Eritrea
24 july 2013 20:54:19
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Security Council on Wednesday extended for 16 months the mandate of the UN expert panel monitoring compliance with sanctions against Somalia and Eritrea, while further easing funding and equipment restrictions on the UN and European Union missions in the region.
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©-Panapress-24 july 2013 20:54:19-thread Politics (561words)
UN rights office 'concerned' over draft law on press freedom in Somalia
20 july 2013 19:12:28
New York, US (PANA)
- The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed concern over a draft law in Somalia that would require journalists to reveal their sources and prevent them from disseminating information against Islam or Somali traditions.
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©-Panapress-20 july 2013 19:12:28-thread Social (280words)
UN humanitarian official lauds additional funding for Somali
20 july 2013 17:41:51
New York, US (PANA)
– The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia, Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, has said that an additional US$20 million in crisis funding has come at an opportune time to support the country's most vulnerable people, particularly children.
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©-Panapress-20 july 2013 17:41:51-thread Society (299words)
WFP distributes cash, food rations to Somali refugees in Ethiopia
15 july 2013 21:12:45
New York, US (PANA)
– The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday said more than 12,000 Somali refugees in Ethiopia are receiving monthly cash entitlements in addition to food rations.
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©-Panapress-15 july 2013 21:12:45-thread Society (319words)
'Humanitarian needs in Somalia remain immense'
13 july 2013 07:54:30
New York, US (PANA)
- Mr. John Ging, Director of Operations in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), says despite gradual improvements in the humanitarian situation in Somalia, the needs remain immense.
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©-Panapress-13 july 2013 07:54:30-thread Society (377words)
UN envoy decries journalist's murder in Somalia
08 july 2013 20:08:06
New York, US (PANA)
- Mr. Nicholas Kay, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative
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©-Panapress-08 july 2013 20:08:06-thread Society (198words)
EU condemns inter-militia clashes in Somalia
02 july 2013 13:07:06
Brussels, Belgium (PANA)
- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday condemned Friday's clashes between two rival armed militias in Kismayo, Somalia, that left at least five people dead.
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©-Panapress-02 july 2013 13:07:06-thread Politics (131words)
UN envoy calls for halt to fighting in Somali port city of Kismayo
29 june 2013 19:34:33
New York, US (PANA)
- Mr. Nicholas Kay, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Somalia, on Saturday called for an immediate halt to armed clashes that have flared up again in the southern port city of Kismayo among groups claiming leadership over the "Jubaland" regional administration.
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©-Panapress-29 june 2013 19:34:33-thread Society (298words)
UN political affairs chief visits Somalia
28 june 2013 06:37:22
New York, US (PANA)
- UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman Thursday visited Somalia to express solidarity in the aftermath of the recent attack
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©-Panapress-28 june 2013 06:37:22-thread Politics (273words)
Kenya condemns terrorist attack on UN compound in Somalia
20 june 2013 14:47:07
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA)
- Kenya has strongly condemned Wednesday's terrorist attack on the UN compound for humanitarian and development activities in Mogadishu, Somalia.
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©-Panapress-20 june 2013 14:47:07-thread Politics (243words)
UN condemns deadly attack on its compound in Mogadishu
19 june 2013 18:57:16
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN has expressed outrage at Wednesday's deadly attack on its compound in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, reiterating that the attack will not deter the organisation from helping the country as it proceeds on the path to stability and development.
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©-Panapress-19 june 2013 18:57:16-thread Society (510words)
UN envoy in Somalia calls for immediate end to fighting
09 june 2013 12:56:41
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Mr. Nicholas Kay, on Sunday called for an immediate end to the fighting in the southern port city of Kismayo, where clashes have reportedly led to civilian deaths.
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©-Panapress-09 june 2013 12:56:41-thread Society (249words)
UN Security Council urges support for Somalia's stability
06 june 2013 21:00:47
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Security Council on Thursday urged the international community to support the efforts of the Somali government to tackle outstanding issues vital for the county's long-term stability.
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©-Panapress-06 june 2013 21:00:47-thread Politics (646words)
UN envoy pledges support to people, govt. of Somalia
03 june 2013 16:32:25
New York, US (PANA)
- The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia,
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©-Panapress-03 june 2013 16:32:25-thread Politics (531words)
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This is an actual thing now for infertile couples, according to a recent New York Times Motherlode blog. Crowdfunding—in other words, raising money from strangers and loved ones for a personal cause by asking them to donate, via the internet—is what some infertile couples are turning to in order to pay for their fertility treatments.
"After two long hard years of trying on our own to conceive, we were diagnosed with infertility," Kimberly Sparkman writes at her campaign on Indiegogo.com. Her insurance doesn't cover IVF, or any of the accompanying costs.
"After the diagnosis I underwent every possible test under the sun to see what our options were to be able to have just one more child...as it turns out without IVF we have less than a five percent chance of having any other children. To write that is almost as hard as asking complete strangers for help...but without doing this and reaching out we may never have a chance at welcoming another life." The Sparkmans have a three-year-old daughter, and have been married since 2010.
I totally get it from a cost perspective—fertility treatments aren't cheap. I know people who've had to pay for theirs completely out of pocket, to the tune of $30k (and there's no guarantee it's going to be successful). I'm very lucky I had good fertility coverage last year when I was going through all of mine. But when I found out my insurance coverage had changed (unbeknownst to me) just two days before my last FET in January, I was devastated. But FETs are a helluva lot cheaper than a full IVF cycle—about $3k for the procedure alone, as opposed to upwards of $30k.
I have new insurance now at my new place of employment that offers some fertility coverage—one IUI or IVF procedure over a lifetime. It's not great but at least it's something. And I have good coverage for the medications, which I'm very thankful for because those too can be very pricey.
But if I didn't? I'd probably sooner take out a loan for the IVF treatments than ask a group of strangers—or even family and friends—to donate money to my infertility cause. It almost seems like a harder thing to justify when you're going through secondary infertility, as Ms. Sparkman is as well. But how do I know what I'd really do if I couldn't pay for my treatments? Maybe I'd feel differently.
There are websites that exist for this very reason—to raise money for loved ones' medical expenses—like Indiegogo.com and Giveforward.com, that take a percentage of the money donated. People are also turning to social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to raise awareness for their cause.
Do you know anyone using their status updates to ask for help for their fertility treatments? How do you feel about it?
Would you turn to crowdfunding for your own fertility treatments? Would you help someone you know, or don't know, fund theirs?
Follow me @spgorenstein. Friend me on Facebook. Email me. Read my entry for the3six5 project.


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Britannia Replay
Please be sure to check-out these CSW services.
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