text:
The Revolution Will Be Televised (and I'll find a way to be okay with that)
My plans for last weekend were pretty mellow: I was going to work on my taxes, do a little housecleaning, maybe get started on my garden now that the sun is back out, hang out with my sweetheart, finish some writing, practice piano and play some Scrabble. I was going to tend to myself, for the most part.
The weekend I would up having was quite a bit different.
Last Wednesday, I raced against the clock -- I had to go work at the clinic the next day -- to get everything up for our focus this month on sexual assault and abuse as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. That included getting together a page and other materials for the "I Was Raped" shirts which months back, I'd agreed to help Jennifer Baumgardner distribute as part of a project to increase rape awareness, both through these t-shirts and the conversation we'd hoped they'd start, as well as through her developing film of the same name, which will focus on first-person stories from survivors.
The New York Times first covered the project, using a photo of Jennifer -- which was appropriate, since this is her project. Then Gawker and Jezebel hit on it, using a photo of me in the shirt without my permission or even a request for it (and still have yet to respond to my requests to remove a copyrighted image they have no permission to use). A few more sites followed suit. Later on Friday, KOMO-4 news contacted me, telling me they were doing a story on it that night and asking for my participation. As is my general practice with television, I declined to be filmed, but did accept to have a phone interview.
Before that interview, the reporter and I had a discussion about using my image where I explained why I was not comfortable with my face being put on the television as a survivor. I explained that when I went to get coffee this weekend, I needed it to be up to me if I was "that woman who is dairy allergic, so don't forget, soy only," or "that woman who was raped." I explained that as a counselor for an abortion clinic half the week, I didn't want to make anything of my personal life so broadly visible that any of my clients might recognize me and doubt that it was their issues which were of the utmost importance in my office. I explained that choosing to show my face with this in one context is not permission for anyone to make that choice for me in others, and that I'm the expert on how much exposure I can handle and want. I was told they don't show rape "victims" faces on television, anyway (and then wondered, if that was so, why we were even having that conversation in the first place).
Apparently, they do, because my face was indeed shown on the news, coupled with the reporter saying I'd requested they did not show it. My words were edited massively -- as is to be expected -- and no information on the project was even given. The "I Was Raped" t-shirt was compared to t-shirts reading "Yankees Suck," and "Boys are stupid -- throw rocks at them." The story spread -- the tone of it intact -- and the video made its way to other stations, and then CNN. The story has spread very largely through the blogosphere, and with some notable exceptions, an awful lot of what's out there is full of a lot of misinformation about me and the project, and in some cases, some really inflammatory accusations. As of today, I'm about one for one between positive emails and negative ones, and while the positives are very positive, the negatives are really negative and many have been incredibly threatening and disturbing.
I've been accused of exploiting myself and other assault survivors just to make money, which would almost be comical if it weren't so vile. Scarleteen gets five dollars from any shirt sold. Five dollars, which to make, means not only my processing the order, packing it to ship, walking to ship them as well as doing all I've done to set things up to sell them, the crazy amount of extra bandwidth all the press has brought on (none of which I courted or chose), and all of this causing technical problems with the site, but also includes putting up with all of the crap which I have over the last handful of days. You'd think it'd be pretty easy for a person of any intelligence to realize that if it was about the money, I could do better by setting up a lemonade stand on the sidewalk, make the same dough, and do so without any sort of emotional stress or difficulty. And flatly, if someone doesn't want $5 to go to Scarleteen, I have no trouble sending it to a different organization which helps with rape prevention, awareness and healing. But since I'm also the one paying the bandwidth bills for all of this, doing a lot of the work, taking care of all the orders and shipping AND being the whipping boy of choice AND since Scarleteen does advocacy work in this area, I'm not sure what the big problem is.
I've gotten letters in my email box from those who came to Scarleteen and read some of our rape content, and felt the need to write me and explain to me all of the ways in which any given kind of sexual abuse was not actually sexual abuse at all, be it because the victim asked for it, because the victim apparently really wanted it but was just ashamed of their own desires, because when the victim is male they always really want it; how for "horny" teenage boys, raping is just something they do naturally, how all survivors need to do is find out what we did to get raped, make sure we don't do that thing again and move on, how in doing what we do at Scarleteen in the first place, we're setting girls up to be raped by encouraging them to be promiscuous sluts, or enabling rape somehow by educating youth on homosexuality.
I've had the great privilege of being patronized, with other victims, by non-survivors, "experts" on rape, or even other survivors letting us know what they think we need to be doing "for our own good," how they think we don't know how to protect ourselves, physically or emotionally, how much more it would scar us to take something "private" and make it in any way public...and how all of these concerns are OF COURSE about us, not about them. I have been told what my personal problems are, by people who know nothing about me, and about how I could do a lot more good if I did more meaningful things with my life than I do, or how, if I stopped doing the work I do now, went and took a corporate job, was able to buy a house and car, and then give money to an organization like...oh, the one I run, I could do more for other "victims." I have been told outright that while a given letter-writer cares for all other rape survivors, they do not care for survivors like me, and feel that it is perfectly appropriate -- nay, quite called for -- to shower me with abusive invective.
(Might there be some truth in some of them saying this could be traumatic for survivors because of what I'm dealing with myself and how I'm feeling right now? Maybe, save when you realize that most of this is coming from my being shown wearing the shirt in places that were not of my choosing, and where, following the choice they made for me, I have asked not to be shown. In fact, I think how I'm feeling says a whole lot more about how rape survivors are often seen as everyone's property -- since we've already been spoiled, see, already ruined -- than it does about how my choices to be public have resulted in my getting upset.)
I've read about how any survivor who wears this is being a terrible person to other abuse or rape survivors who might be triggered by it. However, I never see the same concerns voiced about, oh, many media representations of sex or romance, people verbally abusing their children in grocery stores, people who enforce ideas that sex is a duty people owe one another in certain social contexts, people using the word "rape" applied in scenarios like "The IRS just raped me," or... hey, wait! People deciding to verbally abuse a survivor because she breaks silence in a way they don't like or wouldn't choose for themselves. Just a word on that? I feel pretty confident saying that many of us who are survivors will not be triggered by another survivor saying he or she was raped, or having that voiced in a pretty sensitive way on a piece of clothing. More to the point, if you think this is the only way in any given day we might be reminded of our rapes, you've got to be kidding. The most benign aspects of daily life are often triggers: groups of men crowding close to us in a bus, the street we have to walk down to get home which was the one we were raped on, being quickly grabbed by the shoulder from someone who had no idea that was a trigger, a chair, a doorknob, a broom handle, someone's hand, a belt, a given way the light looks at a certain time of day, the smell of a cologne, the very skin we inhabit, or someone, perchance, saying something about rape to us like "Don't tell a soul."
I have, of course, had to deal with the nasty kinds of feedback we always get any time we talk about rape. I have gotten email which informs me that women are property and that women are raped because men are superior. I have gotten email that told me I am sexist because we largely address rape at the site of men and women which is perpetrated by men, not which is perpetrated by women (which is only because it is perpetrated by women so infrequently, and because we can only respond, in advice queries, to the questions which are asked: I assure you, I have not deleted or purposefully not published any questions about a person surviving a rape by a woman -- I simply have not yet gotten any such questions). I have gotten email informing me that I am making a "disgusting display" to get attention and pity for myself -- and to help young women, I am told, make false rape accusations -- by choosing to put my face all over the news (which again, was very much not my choice, but one made for me against my express wishes). I have gotten email which informs me that if I was raped, I clearly deserved it for being the terrible, horrible waste of breathable air which I am. Of course, I also got letters from people said they would have supported the work that I do and this project until they found out that not only was I, and the site pro-choice, but that I also am a baby killer who works at an abortion clinic (one such letter also informed me that having an abortion would only add to the trauma of a rape survivor, but going through pregnancy or becoming a parent before a person was ready would somehow be in no way difficult or traumatic). I read a thread discussing if I was "hot, for a rape survivor" or not.
For the record, the gender of those with those responses is mixed. These kinds of sentiments by no means only come from men (and when it comes to supportive responses, we've had just as many from men as from women). They come from every kind of person you could possibly imagine. This is one of the many reasons why those who have been raped often stay silent: we never know who is going to react to our rapes like this, and are well aware that it's possible the people we expect it from least may be the ones who react just like this. I can assure you, for the record, that of the people who have sent me the worst of this vitriol, around one of every two is someone who those who know them wouldn't even suspect the malice they usually keep hidden, save for people like me.
We've had server troubles all day which I've had to stay on top of when I still have things I need to do which I had planned to do this weekend, but could not do because I have had to spend most of it on damage control, sending requests to people to please stop stealing my face without asking me, correcting tons of misinformation about all of this flooding my mailbox, having to read through piles of hate to find emails from Scarleteen users we need to tend to, and having to try all I can not to have all of this wear on my relationships with people glad to support me, but who also have needs of their own, and things they need from me. Suffice it to say, since we have had many positive responses, many people want the short, and I wasn't prepared to have to be processing orders all weekend. I have also been reading the positive mails, which are great, but many of them also contain the writer's personal rape experience. That's not to say I am not open to being the person someone chooses to share with, and that I am not very glad if I can provide a way for someone to disclose, but obviously, reading those letters is not pleasant or cheerful.
Obviously, this wasn't my best weekend ever. Many of these responses and results obviously disappoint and distress me.
But what they don't do is surprise me. I've lived as a survivor for almost 27 years now, and I've worked in sex education, including in advocacy for survivors and efforts for prevention, for a decade. When I was a teacher, more than once I had to deal with the travesty that was the justice system for a student of mine who was being abused. I am used to people excusing away all manner of abuses, resenting the hell out of those of us who do our damndest to protest that, and am well aware that denial of abuse, and the amount of abuse which exists in the world, is alive and well and living...well, everywhere.
I am used to statements which start with, "If I was a woman and had been raped..." (as if men never get raped: but really, statements like this start that way because they're about how women should behave, period), or "If I was a rape victim...." or "If I had been raped..." and with the uselessness that follows all of them. Maybe it's time for me to start talking about how I might feel and behave were I a woman of color, were I a heterosexual person, were I a person of means, had I survived the Holocaust. Because, obviously, my ideas on how I might feel and behave in those situations would be so very useful, especially to those people who actually are members of those groups.
I am used to hearing that if I want to talk about my rape, if I make it important in any way, even for a limited time, that I haven't "moved on." I am used to hearing about how I deserved it, asked for it; I heard it from one of my rapists (and had I been fully conscious for one of my rapes, I am sure I would have heard it from more), I heard it from friends and family, I've heard it from others who are oh-so-certain they and my rapists have nothing in common. I am used to hearing that the difference between strong survivors and perpetual victims is this: if you never say a word about it, if no one around you even has to know you were raped, you're a strong survivor. But if you're upset, if you want to talk about rape or your rape, if anyone around you has to know what happened, then you're looking to stay a perpetual victim so that you can live a sweet life where everyone feels sorry for you. I am used to hearing that if I want to speak out about my rape, publicly or privately, that anyone who hears me is entitled to react however they would like, even if that means speaking to me in a way which is abusive, threatening, callous or cruel.
I am used to hearing about how any given thing about me is so awful or distasteful that nothing about me or what I do deserves any sympathy or, -- and more important to me, since I don't really need sympathy -- any kind of basic common courtesy or respect. Sometimes that's been because I'm queer, other times because I do sex ed, other times because I've had an abortion (and now, because I also work where they are provided), because I'm Buddhist, because I'm this age or that one, this gender or that, because I look this way or I don't look that way, because I don't have issues with nudity, because I'm sympathetic to a given group of people, because I'm loud, because I'm independent, because I have sex I enjoy, because I'm still alive. I am used to every kind of excuse imaginable at this point for why I don't deserve the same courtesies I have always extended to others.
None of these things are new to me, nor are they much different from what I have dealt with simply in my personal life when it comes to my rapes.
And I am used to hearing all of this so much, that while it never stops being hurtful, what it has long since stopped being for me is particularly powerful. Don't get me wrong: I have spent a lot of the past few days somewhat shellshocked, but that has more to do with the en masse onslaught and a lack of sleep than it does with any particular thing anyone has said or done. I know the place the craptastic stuff comes from, and I know that that place is one of fear, resentment, guilt, ignorance, violence or self-loathing. As much as I revile those things, as much as I want them gone, and as bad as they make me feel, I can at least identify them, and I know very acutely where my own bad feelings come from and, for the most part, how to deal with them. I can even look them dead in the eye: again, that's a survivor skill, too -- to survive, we all have to learn to do that expertly.
I'm also used to the fact that all rape survivors are different. We are not all the same, our rapes were not all the same, how we've processed them or reacted to them has not all been the same. I have had plenty of thanks for other survivors in my email box over the weekend, but I have also gotten emails like this:
"You are a sick fuck... and if in fact you were truely raped you would not be so fucking stupid to even want to do something so damn outrageous on wearing a shirt. And I wonder why you dont want to show your face. You are a sick individual and I am a rape victim and now a survivor but you appaul me on such a horrible suggestion on someone wanting to wear such a dumb remark shirt. If in fact you were raped, you are as sick as i could ever imagine. Of how you want to make money on it... this is not fame this is a sick person like you it saddness me to think there are people in this world like you . Playing on what horrific act of rape , how it kills a person day in and day out. We have to live with that horrible thought of it happening to us. And then we have people like you... SICK.. how do you get up and look in the mirror? May god bless your sick soul."
By all means, I feel the way that person chose to spoke to me was insensitive and cruel. However, I think that it's really important to remember that none of us lives in a culture conducive to healing, or in a culture which makes it comfortable to live as a survivor. We can't even trust each other, as fellow survivors (and when we're addressing a survivor who is same-gender, an awful lot of same-gender learned distrust is tossed in the mix, something often even more difficult for male survivors since their rapists were usually male as well), in our motives, in how our healing differs, in the different places we're at in it. Survivors are, justifiably, angry -- and also all sorts of people -- and can often enough direct that anger just about anywhere: that's how it is when you're so angry and so hurt and given so little support. I directed mine inward after I was assaulted, and doing that, on top of having my rape be a thread that wound through other trauma I was living with and trying to survive, nearly killed me and also set me up for challenges in my life -- as well as more risks of danger -- all of which could have been, if not avoided, strongly mitigated by being able to talk about my abuses, at all, and finding some kind of support. I don't like getting emails like that, to say the least, but at the same time, I have to take a breath, stop, and recognize that at the very least, someone just got some release of all of that anger, and while I don't think I'm the right person to direct it to, that that person was able to direct it anywhere -- to open up that pressure valve -- is a likely positive for that person.
It may well also be -- and pardon any pop psychology on my part -- that as much as I don't want this kind of visibility, that survivor does, and resents me for having what she wants. That's also valid, since we are made intensely invisible as a group of people, particularly if we become survivors, rather than remain victims. While if our rapes were in some way found horrific, we might get some media-based ambulance-chasing, once they're over, we're non-issues, and if there is nothing particularly noteworthy about our rapes (and for most of them, the general population will find nothing noteworthy about them), we'll rarely see address at all. In any case, victims trump survivors, and victims who arouse a pithy kind of pity trump all.
Or, this one: "No body in there right mind would believe that you're truly doing this to help other people. I'm a real survivor because I'd never broadcast or announce the horrible things that have happened to me. the only people who would wear that shirt are full of shit. NO BODY would wear that who's really been raped. But I'm sure a bunch of girls will buy it who want attention and want people to feel sorry for them. I do think this should be taken away from you and all the bullshitting bitches who pretend this has happened to them. Millions of women have suffered and worked very hard to over come what you are now trying to profit from. You should NOT be allowed to capitalize on other people's pain. And even if you were raped that shouldn't give you the right to profit from it. Did you know when you were raped that you were going to get paid for it? Or did that idea come later?"
What I hear in this -- once more, forgive me for being armchair -- is that this person needs to be validated in surviving, and needs to have someone let her know that however she speaks out of silence is okay, is brave, is laudable, even if it doesn't look like someone else's way. My impression is that she needs for her rape to be made important, because if it already really felt that way, I'm not sure why she'd put so much energy (I got three different emails from this woman before I blocked her address) into telling me how no one's story is true but her own or those which resemble hers. I hear that she is suffering, and I hear that she is tremendously, and probably righteously, angry. That doesn't mean I'm going to say she's not responsible for misdirecting her anger at me, because she is, and I've directed no such things at her or anyone else, but it is to say that I can only get so angry back at someone in this space. I know that space: been there, done that, and -- literally -- have the t-shirt.
Here's what we don't often see and hear in the various peanut galleries of the Internet: we don't see many survivors sharing the stories they have also shared with me both in my email box over the weekend and in other avenues I've had them shared with me in my life, both with work, and with the people who have personally disclosed to me over the years. I even got stories in my email box from survivors who were at sites talking about this, where so many people incessantly talked about how they were not silencing anyone, and yet, these people didn't feel able to tell their stories, or perhaps even share the mere fact of being survivors. people who send me email like the above aren't posting it in the forums or on the blogs: through the resentment, they also know I'm safe, or else I'd not be hearing this. Everyone else would.
Some survivors do want something like this. It's okay to want it, and it's okay not to, and wanting it or not doesn't determine who was and who was not raped. It's having been raped, only, which determines that. The two women above were raped. The man who wanted one of these and told me it was because of being brutally raped during time he spent in jail over a misdemeanor was raped. The woman who bought one because she was molested as a child was raped. The person who bought it for their partner who is working on acceptance of their rape was raped.
Saturday morning, I literally overheard my neighbors talking about the news story on the porch (and clearly not knowing it was their neighbor, who could hear them, they were talking about: Seattleites don't tend to be very familiar neighbors)
So, why would a survivor wear something like this? Obviously, I can't speak for anyone other than myself and for those who have talked about why they would. I've also already said a little bit about why I would here. One of the emails above asks how I look at myself in the mirror.
When the t-shirts got here, and I put one on to take a quick photo, checking in the mirror to make sure that despite the fact that I was two days late on washing my hair, I wasn't too disheveled, it was an interesting experience. It was like myself was telling myself a hard truth directly, but gently. With a quiet, but clear, understanding. Rape is something that those of us who are raped are told at every turn to doubt happened to us, to explain away with a rapist's "misinterpretation" of our nonconsent, to do our best to rid our memories of the experience, to the point that even someone like me, who also works with other survivors, who has done an epic amount of personal processing for over a very long period of time can have days and times where I, too, wonder if somehow, in some way, I managed to imagine what happened to me. Maybe that blood was from something else: maybe I just had hemmorhoids I didn't know about. Maybe that soreness is from falling off my bike and I just don't remember when. Maybe the reason I don't remember all of that assault isn't because I got knocked on the head, but because nothing actually happened. Maybe no one wants to believe me because I'm crazy, and this is all some sort of delusion. Maybe all of those body image issues, that overdose, all that poetry I wrote in my teens was about all that OTHER stuff, and that other stuff caused me to believe I was raped. Maybe when he shoved my head in his crotch, he mistook it for his own hand: maybe while I was choking on what he wanted and I didn't, he just didn't know I couldn't breathe. Surviving rape is a whole world of maybe, but maybe nots.
So, sitting there, looking myself in the eye in the mirror with that t-shirt on did cause me to cry, and even if I never wear it anywhere else, even though I have, at other times, been able to acknowledge and accept what happened to me, that moment was powerful for me. I deeply could look at myself in the mirror and accept the woman who is there and everything that made her who she is, even when some of those things are incredibly difficult and not things I wished for. I was proud of her, and she made me feel strong and able, both for myself and for the work I do where I need to help others find strength and resilience. I can do that at other times, too, but I'm always grateful for any new tool to help me do that, because some days, the ones I have don't work or don't take me to a new place.
Over the weekend, when I was talking to an old friend on the phone providing support, he said to me, "You know, you can take this. I know it doesn't feel good, and you don't want to, but the fact is, you can handle this." It might sound hollow, that, but the truth of the matter is that yes, I can. That woman looking back at me in the mirror could. If taking it wasn't something I thought might carry any benefits for anyone, not only would it all be even more upsetting than it already is, I wouldn't have had anything to do with this in the first place, or even have been public about surviving rape as I have been over the years. I didn't need to be as public as I have for myself: just telling people close to me and being able to sometimes speak through my art, for me, has been enough. I've been more public in the hope that my doing so will help other people be able to break silence, find strength, and be able to find whatever way is their way to healing.
The biggest bummer with things like this is that unfortunately, one very strong message the backlash sends to other survivors is that it is absolutely best they stay silent: because if they don't, see, if they speak up like I do, speak up in any way, this, too, is what will happen to them. Some who silence with ignorance, fear or guilt probably have no idea that this is a likely result: others, of course, very much are aware that they are silencing and very much intend to silence.
But here's the thing: something like this shirt isn't for every survivor, nor for any given survivor in every environment, on every day. I do a lot with my life, and my rape is not often at the forefront of any of it, but sometimes it is, and sometimes, it's helpful to others if I let it be, as much as I'd prefer not to. Being able to even just say -- even just to oneself -- "I was raped," is rarely easy, even though it does get easier over time. It still always hurts, it always infuriates, it always confuses, it always saddens, especially in a world which makes it so very hard to speak just that simple fact and to have it merely acknowledged. It is never easy, and it will never be easy. Saying it out loud, in any way, to anyone, is almost always scary, almost always risky. But for ourselves, and for others, when we can do it, when we are able -- and it's always okay when we're not -- it's usually, in my opinion, a worthwhile risk. While it means that we might open ourselves up to all kinds of garbage, it also means we might open ourselves up to the good stuff, too, to connections which are rare and unfathomably meaningful, to us or to others.
I won't be dishonest: I still want that other weekend that I was going to have back. I'd have preferred that weekend, and I really needed that weekend for myself. I spent a lot of time this weekend very deeply resenting feeling like I was pushed into the spotlight in a way I did not choose and I did not want: up until now, I've felt like the level of public I have been has been enough to make things better for enough people that something like this level of visibility wasn't anything anyone needed me to do. And yet, seeing all that I have seen over the last few days, I can only assume that I was wrong in that, since if things like this were not needed, I can't imagine I'd be seeing so much of what I had. We'd be past all of this by now, wouldn't we? So, if that's what needed to happen, and it did or could net anything at all positive, I can live with that. I can have that weekend I needed another time. I can move past my anger and resentment. I can make time up to my partner next weekend. I can have my life go back to being about all the other things it's about shortly. Again, I can take this: I may not want to, but I can.
There's no perfect note to end this on. I'm massively grateful for the support myself and the project have been shown by some. I'm deeply moved by the other survivors who have trusted me to share their stories, and to those who also have offered their care and compassion, and not just because you let me help you heal, but you helped heal some hidden parts of me I didn't even realize still needed healing. I'm deeply saddened, frustrated, shellshocked and worn the hell right out from all of the backlash -- and some of that is surprise in that I was more vulnerable than I thought myself to be and at the same time stronger, but also not as over my rapes as I have long thought -- but I'm just hoping that maybe at least some of it will result in something positive, either for survivors, or for the world that we live in when it comes to how survivors are treated, how rape is viewed and in terms of anything and everything which might keep it from happening to anyone at all.
And if, from a Buddhist perspective, there truly is no separation between the self and others, and I am seeing and hearing from so many people who clearly need to work through all of this chaos, who have all of this inside and around them -- and if the way I, myself, have been feeling has anything to do with anything -- then all of these last few days hasn't really just been about or for other people: it's been about and for me, as well.
So, as it turned out, and for as much as it sure hasn't felt like it, it seems I spent the weekend tending to myself, after all.
It seems appropriate to link this to Carly Milne's blogging project to benefit RAINN, and I'll write for that project a few more times before month's end. We've linked to RAINN and its services for years at Scarleteen, so it shouldn't be new to anyone, but to say it is a worthy place to support is a serious understatement. RAINN has made, and continues to make, great efforts for both rape prevention and survivor support, and if you have some extra cash -- especially for many of you who get tax refunds -- it's a fantastic place to put it. I know I certainly could have used what it provides, and many other survivors do as well.
You have my empathy...people
You have my empathy...people can be quick to judge and online, well, online any sense of self-control, compassion and tact people have seems to fly out the window.
I live in Seattle and I plan on contacting KOMO-4 to let them know what I think about their "reporting" practices.
Followed this from CNN If
Followed this from CNN
If this is one way to take back control, and making the t-shirts available helps others (if they choose to wear them) to take back control, then go for it.
Hiding rape just helps it be treated as casually as it is. People hear about it in the news, but they never put a "human face" to the victim.
It might not be for everyone. Some people *are* ashamed of being raped. Some people *do* think it was their fault. Everyone is different. Everyone has to find their own way to deal with it, and not let it beat them.
If society thinks the victims should "hide" what happens, then society is the true victimizer.
I'm truly sorry that people have said the things to you that you write about. I guess it's a backhanded compliment for you, in a way - you've got a lot of people scared, so they're lashing out.
Focus on the good, ignore the bad.
I'm consistently disturbed by the opinions some people are able to form and willing to express, especially through the veil of anonymity that the Internet provides. Believing that they can say these things isn't the problem - the problem is in trying to understand what could possibly drive them to such an extreme viewpoint. Some of them may just be misinformed, especially the "even if you were raped that shouldn't give you the right to profit from it" crowd, but the rest? The ones who judge and belittle the victim because of what was done to them?
Perhaps the fact that I simply can't understand how a person could think that way is an encouraging sign that my own mind is healthy and well-adjusted. Theirs clearly aren't.
Please, take solace in the knowledge that, if your T-shirt did so much to help you, it will do the same for others as well. That's the important bit, I think.
And please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe the whole thing about having your identity put out there without your consent can eventually work around to being all for the good? It's terrible that your identity has been exposed when you explicitly requested anonymity, but maybe there's some comfort to be found in the hope that KOMO-4 and CNN have helped to spread your message to people who wouldn't otherwise have received it.
I wish you all the best. Keep up the good work!
I just felt deeply compelled
I just felt deeply compelled to share my empathy here. As a survivor who also works in the field of teaching sex ed and being associated with a clinic that performs abortions, I know what can be said. I know how the most awful things can come out of the mouths of people survivors trust to hear them so that they feel silenced further. My initial reaction to the shirt was instant love followed by fear. I love the design, I love a venue that people who feel they are supporting (other) survivors can do so, a venue where people can support themselves and heal, I think our culture needs more public acknowledgment that rape happens and it is awful and not appropriate and needs to be addressed... Then I felt fear about admitting my own rape and my own feelings about it because so often survivors are blamed; I have been blamed in ways I didn't even think to blame myself. I am told I am somehow broken or damaged goods in a way I did not see myself; that I somehow SHOULD see myself this way. I think the whole experience of being broadcast without consent is violating in a way that is awful given the topic; I empathize. I support the work of RAINN and scarleteen and all folks who are trying to change the world positively, teach positive sexuality, teach understanding, teach compassion. The whole thing has just left me feeling utterly ineloquent but compelled to write, compelled to show empathy, and compelled to show outrage (because that is how I feel) at the lack of empathy being shared among us. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but, as my mother likes to say, sometimes - nonetheless - no comment is required.
Thank you.
Hey, I'm so sorry you've had to go through this. Thank you for all the work you've put into Scarleteen, and I hope you're OK.
You are a very brave person
And you should be proud, really proud, of speaking up. Keep at it.


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- 86% rayon, 14% spandex
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- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S

subset: commoncrawl


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A case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court "is indicative of another attempt by environmentalists to run you out of business," Washington, D.C., attorney Gary Baise told farmers attending the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation's annual commodity conference.
Baise, an Illinois farmer who is a principal with the Olson Frank Weeda Terman Matz Law Firm and has 30 years in government and private practice, says the case brought by the Northwest Environmental Defense Center originated in Oregon and had it been successful "would have shut down most logging in the Northwest."
And he says, it has potentially far-reaching ramifications not only for timber interests in Mississippi and elsewhere, but also for animal and row crop agriculture.
He represents agriculture clients that producers and ag organizations, in cases involving the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and other regulations.
The issue in the Oregon case involved a lawsuit by an environmental organization claiming that rain runoff from logging roads constitutes a threat to fish, vegetation, and other wildlife that could be miles downstream from the original source, and asking that runoff from logging operations be subject to the same Clean Water Act rules as industrial storm water and that loggers be required to obtain discharge permits for culverts, ditches, and other water-channeling measures.
A federal appeals court upheld the environmental group's petition, but timber companies and state officials asked the high court to intervene.
Under CWA rules, Baise says, "If you have water that is channeled into a ditch next to your logging road and install culvert so you can cross that ditch, it becomes a point source under the Clean Water Act, meaning you have to have a permit. And it gets worse: EPA is now imputing and writing Best Management Practices on how you must run your operation. Those BMPs will then commented upon by the environmental and public interest groups.
"The permitting process alone would put you, and me, out of business. It could be applied to any of us in agriculture — any storm water runoff from your property would have to be permitted."
For 35 years, the Clean Water Act has contained exemptions for water runoff from farms and timberland, Baise says. "The Agriculture Storm Water Runoff Exemption and the Silviculture Water Runoff Exemption say that, unlike sewage treatment plants and industrial operations, we don't need to have to a Clean Water Act permit.
"But, this court case says, no, these should not be exempt. It was argued about five weeks ago in the Supreme Court. On the weekend before the case was to be argued, the EPA put out a new rule that was actually helpful to agriculture, saying they would have discretion as to whether or not to require storm water runoff permits under the CWA.The environmentalists have already said, however, that they're going to sue the EPA over this fairly sensible decision."
A decision by the court should be handed down in the next 30 to 45 day, Baise says.
"I think it will come down in favor of agriculture — but even so, the environmentalists are going to continue to come up with tactics to try and get control over your property. In many respects, this comes down to an issue of private property rights being litigated under the Clean Water Act. These groups aren't going to give up on trying to shut down commercial agriculture and timber in this country.
"We're going to be doing everything we can to try and protect the private property interests in this case."
Baise, citing examples of the EPA levying jail terms and fines topping $1 million against agricultural and logging operations, quoted a Washington Post editorial that "The Environmental Protection Agency is earning a reputation for abuse," and cited a top agency administrator who observed that "EPA's policy for enforcement is: Hit them as hard as you can, make an example of them, and go after them."
Starting in the Bush administration, Baise says, "The EPA has become an agency all to its own. It does not have sufficient adult oversight. I'm among a few who say that instead of a single administrator, it needs to be a commission, like the Federal Communications Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission, so there would be more diversity in who is running things."
In other areas of environmental concern, Baise notes, a lawsuit has been filed in New Orleans, with motions now under way, that could have a significant impact on states within the Mississippi River watershed by requiring control of nutrients coming off agricultural land into streams and rivers.
"They're also going to try to get rules for emissions into the air, such as from anhydrous ammonia, which can convert to nitrous oxide (N20). California has already held hearings on ways to limit use of anhydrous — just another way to control agriculture by limiting our inputs."
And he notes, the Department of the Interior has been petitioned to add more than 400 plants and animals to the endangered species list, "many of which are found on southern forest lands," which could further hamper timber operations.
"We're going to see a lot more" lawsuits by environmental/activist groups — "another trend that is not healthy for our freedoms, and a threat to agriculture in the future," Baize says.
"The American Farm Bureau Federation is helping support agriculture's interests in this issue and has taken the lead on your behalf.
"Farming today is increasingly risky, and more and more we're having to worry about our neighbors. We know we have a great story in U.S. agriculture. These things are bothersome and nettlesome, but we're going to have to contend with them, and we're going to have to do a better job of educating our non-farm neighbors.
"American agriculture has a magnificent horizon, a great future — but we must work to protect it."


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Kalypso Media released nine new screenshots of Dark.
This looks cool, most vampire games tend to SUCK though...
I'll let myself out.....
You right, but there are just a few vampire games and just one perscent tend to be good ;)
this looks and sounds pretty lame. vampires and werewolves and witches and whathaveyou all lend themselves to gameplay mechanics exceedingly well. so why can't anyone make a really great game?
GamesRadar has a 20 minute video of game play and it looks pretty bad. The concept sounds good but the animations looks horrible especially the attacking animations.


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log in
Multicultural Shakespeare is an international journal devoted to Shakespearean studies; it is a forum in which researchers, especially those from non-English-speaking backgrounds, can air local concerns and themes that contribute to the creation and understanding of Shakespeare as global phenomenon.Multicultural Shakespeare appeared for the first time in 1972 as Shakespeare Translation on the initiative of Professor Toshikazu Oyama, the President of Seijo University in Japan. Since then it has undergone various changes. In 1986 it became Shakespeare Worldwide: Translation and Adaptation, whose editor was Professor Yoshiko Kawachi, and in 2003, it took on its present title (and since then has been edited by Professor Yoshiko Kawachi and Professor Krystyna Kujawińska Courtney). From its very beginning, Multicultural Shakespeare aroused interest around the world and attracted many prominent scholars, soon becoming an important publication in Shakespeare studies on a global scale. Initially devoted mainly to translations, Multicultural Shakespeare developed into a publication mediating vigorous discussions on the adaptation of Shakespeare's texts, their ontology and cross-cultural significance. It created an opportunity to present the universal dimension of Shakespeare's works by focusing on their local values found in the cultures of Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and USA. First printed in Japan, now published in Łódź, Poland, Multicultural Shakespeare seeks co-operation with people who make, teach or simply enjoy theatre and literature, and who are interested in addressing the problems of translating, staging, reading and teaching Shakespeare worldwide.We welcome contributions in various areas of Shakespearean studies, page and stage renditions of his plays, translations, critical analyses, book and theatre reviews. Currently, we invite submissions for volume 9 (24). The deadline for proposals is 1 June 2011.


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Feb. 20, 2005
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Nationally-ranked No. 9 MIT defeated host New Jersey City University, 24-30, 32-30, 30-28, 30-20, to win the championship of the 11th Annual New Jersey City University Gothic Knight Men's Volleyball Invitational Tournament on Saturday. The Engineers (16-0) defeated City College of New York, 30-19, 30-18, 30-18, and No. 14 Ramapo College, 30-23, 30-25, 30-21, in pool play. Praveen Pamidimukkala was selected to the All-Tournament team while Rob McAndrew was named the Tournament MVP. In addition, setter Jordan Wan broke the Institute record for career assists, establishing a new mark of 1,743.
Pamidimukkala totaled 14 kills, three aces, and two assisted blocks in Tech's opening match against CCNY. McAndrew tallied 12 kills while Ryan Dean posted a team-high 12 digs. Michelangelo Raimondi registered four aces and eight digs as Alex Borschow contributed three assisted blocks. Wan dished out 42 assists in the win.
Once again, MIT's offense was paced by Pamidimukkala, who recorded 15 digs against Ramapo. McAndrew led the Engineers' blocking corps with a trio of solo and assisted blocks. He also repeated his performance from the previous match, totaling 12 kills. Dean had a team-high 11 digs and three aces while Wan finished with 10 digs and 39 assists.
In the championship match, McAndrew led the way with 23 kills and four assisted blocks. Pamidimukkala contributed 20 kills while Dean added 10 digs and four aces. Raimondi tallied three aces while Wan posted 53 assists, setting the new Institute career record.


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By BRIAN BAINNSON
and JURGEN HESS
Special to the News
Will just one more building ruin the view from Rowena or Cape Horn? Maybe, maybe not. Will five? Will 10? At what point are the views changed so much we lose the Gorge landscapes we all love? When is the landscape bucket full? This incremental change, called "cumulative effect," currently is not considered when developments are reviewed.
A group of landscape architects are assisting the Gorge Commission and Forest Service with scenic issues, such as cumulative effect, during Management Plan Review. The American Society of Landscape Architects Oregon Chapter, University of Oregon Landscape Architecture Department, Columbia Gorge Institute, and private practice landscape architects make up this group. We are assessing proposed Plan changes and recommending alternatives.
While the Plan has worked relatively well, monitoring reports indicate problems. Problems range from development compliance, no cumulative effect analysis and inadequate highway scenic design standards. Right now, the Plan does not allow denying a project based on scenic protection. We strongly feel this provision needs to be removed. At times, mitigation measures just will not result in a project meeting scenic standards. In those cases, the only option should be to deny the development.
Our group recognizes that cumulative impact assessment, while mandated by the Scenic Area Act, is difficult to determine. However, some areas, such as Underwood Mountain and Dodson-Warrendale, are already at or over the scenic threshold. We are developing a landscape analysis using computer simulation to define cumulative impact.
Additionally, a Commission staff proposal would eliminate the requirement to "minimize visibility" of projects. This will only exacerbate the problem. Rather than eliminating the "minimize visibility" requirement, new protection measures are needed. Measures like project cumulative effects analysis, a development cap on areas already at the scenic threshold, and using natural topography screening when possible.
And yet another proposal would relax road project standards further impacting scenery of this beautiful Columbia Gorge. We recommend adopting design guidelines that require any road project fit the natural and cultural landscape, while meeting safety standards.
Key viewing areas (KVA) are an important analysis tool in determining a project's impact. Planners assess building location requirements based on views from KVA travel routes. Proposals to eliminate some KVAs based on low route usage will result in landscape impacts. As a National Scenic Area, the number of people using a travel route shouldn't be the criteria. We feel rather than eliminating KVAs, additions should be considered. Recommended KVA additions include: The Dalles Mountain Road, Highway 197 and Corbett Hill Road.
Fire hazard reduction, such as thinning around houses, could result in increasing scenic impact. While thinning certainly is needed, removing trees around buildings in sensitive landscapes should be mitigated by painting structures to blend into the landscape.
Our group will continue to work with the Gorge Commission and Forest Service in a spirit of cooperation. Our recommendations were presented to the Gorge Commission Scenic Resource Committee and can be viewed at the Commission website:
Brian Bainnson, American Society of Landscape Architects, Oregon Chapter, and Jurgen A. Hess, Columbia Gorge Institute, are part of the Landscape Architects Group.
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PHILADELPHIA -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed a Safe Drinking Water Act administrative consent order with the U.S. Navy, and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) to take corrective action protecting the public water supply at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a combined Navy-Air Force facility in Washington, D.C.
The order requires the Navy and WSSC to submit and implement a plan to correct significant deficiencies identified in 2008 and 2011 surveys of the base's public water supply by EPA and its contractors. These deficiencies include management issues and the flooding of three vaults containing meters due to possible leaking pipes or high ground water. The water system also expanded its capacity without notifying EPA as required by Safe Drinking Water Act regulations.
The Navy and WSSC, owners of the public water system serving the Bolling side of the base, are required to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and its implementing regulations. WSSC also operates the system as a contract operator. Under the order, the Navy and WSSC must notify customers about the violations, and submit quarterly progress reports to EPA.
EPA's drinking water regulations require public water suppliers to regularly monitor for drinking water contaminants and sufficiently maintain water infrastructure to minimize risk of contamination. As part of the effort to ensure safe and reliable drinking water for the Base's personnel and visitors, EPA and its contractors conduct onsite reviews, called sanitary surveys, of the water system's facilities, equipment, operation, maintenance, and compliance with federal requirements.


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Epic, melodic ambient soundtrack which associates with a confrontation, battle or fighting of the main heroes, action scene in the film(or video), detective scene, hard choice, e.t.c.
You can listen here: The piano, bass line, drums, synthesizer sounds and effects, electro guitars.
It can be useful as a soundtrack for video, game, film trailer, radio, TV, website e.t.c.


text:
Jennifer Burch0910's Lists
Potomack Intermediate School 5308 Williamsport Pike Martinsburg, WV 25404 US
Jennifer Burch0910 has not created or imported any lists yet.
Other Teachers at Potomack Intermediate School
Recommended links
- US State Games - Pick a state or the US.
- Math Facts Practice - Have fun drilling on math facts.
- Learn about Syllables - A great lesson with activities.
- Letter Blocks - Practice forming words from letter blocks.
- Word Roots - Games that teach word roots to unlock English.
- Educational Games - Learning games for kids.
- Build English Vocabulary - Games to build language skills.
- Online Writing Courses - Time4Writing classes run eight weeks.
- Online Interactive Curriculum - PreK-8th afterschool & homeschool subscription site.


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UPDATED: Homeless man charged with arson in East Lyme fire
East Lyme - Police have charged a 45-year-old homeless man with arson in connection with a fire late Saturday that burned the announcer's booth at the athletic fields of East Lyme Middle School, where the man was sleeping.
Gary Nelson, with no known address, was found hiding early Sunday morning by East Lyme police in the area of the fire. Police, who responded to the fire with firefighters shortly before midnight Saturday, discovered Nelson's charred bicycle near the scene of the fire, said East Lyme Police Sgt. Wilfred Blanchette.
Nelson admitted to investigators that he lit a fire inside the press box to stay warm but the fire had spread out of control, Blanchette said.
East Lyme Fire Marshal Richard Morris said the 10-foot-by-10-foot building, which is elevated off the ground, was a total loss. Sports equipment and an irrigation control panel also burned. The building is used for Little League games.
Dave Perry, Little League president, said the fire caused about $15,000 worth of damage. The building is insured but fundraising is in the works to help pay the insurance deductible, Perry said. Boys and girls ages 4 to 12 play in the league, he said.
Replacing the building will be a "big undertaking" because of the "significant amount of damage," Perry said.
"We're an all-volunteer organization and we rely on the community, which has been very supportive in the past," Perry said. "We can rebuild it. Even though this happened, thankfully (Nelson) was uninjured and didn't lose his life."
Firefighters from the Flanders and Niantic departments spent less than an hour extinguishing the blaze.
Held originally on a $25,000 cash bond, Nelson faces charges of third-degree arson, first-degree criminal trespass and first-degree criminal mischief. Nelson's bond was reduced to $10,000 during a Monday court appearance and his case was continued until Dec. 19.
No injuries were reported in the fire.
Waterford's Ella Dyjak - The Day's All-Area Swimmer of the Year


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April 19, 2012-- The 8th Annual STEP OUTSIDE DAY, an outdoor education program, will be held at Sherburne Wildlife Management Area (WMA), in the Atchafalaya Basin on Saturday, May 12.
STEP OUTSIDE DAY is open to all children and adults. Sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this outdoors day targets youths and individuals with special needs to provide an opportunity to engage in safe, hands-on outdoor activities. All Activities run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. near the Sherburne WMA headquarters area.
This year's event will include fishing, archery, boating, target and trap shooting, nature photography, bird watching, ATV Safety, and many other outdoor activities, such as turkey trapping demonstrations, trapping techniques, turkey and duck calling, and information on the Louisiana black bear and alligators.
Drinks and food will be provided on site for participants. No alcoholic beverages or glass containers will be allowed on the premises.
Directions to Sherburne WMA headquarters: From US Hwy. 190, take the Sherburne (LA 975) exit, and drive south approx. 3 miles; event activities will be on the left, near Big Alabama Bayou. From I-10, take the Whiskey Bay Exit, and drive north approx. 13 miles on LA 975, event activities will be on the right, near Big Alabama Bayou.
For more information about the event, call the LDWF Opelousas field office, 337-948-0255 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
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text:
Investigators in Fort Bend County are hoping an artist's sketch can lead them to a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman last month at her own home.
The woman told sheriff's deputies a man attacked her on Dec. 20 at her home in the Pheasant Creek area of northeast Fort Bend County.
About 12:30 p.m., she pulled into the attached garage of her home near Highway 6 and FM 1964.
Sheriff's deputies said the man apparently followed her into the garage.
He attacked the woman immediately after she got out of her car.
Deputies said he raped her in the garage and later threatened her if she reported the attack.
She later described the attacker as a man in his mid-to-late 40s. He was about 5 feet 9 inches tall and stocky.
She recalled the man's deep voice and said it sounded like he was a smoker.
On Thursday, Fort Bend County sheriff's officials released a sketch of the man.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 to anyone with information that leads to the attacker's arrest.
Call Fort Bend Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS.


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Moderator: Cartographers
Xzaral wrote:I just recently started playing this game and saw this map in Beta. I had to find the post to replay that as a life-long resident of the Quad Cities, this is one of the coolest things i've seen. Kudos to you for making it. I hope to bring much death to my hometown on it. Looks good so far, and can't wait to play.
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When life is fair, I will become a famous stand-up comedian and my knock them dead opening line will be the new South Carolina Legislature is going to pass comprehensive tax reform this session, I will have the citizens rolling in the aisles.
Wholesale tax reform is needed in this state to fix the greatest man-made economic disaster to befall South Carolina since Sherman's March to Sea, known as Act 388 passed in 2006.
This much-ballyhooed act was passed with much fanfare, as it appeared to give instant property tax relief to primary homeowners, also known as voters, by eliminating the School Operations tax from the yearly bills, hip, hip, hooray. Who wouldn't be in favor of this cut?
However, unfortunately most of the Legislature and probably the citizens pulled an United States Congress trick when they decided to support the Affordable Care Act without either reading it or understanding it, thus giving rise to the phrase "unintended consequences".
The monies to pay for school operations in this state were to come from a one-percent increase in the state sale tax, which proved not only to be unpredictable but also unstable as the economy sank and people stopped traveling, or buying unessential goods and services.
Moreover, the second homeowner market, a key factor in Beaufort County's economy, was dealt a severe blow as potential investors recognized going to Georgia or North Carolina to purchase was a better long-term deal, who can blame them. Even many of those opting to buy new or keep their already purchased investment, decided to change their status from secondary homeowner to primary thus depriving the school districts of even more revenue.
For some allegedly well to do counties such as Beaufort, the thought was they could just raise local taxes, but in yet another blunder, Act 388 placed a cap on how much local governments could raise taxes annually based on a dubious formula that included cost of living percentages plus increase in population. Of course, these calculations come from a federal government that spends around a trillion dollars more than it collects. So legally, the county can't fund the schools to the appropriate levels even if they wanted to do such a thing.
So what is the solution, State legislators aren't going to repeal the law and impose the taxes on their voters, the primary homeowners, consequently relief to businesses and second homeowners must come from some other new source of revenue.
As our own state Sen. Tom Davis continues to champion, sun-setting all current state sales tax exemptions and relooking at the legitimacy of each one of them could double the amount dollars collected from about $2.1 biilion to $4.8 billion.
Then the question for the legislators would be, are special interest groups more important to them than improving the state's economic future. Now that deserves a laugh.
In the meantime, you can contact Joe Croley at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Fabric Content:
Includes: Suit Jacket
Includes: Suit Pant
Includes: Suit Vest and Dress Tie
1. When measuring the sleeve, please measure from the shoulder seam to wrist.
2. When measuring out seam, please measure from waist to the floor.
3. When measuring shoulder, please measure from shoulder seam to shoulder seam straight across back, at the shoulder blades.
4.When measuring the jacket length, measure from the center top of the shoulder straight down the front of the jacket.
The measurements on this size chart are current and accurate, but may vary due to the sewing of the garment and the different shipment arrivals.


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Kobe Bryant has officially asked the Lakers to trade him.
Why? As Terrell Owens' former publicity agent might have said, Kobe has 136 million reasons to be a happy little Laker. But he's not. The gist of it is that Kobe believes that the Lakers (specifically Jerry Buss) lied to him about their long-term plans and are now trying to make him (via a Deep Throat-esque "insider") the scapegoat for the team's woes. Moreover, it has become increasingly clear that the organization is either unwilling or incapable of providing him with championship-caliber teammates. Enough, apparently, is enough.
From Kobe's perspective, the whole saga hinges on making people believe that:
1. He had nothing whatsoever to do with breaking up the team -- exiling Shaq, running off Karl Malone, letting Gary Payton walk -- that made it to the 2004 NBA Finals, and
2. The Lakers promised him during the summer of 2004 that they were in "win now" mode and not "rebuild around Kobe" mode.
Sorry, but I'm not buying it. I mean, it's been three years -- three years!! -- since Jerry Buss hit the Reset button on the Lakers mini-dynasty. Kobe had to have some idea before right now that the team was rebuilding. It's not like he went to bed one night with teammates like Shaq, Malone, Payton, Derek Fisher, and Rick Fox...and then suddenly woke up the next day surrounded by stiffs like Smush Parker and Kwame Brown. How can he be acting so shocked? It's been three years, Kobe. Where've you been?
Kobe's a smart guy. You cannot convince me otherwise. He's not coming to this realization out of the clear blue. Phil Jackson wrote a freaking book about how Kobe couldn't coexist with Shaq, and how the Lakers were ready, willing, and able to mortgage the team's future to hold onto the young superstar, even if it meant dumping the old superstar and the legendary coach. And I don't care what Kobe says, he and his people knew what was written in that book practically the minute it was published. He didn't pick it up just yesterday.
I can't help but feel that Kobe's rewriting history because he's finally realized he can't do it alone. For most of the past three years, I think Kobe honestly believed that all he needed was one or two decent players to back him up. Well, he's finally starting to get it -- one superstar does not a champion make -- and he's freaking out. He's like a woman who's just turned 30 and says to herself, "I thought I'd be married by now. I should be having babies by now. I only have a few productive years left before I'm old and ugly and I can't have babies anymore! OH MY GOD!!"
This isn't just me hating on Kobe, either. It simply makes no logical sense that Kobe didn't see what was going on around him. He's acting like he just slipped on a banana peel. If he'd lost his nut during the Lakers' first Shaq-less year, maybe then I would have believe him. Maybe. But now? No way.
Mind you, Lakers management had there grubby little paws in this mess. As a group, they were like a high-stakes poker player who lost his mind and decided to go all in even though all he had was one ace and a bunch of crap cards. They figured any hand that they dealt would be a winner as long as they had Kobe in it, and Kobe seemed to believe the same thing. Because Kobe's like Mike, right?
People don't truly understand what an ideal situation Jordan had in Chicago. The Bulls didn't start winning titles until Jordan was surrounded by the perfect supporting: veteran players who were hungry to win and willing to work within the system (John Paxson, B.J. Armstrong, Bill Cartright, Steve Kerr, Ron Harber, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, et al.), legitimate all-stars who took the pressure off him and enhanced his game (Pippen, Grant, Rodman), and a coach who was able to keep everybody relatively happy and supremely motivated (Phil Jackson). But those systems are fragile. Look at what happened when Jordan came back to the Bulls in 1995. Until they added Rodman, they were just another really good team...even with Jordan.
And let's take a closer look at the players that Kobe claims the Lakers supposedly failed to land:
Baron Davis: According to Kobe, the Lakers believe that Davis is "injury prone." Uh, Davis is injury prone. Don't let this year's great playoff run fool you. He's missed 98 games over the last four seasons, including 19 this year. His numbers also had been steadily declining until the Warriors hired Don Nelson, who immediately instituted a run-and-gun offense.
Carlos Boozer: In the summer of 2004, Boozer signed a contract with the Jazz worth almost $70 million dollars. The Lakers didn't have that kind of money to throw at Boozer after signing Kobe. And even if they did...would they really have committed that kind of cash to a guy who, at the time, had career averages of 12 points and 8 rebounds per game? I mean, they could have spent a little more and held onto Shaq. Besides, Boozer seems like a no-brainer now, but don't forget that he missed 80 games in his first two seasons with the Jazz and looked like a bust until he broke out this year.
Ron Artest: You're kidding, right?
All in all, it's a bad situation for everybody involved. Can Kobe really force a trade? Would the Lakers actually do it, knowing they'd never get comparable value? And they can forget about cutting a quick and equitable deal, because the whole world knows Kobe has the Lakers over the barrel. Jerry Buss will have very little negotiating power, and Kobe's no-trade agreement ensures that he has the final say over where he goes.
Let the games begin.
Labels: Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer, Gary Payton, Jerry Buss, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, lies, Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest, Shaq


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It all started with tiny Lego robots. Then it moved to smaller robots made of metal. Now, Marceline High School's Black Knight Robotics team is competing in the top tier of their sport.
On March 14-16, the team traveled to Hale Arena in Kansas City for their first ever FRC competition with their frisbee-slinging robot. But the journey to the big show started much earlier.
It all started with tiny Lego robots. Then it moved to smaller robots made of metal. Now, Marceline High School's Black Knight Robotics team is competing in the top tier of their sport.
On March 14-16, the team traveled to Hale Arena in Kansas City for their first ever FRC competition with their frisbee-slinging robot. But the journey to the big show started much earlier.
"FRC is a totally different program than FTC, which we had done before," explained Head Coach Chris Rollison. "This is a national program where each team has the exact same amount of time to work on their robot."
Rollison continued: "Kickoff for this season was the first Saturday in February where we picked up the kit and watched the training videos. We brought the kit back, assembled the drive train and had a certain amount of time to build it. There is a bag and tag date where every FRC team has to put their robot in a bag, with an official serial number, and you cannot touch it. This does not matter when your competition is. If you have more than one, you have to bag and tag the robot there until the next competition."
FRC stands for FIRST Robotics Competition, and is a nationally-sanctioned robotic, scientific and engineering organization. FIRST governs both FTC (FIRST Technology Competition) and FRC.
"It started with FTC, and we even did that this year," said Rollison. "There you design an 18x18x18 inch robot. In FRC, the robot can be up to five feet tall, can weigh 120 pounds, and the additional cost for parts is limited to $4000."
Rollison continued: "It can get really expensive, really fast. We are only $300 over in sheet metal and parts. We are starting a major fundraiser looking for sponsors and support to fund the team. We would love to get an approximately $15,000 budget."
This years game was called "Ultimate Ascent" and is played on a level, flat 27x54 foot field. The robots must be able to operate autonomously, as well as by an operators remote control. Each game features two alliances of three robots, and the goal is to shoot your frisbee into the four goals, scoring points. The team with the most points at the end of the two minute and fifteen second matches wins.
"We had probably 14 kids involved in building the robot," said Rollison. "This year we are almost totally sponsored by Moore Fans. It is great to have their continued support. They are always behind getting kids involved in math and science, and anything that could lead you down the engineering path in life."
Moore Fans did more than financially aid the team, the company also provided engineers to lend their expertise to the kids. John Moore, Ryan Lodder, Matt Neil, Ken Jay and Drew Ward all pitched in to help.
"There is no limit on team size, and this is a very expensive project," said Rollison. "We are grateful to our sponsors. This is comparable to a sports team, as far as expense. The kit itself was $6500, and the kit next year will be $5000. Each competition costs $5000, most of this is the cost to rent the arena. The kit of parts is mostly donated, and mostly consists of a basic frame and a few motors. The rest of the parts we have to buy."
After all of their preparation, the team took their bagged up robot and prepared for the competition. FIRST does not simply judge based on how your robot plays the game; they also look to see the educational value of these projects.
"Not many subjects I have taken so far helped a lot on this, but I have an idea of some I want to take now," said team member Kyla Swanson. "We had a basic robotics class in sixth grade where we got to build Lego robots."


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - Michelin Guide Tokyo. Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Michelin Guide Tokyo. Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Food View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message yosh66Joined: 09 Nov 2008Posts: 5 Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:44 pm Post subject: Michelin Guide Tokyo. Hi, I am a Japanese student. I love Japanese food, each for sushi, tenpura. It was graded a good food by Michelin Guide, like a paris. Do you think about Japanese food to compare with other countries ? Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Food All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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Posted on March 27, 2013 in Pro Tennis Talk Tournaments
A player can usually base their success on how far they get in a tournament. And the larger the tournament and deeper into the draw they get, the more success that can be celebrated after grinding away for two weeks. So how would a brand measure their success? Seems like success could be measured with how many players the brand has using their product in the final rounds of each tournament. With that being said and with the quarterfinals and the semifinals set at the Sony Open in Miami this week, let's take a gander at what racquets the players still in the draw are using.
HEAD currently has six out of the eight men that are in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open using their racquets (and in case you haven't heard, Djokovic lost yesterday, so he isn't in that count). This bunch of HEAD players includes Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Marin Cilic, Gilles Simon and Tommy Haas.
On the women's side, already into the semifinals is HEAD Youtek Graphene Instinct MP user Maria Sharapova and Roberta Vinci is currently playing her quarterfinal match this evening with her HEAD Youtek IG Extreme Pro 2.0.


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Wonderful Mandalas Designs by EDDA Froehlich / EDDArt | This beautiful blue red colored FOLK ART MANDALA will makes you happy and brings joyful energy in your life. SPREAD YOUR GOOD MOOD! | You miss other products with this design? Feel free to contact me: email@example.com I will do it for you! HAVE FUN & BE HAPPYThis standard fit lightweight tank top is made from 6.1oz soft cotton and makes great stylish casual wear. Printed using advance digital technology process, designs will be reproduced to a high quality.Care Instructions: machine wash inside out.
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Exploring Liberal Arts Through the Life and Lyrics of Bob Dylan
For 50 years, the music, words, story and fans of Bob Dylan have fascinated David Gaines. And for more than 30 years, Gaines, associate professor of English and Director of... Read More
The New Faces of Engagement
Gabe Gomez and Paul Secord are the new guys in town and on campus. Both Gomez and Secord joined the Southwestern staff on June 1, 2015. Gomez, Southwestern's first Chief... Read More
Building on Memories
In celebration of the 175th anniversary of Southwestern's original charter, alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends are etching their way into University history with engraved bricks to be placed... Read More
A Long-Distance Relationship with Plato
For nearly two decades, classics majors at Southwestern have been part of a national conversation, thanks to Sunoikisis, a national consortium of Classics programs operating under the auspices of Harvard... Read More


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AUSHORSE is the marketing body of the Australian thoroughbred industry. We proudly promote Australia as the leading source for the breeding and sale of high quality thoroughbreds worldwide, and Australia as the pre-eminent country to invest and race in.
Our aim is to encourage investment from overseas, whether to race or breed in Australia or export to another country. Domestically we have an important role to play in introducing new owners to the fun and excitement of racehorse ownership.
When it comes to horseracing, Australia has it all.
The horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, breeders, administrators, prizemoney and passion.
It also has the ambition and the infrastructure to keep on developing one of the world's most vibrant and lucrative racing industries.
Australian breeders produce thoroughbred horses equal to any in the world.
The proof is not only in the performance of generations of champions at home, but internationally.
Australia has also attracted the biggest names in international racing and breeding – Darley and Coolmore - to join a dynamic local breeding scene.
Australia is home to a competitive bloodstock sales scene with auctions held regularly in every state.
The biggest are those conducted by Magic Millions at the Gold Coast in January and by William Inglis and Son in Sydney each Easter.
Recent News
Bob's Queen Soars In Kingston Town ClassicArcadia Queen becomes the second filly to win the...
Becoming an Owner
Nowhere in the world is owning a racehorse easier or more rewarding than in Australia.
Whether you want sole ownership or a small fraction of a horse, or anything in between, it can be done.


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FARMINGTON — Police and fire departments continued to manage a one-alarm fire at 43 Hancock St. early Wednesday afternoon.
Tappan Street was set to be reopened around 12 p.m. and Farmington Fire Chief Rich Fowler reported Hancock Street would be closed for several more hours as officials continued to work on scene.
Fowler called the damage to a one-story mobile home a total loss, as crews worked to put out more hot spots and smoke just before noon. There were no injuries at the site to a couple that lived in the home. They were not in at the time though their pets, reportedly some dogs and cats, did not survive. Fowler noted relief organizations had been called in to assist the displaced homeowners.
A cause of the fire is not known at this time and the incident remains under investigation.
Farmington Police Animal Control Office Kate Koval arrived on scene to remove the animal remains in the early afternoon. Police Chief Kevin Willey, who was on scene with several officers, said his department has not been asked to investigate suspicious factors at this time.
Fowler urged the community to be safe this holiday season, as fire trucks arrived with Christmas decorations on the fronts of their trucks. He noted he has not ruled out any heat sources yet, including seasonal decorations like candles or trees.
The call initially came in at 10:54 a.m., originally as a working fire which was then elevated to a one-alarm. Another fire emergency call came in shortly after on Spring Street, for reports of smoke, but officials determined the smoke to have come from the Hancock Street fire.
Crews on scene included fire departments from Rochester, Alton, New Durham and Milton as well as Farmington police. Wakefield covered for Farmington's fire department.
Local mobile home is total loss after fire in Farmington
FARMINGTON — Police and fire departments continued to manage a one-alarm fire at 43 Hancock St. early Wednesday afternoon.


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The classical Boussinesq approximation is applied to solve the flow generated by a heated cylinder.
A source term proportional to a diffusive tracer is added to the vertical component of the velocity field.
Adaptivity is used to generate a "sponge" outflow condition on the top boundary.
The turbulent plume obtained is illustrated on Figure 8.
The movie is generated using the scripting mode of GfsView.


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Fun to take you grand kids to.
The movie was very boring. Weak jokes.
Same type of story where the father is the bad one plus too much talking.
Fun great movie
Great for kids 12 and under. Lots of action.
It was cute and funny! I have to say i loved the Batman one better but it was still a good movie!
Who makes these dumb predictable cheesy movies! It's for kids!
Funny for kids and adults :)
If you like the LEGO movies or are into Ninjago, you will like this movie.
Definitely fun for kids
The movie itself is totally kid friendly, but it is a lot funnier when you're at a point in your life where you can get the jokes. Most of the best ones are self-aware and semi-fourth wall breaking.
Justin Theroux's Garmadon was my favourite character. I don't want to spoil anything, but he will make you laugh on multiple occasions. He also is a sympathetic 'bad guy', which is a nice alternative to President Business.
The other characters are fun. Some of the ninja squad members feel kind of interchangeable. (I kept thinking there were four of them and Lloyd, while there were actually 5 + Lloyd.) Lloyd's a likeable hero, with a strong sense of that teenage angst. Jay and Master Wu were also pretty standout.
But, the most important reason you should see this movie: THERE IS A CAT!!! Enough said.
It felt as though the animators were struggling to decide if they wanted this to be a LEGO movie or a smooth animated movie resulting in a clunkiness during the action scenes.
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Flamenco-guitars.com is La Sonanta its online library offering you an extended source of information about flamenco guitars, historical backgrounds, flamenco guitar music, the luthiers, how to care for your guitar, premium guitar woods, maestro flamenco guitarists, instructions and many more. Whatever your needs, we want you to get the best out of your music.
For a complete overview of our products and services, please visit La Sonanta or contact us La Sonanta info mail
We wish you a warm welcome to this place dedicated to the passion, art and technique of flamenco guitar music. All our thanks goes to the luthiers, musicians, guitarists, flamenco enthusiasts and yourself…all bringing valuable information to this online flamenco guitar library.
Spanish guitar history - Flamenco guitar history - Master grade woods - Soundboard woods - Back and sides woods - Flamenco guitar making - French polish finish - How to apply shellac - Flamenco and classicals - Blanca and negra - Flamenco guitar strings - Care for flamenco guitars
Artisan flamenco guitars, a unique voice and inspiring playability
Through the work of the late 19th century Antonio Torres and major evolutions in the 20th century, today contemporary and outstanding luthiers present to us the enchanting, percussive sound of artisan flamenco guitars, their specific setup and low action, their bright, punchy, instant responding sound with wide ranging tonality, enabling different guitar techniques as well as an exciting way of guitar playing. This is why many Jazz, Latin guitarists and renowned musicians have fallen in love with the unique voices and playability of flamenco guitars.
One of a kind art, 300 hours of manual labor to make one flamenco guitar
Artisan flamenco guitar makers work on their own or with family members in a small workshop making only up to 15 guitars a year with long waiting times. For more information regarding the finest, traditionally and handcrafted guitars, we welcome you to visit our detailed guitar pages including HD videos and free lessons with tabs.


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A Langley Mill company which supplied cycle parts for Team GB athletes including Sir Bradley Wiggins and Sir Chris Hoy has gone into liquidation with the loss of nine jobs.
Acorn Precision Engineering, of Cromford Road Industrial Estate, supplied components to many high profile clients including the London 2012 Team GB athletes.
The firm had been operating for more than 25 years offering a range of precision engineering services, including milling and turning.
It made components used by Team GB athletes in the 2012 Olympics, when the cycling team landed a massive haul of eight gold medals, two silvers and two bronze.
Attempts to sell the firm as a going concern failed and it was forced to go into liquidation.
Its assests will now be sold off at auction.
The liquidation is being handled by insolvency practitioner Joe Sadler, a partner at Elwell Watchorn & Saxton LLP, which has offices in Nottingham.
Mr Sadler said: "It was sad that Acorn Precision Engineering (Nottm) Limited had no alternative but cessation of trade despite a previous interest in a going concern sale.
"The machinery was maintained in an excellent manner and alongside John Pye & Sons we are anticipating a good interest at the auction which should generate a reasonable return to all creditors."
The online auction takes place from Friday, June 20, to Wednesday, June 25. There is a chance to view items for sale at the firm on June 20.
Trevor Palethorpe, head valuer at John Pye Auctions said: "When you consider that the company has managed to trade through some extremely difficult conditions from 2008 onwards and we are now at the point when we are seeing green shoots of recovery in the engineering sector, to see a well-established business fail now is really rather sad."
"We are now focused on working hard to get a good result for the company's creditors"


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Tuesday night, Sylvan Productions has their final open improv show at the Dark Room. Wednesday, they're the guest of honor at The Business, as we say goodbye to our Dark Roommates, and say hello to a new era of SF comedy. If that weren't enough, we've also got comedians Matt Gubser and O.J. Patterson - plus regular Businessmen Sean and Bucky.
Sylvan Productions has done a wildly popular Open Improv show at the Dark Room every Tuesday, which moves to the SUB/Mission starting in December. They also produce a five-hour comedy show every Wednesday at the Dirty Trix Saloon, and this Friday, their Producers Show comes to Dirty Trix as well. Their shows may be heavily improv'ed, but they could hardly be improved.
Matt Gubser is an SF comedian with the hair of a handsomer Jesus Christ and the wit of a sassier Judas Iscariot. He performs at all the finest clubs and showcases in the Bay Area, and he's also a potter, as if that's fair at all. O.J. Patterson is a rising star who recently opened for Hannibal Buress. His blog, Courting Comedy (http://
The show gets started at 8, and admission is still just five bucks. Are you going to be there? The answer is, "Yes, and..."


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Course Details
EDU353 Teaching Remedial Mathematics
Teaching methods specific to remediation of special mathematics learning needs. Students will spend time in the schools assisting with the teaching of remedial mathematics. This course does not apply toward a major or minor in mathematics and does not apply toward the university's Common Studies program.
Credit Hours: 2
Prerequisites: EDU341 or MAT341 (EDU 341 can be taken concurrently)


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Cocaine Is A Hell Of A Drug: Meek Mill Messing With A Crack Head! "Its A College Experience"
@MeekMill messin with another crack head
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SOURCE: Verengo Solar
November 21, 2012 00:00 ET
Leading Residential Solar Installation Company Ranks #12 Overall With Nearly 300% Growth Increase in Last Two Years
Leading Residential Solar Installation Company Ranks #12 Overall With Nearly 300% Growth Increase in Last Two Years
TORRANCE, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 21, 2012) - Verengo Solar today announced that it has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal's List of 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies. The list recognizes companies with year-over-year revenue growth and a significant positive impact on Southern California's economy.
This is Verengo Solar's first inclusion on this list, although Verengo also ranked #2 on the Los Angeles Business Journal's "Big Movers" list, which further ranks the fastest-growing companies with at least $50 million in 2011 revenue. Verengo is the only solar installation company to make that list.
"Ken and I couldn't be more pleased with this recognition by the Los Angeles Business Journal, as it validates the hard work of the Verengo Team and the trust of our customers," said CEO and Co-Founder Randy Bishop while attending the 2012 LABJ Honorees Dinner in Beverly Hills last week.
"The residential solar business has never been stronger than it is now in California," added Bishop. "During the most recent quarter, a record 11,000 Californians signed up to install over 66MW of solar power for their homes. These results are an indication of what the future holds for solar energy in California and what solar energy can mean to the entire US economy with lower panel costs, affordable financing options, and an innovative and motivated solar work force committed to a clean energy future."
Verengo Solar was founded in 2008 and is the largest residential solar installer in Southern California with strong ties to the community. Last weekend President and Co-Founder Ken Button led a group of Verengo volunteers to take part in the GRID Alternatives 3rd Annual Los Angeles Solarthon in the Willowbrook area of South Central Los Angeles where 10 low-income families received industry-sponsored home solar systems.
"Since partnering with GRID Alternatives earlier this year, Verengo has had the honor of sharing its residential solar installation expertise with deserving families across California -- including homes in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Riverside and today here in Los Angeles -- right up the freeway from our company headquarters," Button said at the Solarthon event.
Anyone interested in "going solar" may learn more and request a free, no-obligation consultation at www.verengosolar.com.
VERENGO SOLAR is changing the way America thinks about solar! As the #1 residential solar integrator based in Southern California, Verengo offers comprehensive financial options and superior customer service, and consistently earns an A+ with the Better Business Bureau. Verengo has reduced carbon emissions through its solar power systems, accomplishing the equivalent of planting 300,000 acres of trees, taking more than 120,000 cars off the road and saving homeowners $255 million in energy costs over the lifetime of Verengo's installed systems to date. For more information on Verengo Solar, please visit www.verengosolar.com.
David Thoreau
PR Manager
949-439-8032Email Contact
David Thoreau
PR Manager
949-439-8032Email Contact
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Friday, November 09, 2012 - Kamil and Petr RAW - FULL CONTACT
Latest Sets at WilliamHiggins.com
Kamil Jezek and Petr Kluk are two newcomers who look very good, so we paired them up for a duo. They start off by having a game of cards. Petr then invites Kamil to kiss him. That is what Kamil has been waiting for and they begin to kiss. After a while Kamil moves down to kiss Petr's nipples and then pulls the leg of his shorts open and takes hold of his cock. Petr reciprocates and they wank each other. Petr then starts to suck on Kamil's hard cock. Kamil removes his underwear to give better access. Petr's mouth slides over that hard cock as his own is wanked by Kamil. Following Petr's lead Kamil starts to suck as well, so they are doing a nice 69. Petr moves slightly so he can also lick Petr's hot ass. His tongue laps as Kamils hot tight hole and then he sucks some more. Kamil gets Petr fully naked as well and sucks him some more. Soon Petr's cock is throbbing so hard that he needs more. He positions himself behind Kamil, in and slides his cock deep into his ass. Kamil moans as he feels that cock stretch his tight hole. Kamil loves the feeling of that thick cock deep inside him, and moans with each thrust. He wanks himself as Petr fucks him nice and deep. Kamil then positions his ass anobe the recumbent Petr's hard cock and slides himself down on it. Holding him in place Petr thrusts up into that a hot hole before moving again with Kamil on his knees. Petr's cock his throbbing as he shoves it deep into Kamil, and fucks him nice and hard. Kamil loves it and wanks himself as fast as he can while his ass is being pounded. Soon he shoota his cum all over the bed. Petr continues to fuck that tight ass until he cant hold back any longer. Pulling out he shoots a big creamy load all over Kamil's ass. Then he leans forward for a final kiss to bring the scene to a close. What a lovely scene from two excellent new models.
Martin Pudil is aged 21 and lives in Prague. He is a student who enjoys computers and boxing. He is a very nice looking guy and does a good interview, in English. Then he gets to work, quickly opening his jeans and showing his big, fat cock, which is nice and hard. Martin wanks on his cock as he feels his body. A helping hand arrives and soon has Martin fully naked, with his slim, fit body looking great as he lays there. Some oil is dripped onto Martin's body and the helping hand rubs it in, his hands working all over the body and legs. Eventually the hands take hold of Martin's huge cock and wank it. His balls bounce as his cock is wanked, and the hands keep going until the cum shoots out of Martin's cock. As a final treat Martin's legs are lifted in the air to show of his sexy ass. Then it is off to the shower to clean up.
Filip Husak is 18 years old and lives in Luka nad Jihlavou. He is unemployed and enjoys football, fitness and snowboarding. What a beauty Filip is, with such a handsome face and, as we see when he gets naked, a great body. He begins his shoot fully dressed and lifts his ample tee shirt to reveal a wonderful set of abs. Then as he removes the tee shirt his chest is on full display. What a great chest is it too. Filip poses, flexing his muscles a little before turning around and pushing his jeans down to show a lovely bubble butt. He then turns again and pushes the jeans down enough to show his cock and balls. The cock is soft, with the head pushing through his foreskin. Some more posing let's us get a good look at his body before he sits and removes the jeans completely. When he turns to show his ass again we are treated to some further poses, displaying his muscular body. Kneeling on the sofa and bending over his ass cheeks spread, exposing his tight hole. Filip enjoys showing it off, using a hand to spread the cheeks further whilst he looks back into the camera. Then it is time to get that cock hard for us. Filip certainly does that well too, with his cock fully hard and pointing upwards as goes through a series of poses, ensuring that we get a full ration of great shots of his cock. What a lovely shoot, from a really handsome guy whose time in the gym has certainly paid off.