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Lunch at Ottolenghi London
This lunch in London was a much anticipated one. Ever since I visited the Ottolenghi deli in Notting Hill this spring, I planned to come back and indulge. The large dishes with gorgeous veggies and the most perfect pastries called my name.
Back then I didn't know much about chef Yotam Ottolenghi, I liked the logo and the food looked so good (I must have been hungry!) but realized later that he is actually very famous! He's the chef that "made vegetables sexy again". And who writes good looking books, like Jerusalem and his latest Plenty More. I read that some Parisians even take the Eurostar to have lunch at Ottolenghi...
So there we were, ready to eat! Look at those platters full of salads! Don't they look appetizing?
We ordered different kinds of veggies, a beef dish and a selection of bread:
Doesn't this sound nice?
Mixed green beans with fennel, grilled spring onion, tarragon, lemon zest and fennel seeds
Roasted saffron cauliflower with dates, crispy capers, red onion and parsley
Roasted mixed peppers with burnt aubergine tahini sauce, pomegranate seeds, Urfa chilli and herbs
Roasted aubergine with almond yoghurt, pickled chilli and paprika toasted almonds
I love how eating at Ottolenghi's deli was so laid-back, "just" good food & drinks and a sleek interior. Other people were celebrating their child's birthday with a pastry and candles and catching up with friends. Down to earth, simple and honest food.
Look, that's a gorgeous cookbook right?
That piece of bread on the right... I'm still dreaming of it, I still have no idea of the herbs that were in it, but believe me: it was succulent!
Then it was time for dessert...
Giant meringues:
Dripped caramel cakes:
As you can imagine, it took me a while to choose from this all. This vanilla and almond financier topped with blackberries and mascarpone cream and pistachio had my name written all over it:
And really, it didn't disappoint. It was very rich and sweet, especially since I rarely eat sugar anymore. Obviously I took eating it VERY seriously ;)
Together with the yummy lunch at Al Boeuc it has been one of my favorite foodie moments of the year and found a new London tradition: to eat at Ottolenghi's ;)
Ottolengi restaurant & deli /// 287 Upper Street /// London N1 2TZ
mon to sat: 8am - 10:30pm sun: 9am - 7pm
In London there are 4 locations: Islington, Notting Hill, Belgravia and Nopi.
Our new bathtub
By now I wish I could unveil our new bathroom to you, but it's not nearly finished! We are working very hard to finalize the floors, tiling, painting, faucets... Believe me, I can't wait to take the first shower in the new double shower. In our floorplan we didn't include a bathtub (as you can see here), but once the walls were up we realized the walk-in shower was bigger than expected. There was actually more than enough space for a tub! Not a permanent one, but something temporary. That's when I found this young Dutch company designing inflatable bathtubs. With a cool new name: the Tubble!
They were so kind to send me one of the first models of their renewed design. I received a rather small box with a Tubble in a bag inside and an electric pump. Pfewie no inflating by mouth ;) And then this happened:
Of course I testdrived the Tubble without water and it's surprisingly comfy. It doesn't feel like an air mattrass: it's a bit more sturdy. The bottom of the bath is inflated as well, so you don't lay on the ground. Size-wise (yes we tested that too): my husband and I both fit in the bath together. But we love each other very much ;) It's definitely more relaxing to enjoy a bath session on your own.
As you can see above, the design is very clean and simple. I really like the detail of the blue top cover, it's translucent! And the inflating process was very fast: only 2 main parts, the head & shoulder cushion and the floor cushion. Easy peasy!
You keep warm and cozy under the flexible blue cover:
It also looks pretty easy to empty the Tubble with the draining tube. I think it would be so cool to place the bath in our garden next summer for a refreshing bath.
The Tubble even includes a cupholder for a cold beverage! I can totally see myself chilling in the sun with a cocktail ;)
Now I'm even more excited about our new bathroom. To take a shower... and a bath! (and to try out some Lush bath balls too!)
What do you think? Do you have a bath in your home? Do you ever use it?
Tubble kindly offered one inflatable bathtub, but all opinions and pictures are my own. Merci Tubble!
Tokyobike in London
The difference between the Dutch and the French riding their bike: the Dutch ride from A to B, the French from A to A. Even after more than 12 years in France I still ride almost exclusively from A to B. My bike is a very Dutch old one-gear bike, the first 3 bikes were demolished at the train station. But I do love spotting beautiful bikes in interiors, even though I wonder how their owners handle the dirty tires and how they lock their fixed-gear when drinking a handcrafted beer at the pub...
Anyway, I loved this bike shop called Tokyobike in London! They sell beautiful bikes and carry a very nice selection of innovative bicycle gear and lifestyle accessories. Definitely a must-visit when you love your bike, need a beautiful bike helmet or simply love beautiful products.
One of my favorite products on display was the brand new Plume Mud Guard. It works just like those metal neon slap bracelets from the 80s: very fun!
For the first time ever I tried on a Hövding, an invisible bike helmet that inflates like an airbag around your head when you have an accident. It looks just like a colar:
I think Jillian should get herself this bike and rain poncho, decorated by Swash:
And fun fact: Tokyobike also carries Orontas (spotted in Stockholm) and the Ally Cappelino leather plant pots that I featured in a previous edition of Urban Jungle Bloggers. And yes I told them to water their money plants, they don't look very happy ;)
These beautiful bikes are also for hire from their Shoreditch shop for 12£/day. I don't think a pair of these fun Tracey Neuls shoes is included, but of course you can buy one at the store:
Tokyobike /// 87-89 Tabernacle Street /// London EC2A 4BA /// +44 20 7251 6842
Open tuesday to friday 11am - 7pm and saturday 11am - 5pm
Urban Jungle Bloggers #13
Today's Urban Jungle Bloggers Plant Shelfie topic made me realize that we really need some new beautiful shelves. We don't have many wall space here at home and only a few basic Ikea lack shelves, which I really don't like anymore. But well, for now we have other priorities. Like a bathroom for example! Because, yes, let's face it, it's been a mess here for a little longer than expected ;)
So back to my #plantshelfie. I built a little installation with some random shelves, broke a plant pot and the plant inside also lost a few branches. This is what was left:
My favorite new postcard illustrated by Daniel Frost I got at You Can Now in London this weekend:
My beloved Minolta, I need to get me some film and start using it again:
Another new thing at home: the Typodarium calendar for 2015 that my husband bought for me. It's a tear-off calendar with a daily dose of typography.
And proof that Urban Jungle Bloggers is really a lot of fun, also behind the scenes, this is what my installation looked like:
Will you show us your #plantshelfie too? We will pick 5 winners with the best plant shelfies and they will receive a little something from us! You can join until November 15th, can't wait to see yours!
Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series hosted by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date via our Facebook page. Want to join? Find how on our website and use #urbanjunglebloggers on twitter and instagram. Let's bring some green into our homes and blogs!
► Fore more "plantshelfies" also check out: Happy Interior Blog /// Alspice Design /// Pretty Nice /// Apartment Apothecary /// Look! Pimp your room /// Colourliving /// Appunti di Casa /// Blue Moth /// Vivere a piedi nudi /// Enter my Attic /// Allihoppa /// Design Lovin' /// Beeldsteil /// Objects & Use /// Speculaas /// Decordots /// It's nice here /// + deco blog /// Luzia Pimpinella /// Wanesia /// My Paradissi /// Mouseblossom /// Northern Winds /// Craftifair /// Kreavilla /// Aentschie's blog /// Dramaqueen at work /// Helarious /// Hipaholic /// Bold Color Glass /// Svo margt fallegt /// Flohmarkt Schaetzchen /// Mademoiselle Poirot /// Ida Interior Lifestyle /// Flora Inspiro /// Capello a Bombetta /// Junifaden /// Eat Blog Love /// Interior Novice /// Pötit /// Soyz blog /// Myriam schrijft /// Confetti Option /// Refreshed Designs /// Un Due Tre Ilaria /// Traedraum /// Armoire, Pegs et Casserole /// Holunderbluetchen /// Kebo Homing /// siebenVORsieben /// Coopers Apartment /// Growing Spaces /// LapinBlu ///
WExAtMine event at West Elm London
Last Saturday was such a fun day! Together with the talented ladies behind at{mine}, my Urban Jungle Bloggers buddy Igor and I hosted the #WExAtMine event at the West Elm store in London. To go short: we invited 12 design bloggers to style an area of the West Elm store. With extra bonus points for all teams that used plants in their styling ;)
Toni definitely got that message:
When planning the event, little did we know that we were in for a treat! Seriously, all teams did such a great job: lots of their own personal style and personality went into the different living rooms, bed rooms, breakfast table and home office. Furniture and accessories were rearranged throughout the store with eye for detail, professionalism (some of the bloggers are stylists by day!) and a wonderful team spirit. My hands were itching to give it a try myself, but I had a great time catching up with my blogfriends and meeting many of the West Elm customers. It was inspiring to see that customers were drawn to the beautifully styled areas of the store, sat on the couches and tried out the cozy beds. There was definitely some bloggers' magic in the air!
The six blogger teams all styled one area of the store and submitted their final image to West Elm's Instagram account. The bloggers of the photo with the most likes next Sunday will win a West Elm giftcard. So be the judge and vote for your favorite right here!
A peek behind the scenes:
Caroline and Toni working their magic in their home office, including some fabulous cacti postcards and a vintage typewriter:
The lovely Xanthe snapping a picture of the colorful throws in Mary-Ellen and Sarah-Lou's styling:
Sarah-Lou brought some of her own little succulents in handpainted pots:
Karine and Carole at work:
Tiffany and Annie and Lucy snapping pictures of their bedroom:
I really loved this little setting with a pretty Monstera plant, somewhere in between their stylings in black & white with lots of textures and pillows, grey & muted and their final choice for a blueish teal accent color:
Igor, Angela, Jess and Kate:
Geraldine and Kate styled a very bright and happy bedroom with a gorgeous Nomad bed spread:
One of the little details that made me smile: an egg & croissant & fake coffee that made it look like someone was just in the middle of Sunday brekkie:
Yvonne taking a picture of her breakfast table and sideboard (don't you love that random package of Kellogg's?). The bright pink chair on the left is from Out of the Dark, a British charity that recycles and restores salvaged furniture as a means to train, educate and employ young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. And of course Yvonne included her beautiful book in her styling, the English version will come out in February 2015!
Igor and I planned the event with the new interiors & design community at{mine}. On their invite-only website you can share pictures of your own home, tag products & shops and get inspired by other (real!) homes. I've been a beta-member for quite a while now and it's really nice to see different (and real!) interiors on their beautiful site. And the good news is: you can join the community this week with the invite code #WExAtMine by simply clicking here. Hope to see you soon at mine!
#WExAtMine wasn't only about styling and interiors, it was also a little party because we celebrated our first Urban Jungle Bloggers birthday! Once we started planning the event I knew I had to grow something, so I built a little succulent farm and grew over 80 baby succulents. I was lucky that the successrate of my farm was over 90%: after a few weeks they already had lots of tiny pink roots and now at 4 months old they were almost too big for their mini terracotta pots. I'm so happy that both our online community of Urban Jungle Bloggers as well as our succulent family is growing and thriving! Thank you so much for all your kind messages and ongoing green support. And don't forget to join our Plant Shelfie October Edition tomorrow if you like!
Thank you Ia, Helena, Angela, Jess, Igor, Valentine, Griffin, Rod, Toni, Caroline, Yvonne, Geraldine, Kate, Annie, Mary-Ellen, Tiffany, Robert, Sarah-Lou, Philippe, Lucy, Karine, Carole and everyone who passed by the store for the wonderful day!
And thank you Beth for posing with one of my babies :)
Celebrating this week!
My week started with some beautiful fireworks. A good start of the week (for a Saturday night) of what I think will be a festive week. Not long now until I hop on the Eurostar to London where Igor and I will host our first Urban Jungle Bloggers event together with the new interiors community at{mine} at the West Elm store.
These past few months have been intense, to say the least. Two magazines, four websites and several other interesting design projects, were a bit too much to handle. The balance between work, life and sleep was completely off and I'm very much looking forward to a little break. Without work, simply exploring London and finding new energy for the end of the year.
So, if you are in London this Saturday, I'd love to meet you! Come celebrate with me, Igor and a group of super talented bloggers at the West Elm store at 209 Tottenham Court Road (RSVP here). There may even be some little gifts... If you cannot make it, you can follow the event via the #WExAtMine hashtag on Instagram.
See, there was even some UJB glitter in there:
Oh and about London... as usual I didn't plan a lot. But there are some places I'd like to check out, like the Present & Correct store, the Quentin Blake exhibition at the House of Illustration, the Kemistry Gallery (because I want to do this!), maybe a visit to the Kew Gardens... And last but not least: have lunch at one of Ottolenghi's restaurants. I visited the deli in Notting Hill a few months ago and have been dreaming to go back... and celebrate ;)
And of course the fireworks contained some bright pink JOELIX glitter too:
Hope you are having a festive week too?
Flowers for Inga
One things that I love most about blogging is getting to know all kinds of new people. Creative folks you follow from afar, people that make things happen, like-minded people that sometimes turn into new friends... And when someone who made things that you loved happen disappears, it's so so sad. Last week I found out via instagram that our dear Inga passed away. You may know her as one of the #2flowergirls together with my friend Elodie. Their project taught me to better appreciate flowers and actually use them in our home. Although I never met Inga in person, but in the messages we exchanged I found a very kind, warm and intelligent young woman with lots of ideas and energy. Today we are celebrating her life with a virtual bouquet of flowers. These are for you, Inga!
By the way, these pictures were taken at the same nearby community garden as for the 2 Dahlia girls. Interesting to see the "same" dahlias one year later!
You can find my previous #2flowergirls posts right here.
Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil in Paris
Yes, I'm done editing some of the 250 photos I took at the Jardin botanique des Serres d'Auteuil. Botanic gardens make me so extremely happy, especially if they include palm trees, cactus plants and succulents, that it always results in too many pictures ;)
This garden in Paris has been on my must-visit list for so long and when I heard a few months ago that it risks to be closed and destroyed on behalf of another Roland-Garros tennis court, I knew I had to go NOW. I sincerely hope the City of Paris, who owns the botanic gardens, realizes the value of these 19th century greenhouses and gardens in time, because it's so very gorgeous. Have a look:
I wondered around the garden before and after my visit of the Molitor Rooftop garden while it was empty and sunny. A few gardeners were around taking care of more than 10.000 different tropical and subtropical plants. Some of which are ultra rare and almost extinct.
One of the most amazing elements of the garden is the Palmarium: it seems like the Palm tree is captured in the greenhouse:
The majestic palm tree is really tall, nearly 16 meters and grows up to the top of the dôme of the greenhouse:
Molitor rooftop garden in Paris
Last week my day started with a visit of the new garden and roof bar of the iconic Piscine Molitor. Well it's not "just" a swimming pool, but you can sleep, dine and workout here too. This spring Molitor, built in 1929, finally reopened its doors after 25 years. When Molitor closed in 1989, it became very popular with graffiti artists and skateboarders. Parties and concerts were held in the empty pool. The renovation is beautifully done, the Art Deco aesthetic is still there, with a hint of streetart in the lobby. And of course: I loved the yellow.
Molitor was never free to the public, but with a price tag up to 180€ per day it's rather expensive to take the plunge. But if you are lucky to sleep and swim here, I can warmly recommend taking the elevator to the rooftop. Your view will be something like this:
And on top of the building,Thierry Dalcant, former fashion designer at YSL & Nina Ricci and now landscapist / stylist / designer, transformed the flat surface into a lush garden. Well, it's still young, most of the vegetation is rather small and it's definitely not a jungle yet, but the potential is there.
From the rooftop you can see the Jean Bouin stadium (on the left) and characteristic Haussmanien buildings:
And between all the greens, two distinct "terrace rooms" that can be used by hotel guests for private lunches or dinners. Imagine how lovely it would be to enjoy your breakfast right here:
While you sip your grapefruit juice, you're surrounded by lots of aromatic herbs (that smell amazing!) as well as grasses, sedum and perennial plants that cover a 30cm layer of soil and also grow in wooden crates.
But the best thing, according to me, were not the greens (wow!) but the beautiful Moroso chairs. They have exactly the right shades of colors: aquamint, green and red and they're actually comfy too!
These chairs blend in so well with the colors of the garden, the rooftop colors of Paris, the wooden crates and the flowers:
And there, right there, just in front of that (oh so random!) Eiffel Tower, is the rooftop bar with a huge herb garden:
The hotel chefs use these aromatic herbs when they cook à la plancha on the brushed inox cooking stove. Lots of fresh mint, sage, rosemary, basil, lemongrass...
But my favorites by far, are definitely these pretty polyester fiber chairs, called Tropicalia designed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso:
Even though the Molitor rooftop garden is nice and has a lot of potential once it grows bigger, it couldn't compete with its neighbor: the Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil, one of the 4 botanical gardens maintained by the city of Paris. I literally took 250 pictures of these greenhouses alone (yes, I know I went totally Urban Jungle Bloggers crazy!), so I need some more time to edit them, but I'll show you very soon. I think you'll love it!
For now, you can check out my favorite jungles of 2013 if you like ;)
@joelixjoelix on instagram


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Businesses of all types and sizes throughout the United States, Mexico and beyond bring their disputes to Gardere's litigation team and receive practical, responsive, boutique-style attention in return. Our clients have access to the firepower and value of a well-known and highly-regarded Firm's capabilities and interdisciplinary strengths.
Gardere has a national and international energy practice formed around our Energy Industry Team, which is a multidisciplinary group of approximately 80 attorneys with diverse backgrounds, experience and skills specific to the energy industry. Our team includes attorneys who have served as in-house counsel for major energy companies, providing a depth of insight into our clients' needs, issues and concerns. We understand and regularly practice in virtually every sector of the energy, and we represent a wide variety of industry participants from multinational corporations to individuals.
From our offices in the United States and Mexico, our International Practice helps clients operate in today's global economy. We have more than 30 professionals operating as a boutique within an Am Law 200 law firm and are able to provide focused service with the resources of a large firm. We understand that clients who are engaged in the global marketplace need lawyers who can operate seamlessly across multiple jurisdictions. Our international experts are multi-lingual, are culturally fluent and intimately familiar with various legal systems across the world, especially those in Latin America. Whether you need help with commercial transactions, regulatory matters, customs and import regulations, immigration matters, M&A and joint ventures, international disputes, or international tax planning, Gardere's international team is here to assist you.
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*Not admitted to practice law.
As a big football fan and an employment lawyer, it is not often that the two overlap. For the past few weeks, however, I have been listening to news and sports programs alike discuss the issues affecting the Miami Dolphins and accusations of bullying. The focus of much of the discussion has been on bullying and hazing in the NFL. But, that really misses the bigger picture – these issues are no different from claims of harassment in any workplace – they are just highlighted because they allegedly occurred on professional sports team. While it is easy to ignore locker room issues as atypical to a workplace, that locker room is still a workplace. If an HR professional or employment lawyer heard these facts – employer knowledge of sexually offensive conduct at a work sponsored charity event (that lead to the employer's apology) and subsequent promotion of that employee to a leadership role, we would be concerned about the claim that followed. If that claim involved threats, racial epithets and other forms of bullying, we might cringe.
It is not yet clear what the Miami Dolphins knew of hazing and bullying but they were aware of sexually offensive conduct and still promoted the employee to their leadership council. Of course, bullying, in and of itself, is not a legally recognizable claim. To be legally actionable, these claims would have to rise to harassment on the basis of race or sex, etc. But, the promotion following offensive conduct does create an environment in which employees perceive that inappropriate conduct is accepted and that complaints are not warranted. Instead, employers should not ignore warning signs and should carefully consider whether it is appropriate to promote a person so closely on the heels of such offensive conduct.
HR professionals and employment attorneys should consider these issues carefully. Remember that anything that impedes productivity is not good for business. Perhaps a formal investigation is not warranted but HR should meet with the concerned party, hear the concerns and discuss potential options. Some issues learned may require more formal responses, like learning about racially charged communications, but others may just require some advice and counsel. Another HR idea is to offer training on bullying and related issues. Too often, we may be quick to dismiss something that we do not believe subjects the organization to liability. We also need to look at the whole picture: is the individual involved targeting only women or only men? Those facts have led to liability under Title VII for some employers.
We will see some legislation involving workplace bullying. New York has proposed the Healthy Workplace Bill and other states have considered it as well. The proposed legislation defines an "abusive work environment" and requires proof of health harm. Abusive conduct is defined as conduct, with malice taken against an employee by an employer or another employee in the workplace, that a reasonable person would find to be hostile, offensive and unrelated to the employer's legitimate business interests. The trier of fact would consider the severity, nature and frequency of the conduct. Employers would be insulated from liability when they have internal correction and prevention mechanism are in effect. Individuals could sue the bully for violations.
These issues give us food for thought while we cheer for our favorite team.
The publications contained in this site do not constitute legal advice. Legal advice can only be given with knowledge of the client's specific facts. By putting these publications on our website we do not intend to create a lawyer-client relationship with the user. Materials may not reflect the most current legal developments, verdicts or settlements. This information should in no way be taken as an indication of future results.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The ctf-ccanyon.zip file you have requested: Maps Levels Missions / Capture The Flag / C Titles / ctf-ccanyon.zip - 658.94kb is not available. Perhaps try browsing all files for the game Unreal Tournament and upload any files you want to share or are missing. This is the only information we could locate:
ctf-crazycanyonReadMe for Unreal Tournament----------------------------Title: ctf-crazycanyonFilename: ctf-ccanyon.zipAuthor: Chris 'Toledo' ShaheeneMail Address: firstname.lastname@example.com URL:Release Date: Thursday, September 27, 200 ctf crazycanyon ReadMe for Unreal Tournament Title ctf crazycanyon Filename ctf ccanyon.zip Author Chris Toledo Shaheen eMail Address darktorchx aol.com Website URL Release Date Thursday September 27 2001
We recommend you return to the download list and browse the links from there. If the problem persists, contact us with the details.


text: Get three historical romances in one omnibus edition from award-winning, bestselling author Deeanne Gist. This special edition introduces new and value-minded readers to Dee's unbeatable blend of laugh-out-loud humor, poignant drama, and irresistible romance. Includes three of Dee's most popular novels: A Bride Most Begrudging, Courting Trouble, and Deep in the Heart of Trouble.


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MILAN — Italian helmer Florestano Vancini died aged 82 in Rome on Sept. 17, it was announced Monday.
Vancini, who was born Aug. 24, 1926 in Ferrara, directed more than 20 pics since his 1960 debut "La Lunga Notte del '43" (The Long Night of '43), which won the newcomer award at the Venice film fest.
Other important works include "Il Delitto Matteoti," (The Assassination of Matteotti), released in 1973, and "Liberty" in 1972.
As well as being a prolific helmer for the big screen, Vancini wrote and directed several pics and skeins for TV, including the 1993 crime drama, "Piazza di Spagna."
He directed his final film for cinema, "E ridendo l'ucisse," in 2005.


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Apple's 'TV' app has begun showing up outside the US, signaling the start of the rollout it promised during its latest iPhone event. According to MacRumors and 9to5Mac, the app has already appeared for some users in Australia and Canada ahead of tvOS 11's official release later today, September 19th. Apple launched the TV app in 2016 to serve as a browsable hub for all the shows from your other apps, such as Hulu and HBO Now. It was designed to give you a way to easily find movies and series to watch without having to switch streaming services.
.@MacRumors @9to5mac the Apple TV app has appeared for Australian Apple TV 4th gen. users overnight. It's stuck loading at the moment.
— Anthony Eales (@ants000) September 19, 2017
Based on some social media posts, the app still isn't working properly and is stuck loading for a lot of people. Apple might have merely released it to prepare for its streaming device's OS update, so it will likely start working once tvOS 11 arrives. While the ongoing rollout seems to be for Canada and Australia only, Apple also promised to bring the app to the UK, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden before the year ends.
Source: 9to5Mac


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The Botswana Summer Encounter tour is a guided safari that is rich in wildlife, scenery and experiences as it traverses the mystical Kalahari plains, verdantly abundant waterways of the Okavango Delta, deciduous forests of the Linyanti concession in Botswana as well as highlighting the 'smoke that thunders' – the famous Victoria Falls in Zambia.
We will explore the wild and private areas of these vast wilderness areas by air, safari vehicle, on foot and in a mokoro, ensuring an intimate connection with nature and sensational game viewing. Your guide will be with you throughout your 9 day safari – quick to answer your questions, impart his knowledge and share the warm hospitality of Africa.
You will be met on arrival at Maun airport by your Explorations representative and directly board your flight to the Kalahari and Deception Valley camp.
From the drier areas surrounding the Kalahari, you will drive back to Maun for your flight to the remote Xigera concession – gaining a bird's eye view of the water filled paradise that is the Okavango Delta.
Enjoy a short but scenic flight over the deciduous forests of the Linyanti concessions before arriving at Linyanti Discoverer camp.
Your next 2 days will be filled with morning and afternoon activities including game drives and bushes walks, with ample opportunity to siesta or relax during the midday hours.
Accommodations are in roomy dome tents with comfortable beds dressed in crisp cotton linens and private en-suite facilities. Once again, spectacular game viewing experiences await aboard safari vehicles and on foot.
After a leisurely breakfast you fly on to Chobe National Park in Botswana where you will enjoy a river cruise and wildlife viewing experience.
Lunch will be enjoyed on board whilst cruising downriver photographing hippos, crocodiles, puku, elephant and diverse birdlife.
Drive on through the border and into Zambia for your last nights' safari at the opulent Toka Leya for your overnight stay.
After breakfast you will enjoy a guided tour of the Victoria Falls before transferring to Livingstone Airport where your journey will end.
|Botswana Summer encounter
|4 Jan – 3 April
|1 Dec – 28 Dec
|Per Person Sharing


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Jimmy Nesbitt and Cold Feet cast reunited after 12 years
Jimmy Nesbitt has been reunited with the cast of the hit television programme that made him a household name.
Fay Ripley, one of the cast of ITV comedy drama Cold Feet, confirmed last November that the much-loved show will make a comeback more than 12 years after it finally bowed out as one of the nation's favourite programmes.
And now Coleraine actor Nesbitt has joined Ripley, Robert Bathurst, John Thomson and Hermione Norris for a read-through of the script ahead of filming. The only person missing from the line-up was Helen Baxendale, whose character Rachel Bradley was killed in a car crash in the original.
The remaining five cast members looked delighted to be together as they posed for photographs. And even though 13 years have passed since the award-winning drama left our screens, the cast looked remarkably fresh-faced in the latest pictures.
Cold Feet centred on the lives of three thirtysomething couples in Manchester and ran for a total of five series between 1998 and 2003.
Nesbitt played the loveable lead, Adam Williams, and the programme followed his romantic adventures with Baxendale's character.
One of his most memorable scenes in the show was when he won her heart by turning up naked with a rose clenched between his buttocks.
Belfast Telegraph


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Clarice Ordaz is used to rejection.
Five years a professional dancer, she's been passed over time after time for music videos, tours and awards shows.
She's developed thick skin. Her passion for dance conquers all.
Ordaz said she enjoys the challenge. Auditions of all ilk litter her weekly schedule.
"It's hard now dancing professionally," said Ordaz, a Rosary Academy alum now living in North Hollywood. "If you haven't done it forever, or don't have the passion in you about it, it's hard to get rejections, to not work for a bit.
"But for me, it's worth it."
Now 24, Ordaz has toured with Taylor Swift and the television show, "So You Think You Can Dance."
She's danced at the Grammys, the Billboard Music Awards and on Disney and Starz television shows.
She recently finished filming for the Hulu series, "East Los High," a teen drama in its fourth season on the online streaming service.
For someone rejected so often, Ordaz sure keeps busy.
"Dancers, actors, people in entertainment, a lot of them have other jobs because it's really hard to book (events)," she said. "It's so much about your look, your personality. It's not just talent. Even if you are talented, it doesn't guarantee you're going to be booked every month.
"It's about sustaining yourself when you're not working."
Ordaz's mother danced in her teens and 20s. She passed her rhythm onto her daughter.
Raised in Whittier, Ordaz was the toddler who couldn't stop moving. She never could sit still.
At the behest of coworkers, mother enrolled daughter in dance lessons. Ordaz learned quickly.
"I've always paid very close attention to detail," she said. "It's something I've always been very good at. I advanced pretty quickly, enough to where we needed to find new studios to match my learning."
Ordaz found West Coast School of the Arts, an Orange County studio for advanced dancers.
In addition to lessons there, Ordaz took ballet classes in Anaheim. In 2006, she and several other incoming freshmen breathed life into Rosary's dance team.
"I've been there 15 years, and she was probably one of the best students, the best dancers, I've had," said Dan Sapp, the Fullerton school's longtime coach. "Not only her dance-ability, but as a person. Her work ethic, just the respect she gave to myself and to the other teammates for all four years.
"Not once did I ever have to get on her, because she was so on it," Sapp continued. "From Day 1, I knew she was going to make it somehow."
As a senior, Ordaz danced for a Royals troupe that won big at the Universal Dance Association National Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports.
That same year, days after turning 18, she auditioned for "So You Think You Can Dance," a show she said she'd watched for years.
An early cut, she said she wasn't ready for the limelight, admitting: "I was 18 and naive, wide-eyed to the whole scenario."
Ordaz graduated from Rosary in 2010 and enrolled at Long Beach State.
The summer before her sophomore year, she again tried out for "So You Think You Can Dance."
Hundreds of hopefuls joined her.
"Me and some college friends went for fun," Ordaz recalled. "We wanted to take it lightheartedly, not get as disappointed as we had the year before. We went, and we made it to the end. A month later, we were in Vegas."
One of 150 dancers from across the country chosen to audition for season eight, Ordaz made preliminary cuts. She later made the top 20.
On the show, which aired in 2011, she danced several different styles, cracking the final 10 contestants.
For advancing that far, Ordaz later toured the country with the show's other finalists. For two months the troupe performed in sports arenas that fit thousands.
Twenty years old at the time, Ordaz turned professional shortly after returning home.
"Being on that show was something I always, always wanted to do," she said. "I was on Rosary's homecoming court, and with your picture, they asked for a little description of you. I put that my ambition was to be in the top 20 of 'So You Think You Can Dance.'"
From a pool of 350 hopefuls, Ordaz and five other girls were chosen.
In 2013, Ordaz booked her greatest gig to date, and spent more than a year dancing behind Swift on her Red Tour. She performed more than 60 times nationwide, and stopped for international concerts in Australia, New Zealand, London, Germany and other major cities.
Ordaz returned to California in June 2014 and started auditioning again.
"When you're gone for that long, things change tremendously in every part of the business," she said.
Ordaz quickly booked a performance at the BET Awards. She booked commercials, television shows and other jobs that paid her rent.
She said she narrowly missed the cut for Derek and Julianne Hough's Move Live on Tour crew, and last year, was passed over for season three of "East Los High."
"The stars weren't aligned," she said.
Ordaz auditioned for the show again this year, and was chosen for a recurring role – her first speaking part.
Filming wrapped last month, and the show returns in July. Ordaz called her role "a big challenge."
"She's a director's dream," said Sapp, who from time to time has Ordaz teach master classes at his Westminster dance studio, Pace Elite. "She's so detailed that whatever you teach her, she's so detailed at it, you're drawn to her. She does exactly what you want, what you need. She has that much focus.
"That appeals to anybody," Sapp continued. "She has so much heart and soul in what she does, and she really gets along with everybody."
Twice a week, Ordaz mentors aspiring dancers of all ages at West Coast School of the Arts.
The five other days, she's auditioning.
"Some people choose to go out only for stuff they're good at," she said. "I choose to go out for everything. … If I don't get it, I let it go and move on."
Ordaz said her booking bucket list consists of one thing: music videos.
She also wants to do something else:
"I really want to tour again," she said. "A lot of people don't like touring. They don't like the long bus rides, lugging bags all the way up stairs. They don't like the long nights. I loved it all. I miss traveling in general too. That's something I want to do even if I'm not dancing.
"Luckily I've been able to dance in so many different countries," she continued. "I want to do it again. Dance and travel."
Contact the writer: 714-796-7724 or email@example.com


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Our firstborn (a'hem. Rather, adopted) child turned two on 11-11-11. A magical day fit for a puppy tea party.
She knew it was all about her when she got dolled up in tulle and bows! And the whiff of freshly baked biscuits had her tail wagging.
All other goodies were enjoyed by the guests with two feet.
Happy Birthday, LuLu Bug!
- Credits:
- Mini Cake Stands – Home Goods
- Teapot & Sugar Jar- Target
- Teacups – Antique Shop
- Dog Treat Jar – Garden Ridge
- Sugar Cubes – Le Chic Bakery
- Heartfelt Banner – c/o Lullaby Mobiles
- Tutu & Hair Bow – Diva Puppy Couture
- Heart Dog Biscuits – HERE dipped in carob & sanding sugar
- Photography – c/o Brandy Cardarelli Photography


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I couldn't even give this away---nobody wanted it. It got damp in the rain and the leather? dimpled and scabbed and would not recover.Read More
I ordered it years ago. Don't think it's really large cause it's not. But a cute nice bag. Don't try to stuff it eitherRead More
I enjoy this elegant leather bag to carry things, especially to meetings and such as a small business owner who is also a senior.Read More
poor quality very small not worth priceRead More
Bought it for my wife. She loves it.Read More
the bag itself is solid: well constructed; pockets and dimensions as advertised; accurate colors. my only complaint is the shoulder strap: it's made from whatever material is used for seat belts; adjusts to either too long or too short; no padding; often causes the bag to fold/collapse, making access difficult.Read More
I thought it was leather, but it's actually suede, which I guess is leather. However, most descriptions would just say SUEDE. Sort of a bait and switch. The color and size are fine. I just thought I was getting a leather bag. Since it's not, it's going back.Read More
The bag is perfect for tablets and travel necessities. Garners a compliment every time.Read More
A bit of a smell but it dissipated with a drop or two of essential oil and fresh air. I am petite size and bag doesn't overwhelm as some can.Read More
It's a nice little bag, but not large enough to serve as a real work bag.Read More
The bag I received was the same (visually) that was shown on-line. Great leather texture and the handle/strap was adjustable. I brought this bag as a birthday present for my daughter as a schoolbag and she loved it. Great price, quality workmanship on the stitching. Overall, I am quite pleased with this purchaseRead More
I brought this bag as a gift and have retained it so far for myself. I will probably use it when I travel for my laptop and other necessities.Read More
I love this bag! As mentioned in other reviews, and the description, the colors are definitely different. What looks brown really reflects the name (honey) more accurately. The leather is more suede or nubuck-like, and susceptible to stains from water, so keep that in mind If you want something that's not going change character with use as easily. One could probably find a suede protector and spray that on. I will likely do that before I get too much use out of it, just to be safe. Overall I really like it though. It fits my needs perfectly. It's a little funky, roomy without being too heavy, and I can toss in extra work-related tools (pad, measuring tape, glasses, etc.) as needed.Read More
I love messenger bags it's hard to find a decent looking one.This messenger bag is great quality & very reasonable expensive looking hand made leather.Its the perfect size very satisfied.Read More
kickass little bag does it all without making or taking a lot of fuss and space. highly recommend it for last-minute late-night flights to Thailand for group parties and debauchery.Read More
This is a perfect size messenger bag for lugging around a tablet and paperwork. I'm thrilled with my purchase.Read More
Loved it when I took it out of the box- leather was great. Unfortunately I got caught in the rain. The bag looks AWFUL now- the leather, esp. The brown is now rough and " mealy " feeling and in appearance! What a shame for a bag that's a week old:(Read More
Looking for something for that college student on your gift list? Messager bags are useful, and are excellent for that all-important transition from college student to professional. This has the professional look, but is still trendy enough for a college student to carry around, containing the computer, a few sheets of paper for lecture notes, and the meal-ticket. College students are so busy, they just are constantly on the go from breakfast to dorm room. This messenger bag assists with organization and efficiency, while maintaining the image of being "cool".Read More
I love this bag, I've gotten so many compliments whenever I carry it. My only worry is that for some reason, I think the leather is wearing at a fast pace. Mind you I have only used the bag about (3) TIMES since my purchase of it. I am going to going to keep this bag because I just love it but I will keep a watch on the wear & tear. May send it back if the leather damages.Read More
Leather Flap-top Messenger Bag (Colombia)
Today $47.99


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Florist, Cleft Gothic
Tagged: 1880s, Conner TF, Manhattan TF, Miller & Richard TF, Union TF, West-Jr., West-Sr.
This topic contains 1 reply, has 1 voice, and was last updated by Anna 3 years, 3 months ago.
|July 20, 2014 at 3:41 AM #13349
Florist has such an interesting "small world" history! It was cut by James West [b 1830, Edinburgh], a US immigrant recruited by James Conner in 1860.¹ At the time this face was introduced, he lived in Brooklyn NY [USPTO D15923] and was associated with the Manhattan TF (New York). Manhattan TF was owned by Union TF (Chicago).²
Maurice Annenberg writes: "James West, the great punchcutter of the period, helped in standardizing these typefaces to comply with the US Point System [adopted by the Association of Typefounders of the United States in 1886]. It is believed that he received part of the stock in payment for his work."² The Union and Manhattan/Heinrich TFs merged with American Type Founders' Company in 1892.
William E. Loy writes that during an apprenticeship before emigrating to the US, Mr. West "cut many faces for type founders in London and for Miller & Richard of Edinburgh, besides the Open Anglo-Saxon series for Caslon of London."¹ Guess what? Nicolette Gray identifies the face as Union (named for West's US client?) and adds that M&R introduced it in c1884 and registered it in 1885.³
So far, only one commercial specimen of Florist is available. It appears in the Cincinnati TF 1888 catalog on the same page as Cleft Gothic#, which was designed by his son, John West, also of Brooklyn [USPTO D15965]. The latter face was shown earlier as Stencil Gothic# by MSJ in 1885 and later by Palmer & Rey in 1887. BBS showed it in the 1893–1894 catalog as Cleft Gothic#.
Both designs were US-patented in early 1885, both affidavits claim "invention and production," and neither was assigned: Florist/Union, January–March [USPTO D15923]; Cleft/Stencil Gothic#, February–March [USPTO D15965]. Both applications were signed and witnessed by Gordon Press Co. Manager A. Sidney Doane (power of attorney for nearly all New York type designers), and the second witness for both was W.V.H. Hicks.
Cleft/Stencil Gothic# is also shown in an advertisement for Manhattan TF in The Inland Printer dated June 1886. The border motifs and Scenic Combinations details of this "eye candy" layout were patented by James West (Sr.) in 1886. Johnston and Saxe identify these ornaments as properties of Union TF.⁴
Preliminary Specimens of FloristWorking Specimens
¹Loy, W.E. (1898–1900): Designers and Engravers of Type. In The Inland Printer, March 1898.
|October 5, 2014 at 10:16 AM #16677
Bulletin! New commercial specimens of Florist have been discovered in the 1883–1884, 1896 and 1900 catalogs of Barnhart Bros. & Spindler.
William E. Loy writes that before moving from Cleveland to Chicago (late 1880s?), where he worked for Marder Luse as well as BBS, James West had cut type for the Conner, Bruce and Farmer TFs in New York.¹
In 1886–1887, he returned to New York to assist the Manhattan/Heinrich TF with re-tooling their wares in point-pica sizes as discussed above.² Since Marder Luse was the leading advocate for adoption of the new system, West's experience there qualified him as the right man for this job.
The Union TF and subsidiaries merged with ATF in 1892. According to Tribby, ATF did not show Florist nor Cleft/Stencil Gothic# thereafter. Since West did not assign his rights to the design in the patent application, he was at liberty to sell it to any and all producers willing to pay for it.
¹Loy, W.E. (1898–1900): Designers and Engravers of Type. In The Inland Printer, March 1898.
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text:
Volume 22 - 13 Favorite Standards
To play the media you will need to update yourFlash plugin.
Any C, Eb, Bb, bass instrument or voice - intermediate, advanced
Composed by Jamey Aebersold. Play-Along series with accompaniment CD. Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long series. A tremendous collection of popular jazz standards. Book & 2 CDs. Published by Jamey Aebersold Jazz (JA.V22DS).
Item Number: JA.V22DS
Intermediate/Advanced. Lyrics included. Our first set of jazz and popular standards that players have always enjoyed recording and improvising on. A stellar representation of American popular music that will offer years of enjoyment for all musicians. You need to know these songs. RHYTHM SECTION IS: Dan Haerle, Piano; Todd Coolman, Bass; Ed Soph, Drums.


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Category: Stock Graphic, Icons
Stock Graphic >> Icon - Templates App and Infographic 190841 by DikayaMiau @ CreativeMarket
File Size: 3.11 MB; Vector: Yes.
Templates. Set of Web, Mail, Brochure Design Templates. Mobile Technologies, Applications and Infographic Concept. Modern line design icons for mobile or smartphone
Keywords: ad, background, banner, blank, book, booklet, brochure, business, card, concept, corporate, cover, creative, decoration, design, digital, elements, flyer, front, futuristic.


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This poker award is a simple, but substantial affair, fashioned in light wood effect and bearing a full colour image of a poker hand. The base plate is ready for engraving with up to four lines of text, at your discretion, and the trophy is available in heights of 7", 8" and 9", to suit the level of achievement required. Poker players of all ages and abilities will appreciate this high quality trophy.
Your individual engraving instructions can easily be entered using our step by step process. We'll even send you an artwork proof on high value items.
If you find a lower advertised price within 30 days of your purchase, let us know and we'll refund the difference. (Terms apply)
We want you to be happy with your order, so if there is anything that doesn't meet your satisfaction please let us know and we'll do whatever we can to put it right!


text:
Available ebook formats: epub mobi
Review by:
Yelle Hughes
on Feb. 05, 2013 :
Can a woman fight her submissive instinct? That's what Kayla Stoner's character Tahima, had to do when she met Dom, Gian Rossini.
They didn't meet under normal circumstances. Tahima exiled herself in a log cabin in the Blue Mountains, after a disastrous relationship with another Dom broke her self-esteem, while Gian was running from the authorities due to the murder of his father and his ties to the mafia. On a precarious journey through the mountains, each learned the other's role as dom and sub.
With plenty of action and sex, Kayla takes you on erotic and dangerous journey. Not for the faint at heart, but definitely for those who love a great story and is curious about the dom/sub culture.
This short novella kept me in my seat and drinking plenty of cold glasses of water.
(review of free book)
Review by:
John Dolan
on Feb. 05, 2013 :
Having read the author's short story 'Horizon', I was interested to see how Ms Stonor would perform at a novella. I was not disappointed.
Although some readers may be squeamish at a piece whose central theme is the sexual submission of an alpha male, I should like to venture that the central kernel of the story – how a damaged woman turns the tables on a strong man – would survive without the erotic content. The psychological motivations of the novella's characters are carefully handled to bring credibility to the storyline. Ms Stonor's writing is tight and polished and authentically 'American' (it is set in the USA), despite the author being British.
If you have not previously sampled erotic literature and feel you would like to, 'Under by Duress' would be a good place to start.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Angie Lenkevich
on Jan. 07, 2013 :
Tahima Sheldon is busy renovating her grandfather's old lodge in the Blue Mountains for the next three months. She's only really beginning her work on the old lodge and hopes to make all the necessary improvements so that she's able to rent out the place. When she sees a small plane circling the forest near her lodge only to hear it crash a short time later. She goes to see if anyone is hurt. Seeing the lone passenger is relatively unhurt attempts to walk away but is stop short by velvety voice asking to make a radio call. Tahima hasn't heard a voice like this since her last dom Stephan betrayed her. Tahima wants to fall into that voice in a heartbeat but she won't let herself fall into that trap again. Gian Rossini is every inch the alpha male and dom that he presents himself to Tahima. He is trying to stay one step ahead of the law that is until he is confronted with Tahima's stubborn force of will. He tries to put Tahima at ease only find that she gets even more stubborn and trying her dominant tendencies on him. He's intrigued and stunned to find himself responding to Tahima's demands even if some of those are more like torture. They both survived the trip down the mountain where Rossini turned over to the police. Three months later, Tahima's career is taking off in a new direction which pleases her. She still thinks about Rossini sometimes. Rossini is free from the law but his heart isn't so free. Stephan unexpectedly shows up at Tahima's apartment where none of his intentions are good. Can Tahima get free of Stephan? Will Tahima see Rossini again? Can Rossini convince Tahima his feelings are geniune? Your answers await you in Under By Duress.
This is a brand new author for me and great start to a series of books that are definitely fast reads. I found that I could really relate to Tahima on a personal level thru all of her struggles mentally and emotionally. The range of emotion was completely astounding for such fast read book. I was intrigued by Rossini because he really wanted to help Tahima even though she didn't believe him at all or trust him. I felt that the torture elements were appropriate and not overly done either. There was just enough and no more which was fine by me. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment in this series Under By Treaty.
(reviewed 19 days after purchase)
Review by:
Carol Powney
on Jan. 05, 2013 :
I am being honest when I say initially I didn't know whether to award 3 or 4 stars...then I thought why 3? It is a good and enjoyable story, but I really had to suspend disbelief to accept the actions and behaviour of Tahima the female protagonist with Gian Rossini within the timescale given. Who in real life would want to jump the bones within 24 hours, of this good looking man who she thinks at that time is a New York mafia bosses son, who has killed his father, and he a well known Dom, whilst she is suffering emotionally from some really bad experiences with a lover Dom whom she had trusted and its hinted has done something awful to her that temporarily destroyed her?
Then I thought you have watched plays where suspension of disbelief made the play brilliant but wouldn't work in real life...so do the same with this story and I have to give it 4 stars for...
The physical and chemical attraction between Tahima and Gian that leads to some erotic scenes and within a very short time, but for Tahima with a difference. Her serious damage from past fiance and boy did I want Kayla Stonor, the author to write a detailed come uppance for that bastard...you failed there Kayla, sorry. We get a what will probably be. Readers enjoy detailed retribution against nasty antagonists, probably because of so much injustice in real life and it's good to redress the balance through creative fiction. I digress... the difference is Tahima finds herself switch role from submissive to taking control, power and Dommes over Gian with some physical discipline, even if it seems to be role play it is good for her self esteem. Gian Rossini, despite his connections and crime, not forgetting his nature as a Dominant male seems to be aware instinctively of this, yet allows her dominance and administration of painful controlling discipline to him, which he finds a turn on... surprise surprise. I know of people in real life this happens with, so it is plausible.
There is some good adventure and close calls on the survival trek. The Hank experience, humiliating, fearful, I kept saying zap the b****** now, now, come on, don't do this to Rossini...so I'm involved with the characters Kayla created, which is good.
The ending I saw coming but was glad. I could have cheerfully read the last scene to it's climactic end and felt a little deprived as I do when I read a HEA and they head off in the distance while nosy voyeur me wants to spy a little longer on their lives and story.
So the good outweighed the disbelief...and it is of a good literary standard and edited, hence I go for 4 stars overall.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Sandra Taylor
on Dec. 29, 2012 :
This book is a new take on the opposing roles in a bdsm relationship. The author has used her characters to take you on a journey with her heroine. The author broaches difficult subjects with such flare that you will not be able to stop reading. I admire this book as it explores the female sexuality in a non judgemental way. To show a vulnerable female in a proactive way is difficult in this genre. As most books of this genre only show submissive behaviour. Which we all know is not realistic. I look forward to reading your next book as you have a fresh approach and look forward to the next heroine whoever she may be.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Sandra Taylor
on Dec. 29, 2012 :
This book is a new take on the opposing roles in a bdsm relationship. The author has used her characters to take you on a journey with her heroine. The author broaches difficult subjects with such flare that you will not be able to stop reading. I admire this book as it explores the female sexuality in a non judgemental way. To show a vulnerable female in a proactive way is difficult in this genre. As most books of this genre only show submissive behaviour. Which we all know is not realistic. I look forward to reading your next book as you have a fresh approach and look forward to the next heroine whoever she may be.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Travis Luedke
on Dec. 26, 2012 :
An intriguing tale of love, bondage, abuse, and smokin hot sex.
It started out relatively simple, a woman alone, cleaning up the pieces of her broken life in a cabin in the woods. Gradually, step by step, it delves into the twilight zone of BDSM erotic romance. Nothing is black and white, lots and lots of shades of grey.
She ends up with a mob boss on her hands, his plane wrecked just outside her cabin. She bravely turns the tables on him with a Taser, cuffs him up, and they're off. Gotta run, bad guys are on their way. Their two day trek through the wilderness is the journey of an Alpha male domme learning to submit to her complete control of his every moment. He resists her guidance, but at the same time works his way under her skin and into her heart.
The girl has some serious emotional baggage, a former submissive who was taken for a ride, utterly abused. But now it's her turn to become a domme. Role reversal. She has a little too much fun with that Taser, learning where it hurts most.
There are some very hot scenes, some very intense BDSM scenes, and even one of those "deliverance" moments with a good ole boy in the back country. A gripping tale to be sure. I read it all in one sitting, yelling at the kids to leave me alone so I could finish.
If you're into hot kinky sex and BDSM with a tale of genuine romance in the mix, read this novel.
(reviewed 3 days after purchase)
Review by:
Susie Sailor
on Nov. 22, 2012 :
There's only one element of this work that I really had trouble getting past, and unfortunately it's early in the book. However for some positives first: this is a writer who really knows how to set up the terrain of a BDSM love story and use it to the fullest. The later scenery really resounds, as does the complicated mixture of hostility, past hurts, present-day fears and, yes, lust between the two main characters. For word-craft, Under By Duress can easily stand proud.
However for the purposes of warning other readers who might approach BDSM literature in a similar way to me (pain is an extension of sensuality, bracketed by full consent), I did find the first chapters difficult going. For instance, the main character's ready use of a taser seemed unwarranted in the context of modern-day psychological realism (I might have accepted it more readily in a surreal, whimsical, historical or playful context). Perhaps hardened BDSM readers won't feel this way--I'm not a natural BDSM reader--but my erotic side was somewhat switched off by this part of the read.
However once consent has been negotiated there's a sense where the work (and the violence) becomes far more playful, and I was able relax and enjoy the developing relationship between captor and captive. The author is masterful at exploring intimate interactions in extreme settings. The props like pitons, ropes and a rambling bear were cleverly employed; the scenery is terrific and well used.
I feel this author has a solid future in interesting, well-developed, multi-themed erotica.
(reviewed 8 days after purchase)
Review by:
on Nov. 14, 2012 :
This was a pleasant surprise and ranks a 3.5 star in my books. Ms. Kayla Stonor is a new to me author. She's burst onto the scene with hot femdom stories which show both character development and plot. Best of all, the women aren't cruel psychotic bitches from hell. The men aren't some pushover doormat wanting to be degraded.
This is a non-con story which definitely turned into dub con. Tahima is a submissive who's been burned badly. She's also a switch, which is interesting. While Tahima is doing her best to get over her heartbreak of trust broken, she literally runs into Gian. Gian is a mafia son's boss on the run and an alpha male to boot.
Watching Tahima snap and then kick Gian into submission was pretty funny. They say a cornered animal is the most dangerous. It appears to be true for Tahima. The plot pretty good with a bit of suspense. The answers were easy to deduce yet the ending was a little twist that was not exactly anticipated. It was a good ending. I enjoyed it. I recommend this book to femdom lovers who wants a smart heroine and an alpha male submissive.
(reviewed the day of purchase)


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We're seeing more and more shirtless sports stars celebrating in their victory parades lately.
First, it was J.R. Smith during the Cleveland Cavaliers championship parade in 2016, followed by a shirtless appearance during the World Series.
UPDATE: JR Smith is shirtless again. I repeat, JR Smith is shirtless.... again. pic.twitter.com/vzr7LF5o9F— Devon Henry (@devonhenry77) November 3, 2016
Now, New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski has gone shirtless, while celebrating the Patriots Super Bowl win with a parade yesterday.


text:
NLRB Panel Majority Upholds Reinstatement Of Sales Associate
(Decision and order available. Document #73-160311-016Z.)
Dish Network LLC provides satellite television and other media services around the nation. David Rabb worked as...
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J. Lo's Infertility Block
U.T.E.R.U.S. update: things are trucking along. Auctions have started and more are being added. We'll have the first financial update in about 9 days. I am updating this post with links as new items come in (important: if you said what you would donate in the comments section but haven't filled out the form, it will not be added to the auction. In order to have Helen add your item to the auction, you need to fill out the form and send it to Melissa and Jen). Once Calliope is set and all has calmed, we have set up a listserv for those who wish to join, brainstorm, help out to keep U.T.E.R.U.S. going indefinitely and we'll post information on how to join. I'm also holding on to all of the cool ideas that have come in until that point. Any questions, let us know. I'll keep doing small updates here and on Lost & Found. And thank you so much for helping with this. It's really amazing to see everyone come together.
This post is cross-posted (mostly) with BlogHer:
It's incredible how much my life mirrors J Lo's. Every magazine I open, every celebrity blog out there is desperate to know if I used fertility treatments to conceive my twins. Some people say I brought it on myself by always playing coy and doing my whole "look at me! Don't look at me!" thing. Maybe I did, but now that I'm holding these two little 3 1/2 year old nuggets of love, I am ready to invite you into my townhouse and take a small peek into the chaotic and wonderful life of just your-average-celebrity mum.
If you'll step over here, you can watch me demurely cross my ankles while I gaily feed the ChickieNob soy bacon and carrot sticks. Over in our living room (which is also our dining room, playroom, and home office), you can plant yourself on the marked-down sofa and watch me nuzzle the Wolvog while he squirms out of my unmanicured hands. Take a peek into how we squeezed two beds in a single room due to an absolute lack of space. And ask me any question. Any question you like.
BlogHer: You look incredible. It's been…what? 3 1/2 years? And you've almost lost the baby weight.
Melissa: I know, I'm really blessed with wonderful genes.
BlogHer: And potty training? Which one of you is actually conducting the potty training?
Melissa: Josh is such an amazing father–a natural. It is incredibly how he has figured out how to help our children learn how to urinate on the toilet. I, of course, am too busy still training for my Iron Man this upcoming fall.
BlogHer: Let's just get this out in the open. Can you set the record straight about how challenging it was to conceive?
Melissa: Do you see a dime buried in that marked-down sofa? Of course not, since we've already scrounged for it ourselves. I think it's pretty obvious that we did fertility treatments due to our lack of money.
Thus ends the interview portion of this post.
It is obvious looking at the sheer elegance of J Lo's house that her vagina could not have possibly seen the hollowed end of a catheter because she obviously is not paying off thousands in medical bills.
All of this is said tongue-in-cheek; I don't truly care if J Lo has done treatments or not or if she admits to them or only writes about them in her super secret diary. Truthfully, just because she is a celebrity doesn't mean that it's my business and regardless of social status, it's never fun to be on the receiving end of the twin guessing game. In fact, it's ten kinds of annoying to get the thinly-veiled questions and comments when you have conceived with fertility treatments so I would think that it would be equally annoying to receive them when you haven't conceived with treatments.
I'm fairly certain that with few exceptions, no one wanted Jennifer Lopez to need IVF (um…I'm right…right?). And if you actually read her answer, she doesn't deny fertility drugs–just in vitro. Twins may run in Marc's family, though twinning is never determined by the male and J Lo may have enough multiples in her family for a twin convention, though I'm fairly certain without any close relatives having twins that it's unlikely to have come from her side as well. Twinning, of course, is more common with women over 35.
Bloggers, though, have not taken offense with the fact that we can't claim J Lo as one of our own and have her step up to be the next Resolve spokesperson. It's the way she put down other paths to parenthood including her own stepmotherhood when she said, "I can't even think of anything that can match the actual miracle of giving birth and having your own child. It's beyond anything you could ever imagine." And it is beyond what millions of people who adopt apparently get to imagine and frankly, we're all a little tired of celebrities ignoring the existing children they parent in order to wax philosophical about their newborns. Last I checked, parents who do not gestate their children still find them to be miracles so perhaps it has nothing to do with uteruses?
It's the way that she left the millions of men and women experiencing unexplained infertility as not wanting it badly enough when she said, "I knew there was nothing wrong with me. I knew that I could. Deep down, I really wanted it badly."
There have been other responses, but I think it was Akeeyu's post at herveryown that hit the nail on the head as she relayed a conversation she had with an elderly acquaintance:
I told her that I did indeed see The Jo Lo.
"You know what I think?"
I wondered if she thought what everybody else in the known universe was thinking, but said nothing.
"I think those babies were gifts from God."
"Oh?" I said politely, fervently hoping for Jennifer Lopez's sake that they were not gifts from God. The gods, after all, have a long history of giving pretty questionable gifts.
"She waited so long, you know. I think those babies were her reward because of everything she had to go through."
And that is precisely the problem with the interview. Because there is the rewarded and the unrewarded. And reality (two round-the-clock baby nurses) and fantasy (we're doing it all by ourselves and just paying these baby nurses thousands of dollars to look pretty–wait, they can do that since they didn't pay for treatments).
The blame, of course, falls squarely on the shoulders of magazines that make us believe that we should be interested in the uteruses of celebrities. Because once you remove the People magazine from the house, she doesn't even cross my mind. And I get to live my day happily-ever-after in our townhouse, ducking my own twin questions left and right.
I have a policy never to post something on my blog that I wouldn't mind the person reading if they found it.
The chances of J Lo finding this post, of course, are slim to none, but I keep that in mind regardless. But I would say this to her face if we ever bumped into each other at a twin convention (though perhaps I wouldn't admit to the sofa being a marked-down). Hence I hit publish.
0 comments
- 1 Kim { 04.03.08 at 9:07 am }
Great post!I am with you – it makes me a little upset that she knew it was going to happen – magic ovary-ball perhaps? It is like those lovely ladies who call themselves caring friends that tell you to relax and take a vacation! Or to get drunk – b/c that is how it happened for them! Ugh! I told one that I do not make a mature egg on my own and my estrogen never gets above 50 and it needs to be about 250. Also hubby has only 2% morphology making it hard to conceive even when I got get a good egg with like 20 injections a month! After that there was no more advice. And I understand it is her right to keep her method of conception private. I try to use your philosophy about talking about others in life. I don't like gossip but don't feel like I am really talking about someone or gossiping if it was something I would say in a public setting or to that person directly.
- 2 Twisted Ovaries { 04.03.08 at 9:14 am }
My issue isn't that J.Lo (by the way, she's a serious actress and artist now. She's Jennifer. She doesn't want to be called J.Lo anymore, so of course we should all keep doing it because she's just Jenny From the Block, right?) did or didn't have IVF and did or didn't deny it. My issue with her interview-and yes, I read it-is the thinly veiled background behind it. That OF COURSE she didn't need IVF, she just had to WANT IT that bad. That's my problem. That those who slog through IVF are, somehow, not wanting it enough. We must surely not be that desperate to have children if we don't magically wind up pregnant, right? Right? That's what J.Lo says anyway, so it must be right!
* Also, who the hell gives their kids diamond-encrusted rattles? Does she know what puke does to 2 carats? I'm just saying.
** That nursery was waaaaaaay child-unfriendly. It had "Mama says 'Don't touch!'" written all over it.
- 3 loribeth { 04.03.08 at 9:49 am }
Mel, you have this wonderful way of zeroing right in on the crux of the matter. I never really "got" the appeal of JLo anyway, and I'm even less inclined to like her after reading that People story — and you've articulated exactly why. Thanks! (And thanks to the other bloggers, & especially Julie, whose post totally cracked me up!)
- 4 Andria and Co. { 04.03.08 at 10:13 am }
Infertility, like mental illness, is something that women are criticized for. It's our fault, the public sometimes screams. Admit your infertility, and you have admitted defeat. That you are a weak person. At least, that is the response I received. I think celebrities, like J. Lo, and Courtney Cox, feel this heat, and don't want to admit that they are "like one of us".
- 5 SarahSews { 04.03.08 at 10:38 am }
For Andrina — As far as I know Courtney Cox doesn't deny she needed extensive help to become a mother. I seem to recall discussion of multiple miscarriages and treatments in an interview with her.
As for JLo, I like her. I dislike that she feels the need to give random fertiles firepower in our never ending battle to not be blamed for our infertility. She may indeed have thought nothing was wrong with her and she may have indeed been right. But even that and a very strong desire to be a mother might never have gotten her what she wanted. She pretends she had control, which is what fertiles want to believe right? That if we relax, vacation, prop our hips up, that somehow we have power over our reproduction? We know it isn't true. And for her to pretend otherwise, whether she did treatment or not, drives me batty.
And I say that as someone who DID magically get pregnant without medical assistance after years of wanting and waiting, with failed treatment behind me. We were unexplained and treatment failed me. And we did eventually do it on our own. But I am big enough to admit that my desire played no part in it. And that somehow we got luckier than we ever imagined possible. That's all I wanted from her.
- 6 JuliaS { 04.03.08 at 11:27 am }
Well – you know, I really didn't want those seven babies I miscarried bad enough.
I didn't get frustrated after the first year of ttc with no BFP, no, not I – and that clomid I took? Well, that was a natural fertility supplement. And the Follistim injections I did later on? Oh – that was nothing, just more vitamins.
All those follicle scans were just because my ovaries are so darn freaking pretty – EVERYone wanted to see them. I PAID my doc's office $200 a scan because I wanted to share my perfection with the world and show everybody how I got follies because I KNEW I would!
But – I need to run now, I am trying to figure out some way of removing formula stains out of my pink satin ballgown . . .
Bleah – say it was hard, say it was frustrating for those 3 years – say that you cried every month your period showed up and your dh patted your shoulder and said "maybe next time". Say how amazingly blessed you felt when the BFP finally showed up and when you got to hold those two miracles in your arms for the first time – naturally, unnaturally (as if there is such a thing?) conceived – found under a cabbage leaf, bought from a boutique on Rodeo Drive . . . Say that because it would be HONEST, and no one would criticize you for being human.
Other "famous" women have done it – no one thinks any less of them and they managed to do so without belittling the thousands of women who struggle and fight for the very same thing that just plopped into your lap because deep down you KNEW.
- 7 JJ { 04.03.08 at 12:13 pm }
Loved this post–and over at BlogHer. Well said, my friend.
- 8 teh4 { 04.03.08 at 12:47 pm }
Great conversation going on here -I'm really interested in "Andria and Co.'s" comments about infertility being a stigmatizing condition. Do you think if celebrities openly discussed fertility issues it would help to build a comfort level around discussing fertility issues? Who about other than celebrities? what would have to happen for people to feel comfortable discussing infertility like any other health issue/condition?
- 9 LJ { 04.03.08 at 12:57 pm }
Stars! They're Just Like Us!
I've already wretched enough over JLo. I have no problem with folks keeping things private, it's just the condemnation of needing help that is implicit in the words that gets to me.
- 10 Aurelia { 04.03.08 at 1:14 pm }
JuliaS said it best for me. Ditto to like—EVERYTHING.
And teh4, infertility and pg loss are very very taboo in our society, completely stigmatized. I always praise to the skies any public persona who comes out. Every time they do, they make it easier for the rest of us.
I am very open in real life about it, and among political people, I can tell you that they are all in the closet. I am one of the few who is out in my party. Meanwhile, over 100 prominent politicians & staffers have come out to me privately, and I won't out them, but damn I'd love it if they did come out.
We need the support.
- 11 Michell { 04.03.08 at 1:28 pm }
very well said.
- 12 Tina { 04.03.08 at 1:55 pm }
I love celebrities….not!
Seriously, she does have a right to her privacy – she doesn't have to tell the world if she went through IVF or not. That is her right. However, without even reading said article, her comments are downright insulting to anyone who has walked the IF or loss path. Every child is a miracle, regardless of how conceived. A child's life is beautiful…and what makes it even more beautiful is the unconditional love bestowed on that child.
What I find completely insulting is the waste of cash on, how many was it? Three nurseries? Four? Okay, the babies have every right to be pampered…but, when I go to my door to give the homeless, schizophrenic man who looks to shovel snow in the winter just to buy a piece of bread to eat, I can't help but wonder if these children stand the chance of honestly knowing how lucky their lives will be? Of being compassionate and empathetic?
Leaves me shaking my head… I can't imagine throwing a fit (a la Christina Aguliera) because my baby didn't sell enough covers of a magazine. Children are priceless…and to be paid to show them off is, well, tacky and demeaning.
- 13 katd { 04.03.08 at 2:49 pm }
THANK YOU!! I read that article in the checkout at the grocery and wanted to scream. First of all, heaven forbid her children ever, ever spit up in that room 🙂 And it killed me to read about how there's nothing equal to birthing a child. I feel pretty darn attached to my child who didn't come from my body but who is mine nonetheless. And good thing she willed herself to get pregnant. That's the ONE thing I forgot to try. Dang.
- 14 Vacant Uterus { 04.03.08 at 4:02 pm }
Right on, Snatch!
I must not have wanted those two babies I miscarried badly enough. Either that or I didn't believe hard enough. Or maybe I just ran out of babydust… Oh well. It's too bad that I'll never get to experience the true joy of parenting since we're adopting and not having our own but I guess that's what happens when you don't want it badly enough. I'm just too damn lazy. Can somebody pass the bonbons?
Oh, and our sofa was marked down, too.
- 15 Carrie { 04.03.08 at 4:26 pm }
I loved your take on this.
No matter whether she had treatment or not she tried for three years. She knows how it hurts. She should have been less clumsy with her replies.
- 16 magdalen { 04.03.08 at 4:33 pm }
So many great comments here… particularly the idea that childless, infertile, or, I would add, childfree by choice women are to be stigmatized for their condition or choices. I agree with Andria that it parallels mental illness.
I'd like to see infertility, childfree by choice living, and all the weird grey areas in between receive more attention in the media, including from celebs. How often do you see a magazine in the grocery line with the headline "Celeb Experiences Real Love and Selflessness — Without a Baby!"?
- 17 the Babychaser: { 04.03.08 at 5:09 pm }
Were celebrities having babies before I started TTC? Or did they start doing it right at the same time, just to show me up? And did you notice a sudden jump in celebrity pregnancies right after my first miscarraige?
Seriously, why did having a baby have to get trendy right when I learned I was infertile? I'm pretty sure it's all a plot to make me feel even more inadequate.
Of course, J-Lo has a good point. Like good skin, a svelte figure, and piles of money, a baby is something I just haven't wanted badly enough or tried hard enough to get.
Nice post, Mel! (I read a lot of them, but am often to intimidated by your vast and brilliant viewership to comment.)
- 18 apronstringsemily { 04.03.08 at 6:35 pm }
I like the fact that they consider themselves very "hands on" with their children and yet have two round-the-clock nannies. Must be nice.
Oh and the whole twinning thing? Uh, yeah. Even though women over 35 have a higher chance in having twins … I still think that she definitely went the medication route.
Your post was SPOT ON … brava! brava!
- 19 Julia { 04.03.08 at 7:55 pm }
Yeah… gift from God… ughu… makes all the bereaved parents feel warm and fuzzy inside, I am sure. I know that's how I feel.
Love people running off their mouthes without thinking, love them.
But I am sure we just didn't want it bad enough. Clearly not bad enough.
And I would say it to her face. Anyday.
I haven't read the article, btw. Not interested in hiking my blood pressure for some reason. Plus, lucky for me, I guess, I am not really interested in celebrities. Although it is as easy for one of them as for any other asshat to piss me off.
- 20 Bea { 04.04.08 at 1:18 am }
Yeah. Yeah. The whole idea that there's something wrong with people who don't get children, that they didn't want them enough, that they didn't deserve them, that they got given them briefly, perhaps, but then taken away and all this happened *for a reason*. It just doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It's pretty insulting.
- 21 Susan { 04.04.08 at 8:28 am }
Maybe she's embarrassed about doing her fertility treatments because it makes her seem less than her perfect (in her mind) celebrity status. I don't know. I just know that when I finally get to add a child to my family I will be happy regardless of the means it took to get them here.
- 22 beagle { 04.04.08 at 10:48 am }
The whole "bump watch" think has gotten out of hand. Now ordingary fat women like me can't even shop in public without having their (babyless) bumps spotted. Ugh.
I don't get why reprodcution has become such a public topic (outside of IF blogging that is). Either you tried too hard to get pg or you had an oopsie baby, everyone has to question the motive, the reason, the method . . .
And to prove that we are ALL suckers for celebrity gossip . . . check out your comment count today! LOL Who needs People maazing anyway?
- 23 Antigone { 04.06.08 at 12:05 am }
So that's the problem. I'll start wanting it more.


text:
Moving your business and changing your business address? Be sure you notify these federal, state, and local agencies and departments when you change your business address.

Notifying Old and New Agencies

In some cases, you will need to notify agencies you are leaving as a result of your move. And in all cases, you will need to notify new agencies when you come under their jurisdiction. I'll point out what to do in each case.

For All Business Changes of Address

If you have any federal, state or local licenses or permits, you will need to change these, with the agency.

Internal Revenue Service: You don't have to change any existing documents if you are moving your business within your state, like your employer ID number (EIN), but you must complete Form 8822-Change of Address (Part II). On the form, you can designate whether you want to change just changing your mailing address or also if you want to change the address where you receive notification of matters relating to your business income, excise, employment, and other tax matters. This form is also used to change the name of the responsible party

Moving Your Business Within Your State

If you move your business within your state, you must notify:

State Secretary of State: Notify the secretary of state if you have moved within your state. Each state's procedure is a little different, but you will probably have to amend your organizing documents (Articles of Incorporation for a corporation or Articles of Organization for a limited liability company). If you are a sole proprietor and you have registered your business name in your state, you may have to inform the secretary of state of this change of address. There will probably be a small charge for this address change.

State Department of Revenue: Notify your state department of revenue (or equivalent) about your new address, so they know where to send information on sales taxes, state income taxes, and other state taxes. You must notify both the old state revenue department, to cancel your account, and thew new one, to establish a new account.

City and County: For licenses and permits, contact the locality and the county where you are doing business, to let them know of the change to your address. You should notify the old location of your change, and you will want to notify the new location.

Moving Your Business Out of City/County/State

City and County: If you move out of your city or county, let the old location know you are gone, and get a business license with the new city. You will also need a new fictitious name/DBA with the new city or county.

State: If you move to a new state, you will need to register your business legal entity (LLC, partnership or corporation) with your new state, through the state's secretary of state business division. You may not need to set up a new LLC in the new state, but you may be able to register as a "foreign" LLC in the new state. If you are leaving the old state completely, you can just let the state registration lapse. Some states might require you to notify them of your intent to leave the state.

For example, you may be able to register as a foreign LLC in the new state. Each state's requirements are different, so check with the new state. You must also register with the new state's Department of Revenue, to collect state sales taxes and for other taxes.

Any state licenses or permits will need to be cancelled in your old state. You will need to check with your new state to see about getting the same licenses of permits in that state.

Federal: Notify the IRS using Form 8822, as above. There should be no other changes needed for the IRS notification.

 For more information about what to do when you move your business, see this checklist for moving a business, including changing your business name because of a move, and changing your legal entity.


text:
I've decided to run through my process for anyone with very limited knowledge or experience that would like to encrypt their drive without having to digest everything on the Arch wiki. For the install I used a disc, not USB, and I never used the "load to RAM" option. I am on a 32-bit machine.
Prepare your drive for encryption by securely wiping it. I read there are different ways to secure wipe depending on the type of drive you have. I am using an old mechanical drive so I believe "shred" and "dd" are best suited and should achieve the same result. Both commands can write random data on your entire drive. This is to destroy old data so it cannot be easily recovered as well as camouflage your encrypted data since it and random data appear the same. This can take a long time depending on how many passes you make and the size of your drive.
Issue the following for a single pass and -v so you can see the progress. Change sda to the correct drive if you need to.
$ sudo shred -n1 -v /dev/sda
I have encountered problems with the installer after doing this so I recommend a reboot. After, run the installer.
For partitions, of course choose encryption and lvm and cfdisk to create partitions. Since the partition table was wiped you will need to choose a table type. I chose dos. Create your first partition for boot (primary); Arch wiki says 100M minimum. Flag this bootable. Then set the rest of the free space as your second partition (primary) and set the type to Linux LVM. Write the changes and quit.
Next is selecting the partition for encryption so choose the second partition /dev/sda2. Set your passphrase (make it a good one) then the installer will automatically create a physical volume and volume group (lvm) and ask how many partitions to create (these are logical volumes created within the lvm partition). I prefer two, one for swap and one for root (adjust to your preference but make sure to set the mount points!). So, type 2 and hit enter. Name the first partition "swap" and set it to an appropriate size. I have two GB of RAM so I chose two GB for swap (this varies). Name the second partition "root" and hit enter; it will use the remaining available space.
Now you will be prompted to select the root for mounting so select lvm-root from the list and format with ext4. Select lvm-swap for swap. It will then ask if you would like to configure any other partitions, say yes and choose /dev/sda1. This is the separate, unencrypted, boot partition so type in /boot and format to ext4. It will ask if you would like to configure any more partitions, you may say no.
Continue and complete the installation: For the fstab I used UUID and the bootloader I used GRUB2. (Note: I had originally tried to edit the /etc/mkinitcpio.conf before running mkinitcpio in the installer but I don't think it did anything and the installer adds the "encrypt" and "lvm2" hooks on its own. If I am wrong please let me know so I can edit the thread.) You may see some warnings when installing GRUB, this is okay.
The system is setup with encryption but it will not know to ask you for your passphrase to unlock the encrypted partition and you will receive an error. Initially, to gain access you need to add two kernel parameters in the GRUB menu itself. So when you restart for the first time after installation and reach the GRUB menu quickly hit "e" on your keyboard. Use the arrow keys to go down to the "linux" line and at the very end after it says "quiet" add the following:
cryptdevice=/dev/sda2:lvm root=/dev/mapper/lvm-root
Hit F10 to boot with these changes. You should now be prompted to enter your passphrase to unlock your encrypted partition. Now that you have system access lets make this permanent by editing and remaking the GRUB config:
$ sudo leafpad /etc/default/grub
Change the line
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="cryptdevice=/dev/sda2:lvm root=/dev/mapper/lvm-root quiet"
Save and quit. Now remake the GRUB configuration:
$ sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Your system should now always ask for your passphrase without any additional adjustments.
If you dislike typing your obscenely long passphrase to decrypt your system every time then follow this part to decrypt by plugging in a USB drive before booting. This is also beneficial if you unlock your computer around others where visual collection of your passphrase is possible.
Grab a USB drive you would like, plug it in and make sure the file system is FAT. Like FAT32.
Determine the path to your USB drive in the file manager (or however). It should be something like /run/media/username/xxxx-xxxx
xxxx-xxxx is the USB drive's UUID. To display a list for all your devices:
$ ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid/
Typically, sdb1 is going to be your USB drive if it is the only one connected and you have only one hard drive. The UUID will be in teal.
Generate a random key and have it placed directly on your USB drive:
$ sudo dd bs=512 count=4 if=/dev/urandom of=/run/media/username/xxxx-xxxx/mykeyfile iflag=fullblock
Note: you can change "mykeyfile" to another name for obfuscation.
Add the generated key on your USB device to your LUKS passphrases on your encrypted partition:
$ sudo cryptsetup luksAddKey /dev/sda2 /run/media/username/xxxx-xxxx/mykeyfile
You have to add two extra modules in your /etc/mkinitcpio.conf, one for the drive's file system (vfat module) and one for the codepage (nls_cp437 module):
$ sudo leafpad /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
MODULES="nls_cp437 vfat"
Save and quit. Generate a new initramfs image:
$ sudo mkinitcpio -p linux
Add a parameter to GRUB so the kernel knows to look for this key.
$ sudo leafpad /etc/default/grub
Go back to that line
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="cryptdevice=/dev/sda2:lvm root=/dev/mapper/lvm-root quiet"
and add cryptkey=/dev/disk/by-uuid/xxxx-xxxx:vfat:mykeyfile
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="cryptdevice=/dev/sda2:lvm root=/dev/mapper/lvm-root cryptkey=/dev/disk/by-uuid/xxxx-xxxx:vfat:mykeyfile quiet"
I use by-UUID here instead of labels so the system can correctly identify the USB drive with the key even if you have other external USB devices connected. Also, if someone managed to copy your key file it wouldn't read from their drive since the UUID would be different. Warning: if you decide to format your USB drive and place the key back it will no longer work because the UUID will change. You may also place the key file in another directory on your USB drive and adjust the cryptkey line accordingly. The key file, however, may NOT be a hidden .file. Example of a different path to key:
Remake your GRUB config:
$ sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Now, at boot, have your USB drive plugged in and the system will fetch the key for you so you don't have to enter your passphrase. If you do not have the USB drive plugged in it will attempt to find the key and after about ten seconds will fail and allow you to enter your passphrase as normal.
Additionally, you could set your system to auto login so with the USB drive plugged in the system will boot directly to your desktop. Convenient. After the system is up you may eject your drive and stash it.
*If you need to manage your LUKS keys, like adding or removing, go here.
If I have missed anything or stated something incorrectly please let me know so I can edit the thread. There may be a better way to do these things but with my current capabilities this is how I did it and it works.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
Last edited by Biycep (2015-03-07 22:47:43)
Thanks for sharing. Encryption can be daunting to some users, think USB key unlocking is a really cool idea. Another thought was using a phone to unlock, ie bluetooth a code or phrase to system if it detects it.....
At some point this needs to go into our wiki
Comments, suggestions please feel free to contact me mrgreen(at)archbang(dot)org
Happy to contribute. Encryption, and ultimately privacy, is important to me. Especially if you have a laptop and it's lost or stolen you don't want someone throwing in a live CD and having a looksy.
Would it be possible to modify the installer script to correctly insert the cryptdevice= and root= code into the GRUB config?
Thanks a lot for your guide Biycep, I'm definitely going to try this on my next installation!
Happy to contribute. Encryption, and ultimately privacy, is important to me. Especially if you have a laptop and it's lost or stolen you don't want someone throwing in a live CD and having a looksy.
Would it be possible to modify the installer script to correctly insert the cryptdevice= and root= code into the GRUB config?
patches are always welcome, so yes I can.... just give let me know what you need doing....
Comments, suggestions please feel free to contact me mrgreen(at)archbang(dot)org
Nice ! for all that are supra-security conscious.
Last edited by scjet (2015-03-01 10:48:33)
Thanks a lot for your guide Biycep, I'm definitely going to try this on my next installation!
Nice ! for all that are supra-security conscious.
Part of my motivation was seeing this and I thought it was clever.
patches are always welcome, so yes I can.... just give let me know what you need doing....
If the script could pull the partition label, like sda2, that the user sets for encryption during installation and store it. Same for the root partition that is created like lvm-root. Then if you could program the installer to insert
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="cryptdevice=/dev/DeviceVariable:lvm root=/dev/mapper/RootVariable quiet"
in /etc/default/grub so when the user reaches the step to install the bootloader it will have cryptdevice and root already set. This way when they reboot after install they will be prompted for the passphrase to unlock their partition instead of having to manually edit GRUB.
There is way to do this for SYSLINUX bootloader as well but I haven't looked into because I've only ever used GRUB.
Last edited by Biycep (2015-03-01 20:13:20)
second one is simply lvm-root, will look at script see if it stores root partition name.
Comments, suggestions please feel free to contact me mrgreen(at)archbang(dot)org
The Arch wiki has users name logical volumes different (rootvol and swapvol, etc.). So in the event someone decides to name their root differently maybe the script should store this?
If the script always inserts root=/dev/mapper/lvm-root but during lv creation the user sets the name to something else like rootvol then I think the path will be incorrect because it would then be root=/dev/mapper/lvm-rootvol.
Last edited by Biycep (2015-03-02 23:29:07)
Ok so I can check now our installer and see if I need to make any changes
Comments, suggestions please feel free to contact me mrgreen(at)archbang(dot)org
Any updates?
Sorry been working on voidbang and my secret project, when I get around to ArchBang update I will check it out....
Comments, suggestions please feel free to contact me mrgreen(at)archbang(dot)org