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Try Knitting This Berry Cute Hat For Baby
I have several friends who are either pregnant or have very small children. It's that time in our lives when we're settling down, having kids, and becoming families. It's an exciting time, for them and as well as for those of us who will be helping out when the little one comes along. I love gifting new parents with homemade presents for their darling babies, especially gifts that will grow with the child. I was looking for hat patterns the other day for a friend's baby and I came across the cutest knitted berry hat.
Now, I'm not as well-versed in knitting as I am crochet, but I do have several friends that knit and if I needed help, they'd be more than willing to walk me through it. This pattern isn't beginner friendly, but if you've spent some time working with fiber, you should be able to make this work for you.
You'll need to know how to use circular needles (the bane of my existence), knit on double pointed needles, knit two strands together as well as use two colors, how to read a chart, and how to weave in ends. If you're not exhausted by this point, my hat is off to you.
Of course, with this hat, you'll want to use soft materials, in worsted weight yarn. Whatever sort of berry you're making, real or imagined, be sure the colors for the leaves and fruit complement each other. You can try red and green for a strawberry or raspberry hat, a dark plum and green for a blackberry hat, or a bright orange and softer green for a more imaginative berry. There is also a note in the pattern that 100% cotton does not always wear well, and something mixed with wool will stretch and shape much better.
If you want to make a bigger hat, the pattern includes instructions for re-sizing in multiples of 8. You'll only be using the knit stitch with this hat, and five stitches together should equal one inch, if you want to try the gauge before starting on the hat. Materials for the project are 16″ circulars (US7 and US8), 5 double pointed needles (size US8), a stitch marker, a yarn needle, scissors, a measuring tape, and of course, worsted weight yarn in whatever colors you prefer.
If this sounds like something you'd love to make for the little one in your life, whether you're a family member or a friend (or the parent!), the written pattern, complete with chart, directions, and photos, is available as a free download from Michele Sabatier on Ravelry.
If you have not yet signed up for a free Ravelry account, I highly recommend joining. There are loads of free patterns as well as for-purchase patterns, and the search engine can be specialized to find exactly what you want for your next project. You can even store PDF patterns in your own personal library and keep track of what you want to make, what you have made, and how easy the patterns were. I love browsing the smaller patterns and working them up to bust my yarn stash.


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Ten Reasons To Move Into a Bookstore
by Elisa
Recently I moved to the West Coast, near a handful of blessed beaches and palm trees. But debatably just as wonderfully, albeit accidentally, I also moved within walking distance of a Barnes and Noble.
Of course, that fifteen minute walk along busy streets was a doozy with three kids--one of which rode their bike into a ground-covering thorn plant that spanned a block. Which begs the question, what idiot landscaper would unabashedly plant a thornbush for ground cover? All things considered, it turns out a three minute drive with no sweat is even better than a fifteen minute walk of danger.
Aparently, I scored. Because three minutes is nothing, especially if it is to reach the lover of your affair. Don't act like you don't know what I mean. I'm far from the only one here who loves a pile of books more than the offerings any other extracurricular man (or woman). I have no qualms publically exploiting this affection and neither should you.
So, while publicly declaring my bookish passion, I might as well dream big. What if I didn't just live three minutes from a bookstore, but actually moved into one? Try to imagine this with me--what would it be like to live in one of those huge bookstores?
Here are some compelling reasons you might want to try this:
- After a while, touching a screen is just not enough. According to the dystopian YA novel, Awaken, we have something like billions of sensors in our fingers that were made to touch more than screens. Those sensors just gotta be used or WE. WILL. DIE. What a better place to keep my heart pumping than by living in a health-inducing bookstore?
- It would entertain the whole family. Being a mom of Littles, there isn't too much I can do that I love to do with the Wild Things around. But at bookstores and libraries my kids will self-entertain for like, anywhere from twenty minutes to two hours, so might as well try two months to twenty years. (The toy section and Thomas the Train display do not hurt.)
- There are plenty of bedtime stories, for those who need to be read to sleep.
- I don't have to worry about them finding us when the store closes, because there are plenty of simple places to hide--namely, behind stacks of books. In addition, we only would have to raid the gift section to to light the room with smelly candles named "Emily Dickinson's Sandalwood" or "Lavender Parisian Revolution."
- There is a variety of food and coffee onsite! Now I just have to figure out how to get on the Barnes and Noble eating plan, because the taste is good and I can use all the cream and sugar I want.
- I might as well make use of the free internet and cancel my at-home crappy internet service. I hate bills anyway.
- There are always celebrities coming to make things interesting. They sign books. They pass-out cupcakes. They give out trivia prizes, buttons, stickers, and free paper flyers I could then staple together into my very own book to sell out of sight near the bathroom.
- The comfy chairs. The other rude people who use my favorite chair by the YA books for two whole hours won't have a chance to get in it before I do because I'll be sleeping in it all night! Booyah!
- No one will make fun of me for saying something dorky like "Booyah" because we, at bookstores, are so elite and educated, we kindly tolerate each others differences and oddities for the sake of the Republic of Books and All Things Holy.
- If I don't know how to handle something, I know there is a book close by to tell me what to do:
- Kids fighting over the last copy of Percy Jackson? No problem, I'll just go to the parenting aisle to figure out how to best intervene.
- Husband annoyed that I seem unsatisfied due to my odd obsession with Stephenie Meyer's vampires? Just find the marriage book aisle, or maybe point him to Game of Thrones to read together.
- Store Manager trying to kick us out? Surely, I could find a guide for that in the bookstore too.
Now I am kinda hoping my next move actually is into a bookstore.
Wait, are you a fretting defeatist who fears that real live bookstores will vanish entirely, and thus you will be unable to live out this incredible vision I planted in your heart, to move into a bookstore?
One of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail. Big bad Fox Books, who can just go to h*ll, has nothing on ebooks and Prime shipping. Can you imagine a remake of this movie? Instead of falling in love via the barely invented internet, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan would be falling in love by joining the little Shop Around the Corner with the evil corporate Fox Books to take down the glorious, world-ruling system of Kindles, Nooks, and Crannies (wait--you mean Crannies isn't a type of book app?). It would almost be like the classic Fahrenheit 451 as a chick flick (but sooo not).
Although this might be an interesting dystopian story for Scott Westerfield, Alexandra Bracken and John Green to team-up writing together, I'm not sure it is necessary.
Don't fret yet, book-loving friend. I just don't think a non-tactical version of books will ever fully exist (something we can assure you more on another time, in another post).
In the meantime, feed your book fanatic nature by relating to Ten Things Only Book Addicts Will Understand by Andye and plan the details of your move to a bookstore, as they aren't vanishing. But even if neither of us ever do move into our local version of the Shop Around the Corner or Fox Books, be assured that we just won't stop loving them because of what they first gave us--books are our love affair, after all.
What would make you want to move into a bookstore? Let us know in the comments below!
Ethereally and unequivocally penned by Elisa (@AverageAdvocate) at www.AverageAdvocate.com "Inspiring the average American to change the world."
She also dabbles in fiction hidden amongst others occasionally at www.LesNomsDePlume.com. She also really needs a new picture, because she hasn't had red hair in, like, forever.

subset: commoncrawl


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Psychology Ph.D. Dissertations
The Relationship between Direct and Indirect Contact and Weight Bias
Date of Award
Document Type
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
First Advisor
Robert Carels, PhD
Second Advisor
Dara Musher-Eizenman, PhD (Committee Member)
Third Advisor
William OBrien, PhD (Committee Member)
Fourth Advisor
Vipaport Phuntumart, PhD (Committee Member)
Despite a current obesity epidemic in the U.S. (Ogden, Carroll, McDowell, & Flegal, 2007), negative attitudes toward overweight and obese individuals have been increasing (Brownell, Schwartz, Puhl, and Rudd, 2005). Interventions aimed at reducing anti-fat attitudes have produced mixed results. One approach that has successfully reduced prejudiced attitudes toward discriminated individuals is intergroup contact, which include direct contact, (i.e., actual contact between outgroup members), imagined contact (i.e., imagined contact between outgroup members), and vicarious contact (i.e., viewing of contact between members of different groups). Despite its success with other forms of bias reduction, intergroup contact has not been examined with regard to weight stigma. The current study examined whether and how various forms of intergroup contact can reduce explicit weight bias among normal weight participants (BMI > 18.5 and < 25). Results indicated that, in the direct contact condition, participants evidenced reduced explicit weight bias and increased behavioral intentions to engage with obese persons. In terms of mechanisms by which bias was reduced, intergroup anxiety and perception of ingroup norms (i.e., how one feels others in their ingroup view outgroup members) was found to differentially mediate the relationship between the direct contact condition and explicit weight, and behavioral intentions. This study highlights the potential importance of positive, meaningful contact between people of different body sizes in reducing negative attitudes and stereotypes about overweight.
Recommended Citation
Koball, Afton, "The Relationship between Direct and Indirect Contact and Weight Bias" (2013). Psychology Ph.D. Dissertations. 68.


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We never know what item we will get a lot of when we get our monthly foodbank pickup at Anchor. This time it was mini marshmellows. We are stocked up now! We get lots of usable items but we have a good laugh over the random things. It's a great time of organizing lots of fresh produce and pantry items and we are thankful for it.
Author: anchoracademy
Christmas 2016
2016 Gin season
Past ginning seasons
Just a glimps of some of the many aspects of ginning cotton. Sometimes our guys get to help a local cotton farmer build his cotton modules.
Here is a glimpse of a cotton picker dumping it's freshly picked cotton into the box that makes it possible to pack it down to make it into what we call a module. That module is what gets picked up by our trucks and brought to the gin.
Here the module truck has backed up to unload it's cotton module right into what feeds it into the gin.
The ground crew has to be ready for each module and signal the truck driver when to unload it and when it's clear to go. Special rollers in the bed of the truck allow it to unload and pick up the modules easily.
Removing the tarp comes first as the cotton module is rolling down the feeder. Then it's ready to go into the gin!
When it's done being ginned, the cotton comes out pressed into bales like this one, all bagged, properly tagged, and ready to load on a semi trailer.
We are thankful for many years of safe cotton ginning seasons that our guys and staff have gotten to be a part of.


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Resistance Laws
In series Rs = R1 + R2 + ... + RnIn parallel 1/Rp = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + ... + 1/RnRp = R1R2/(R1 + R2)If there are n equal resistances in series Rs = nRIf there are n equal resistances in parallel Rp = R/n Terminal potential V = ε - Ir is the potential drop across a resistance.r is internal resistance and ε is emf of the cell.Normally terminal potential is less than emf. But during charging of a cell terminal potential is greater than emf. Cell in series: - if n identical cells each of emf ε are connected in series each having internal resistance r,Then I = nε / R + nr where R is external resistanceCells in parallel: - if n cells (identical) are in parallel each having emf ε and internal resistance r.Cell in mixed grouping m rows of n cells each are connected to an external resistance R. assuming all cells are identical each having emf ε and internal resistance r as shown in I = nε/[nr/(m + R)]Maximum power is delivered by a cell/source if external resistance = internal resistance.Maximum current is delivered when short circuited (external resistance = zero). ExpertsMind.com - Resistance Laws Assignment Help, Resistance Laws Homework Help, Resistance Laws Assignment Tutors, Resistance Laws Solutions, Resistance Laws Answers, Electromagnetism Assignment Tutors


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Visions Outpatient Wellness Center provides services ranging from private practice therapy to intensive outpatient programming. The center provides a relationally based, clinical program to meet client objectives on an individual, group and family basis. This level of care is often the introduction to the therapy process or a continuing care option for adolescents and their families.
- Individuals 13 to 18 years old
A Visions client is often struggling with one or more of the following issues:
- Anxiety disorders
- Bipolar & depressive disorders
- Eating disorders
- Learning disorders
- Impulse – control & conduct disorders
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Obsessive – compulsive and related disorders
- Personality disorders
- Substance abuse disorders
- Trauma disorders


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While the content vs. context debate rages on, the issue of content strategy remains. Many of the comments on our previous post reminded us that context can't exist without content. Today, we will talk about content strategy recipes and key ingredients.
A Recipe for Content Strategy
Effective content can't be appropriately created without a sound strategy. Yet, there are so many ways that content can be developed, refined and enhanced in an effort to engage users in a conversation.
If we liken content strategy to a recipe, there are many ingredients, but only a few that are absolutely essential. We could spend all day talking about all the extra things you can be doing, but instead we're going to address what we consider to be the three main ingredients of a content strategy.
1. Define Your Audience
You've probably been asked this question before, but you start anything, ask yourself "who is your audience?" Don't confuse this question with "who is your target audience?" as the answers may not be the same. Most likely, you have people who buy your product – who are they? What do they do? How did they learn about your product? By taking the time to understand their behaviors and interests, means that you don't have to guess. You'll know exactly how they work, making it easier for you to write and produce content that meets their needs.
Now, ask yourself, "who do you wish was buying your product?" and learn more about how they access information and how they behave online. Compare your results. Do you see any overlapping data? Do both groups engage in social media? Do they have large budgets? Are they influencers or connectors?
Hopefully, learning more about your current and future customers has helped you develop a persona for your product. You product will talk and act similarly. The tone of voice will be familiar and will ask the right questions.
Key Questions to Ask
- What is driving their interest? (Cost, time saved, packaging & design, functionality, convenience, etc)
- Are they engaged in current events?
- Who influences them the most in their industry? (Bill Gates, Tim O'Reilly, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, Ben Bernake, etc)
- Will a blog meet their needs?
- How long do they spend on our website?
- What is the most frequently downloaded document?
- How do they purchase your product? (online, phone, in person, email, etc)
- Do they use social media? (If so, how many followers and fans do they have? What kind of information do they post?)
- What are the words they use to describe what they want in a product/service?
Tools to Use
- Klout: an easy to tool to measure one's influence on twitter
- Google Alerts: set up to see who's talking about customers and why
- Collecta: a real-time search engine with an auto-refresh feature that allows you to see the most recent mentions about you in blogs, articles, comments, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
- Getting Your Message Beyond the Choir
- The Social Media Cheat Sheet
- Influence is Bliss: The Gender Divide of Influence on Twitter
- The importance of buyer personas in web marketing
- Who Reads Technology Blogs? A Dirty Analysis of Reader Demographics
2. Refine Your Content
Now that you understand more about how your customers think, feel and act, you can begin to mine and refine your content appropriately. This doesn't necessarily mean starting from scratch. Most likely there's already a lot of content on your website or in your brochures. That content was good enough to get you current clients. But now that you understand them better, look at it through their eyes.
Ask yourself, "what are the three main reasons our product is necessary?" Now, go on your website, peruse your brochures, watch your product demos. How easy is it for them to understand? Does it say exactly what you need it to say, in a manner that's relatable and engaging?
Provide incentives. While the same foundational content should be the same across print and online media, each piece of information should include a new nugget of valuable information, otherwise you've wasted their time and lost the opportunity to teach them something new.
If there are areas where your current and future customers overlap, focus on that first. Then draft separate sets of content, which target the specific audiences. If one audience doesn't spend much time on social media, but instead prefer to read product specs, make that content speak to them. If the other audience is greatly influenced by information shared on social media, develop a standard for pushing out valuable information.
Using what you learned from researching your audience and applying it towards your content allows you the opportunity to refine everything from your SEO to product descriptions to how you promote products via social media and beyond.
Key Questions to Ask
- Are we using the right words?
- Are we implementing the right media?
- Are we engaging via the right platforms?
- Does our content tell a story?
- Does our content effectively explain how we solve a problem?
- What do we want our customers to do with the content? (Share it, retweet it, like it, show their supervisors and colleagues, etc)
Tools to Use
- Juicy Studio: test the readability of your website
- WordTracker: free keyword suggestion tool
- Google's Search-based keyword tool
- WAVE: a web accessibility evaluation tool
- Pagealizer: helps increase landing page conversion by showing relevant usage data and suggesting page design and landing page optimization
- Content Strategy: Why Content Matters
- 20 Tips for Improving Your Web Writing
- Usability: Navigation is More Important Than Search
- Do's and Don'ts When Writing for Your Audience
- WEM: Optimize Content for Your Web Presence
[Editor's Note]
Here's where it get sticky. In editing this article, my wonderful, amazing (lol, but we'll go with) editor Barb Mosher questioned what I considered to be the third key ingredient in a content strategy -- engagement. She argued that the definition of content strategy only refers to content and that engagement is a separate entity, warranting its own strategy. In other words, a web engagement strategy includes a solid content strategy.
I argue that content is about conversations and if not for engagement, what is the point of defining your audience and refining your content. It could be that we're both right and the third ingredient is really an additional strategy. However, we're going to let you, dear reader, decide. Should engagement be a part of the content strategy or is it a separate strategy altogether?
3. Engage Your Customers
You've taken the time to learn more about what makes your customers tick. You've rewritten and re-purposed your content so that it speaks the right words. Now what? Now it's time to engage with your customers. And because you seemingly know so much about them, you know what to say, right?
Engagement is the third key ingredient in our content strategy recipe because it helps to solidify everything you've done previously. And though it may be the yeast that keeps our strategy afloat, if it's poked too much or left alone for too long, results can vary.
First, engaging users is more about keeping content up to date and refreshed and less about talking their ears off. Depending on your customers, you may need to keep the conversation formal or more casual. Ask questions and listen to every answer. Because you know where your customers are, you know where to find them.
If they are using social media, start there. Take conversations offline if necessary and follow up via email or phone, if appropriate. However, there's a fine line between listening to what they say and what they do and stalking them. Let them initiate follow up contact.
Most customers don't want to feel like they're being used. Promote your company and product without actively boasting. Use your conversations as an opportunity to assert yourself as an authority, but not a know-it-all.
While user engagement can include everything from interactive online media to astute and timely replies and phone calls, above all, engaging your customers is about making them feel valued. Even if a prospective customer stays that way for sometime, cultivating relationships overtime will eventually help to build trust and loyalty, even if nothing is purchased.
Key Questions to Ask
- Can I help you find something?
- What problem are you looking to solve?
- What would you like to know?
- Would you like more information?
- Would you like to talk to other customers?
Tools to Use
- Foursquare + Your Business
- ZenDesk: free help desk software
- DemandBase Integrates Live Chat into Its Real Time Web Traffic Service
- 3 resources for bonding with your customers: tools of mass engagement!
- Buiding our own Frankenstein: Is engaging with customers via social media required, or optional?
- Twitter Business Center Ushers Customer Service into the Age of Engagement
While we like to think these are the three key ingredients, we know that they are others that will help season your content strategy and help it become more palatable—to both you and your customers.
From usability testing, to digital media implementaton to social media monitoring, there are many different elements that can help you better understand how your product is perceived in the marketplace. However, by starting with what you know and what you can control, your content is on its way to engaging customers.


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The four known fundamental forces of physics are: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and weak nuclear force. Because the standard model of particle physics seemed to be unable to explain dark matter - a substance which, according to scientists, makes up over 80% of the Universe's mass, the scientists have begun to look for another fundamental force. Theoretical physicists have proposed a variety of exotic force-carrier particles so far, the so-called dark photons being one of them. US scientists, however, argue that the newly discovered particle in question is not a dark photon, but may instead be a so-called "protophobis X boson", which would carry an extremely short-range force, acting over distances only several times the width of atomic nuclei.
The debate about dark matter and dark energy in scientific circles has only just begun. The question for meta-physicists is: where does a dark photon fit into the equation? Light and dark are just like order and chaos – a whole new understanding is sure to emerge soon!
Source: http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2016/06/01/existence-of-the-fifth-fundamental-force-of-nature-to-be-confirmed/
Credit for Image at top of Page: MTA-Atomki


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Where are our Jewish leaders? Where are the Jews in the Senate and in the House? Has everyone gone into hiding? With few exceptions, I have heard nary a word from anyone in the public eye about the vitriol on the left. Some, like conservative talk show host Mark Levin (Life, Liberty & Levin) and Dennis Prager, nationally syndicated talk show host, have spoken out. But few others have.
Those who want to see Trump gone say nothing when others make outrageous comments. They seem comfortable in their silence. How can any Jew be silent and tolerate the horrific remarks made by some crazed leftists? Do Jewish members of Congress have selective laryngitis? If not, then where are their voices? Where are the protests by Charles Schumer, Adam Schiff, Bernie Sanders, and Dianne Feinstein, to name just a few? Sadly, every one of them remains silent.
Apparently, the primary needs of these people are to get rid of Trump and to see their fractured party regain power. Seemingly, those needs are important enough to let them tolerate horrific comments such as the one made by the female co-host on Morning Joe, who referred to Trump as a Hitler.
She's not alone. Others have said the same thing, and thus far there has been no reaction from those four Jewish senators or from any of the others. Being critical of Trump's performance in Helsinki is acceptable. Saying that it was as bad as Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and Kristallnacht is not! One has to wonder who is worse — the ones who make such outrageous comments or those who don't challenge them.
President Trump wanted to forge a path to a workable relationship between himself and Putin. His detractors seized upon that and accused him of atrocities. They disregarded the fact that Trump's actions told a different story. He never lifted sanctions against Russia, he approved lethal-arms sales to the Ukraine, which is fighting with Russia, and his administration confirmed that our military in Syria killed hundreds of Russian soldiers. So how does anyone in their right mind compare Trump's behavior, as he stood on stage with Putin, to atrocities such as the invasion at Pearl Harbor, the 9/11 attacks, and Kristallnacht? The answer to that question is simple; many leftists remain so crazed at having lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump that they are not in their right minds!
How do the silent Jews sleep at night? Where is their guilt for allowing the Holocaust to be so trivialized? One wonders if young children and millennials have been educated about the Holocaust, as some mature adults seem to have forgotten about it. Do they know about the torture and the gassing in the concentration camps? Maybe not, since some have publicly stated that the children who have been separated from their parents are being held in enclosed areas similar to concentration camps. This is unmitigated gall as well as the height of stupidity. But it's all about the immigration issue and proving President Trump wrong — about everything.
Unquestionably, the separation of parents and children, however temporary, is heartbreaking. Nobody on either side of the aisle is happy about it. Nobody in the country is happy about it. But let's remember that parents took that risk when they came here illegally instead of going to open border crossings where they could be vetted. They didn't wait in line and try to come in legally as so many others do. As the saying goes, they cut the line. And in their haste to get into this country, they exposed their children to enormous risk just by the act of traveling here. Men, women, and children have perished on the arduous journey. Some came in boats and died by drowning, and others succumbed while they were hidden for days in overheated trucks without food or water. By comparison, the temporary separation of children from parents, while terribly disturbing, is a smaller price to pay.
Schumer, Schiff, Sanders, and Feinstein are in a position to speak out. They have not. They allow the torture and deaths of six million of our people — their people — to be trivialized by the insane rants of their party members. They tolerate the disrespect of those who were murdered. How can they look into the eyes of survivors without shame? We're one people; our ancestors are their ancestors and, just to refresh some clouded minds, they were eliminated not by Trump but by the hand of Hitler. How can so many remain silent while the hosts of two cable television news programs, their panelists, and their guests make comparisons between Trump and the evil and maniacal creature who was chancellor of Germany? Not in any language are there words strong enough to describe the period of the 1930s up until the defeat of Hitler and his German war machine. And yet we hear nothing from those on the left about the odious comparisons that have been made.
Recently, Carl Bernstein, a Jew whether he likes it or not, referred to President Trump as a neo-fascist. Mr. Bernstein may need a refresher course in history. It seems he doesn't know that, once in power, Hitler turned Germany into a fascist state. Fascism emphasizes patriotism, national unity, admiration of military values, and, above all, unquestioning obedience, all of which channel behavior in the direction of Nazism. Until now, I had not heard much from Bernstein since the days of Watergate. If only he had remained silent. But that didn't last and this Jew showed his true colors.
The world is a sad and scary place, a place filled with crime. And one of the worst crimes is silence. Life for the Jewish people has always been a struggle. But we have persevered and thrived and we will continue to do so despite the inaction and silence of people who put politics above pride and are content to remain quiet. They should be ashamed. That's the way it is.


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CBSsports: Aquille Carr has made a name for himself over the past few years due to his diminutive stature, tremendous athleticism and ridiculous scoring exploits.
In a couple of years, the 5-foot-6 guard will be taking all of that with him to Seton Hall.
He announced his commitment to the Pirates via his Twitter account just before 2:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The decision was confirmed to Joe Davis of scoutsfocus.com by Carr's high school coach. After some debate on whether Carr actually committed, a source close to Seton Hall confirmed the commitment to CBSSports.com.
Carr owns a 48-inch vertical leap and some of the best dribbling ability in the country. He can get into the lane and finish against bigger players, and use his quickness and athleticism to get baskets in transition. Carr creates space to get open shots along the perimeter with his ability to change directions.
Read More...
Disclaimer: RecruitRecon.com is not directly affiliated with any schools or conferences.
© 2006 Recruit Recon


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4 books from Breathless Press - part 3 of 4 - featuring @AnnBHarrison
A Mistress for MagnusBy Ann B. Harrison
Follow @AnnBHarrison
Is Kate prepared to trade six months as Magnus' mistress to save the home and people she loves?
The death of Kate's mother sends her father on a gambling spree that he keeps hidden from his family. When the will is read after his death she finds out how bad things are and can see no way out, except one.
In a desperate attempt to save her home and the people she loves, Kate offers her neighbour water rights to the largest dam in the area that also happens to be on her land. What follows is an introduction to a world of passionate sex that she doesn't want to give up after the contract ends. Kate also didn't expect to fall in love with him.
Magnus is intrigued with Kate after years of having women drop at his feet and granting him his every desire. On a whim, he adds an extra clause to the contract—she is to be his mistress for six months.
Magnus held the lead rope tight as a slight shadow filled the doorway. The mare skittered around, startled by the figure hesitantly coming toward them.
"Mr. Lane?" A soft female voice quivered slightly as the words were spoken.
"Yes," he answered as he steady the mare, his hands soothing her. "And you are?"
"Kate. Kate Holden."
She was a good head shorter than him, her dark brown hair tucked under a dusty, battered Akubra. The red and black checked shirt which had seen better days hung on her slight frame; the sleeves rolled up to her elbows showed tanned arms. Her jeans, faded and dirty, were tucked into scuffed brown boots. She looked like a homeless waif.
"What can I do for you, Miss Holden?" A strange feeling tingled his scalp. Crossing his arms, Magnus watched the emotions roll over her face, a face that belonged to a Botticelli angel, not a dusty cowgirl. He suddenly realized he craved this woman with a passion that almost frightened him. Magnus pushed the feelings down and tried to concentrate on her next words.
"You were trying to negotiate with my father, weren't you?" she asked.
He nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak until he knew what she wanted.
"You wanted to buy us out, but that's something I can't do. I wondered if you'd be interested in buying water rights instead?" Kate was wary of the man in front of her. She stood dead still even though her heart thudded. With his heavily muscled arms, he looked every inch the hard businessman her father had warned her about. She had no choice. She had to try and talk him into buying what she had to offer.
"I hardly think this is the place to conduct a business meeting, Miss Holden," he said, looking down at her, a frown marring his brow."But if you would care to come up to my office we can continue this conversation. Jock, would you mind putting the mare back in her stall please?"
About Breathless Press
Our mission statement is simple: To provide the opportunity for readers to connect with romance authors through the purchasing of quality e-books at a low price.
Starting in the summer of 2009, Breathless Press came into existence. Since then, we have been producing top end romance and erotic stories for valued readers to enjoy.
Our Goal?
Breathless Press is an electronic publisher of paranormal, erotic, and mainstream romance, releasing one to three e-books a week in a variety of downloadable formats. It is Breathless Press' mission to provide readers with quality romance books in electronic formats and to raise the standard in e-publishing.


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Saturday, March 20, 2010
Where's the beef???
Violence against women is a personal experience for me. And I have the answer to why women don't leave violent relationships. Are you interested?
Having lived in the virtual world for several months, I finally woke up last month to face my real one. This is that tale!
Let me tell you why women don't leave. Right now, I'm forced to beg for $209 a month from welfare. I haven't eaten a proper meal in three weeks – reservation cigarettes are cheaper than food so I chase away the hunger pangs by smoking between snacks of peanut butter and crackers. The electricity will be cut off on Tuesday and the gas will be cut off on April 1st. Now my house is being sold out from under me and I'll be homeless momentarily.
You wonder why a visibly healthy-looking 40-something woman with obvious skills can't work to support herself. My scars and wounds are invisible! I've had the life sucked out of me for 17 years and then just when I find the courage to get rid of this abusive animal, I face the best and worst part of my life.
I meet Caleb, spend 8 months with him – loving him, receiving his love and trying to help this wonderfully talented freelance journalist recover from war-time PTSD, then he dies. He doesn't just die though, Caleb did life and death in a big way. Caleb shoots himself because he can't stand living in an America for one more second that won't help him get health care to get rid of the nightmares from Iraq and Afghanistan. He does this in front of me, splattering blood and brains all over me as I try to stop him.
While in an almost comatose state from that experience, I have been unable to hire a lawyer to protect myself from my ex-husband who has taken all of our retirement savings, the pension that I helped him earn, the good car and our vacation trailer. He's living in a condominium with the belongings he trucked outta here while I was away helping Caleb. Now, last Monday, he drove the final dagger in. He and his fancy-pants lawyer forced the court to give him an order to sell the house we both worked for. I'm standing in court on Monday and the judge won't even listen to me because I have no lawyer but I get to pay court costs!
So on Thursday, without my permission or consent, a real estate agent puts a sign on the lawn of the house I'm living in. The only way I can get online (at least til Tuesday when the electricity is gone) is to borrow an open connection from my neighbours (with permission) by sitting in the front of my library. Sitting here I can plainly see the real estate sign and dozens of cars slow down to look at my house and I cry. The last thing that I have any part of in this world is being taken from me. I finally got frustrated enough on Friday to tell the real estate agent that he can't show the house so I'm probably going to be in jail after the next court date on March 29th for contempt of court for finally telling someone off.
Not that I haven't tried to get help, mind you. Fighting against all the stuff in my head and the druggy haze of anti-depressants, I have sought legal help. The legal aid system is broken. I am qualified but there isn't a single lawyer who practises family law that has been available for any of the court dates that have occurred. The only lawyer who has assisted me is the free one at the Womens' Shelter and she is not allowed to represent me after giving me a one hour consultation a year ago!
The solution to keeping the house, I have been told, is to get financing for the remaining mortgage ($70,000) and find $40,000 to pay to my ex-husband for his share of the equity. Who on earth is going to let me sign a mortgage when I have been unable to work for almost a year! And if there was such a person wouldn't they also be the type to take advantage – I was offered a 12% mortgage when the current one is 0.85%!!!! What a sick world.
I have worked nearly every day from 12 years of age until I was 48 and witnessed Caleb's death, I have used up the sickness benefits or employment insurance benefits that are available and now I have had to start a monthly begging routine for welfare to get $209. And if there were a good Samaritan in this world to help me, the abuser would get paid $40,000 for taking advantage of me for 17 years. Or I go homeless (or to jail or a womens' shelter) and penniless because he's already told the court he's taking all the equity when it's sold or at least the part of my share that isn't taken to pay his court costs. Grasping at straws, the other day I phoned my ex-husband about the stocks he bought me for my birthdays – he laughingly said he had to sell those to buy his condominium but he was upset because he had to unload some at a loss!
I have contributed so much to this world and this community that I live in that my volunteer hours beyond my regular work life are uncountable and yet I have been unable to find one lawyer to represent me in court, I have been unable to ask one friend to help in the real world except the ones I begged last month for a little money to travel to get some help I needed to get healthier, nor will I have a pot to piss in after this house is gone! What is wrong with this world!
I'll tell you what's wrong – this world is set up to suck money and spirit from hard-working people to line the pockets of the war industry, big pharma, stock brokers, bankers, real estate agents and lawyers. And abusive men. That's what's wrong.
If I had $1 for every hour I've contributed to good causes and organizations in my lifetime, I could buy my house from an abusive animal, I could find the courage to return to writing and contribute again. But I don't. Where is that money? It's in the pockets of the war industry, the pharmaceutical companies, the stock brokers, the bankers, the real estate agents, the lawyers and the media conglomerates who won't pay for real content. That's where it is!
Women stay in abusive relationships because they see all their sisters in the same boat that I'm in – homeless or in a womens' shelter - and they figure it's easier to take one for the team once in awhile, still having a roof over their head, clothes on their back and food on the table. And they witness the real estate agents patting themselves on the back by pretending to fund womens' shelters while getting paid to flip the houses the women and children used to live in!
Right now in this moment, I could ALMOST take the asshole back because at least I would know that I could barbeque and eat the frozen steak I would put on my black eye! Ah, there's the beef!
ALMOST, yet there remains a spark inside of me that craves life, love, liberty from abuse and a happy home. Some day the goddess will provide the courage I need to ask for what I crave! Besides steak is over-rated!
1 comment:
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- March 21, 2010 at 9:55 PM
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Reindeer feeding in SamiCampAddress: 9008 Tromso Show map
Address: 9008 Tromso
This tour is conducted by SamiCamp. In the camp you can feed the reindeer herd and learn about the Sami culture and the Sami way of living.
An English speaking sami guide will be telling you stories, and you will be served a hot meal, Bidos, a traditional sami dinner. Hot drink by the fire - blackurrant berries drink/coffe/tea and cake. Feed the reindeer in our Camp from your own hands – and enjoy meeting the reindeer face to face.
Inside the lavvu (a traditional Sami tent) warm drinks and a traditional Sami meal will be cooked over the fire and then served. After the meal you are invited to gather around the fire and listen to stories about Sami culture . You will also get the opportunity to listen to the traditional Sami song called "joik" and shaman drumming.
Good conditions to watch the Northern lights above our camp in the evenings.
Included: transfer (20 minutes each way), English speaking guide, bidos (reindeer broth), hot drinks, storytelling and joik
Please bring: warm clothing, warm footwear and gloves or mittens
Departure time and place:
Tuesday -Sunday: 11.AM (11:00) from Radisson Blu Hotel
7.30 PM (19:30) from Radisson Blu Hotel
Duration: 3 hours
Number of guests: 2–30
Level: Easy
About this activity
Phone booking+47 99344098
Contact person email
FacilitiesFamily-friendly Hotel return
Eat & Drink on siteTea/coffee/biscuit included Meal included
Effort levelEasy
Price from1345 NOK
Price informationper adult Adults NOK 1345,- / Children (7-12 years old) NOK 800,- / Children 0-6 years old go for free
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Lady Liberty Hiding in Dirt
By: Anonymous
Last year while detecting in Wyoming I found a round copper like disk. It looked like a bottle cap. Not seeing anything on it at the time I just put it in my finds pouch. We save all copper, brass and lead for recycling. Also I always save everything and clean it at the end of the day because you can never tell what is underneath all the dirt. Lo and behold under all the dirt was a face of lady liberty and the date 1868. My hunting partner at the time said too bad you don't have the back. Back I said? Yes it is the front half of a token issued by the sutler at Fort Sanders. He had seen one that a friend found. Oh well half a loaf (token) is better than none. Fast forward to this spring. I went back to the same spot with two of my detecting buddies (Marty and Tom). Marty, who still uses a XLT ( frugal doesn't even come close), found a back for the same type token. It was all crumpled up like someone threw it away. Now we have a token divided between two detecting friends. What do we do now? First we send it to Leonard Short in Virginia, the best relic restorer I know of. Well it came back (see the pics), now Marty and I have to come to an agreement on who gets "it". Everyone should have these problems. This is a very rare token because it has D.T. (Dakota Territory) on the back. I guess the moral of the story is don't dispose of anything you find until you determine what it is and always detect with good friends. I use a Spectra V3i for relic hunting with pretty good results so far. In my opinion there isn't a better detector. I also have a DFX, MXT and beach hunter. I am giving the token to Marty.


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Lubbock's YWCA and Lubbock Independent School District are trying to change the fact that 22 percent of Lubbock County children don't have health insurance.
These entities will help families with uninsured children register for the Children's Health Insurance Program or Children's Medicaid from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Monterey High School cafeteria, 50th Street and Indiana Avenue.
"Every child needs to be able to receive medical care," said Micki Oates, LISD health services coordinator. "It is a great opportunity for parents to apply. Good health is necessary for academic success. Healthy children are more alert, more focused on learning and experience fewer absences from the classroom."
Carla Brown, of the YWCA's CHIP outreach and enrollment program, said the application drive is to help parents who might tend to be overwhelmed by the paperwork necessary to enroll their children.
"We are holding a public event for families to come and get assistance with the applications," she said.
On hand will be about 30 Texas Tech master of business administration students who will help in several areas of the enrollment process. Alex Hill said he and five other students will be there as part of a group project for a class and have recruited other volunteers to help.
Oates said Texas is the No. 1 state in the nation for having uninsured children, and 22 percent of Lubbock County children don't have health insurance.
Parents attending the registration event should bring copies of children's birth certificates, Social Security numbers for each child and proof of income for all family members, Brown said.
Proof of income can include the most recent paycheck stub or an employer's letter stating the salary as well as child support check stubs and child care, disabled adult care, or child support paid receipts, where applicable.
A family of four people can have a monthly income of $3,675 before taxes and still qualify for the CHIP program, Brown said. If a family of four makes $1,838 a month or less, it qualifies for Medicaid.
Brown said the difference between CHIP and Children's Medicaid is CHIP is designed for working families who can't afford conventional health insurance. CHIP has an enrollment fee of no more than $50 a year and has a small co-pay, usually in the range of $3 to $10. Medicaid coverage costs the parents nothing, she said.
Brown said children may automatically qualify for Medicaid in situations involving people who are raising children who are not their own, such as grandparents or other relatives.
Many people have received misinformation about health insurance matters, Oates said. She recently received a call from a single mother with a child about to turn 6 years old who had been told the child would not be eligible for Medicare after the birthday. Oates told her the information was not correct and the child would be eligible until age 18.
For the registration event, parents should park in the 50th Street parking lot of the high school.
Brown requested people with questions about CHIP and Children's Medicaid to contact her by e-mail at email@example.com or by telephone at (806) 792-2723, ext. 3240.
To comment on this story:
firstname.lastname@example.com • 766-8758
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Dr. David J Lemmon, ND
Revive Family Healing Center
702 John Adams St.
Oregon City, Oregon 97045
Send me a message | Visit Website
Profile excerpt:
Revive Family Healing Center is a complete mind & body wellness center in Oregon City, OR. Individual practitioners cooperate to create the ideal comprehensive treatment plan for each person. Revive is home to Naturopathic Doctors, Counselors, Acupuncturists, and more.
Dr. Amy Hawkins, ND
Wilmington Naturopathic Family Medicine
Wilmington, North Carolina 28411
Send me a message | Visit Website
Profile excerpt:
I am a Naturopathic Doctor focusing on natural family wellness and pediatric care. My passion is educating, empowering and supporting my patients on their journey. After 11 years in Seattle, I am thrilled to have returned home and moved my practice to coastal NC.
Dr. Abraham T. Presley, ND
Send me a message


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The holidays are almost here and you've decided that you want to host some of your friends at your place for the occasion. You've got the food figured out and are confident that everyone will be willing to talk, but what are you all actually going to do at this party? Well, you could always break out some games. Just make sure that, if you do, you go with one of the following instead of falling back on Monopoly or Charades. Your guests will thank you (especially if you all enjoy video games)!
(Video by YouTube user: Hitman006xp)
Halo: The Master Chief Collection – (Xbox One)
There's nothing quite like local multiplayer in Halo games. It doesn't matter if you're good at the game or not, experienced or not, a video game player or not. Once the action starts, it's very difficult to avoid getting drawn into the excitement! I recommend the Master Chief Collection in particular because it's all four numbered entries all rolled into one (with full splitscreen multiplayer/coop support to boot)! Yup, there's very little that can beat the Halo experience of manically running around trying to outplay your friends. In fact, I don't think anything other than a Nintendo game could hope to beat it. Speaking of which…
(Video by YouTube user: Nintendo64Movies)
Mario Party 1-3 – (N64)
There's no escaping Mario Party around here. I've already written a bit about the fun it has to offer, but I just couldn't resist including it here. If you're confident in the strength of your friendships, then Mario Party is just the game you're looking for! If not, then perhaps you should move on our next entry.
(Video by YouTube user: Another3DS)
Super Smash Bros. – (Wii U)
Okay, so maybe this isn't all that much better, but bear with me here. Much of Mario Party's "friendship-ending" reputation is earned by just how much of it is due to chance. Unless you're used to how the game works and the influence chance actually has on it, you're probably going to come out of it feeling a bit sour if you lose. Super Smash Bros. does away with that (mostly) and simply pits you and your friends in a direct head-to-head brawl. The only things that can keep you alive in this game are your own skill, an uncanny ability to stay out of the fray…or that golden hammer that happened to spawn next to you. OH WAIT! It's a rubber golden hammer! Never mind, you're in deep trouble now!
Super Smash Bros. may be more direct, but that doesn't mean it doesn't keep things fun and level by throwing everyone for loops now and again. 😀
(Video by YouTube user: TeraBrite Games)
Mario Kart – (Any)
I couldn't single out any Mario Kart in particular here because they're all excellent! Mario Kart has always provided a chaotically good time, and that's only gotten more true over the years. In fact, if you own a Wii U then Mario Kart 8 is exactly what you need to make sure your guests have a good time. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to bridge the gap between skilled and unskilled in a way that doesn't feel unfair. It's a game everyone can enjoy. Alternatively, Mario Kart: Double Dash for Gamecube is a great choice for larger groups. Its unique team mechanic goes a long way towards fostering friendly rivalry and competition.
(Video by YouTube user: AuraChannelerChris)
WarioWare: Smooth Moves – (Wii)
Nothing in gaming is quite as much fun as a good Mario Kart race with your friends, but there is something that comes close. WarioWare: Smooth Moves takes the zaniness found in all Nintendo games and dials it up to 11! This is the one and only game that I think makes proper use of the Wii motion controls, because without them we wouldn't have a game at all! This entry brings back the series' trademark "micro-games" and introduces new twists by tying them all to different movements. Hold the controller at your hip to do a hula-hoop game. Set it down, then pick it back up at the right time in order to trigger a trap! Stick it in front of your nose and pretend you're an elephant grabbing fruit from a tree! (yes, really.) This is a game that anyone can play, is perfect for groups both small and large, and is guaranteed to leave everyone smiling by the end!
Got any multiplayer games you're always up for playing? Which ones would you most enjoy introducing your friends to?
Lede image by Flickr user: commorancy (cc)


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ABC Supports
The TCJA that lowers tax rates and simplifies the internal revenue code while maintaining parity for Main Street businesses and large corporations.
Repeal of Affordable Care Act taxes on wages and investment income.
Repeal of the alternative minimum tax for individuals.
Making the individual and pass-through tax rates permanent.
Full repeal of the estate tax, known as the "death tax."
ABC Opposes
Efforts to increase the current corporate tax rate or decrease the pass-through deduction.
Any proposal that widens the statutory rate gap between pass-through entities and large corporations.
The TCJA provides a simpler, fairer tax code, and analysis has shown that the bill lowers taxes for nearly 80 percent of U.S. taxpayers.
The new tax code contains a 20 percent tax deduction for pass through businesses that will result in many small businesses paying a much lower effective tax rate, which allows them to grow their businesses, pay better wages and support their communities. Small businesses also can immediately write off the cost of new equipment, further encouraging growth.
By lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent, the new code puts the United States on par with other developed nations, making us more competitive, encouraging reinvestment in the U.S. economy and incentivizing jobs and capital to return from overseas.
Due to the bill's consideration under reconciliation, a process that only requires a majority vote in the Senate and avoids the 60-vote threshold, some provisions were required to be made temporary, and many of the benefits for individuals and pass-through businesses will expire in 2025.
Further, while the bill eliminated the corporate AMT, it only softened the AMT for individuals by increasing the exemptions by nearly a third, while retaining the complexity of requiring tax payers to calculate their AMT liability.


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The Menzies Vineyard Retreat
In the heart of the Coonawarra. With panoramic views of the surrounding native revegetation area and Yalumba Menzies vineyard.
Arrival Time: 14.00 | Departure Time: 10.00
The Yalumba Menzies Retreat - a fantastic getaway in the heart of the Coonawarra. With panoramic views of the surrounding native revegetation area and Yalumba Menzies vineyard, this B&B stay is ideally situated only minutes away from other award winning wineries, restaurants and other tourism attractions of the Limestone Coast region.
Cancellation Policy
All service changes/cancellations will be subject to a minimum $50 AUD cancellation / administration fee. Cancellation notified 30 days or more prior to arrival date will be entitled to a refund of the deposit / money paid less minimum $50 AUD. Full payment is due for bookings within 30 days of arrival date; failure to arrange payment will result in cancellation of the booking. Cancellations notified 30 days or less prior to arrival date and where the guest has entered an agreement to make final payment on the day of arrival the guest remains liable for the full payment. Payment will be invoiced to the guest and / or charged to any security held by this service. Cancellations notified 30 days or less prior to arrival date will forfeit the full deposit / money paid. When a booking has been made 30 days or less prior to arrival date and cancelled the full deposit / money paid will be forfeited. ON ARRIVAL YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A CREDIT CARD TO BE RECORDED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES. IF NO CREDIT CARD THEN ONE NIGHTS BOND WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE HELD BY OPERATOR AND DRIVERS LICENCE DETAILS REQUIRED. If extra guests stay besides the number of guests booked on this itinerary the extra payment of $65 per adult per night and $25 per child per night will automatically be processed on the credit card held for security. This credit card will also be charge if any of the following issues are breach. DAMAGES / SMOKING / CLEANING POLICY All services booked through Accommodation Getaways Reservation Service are subject to an accidental / willful damage policy a no smoking policy and an excess cleaning policy. Where the individual services confront interruption to business or unreasonable delay and expense in business operations the responsible guest will be charged accordingly. Travel insurance is recommended for all bookings to provide adequate protection against cancellation of travel. Getaways Reservation Service (Accommodation Getaways Reservation Service) is not responsi


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I am so very blessed to have in my possession, an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of Amy Clipston's NEW YA book – Miles From Nowhere!
And I'm going to give it away to one lucky reader – along with two bookmarks, a themed luggage tag and an awesome personalized pen!
If you have not read any of Amy's YA novels, I highly suggest you start with the first one – Roadside Assistance and then continue with Destination Unknown before going on to read Miles From Nowhere but to be completely fair, you can read them in any order you want. Amy is JUST THAT FANTASTIC a writer!
First a bit more about Miles From Nowhere:
Chelsea Morris has always been responsible, dependable, and focused on her dreams of fashion design, a dream that will officially begin come fall, when she leaves for college in New York City. As she settles into her role as the lead designer for the local summer stock theater group, she decides to make the most of her last summer in North Carolina. But with her best friend Emily busy working late and spending time with Zander, and tensions with Chelsea's boyfriend, Todd, running high, the summer she envisioned seems to be falling flat.
Then Dylan joins the latest summer production. There's something about the college boy that makes her feel free and alive, and soon she's broken up with Todd, and is sneaking out late to meet Dylan at parties and breaking rules at the playhouse. But before she knows it, her exciting nights are interfering with her job, her role on the play, as well as her relationship with Emily and with her parents. Worse, Chelsea finds herself feeling more and more estranged from God.
As the summer becomes wilder than she ever dreamed, Chelsea must decide if her heart is leading her in the right direction after all.
This contest has ended.
Don't miss Amy's 1st TWO YA books – Roadside Assistance & Destination Unknown! – Tweet this!
Thank you to everyone who entered and if you did not win, I suggest you buy the book or request it at your local library! It will be available soon for purchase!
- Contests are only open to residents of the U.S.
- Contest ended January 16th at midnight CDT
- Winner was chosen at random
- Winner will receive 1 ARC copy of Miles From Nowhere by Amy Clipston, 2 bookmarks, 1 pen and 1 luggage tag
- Winner has been announced on my blog and notified by email
- Entry implies agreement to all RULES AND REGULATIONS
And a special disclaimer about ARCs:
An ARC (Advance Reading Copy) is not to be sold! It is for your own personal reading enjoyment ONLY! You are welcome to pass it along (as long as you also pass along the information that it is not to be sold – under any circumstances)
Book companies and authors trust me with these ARCs for the purpose of reviews and I do not want to betray that trust, even in an extended way.
Therefore, any winner who is found to be attempting to sell an ARC they have won from me, will be forever banned from all contests on this blog or associated blogs.
Don't let that happen. Thank You and may the best reader win!
Disclaimer: I have no control over the ads you may see below.
I am sorry if any of the content is inappropriate.


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In 1980, as a result of recurring disputes between parents, the federal government stepped in and passed the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act. 28 USC 1738A. The PKPA was not concerned with when a state could make an initial child custody determination. Instead, the law operates by stating when another state must give full faith and credit (meaning the second state must recognize and enforce the first state's order) to child custody determinations. The PKPA also limits when a state can modify a custody or visitation order previously entered in another state.
The provisions of the PKPA are actually fairly similar to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA). However, while the UCCJEA is a state law passed by each state and determines when initial jurisdiction to make a child custody determination as well as modify or enforce custody, the PKPA trumps the UCCJEA. Therefore, the UCCJEA's provisions mirror the federal provisions of the PKPA.
The PKPA states a state shall enforce and shall not modify a custody or visitation determination of another state that was made consistent with the PKPA. There are exceptions. A court in a second state can modify another state's order if that state has jurisdiction under its own laws to make such a determination and the first state no longer has jurisdiction or declines jurisdiction. No state is to exercise jurisdiction over a custody or visitation case if another state is already exercising jurisdiction if the other state is exercising jurisdiction consistent with the PKPA.
A number of the provisions in the PKPA are based on the first state exercising jurisdiction consistent with the PKPA. There are several ways a state has jurisdiction to make a custody or visitation determination. The first is if the state has jurisdiction under its laws and the state was the home state of the child at the time of the proceeding or six months before the proceeding. The second allows a state to exercise jurisdiction if it appears no other state has jurisdiction, the child or the parents have a substantial connection to the state and there is substantial evidence in the state. A third basis would be the physical presence of the child in the state and an emergency making a determination necessary to protect the child because of a threat of mistreatment or abuse to the child, a sibling, or a parent. If no other state exercises jurisdiction or declines to exercise jurisdiction, then a state can still have jurisdiction.
The bottom line for most people is simple — You cannot avoid the jurisdiction of the child's home state that is making or has already made a custody or visitation determination by going to another state. Any other state in the country is required under federal law to give full faith and credit to the first state's determination.


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All my life, reforms have poured down upon our entire education systems and this rain of concern has had one effect: it has nearly destroyed the entire system from top to bottom! The collapse of our education systems starts at the top and the rot goes all the way to the bottom. Higher education, thanks to government loans, has devolved into a money machine system designed to lure naive students deep into debt and to keep this flood of chumps flowing into the carnival booths, they need to hand out easy high grades like candy and create useless courses to study so students think they are learning when they are really having their pockets picked by con artists. Meanwhile, at the bottom, the bottom is falling out as our schools fill with minorities who are nearly utterly incapable of learning anything at all. While we teach our upper class students in business school and administration studies, how to loot the poor even more efficiently.
The worst part of higher ed is the 'Education' degree programs. These are a total farce and produce very inept teachers who have flooded into our schools and are making a bad situation worse: Teacher Training Is A Ridiculously Easy Way To Ace College, Report Says
The NCTQ report quantifies how easy it is for teacher preparation students compared with those other fields of study. It examined college and university commencement brochures, and calculated the percentage of education majors at an institution who received honors — the highest grades. At 58 percent of 509 schools, "teacher preparation programs are much more likely to confer high grades than are other majors on the same campus," the report says. While an average of 30 percent of all students graduated "cum laude," 44 percent of teacher preparation students received the honor. The report calls the results "a wake-up call for higher education."
The report also found that assignments in teacher preparation classes that were the basis of 71 percent of course grades were "criterion-deficient," asking for opinions or viewpoints rather than facts. It recommends common "standards to define excellence" and the assignment of objective measures.
Amazing, isn't it, for someone who has gone into higher education way back in 1967, I had little debt and great schooling whereas today it is the reverse. Universities let in many students and then ruthlessly winnowed out the ones unable to cope and left the core students who then sail along to victory…except for the reforms!
I was one of the earliest victims of this! I was allowed into the German department programs at age 16 and went to Germany to study, came back in 1969 and was well on the way when suddenly, with little warning, the language requirements for both high school and colleges were junked. Yes, dumped into the trash! I was stunned.
So way back in 1973 when I was pregnant with my first child, I moved to NYC and transferred to NYU only to dump the entire business due to the German department there being basically shut down and I went into construction instead and made my living with that and alternatively, working with computers. Both made me money.
The corruption for money at the top is obvious to see, when I worked for RPI, for example, a STEM school, the new President, Shirley Jackson, elevated due to being a black female, terminated the professor's Senate which advised the Presidents and set policies, and ruled herself and the first action was to give herself millions of dollars while starving the staff of funds.
I lost my battle with her (the corruption is all over the place there now) but she was just merely typical, not unusual. All the schools are now giving huge funds to Presidents and their staff and starving the professors and taking away all power from them, mainly to force them into passing students who do nothing and to make no demands or show any initiatives.
Even popular ones (ahem, yup!) are fired if they try to stop this. It is epidemic in particular in the Education departments which are diploma mills at this point. Many good potential teachers are quitting both lower and higher academia due to starvation wages for TAs and AAs at major universities and the fact that most education graduates must apply to schools hosting near-savage minority students with a high teacher turnover rate.
Many poor saps who get these degrees learn early on, they are being fed to the lions and flee to other jobs that may pay less but are far safer and saner.
In the latest flailing about, the White House Turns Up Heat on Teacher Preparation – Education Week:
Long-delayed federal rules aiming to hold teacher-preparation programs accountable for producing effective talent are getting a surprise boost from none other than the White House…
Though billed as an executive action by President Barack Obama, the plan is really the revival of a 2012 effort. Early that year, the Education Department attempted to put teeth in what are generally considered fairly lax accountability requirements for teacher colleges in the Higher Education Act…
"The higher ed. community was kind of aghast at that, and not just in teacher ed. The fear was, is this what's coming next?" said Rick Ginsberg, the dean of the education school at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence. "They were trying to come up with a stick, but it could end up hurting the very students who need it the most."
Lord help us! The first university to give me a scholarship was the University of Kansas! And now the school demands the courses for teaching teachers be made easier so they all pass so I suspect, 'minority' teachers can become teachers? I have watched a number of exposes over the years showing the chaos that has engulfed our major cities' schools and it is painfully obvious that black teachers in particular, struggle to teach mainly due to incompetence.
The GOP came up with a program that punishes teacher who have bad student results and reward the good teachers but all this was cover for giving goodies to white teachers because of course, few of them would go into inner city schools to do battle with an army of out of control, disrespectful children and their enraged, violent mothers. So black teachers got no help and no rewards and everyone else avoided black schools like the plague since this meant you would be labeled 'bad teacher' no matter how good you are!
This is a problem across the board, of course. Accreditation is a farce. Confessions of a College Professor: Accreditation to Die Overnight?
Accreditation, before the Federal student loan program existed, used to be about education. Accredited schools used to be legitimate schools that cared about education…accreditation was a final seal of legitimacy.
The HEA changed that…accreditation became about money. I was with a school that went through the accreditation process. Once that school became accredited, being legitimate was no longer necessary—the student loan money flows in mightily from scammers that are there for the checks (after administration takes their cut). Once accredited, I, and other legitimate faculty, were kicked in the balls repeatedly harassed by the institution until we resigned because we no longer were desired.
The HEA is renewed every few years, and the renewal scheduled for 2014 has a clause in it that's devastating for accreditation:
Create a more flexible higher education experience and reduce costs by decoupling federal financing from accreditation (Title IV).
Ho. Lee. Crap. If accreditation is decoupled from federal financing, whatever will it be for? Administration in higher education took over accreditation years ago, warping into something that has nothing to do with education at all. If accreditation isn't linked to federal loans, it'll become a joke. Oh wait, it's already a joke, as I've shown in detail, many times.
Dr. Doom (who, unlike me, has to have a fake name due to fear of his job) and I have fun chatting about all this. The fun of despair, of course. We can see the end result as our nation goes into a tail spin. I remember the sixties very well. Reformers, terrified that Russia and China would beat us in the Cold War, were desperate to improve things.
But at the same time, the school integration business began and even more ominous, the Vietnam War. Many students flooded into Universities was males sought the student exemption while black children began their slow decline into the thug hell we see today. The Vietnam war led to chaos at the university level and I was very much an anti-war organizer. I remember the very day Nixon eliminated the student exemption. I was sitting in the Peace and Freedom office in Tucson, making a template for a leaflet about this issue when the president of the student council came running in, crying.
I sat him down and said, 'Welcome! You are the very person I want to see. You will be our featured speaker at our rally tomorrow.' The police attacked this rally and beat the students who then rose up in rage and we had a running battle going which eventually led, across the country, to the war basically being shut down and the draft ended.
Now, colleges are not for learning, they are traps. They have wonderful services and fun things to do while the carnival is in session. All sorts of goodies to keep students and virtually no serious attempt at making them learn much of anything useful. Even the STEM schools are now doing this! And it is all quite sad as Russia and China once again push forwards while we go backwards.
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I also took these with a larger depth of field, but I like the softening of the background and edges for a vignette.
Here is what I wrote to Curt:
"I am proud to submit my entry into the casualty round this week. Not because of the skill displayed, but because I knuckled down and did it in two days after procrastinating like all get out. Most of you can pump out figures without breaking a sweat, I am well known for never finishing anything.
These three figures are 28mm scale and come from two manufacturers. The two on the ground come from the Conquest Norman infantry set that I won from Mike at Trouble at T'Mill. The standing fellow with the arrow in his chest I can't remember what he was but I bought him in the early 90's with some equally accoutered crossbowmen. His slotta tab says OUCH!
The paint scheme was yellow and blue, I used a burnt umber ink wash and then drybrushing of the base color. Again not winning any awards but serviceable. We're going for completion here. The standing figure is on a 20mm square plastic slotta base, while the two ground casualties are on custom plywood bases with angles that would make Cthulhu proud. If you ever need a 40mm x 39mm base, I'm your man. The groundwork was my normal airdry clay, texture gel and sand. The only modification to the process was the application of a bead of glue near the edges of the plywood. This helped to keep the clay from lifting up from the edges as it dried.
I'll finish with a little about this weeks photography. While I did continue to use the Aperture priority setting at f16, I altered my normal protocol. I used a tripod and infrared remote and set up next to a window with decent natural light. I also used my new flash diffuser, but in the end went with the straight daylight shots. The flash tends to highlight the flaws and the daylight ones seem to show how they look in person better.
Thanks for looking."
Although I cleared up my usual mistakes and omissions with my submission I did forget to mention that the shield was hand painted. To me it was obvious, what with the shaky lines and all.
Just to compare, here is the first picture with all the same settings, just using the flash with diffuser.
I like the boldness of the colors but I felt that the flaws showed more and there was still a bit of shininess off the matte varnish from the flash. What do you think?
Since I could not identify the metal figure, here he is without paint.
I tried looking it up on Stuff of Legends but if my initial assumption about the range is wrong, I'm not sure how to track him down.
I should have some more stuff to show you soon. I didn't paint as much as I'd like yesterday, but I'm making steady progress.
I'd like to finish today's post with a big thank you to Edwin King of The Depressive Diplomatist. After seeing my son's painting efforts he contacted me about sending him some plastic figures. The Mantic skeletons and orcs are just up his alley and "Woohoo" and "Jackpot" were uttered. This thank you should really be its own post, but I just wanted to acknowledge Edwin's generosity before something flew by and caught my attention. I hope to have progress reports of my son's painting before long. I'm going to try and let him do what he wants with these and just support him, rather than micro manage him.


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Aww, Fishsticks is Lenora's big debut. What began as her search for living a lifelong dream turned into a children's book. She's currently working on her untitled sophomore effort. We can't wait to see what imaginative yarn she weaves next!
"Oh, sweet huggles ... remember what Pampy used to say when he wanted to be brave?"


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The community of St. Andrew Catholic Church has been an integral part of the L'Arche Portland family for 30 years. People who experience intellectual disabilities are invited to actively participate in parish life and worship, witnessed in the way Marilyn is supported to be a Eucharistic minister, the relationships that Joni, Ben and Adam have built with parishioners, and Erin's freedom to dance in celebration during liturgy. The St. Andrew community has welcomed and shared the many gifts of L'Arche Portland core members (who experience intellectual disabilities), as well as others in the wider Portland community who experience disabilities.
Additionally, St. Andrew parishioners have been actively involved with the L'Arche Portland community, supporting our mission and homes through their relationships, volunteering and gifts. The relationship between L'Arche Portland and St. Andrew is one of mutual benefit to its members , which this award both celebrates and calls us to deepen.
The L'Arche Portland Board of Directors invites you to join us May 19, from 6pm-8pm, for a festive celebration of our community of people with and without intellectual disabilities and for the award presentation. RSVP by May 15 at www.larche-portland.org/springsocial or by calling 503-251-6901.
For more information, read the press release here.


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- Boosts The Immune System:
Lemons are high in Vitamin C, which is an excellent source of nutrients to boost your immune system. Alongside Vitamin C, lemons also contain potassium which is great source for fending off a cold or flu.
- Aids Digestion:
- Clears Skin:
Our bodies are constantly being filled with toxins, which aids in damaging and aging our skin. Lemon water combats these radical changes through the use of its antioxidant properties.
- Balance pH Levels:
Most of our bodies are filled with acid and to stabilize this we need alkalising food. Lemons can do this for us. Yes, they are acidic on their own but once metabolized they no longer produce citric acid. Having an alkaline body is imperative for good health.
- Liver Detox:
By drinking lemon water youre encouraging your liver to produce an acid called bile, which your liver requires for good digestion.


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At one point in "Circumstance," Maryam Keshavarz's swirling and sensuous melodrama of forbidden love in modern Tehran, four young Iranians slip into a clandestine video club in the back of a store. The walls are lined with Hollywood DVDs, and the friends discuss the possibility of dubbing two recent American movies into Persian: "Milk" and "Sex and the City."
Like the underground raves and secret house parties they attend — events full of liquor, dancing and the possibility of sex — watching those films carries the risk of harassment, arrest by the dreaded morality police or worse. And while the four friends share a determination to keep breaking the rules, they disagree about the meaning of their disobedience. One young man insists that, with "Milk" in particular, they need to emphasize a message of human rights and popular protest. But his friends argue that the simple fact of defiance, the pursuit of pleasure in the face of repression, is in itself inherently and sufficiently political.
The implications of this debate ripple through the story Ms. Keshavarz tells, informing both its flights of emotion and its occasional forays into didacticism. A product of the Iranian diaspora — the director and most of the cast make their homes in the West — "Circumstance" tries to capture aspects of life in Iran that lie beyond the reach of that country's filmmakers, who must work within censorship codes or in secret.
Though it lacks the artful, headlong immediacy of "The Circle" and "Offside," Jafar Panahi's films about women in Tehran — and the breakneck exuberance of Bahman Ghobadi's "No One Knows About Persian Cats," about Tehran's underground music scene — "Circumstance" ripples with the indignant energy of youthful rebellion. Coming two years after the protests that convulsed Iran following the 2009 presidential elections and amid regional revolutionary turmoil, it has undeniable topical resonance. But Ms. Keshavarz is less interested in the public manifestations of political engagement than in the ways power, and particularly religious authority, affect the intimacies of families, lovers and friends.
Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) are schoolmates whose affection grows into erotic passion. Shireen, stigmatized by the dissident status of her deceased parents, lives on the edge of poverty, while Atafeh is cushioned by her family's wealth and privilege. Her parents, a doctor and a businessman, balance a taste for luxury with a habit of discretion. At home, they drink wine, listen to Western classical music and speak their minds. But they also acquiesce to restrictions that their daughter finds intolerable. "Someday we will all be able to swim together," says Atafeh's father, Firouz (Soheil Parsa), during a trip to the seaside, but he does not seem able to do more than wish for a time when women can go in the water. Shireen and Atafeh, in contrast, are inclined, however recklessly, to take matters into their own hands, stripping to their underwear and splashing in the waves on an empty beach at dawn.
This is Ms. Keshavarz's feature directorial debut, and she revels in her own sense of freedom, constructing scenes that pulse with sexual energy and a few — notably a fantasy sequence complete with heels and lingerie — that lean toward soft-core prurience. But she effectively communicates Shireen and Atafeh's mutual intoxication, savoring and sharing their appreciation of each other's beauty and lingering on Ms. Kazemy's Monica Bellucci-like features.
The serpent in their garden of delights is Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai), Atafeh's brother, a former musician and recovering drug addict whose embrace of stern Muslim morality threatens the easy, hypocritical harmony that has protected the family. His interest in Shireen, mildly creepy at first, grows less mild and more sinister as the film progresses toward its final crisis. He embodies, perhaps too schematically, one of Ms. Keshavarz's main themes, which is that religious authoritarianism is rooted in and devoted to the patriarchal control of women.
"Circumstance" makes this point with undeniable power and conviction, and also with a dramatic extravagance that comes close to soap opera. Seething passions boil over, and the results are messy. But if excess and unruliness can be counted among the film's flaws, they also represent the very principles it is determined to defend. One slogan of an earlier era of student revolt was "be realistic: demand the impossible," and Ms. Keshavarz's indifference to some of the sober conventions of realism is very much in this spirit. "Circumstance" sometimes feels like too much, but as a response to dogmatism and denial that can feel just right.
"Circumstance" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has sexual content, strong language and some drug use.
Opens on Friday in Manhattan.
Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz; director of photography, Brian Rigney Hubbard; edited by Andrea Chignoli; music by Gingger Shankar; produced by Ms. Keshavarz, Karin Chien and Melissa Lee; released by Roadside Attractions and Participant Media. In Persian, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. WITH: Nikohl Boosheri (Atafeh), Sarah Kazemy (Shireen), Reza Sixo Safai (Mehran) and Soheil Parsa (Firouz).