text:
I was the first to wake that morning. As I rose to my feet not only were my legs unstable but every fiber of my being felt as if it was crumbling to the ground. My body was a fraction of the size it had been just six weeks earlier and my soul was every bit as weak.
I was reeling in the painful aftermath of learning that my husband of nearly two decades had been living a double life. The father of my three sons, and the man I had built a life around, had been having an affair for almost three years.
I stood lifeless in front of the bathroom mirror, looking for any resemblance to the woman I once was. The woman who – until six weeks earlier – embraced life's challenges with huge exclamation points. A woman who had thrived on saying, "Watch me!" to doubters and had built herself up by overcoming obstacles. This time was different. Overcoming this obstacle wasn't about conquering a challenge or achieving a goal. It was about leaning into fear.
My life was slipping through my fingers. I was now dissolving into the type of woman I had spent years pitying and unconsciously judging. They were the mothers of my children's friends and the wives of my husband's business associates – hell, one of them was my mother! Women who appeared lost in the identity of a man. They were simply going through the motions each day. They were sacrificing their dreams, talents and – in my case – self-worth for someone else's in order to maintain status quo.
The night before, over a bottle of wine, my best friend, Kim, had asked for my advice. She had been dissatisfied in her marriage for years. Now, she and her husband were building a business together and were at odds over the company's direction. She wanted to develop a new product line. He wanted her to sit back and let him run the company. Her boundless enthusiasm around this new venture was palpable. It was clear she was ready to fly. Yet, it seemed she faced choosing between stepping into her greatness and pleasing her husband to save their marriage.
My advice to my dear friend was simple, "Play it small and let him shine."
She sat silent. I did, too.
I was living in hell with a marriage on the rocks, scared of the unknown and paralyzed by fear. My new normal wasn't something I wished upon my worst enemy, let alone my best friend. Perhaps being the "good wife" would save her marriage. Perhaps being more of a submissive one would save mine.
I didn't recognize it at the time but I was becoming my mother. Despite having a brilliant career, she lived under the patriarchal order of my father. Outside the walls of our home, she was a force, the very model of a polished, powerful and respected businesswoman. Inside, she was incredibly unhappy. While I respected her ambition and tenacity, I secretly viewed her as a coward, never understanding why she allowed him to silence her. The answer was far more complex than a 13-year-old girl could understand. I just know I vowed to never be like her – and yet, here I was walking the very same path and encouraging my friend to follow along.
Truth be told, patriarchal myths still permeate our unconscious. Messages resonate throughout society telling us we can't survive on our own – that we need a man to be complete. And that if we fail as the matriarch of our family, we have failed as a woman regardless of the success of our career. The shame around this potential failure is immense and what ultimately drives many of us to just bandage the wounds and keep the peace.
But, submissiveness is not sustainable. It is self-sabotaging. We must step into our greatness.
Just last week – four years later – Kim and I spoke once again about her issue. She never started that new product line. She took a backseat to her husband and yes, she is still unhappy. Just as best friends do, I filled her with advice (some solicited and some not). And then I caught myself saying, "You get just one life. Don't be afraid. Fly!"
It was advice I could finally give because I was living it every day – learning to fly as a single mother and entrepreneur. I had found my strength again and was no longer playing it small. My happiness is no longer defined by my relationship. It was a rare full-circle moment where I saw that by leaning into the fear, I had found myself again and was stronger and wiser from the journey.


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subset: commoncrawl


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"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
I remember as kid, standing up at the beginning of class each day. I would place my hand over my heart; look up at Old Glory and recite the pledge of allegiance. I never paid attention to the content nor did I care. As an adult, I've begun to look back and think critically about what I was taught. Now, through the magic of the internet, I bring to you this episode of C-Webb's Sunday school…the Pledge of Allegiance.
First, a Brief History:
The pledge we say today is not the same pledge that was written over one hundred years ago. There have been several revisions since the original. A Christian Socialist named Francis Bellamy wrote the original pledge in 1892. The pledge was first published in a popular children's magazine called The Youth's Companion. It was published in conjunction with the National Public-School Celebration of Columbus Day. This celebration marked the 400th anniversary of Columbus arriving in the Americas. Essentially, this was a marketing campaign to revitalize patriotism. The Youth's Companion would sponsor the event, making the public school flag ceremony the center of the celebration. Bellamy designed the pledge to be short and sweet, to be said in under fifteen seconds.
Bellamy's original pledge is as follows:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
They finally won approval from Congress to use the pledge in the Columbus Day celebration. This announcement made the public school flag ceremony the center of the celebration. The pledge was first used in public schools on October 12th, 1882.
Bellamy stated the following reasons for creating a pledge of allegiance:
"At the beginning of the nineties patriotism and national feeling was at a low ebb. The patriotic fervor of the Civil War was an old story…The time was ripe for a reawakening of simple Americanism and the leaders in the new movement rightly felt that patriotic education should begin in the public schools."
On June 22nd, 1942, Congress officially recognized the pledge of allegiance in the following form:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
You may have noticed that "My flag" was changed to "the flag." This was done so new immigrants weren't confused between swearing allegiance to the United States of American and their birth countries.
Not content to leave well enough alone, "under God" was eventually added. Louis A. Bowman was the man responsible for adding this phrase. He first used this version on February 12th, 1948 during a meeting of the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. On August 21st, 1952 the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, adopted the "under God" pledge as well. Prior to 1954, several groups tried unsuccessfully to petition Congress to adopt this new of the pledge.
The final push came from George MacPherson Docherty, a Presbyterian pastor. It was tradition that on President Lincoln's birthday, the current President attends the Presbyterian Church Lincoln attended. President Eisenhower attended a church service on February 7th, 1954 where Docherty delivered a sermon based on the Gettysburg Address. He argued that the nation's might lay not in weapons but in its spirit and higher purpose. He stated that the words "under God" were defining words that set the United States apart from other nations. President Eisenhower was moved by this sermon and immediately set in motion a bill to change the pledge to add the word's "under God." The bill was signed into law on June 14th, 1954. President Eisenhower stated the following when signing the bill:
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war."
One myth that involves adding the words "under God" to pledge has to do with the Soviets during the Cold War. The US wanted to show the world they were a God fearing nation unlike the atheist communist. I could not find any evidence to support this claim [1].
So what's the big deal with adding "Under God" to the pledge?
What seems like a harmless statement on the surface, has several, deeper implications. In 1954, approximately 88% of Americans identified as Christian. This number has dropped over the years and now sits around 76%. The US Constitution explicitly prohibits establishing or even endorsing a specific religion. But, what is it about the phrase "under God" that is so wrong? Why is it even an issue? On the surface, it seems harmless considering the vast majority of Americans believe in some kind of god. It can be said that this phrase just cast the widest net. This may be true but we run into problems if even one American does not believe in a god. Recent surveys suggest that 13% of Americans have no religious affiliation and a large percentage of them are atheist. We can stop right there and conclude that the phrase "under God" discriminates against non-believers but let's keep going and see what else we can find.
Let us first look at what this phrase implies:
1) That a deity even exists and traditionally, this deity is omniscient and omnipotent
2) That said god is a male. God with a capital G implies that the God being spoken of is a male
3) God is used in the singular, implying monotheism
4) This phrase implies that God is omnipresent, that God is ruling over the US and is present everywhere
5) It implies that God is in control, guiding the US and intervening in the affairs of planet earth
Based on this list alone, several groups are immediately excluded because of this simple phrase. Here is a brief rundown of some of those groups:
1) Atheist; who do not believe in any god's existence
2) Agnostics: who are unsure about any god's existence
3) Buddhist: who generally have no belief in a personal god
4) Deists: who believe a god exists but is more in line with at watchmaker god. God set the universe in motion but does not intervene in its affairs.
5) Humanist: who base their beliefs on secular considerations
6) Hindu's: who believe in many gods both male and female
7) Pagan's: who believe that natural objects have souls such as planets and animals
This list can go on and one but even if one group is excluded because of this pledge, it goes against the foundation of our country. No one should feel left out or marginalized by their government. This pledge very explicitly implies belief in the Judeo-Christian God [2].
As with anything controversial topic, there are defenders of the "under God" inclusion in the pledge. One of the arguments that is most used is the logical fallacy known as "the appeal to tradition." Simply put, this fallacy states: "this is right because we've always done it this way [3]." This argument falls flat on its face for several reasons:
1) It condones violations of the separation of church and state, which somehow renders it Constitutional because of traditions. This puts a statute of limitations on the Constitution. One would not sit by and watch freedom of speech be hindered because of "tradition"
2) The phrase "under God" was added in 1954, so the original pledge is an older tradition and should be superseded by the "newer" tradition. This argument is illogical.
Another argument is that "under God" is recognition of the historical beliefs of our country. I have already pointed out the history of the pledge and adding "under God" was not recognition of historical beliefs. It was an active statement of patriotism which expressed a promise of loyalty to the nation and its ideals. Upholding history is irrelevant in this case.
Apologist for the phrase "under God" will argue that saying the pledge is voluntary. Children do not have to say those words if they choose not to. They can simply leave the classroom. At one point in our history, the Bible was taught in schools. Children were given the opportunity to leave the class but this does not negate the fact that teaching the Bible in public schools is unconstitutional. Peer pressure is a huge deal and children who refuse to say this phrase can be harassed and bullied. This even happens with adults. Representative Jim McDermott leaves out the phrase and is mercilessly attacked by conservatives. Replacing government force with mob pressure is immoral and wrong [4].
Opposition to the phrase "under God" does not just come from atheist. Several religious groups oppose this phrase and specifically see it as a religious pledge. Buddhist and Jewish organizations oppose it. Liberal Christians oppose it. Church/State separationist oppose it. Having the United States government endorse any particular religion is no good for anyone. From the believer to the atheist, keeping the government out of the affairs of religious organizations benefits everyone. Keeping religion out of government protects all citizens of this great nation from persecution based on beliefs.
This Week's Profile in Hate:
Concerned Women for America
Here is the group's mission statement:
"The mission of CWA is to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens – first through prayer, then education, and finally by influencing our society – thereby reversing the decline in moral values in our nation"
The six "core issues" are as follows:
1) Family – "CWA believes that marriage consists of one man and one woman. We seek to protect and support the Biblical design of marriage and the gift of children." Simply put, preventing gays from marrying
2) Sanctity of Human Life – "CWA supports the protection of all innocent human life from conception until natural death. This includes the consequences resulting from abortion."
3) Education – "CWA supports reform of public education by returning authority to parents." They want to include creationism and "biblical principles" in all school, both public and private
4) Pornography – "CWA endeavors to fight all pornography and obscenity." They want to make any erotica a criminal activity
5) Religious Liberty – "CWA supports the God-given rights of individuals in the United States and other nations to pray, worship and express their beliefs without fear of discrimination or persecution."
6) National Sovereignty – "CWA believes that neither the United Nations nor any other international organization should have authority over the United States in any area. We also believe the United States has the right and duty to protect and secure our national borders [link]."
It comes to no surprise that CWA is anti-same sex marriage, it donated $409,000 in support of Proposition 8 and opposed the 1988 Act for Better Child Care, which would have provided government-sponsored child care for families in which both parents are working. They describe same sex unions as "counterfeit marriages and that these unions will be used quote to take control and the have the force of law to legitimize their disordered, unnatural behaviors.
They oppose abortion, birth control and emergency contraception, including cases where rape occurred.
The Southern Law Poverty Center classifies CWA as a hate group based on its stance against homosexuality. They diminish the evidence of increased hate crime against homosexuals and accuse GLSEN, which is an anti-bully organization, of indoctrinating children to accept homosexuality as normal [link].
They are in the news recently because they want congress to block the Protection of Women Act, which protects women against domestic violence. The CWA opposes the Act because it will extend protection to Native American Women, lesbians and illegal immigrants.
They had to this to say:
"The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), S. 1925, creates new protections for homosexuals. In order to receive federal grants, domestic violence organizations have to agree to embrace the homosexual agenda. It also expands categories of who is eligible to receive services. These broad definitions actually squander the resources for victims of actual violence by failing to properly prioritize and assess victims [link]."
It is safe to say that groups like this would not exist if the Bible was never created. As long as there is passage in the Bible to justify such actions, people will use it to support their cause. Concerned Women for America is just another hate group that will be on the wrong side of history.
And now, the gospels according to Google Voice, Mark 1:21-34
They want to compare notes. And when the Sabbath came G. Just wanted to the synagogue again to teach. The people were amazing teaching because he talked to him as one who left already. Not as a teacher took a lot Justin, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out what you want with us, cheeses, nazar, hey you come to destroy as I know who you are the hold of one of God, be quiet jesus At, sternley come out of him. The evil spirit shut them in filing in came out them with the street. The people were still amazed that they ask each other what it is a new teaching and with authority. If you can give orders. T evil spirit in the obey him news about inspect quickly over the whole region. Uncle Lee. I'll Galilee, as soon as I left the synagogue. They went with James in jogged almost Simon Angeles time is mother and I was in bed with a fever and I told you this about. So we went to her took her hand and helps her out. The fever message we can do without them died evening after sunset, the people about Jesus. All the sick and giving possessed the whole town gathered at the door hinges. Your Mamie who it is diseases. He offered you about maintenance, but you could not let the teams be, because they knew who we will us.
In closing:
We are not a Christian nation, simply a nation made up of Christians and Buddhist, atheist, Jews, Humanist, Wiccans, Pagans, scientologist, Hindu's, Muslims and so on. It's easier to just remove the "under God" part then to try to include every single religious and non-religious group in the United States. If we are going to use the pledge at all, you must use the original to avoid marginalizing any group. We have to be careful because when people are given an inch, they take a yard. So, if you are so inclined, stand up and say the pledge, the original version, just like our old friend Porky Pig.
Thank you for listening to C-Webb's Sunday school. Please follow me on Twitter at cwebb619, email me any feedback at email@example.com and don't forget to check out atheistsocialworker.org.


text:
Guy and woman having sex: I stopped at my hands over her and watched her breasts giggle around his chest.
For as soon as I settled in it, it became a wild bucking beneath me to meet my every thrust. What I was sure of it.
cheating wife sites I had during the trip. She felt stronger than last time, but it was so long ago.
pics of naked housewives wasted no time climbing between your legs Monica and burying herself in her liquid warmth. I finally got hard when the two women began to share my cock and when something hard.


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Beijing's Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Considering that the International Children's Games, which this year were held in Thailand, have as an objective to promote friendship among youth aged 12-15, the Chinese team's behavior vis-à-vis Taiwanese athletes represents a most unfortunate blemish on the event. Chinese sports officials—not children—snatched the Taiwanese flag from the shoulders of two Taiwanese swimming champions as they were walking towards the podium to obtain their gold medals. According to a member of the Beijing delegation, the Taiwanese athletes had left them no choice. Asking if violence was the only way to deal with the issue, a Taiwanese official was reportedly met with a resounding yes from the female members of the Beijing team. Another Taiwanese athlete (seen here), meanwhile, was able to keep her Taiwanese flag as she received her gold medal in Taekwondo. Perhaps the Chinese delegation feared that, given her skills, she would be able to fight back. Doesn't Beijing understand a language other than that of force?
How unfortunate it is that Beijing's aggressive and bellicose stance vis-à-vis Taiwan would seep into games organized to promote harmony among children of different nations. Not only does this provide a bad example to youth, it demonstrates how irresponsible the Beijing cadres can become when it comes to the evidently-emotional issue of Taiwan separatism. There is no place for hatred—even less when it comes to the education of children, upon whom the future of cross-Strait relations will eventually rest. If China, through its state-controlled curriculum and actions in the international arena, continues to inculcate hatred, then the future of the Taiwan-China equation will continue to be a threatening one, with no hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
One of the many reasons why Israel and Palestine have failed to live peacefully side-by-side includes the teaching of hatred in the classroom on both sides. Children who grow up emulating the actions of their teachers, coaches and parents can only but perpetuate the cycle of hatred. Given that the Taiwanese-Chinese issue is far less complex than the Israeli-Palestinian one, such juvenile bullying is definitely not necessary—but it sure is revealing of the manner in which Beijing approaches the question at all levels, from within the halls of the United Nations to the sports arena in Bangkok.


text: As an online nursery, ensuring the successful arrival of your tubestock plants to your door is of paramount importance to us. Soldes Timberland We also like to offer a number of payment and pick up options should you prefer to pop in to our nursery and pick up your purchase. A number of questions we receive from customers from time to time are in regard to company delivery and pick up policy. So today we'll look to answer some of those most frequently asked: Continue reading Evergreen Growers: Frequently asked questions about postage and pick up


text:
A week after dropping its regular season finale to Samford at Brooks Gym, the ETSU volleyball team defeated the Bulldogs 3-2 in the SoCon quarterfinals Saturday at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
ETSU had several stand-out performances in the match. Briana Alllmon (Flower Mound, Texas) matched a career-high with 23 kills, while Rylee Milhorn (Kingsport, Tenn.) notched her 13th double-double of the season with 17 kills and a career-high 23 digs. Setting up Allmon and Milhorn was Kristen Favre (Plano, Texas), who had 50 assists. In addition to Milhorn's 23 digs, Hailey Aguilar (Oswego, Illinois) paced the squad with 28 digs of her own.
"We were a little more consistent with our passing game than the last time we played Samford," said coach Lindsey Devine. "Throughout the match we had so many people step up and make a play, which was the key for us."
Despite committing nine attack errors in the first set, Samford was able to win the opening frame 25-22. Erin Bognar paced the Bulldogs' offense with seven kills, while Allmon led the Bucs' attack with four kills.
ETSU withstood a 9-3 run by Samford midway through the frame to take the second set, 25-22. After tallying just one kill in the first frame, Milhorn totaled six kills to go along with a solo block in the second. Mariah McPartland (Boone, Iowa) also chipped in three kills and a pair of block assists for ETSU.
After hitting .047 and .200 in the first and second sets, respectively, the Bucs' offense exploded hitting .531 with 19 kills on 31 attempts with just two attack errors. The offensive outburst was enough for the Bucs to gain the 2-1 advantage in the match with a 25-19 victory in the third set.
Four different Bucs had two or more kills, including Allmon who had six kills in the fourth set. Through the varied offense, ETSU had match point twice during the fourth set, but they could not close out the Bulldogs as they went on to force a fifth set, 27-25.
ETSU and Samford battled back and forth in the fifth and deciding set as the score was tied at 11 different points in the frame. With the score tied 12-12, the Bucs scored three of the next four points to finish off the Bulldogs with a 15-13 set win.
The Bucs took on Chattanooga in the semifinal round of the SoCon tournament Sunday at 2 p.m. The Mocs defeated ETSU twice this season, including a 3-2 win at Brooks Gym Nov. 13.
"We need to play together, fearless, and give 100 percent," said Devine. "If we do that we will set ourselves up to be successful."
At the semifinal round of the SoCon on Sunday, the Bucs faced No.1 ranked Chattanooga Mocs in the semifinals and fell 3-1.


text:
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text:
All Eden Bancroft has ever been to her high-profile politician husband is a trophy wife, born and bred for the part. She believes she has no choice but to play it—until she meets a talented chef and restaurant heir who makes her feel loved for herself alone. The more her husband uses and belittles her, the more deeply Eden falls for Kaleb. Even with Mitchell's congressional campaign in full swing, the lovers manage to find brief stolen moments together. When her husband is wounded by a bullet from a disgruntled lobbyist, Eden must stay by his side. What she learns can set her free, if she has the courage to take a stand.
The Taste of Good Champagne
Eden saw him coming toward her and something, some strange new feeling she didn't understand, caught at her heart. He was handsome, but it was more than that. His walk, as he strode to her, was confident. A smile played at his lips.
"Good evening," he said smoothly.
"It would have been," she replied, pushing the bottle towards him. "It's corked. Too bad, too. The food is pretty decent."
"Decent?" he countered. "Don't you mean delicious?"
The smile tempting his mouth broke full and wide. She had intended to really let him have it—there was no excuse for serving wine that had essentially turned to vinegar—but his smile stopped her. When she didn't return it, and didn't say anything, he picked up the bottle and looked at the label.
"Yeah," he said. "I wouldn't have ordered this. It was already selected when I came on board. Let me give you something else."
"No," she said. "Thanks, anyway."
"Come on. You've got to let me do something for you."
"You can't do anything for me," she said softly, looking into his eyes.
He broke into a grin. "Well, that's a matter of opinion."
He was flirting with her, and Eden had a sudden, reckless yearning to find out how far it could go. With his piercing brown eyes, dark hair and full, inviting lips, he had a kind of sultry Joe Manganiello quality. He had big, powerful hands and he was built like a middleweight boxer. He looked more like a prizefighter than a chef.
"Maybe you could leave me alone," she said, even though it was the last thing she wanted.
"Not a chance," he told her with a devilish grin, then turned and walked away.
Eden glanced across the room to see Mitchell and his mother still table-hopping, working the crowd, as Mitchell slugged back a Coors Light. He had never learned to savor the subtle nuances in wine, any more than he had learned to savor his wife. And then the handsome young chef was back, standing before her. He was holding two tall champagne flutes and a bottle of wine, its label hidden by a linen cloth expertly tucked around it.
"I told you I don't want anything," she said.
"You're not having a good time, are you?" he asked. She remained silent but he persisted. "Don't you want your husband to be a congressman? Or don't you want—"
"Of course I do," she interrupted.
". . . him to be your husband?" he finished.
That caught her by surprise. She hadn't thought anyone could see through her façade of happy, perfect wife. Feeling vulnerable always made her angry, and she bristled. "But he is my husband," she said. "I believe we were discussing the bad wine you served."
"You're right. We were." He set the glasses on the table in front of her and poured out the sparkling liquid. "Taste this," he said.
"What is it?"
"Just taste it."
Intrigued, she took a sip. She was surprised. "Veuve Clicquot?"
He nodded. "For you, only the best." He put the emphasis on you and she smiled at him. "Finally," he added, pouring himself a glass. "It's nice to see you smile."
"Was I?" The elegant taste of good champagne lingered on her tongue. She wondered what his kisses would be like.
For a few moments they talked about the Champagne Region in France. A strange mix of emotions assaulted Eden. Sharply aware of the raw, primal need this man awakened in her, she forced herself to focus on what he was saying instead of the tantalizing way his lips curved. His knowledge of wines surprised her. He told her he had lived and trained as a chef in Paris and Provence. They were deep in conversation when Mitchell returned to the table.
Ignoring Kaleb, he leaned toward his wife. "Eden, did you bring my speech?" he demanded. "They want me to go up now and I—"
"Of course, darling," she broke in before he could get wound up. She opened her bag and pulled out the speech. Mitchell grabbed it.
"Well, that's a relief," he retorted brusquely. Grabbing Kaleb's champagne flute, he drained it and then hurried up to the microphone. He hadn't bothered to thank her. She turned her gaze again to Kaleb.
"Look," he said. "I've got to go and get dessert out, but I'll be back. Don't leave, okay? There's something I want to ask you. You'll wait?" He looked deeply into her eyes. All she could think of was how much she wanted to kiss him.
"Yes," she agreed. "I'll wait."
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
GUEST POST: Writing Supporting Characters
Writing supporting characters is always fun. There's no pressure to make sure they adhere to a certain formula, i.e. the heroine must be (usually) young, innocent and beautiful and the hero must be strong, gorgeous beyond words with muscles to match, and (at first) seemingly immune to the charms of the heroine, as she is to his.
Supporting characters can be whatever the author wants them to be, as long as one rule is observed—they must be just that. Supporting. YA author S. Alex Martin, who also wrote Get It Write Tonight: Characters, says, "Simply put, supporting characters should influence your main characters—and the story—in a significant way."
Supporting characters are vital. Not only do they give the hero and heroine someone to talk to (instead of having all that infernal, internal dialogue) they help to define the traits of the main character(s) as seen through the eyes of others. Writing them can be a bit tricky, however. You can't fall in love with them to the extent that you allow them to take over the story.
In The Congressman's Wife co-author Arie Pavlou and I created supporting characters stronger than we intended them to be, and holding them back wasn't easy. Although there was a great temptation to let them hog center stage whenever they appeared, we held them mercilessly in check. We wanted Kaleb and Eden, our two star-crossed lovers, to tell the story.
The villain can also be a supporting character, even though he or she is trying to undermine one or more of the main characters. We have two equally compelling villains: Russian mob boss Sergei Komarovski and Mitchell Bancroft, Eden's high-profile, abusive husband who is running for congress when the story opens.
Writing villains, for me, is always enjoyable. You can make them as mean and nasty as you need them to be to propel your story forward, while also endowing them with a soft spot. We gave Mitchell a couple of tender moments with his six-year-old daughter, without allowing those moments to redeem him in anyway.
There's also Mitchell's domineering mother, who tries to control every aspect of his life, including his wife and children; Alice, the mousy, shy publicist, who yearns to be closer to him; and Kaleb's friend, Royal King, a Native American/Jamaican mob boss. In the second and third books of the trilogy, King will do battle with the Russian crime lord who, in essence, owns Mitchell, the ego-driven politician.
And Alice, dear sweet insignificant Alice, will get her wish in The Congressman's Mistress, moving from supporting to main character to fill the title role. From their first physical encounter, which Mitchell's mother engineers in chapter one, you'll want to scream the time-worn admonition at Alice, "Be careful what you wish for. It could be your undoing."
About the AUTHORS:
Charlene Keel has written over a dozen novels and how-to books as well as multiple episodes of popular TV shows such as Fantasy Island and Days of our Lives. Her Dell book, Rituals, was the basis for the first made-for-syndication soap opera. Recently she co-authored The Tracks, a YA supernatural trilogy. Shadow Train, the final installment, won a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer's Choice Award. Keel has also written screen adaptations of novels by bestselling authors, and has worked as editor or managing editor for a few international magazines. In her spare time she ghostwrites books and screenplays for celebrities, doctors, corporate moguls, spies, strippers and anyone who has an interesting story to tell.
Website: http://www.charlenekeel.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharleneKeel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlene.keel.1
Blog – Red Sky Book Blog: https://redskybookblog.wordpress.com/category/charlene-keel/
Arie Pavlou is a popular chef who attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and then perfected his craft at some of the top-rated Michelin restaurants in France and New York. He has lived and worked in France, Cyprus and the U. S. and is an avid world traveler who speaks five languages. He enjoys all sports and has a talent for knife-throwing, which he perfected at Le Cordon Bleu. Currently Chef de Cuisine at the renowned Bridgehampton Inn in New York, his specialties include Caramelized Baked Alaska, Winter Salad, Roast Lamb Fondue, Wild Game and Poached Pears with Mint Ice Cream. The Congressman's Wife is his first novel, and he's currently writing a cookbook.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arie.pavlou
Follow the tour for more chances to win:
October 3: BooksChatter
October 4: Fabulous and Brunette
October 5: Liz Gavin's Blog
October 5: The Reading Addict
October 6: Long and Short Reviews
October 7: Booklover Sue
October 10: The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
October 11: LibriAmoriMiei
October 13: EskieMama Reads
October 14: Louise Lyndon Romance Author Hear Me Roar


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What is this Hack... Day? Competition overview, special categories and prize info
Upload and view photos from your university's Hack Day and check out special videos
Back to the future! Check out HackU from days of yore
Rules were made to be broken, except for these ones.
Questions? Comments? How's our driving?


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Active Plugins
404 Notifier 1.2a
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This plugin will log 404 hits on your site and can notify you via e-mail or you can subscribe to the generated RSS feed of 404 events. Adjust your settings here.
Akismet 2.5.6
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Deny automated spambots access to your PHP-based Web site.
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Use Bit.ly shortlinks instead of the shortlink WP generates. Works with Bit.ly Pro too, so you can immediately use the right URL.
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Checks your blog for broken links and missing images and notifies you on the dashboard if any are found.
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Bring the power of the WordPress.com cloud to your self-hosted WordPress. Jetpack enables you to connect your blog to a WordPress.com account to use the powerful features normally only available to WordPress.com users.
JournalPress 0.3.3
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Mirrors your WordPress blog to any number of LiveJournal-based external journalling sites. Supports per-journal-per-post userpics and custom permission levels via the separate WP-Flock plugin.
Lightbox Gallery 0.7.3
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Eliminates spam trackbacks by (1) checking if the IP address of the trackback sender is equal to the IP address of the webserver the trackback URL is referring to and (2) by retrieving the web page located at the URL used in the trackback and checking if the page contains a link to your blog.
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The highest rated and most complete WordPress performance plugin. Dramatically improve the speed and user experience of your site. Add browser, page, object and database caching as well as minify and content delivery network (CDN) to WordPress.
WP-ContactForm 3.2.1
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Manages your WordPress database. Allows you to optimize database, repair database, backup database, restore database, delete backup database , drop/empty tables and run selected queries. Supports automatic scheduling of backing up, optimizing and repairing of database.
WP-PluginsUsed 1.50
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Display WordPress plugins that you currently have (both active and inactive) onto a post/page.
WP to Twitter 2.4.13
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Posts a Tweet when you update your WordPress blog or post to your blogroll, using your chosen URL shortening service. Rich in features for customizing and promoting your Tweets.
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A plugin which formats your site with a mobile theme for visitors on Apple iPhone / iPod touch, Google Android, Blackberry Storm and Torch, Palm Pre and other touch-based smartphones.


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8 Am to 6 Pm
Dr. Ravikiran Muthuswamy
Consultant - Endocrinology
MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Endocrinology)
Dr.Ravikiran has more than 10 years of experience in Clinical Endocrinology. He has completed M.D. Internal Medicine and D.M. Endocrinology from the prestigious institute PGIMER, Chandigarh. He has won many accolades and awards throughout his academic career. He has published many research papers in reputed international journals and written chapters in endocrine books.
Professional Competencies of your Doctor:
- Member, American Diabetes Association
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- Member, ESTN
Your Doctor's Area of Expertise:
- Diabetes
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- Reproductive Endocrine disorders
- Paediatric Endocrine disorders


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Join thousands of our happy Kanban Tool users from all over the world.
A short list of great things our customers have said about Kanban Tool:
I am really loving https://kanbantool.com - used it personally for a month/now I'm using it with my team! / @kanbantool
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kanbantool.com is the best thing ever. i did pretty much everything i'd planned to do every weekend for the past 2 months today.
Really getting value from using @kanbantool now. We have 8 boards and 48 users active tracking IT Ops tasks, order quotations & projects.
A great todo list and tasks app! Kanbantool.com highly recommended!
This is such a fabulous tool
for managing multiple activities in your organization.
Well worth it.
"After giving it a go for a few weeks our productivity was through the roof"
Become Agile, Go Kanban - The JavaEE Xperience
"In the 2 months, we have managed to cut down our issue backlog by about 15% inspite of seeing 2 weeks which showed a steep rise in new bug reports. Kanban sure has worked wonders for our team and we are hoping to keep it that way. Update (11th July): The team went on to break a record of sorts. After compensating for the inflow, our backlog is now down by almost 50% now. Kanban does work."
Started! Working! Done! - Martin von Weissenberg
"Basically I've wanted a personal Kanban board.
So yesterday I evaluated a bunch of free online Kanban tools, on the assumption that a well-written AJAX app should work on my laptop as well as my two cellphones. I ended up with www.kanbantool.com mostly because it supports swimlanes and downloadable webcals. The UI is fresh, simple and uncluttered, and although it's not optimized for mobile devices, it's at least usable."
How great is Kanban Tool? - Sarah
"This product has revolutionised communication for us. Team members from UK/off-shore are communicating in real time a lot more; teams are unblocking themselves quicker; everyone is focusing on bottlenecks; devs are collaborating with testers better; inter-team dependencies are clear; and it has given management more visibility of progress than they've ever had before. We've only been using it for a few weeks and it's changed everything.
(...) After giving it a go for a few weeks our productivity was through the roof, so I asked them to present our findings to management. The benefits spoke for themselves, so management were keen to roll out to the whole dept.
The great thing about kanban is you can apply it on top of whatever you're currently doing, so there's very little risk or disruption involved in individuals or teams giving it a go."
Get organized with Kanban Tool - toby benjamin
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KanbanTool: Worth Or Not Your Attention? - Valeria Kokina
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In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
86:2 And what will make thee know what the Comer by night is?
86:3 The star of piercing brightness—
86:4 There is not a soul but over it is a keeper.
86:5 So let man consider of what he is created.
86:6 He is created of water pouring forth,
86:7 Coming from between the back and the ribs.
86:8 Surely He is Able to return him (to life).
86:9 On the day when hidden things are manifested,
86:10 Then he will have no strength nor helper.
86:11 By the cloud giving rain,
86:12 And the earth opening (with herbage)!
86:13 Surely it is a decisive word,
86:14 And it is not a joke.
86:15 Surely they plan a plan,
86:16 And I plan a plan.
86:17 So grant the disbelievers a respite — let them alone for a while.


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Jodi Picoult, Helen Macdonald and Tom Barbash interviews
Listen to this episode of Book Talk on Soundcloud.
In our last episode for 2014, Ryan Van Winkle talks to Tom Barbash, Helen Macdonald and Jodi Picoult about elephants, New York and how writing can help people deal with change and grief.
Jodi Picoult is the author of 23 books including My Sister's Keeper. Her latest novel Leaving Time debuted at number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The book tells the story of Alice Metcalf, and elephant researcher, and her daughter Jenna. Following Alice's disappearance, Jenna uses Alice's diaries to find out more about her mother and what might have happened to her. Jodi speaks to Ryan about the research she undertook for the book - including learning how to run an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee and working with an elephant researcher in Botswana - and how she planned the structure of a book with multiple narratives.
Helen Macdonald's recent memoir, H is for Hawk, won the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-Fiction. After the sudden death of her father, Helen coped with her grief by returning to a childhood obsession and training a goshawk. "The goshawk was everything I wanted to be: it didn't know about grief, it was very solitary and it was also very powerful and full of rage... It took me a good few years to get enough emotional distance from that year to be able to write it as a book"
The book is a raw and very personal reflection of a traumatic period in Helen's life and her storyis intertwined with that of writer TH White and his struggles with the difficulties in his life and attempts to train his own goshawk in 1936.
Finally, Ryan talks to the author of one of his favourite books of the year, Stay Up With Me a short story collection by Tom Barbash. Tom explains how some of his stories were put together, and the power of drafting: "I do like the fact that I'm not quite getting at in the beginning".
Podcast contents
00:00 - 01:26 Introduction
01:27 - 14:10 Jodi Picoult interview
14:11 - 23:57 Helen Macdonald interview
23:58 - 38:11 Tom Barbash
Book Talk is produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions.


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Since 1995, Superior Sound has provided San Diego with the region's largest rehearsal facility. Our goal is to provide musicians with a professional, affordable, and comfortable rehearsal studio environment. If you are serious about your music, you won't find a better environment to interact and create than at Superior Sound. We pride ourselves in providing you with the ultimate customer service experience. We are accessible for bookings around the clock.
"Easy management, good facilities, music. Can't ask for more. The vending machines are also fairly priced which I appreciate. The air conditioning works (I think one wing went down in the summer, but our room avoided that problem)"
Naviz Z – San Diego, CA
"I've been rehearsing with two different bands sharing a room at Superior Sound for a little over 2 years now. First off, most rehearsal studios in San Diego are absolute garbage heaps, and the others are expensive and the rooms are tiny. Superior Sound on the other hand is completely different. Most importantly, the owner Scott is always around and is in constant communication with the bands. He is polite, respectful of your space and room while rehearsing, and on the ball when it comes to taking care of any issues. He is also willing to work with bands by providing services to them like an in-house recording studio with top of the line equipment. He is prompt when it comes to rent being paid on time, but that is a good thing because it keeps the drug users and dishonest people out of his establishment. There are vending machines and bathrooms and plenty of parking.
It is a 24hr place in a secure location that has security cameras everywhere. This makes it easy for bands like ours that have shows late at night and need to return to put our gear back. You will need to get a key for a security gate that does close at 10, but Scott will provide you with one. Other places in S.D. usually close at 10 and your stuck dragging a full stack up three flights of stairs to your apartment. Overall, I have no complaints."
Brandy B – San Diego, CA
"So just about every band in San Diego has a studio room out here. I am very much a fan of the rehearsal space provided for bands considering neighbors and police love looking for noise violations. Superior Sound is the shelter for their reckless sound creations.
The building is large and industrial with ample amounts of rooms, I think there are over 20 rooms. I'll have to check on that one. The rooms rented out are over 400 bucks a month which is not a hefty fee to pay for a service like this. Rooms are average sized and some have multilevel to them to get that "onstage feeling" to them.
The owner is super chill and makes his rounds quite frequently communicating with the bands but I hear is a stickler about rent money being on time.
Ample parking available and good networking opportunities with the bands who call the studio home."
Amy S – San Diego, CA


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Geocaching is a hobby that was started by Dave Ulmer on May 3, 2000. It combines the centuries-old hobby of Letterboxing with GPS satellite navigation. It is essentially a world wide treasure hunt. You are given GPS coordinates, and you must go to those coordinates and find boxes called "geocaches" (geo for earth, cache as in "pirates cache"). We don't have a GPS reciever, but with Google Maps, we can find the caches pretty well.
Here you will find my geocaching journal. I have organized it by state. In each state page, I have sorted out my cache finds by date. You can read my detailed journal entries, or my geocaching.com log entries if you want to find the cache yourself and don't want to be spoiled by my detailed accounts.


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If you are a tourist in Indonesia, it is very suitable for you to read this article. Whenever you visit North Sumatra, Indonesia, please visit Panyabungan. It is the capital of Mandailing Natal. When you are in Medan, the space of Medan to Panyabungan only about 500 Kms. If you are in Toba Lake, Parapat, it is only about 200 Kms. Not so far
anymore. You will feel very nice to stay in this town. In a day time, you can go to Sampuraga. It is a tourism place. You can look Bagas Godang in Pidoli and Panyabungan Tonga. The more interesting to visit Panyabungan is to go around in Panyabungan town by pedicab or Becak Dayung. The cost is very cheap. When you pay 2 USD or Rp 20.000 or Rp 25.000, every driver of Becak Dayung will take you to go around in Panyabungan. This town is not so large, but every people is very kind. You can prove it when you come to here. When you arrive in Pasar Lama in Panyabungan, you will find many Pedicab. You can visit many area in Panyabungan, such as Pasar Hilir, Sipolu-polu, Kayu Jati, Banjar Sibaguri, and many area in this town. I believe when you come and go around by Becak Dayung, you will feel satisfy. If you want to stay in this town, you will find many hotel here. When you when to try to eat the fruit in Panyabungan, you can find in Pasar Baru or in Pasar Lama. I just say, whenever you visit North Sumatra, please come to Panyabungan. You will see that Panyabungan is very interesting place.
My site is worth$ 6,085.2Your website value?


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"A man with a good coat upon his back meets with a better reception than he who has a bad one."
–Samuel Johnson, 1763
A custom topcoat is the ideal finishing touch to a well-dressed man's ensemble. It does much more than keep you warm. A custom overcoat shows that you're a person who demands the best of everything. A poorly designed or ill-fitting top coat can ruin the impression you're trying to project.
We can craft the best custom top coat to match your needs and the weather. You can choose from hundreds of fabrics and linings and we'll fashion a style that suits your build and lifestyle.
Please give us a call to learn more about custom topcoats, pricing or to schedule an appointment.


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RC News & More — Panini
Searching for Santos: Identifying Pele's Rookie Card.
Posted by RC Team on
There I was… IN THE JUNGLE. OK, it's not the jungle but it is Brazil, Rio de Janeiro to be specific, a twelve hour flight from Los Angeles and I'm on a mission of sorts to discover the great Pele's rookie card. Where better to start than the land of Pele', a.k.a. O Rei, The Black Pearl, Santos, Edwin de Nascimento, the greatest soccer player to ever lace 'em up? An international superstar, least of all in the United States, but even in the U.S. a one-word celebrity like Elvis or Madonna. His name synonymous with soccer, any child on...
- 0 comment
- Tags: 1959, Brazil, Heinerle, Panini, Pele, Quigol, Rookie Cards, Santos, Soccer, World Cup


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Belonging to folks wishing to pare down their stash, the items shown below have somehow found their way to me. To lend a hand, I have offered to sell them in my Etsy shop. Perhaps they will inspire someone to start a new collection . . .
Art Deco anyone? These 1940s delphinium blue Hall Pottery pieces were made as an accessory to Westinghouse refrigerators.
It takes a village. These glittery little cardboard buildings from the 1950s are chock full of Christmas kitsch.
Industrial chic. These vintage porcelain glove molds, in an array of sizes, can become quirky and sculptural home decor.
Preserve the past. These blue Ball mason jars came straight out of an old red barn from an estate that was once a dairy farm.
Gosh, lots to list! You know what I'll be doing for the rest of the month . . .
Hope you have a terrific weekend!


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Tips for improving online gaming experience
As technology has advanced, it has been put to good use at online casinos says Carlton Whitfield on Purple Revolver blog. Nowadays, online casinos have the complete package with background sounds, music and 3D music to complete the gaming experience. The attractive promotions and offers to add to the introduction of live dealers in the industry have increased the popularity of online casinos among clients. However, even with all these amazing features there are times you do not enjoy your gaming time due to various reasons. Below are some tips on how to improve your online gaming.
Hardware upgrade
One of the reasons you may be having a hard time gaming is due to your hardware. Thus, to improve your experience you definitely need to upgrade your hardware. This includes mouse, headset and keyboard if they are what you use when gaming. While engaging in a competitive game, control means a lot and it would be very disadvantageous to end up struggling with control. Therefore, you need software that is swift and easy to control.
Wired connection
Another thing you will need to consider is the wired connection. When gaming online it is advisable to use a wired connection as compared to a wireless one. This is because wired connections come with reduced interference unlike wireless connections. Adapters offer nice and tidy solutions whereas you may opt to get software to help improve your internet connection.
Close internet programs and minimize user numbers
When you have computer programs open and connected to the internet as you game online, you eventually drain your bandwidth. This results to degrading of performance. Thus it's advisable to close the programs you are not using and further reduce the number of people connected to the network you are connected to. Overload on the network you are sharing leads to connection lags giving you a bad gaming experience.
Updated system
Further, you need to have an upgrade and up to date system to have a better online gaming experience. A system that is outdated drags you behind in the game even if you have the strategy and skill to move ahead. The upgrades you make do not have to be the most expensive but affordable ones that have good quality and are up to date.
Server near you
When playing online, there are times when you will have the freedom to choose a server. If this is the case, choose the one near you. A server close to you geographically gives you a higher probability of having an awesome playing experience and low ping times. Before committing to any server you can have a pre-test by downloading a trial. Remember that reliability is measured in terms of reduced latency and speed deviation.
With these simple tips, you will not only have fun but also increase your chances of winning the online game you are playing, giving you an improved online gaming experience.


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|Currently leaking 27,004 articles
|Wiki Home
|Famous Forum
|Porn Tube Videos
|About Us
|Popular Wikis
From Porn Wiki Leaks - Wiki
Michelle A. Sinclair
21 May 1981
Biloxi, Miss.
|Bella, Bella Donna, Belladona, Sasha
|127 lbs (58 kg)
|Eye color
|Hair color
|at IMDb
|at IAFD
|at Adultfilmdatabase
Belladonna born Real Name Michelle A. Sinclair is a snaggletooth pornographic whore and hooker. Find out more about this person's life before porn by looking at the porn star's real name page Michelle A Kelly Born Date Of Birth: Contact email: Twiter:
Porn Videos
Message Board and talk
Belladonna Talk Advanced Search
Family and Friends
•Husband is Aiden Kelly —
•Her mother is Dianna Paden —
•Father is Scott Sinclair —
•Her siblings (including her brother jason who has been known to enjoy pee-fetish porn ) are involved in the porn industry.
•Her brother jason (the one with the pee fetish) -
•Her aunt Jana —
•Her sister alicia —
•Her brother daniel —
•Her half sister poetry —
•Her aunt Jana —
•Her aunt Serena —
Sinclair was born in Biloxi, Miss., as the second of seven children. She experienced her first kiss at age 12, got her first tattoo at 13, and had intercourse at 14. Sinclair dropped out of high school and moved out of her parents' house at the age of 15. She also stayed in Utah for a short period of her life and was raised as a Mormon. Prior to her porn career she worked for 7-11, Victoria's Secret, Sears and Subway.
She has one of those faces that shows it's not that hard to get into porn. She's known to do some of the sickest acts in porn and has been named dirtiest girl in porn twice. She also has a daughter with her fat no-hope perv husband Aiden.
Pornography career
Sinclair got into the adult film industry after she moved to Los Angeles to become a nude model. Her career began in 2000 when she was 18 and was followed for two years by a crew from ABC, culminating in a January 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer as part of a Primetime Thursday segment on porn. At one point in the interview Belladonna breaks down in tears, when Sawyer asks, "You keep describing these awful things that happened to you. Yet, you keep smiling. Why?" Belladonna's smile wavers and her eyes water up. "It's so I don't start crying," she said. Part of the footage for the segment was an interview with Belladonna's sister, who'd moved out to Los Angeles at Belladonna's urging, and who had gotten a job at Red Light District Films. Belladonna's sister revealed on-camera that despite her claims, Belladonna was actually quite depressed, and had recently been hospitalized following a suicide attempt. Another topic discussed in the interview was the fact that Belladonna had contracted the STD chlamydia.
She's done everything that can be legally done in porn: she's been gang-raped by more than six dudes; she's had sex with transexuals; she's been peed on. You name it, she's probably done it. Now all she needs to do is eat shit while being fucked by a donkey, and that would be it, unless she wants to move into necrophilia. Speaking of zoophilia, she said in one porno interview that she gets turned on by watching animals mating on TV, and that she would fuck a dog if a man she was in love with asked her to. Sasha Grey, who was in the clip as well, looked at her like, "Bitch, whad'joo just say?".
Forum Activity/Twitter
She was asked on Twitter why she was pimped out by Mark Spiegler, the gay pimp child rapist.
AVN Awards
- 2011
AVN Hall of Fame; Best All-Girl 3-Way Sex Scene; Best Supporting Actress; Best All-Girls Couples Sex Scene
- 2008
Best Director (Non-Feature)
- 2007
Best Group Sex Scene (Video)
- 2004
- 2003
Best Supporting Actress (Film); Best Tease Performance; Best All-Girl Sex Scene (Film); Best Oral Sex Scene (Film)


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Address emerging issues in geotechnical earthquake engineering, geomechanics and soil remediation
Computational Geomechanics
Soil Interactions Laboratory
Center for Geotechnical Modeling
Geotechnical Graduate Student Society
Martinez, AlejandroSoil-structure interfaces • Novel deep foundations • Soil behavior • Laboratory and numerical modelingZiotopoulou, KaterinaGeotechnical earthquake engineering • Liquefaction effects • Numerical modeling of soil-structure systems • Laboratory testing
|Abrahamson, Norman
|Probabilistic seismic hazard analyses including complete statistical treatment of variability (randomness vs uncertainty).
|Boulanger, Ross W.
|Geotechnical earthquake engineering with emphases on liquefaction and its remediation • Seismic soil-pile-structure interaction • Seismic performance of earth dams and levees
|Dafalias, Yannis F.
|Development and implementation of constitutive models for engineering materials and biomaterials
|DeJong, Jason
|Geotechnical engineering • Microbial treatment of soils • Advanced in-situ characterization • Offshore foundation systems • Digital imaging and measurement techniques
|Harvey, John
|Asphalt and concrete pavements, including design, materials, rehabilitation, life cycle, maintenance, reconstruction and performance modeling
|Idriss, Izzat M.
|Earthquake engineering • Earth- and rock-filled dams • Stability and deformation evaluation of soil masses during earthquake around motions
|Jeremić, Boris
|Computational geomechanics • Probabilistic elasto-plasticity • Parallel computing • Liquefaction and soil-foundation-structure interaction modeling and simulation
|Kutter, Bruce L.
Geotechnical engineering • Centrifugal modeling of geotechnical structures
|Wilson, Dan
Associate Director of the Center for Geotechnical Modeling • Geotechnical engineering
|Back to Top
Students are encouraged to take courses from Hydrologic Science, Geology, Computer Science, Mathematics and other related areas
(Click here for catalog description)
Welcome! The Geotechnical Engineering Group at UC Davis is very active and technically diverse, with expertise among faculty and staff ranging from fundamental physical and chemical processes, to computation modeling and simulation, to full-scale engineering design. This breadth of research interests and abilities together facilitate synergistic research activities and a rich educational graduate experience.
Ongoing research projects totaling over $2M/year cover an array of topics, including geotechnical earthquake engineering, dam rehabilitation, coupled multi-phase material modeling, soil-structure interaction, pavement durability, offshore sediment characterization, and biological treatment of soils. Research is conducted using our extensive laboratory, in situ, computational, centrifuge, visualization, and field-scale testing facilities. This is highlighted by the largest centrifuge in the United States, parallel supercomputer GeoWulf and one of the largest pavement test facilities in the world. These facilities are organized and managed within several research groups.
The educational experience – at both the undergraduate and graduate levels – builds on and compliments the research activities. The academic course program takes students from the fundamentals of soil behavior to simulation and modeling, in situ testing, and design of geosystems. At the graduate level this education is especially rich as course work is integrated with research and consulting projects, as well as case histories. Graduate researchers further broader their experiences through research projects that often include presentations, collaborations, and travel.
The geotechnical group is currently accepting applications for graduate research positions, which are scheduled to begin in the summer or fall. If you are interested, please contact one of the geotechnical faculty and apply to the graduate program. It is best to have your application file complete by January 15 for admission in the fall (January 15 is a hard deadline for University Fellowship applications.) Applications for graduate school received until mid March can be considered for Teaching and Research Assistantships. Later applications might also be considered, but prospects for financial support diminish with time; the sooner you apply the better are your prospects. We are also hiring undergraduate researchers for part-time work during the school year and for full-time work during the summer. Please contact us if you are interested.
If you have further inquiries or comments please feel free to e-mail one of us!


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It was a wedding cake they where making. They make wedding cakes all of the time.
They are not a machine. They are people providing goods and services. And they have the right to express their values in that capacity. This has clearly been upheld in many other cases without it being seen as discrimination. I do not have to support people in doing something I philosophically disagree with and nobody else does either because in general that's what freedom is.
It doesn't matter what you think of a person. If you offer a service you must offer it to everyone. Not only that but it does matter what they do with your service unless it is going to harm someone.
The person who will be harmed is the person making the cake because they will feel like they have not obeyed their own set of standards. That sort of thing sticks with you. If you offer a service, you are free to offer it to anyone you want to or don't want to. It may not make for good business, but you are allowed to do it. And you should be allowed to do it. And it isn't discrimination if you decide you aren't going to do so because it conflicts with an important part of your identity. Especially if it is not a life saving practice and even then maybe. A wedding cake is so incredibly inane and easy to get other places. The only reason to make a stink over a wedding cake is because you have an axe to grind with religious types and have no conception of what freedom of identity practice should be.
If a black person owns a hotel he cannot refuse membership to the KKK unless he have reason to think they might burn his hotel down or kill people in it. If a Christan sculptor is ask to make a Jesus sculptor knowing that those people are going to blow it up he cannot refuse.
Do you have anything to base this on or are you simply stating what you feel it should be? Because if that's all this is, then great. You do that. But unless you find other evidence, it seems unlikely anyone will follow those rules.
t does not matter what people are going to do with the item they brought. It is none of your business. Those guys make cakes for a living. They also make wedding cakes for a living. It is none of their business what is the wedding cake is use for make it and STFU.
And therefore their name and skill is on that cake. It means they are endorsing the activity in some small way. Most wedding cakes are highly intricate and specialized. It is a creative act.


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Legal Notice
June 2004
The Laboratory in the News
Commentary byWilliam H. Goldstein
Shocking Plutonium to Reveal Its Secrets
Strategic Supercomputing Comes of Age
A Bang-Up Job: Keeping Things Clean at the Contained Firing Facility
Seeing the Universe in a Grain of Dust
Patents and Awards
S&TR Staff
AMID rolling pastures 24 kilometers
southeast of Lawrence Livermore's main site, the buildings
and bunkers of the Laboratory's Experimental Test Site tuck
neatly into fingers of canyons punctuated with coastal sage and
blue oak. One's eye catches, perhaps, a jackrabbit, and the
quiet of the landscape interweaves the tinkling song of a horned
Three years ago, the site's new Contained Firing Facility
(CFF) brought explosives tests indoors and minimized the dispersion
of waste, providing more environmental protection than was previously
possible in controlled open-air firing areas. Today, a new cleanup
program developed for the CFF keeps the indoor firing chamber environment
clean and maintains beryllium exposure well below established limits.
New Standard, New Challenges
CFF was designed to conduct nonnuclear high-explosive experiments
in support of the nation's Stockpile Stewardship Program.
When the CFF first fired up operations, a great challenge was born.
In the shift from performing outdoor detonations, a firing environment
was created that would contain hazardous materials in one confined
spot, which, in turn, created the need for a novel cleanup effort
never before undertaken.
to the cleanup effort is the mitigation of harmful effects from
beryllium exposure. About every third shot fired at the CFF
contains beryllium, a naturally occurring metal that is used in
nuclear weapons because of its capacity as a highly effective moderator
and reflector for neutrons. But, as good as beryllium is for nuclear
reactions, in certain forms—namely, as an airborne particulate—it
can be harmful to the health and safety of workers who come into
regular contact with it.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards allow for
a permissible exposure limit of 2 micrograms of beryllium
per cubic meter per 8-hour period, the Department of Energy (DOE)
has raised the bar an order of magnitude for its facilities. DOE
mandates that a working environment remain below an "action
level" of 0.2 microgram of beryllium per cubic meter per
8-hour period, regardless of respiratory protection used. At this
level or above, worker protection provisions must be implemented.
In addition, the goal of Livermore's Chronic Beryllium Disease
Prevention Program is to keep exposure levels as far below the
mandated action level as is practical.
Starting from Scratch
B Program's Site 300 facility manager Gordon Krauter and
facility supervisor Jack Lowry worked with Livermore Hazards Control
personnel to develop a protocol that would allow members of the
CFF team to safely reenter the concrete firing chamber within a
day of a detonation to retrieve experimental data and begin the
cleanup procedure. The CFF team also needed access to the chamber
between shots with minimal personal protective gear.
directly with the CFF team, Dave Zalk, an industrial hygienist,
became convinced that to perform the tasks routinely done in the
CFF, workers must be free to hear, speak, and move about in as
unfettered a manner as possible. So the team was not content to
establish a protocol that still required facility workers to don
cumbersome self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) gear (gear
that's similar to scuba equipment but is not for use underwater)
or respirators when working in the chamber after cleanup. It was
a tall order to fill.
some, the prospect of reaching decontamination levels that allowed
workers back into the chamber without a SCBA suit after a shot
was unthinkable.
Water, Water Everywhere
developing an optimal beryllium cleanup program, the Hazards Control
team realized that water would be a major factor in the
effort. Upon entering the chamber after a test shot, workers were
surprised to find scattered puddles of water. They found that,
by accident, the drainage conduit running the length of one of
the chamber walls was not completely emptied of water before detonating
the test shot. Also, the postshot levels of metals were a fraction
of what they expected. This finding led to the development of the
low-tech but highly effective technique to help mitigate the beryllium
contamination of a blast.
team placed large cardboard barrels in the chamber, filled them
with water, and left them in the chamber to explode during
the next shot. The resulting action was not entirely unlike an
indoor rainstorm: The water in the barrels aerosolized, filled
the volume of the chamber, and fell in droplets to the floor, capturing
much of the particulate matter produced during the shot and depositing
it in a thick layer of sludge on the chamber floor. Previously,
the postshot environment consisted of fine dust clouds and particulate
matter easily stirred up by workers entering the chamber. But the
aftermath of this water explosion was an environment in which the
fine particles of beryllium and other wastes were trapped in a
layer of mud, which could be scooped up with snow shovels and then
transferred to the appropriate containers for disposal at a federal
hazardous waste facility.
Water, Air, and . . . Hair Spray?
three-pronged cleanup procedure that emerged as the preferred and
most effective approach combines a purging of contaminated
air, subsequent water washes in addition to the test shot's
water blast, and a final finishing touch of hair spray. Yes—hair
first of the three steps involves a complete purging and filtering
of the chamber air. The ventilation system, which is capable of
10 complete air changes per half hour, is run for 45 minutes
before the 25-ton door to the firing chamber is opened. The exhaust
gases from the purge are processed through a series of filters
before being released to the atmosphere.
the chamber is purged and observed for any live explosives, a CFF
team wearing SCBA enters to collect the test data—a
large cassette containing radiographic film that captures an image
of the test material at the moment of implosion. Then the cleanup
procedure, which can take up to several weeks, begins. A remotely
operated oscillating washing apparatus is set up in the chamber,
which is again sealed for the 15-minute water wash and scrub down.
About 38,000 liters of recycled water later, the chamber is opened,
and the team reenters to mop up. Water brooms, garden hoses, giant
squeegees, and a large-capacity vacuum cleaner round out the technologies
used in the procedure. "It's amazing how low-tech a
solution this is to such a high-tech problem," observes hydrodiagnostic
technician Keith Toon.
of the nature of beryllium, and the manner in which it is embedded
in the nooks and crannies of the chamber walls from
the force of the explosion, it is nearly impossible to remove all
traces from the chamber. However, the CFF team found that the beryllium
does not have to be removed from the walls to be rendered benign;
it just has to be rendered immobile. As a result, the final cleanup
step involves a spray application of an encapsulating solution
that is similar in formula to hair spray. The solution coats and
adheres to the chamber surfaces and keeps any errant beryllium
particles stuck in place—until the next shot, anyway, at
which time the encapsulant is knocked loose by the blast and the
entire cleanup process begins again. Adding this final step shaves
two weeks off the cleanup time and allows for more shots to be
scheduled than was previously possible.
A Clean Sweep
air monitoring at the CFF shows the results of the cleanup protocol
are impressive. Concentration levels of beryllium are
consistently below the mandated action level. "The success
that we have achieved is a testament to the excellent teamwork
between B Division and Hazards Control personnel," says Zalk.
this massive effort may seem tedious at times, what it has offered—in addition to surpassing health guidelines—is
peace of mind and a better working environment. Toon agrees. "Not
having to always wear the SCBA suit has made working in this environment
easier. We've got enough data now to better handle and control
the beryllium. We take extra steps to make sure everything is safe.
I definitely worry less."
worry for facility workers. Less hazardous waste for the songbirds
and jackrabbits. That's something to sing about.
—Maurina S. Sherman
Key Words: beryllium, Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program
(CBDPP), Contained Firing Facility (CFF), Site 300.
For further information contact Gordon Krauter
(925) 423-2836 (email@example.com).
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June 4, 2004


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IT was a plague of wrong numbers, the cosmic equivalent of misdialing, that wreaked a certain amount of strategic havoc last week.
First, The Daily News misprinted a number in the newspaper's "Scratch 'n' Match" contest, leading thousands of people to believe they had won up to $100,000. So far there are no reports that any of them marched into the office the next day and told their boss what they really thought of their job, but much to the glee of The News' rival, The New York Post, the disappointed contestants are thinking of suing.
The News says that the rules of the contest absolve them of liability for such errors, but announced a special contest for the losers.
Meanwhile the star-making machinery of "American Idol" ground to a halt for a day, after the show broadcast the wrong phone numbers during voting lat week for the 11 finalists, causing Fox to rerun the show the next night, with a domino effect on the rest of the network's schedule.
A producer quoted in USA Today blamed an error by an outside contractor for the mistake: "He typed in the wrong numbers three times."Continue reading the main story
This kind of thing is often fatal in this increasingly digital -- and hence fussy and unforgiving -- age.
Language is a flexible tool; mispronounce my name and I will still answer the telephone, though perhaps warily. But if you misdial my number I won't have to bother deciding whether to answer or not.
In fact, plugging in wrong numbers can have far more serious consequences than merely annoying the public.
In 1999, the Mars Polar Orbiter burned up in the Martian atmosphere because engineers had miscalculated its orbit by using English units of feet and pounds instead of metric units.
In 1939, the German physicist Werner Heisenberg apparently made a mistake when he tried to calculate how much uranium would be required to build an atomic bomb and got a number way too high, discouraging German bomb makers from pursuing a bomb made of uranium, and perhaps helping stave off an apocalypse.
This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a numerically literate society, and yet there is a sense in which numbers have a certain dread authority. We are all the children of Pythagoras, after all, who said that nature is nothing but numbers.
Consider the attempts throughout history to read some mystical meaning into the endless procession of digits that make up the number pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. A Google search for biblical numerology returned 104,000 hits.
But sometimes a number is just a number, and it can be wrong, but that has consequences.
Just ask your friendly I.R.S. agent.Continue reading the main story