text:
Campaigning for marriage equality
Saturday 23 May 2015 was definitely one of the best days of my life.
In the few days before, I had been becoming more optimistic about the result. But even still, the night before the poll, I barely slept, which wasn't ideal, as I had the last of my summer exams on the afternoon of polling day! I voted as polls opened at 7, as I so often do. But it was great to go down there with my sister Ursula, then catch the 7.04 train from Bray. I tuned into what was happening on Facebook and Twitter, and was bowled over with the emotion by the enthusiasm for the occasion, how many were flying and sailing #hometovote. But I had to maintain focus on that exam!
At 5, as the class moved down to the King's Inn, and the conversation stayed on the exam, I had only the referendum and its place in wider social change in Ireland on my mind, so went with a few of them down to the Bernard Shaw, which was in a more political mood.
Meeting the Dublin Bay South canvassers in Slattery's that night, as polls were closing, I ventured to hope to one that we could have reached 58%. Yet the following morning, about an hour before boxes were to open, I noted that anything over 53.7% would put us above Washington, which approved of marriage equality by popular vote in 2012. But from early in the day as we tallied the votes, it was clear it'd be more comfortable than that. The first box I tallied was from Curtlestown, just outside Bray, with 212 Yes to 75 No. A few minute or two later, I saw a tweet from Tiernan Brady that Bundoran had a result of 60%, and it was clear this was an extensive win. I was pleased to find out later in the morning that my own box in Bray got a high Yes vote of 301 to 105.
Every vote was important. Though many of us went through periods during the campaign where we imagined that it was going badly, that we might lose, and that a win no matter how small was a win nonetheless, it was important that we got a clear result, across the whole country. This wasn't an urban Yes and a rural No, as we've seen in previous referendums. I haven't seen the tallies from Ballinasloe or Ballincollig, but they're likely to have seen a Yes vote, like most other towns across the country, despite the predictions a few months ago of Sen. Rónán Mullen.
It was wonderful to be in Dublin Castle for the result, to see how much joy there was among the crowds who had gathered there and on the streets outside. Then to meet other canvassers in Jury's hotel in Ballsbridge. It was especially nice to be there with two friends I had been with the Hist committee ten years earlier. Ten years ago I had been sidelining what feelings I had of being gay because I didn't think it practical to pay heed them. Perhaps it was fear of attention, that I thought it would be easier to get by if I acted as if I were straight. Talking to one of those two friends that night, I wondered, "If only I had known then that we would be here today". After thinking on what I said, her response was perfect: "If we'd known then, then today wouldn't feel so amazing".
That explains so much of the joy that we saw throughout the country that day. It wasn't just that we were pleased with the result in itself, and relief that the work of the campaign had gone the right way, but how far we've come.
This great success wouldn't have happened without those who worked at each stage of the way. Some campaigners who worked in the foundation of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform in 1975, such as Sen. David Norris and former president Mary McAleese, who played a key role in this campaign. Norris's cases, represented by former president Mary Robinson, with the High Court and Supreme Court finding against him, before his victory in the European Court of Human Rights. The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), were prominent in the work leading up to decriminalisation in 1993 and civil partnership in 2010, as they were in this campaign. There was Marriage Equality, with its single-issue focus on this campaign, and the very important work from Michael Barron and others in Belong To, with their focus on the needs and concerns of young lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in Ireland. Each year at Pride, we see the wide range of organisations working to achieve and promote equality, and all of these deserve credit for the change in the culture that contributed to the high result.
One of the great things of these recent years for me was to get to know these people well, to work with them. I've made many great friends over these years. My own avenue to the campaign was through politics. Contrary to what Una Mullally wrote during the week, I do see a strong role for parties as a source of political change. Not everyone can find a party that suits them, and for others, the focus of a particular campaign or organisation serves their aim better. But the energy we saw in the campaign should hopefully find its way into the political process, especially as we look ahead towards the coming general election. For the campaign to be successful in the way it was, it needed both the approval of the political process, in the establishment of the constitutional convention which proposed it, and in the passage of the amendment bill through the Oireachtas, and also the experience in canvassing. Our campaign in Wicklow was led by Ian McGahon, who had been a local election candidate for Labour, and as well as myself from Fine Gael, we also had James Doyle, who stood last year for Fianna Fáil. This combined experience mattered, even as the vast majority of those who canvassed with us had never done so before. We also benefited in different ways from the support of our local TDs Andrew Doyle, Simon Harris and Anne Ferris.
I was quite pleased with the role Fine Gael played in this campaign and the political process leading up to this. When I joined the party in 2009, I had recently begun to come out as gay, so it was very much on my mind. But at that stage, while I saw a dynamism in the party in many areas, there were a few conservative voices on this issue, most notably Lucinda Creighton, who caused us a lot of trouble before the 2011 election – though she too came out in favour in the end!
It was Charlie Flanagan's speech as Justice Spokesperson in response to the civil partnership bill in November of that year that confirmed for me that there was a place for me in the party, that I could imagine the party speaking out strongly in favour of equality. Even after a motion I put to the 2010 YFG Summer School was narrowly defeated, I stayed on, because of that speech, in which he hoped it would be a step towards full equality. I was elected to the YFG National Exec, appointed as Director of Policy, and then proposed the motion again at Summer School in 2011, when there was barely any opposition to speak of. It was great to see the change in the organisation, with so many there wearing white ribbons on their lapels, which Maeve Howe, who was seconding the motion with me, had made to promote the motion.
At the 2012 Fine Gael Ard Fheis, another friend of mine from Trinity, Mark O'Meara had proposed a motion in favour of marriage equality. Yet the party watered it down to the focus to one on the constitutional convention. It was through the leadership of Jerry Buttimer that we saw change take hold within the parliamentary party. He was the first Fine Gael TD to come out as gay, and I was proud to join him from the start in the work of the newly established Fine Gael LGBT. We were small at first, as seen in pictures of our delegation to Dublin Pride that year, but we grew in prominence, and played an important role in bringing the conversations on the lives and relationships of LGBT people to party members. We had great assistance in establishing ourselves from our general secretary Tom Curran, who shared his own family story during the campaign.
There are many others in the parliamentary party I could mention here, though I would pay a particular tribute to Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, our vice chair on Fine Gael LGBT. We were in a good position with both ministers for justice during this period, with Alan Shatter and Frances Fitzgerald showing a clear commitment to equality, and through their efforts at different stages, we saw the passage of the comprehensive reform of family law in the Children and Family Relationships Act. During these few years, the understanding of Enda Kenny has grown, from when he was jumping over flowerpots to avoid answering questions, to dropping into our Christmas drinks in Panti Bar, and speaking with a true insight when launching the Fine Gael campaign.
The end of the campaign brought with it a strange feeling. We had a great celebration at home on the Sunday. Then in the days after, I came across a few in work who had voted No. Some were light-hearted about it, but others were bitter. Despite the high Yes vote as evidence of Ireland as an open society, there were still many who voted No. The result will certainly make lesbian, gay, bi and trans people feel more relaxed and comfortable in our country, as we saw in reports of gay couples feeling more confident holding hands in public since the vote, but also with an awareness that homophobia still exists. On the other hand, it was to be able to just walk away from comments, not be in campaign mode, where I'd feel an obligation to counter what they said for any wavering voters there. And I should say, most in work were very positive in the days after the referendum, some of them having spotted me in the news coverage.
I also heard of gay people who knew of immediate family members who had voted No. Exhilarating as the campaign was, it wasn't an easy one. Putting it to a vote wasn't all positive. It was sometimes difficult to canvass, not knowing what the response would be. I've had negative responses before, canvassing for both the PDs and Fine Gael, but that wasn't personal in the way this was. But though my exam schedule meant I couldn't go out as often as I'd like, it still always felt worthwhile doing so, and was glad I did what I could.
The emotional comedown was difficult, knowing that it was over. I know I'm not alone in that, and it's good to see a focus from the Yes Equality campaign on emotional well-being. The campaign wasn't easy, putting so much of ourselves out there, directly or indirectly, having our lives, or the lives of friends or family, as a matter of public debate or disagreement. That's part of what took me time to write this. The relief of knowing that this was no longer something I'd have to think about, at least as far as Ireland goes. It will be a while before it truly sinks in, whether it's after what will be an amazing Dublin Pride, the legislation is enacted, or we see the first marriages take place. But there are already small effects of the change. It is a great feeling to know that I will not have to campaign on this again. I will watch with interest what happens in other countries, how big the majority will be on the US Supreme Court, but no longer with half an eye on the momentum it will build for change here.
Almost immediately, we heard people asking what's next. It was great to see progress so swiftly on an improved gender recognition bill, one of the best in the world. The trans members of our community had stood with us during this campaign, like Sam Blanckensee here in Wicklow, and it's great to see that there is something for them too to have Pride in their country this year. Whether someone identifies as male or female, or somewhere along the spectrum, should be their decision alone, a simple matter of a free choice in a free society. Given the prevalence of single-sex school, I hope the review in two years which forms part of the bill will make provision for those under 16.
There are, of course, many other social issues in need of legislative and constitutional reform. There always will be. Not all these campaigns can be compared precisely in how they will succeed to this campaign for marriage equality. The rapid change in attitudes that occurred as more people came out to their family and friends, and in the context of a global debate and legal change (unfortunately in both directions), cannot be so easily replicated. But the lesson must be to maintain focus in further campaigns on the lives and experiences of individuals, and how restrictive laws affect them. We have a great group of people in Wicklow, and we mean to find ways to continue to campaign.
It was a great campaign to be involved in, and one I'm sure I will always cherish. And that day has made possible so many great days for so many, even better than the win itself, not just this year, but forever more.
Why a Yes vote on Marriage Equality this Friday matters to me
This is the sixth referendum campaign I've taken part in. I've also been to the count centre after every general and local election since 1997. I was emotionally invested in the result on each occasion. I have both great and difficult memories from those count days. Yet I will watch the results come in on Saturday with more trepidation than ever before. This isn't normal politics, whether in the distribution of resources, or arrangements of political structures. This referendum is about me, and others like me, a political decision on our lives and relationships, and our place in Irish society.
It is the natural step in the decline of animosity and the growth of empathy towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Ireland and elsewhere, that we would have the same opportunity to marry as anyone else. Slowly at first, and then in rapid succession, other countries and territories have come to view the limitation of marriage to heterosexual couples as an unjust exclusion, and changed their laws to reflect this new insight and understanding.
We have seen since the beginning of this year in particular what a Yes vote would mean to so many people, what a difference it would make. Those who were quiet for decades about this part of their lives, silent even to themselves, who felt compelled to speak out. And felt so much better for it. And we can think of young people, beginning to realize their difference from their peers, how wonderful the effect of a Yes vote would be for them, how devastating the effect of a No vote.
Being gay is not a small part of who I am. It doesn't feel right to say that I just happen to be gay. It is not an incidental feature like height or hair colour, but a distinguishing feature of one of the relationships most important to me. From when I properly realized that future romantic relationships would most likely be with other men, it was something I could not but see as an important part of who I am. Indeed, it was before then, though I did not yet fully realize it. It is important because of where we now stand in society. A successful result will allow us each to determine its significance for ourselves. I look forward to the idea that my romantic life will no longer be a political issue.
This isn't about any need for validation, but a commitment that society should treat us all with equal concern and respect, and that where the state is involved in our lives, our laws should recognize our equal dignity. With civil partnership and family law reform in place, to withhold marriage is such an arbitrary and needless act of discrimination.
When I attended a wedding service of two friends of mine earlier this year, something that stood out is our part in that. Not only did they commit to each other, for better, for worse, but we, the community of friends and family gathered there, also pledged to stand by them. The vote this Friday is that moment writ large. It is a chance to say clearly that when two people choose to make this commitment, we will stand by them, and hold their relationship as something to value.
So vote Yes. Be part of what should be a great moment for so many of us. Plan your trip to the polling station on Friday, and make sure others you know have done the same. Every vote will send a message, and every Yes vote will help secure a more equal Ireland.
Will John Roberts find a constitutional right to equal marriage?
Chief Justice John Roberts is usually a reliable vote among the conservatives on the nine-member court. Yet in NFIB v Sibelius (2012), he voted with the four liberals to find that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was constitutional. He did so on narrower grounds than the four liberals, relying on the taxation power rather than the commerce clause. It is widely accepted that Roberts had originally intended to strike down the law, but changed his mind in the month beforehand, based in part on the political calculus that it would damage the Court's political reputation were it to strike down Barack Obama's key legislative achievement. It would have appeared too partisan for the five justices appointed by Republican presidents to vote to strike it down, with the four appointed by Democratic presidents to vote to uphold it, and affected the court's reputation as a neutral umpire calling ball and strikes.
The ACA is back before the court this term, in King v Burwell, not on the validity of the law, but its application. But if Roberts did not hinder it in 2012, he is unlikely to do so now after so many have already taken advantage of it. And in this case, he has cover from Anthony Kennedy, who voted against the ACA in NFIB, seems likely to uphold its application in this case.
The blockbuster case of this term is Obergefell v Hodges and its related cases, which will be heard this Tuesday, and is likely to settle the question of equal marriage for gay couples in the United States. The court themselves admit the difference between it and other cases this term with a link to briefs for the case on their home page, and agreeing to release the audio recording of oral argument on Tuesday, rather than waiting till the end of the week as standard.
There's no reason to expect that any of the five justices who struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v Windsor (2013) will not apply similar reasoning to state bans on same-sex marriage. But Roberts was in the minority in Windsor. Why would he vote to strike down these bans at a state level if he would not do that to the federal legislation two years ago?
John Roberts was appointed as Chief Justice in 2005 at the age of 50. Four of the associate justices are aged between 76 and 82. We should expect that Roberts will remain leading the court till at least 2030. Roberts is politically astute enough to know that this case will be regarded as a landmark. Will he want to risk the opprobrium of legal analysts in a decade's time appearing before him wondering how he could have got it so wrong? It's easier for Antonin Scalia, not being in the pole position of Chief Justice, or indeed Samuel Alito, who like Roberts was appointed in 2005 by George W. Bush.
Scalia and Alito both gave lengthy dissents in Windsor, with which Clarence Thomas joined. Roberts, by contrast, wrote a succinct dissent, of a mere three pages. He joined Scalia only on the jurisdictional matter, finding that the court should not have decided the case at all, as the United States government was not contesting Edie Windsor's claim. Roberts' short dissent justified the Defense of Marriage Act on the basis of uniformity of marriage rules, rather than the blistering terms of Scalia's dissent defending the enforcement of traditional moral and sexual norms.
Might Roberts wish to deprive Kennedy the pleasure of his place in history of completing a series of judgments in favour of constitutional protection to gay people. From Romer v Evans (1996), to Lawrence v Texas (2003), to United States v Windsor (2013), Anthony Kennedy wrote all of the case law progressing gay equality. Eric Segall recently wrote about the rivalry between Roberts and Kennedy for perceived control of the court.
The author who writes opinion of the court is assigned by the most senior justice in the majority. If the majority is the same five as in Windsor, that would be Anthony Kennedy, who will surely assign it to himself. But if Roberts were to join the majority as the sixth vote in favour of requiring all states to license a marriage between two people of the same sex, he could then choose to assign the opinion to himself.
So, both because he should be able to project the landmark status of the decision, and because of rivalry with the other moderate conservative voice, don't be surprised if Roberts strikes down the bans. But aside from the politics of it, there's nothing in any of his other votes on social reform cases to suggest that he will do so!
Of course Justice Kennedy will vote for equal marriage
So the United States Supreme Court has granted certiorari in from cases on state bans on the marriage of gay and lesbian couples: Obergefell v Hodges (from Ohio), Tanco v Haslam (Tennessee), DeBoer v Snyder (Michigan), and Bourke v Beshear (Kentucky). These are appeals of the opinion of Judge Sutton in the Sixth Circuit, who found state bans to be constitutional in November, while the Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Circuit Courts had previously ruled against state bans.
There will be two questions before the Supreme Court:
- Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?
- Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?
I fully expect them to answer both questions in the affirmative, reversing the judgment of Judge Sutton, recognising a constitutional guarantee of equal civil marriage in all fifty states.
Speculation has already focused on Anthony Kennedy. They are right to do so but not as a swing vote who could go yea or nay on either side. Most analysis factors in the likely breakdown of the court as four liberal justices likely to strike down states bans (Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan) and four conservative justices likely to uphold them (Roberts CJ, Scalia, Thomas and Alito), with Anthony Kennedy as the swing vote. To my mind, this mischaracterises the record of Kennedy on this topic, and the role he is likely to play when it comes to the opinion of the court (simplistic as any categorization of justices is, even as I divide them here).
The US Supreme Court has issued three full opinions which extended constitutional protections to gay people against discrimination by government: Romer v Evans (1996), striking down an amendment to the Colorado constitution denying protected status to homosexual or bisexual people; Lawrence v Texas (2003), striking down anti-sodomy laws in Texas, and consequently in 13 other states; and US v Windsor (2013), striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which recognized only marriage between a man and a woman for federal purposes. The author of all three opinions was Anthony Kennedy. None of these were equivocal or half-hearted. What makes anyone think he'll go thus far and no further? Read more…
And Colorado makes it 25. How long before the Supreme Court brings it to 50?
Today, the US Supreme Court denied certiorari to challenges to decisions of the Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, which had in turn upheld decisions of federal district courts that bans on lesbian and gay couples from marrying in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin contravened provisions of the US Constitution.
This had the immediate consequence of bringing equal civil marriage to these five states. The effect of supreme court not taking a decision led to the biggest expansion by number of states seen to date.
The day continued, as Colorado dropped its challenge. So how does the Circuit system work, and which states could be next?
Beneath the Supreme Court, the United States is administered by geographically-based courts of appeals. This table details the division, with those states which at the time of writing have equal civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples highlighted in bold:
|Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island
|Connecticut, New York, Vermont
|Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
|Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
|Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas
|Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee
|Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
|Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
|Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
|Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming
|Alabama, Florida, Georgia
|District of Columbia
A rule of precedent applies at each of these levels. The district courts in the states are bound by decisions of the court of appeals of their own circuit, just as the circuit courts of appeal are bound by the supreme court. This is why the attorney-general in Colorado dropped the challenge so soon after the news today; with the decisions of the tenth circuit court of appeals that found bans in Utah and Oklahoma to be unconstitutional fully in effect, the same would result with any defence of the ban in Colorado.
We should then soon see a similar situation in North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia in the Fourth Circuit, and in Kansas and Wyoming in the Tenth, from a combination of state officials not defending the bans, and district court judges coming to swift decisions based on these precedents.
We are awaiting decisions from the Sixth Circuit, which heard arguments in the beginning of August, and from the Ninth Circuit, which heard arguments at the beginning of September. While the court in the Ninth Circuit seemed to follow the trend of most federal courts, in being more critical of the arguments for maintaining the bans, this is less certain in the Sixth Circuit. Listening to the oral argument, I would agree with Stern that Judge Sutton didn't seem eager to press ahead with this. However, a few things have changed since early August, from Judge Posner's excellent, cutting judgment in the Seventh Circuit, to the denial of cert by the Supreme Court today.
In the Sixth Circuit, Judge Sutton asked on a number of occasions why he would not be bound by the precedent of the Supreme Court in Baker v Nelson (1971), in which the court wrote succinctly on a Minnesota case on a gay couple, "The appeal is dismissed for want of a substantial federal question". This was a mandatory review, so was considered binding on the merits. However, with the denial of cert today, Judge Sutton can no longer hide behind Baker, as the Supreme Court has effectively that it doesn't see the decisions favouring equality as a challenge to its precedent.
I don't think the Supreme Court will hear a case unless and until any of the circuit courts uphold the constitutionality of a state ban. This could occur in the Sixth Circuit; it could also occur in the Fifth Circuit, which will be hearing cases relating to Texas and Louisiana soon. These are appeals to ban in Texas which was struck down, and a ban in Louisiana which will be upheld.
Equality advocates want the Supreme Court to hear a case on this matter sooner rather than later, to lead to an opinion that with one fell swoop would bring equal civil marriage to gay and lesbian couples across the whole of the United States. There is little reason to suppose that any of the five who voted to strike down a section of the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v Windsor (2013) would not also strike down all bans as unconstitutional, least of all the one who wrote that judgment, Justice Anthony Kennedy. The four who would have upheld DOMA surely suppose the same thing of their colleagues as the rest of us.
There is another interest too here, that of standing by the sovereignty and competence of lower courts. It is within their remit to determine constitutional questions within their jurisdiction; the Supreme Court should not hear a case simply because there's public demand for a decision of a lower court to be extended.
It takes four justices to grant cert to a case. In the case of these circuit decisions, the five were of course happy to let them stand; the four may not have agreed with them, but not either wish to hasten the moment when the court would rule for equality for all.
This is why supporters of equality might paradoxically hope that either the Fifth or Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals will decide to uphold bans. Not only would there then be a circuit split, but a result the anti-DOMA 5 would surely feel confident to see challenged before the whole court.
We'll wait and see.
Why marriage might return to the US Supreme Court and why this time it's different
The new term of the US Supreme Court begins today, and their docket for this term will begin to fill up. The nine members of the court decide themselves which cases to hear, of the many appeals from lower court decisions across the country. Among they many they could choose this term are a number of defences to state bans on either the recognition or performance of marriage between couples of the same sex. This would lead to a decision affecting all US states by June 2015. It is not long since the Supreme Court last considered cases relating to marriage, when they ruled on United States v Windsor in 2013, leading the federal recognition of marriages between same-sex couples as performed by these states. Why makes these cases different?
A lot of the commentary in June 2013 spoke of the compromise the court reached, in striking down the ban on federal recognition in Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), while declining to consider the implications of the other case before it beyond California. This is a simplistic view of that case. This second case that year was Hollingsworth v Perry, a case which originated as Perry v Schwarzenegger, the culmination of a challenge to Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot initiative which had added to the California constitution the clause, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California". In August 2010, US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker became the first of many federal judges to find a ban on same-sex marriage to contravene the US constitution. The state of California accepted the court's ruling, and the appeal was taken up by those who had campaigned for Proposition 8. The Supreme Court that they did not have standing to do so, i.e. they did not have a direct stake in the outcome. It remained a matter for an organ of the state to defend a state law. Rather than being a formula drafted to dodge addressing a hot-button issue too soon, it would have been more questionable had they decided to consider the case. In 1996, the court came to a similar conclusion in Arizonans for Official English v Arizona, and the court should adhere to its precedents unless there are clear and compelling reasons to revisit a previous ruling.
Windsor ruled on Section 3 of DOMA, as this was the only question before it in that case. Writing the opinion of the court, Justice Anthony Kennedy held in clear and eloquent terms that the provision was unconstitutional. He wrote with an understanding of the change in attitudes we are witnessing, "until recent years, many citizens had not even considered the possibility that two persons of the same sex might aspire to occupy the same status and dignity as that of a man and woman in lawful marriage … Slowly at first and then in rapid course, the laws of New York came to acknowledge the urgency of this issue for same-sex couples who wanted to affirm their commitment to one another before their children, their family, their friends, and their community". After acknowledging the many harms of such a ban on recognition, including to the children of same-sex couples, Kennedy concluded "What has been explained to this point should more than suffice to establish that the principal purpose and the necessary effect of this law are to demean those persons who are in a lawful same-sex marriage. This requires the Court to hold, as it now does, that DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the liberty of the person protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. The liberty protected by the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause contains within it the prohibition against denying to any person the equal protection of the laws."
While Justice Kennedy did spend a considerable portion of the opinion defending the right of the states against the federal government in relation to marriage, this was in support of New York in including same-sex couples. Citing Loving v. Virginia (the 1967 case which ended state bans on interracial marriage), he wrote "State laws defining and regulating marriage, of course, must respect the constitutional rights of persons".
Following this judgment, many cases proceeded in federal district courts challenging state bans. The first judgment was in December 2013 in Utah, where Judge Robert Shelby cited not only the opinion of Kennedy in Windsor, but also the dissenting opinion of Justice Antonin Scalia, who predicted that it would be a very small step from striking down the federal provisions in DOMA to striking down the bans in the states. Ten other district court judges came to the same conclusion when considering state bans across the country, ruling each of them unconstitutional; in September, Judge Martin Feldman in Louisiana became the first to write a court opinion upholding such a ban.
While some of these decisions applied with brief effect, most of them were stayed pending further appeal, so marriage has not been extended in these states (Pennsylvania being an exception, where the state accepted the opinion of the district court).
The Circuit Court Appeals have issued opinions in the Tenth Circuit (cases from Utah and Oklahoma), in the Fourth Circuit (from Virginia), and in the Seventh Circuit (cases from Wisconsin and Indiana), and in all cases upholding decisions that state bans are unconstitutional. Crucially, in all these cases, officials from the state are defending the ban, distinguishing them from the situation in California.
The Supreme Court may now decide to take any one or all of these cases. If they choose not to hear those cases this term, then the circuit court decisions will stand, and marriage will be extended in those states, and nearly immediately in other states in those districts. However, the supreme court may wish to wait until there is a circuit split, i.e. when there are conflicting interpretations of the constitution from different circuit courts. It remains possible that appeals in other circuits will find in favour of the constitutionality of state bans; this seems quite likely to be the outcome in the Sixth Circuit, where Judge Jeffrey Sutton was quite skeptical of the merits of the constitutional case for equal marriage at oral argument in cases from Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. If this occurs, it is almost certain that they will be heard this year.
While those of us following the developments will wait eagerly to hear from the court today, I wouldn't be holding my breath. In 2013, I tuned in on a weekly basis to whether they would take the Perry case, and which DOMA case they would consider; it was not until 7 December that this information was revealed.
Which still means that before Christmas, we should expect to know of a date in the spring when the Supreme Court will hear cases relating to the constitutionality of bans across the whole United States, with an opinion in June. I will of course return to this, to outline in clear terms why I believe they both should and will find that there is a constitutional right for couples of the same sex to marry, throughout the United States.
Gays and Republicans
The Republican Party Platform remains as virulent as ever, if not stronger still, in its opposition to allowing gay or lesbian couples to marry. To give context, I have quoted these sections in full at the end of this piece.
The platform attacks the judiciary and the president for their actions, and affirms the party's commitment to an amendment to the US Constitution which would define marriage as between a man and a woman, thereby overturning laws in six states which currently allow equal marriage. It also refers to social experimentation, a reference to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, allowing gay soldiers to serve openly. These sections were effectively written by Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. The most the disappointed Log Cabin Republicans could secure was the line, "We embrace the principle that all Americans should be treated with respect and dignity", which means little in the context of the previous passage.
Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State and an advisor to Gov. Mitt Romney on immigration, defended these sections by comparing it to government regulation of behaviour like drugs and polygamy.
This is not just a party which is not yet on board, whose leaders are still evolving, where members have different points of view. It is one whose default position is organised opposition at every level to difference of opinion on the question. Gov. Mitt Romney, who in 1994 claimed to better than Ted Kennedy on gay rights, signed the pledge to support such a Federal Marriage Amendment from the National Organization for Marriage
And yet, in New York, New Hampshire and Washington, equal marriage exists in these states because of the support of certain Republican legislators. The party is not absolute either in its position. The Respect for Marriage Act, has one Republican sponsor, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. And there are two groups of gay members of the Republican Party, the Log Cabin Republicans, founded in 1977, and GOProud, founded in 2009.
The Log Cabins put a much greater emphasis on equality for LGBT people than GOProud do. The former lists "Protecting LGBT families" and "Freedom to Marry", where GOProud make no direct reference in their headline points in their 'What We Believe'. The Log Cabins refused to endorse President George H. W. Bush in 1992 or President George W. Bush in 2004. They have yet to make an endorsement this year. They played a part in the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, suing the US in a federal lawsuit.
GOProud could crudely be described as Tea Party response to the Log Cabins. They proven themselves much more likely to emphasise issues other than rights for gay people in their endorsements. In the primary for the California Senate in 2010, they endorsed Carly Fiorina, who had supported Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in the state, as against Tom Campbell, who had penned a piece calling for a No vote in that ballot, and who was promoted by the libertarian magazine Reason, so no fan of big government. They have already endorsed Mitt Romney.
I think the Republican Party is definitely better for having the Log Cabin Republicans within it. They serve as a touching point for the still small but growing number of prominent Republicans who are speaking out for equality, such as Vice President Dick Cheney, now out former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman, Colin Powell, Bush Solicitor-General Ted Olson, Mayor of San Diego Jerry Sanders. With the new group, Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, they took out ads leading up to this week's Republican National Convention, and they are adding to the conversation within the Republican Party. I'm not so sure I could say the same of the GOProud, who effectively send the message that while questions of marriage are worth talking about, taxes will always trump protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people.
Republicans in favour of equality are definitely worth supporting. American Unity was formed earlier this year by a Republican donor with a gay son, and is funding candidates it believes worthy of support.
Because I would like to support the Republican Party (from afar in my case, of course). But I can't. It is an unreasonable compact to ask someone to make, to support a party that will denigrate their fundamental personal relationships, prey on unfounded concerns, because they will improve people's financial lives. It is a compact that some rich an well connected gay people can live with; whether equal marriage is five or fifteen years away for them, they don't suffer or feel the social and economic consequences of so many gay people because of this legal inequality. And I don't say this even as one who thinks a party's position on gay rights should be the determining factor in whether to vote for or join a party, or I would not be in Fine Gael.
As with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party is and always has been a coalition. Within the Republican Party, these are crudely characterised as being between the fiscal hawks, religious conservatives and military hawks. What this misses is how the party targets the fears of poorer voters on social issues through a process of misdirection. Where the Republicans stand on gay rights resonates most with me because I'm gay. But there is more that is wrong with them. Take for example their very poor track record on immigration, as seen in recent laws in Arizona and Alabama. Rather than focus on the benefit of immigrants brining diverse skills and ideas to a community, they spin a protectionist story that has not helped these states economically. This year's platform endorses these measures, a stark contrast from their 1960 platform when Richard Nixon ran for the first time, which for an increase in immigration.
The Republicans could have been a party that would make a strong moral and efficacious argument for the market and individual liberty. There are elected representatives and activists who do hold firm to these values. There are many with a view miles apart. But perhaps worse are those who assume a veil of prejudice because it is politically convenient.
Not that there is no hope with the Republican Party. On the question of equality for gay people, it does take a long view. Former Congressman Jim Kolbe, who was outed as gay while in office, believes that this is the last time the Republican platform will take these anti-gay positions. He could be right. If either Maine or Washington vote in favour of equal marriage at the polls in November, they will become the first state to do so by popular vote. That will change things, making it clear that there are votes to be lost. Perhaps a candidate like Gov. Mitch Daniels could take a stance similar to that of Barack Obama in 2008, when he stated that he was against same-sex marriage, but would vote No to Proposition 8 in California. But it's a lot to expect.


text:
Children and Bystanders First: The Ethics
and Politics of Tobacco Control in
the United States
Ronald Bayer and James Colgrove
Among liberal democracies, the United States stands out in terms of the extent to which anti-paternalism suffuses popular and elite values and the extent to which antagonism to government regulation of the economy dominates political ideologies. These central and defining features of American political culture would have a profound influence on how America would confront the public health threat posed by tobacco. In the course of the nearly four decades that followed the publication of the first surgeon general's report on the dangers of smoking in 1964, policy making was dominated by efforts to identify innocent parties in need of protection, on whose behalf government could interfere without setting off alarms of unwarranted paternalism. This was true as attempts were made to restrict advertising, limit smoking in public settings, and impose burdensome taxes on cigarette sales.
An analysis of the public health strategies against tobacco consumption must be understood in the context of the great political and economic influence of the industry. In 1994, a study funded by the tobacco industry calculated that some 1.8 million people were employed in tobacco-related jobs, and that state and federal tax revenues from the industry totaled some $36 billion nationwide. These estimates have been disputed—subsequent studies have arrived at more modest figures—but there is no doubt that the financial impact of the industry remains substantial. In 1998, American growers produced some 1.5 billion pounds of tobacco, valued at about $2.7 billion. Both the total number of farms producing tobacco and the total number of acres devoted to tobacco cultivation have declined since

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This profile was last updated on 8/20/15 and contains information from public web pages and contributions from the ZoomInfo community.
Dave MaherWrong Dave Maher?
Senior Manager, Quality and Missi...
Phone: (774) ***-****Email: d***@***.com
Local Address: Boston , Massachusetts , United States
Lockheed Martin Corporation
6801 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda , Maryland 20817
United States
Company Description: Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security company that is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment... more
ProPub_Iteration_NoTests.312[03] SEIDXWK-6


text: A thoughtful Mother's Day gift goes far beyond the day itself. Consider jorg & olif's city bike (from $1,375 at An Earnest Cut & Sew, 821 Washington St., nr. Gansevoort St.; 212-242-3414), which gently encourages fitness and emissions-free transportation. Newly available in New York, but with a design based on Amsterdam's ubiquitous bikes, this is elegant enough to leave (locked) in the foyer. Its handlebars are set high to make riders sit comfortably erect, and the wide leather saddle will buffer small potholes.


text:
BP—before disaster– had been trying to position itself as a progressive company with such ad slogans as "Beyond Petroleum." And indeed, some stations currently offer biodiesel., for example in Strasburg. BP as a company was NOT pouring money into climate-change denying campaigns as was Exxon. It was a "greener" oil company. . .or so it seemed.
But we now know that BP does not stand for "Be Prepared." From what we have seen this past month, as the oil spill in the Gulf continues, BP may need to change its name to DC for Damage Control, or Don't Count the gallons of oil pouring into the Gulf.
Does this latest environmental disaster point to our addiction to petroleum? That's too much of a conceptual leap. We need to start first with our addiction to inventions, chemicals, and technology without any accompanying wisdom as to how they should be used. For example, BP's early application of chemical agents to disperse the oil may actually cause more environmental damage than the oil itself. Clearly, BP was not thinking in terms of the Big Picture.
There's a saying in some circles that the mindset that created the problem cannot solve the problem. We cannot keep inventing things and using technology to fix the problems caused by malfunctions and misuse of other inventions, without a radical examination of, and shift in, our values.
A few weeks ago, the invention of a concrete cap to place over the well to stop the oil failed. It had not been tested, and if it had, it might have worked. Why not? My guess is that BP was in Damage Control mode. I sincerely hope the current "top kill" strategy of pouring mud into the well is successful, but this sounds like something a 7-year-old could have thought of. Why has it taken over a month to implement?
If, 100 years from now there is an ocean, and a planet that can support human life, I envision a company that puts people and the environment Before Profits
This post was submitted by Diana Woodall.


text:
full retail softwareAlso called full retail, in software distribution it is the term used to describe a full version of a software package that is sold at online or brick-and-mortar stores. It comes factory sealed retail boxes with the software on CD or DVD, plus the software license key and manuals where provided by the software vendor.
See "All About Software" in the "Did You Know...?" section of Webopedia.
Stay up to date on the latest developments in Internet terminology with a free weekly newsletter from Webopedia. Join to subscribe now.
We look at a few of the more troubling aspects of statistics and how these may be used to advance an agenda or skew the facts to someone's... Read More »29 Free Android Apps for Cash-Strapped Students
From wacky alarm clocks to lecture hall tools and after class entertainment, these Android apps are a good fit for a student's life and budget. Read More »Sharing Threat Intelligence
A growing number of startups make the sharing of threat intelligence a key part of their solutions. Read More »
The Open System Interconnection (OSI) model defines a networking framework to implement protocols in seven layers. Use this handy guide to compare... Read More »Network Fundamentals Study Guide
Networking fundamentals teaches the building blocks of modern network design. Learn different types of networks, concepts, architecture and... Read More »Computer Architecture Study Guide
This Webopedia study guide describes the different parts of a computer system and their relations. Read More »


text:
Jim McGrath has been performing original songs as well as sea chanteys, Irish and British Isles ballads, and American traditional and contemporary songs for more than 30 years. He has performed on ships and in concert halls and saloons in Ireland, Germany, and across the Eastern Seaboard.
WHERE: Sandywoods, 43 Muse Way, Tiverton
WHEN: 8 p.m.; Friday, July 11
COST: $10 advance, $12 at the door
MORE INFO: 401/241-7349; sandywoodsmusic.com


text:
Top Definition
A supple conjunction of sprite, 99 oranges, vodka, grenadine, and orange juice. Used to bring females to their knees.
Yo after that bitch sipped on some Dom Sauce, she was ready to hit the sack.
by Phife Star March 08, 2008
Type your email address below to get our free Urban Word of the Day every morning!
Emails are sent from firstname.lastname@example.com. We'll never spam you.×


text:
POLARIS / Sketch (alt) by DeharmeWatch
©2014-2016 Deharme
A second late night sketch.
To celebrate de 20,000+ followers, you can win one of the 3 limited (modified, personalized and signed) prints, by "liking" this Facebook page:
Simple, elegant an striking. Great use of line. Love the texture use also. Subtle yet striking. Well played
Love this I want to know to keep my lines clean and nice like this.
Мой compliments
that's just a wonderful sketch, i love it..the way you played with dark tones and texture is impecable
Love the textures and simplicity of this, so effective
I love it!
Great drawing.
is so good
The shading and different textures here are done so very well. So very dramatic and modest seeming. Very nice job on this piece of yours. I really like the expression, posture, and usage of the negative spacing.
Great sketch! Good composition, your linework is varied and interesting, and the gradient gives a great range of values to work from!
Beautiful design
I am in awe. Stunning!
This is how Lady Gaga will look like in the future.
Really cool work, I love the shapes, and the overall feeling I get from this work, great job!!
I really love the way of how you stylized your work !
Nice design.
I LOVE your use of crosshatching


text: You are told that potassium 44 has a half life of 20 minutes and decays to form calcium 14. Q1. how many atoms would there be in a 10mg sample of potassium? Answer: I used avogadro's constant to find this by: (6E23/44)*10E-3 = 1.4E20 atoms Q2. what would be the activity of the sample? Answer: I used -dN/dt = lamda*N ... -dN/dt = (0.693/20*60)*1.4E20 = 8E16 Bq Q3. what would the activity be after 1 hour? Answer: I found the number of atoms after one hour (N=No*e^(-lamba*t)) then I found the activity for that number of atoms lamda*t = (0.6931/20)*60 = 2.1 N = No*e^(-lamba*t) = 1.4E20*e^-2.1 = 1.7E19 hence -dN/dt = (0.693/20*60)*1.7E19 = 9.8E15 Bq Q4. what would the ratio of potassium atoms to calcium atoms be after one hour? answer: i know what the number of potassium atoms would be after one hour (1.7E19) but since the question stated that potassium 44 decays to form calcium 14 i don't know that I have to do to obtain the answer for this? any help would be greatly appreciated.


text:
Featured Articles
Mardi Grind: The Top Fat Tuesday Rituals
You have your Mardi Gras routine planned out a year in advance. That's easy, because you do the same thing every year, and you wouldn't have it any other way. You...
Prepping For Parade & Party Madness
Locke is an absorbing character study with a commanding performance by Tom Hardy. The stunt of the film is that it all takes place in a car on the freeway...
Greasing of The Poles at Royal Sonesta
Locke is an absorbing character study with a commanding performance by Tom Hardy. The stunt of the film is that it all takes place in a car on the freeway...
Six Picks for this Weekend
Locke is an absorbing character study with a commanding performance by Tom Hardy. The stunt of the film is that it all takes place in a car on the freeway...
Krewe of NYX
Locke is an absorbing character study with a commanding performance by Tom Hardy. The stunt of the film is that it all takes place in a car on the freeway...
Oh, When the Bands Come Marching In: A Parade Soundtrack
Locke is an absorbing character study with a commanding performance by Tom Hardy. The stunt of the film is that it all takes place in a car on the freeway...
Pick of the Day
February 8
New Orleans Pick of the Day
More From NOLA Life
- Twitter Poll Results: Muses Voted #1 Parade
- King Cake Evolution
- Money Gras
- A History of the King Cake
- Mardi Gras Indian Costumes Unmasked
- Dress Up For Grown Ups
- Best Workouts on the Parade Routes
- Weird and Creative King Cakes
- How to Stay Boozy This Mardi Gras
- 10 Things to do with Guests during Mardi Gras
- Mardi Gras Indians: Cha Wa Interview
- Mysteries of Mardi Gras Solved
NOLA Life
Photos from Bacchus Bash 2016!
New Orleans Photos
On Sunday February 7, the 29th Annual Bacchus Bash was held at Generations Hall. Besides eating, drinking, and dancing, guests watched bands such as Category 6 and Flow Tribe play live on an outdoor stage, and witnessed the Broncos defeating the Panthers in the Super Bowl,...
Constructing Carnival: A Walk Through Mardi Gras World
The makers of most of the floats you'll see are from Mardi Gras World, a factory where the 'look' of Mardi Gras is made with their gorgeous and highly artistic floats. Blaine Kern, or 'Mr. Mardi Gras' as he is also known, was inspired by his father to begin painting murals. Blaine was eventually introduced to painting floats and started a float rental company called Mardi Gras World. "We've been doing this since my...
Raising Up: Mardi Gras Ladders
How to Make One or Where to Buy One Mardi Gras season is back in full-swing and those with tykes (or maybe non-tykes too lazy to stand for extended periods of time) will be looking for those glorious, flamboyant Mardi Gras ladders. If you aren't in the know, the Mardi Gras ladder is pretty basic: a 6-foot ladder fitted with a seat at the top. What may not be as obvious is how to get around building or finding one of these...
Six Picks for this Weekend
Sports & Fitness
Mardi Gras a la Mode
Probably Baking
Miniature King Cakes A La Mode with Bourbon Creole Cream Cheese Icing There's always a reason to eat in this damn city. Most people in the country are still trying to keep to their New Year's resolutions and melt away their winter weight gain, but in New Orleans, we are celebrating Carnival. Which means king cake. And more...
5 Best Places to get Beignets
Beignets... the light, fluffy and oh-so-crispy dessert is as much a part of New Orleans' history as Jackson Square. In New Orleans, donuts take the back seat and beignets come front and center as the city's favorite treat. Here is our list of the top five spots to grab the doughy delight in NOLA: Café Du Monde (800 Decatur...
Boozy Food
In a city where both cuisine and libations can be made into specialties, it makes sense that some savvy chefs can mix the two together to create delicious dishes infused with booze. The rich flavors of beer, wine and liquor can complement the savory and sweet flavors of your favorite meal, and you don't even have to order them...
More From Entertainment
- The Finest Hour
- Rihanna- ANTI
- Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage
- Moth - Chairlift
- Breaking Benjamin Acoustic Set
- The Soft Moon Plays Gasa Gasa
- Dueling Critics: 2016 Oscar Nominations
- The Revenant
- The Big Short
- Jazz Fest 2016 Lineup Announced
- David Bowie- Blackstar
- Daddy's Home
- Calling All New Orleans Bands
- New on Netflix: January 2016
- Coachella 2016 Lineup Announced
- Dueling Critics: The Hateful Eight
- George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic
- 5 Must-See Concerts this January
- Lost Bayou Ramblers Play the Pogues
- E-Sports Growing in the Crescent City
Down show cancelled for Lundi Gras
New Orleans Music News
The Down show at the Civic Theater scheduled for Lundi Gras evening has been cancelled. The Civic dropped the ax on the performance following lead singer and ex-Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo ending a recent show by yelling "white power" followed by a Nazi salute.
6 Can't Miss Concerts This Month
New Orleans Music News
New Orleans is known for it's vibrant live-music scene, and thus far it has truly never failed to live up to that reputation. The city is perpetually bursting at the seams with music, spilling out from bars, restaurants, and concert venues into the streets. Lucky for us, this infamous musical culture often draws big name performers to stop here on their world tours or make a special trip just to be a part of the lively...
New on Netflix: February 2016
New this Month 2/1 Armageddon 2/1 Better Call Saul 2/1 Charlie's Angels 2/1 Collateral Damage 2/1 Cruel Intentions 2/1 Johnny English 2/1 The Lizzie Borden Chronicles 2/1 Para Elisa 2/1 Sin City 2/1 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 2/1 Talladega...
Around the Web
News Around the Web
"Hi everybody! My name is B.o.B. You may remember me from that one song about airplanes I did, like, seven years ago. I have never studied astronomy, typography, astrophysics, or any other silliness that relies on 'methods' or 'evidence.' But I'm here today to tell you that the earth is flat. Wanna know how I know? Well, using the latest in...
Tony Swiping Left
News Around the Web
Tony the Tiger, Kellog's feline frosting fiend, doesn't find cat-calling all that grrrr-eat. After being bombarded with sexual advances from furries on Twitter, the Huffington Post reports that the breakfast mascot has begun blocking harassing users. Below are some experts from the Huff Post of the objectifying tweets:
Put A Ring (Back) On It
News Around the Web
Solange Knowles, Queen Bee's sister, lost her wedding ring last night in New Orleans while riding as an honorary member of the Krewe of Muses, WWLTV.com reports. The internet being what it is, a fake Twitter account tweeting as @SolangesRing is already something that has happened. A reward has been offered for...
- Inside the Taco Appreciation Class
- New Orleans' First "Virtual" Parade Rolls Tonight
- Joseph Fiennes to play Michael Jackson?
- Keep Track of Your People at Mardi Gras
- Carrots That Will Make You Hungrier
- Jaws 2: Condo Pool Edition
- Fart Drama Stinks Up Sundance
- Time Travel to the Renaissance Or Modern Prot
- Spanish Townspeople Throw Turnips at a Local
- Flying Turkey is Emotional Support
- Up for Some Jelly Bean Russian Roulette?
- Canadian Man Steals $1500 In Gum
- Eagles' Glenn Frey Dies at 67
- Steve Gleason Film to Appear at Sundance
- Fugitive Sends Selfie to Replace Mugshot
- "Don't Be Stupid"
- Will You Win the Powerball?


text:
Alright, the result of the first Writing Prompt Wednesday is complete, and it is... umm... it's a story! Not sure if it's good or not, but it's done.
For those who don't know, the prompt is: "7 years of bad luck for me..... or my reflection?" suggested by peeg77. The results are below.
Have fun, and play games,
Hey all,
Three ways to play, you say? Yes, I do. Here's what I mean.
1) I wanted to play in real life again. If you want to play as well, send me a message and let me know, and we will make it happen. I've already heard from a few of you, but I'd hope to get a regular game going in the Chicago area before too long.
2) I wanted to play online as well. I'm open to doing a once a month game on Google+ for anyone who wants to join. It would be a first come, first serve experience, but I feel it would give a wider opportunity for players to enjoy the game with a larger party. Again, if there is any interest, please let me know through Facebook or Reddit and I will make it happen.
3) Finally, I want to get a game started on Storium. If you don't know Storium, it is an online platform for collaborative storytelling. I've looked into it, and backed it on Kickstarter, and I am excited about the prospect of telling a story with their platform.
Plus, I will be recruiting a group of players from all of these games for a super-secret project that will change Jumpers forever. So, if any of this seems interesting, find a way to let me know.
More information to follow.
Have fun, and play games,
Hey all,
It's time for WRITING PROMPT WEDNESDAY! As I discussed in my post on Monday, post your writing prompts as comments on the Writing Prompt Wednesday Reddit post. The prompt that has the most upvotes by 7pm Central will serve as a prompt for my next wee bit of Jumpers fiction.
Go now! Give prompts! Argue about which is greatest!
Have fun! Play games!
A few weeks ago, I posted a short story about a confused man randomly traveling through time. The post itself was simply a test of the system - kicking the tires after a year to make sure everything still work. However, it's something I would like to continue on the site: time travel fiction.
I've always enjoyed writing, which is why I take part in nanowrimo every year. If you don't nanowrimo, or National Novel Writing Month, it is a yearly event that challenges its participants to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It is a daunting task, but one from which I have received no end of joy. Every year I have attempted I have succeeded, with each successive novel requiring less and less preparation. This year, I stripped everything away, and began writing with a simple prompt: what if you found a treasure buried by a future version of yourself?
I've written in this way before, specifically with the short story I posted earlier. The prompt was even simpler: I remember tomorrow. A friend said it as a joke during a conversation about typos, but it immediately made me think of Harlan Ellison. He has performed a similar exercise in the past, writing a short story based on an extemporaneous prompt. Of course, when Ellison did it, he would put himself in the window of a major bookstore, and write on a typewriter for the better part of a day without stopping, often creating stories of the highest caliber.
I am not Harlan Ellison. However, the challenge is too tempting to pass up.
Wow. A year and a half.
A lot happens in a year and a half. For me, more happened in the last year and a half than in the last ten years of my life. As such, it took me from Jumpers, preventing me from spending any time on the game - writing, playing, anything.
It's good to be back.
I'm cold. Stupid, bald head. Grow hair! Why won't you grow hair?!
Shaved hair for as long as I can remember, and this scraggly beard itches all day. You're supposed to be keeping me warm, hair. You aren't doing your job.
I need shoes. Is that what I'm looking for? It doesn't sound right... shoes... nope, not looking for shoes. I need shoes, but it isn't what I'm looking for. Doctors and nurses wouldn't help me, so I have to find it on my own. It's in the woods, I know it is. It's hidden. I think I hid it, like a squirrel hides a nut. I'm looking for a nut so I can survive the winter. Too cold. It's warm for winter, but it's still cold. Need shoes, and a coat.
And food.
And it's starting to get dark, and I can see the lights behind me. The nurses and the guards and the Doctor, the man Doctor, not the woman Doctor, will be behind those flashlights. They're bouncing up and down, like bugs in the wind. They don't see me, and I can't let them. I have to find it. I have to find what I hid.
Hey all,
We've had call for this in the past, and a commenter on our Facebook page reminded me of the project I had already started to get this version of the rules prepped. So, I finished it up, exported, and now it is ready for download: the "clean" version of the rules.
Basically, it is a version of the rules without all the additional character commentary, or additional design flavor. However, it isn't totally removed... there are some elements in the rules that never had an 'unaltered' state (the chapter cover for 'Appendices' to name one) so they will continue to appear as they do in the original book. But, for all intents and purposes, this is what the original rulebook from the original timeline would have look like when it originally was released.
You can download the "clean" rulebook from the Downloads page, or right here.
Have fun, and play games,


text:
Onion Knight by stella9708Watch
©2013-2016 stella9708
Yaaay Davos ! There's not a lot of fanarts of him, but I find him pretty cool. He's sort of a commoner Ned Stark X)
Nice interpretation of Davos. He is not among fan favorites, but I found myself hoping he would survive the Song. Great job on the details.
I like his character
because it's hard to find his royality. I also hope he can survive in his world.


text:
Category Archives: General
Aims for 2014
Time for a look back at what I intended to do last year.
- Read an ebook on my Kindle Paper-white. - I have managed to read several and it's in regular use.
- Contribute to some open source projects. - Failed
- Continue to develop my wireless sensor system. - Mostly failed, a little progress made but not much.
- Buy a new soldering iron/station. - I have an ERSA Icon Nano
- Decorate and carpet my lounge. - Success - It now looks lived in.Still needs curtains.
- Document more of my projects on this website. - Mostly failed, a few notes were uploaded but not much else.
- Use my Raspberry Pi for something interesting. - Barely looked at it.
- Clear clutter out of my garage. - Cleared once then got full again.
- Finish networking between lounge and bedroom. - Completed as part of decorating.
- Write an android application for my tablet or phone. - I wrote a calculator script for use at work but it's in html rather than an app.
So 2013 was mixed, some things achieved some not.
Time to see if I can complete some of last years goals in 2014.
- Contribute to some open source projects.
- Put more time into electronics projects (Raspberry Pi/Wireless Sensor System).
- Get curtains for lounge.
- Clear out Garage (again).
- Write an android application for my tablet/phone
- Pay off student loan.
- Carpet master bedroom.
- Build a Gaming PC and/or Steam Box
- Repave Back Yard
- Use a Linux desktop environment other than Gnome 3 for at least a month
Another to do list, but as before it will be a good year if I can cross a few of them off.
Fedora 20 – Countdown
Too Hot
10:30pm the windows are open, the fan is on max and drawing a stream of cool air inside. The reading from my I2C Experiment board is showing the room to be 28.5C. It's too hot and I'm not happy about it.
Bedroom Temperature
Now that the winter months are upon us getting out of bed in the morning has become more of a chore. The difference in room/duvet temperature is difficult to overcome. It would appear that a room temperature of 18-22 C is recommended for a good nights sleep. I might have a go at putting it to the test.
Current room temperature this evening is 17.37 C and it is cool but not uncomfortable. I will try a small oil filled radiator overnight and see if it maintains a suitable environment. It may cost more to maintain the temperature but I may be rewarded with better sleep. I'm still going to have my socks on in bed just in case.
PS3 Media Server + Bravia 22EX553
Due to the decline in the picture quality from my old 14" Goodmans CRT TV I recently purchased a replacement. The Sony Bravia 22EX553 is a nice 22" 720P set with a Freeview HD tuner. It's only a set for the bedroom so extra features were not a high priority. Having said that I decided to make use of the features it does have, in my case DLNA video streaming from the PS3 Media Server software running on my PC.
I will skip the setting up of the network/firewall as this is specific to me. The problem I experienced was with the transcoding settings when attempting to play video. I was able to get the TV to see the server and browse the video content. I was able to select it and begin playback, all I got was a blank screen. PS3 Media Server was transcoding but nothing was getting to the TV. I solved this when I found a setting for "Default renderer when automatic detection fails" although the TV was seen correctly by the server as "Sony Bravia EX".
Changing "Default renderer when automatic detection fails" from "Unknown renderer" to "Sony Bravia EX" and saving the setting solved the problem. I can now select and playback my videos without any problems.
My Raspberry Pi Is Almost Here
I have had an email today informing me that my Raspberry Pi has been dispatched. Hopefully it will be in my hands within the week.
The Beefy Miracle
Facebook Is Shit
Some people may not understand my dislike of Facebook as a company, today however it is Facebook as a service that is the problem. I don't normally use the popular social networking website due to the privacy policy, the force feeding of advertising and the user profiling. I maintain an account as a just in case option, I am not an active user.
This week I have needed to view a group message on the service regarding an upcoming event. I was hoping for a quick hop on to view the details and then log off again. What I was confronted with was a broken and unusable mess. Attempting to click to view a message greyed out my screen and did nothing. Ok, I am a Linux user using Firefox and the OpenJDK Java runtime, maybe it's my system which is the problem. Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 32&64bit with the official Java runtime and Firefox still presented me with the same problems.
I gave up in the end and had somebody else send me what I needed.
In future if anybody needs to communicate event details to me please just email it.
Rat Hole
The scenes of the aftermath of my exploitative kitchen destruction in pursuit of vermin. During my time lying on my side gazing into the cavernous hole in the wall I was taunted by my nemesis. Twitching whiskers a pointed snout of brown fur and an eye of darkness appeared before me. Out of reach it looked directly at me, with a cheeky grin it knew it was out of my reach. The battle has ended in a minor victory for me, advancing the front line past the first line of defences. The terrain ahead of me will pose a serious issue for I cannot follow the path my enemy treads. I shall ready the weapons of war and plan my attack. I have him under siege now, my victory in this war edges ever closer.


text:
GameStop to Sponsor Matt Kenseth and No. 18 Toyota in NASCAR Nationwide Series
GameStop, the world's largest multichannel retailer of video games, announced today Matt Kenseth, former Sprint Cup Series Champion and two-time Daytona 500 Champion, will be behind the wheel of the No. 18 GameStop Toyota this season. GameStop is partnering with Joe Gibbs Racing for a sixth season and will be a primary sponsor in 10 Nationwide Series races.
Read more
Highlights from Media Day
Be sure to check out our highlights video from Media Day at Joe Gibbs Racing!
2013 Kyle Busch M&M'S Car Revealed
JoeGibbsRacing.com is proud to reveal the 2013 M&M'S Toyota Camry that will be driven by Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Below, watch our time-lapse wrap video to see how this Gen-6 NASCAR Toyota Camry got its colors. You can also see a full layout of the car at the bottom of this post.
Joey Logano Test Drives Need for Speed Most Wanted
Watch NASCAR driver Joey Logano cause some trouble as he test drives the new Need For Speed : Most Wanted!
In Most Wanted, you'll experience dream cars, the way you always wanted them. No tracks and no simulation. It's about taking your ride to the limit and beyond, nailing perfect 200 mile-an-hour drifts, slamming your friends off the road, outsmarting the cops and getting away with it in style. Learn more.


text:
A friend and I often speak of design issues in a universal sense. He is
more cynical than I, and holds that every generation produces two
perfected designs and the rest is awkward. I hold out more hope but not
too much.
In our recent discussion, I talked about the web sites I could identify
that had positive design contributions. I mentioned del.icio.us and a
few others.
What I'd like to know from the community is, What web sites do you know
of that exhibit excellent design?
technical writing | consulting | development
Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos & more.
Here's one I found a few months ago.
--- Mike Scarpiello <mscarpiello at gmail.com> wrote:
> I think Netflix and Linkedin are great. Usable, tight, and
> intuitive.
Need a vacation? Get great deals
to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel.
I actually disagree about LinkedIn .. I find the interface very
confusing .. it looks really good, but the placement of buttons is not
intuitive. I've gotten used to it, but when I'm with other people who
try to add somebody to their network they always have to search for
the button. There are too many options with similar actions attached
to them ... add to network, contact directly, get introduced, it's
hard to tell what the difference is if you've never used them before.
That said LinkedIn is a great service, an their interface is still
better than most.
I actually think Flickr and Facebook both have good UIs...
> --- Mike Scarpiello <mscarpiello at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I think Netflix and Linkedin are great. Usable, tight, and
> > intuitive.
Matt Nish-Lapidus
email/gtalk: mattnl at gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattnl
I think Ta-da List is pretty great. So simple and useful I generally use it
instead of a pen and paper.
contrast, Remember The Milk's version of the to-do list has lots of
features, and they're well done - but I prefer simplicity in this
Can we all agree that MySpace is the worst interface on the planet?
Funny! I feel the same way about Facebook as you do about Linkedin!
Facebook, to me, is a total visual overload scenario. There are buttons,
messages, ads, requests. I have no idea what half the stuff is on my home
Easily, and several other categories besides.
> Can we all agree that MySpace is the worst interface on the planet?
That's a nicely designed site. Still, I prefer the interface of a pad
and pen.
--- Joe Lanman <joe at formd.net> wrote:
> I think Ta-da List is pretty great. So simple and useful I generally
> use it
> instead of a pen and paper.
> http://www.tadalist.com/
Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with Yahoo! FareChase.
At 2:32 PM -0500 10/11/07, Mike Scarpiello wrote:
>Can we all agree that MySpace is the worst interface on the planet?
My only problem with that is that there's so much competition. For
example, I just went to the web site for a resume writing service
that's so poorly organized and poorly designed and seriously ugly
that it was a while before I realized that there's no way to purchase
their services from the site...And what if they wrote me a resume
that was that poorly designed?
Katie Albers
katie at firstthought.com


text:
Auger Drive Motor
There's no time for delayed meals in the grill world. Keep the fuel rolling with a new auger drive motor. It fuels the fire, moving Hardwood from Hopper to Fire Pot—briskly for hot and fast, or gradually for low and slow cooking.
        • Replacement Auger Drive Motor for your Traeger Grill
        • Easy to install
        • Compatible with all Traeger grill models
Product Actions
Keep the fire fed with a replacement Auger Drive Motor. Wood-fired food is the most delicious when it's fully cooked, so keep the pellets flowing.
Product Features
A replacement Auger Drive Motor retrofits into any Traeger grill except the PTG.
Simple Installation
When your fuel peters out and won't flow into the fire ignition, it's time for a new Auger Drive Motor. It's easy to replace and you won't have to read pages of installation instructions.
A Traeger pellet grill Auger Drive Motor keeps the fuel moving into the firepot. Keep pumping out delicious meals by replacing it when your pellets won't feed to the fire.


text:
Book your room at Hotel Imperial Beach
Double or Twin RoomMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 1 infant)
Superior Double or Twin RoomMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 1 infant)
Double Room Single UseMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 infant)
Superior Double Room Single UseMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 infant)
Triple RoomMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 1 infant)
Quadruple RoomMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 1 infant)
SuiteMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 1 infant)
Get an overview of this hotel4-star hotel on the beach, near Tiberius Bridge
Collect 200 points
Simply enter your Nectar card number when prompted. Your points will be credited 30 days after you return from your trip.*Offers may apply
Located in Rivabella, this beachfront hotel is in the city center and within 1 mi (2 km) of Arenas Water Park and Tiberius Bridge. Piazza Cavour and Castel Sismondo are also within 2 mi (3 km).
Hotel Features
At Hotel Imperial Beach, hit the beach where you can enjoy windsurfing, then dine onsite at Belvedere.
Room Amenities
All 57 soundproofed rooms feature free WiFi and minibars. For a bit of entertainment, guests will find LCD TVs with digital channels, and other amenities include balconies and refrigerators.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
In addition to a health club, Hotel Imperial Beach features a spa tub and a sauna. The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. A complimentary breakfast is offered. A computer station is located on site and high-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary.
Business-related amenities at this 4-star property consist of a business center and meeting rooms. 2 meeting rooms are available. This beach hotel also offers a steam room, tour/ticket assistance, and multilingual staff. For a surcharge, the property provides a roundtrip airport shuttle (available on request), an area shuttle, and a train station pick-up service. Limited complimentary onsite parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- 24-hour front desk
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Total number of rooms - 57
- Number of floors - 7
- Babysitting or childcare
- Bar/lounge
- Business center
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Concierge services
- Conference space
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-in
- Express check-out
- Turkish bath/Hammam
- Health club
- Computer station
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Laundry facilities
- Meeting rooms
- Multilingual staff
- Parking (limited spaces)
- Luggage storage
- Restaurant
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Train station pickup (surcharge)
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Number of meeting rooms - 2
- Free self parking
- Sauna
- Spa tub
- Steam room
- Television in common areas
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Free Wi-Fi
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Soundproofed rooms
- Laundry facilities
- Babysitting or childcare
- Playground on site
- Refrigerator
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, Parking (limited spaces)
Room Amenities
- Balcony
- Air conditioning
- Climate control
- Soundproofed rooms
- Phone
- Refrigerator
- Minibar
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Hair dryer
- Bidet
- Shower only
- In-room safe
- Desk
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Digital TV service
- Free WiFi
- Room service (limited hours)
Where to Eat
Guests are offered a complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast.
Hotel Imperial Beach has a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include a health club, a spa tub, a sauna, and a steam room.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Sailing nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
- Bicycle rentals on site
- Hiking/biking trails on site
- Playground on site
- Windsurfing on site
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 11 AM
Check-in time ends at midnight
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Pets allowed, Only dogs and cats are allowed, Maximum number of pets per room 1
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 2.50 per person, per night, up to 7 nights. This tax does not apply to children under 14 years of age.
- Resort fee
Hotel Name
- Hotel Imperial Beach Rimini
- Imperial Beach Rimini
- Imperial Beach Hotel Rimini
We should mention
Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 2999.99, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation. This property offers transfers from the airport and train station (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Reservations are required for massage services. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. A resort fee is included in the total price displayed.


text:
Pronunciation: /o͞oˌlänˈbätər/
(also Ulan Batoro͝oˈlän ˌbäˈtôr)
Definition of Ulaanbaatar in English:
A city in northeastern Mongolia, the capital of the country; population 922,100 (est. 2009). Former name (until 1924) Urga.
Definition of Ulaanbaatar in:
- British & World English dictionary
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
Subscribe to remove ads and access premium resources
= trending


text:
Joined Oct 26, 2015, 7:16:56 PM
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Ch 1. - HomeNovember 16, 2004Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Ch 1. - Home by masquerade5020
Dong… Dong... Dong…
Winchester Cathedral's bells tolled the witching hour as snow drifted quietly down, quickly covering the almost frozen ground. Christmas was still a little over a month away, yet storefronts had already been decked out for the upcoming holiday season. With the snow falling gently, the brightly colored lights, evergreen wreaths, and figures of Father Christmas, one may have thought they'd walked right into a holiday card.
Dong… Dong... Dong…
Streetlamps illuminated a young woman who stood alone on the sidewalk, listening to the bells that were so reminiscent of those that had tolled at a funeral mere weeks before. The wind lifted auburn hair lightly as she gazed toward the distant steeple, her breath creating soft little clouds of fog with each exhalation. She was lost; not geographically, but in life.
Dong… Dong... Dong…
As it was wont to do, fate had thrown a cruel twist i
Idiots"Matsui?"Idiots by WhiteLadyDragon
"Could you—nah, I don't think I should make you do that…"
"What is it, Elin? If you need something, I can readily fetch it for you."
"No. Really. It's…it's nothin'. It's too stupid…"
"Come on, Elin, what do you need? I'm sure it's anything but."
"See, I…back at home, when we were kids, and I got sick like I am now, my brother used to sit in bed with me, and we'd read together. And kind of…cuddle, a little."
"Y-you guys cuddled?"
Cough, cough. "Uh-huh. It was one of those rare moments when we actually acted like siblings."
"You want me to do the same thing, don't you?"
"Well, uh, not really, I—yeah. Yeah, that's kind of where I was getting at. Yeah. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Elin. If it'll help you feel better, then I'll do it."
"But…what about my flu? Aren't you worried about catching it?"
"Ha-ha! I'm wearing a mask and gloves, aren't I?"
"Thank you, Matsui. You wanna see the funnies, first?"
OystersIn hindsight, she almost hasn't the faintest idea why she'd picked oysters in yet another foolhardy attempt to knock the great detective down a peg or two, and at the same time, get his gears grinding again. She doesn't even like them. Crab and lobster are acceptable, and sushi is okay (she'd have to be a total jerk to fly over to Japan and not like at least some of their sushi), but mollusks? Blech!Oysters by WhiteLadyDragon
Actually, why hadn't she picked either of those sweet red meats, instead of this hideous arrangement of slimy pollution-colored bivalves set out in front of them, their shells open in a sort of challenging stance, daring her to slurp up at least one of them?
(This is what people call an appetizer?)
Then she remembers. If she hates oysters, the mere sight of the shellfish is bound to kill L, considering how all she's ever seen him eat is junk food. He thinks he can eat away his sorrows while Kira is free to do as he pleases. Not this time. She's going to spur him into action by torturing hi
SwitchIf this nonsense doesn't end soonor right now, if she had her wayshe doesn't know how much more of this she can take. No, this isn't about just her; if she feels this crazy, she can only imagine how Mr. Yagami and the kids are holding up, bound and locked up like animals while she still has enough freedom to swing back and forth between school and "headquarters" with supervision. Meanwhile, Kira is back and badder than ever, and Ryuzaki's acting like it's not even happening in their plain view (for no other reason but to milk a lousy, worthless confession out of Light).Switch by WhiteLadyDragon
She decides to rebel through non-violent protest that borders somewhere between kindergarten obnoxiousness and passive-aggressive bitchiness. A coward like her in her situation has no other means to get Ryuzaki to see the light (as in reason, not the boy he's been obsessively watching for weeks on end). Well, there's probably the diplomatic way, but she and diplomacy are estranged cousins three times removed
PockyIn all of her time in the country, she's had yet to try the Japanese snack delicacy known as pocky. Therefore, when she sees a street vendor selling it, she just has to give it a shot. No use studying in a foreign culture if you don't immerse yourself in it as fully as possible, or at least, as fully as she can, in the current living arrangements she's in.Pocky by WhiteLadyDragon
"What do you mean, you've never had pocky?" squeals Misa, like this is some sort of social injustice that Kira has not yet tackled. "We'd better fix that!" She slaps a few bills' worth of yen in front of the bewildered vendor. "Two orders of kiwifruit mango pocky, please."
"Wh-whoa, hang on, Misa," she stammers, a tad flustered that Misa-Misa, a celebrity, would want to buy something for her on a whim. "I don't want to get a real convoluted flavor when I don't know yet if I'm even gonna like it."
Misa pouts, "No one can not like pocky, Elin. It's physically impossible. Even Light likes it, and he's a picky eater. Besides, kiwifruit m
Surprise, Surprise (Matt) [2/3] {For Otromeru}"Maatt!"Surprise, Surprise (Matt) [2/3] {For Otromeru} by VisionaryDame
The aforementioned gamer heard his fiance Neru call out his name out of the blue, and it made him jump up from his seat as fast as he could and paused his conversation with Mello, who was left dumbfounded and a bit confused. It looked as though someone dropped a spider on an immensely arachnophobic with how fast Matt moved. The brunet sprinted toward the bedroom he shared with Neru with speed that he had never even knew existed. She sounded really distressed to him, and just the mere sound of it made him wonder if the baby was on it's way sooner than expected.
That was one problem that he had to worry about, especially with the wedding being three months away. The thought of the baby being born prematurely was one of his many fears that he may have had to face. It was not the expenses that it would take to care for it, but the thought of being even more fragile with a premature child almost scared him. It would make him feel as if he would have to watch his every move o
Surprise, Surprise (Matt) [1/3] {For Otromeru}Neru nervously paced the room for what seemed like an eternity, arms crossed over her chest. A nervous and almost horrified look came across her features as she stared at every little detail of the room as if they were watching her creepily. Occasionally, she would stop for a moment, think to herself, and then start moving around once again. Whenever she did stopped to do that, one would take note of the fact that her leg was shaking almost violently. That was due to the intense anxiety that completely took over her body as if she were slowly undergoing a possession. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, and it was hard for her to stay calm for very long before those thoughts came over. It was as if she were possessed by an unknown demon that sought to torture by the means of raising her anxiety. Unfortunately, despite asking the one person that she believed she could trust, she truly thought that there was no possible way to shake the feeling.Surprise, Surprise (Matt) [1/3] {For Otromeru} by VisionaryDame
When she turned to look toward the bed, sh
DutyEver since Light's death, Matsuda, of all people, has undertaken the role of a rock in the task force. He's unsure as to whether this has happened out of guilt, out of obligation, or out of fear of losing the othersand possibly himselfto despair. It could very well be a combination of the three, but he doesn't bother to investigate into it. Some things should be investigated, some things should be left be, especially if the answers are unattainable or useless. The hard part is learning how to tell the difference.Duty by WhiteLadyDragon
It had begun, not so surprisingly, as an order, issued to him by "Ryuzaki." After they had taken Watari and Light to the morgue, he had returned later to check on Erin, worried that her injury would require a trip to the hospital or worse. He'd been so numb, his vision so sore and blurry with tears that he'd had to take the subway back to headquarters. He knows well enough not to get behind a wheel when he's like this.
Fortunately, almost miraculously, she had only
HumanSo here he is again. Another case closed and filed away into history. And yet, it's different somehow.Human by WhiteLadyDragon
This is more than mere disappointment that the game, possibly the greatest game he's ever played, is over. Even though his opponent fell first, he feels…heavy. The weight of profound defeat lays on his shoulders, adding an extra curve into his already poor posture. He curls up tighter into himself, hugging his legs, resting his head on his knees, to keep from falling flat under it.
He glances at Watari smiling at him from inside the photo next to him. Did I do the right thing, he vaguely wonders, almost asking himself out loud before realizing how pointless that would be. Watari can't share his input anymore, or ask what flavor ice cream he fancies today or deliver messages from those asking for his assistance in another dead-ending case. He'd killed him, through one little oversight. Sent him to fetch Misa Amane and to his demise. Light and the shinigami had dealt the fatal blo
DoubleHow often does someone manage to not only get to personally know a celebrity, but to have a deep enough friendship that said celebrity would go out of their way to invite you onto the set of a film they are starring in?Double by WhiteLadyDragon
"How about it?" Misa had offered, in that out-of-the-blue way of hers, her hand extended in invitation.
"R really? You'd actually let me tag along?"
"Why not? Misa thinks you'll feel a lot better if you got out of this stuffy room and spent the day with Misa and Matsu. Misa can tell you're the kind of girl who needs a little 'me-time' after she and her man get into a spat. Distance in love is like wind to fire: blows out the weak, but feeds the strong. Misa always remembers that when she has to leave Light."
She wishes that Misa would stop referring to them as though they're in a relationship, never mind the kind Misa has with Light. Whether they are or not, she doesn't simply need a break; she needs to get as far away from that guy as possible, and never see him a
FriendGirls are very strange creatures; emotionally, they seem all over the place. One minute, they'll comment on how your face resembles a monkey's. The next, they'll steal back into the monitor room and try to persuade you to go trick-or-treating like it's a rite of passage and you're nobody unless you've done it. Then they'll get teary-eyed about your lack of a social circle outside of your prime suspect and give you a hug to assure you that no, you're not alone and you're crazy if you believe otherwise, followed up by a blush and a stammered apology for crossing whatever line there was between you, and following that with an angry noogie when they notice that you'd taken the chocolate bar they'd stashed in their pocket (even though she was going to share it with you anyhow), and laugh about it all the while.Friend by WhiteLadyDragon
Immediately after, she asks for a cup. "You got any more tea? I think it's the least you can do for taking my chocolate, and I for one am parched."
Without a word, he pushes a second
MistakeWith the emergence of the notebook and shinigami, it seemed that Light had finally boxed him in. He had managed to turn the task force against him, forced him to let him go and discontinue surveillance on Misa, all because of a single (conveniently placed) rule that hadn't been tested. He had been the only one of the group not satisfied with this evidence, but as was usually the case in a group, the majority won out.Mistake by WhiteLadyDragon
If one could use chess as a metaphor to describe this long-running battle of wits, Kira had placed him in check. The lack of surveillance, on the one hand, could've been used to his advantage, as it would've been when Light and Misa would move again. And move they did: just days after Higuchi's death and their release, criminals had begun dying again.
But only he had brought up the fact that these killings had begun as soon as Misa had gone home, and of course, Light shut him down. With the 13-day rule in place, it didn't take long for Mr. Yagami and the others to side wit
Death Demon: Chapter 1 MayonakaDeath Demon: Chapter 1 Mayonaka by WolftheRapo121
It all happened so fast. From what Mayonaka could remember was falling down to hell. Now she has spent eight long years down in it
Chapter One: Mayonaka
Mayonaka sat on the edge of the cliff. She wasn't happy or sad. She was angry. She was much better looking than what she is now. Her appearance was horrible. Her dark, brown hair was longer than before. Her fringe covered her face, making Mayonaka part it. Her arms and legs were covered in boils; some new ones and popped one. Her light, blue tank top was ripped and torn as was her dark blue skirt. Her face had changed a bit, looking more demonic than human. Her eyes used to be green, but now they are faded making the iris and pupil invisible. They were white as snow. Her lips were cut, showing bloody, sharp fangs. How ugly I am, she thought to herself.
All she could do now was sit there on the cliff and wait until her wish came true. She alway
|More Journal Entries
2. Bases ARE allowed.
3. Your OC IS allowed to be you
4. Your OC is a child of two characters from the anime ARE ALLOWED.
5. Yaoi and Yuri ARE allowed.
6. Your OC can be whatever. She could be a zombie and I wouldn't care.
7. Cosplay pictures of your OC and your character ARE allowed.
8. You do NOT HAVE to kill off your character that your OC is with if he/she dies in the anime.
9. Do NOT bully other artists because of their skills. If you do you WILL be REPORTED to DEVIANTART AND KICKED OUT OF THIS GROUP
10. DO NOT steal other artwork
11. If you counter any problems report them to either me or the Co-founders. We will try our best to fix the problem.
12. Have fuuuuun~
You can donate points for the group at and


text:
All computers purchased with State funds are now pre-approved by ITS prior to processing by Procurement & Payment Services. Departments and offices are strongly encouraged to order standard desktops and laptops as described in the Technology Procurement System.
These configurations change from time to time as market conditions change.
For assistance with computer purchases with State funds, including hardware requirements to accommodate special needs, call the IT Help Desk at x5151.
Many students bring laptop (or notebook) computers to campus. This allows students to take advantage of wireless network while away from the residence halls.
For new computer purchases we suggest the following as minimum configurations:
These configurations are suggested guidelines only and are subject to change.