text:
Scott Stricklin said in a letter to fans that he and his staff are "all in," putting a rest to the rumors he may join Michigan at least for the moment.
The eighth-year head coach of KSU first thanked the fans for their support during the run through the College World Series, mentioned the baseball banquet this Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom that's open to fans and then addressed the rumors that Michigan was courting he and parts of his staff.To read more or comment...
Kent State's improbable run through the College World Series ended in a blur Thursday afternoon in the Golden Flashes' 4-1 loss to two-time defending champion South Carolina.
Kent State (47-20) drew first blood against SC pitcher Michael Roth on Sawyer Polen's RBI-single in the second inning, but couldn't muster a hit against Roth the rest of the way. South Carolina scored four unanswered runs in the second and third innings to pull away against pitcher Tyler Skulina.To read more or comment...
The NCAA announced this was the fourth time since 2008 that the College World Series has had weather issues on June 20.
Today's schedule:
Game 10 – Kent St. (v) vs. South Carolina (h), 12 noon ET, ESPN2
Game 11 – Florida St. (v) vs. Arizona (h), 5 pm ET
Game 12 – Arkansas vs. South Carolina/Kent St., 9 pm ET
Last year Evan Campbell probably never would have dreamed his prowess in the center field would make SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.
Playing infield through his freshman year at Kent State, Campbell was sent into summer ball before his sophomore season with instructions from Golden Flashes coach Scott Stricklin to spend some time in the outfield.
When he returned, the product of West Branch High School in Beloit, Ohio, found himself starting in center.
"Last year it was a little bit rough at the beginning, reading balls and chasing them," Campbell said after the Golden Flashes' practice Tuesday at the College World Series. "This year it felt pretty natural."
That's been evident during Kent State's NCAA run. Making its first appearance in Omaha, KSU (47-19) was scheduled to face two-time defending champion South Carolina (46-18) in an elimination game Wednesday night at TD Ameritrade Park. The 8 p.m. start was delayed by heavy rain.
The biggest victory in Kent State baseball history, a 5-4 triumph over top-ranked Florida Monday that sent the Gators home, included a spectacular play by Campbell that drew national recognition.
In the sixth inning, the junior ran down a ball off the bat of clean-up hitter Brian Johnson and made a diving catch. His effort was No. 2 on ESPN's list of Top 10 plays.
"I just took off and I knew the wind was carrying it. I tried to get there. I laid out for it and got it," Campbell said.
When Stricklin got back to the team hotel, he and his wife flipped on the television to watch ESPN.
"When it came on at No. 9 I'm like, 'Here's Evan' and it was T.J.," said Stricklin, referring to T.J. Sutton's game-ending catch in right field. "So we were counting it down; we were in the top five…. The No. 2 play is not too bad."
Campbell also made the top 10 on June 9 after an NCAA super regional game against Oregon. He saved a 7-6 victory despite a two-out, bases loaded jam with a turning, leaping catch in deep center.
After that one, Stricklin jokingly accused Campbell of hot-dogging.
"I don't know about that," Campbell said. "I was a little worried. I was just glad to hold onto it. I knew if I drop it the game's over."
When a member of the media suggested to Campbell that he's been on as many highlight lists as the Heat's LeBron James, Campbell said, "That's fine with me. I'm not a LeBron fan. Used to be."
The Golden Flashes might have come to expect an extraordinary defensive gem from Campbell every night.
"I wouldn't go that far," he said. "This team is funny. Things always happen and it seems almost routine for something weird to happen like that. It's pretty awesome."
Campbell has also been a big part of the Golden Flashes' offensive attack, ranking fourth on the team with a .316 batting average with seven home runs and 40 RBI. But in KSU's eight NCAA games, Campbell is hitting just .132.
Omaha, Neb. - South Carolina (46-18) is back on the field at the College World Series on Wednesday night in an elimination game with Kent State (47-19). First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET with the game televised live on ESPN with Mike Patrick, Orel Hershiser and Jessica Mendoza calling the action.
South Carolina - Jordan Montgomery, LHP, Fr. (5-1, 4.05 ERA, 66.2 IP, 9 BB, 51 SO)
Kent State - Tyler Skulina, RHP, So. (11-2, 3.63 ERA, 101.2 IP, 41 BB, 97 SO)
South Carolina and Kent State will meet for the first time since 1997 when the Gamecocks took two of three games vs. the Golden Flashes at Sarge Frye Field. After falling 6-8 in the opener on Feb. 21, the Gamecocks earned wins of 15-8 and 21-4 to win the series in head coach Ray Tanner's first season at the helm. South Carolina leads the all-time series history 5-2 as well.
Freshman left-hander Jordan Montgomery is scheduled to make his second appearance of the 2012 postseason. Montgomery won that outing, a start vs. Clemson in the NCAA Regional, as he went 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts in the 4-3 victory over the Tigers. For the season, Montgomery is 5-1 with a 4.05 ERA and has 51 strikeouts to just nine walks in 66.2 innings pitched. Along with Clemson, Montgomery has also earned wins over The Citadel, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Auburn.
The 2-1 loss to Arkansas was the first defeat this season for the Gamecocks when allowing two runs or less. The Gamecocks are 25-1 on the year when opponents score two runs or less. The Gamecocks also hold a 40-11 record when allowing five runs or less. South Carolina is 18-0 on the year when scoring in the first inning. South Carolina is 34-5 when scoring first and 37-4 when out-hitting the opponent.
Memphis prep wing Earvin Morris signed a National Letter of Intent Monday to play at Kent State next season.
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound forward, joines the Golden Flashes from Memphis East High School, where he helped lead the Mustangs to a state champsionship.To read more or comment...
When Temple left the Mid-American in March, Kent State lost more than an opponent.
With the Owls defection back to the restructured Big East (Temple was an original founding member, but defected in 2005), the Golden Flashes also lost a recruit.
To read more or comment...
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported last week that Montour (Pa.) nose guard Tyler Haddock, who verbally committed to KSU in April, recently switched his commitment from Kent State to Temple.
Here's what Florida coach Mike O'Sullivan, catcher Mike Zunino and right fielder Preston Tucker had to say after Monday night's 5-4 loss to Kent State that eliminated the Gators from the College World Series. (Courtesy ASAP Sports)
COACH O'SULLIVAN: Great game by both teams. It came down to the last out, and something you would expect in an elimination game. I'm awfully proud of our guys and the way they battled back.To read more or comment...
Here's what Kent State coach Scott Stricklin, starting pitcher Ryan Bores, catcher David Lyon, shortstop Jimmy Rider and reliever Josh Pierce said after a 5-4 victory over No. 1 Florida Monday in the College World Series. (Courtesy ASAP Sports)
The decision eliminated Florida and sent KSU into an 8 p.m. loser's bracket game Wednesday against Monday night's Arkansas-South Carolina loser.To read more or comment...
The Golden Flashes survived to play another day with their 5-4 win over No. 1 ranked Florida Monday night in an elimination game, but they sure didn't make it easy on themselves.
Holding a one-run lead entering the ninth inning, Kent State pitchers threw 11 straight balls (Michael Clark opened the inning with six and was taken out for Josh Pierce, who followed with five of his own) that resulted in runners on second and third with one out after a successful sacrifice bunt.To read more or comment...
Quotes from Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, designated hitter Joe Serrano, catcher Jake Wise and starting pitcher D.J. Baxendale after the Razorbacks' 8-1 victory Saturday in the College World Series. (Courtesy ASAP Sports)
COACH VAN HORN: First off, I thought it was a very clean game. Both teams played very good defense.To read more or comment...
Here are what KSU coach Scott Stricklin, pitcher David Starn and shortstop Jimmy Rider said after Saturday's 8-1 loss to Arkansas in the College World Series.
(Courtesy ASAP Sports)To read more or comment...
With Kent State playing in its first College World Series game in school history, there was good and bad news Saturday evening.
The bad news came in the form of the Golden Flashes' 8-1 loss to Arkansas in the opening game of Bracket 2 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, during a nationally televised matchup on ESPN.To read more or comment...
The Golden Flashes are going to the College World Series for the first time in school history after taking down Oregon 3-2 in walk-off fashion Monday night in Eugene, Ore.
With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning and Derek Toadvine on second base, shortstop Jimmy Rider came up with the biggest hit in Kent State history in his game-winning bloop single down the left field line to score Toadvine and send KSU's dugout into bedlam.To read more or comment...
Holding a 2-0 lead in game 2 of the Eugene Super Regional, the Golden Flashes were nine outs away from their first trip to the College World Series in school history.
KSU starting pitcher Ryan Bores had been spectacular through six innings, allowing only three hits and no runs. He was even perfect through the first three.To read more or comment...
It will easy to catch the Kent State football team on television next season, with the recent announcement by the Mid-American Conference that five of the Golden Flashes' eight conference games will be aired on either SportsTime Ohio or an ESPN outlet.
The Flashes open the season Aug. 30, against Towson at 7 p.m. under the lights at Dix Stadium. They are set to begin conference play Sept. 19 at Buffalo on ESPNU.To read more or comment...
The NCAA announced late Monday that Kent State and Oregon will play a best-of-three baseball series in Eugene with Game 1 being at 11 p.m. Saturday. Game 2 is at 10 p.m. Sunday with a game Monday at 7 p.m., if necessary. All three Golden Flashes games of the NCAA Super Regional will be televised on ESPNU.
Here is the complete release from Kent State:To read more or comment...


text:
WATCH: Britney Spears - 'It's Britney Witch!'
Listen to Britney Spears on iHeartRadio
Britney Spears has some fun in a new Halloween-themed video with BBC radio host Nick Grimshaw.
The pop star reads the famous Vincent Price portion from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, at times attempting a British accent.
Not surprisingly, the sketch is called "It's Britney, Witch!"
Check out the video below!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Congress' two-front war with the CIA
There is a battle raging between Congress and the CIA this week. Intelligence oversight committees are accusing the spy bureaucracy of lying. The problem for the two panels is that these fights are being fought in two parallel and partisan universes.
For Democrats, the action was at the Senate Select Committee for Intelligence, where a bipartisan majority voted Thursday to declassify the executive summary of a massive report on the CIA's enhanced-interrogation program. The report concludes that the CIA misled Congress, the White House, and the Justice Department on the efficacy of the harsh interrogations conducted in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
For Republicans, the action is at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where Republicans have uncovered huge swaths of firsthand accounts from U.S. intelligence officials and diplomats that undermine the CIA's initial assessment that the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi was a protest gone awry.
In both cases, the minority party on both committees thinks the majority is making a mountain out of a molehill. In both cases, the CIA is being accused of contradicting the analysis of its own rank and file that were in a better position to know the ground truth. And in both cases, the considered objections of the CIA's oversight body will likely do little to diminish the power of America's main spy agency.
"If you don't do oversight in a bipartisan basis, the bottom line is you will have no impact on the intelligence community," said Pete Hoekstra, who served as chairman of the House intelligence committee between 2005 and 2007.
Bill Harlow, who served as spokesman for former CIA director George Tenet, said these parallel investigations were examples of partisanship gone awry. "I find it offensive that Democrats accuse the agency of lying on important issues during the Bush administration and the Republicans accuse the agency of lying on other important issues in this administration," he said.
Harlow has some proximity to the Senate and House investigation. While he was leading the agency's public-affairs bureau under Tenet, the CIA was developing the enhanced-interrogation techniques that remain a source of controversy more than a dozen years later. These techniques—which include simulated drowning, slamming detainees up against walls, and sleep deprivation—have long been considered torture by human-rights groups and leading Democrats. A Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report, based on millions of documents, found that the harsh techniques did not yield valuable intelligence and did not help eventually locate Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Read The Full Article On The Daily Beast
More articles from The Daily Beast:
- Putin's Patriotism is Phony, His Desperation is Real
- Hillary Blasts Putin
- Harvard's Biggest Problem With Sexual Assault Is Harvard Itself
© 2013 Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC


text:
There is a stunning visualization of the African scenery where the action takes place for a whopping 30 hours of gameplay.
Super Gamer Dude
PC Games
Far Cry 2 offers the players a lot of freedom on how to complete the missions. There is a stunning visualization of the African scenery where the action takes place for a whopping 30 hours of gameplay. There are a lot of rewards and chances to upgrade the character and the weapons. The only downside? The plot leaves much to be desired, but who cares? Also, Africa can be quite a large place to travel on foot.
First shooter games like Far Cry 2 is a world of violence. This is what mindless shooting and blood and guts is all about. Fortunately, the developers of the game realized that mindless killings and destruction are what the gamers want, especially when they want to vent out their frustrations on inanimate objects.The setting: Africa. It is a large expanse where the mercenaries get to meet all sorts of challenges, enemies and even wild animals. The multiplayer mode adds a lot of challenge to the gameplay which can keep the gamer on their toes for hours on end.
The gamer plays the role of a mercenary, obviously, who is working for someone who wants a certain arms dealer, simply called the Jackal. This guy proves to be stealthy and it takes all the skills and analysis to get to that guy. At the heart of the chaos that is Africa, there are two organizations: APR and UFLL. Here, the character spends time working one time with APR and another with UFLL. It is important to know how they work and it takes all the hours of energy to get through the tasks that are directed toward the player. Add in the complication that the character suffers from malaria which can mean getting sick at times and having to suffer through the fevers and chills.
Although the multiple player mode is great, the single player can be a bit disappointing. The multiplayer can drag up to 30 hours. But get this; the single player can drag much longer than that. Get prepared to meet up a lot of challenges and fights which can test whatever skills were learned with other first shooter games. This is the time to get out whatever learned skills and apply them.
Visually, Far Cry 2 is fantastic and beautifully displays the beauty that is Africa. The sound is great as well, there is the tribal music which can hypnotize at times and makes the player relax at the times when the character has to wait out an enemy. The voice acting is iffy at best, so letÂ's not go there.
Overall, this is a game where any gamer can get lost in oblivion. For some reason, the player waits it out when the character they control is waiting it out. Times can get really hectic so it is a good idea to not forget to eat. This is a lengthy game and it can go on longer if not prepared. Make sure to drink lots of water as well.
|Submitted by
|Cheat Title


text:
LISTEN: Metallica shares studio version of 'Lords Of Summer'
Listen to Metallica on iHeartRadio
Metallica have unveiled a slightly more official version of their new song "Lords of Summer."
Fan-recorded live versions of the track have been making their way around the Internet since the band debuted the song at a concert in Colombia this past Sunday. But now the metal vets have posted a studio recording dubbed the "garage demo version" on YouTube.
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich recently told "Rolling Stone" that "Lords of Summer" is "fairly representative" of where their "creative headspace is at right now." He says it's a way to prove to fans that they're "writing and creating away," but admits that it may not actually end up on the band's long awaited follow-up to their last full-length album, 2008's Death Magnetic.
Check out "Lords of Summer" below!
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Alicia Keys to perform at Global Citizen Festival
Listen to Alicia Keys on iHeartRadio
Alicia Keys is set to bring her fire to New York this weekend for the Global Citizen Festival. It is the event's second year in progress, and will take place at the Great Lawn in Central Park on Saturday.
The line-up is led by Stevie Wonder, and Alicia will also be joining John Mayer and Kings of Leon. This year the Global Citizen Festival has partnered with a charity called Cotton on Foundation, which works to fight poverty worldwide.
Tickets for the concert are free. It will also stream live at GlobalCitizen.org. The event is timed to coincide with the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York. Stars who've signed on to speak this year include, will.i.am, Russell Simmons, Gerard Butler, Katie Holmes, Freida Pinto and Olivia Wilde.


text:
Plague-Infected Squirrel Closes Calif. Campgrounds
(NEWSER) – A plague threat has shut down campgrounds around Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reports. A ground squirrel in the area was found to have the plague, which can be transmitted to humans through fleas, a health official says. "It is important for the public to know that there have only been four cases of human plague in Los Angeles County residents since 1984, none of which were fatal," the official notes.


text:
Claim: Kim Fed Uncle Alive to 120 Starved Dogs
(NEWSER) – What's a fitting way to execute a man labeled"worse than a dog"? If an unconfirmed newspaper report is to be believed, by stripping him naked, throwing him in a cage, and feeding him alive to 120 hungry hounds. NBC News picks up Hong Kong-based paper Wen Wei Po'saccount of how Kim Jong Un did away with his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, last month. Its report claims Jang and his five closest aides were set upon by a pack of hunting dogs that hadn't eaten in days as Kim and his brother, flanked by 300 officials, watched; the report hasn't been verified.


text:
Thank you for checking out the All The King's Men blog. This blog is no longer being supported, updated and available on Ohio.com. And has been discontinued.
You will be redirected in 7 seconds...
Yesterday, on Memorial Day, I visited the gravesite of my parents. They are buried in a military cemetery due to my father's service. He was an infantryman in WWII, having entered that conflict at Normandy. His unit fought it's way through France and into Germany. Fortunately, almost miraculously, my father did not die in combat (or I wouldn't be here), though the war affected him profoundly for the rest of his life. I'm not going into details, but suffice it to say, war is hell. Like most Americans, I consider every man and woman who fought and/or died for this country to be a hero.
To read more or comment...
Memorial Day is the time we honor our fallen soldiers, our heroes.
I only know one way to say it - the Obama people are making absolute fools of themselves over Bain Capital's relationship with GST Steel. They are also making fools of themselves for attacking Romney's successful business experience (experience that candidate Obama lacked in 2008, btw).
The Obama campaign ad accuses Romney/Bain of vampire capitalism, of destroying GST Steel in order to profit from the carnage. A former GST employee says in the ad, "It was like a vampire. They came in and sucked the life out of us".
Not hardly. What Bain actually did was extend GST Steel's life. From the Wall Street Journal:
The real story of GST is that of a private-equity firm trying to spark some life into a uncompetitive, over-unionized industry. Bain's crime here—if that's what you call it—was giving a dying steel plant an unexpected eight-year lease on life.
To read more or comment...
When Bain bought the Kansas City mill in 1993, steel was a scene of carnage. Global players were pouring out cheap products, and America's high-cost steel plants couldn't compete. The industry had lost 200,000 jobs in preceding years. In 1992 alone, the six largest U.S. steel mills had lost a combined $3 billion. Armco, the company Bain would buy the plant from, would lose $641 million in 1993.
Some guy name Rex Nutting at MarketWatch wrote a piece called 'Obama Spending Binge Never Happened', in which he claims federal spending increases under Obama are at the lowest rate since the 1950's. The liberal talking heads at MSNBC immediately went into self-satisfied smirk overdrive (am I the only one to notice the ever-present, weird, bemused smirk they all seem to have, as if they can hardly believe they even have to point out their obvious superiority to the rest of us rubes? It's almost children-of-the-cornish). The liberal talkers all basically concluded that this proves yet again that those evil conservatives are lying to us.
To read more or comment...
There's only one problem with Nutting and MSNBC's take on the matter…
You've probably seen the stupid Obama campaign ads that blame Mitt Romney for the bankruptcy of GST Steel, a company that was run by Romney's Bain Capital group. The ads don't bother to mention that GST Steel went bankrupt two years after Romney left Bain, or that steel companies were dropping like flies at the time, or all the successful Bain businesses that blossomed during Romney's tenure, or the overall impressive record of success of Bain. You don't hear any of that, because those truths are inconvenient to Obama's re-election strategy.
To read more or comment...
In spite of the false perception left by these friends of Obama ads, what I find interesting about them is the way they demonize private investment capital. It's as if Obama's friends believe that if Bain invests private capital in a business, and the business ultimately doesn't work out (even if the failure comes eight years later, as was the case with GST Steel), some kind of sin has been committed by the "evil" investors. This is an incredibly simple-minded and fantasy-driven way to view business. The truth is, MOST business ventures don't work out. There is substantial risk involved with investing in a business. 2005 information from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics reveals that only 44% of new businesses are still operating after four years. When investors invest in a business, odds are they are going to lose their money. Bain Capital lost it's investment many times over the years. That's the nature of the game, but Bain also had a string of successes, and that's where Bain made most of it's money. Take Staples, for instance. When Bain acquired the office supply retailer in 1986, Staples had one store. By 2011, Staples grew to over 2,000 stores. That's where jobs come from, but I bet you won't hear about Staples in any Obama ads. Instead, you'll hear about how Romney is a vampire capitalist who strip mines companies, even though it's hogwash.
In the runup to the 2008 presidential election, the liberal media basically ran against Sarah Palin, not John McCain. I can't remember the second banana on the ticket ever causing such a fuss, as did Palin. We were warned repeatedly how tragic it would be if Palin became VP, a mere heartbeat away from the top job. Could we imagine having a dolt like Palin so close to the presidency ?, they cried. I always wanted to respond, "whaddya mean, imagine it ? It's going to happen, and his name is Joe Biden !". Somehow, the same media that was peeing it's collective pants over Palin had no objection to the Gaffemaster General in the VP slot. Go figure. The frequency of Biden gaffes corresponds roughly to the number of times he opens his mouth. Last week, Biden outed Obama's "evolution" on gay marriage before Obama wanted him to. The week before that Biden went around questioning whether Romney would have made the call to get Bin Laden, when Biden himself didn't want to go after Bin Laden at Abbottobad. In effect, Biden was saying we can't trust Biden to be the President.
To read more or comment...
Biden's gaffes go well beyond his continual instances of foot-in-mouth disease. His decisions on foreign policy serve as a pretty good contra-indicatior of what should be done. He's like the Wrong Way Corrigan of foreign policy. This is odd, because foreign policy is supposed to be Biden's strength. He was a long-time member and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Team Obama's Diversion of The Week re-election strategy for the current seven day period is gay marriage. Our deep-thinking President searched the depths of his formerly homophobic, gay-bashing soul and discovered his views on gay marriage had flip-flopped, er, I mean, "evolved". Flip-flopping is something the Republican apostate Romney does. Obama evolves. Obama's Diversion Of The Week re-election team (the mainstream media) immediately went into worship mode and regaled us with tales of Obama's epic courage and historic historicness . That completely objective left-wing rag, Newsweek magazine, immediately pronounced Obama 'The First Gay President'. The Washigton Post, allegedly through sheer coincidence, dropped a lengthy story about challenger Romney's 1965 alleged gay-bashing haircutting prank THE VERY NEXT DAY. I assume WaPo thinks the word "coincidence" means 'when it will have the most dramatic effect". You could practically hear the WaPo editors all joining in a rousing chorus of "NOW !!!" before they dropped the story. Also of note is this fact - the only things we know about Obama's high school misdeeds is what Obama told us himself in his book. The media has no interest in Obama's misspent youth, when Obama, by his own admission, attended class sparingly and did drugs and alcohol regularly. If the media will interview everyone who ever went to school with Romney in order to dig up dirt, why won't they do the same with Obama ? Golly gee, what in the world could the reason be for that double standard ? As if we didn't know. I don't call the mainstream media the "Obama's re-election team' for nothing.
Being pro-gay marriage myself, I might be impressed by Obama's re-awakening on the issue, except that there's no meat on Obama's gay marriage bone (no pun intended). He said he will propose no legislation, and said the issue should be left up to the states. That's the same position the anti-gay marriage Romney holds, so what am I supposed to be impressed about ? Nothing has actually changed. Things are exactly like they were before. Apparently, the mainstream media is having too gay of an old time to notice.
There's an interesting history between our presidential candidates on the gay marriage issue. It's a flip-flopper's, er, I mean, an evolver's dream. The Wall Street Journal listed these Obama gay marriage positions:
Obama on Gay Marriage
• 1996, running for Illinois state Senate: "I favor legalizing same-sex marriage."
• 2004, running for U.S. Senate: "Marriage is between a man and a woman.
• 2010, as president: "My feelings are constantly evolving" on gay mar riage.
• 2012, as president: "I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.
As for Romney, the New York Times points out that Romney said he would seek "full equality" for gays in a letter to Log Cabin Massachusetts Republicans during Romney's 1994 Senate campaign against Ted Kennedy. Now Romney is against gay marriage, and is even against gay civil unions. Romney said the issue should be left up to the states like Obama has, but Romney also supported the Defense Of Marriage Act that would bar gay marriage on a national level, so Romney has a flip-flop inside a flip-flop on the gay marriage issue. It ain't easy to be THAT politically inept.
To read more or comment...
The bottom line is this - both candidates are telling their ideological bases what they want to hear now, just as both candidates have taken whatever position they thought would be beneficial for their political aspirations in the past. What I see is a couple politicians with their fingers in the wind, and not much more.
President Obama officially kicked off his re-election campaign over the weekend, which was news to me. NOW Obama is campaigning ? What has he been doing thus far ? I hear him campaigning every time he stands in front of a microphone. Always have. I can't recall a more political, self-promoting President in my lifetime. Here's a thought experiment for you. Try to think of an Obama speech where he didn't attack his opposition and blame everything on them. There may be a few instances, but I don't recall them. I've heard Obama give the "it's Bush's fault", "it's the GOP Congress' fault", "it's the Supreme Court's fault" speech so many times I could recite the words in my sleep. That may be normal during campaign season, but Obama has given that speech nonstop ever since he was elected President.
Because the 2008 Obamamania Fever is lacking this time around, I'm interested in what Obama's supporters are citing as reasons to re-elect their man in 2012. Here are some comments from Obama supporters at the Obama campaign kickoff event at Ohio State University (which had thousands of empty seats):
"I'm not satisfied with his four years," said Anita Bixenstine, 68, of Kent, Ohio. "But I think he's been fighting a do-nothing Congress and some bad public opinion."
To read more or comment...
"I have tremendous fear of the opposition," added husband Ed Bixenstine, referring to Romney.
Five upstanding-looking men were arrested for trying to blow up the Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on monday night. These left-wing nimrods call themselves anarchists and are associated with the Occupy movement. Had the anarcho-Occupiers been successful, we'd have many murdered Ohioans, because they tried to detonate the C-4 they'd placed at the base of the bridge as cars were driving over the bridge, according to an FBI affidavit. Fortunately, the C-4 was sold to the Freak Five by an undercover FBI agent, and it was inert. There was no boom-boom, no collapsing bridge, no dead people, and no pointless statement about disrupting Ohio commerce, as the Freak Five desired. The Cleveland Occupy movement quickly tried to distance itself from the bungled bombers, saying the Occupy movement was "peaceful" and does not condone their actions. While I agree that drum circles are a more peaceful form of protest than bridge bombings, I wouldn't exactly refer to the Occupiers as peaceful. Here are some of the Occupier actions from yesterday's May Day protests:To read more or comment...
About This Blog


text:
Mother's blog goes viral after she says bullied kids need to toughen up
A South Dakota's mom's blog post rant has gone viral.
Stephanie Metz' blog The Metz Family Adventures is usually lighthearted and features posts about cooking, the family's travels, and basic day-to-day stuff.
But her October 25th blog titled, 'Why My Kids Are NOT the Center of My World' was a LOT more controversial.
She wrote:
'This post contains subject matter about which I feel very strongly. As are most emotionally heated issues…'I suppose it's controversial. But hey, I feel how I feel and that's not going to be changed.'
She then talked about how:
- boys should be allowed to play with guns
- it's not your job to be your parents 'friend'
- kids that are being bullied should "toughen up."


text:
Duke basketball team shoots fake guns, draws ire from gun control advocates
In a team-building exercise, coach Mike Krzyzewski brought his Duke basketball team to his alma mater West Point to show them military life and give them a lesson in gun safety.
After going through a training and safety course, the players had the opportunity to handle laser guns that resemble M4s and M240s in a combat simulator, WRAL Sports reports. They posted photos posing with the guns to the Blue Devil Network Twitter account, but they have been taken down under pressure from gun control advocates.
Jon Jackson, associate director of athletics for Duke, said that this was not the intention."If you take the image by itself and it's taken out of context, it could be seen as are we somehow glamorizing gun violence or something like that," Jackson said. "Clearly, not the case."


text:
48" Klismos Round Dining Set Painted Metal (Set of Table and 4 Side Chairs)
- No Longer Available -
A modern interpretation of the 5th-century BC Greek Klismos design, revived in France in the 1700s and now by us in a collection crafted of rustproof cast aluminum.
Show Details +
- Dining Table: 48" diam., 30"H
- Side Chair: seat, 17"H; 19"W x 24"D x 40"H overall
Product Not Available
We're sorry. This product is no longer available
Please continue browsing.


text:
Beyonce performs 'XO' at 2014 Brit Awards
Listen to Beyonce on iHeartRadio
Beyonce performed "XO" for the first time live on TV at the 2014 Brit Awards in London on Wednesday.
The singer rocked a green sequins dress while she belted out the new song, which is off of her surprise album BEYONCE.
Check out the video below!
XO - Beyoncé - Live @ The Brit Awards 2014 by f100002341774110
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
0 4 2All Apparel Appliances Arts And Crafts Automotive Baby Beauty Books Classical Collectibles DVD Digital Music Electronics Fashion Fashion Baby Fashion Boys Fashion Girls Fashion Men Fashion Women Gourmet Food Grocery Health Personal Care Home Garden Industrial Jewelry KindleStore Kitchen Lawn And Garden Luggage MP3 Downloads Magazines Miscellaneous Mobile Apps Music Music Tracks Musical Instruments Office Products Outdoor Living PC Hardware Pet Supplies Photo Shoes Software Sporting Goods Tools Toys Unbox Video VHS Video VideoGames Watches Wireless Wireless AccessoriesFree shipping and returns on thousand of cool stuff
Babytree Numbers 0-9 Birthday/Party Balloons (2), 40", Gold $5.991,not suitable for 16-Inch balloon filled with Helium, it can not floatToyPuTwo Inc (HPC)
Langxun 40" Number 0-9 Thickening Silver Foil Digital Air-filled /Hydrogen / Helium Foil Mylar Balloons for Birthday & Party & Wedding Anniversary (Number 4) $1.48Because of the particularity balloon, we cannot open to check the balloons. The disqualification rat...You can use the pump or straw to blow the balloon.When the inflation is completed, please put the ba...The balloon is thickened and the Material is mylar.Just open may have a little smell, this is normal...Baby ProductLangxun
40" Gold Mylar 0-9 Number Balloons for Birthday/Anniversary Party Supplies Decorations ?No.2) $5.99How to use? - inflate with Air to hang or Inflate with Helium to Float.These balloons are self seali...Material- maylar foilMeasurement--40" deflated and 33" inflated with air or helium.ToyMoon Boat
2 pics Wooden Cartoon Animal Puzzles ,Educational Toys for 0-4 Year Old (16 pieces),baby Kids Training Toy -Assorted Styles $7.88Great fun for your baby and childSolid-wood pieces rotate to complete each picture16 solid wooden cubes in this unique puzzleToyZJH
4 Sets Polyhedral Dice with 1pcs Gray Big Drawstring Bag for Dungeons and Dragons DnD RPG MTG D20, D12, 2 D10 (00-90 and 0-9), D8, D6 and D4 $11.99A set of dice contains one of each of the following polyhedrals d4, d6, d8, d10, d00, d12, and d20.ToyIvyfield
COLORTREE Silver Helium Number Balloons 40 inch Numbers 0-9 Foil Digital Birthday Party Balloons New Year Party Decoration Supplies $6.00Material is aluminum film, color uniform, spherical beautifulBaby ProductBOKE
Langxun 32" Number 0-9 Thickening Gold Foil Digital Air-filled /Hydrogen / Helium Balloons for Birthday & Party & Wedding Anniversary (digital"3") ¡ $0.45You can use the pump or straw to blow the balloon.When the inflation is completed, please put the ba...This is a digital balloon price and you will receive 1 pcs balloons Which number you want. SUGGEST: ...Baby ProductLangxun
Sepco Gold 40" Numbers 0-9 Foil Balloons Birthday Party Balloons, 4 $7.99Can be air filled or helium filledEasy to inflate using the a straw or an air handheld pumpBalloons are self sealing when inflation completedToySepco
Lidiano Toddler Baby Sewing Sting-proof Non-slip Rubber Sole First Walker Sneakers (S:0-6 Months, Blue) $10.99Handmand stitching little crib shoes with durable canvas materialBaby ProductLidiano
100pcs12 inches Multicolor Number 0-9 Latex Balloons Birthday Party Decorations Kids Balloons Wedding Party Suppliers Digital Balloon $12.99Number:0-9,The balloon we are random delivery, may be some Numbers and design more, and there will...Material: high quality latex,Thicken the balloons .Toyelectric_monster


text:
Report: Billy Ray & Tish Cyrus calling off divorce
Listen to Billy Ray Cyrus on iHeartRadio
Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife Tish are reportedly calling off their divorce.
A longtime friend of the family and "E! News" correspondent Ken Baker says he got the news about the state of their marriage from Tish herself. Baker says that the couple has decided to reconcile, after going through couples therapy - initially intended to help them make a smooth transition to divorce.
Apparently Billy Ray and Tish realized they wanted to stay together after 22 years of marriage, and that the communication tips they learned in therapy have brought them closer together. Baker says that Tish is "energized about having this fresh start."
Rumors of a reconciliation started earlier this month, after the couple was spotted walking hand-in-hand on the beach in Malibu - just weeks after Tish had filed for divorce. The two are parents to six children, among them pop star Miley Cyrus.
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Angry Missouri man claims dry asparagus is racist
(Mike Opelka) If your grocery store has dry asparagus is it because of racism? Believe it or not, that's the speculation from one citizen-led human rights commission in the St. Louis area.
Early Wednesday morning, Stephen Deere of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the latest update on a story that started almost two months ago.
Back in May, University City, Missouri resident David Olander (and member of the Human Rights commission), noted that the fresh asparagus in his local grocery store was not sitting in a pan of water (as one might expect). The ever-vigilant Olander speculated that the mistreatment of the veggies was likely due to RACISM! David Olander believed that the store's neglect of the asparagus was related to the fact that the store was located in a predominantly black area. So he started writing letters mentioning his position on the Human Rights Commission.
The grocery store that was allegedly trying to sell the arid asparagus was Schnucks — a St. Louis institution. Olander's letter sparked a meeting with the company. Schnucks has denied that any racism was involved in the unfortunate mishap. A spokesperson told the Post-Dispatch, "Schnucks does not discriminate on any level."
The front page item about the racist dry asparagus quickly caught the eye of the many readers and sparked an avalanche of comments on the paper's website.
Even more surprising to TheBlaze was the amount of time that the University City council spent discussing the problems and workings of their Human Rights Commission.
At the town's June meeting of the City Council, there was a protracted discussion of how the citizen-led group acted. After the extended discussion, the University City Council voted that the commission should not do anything without first consulting with the elected officials on the city council. The entire discussion had little or no mention of the allegedly dry asparagus that started all of this.


text:
Why is Nick Carter holding a grudge against Paris Hilton?
Listen to Backstreet Boys on iHeartRadio
(Yahoo!) - Nick Carter once adored Paris Hilton so much that the two indulged in constant PDA on the red carpet and tattooed each other's names on their bodies.
But those days are long gone. The Backstreet Boy and the "Simple Life" star crashed and burned in 2004 after seven months of dating that Carter clearly does not remember fondly.
In his new memoir, "Facing the Music and Living to Tell About It," Carter says his time with the hotel heiress was not exactly well spent, particularly because he was halfway through a 10-year struggle with drugs and alcohol.
"Paris was the worst person in the world for me to hook up with," he tells In Touch Weekly. "[She] fed my worst impulses as far as partying."
Hilton's rep did not respond to a request for comment.
Carter, 33, has spoken about his ex before. He claimed in 2006 that he had cheated on her with Ashlee Simpson, after he found out she was cheating with Chad Michael Murray. (Hilton denied that she had ever strayed.) And there was that time he was quoted talking about her performance in the bedroom. And when he insisted their breakup was actually mutual, not Paris's decision, as she claimed immediately after the split. He and his younger brother Aaron even feuded over Paris on their reality show "House of Carters" after the younger brother took Paris on a date, which Aaron said was strictly to uncover intel about whether she had cheated on Nick.
Perhaps Nick's bitterness is simply because of the way she ended things …
"I was getting my makeup done, and it just hit me: I love Nick, but I need time alone," Hilton told MTV in 2004. "I called my psychic, and I asked her opinion. She thought I should be alone, and I agreed with her."
Isn't that the way you make all your decisions?
Besides the Carter comments, Hilton is also making headlines today for saying that she's never cleaned a toilet and describing her reality show as "timeless."
Right, just like the Carter-Hilton romance!
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
HRTV (R), The Network for Horse Sports, will add more diversified weekly equestrian programming to its schedule when it premieres a new series, Cowboy Country, beginning this Wednesday, July 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Cowboy Country is a half-hour show that will provide 26 entertaining weeks of programming to HRTV's slate. On a weekly basis, the show journeys into the heartland of the West through profiles on people and places that live the "Cowboy way."
The series celebrates the West through its people and places, giving viewers the true flavor of the West in a personal and intimate way. Cowboy Country reflects a lifestyle and culture that's exciting, interesting and engaging.
Wednesday's initial show entitled, "Cowboy Humour and Notables," will give viewers a glimpse of the wide-ranging subjects that will be highlighted each offering. It will feature the humor of cartoonist Ben Crane, famous cowboy John Ware, and a profile of "Women of the Range."
Upcoming shows will include: "Cowboy Bling and Heritage," "Cowboy Kitchen," "Range Rodeo," "The Dimwood Brothers," the "Remington Carriage Museum," and much more.
« Back
Sign up to receive frequent updates and promotions from TVG2
By clicking "Submit", you agree to the Terms of Use for the TVG2.com website, which includes the TVG2 Privacy Policy.
Join friends of TVG2 in the social world and share updates, opinions and news!


text:
Pegasus Mail is a mail client that simplifies the read, send and organize e-mail.
Pegasus Mail 4.61
If you use Windows (alle Windows Versionen), please download this version.
Joosoft.com is checked regularly for safety:
Joosoft.com would like to inform you that the use of Pegasus Mail must be in accordance with applicable national civil, criminal and copyright laws. Joosoft.com is neither responsible for nor liable to recourse for unlawful use of Pegasus Mail or for third-party use of so-called cracks, serials or keygens for Pegasus Mail. Joosoft.com offers additional third party software for you to download. You may deselect these by unchecking the box during installation. Additional software can be uninstalled at any time. Please note the information provided by the software author. These third-party applications are the sole responsibility of their publishers. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.


text:
SNEAK PEEK: 1st Annual iHeartRadio Music Awards
You are not going to want to miss the first annual iHeartRadio Music Awards show. Not only will we be honoring your favorite artists, but the show promises some of the best performances you'll ever see.
You already knew that Pharrell, Blake Shelton, Kendrick Lamar, Pitbull, Shakira, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Ariana Grande, Luke Bryan, Arcade Fire, and Ed Sheeran were taking the stage at the inaugural awards show - but JUST added to the lineup of incredible performers is Bastille! Katy Tiz, who is bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at the awards, spilled the beans earlier today.
Guess what I just overheard.. @bastilledan is performing tomorrow at #iheartawards !! OOPSY. Was I supposed to tell you guys that? #mybad ;)
— Katy Tiz (@KatyTizMusic) April 30, 2014
You can follow Katy on Twitter and Instagram and @iHeartRadio for more updates and an exclusive view behind the scenes.
Many of the performers have been rehearsing, and here are some things you can get excited about!
The stage alone promises to be jaw-dropping - as Jared Leto did during his Thirty Seconds to Mars rehearsal! Kendrick Lamar was mobbed by fans while preparing for his performance - get ready to be blown away. Luke Bryan had some fun practicing his set ... he was singing his own songs as opera! And based on Shakira's rehearsal, expect the Earth to move when you watch her tomorrow night.
You can also expect to see interviews from some more of your favorite artists - plus the premiere of an unreleased Michael Jackson song with a very special performance. You'll definitely want to see this!
Stay tuned, because there are sure to be more surprises in store. Don't forget to tune into NBC Thursday night at 8PM ET because you won't want to miss a minute of the show.
Who are YOU most excited to see? Let us know by sending us a Tweet @iHeartRadio using #iheartawards
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Fasig-Tipton's Pursuit of the Cup Presented by Twinspires.com, is HRTV's bi-weekly Breeders' Cup preview show. Starting with the "Win & You're In" races in August and running through Breeders' Cup weekend, Pursuit of the Cup provides in-depth analysis of the 15 championship divisions. Key prep races, workouts, interviews and the latest news lead up to on-site coverage from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA.
Featured Hosts: Laffit Pincay III, Jeff Siegel, Gary Stevens, Scott Hazelton, Millie Ball, Richard Migliore
Tweets by @HRTVinsider
Sign up to receive frequent updates and promotions from TVG2
By clicking "Submit", you agree to the Terms of Use for the TVG2.com website, which includes the TVG2 Privacy Policy.
Join friends of TVG2 in the social world and share updates, opinions and news!


text:
More Tornado Shelters? Not Necessarily
The deaths of seven children Monday after a mile-wide tornado demolished an Oklahoma public school raises anew questions about America's infrastructure and whether we can do a better job of guarding against the threat of tornadoes and dangerous winds. The short answer is yes: we can indeed save lives and maybe even reduce property damage. But how we go about doing this will make all the difference.
What we do not need, at least for tornado protection, are costly specialized storm shelters—big public structures that would be used only every few years or even every few decades. Nor do we need lotteries—which currently exist in a number of states, including Oklahoma—that give rebates to a few people who build a tornado shelter. This favors the haves who can afford to build a safe room without systematically addressing the problem of saving lives when tornadoes touch down.
To understand the drawbacks of relying mainly on specialized shelters, consider the experience of two towns in Missouri. Two years ago, a tornado leveled a large part of Joplin, Missouri, including the local high school. A $62 million bond issue to replace Joplin High, build three other schools, and create more than 60 temporary tornado shelters recently passed narrowly. Under local laws, it needed 57.14 percent of the votes, and got just 57.64 percent. The narrow margin in a town only recently ravaged by a tornado suggests that it is always going to be politically difficult to amass local support for these kinds of expensive projects.
But while local voters may be reluctant to spend on shelters, the same is not true of Washington. In Webb City, next door to Joplin, the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave $3 million last year to build a safe room at the local high school. It can shelter 3,000 people, if they can get there before a twister strikes. (And that's a big if, given the short time between a tornado warning and the moment when the doors need to close; just picture how tough it is to get 250 people into a jumbo jet in 40 minutes.) The shelter cost $1,000 per person it can protect from a tornado; building shelters for everyone in Missouri at this rate would cost $6 billion. Based on Missouri's average of two deaths per year from tornadoes, this measure would save 100 lives over 50 years at a cost of $60 million per life. Even if the shelters last 200 years, the cost would be $15 million for each life saved
Read The Full Article On The Daily Beast
More articles from The Daily Beast:
- The Real Climate-Change Lesson from the Oklahoma Tornado
- Moore, Oklahoma, May Be the Tornado Capital of America
- Chris Christie Joins the Yahoos, Says No 'Proof' Climate Change Caused Sandy
© 2013 Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC


text:
A Satanic killer of 100 people? More like one, cops think
For somebody who says she got away with so many murders that she stopped counting after 22, Miranda Barbour is alleged to have been remarkably inept in the one murder that authorities believe she actually committed.
So we should not be much surprised that police in the area of Alaska where the 19-year-old says she did most of her supposed killing are increasingly dubious of her tale of murdering as many as 100 people while involved in a satanic cult.
"At this time the Alaska State Troopers are not aware of any information—beyond Barbour's comments quoted in the press—or evidence that would implicate Barbour with a homicide committed in Alaska," an AST spokeswoman says.
Marina Barbour made her remarkable claims after being arrested along with her 22-year-old husband, Elytte Barbour, for the November 11 murder of a man who answered a Craigslist ad in which she offered "companionship."
The couple was arrested after police determined that the victim's last phone call was to her cell phone. Investigators are said to have found blood in Miranda Barbour's 2001 Honda CRV even though video surveillance confirms that they stopped to buy paper towels and carpet cleaner shortly after 42-year-old Troy Ferrara was stabbed 20 times, strangled and then dumped in a Sunbury, Pennsylvania alley.
"She related that there was a lot of blood and she wasn't able to get it all," police reported in court papers.
She might have been expected to anticipate such a hitch if she had in fact dispatched numerous people with a favorite knife, as she said in the tale to a newspaper reporter. The resulting story in the Daily Item of Sunbury transformed her from a suspect in a sordid and inept murder got into a possible serial killer who received international attention.
"Is Miranda Barbour the Most Dangerous Woman in U.S. History?" asked one British headline.
Any diligent police department had to take her seriously on even the small chance she was telling the truth. But the suspension of disbelief was mercifully short, as she chose to say she had committed the majority of her killings in Alaskan jurisdictions that have very few killings at all.
Read The Full Article On The Daily Beast
More articles from The Daily Beast:
- Dem's the Breaks: GOP Investigation Gives the Left Another Reason to Point Fingers
- Obama Administration Stiffs Chemical Survivors on New Claim
- Wall Street Wolves Want to Bring their Big Bucks to the GOP Party
© 2013 Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC


text:
Designed by Hammacher Schlemmer, this is the lighted folding vanity mirror that provides 25% brighter illumination than others of its kind. The mirror is made from distortion-free glass that is encircled by 10 bright white LEDs on each side, providing clear, crisp reflections enhanced by warm light. The dual-sided rotating mirror has 12X magnification on one side (ideal for applying makeup) and a 1X mirror on the other that offers a true, full-face reflection. The mirror extends to a full 13 1/2" high, yet folds to about the size of a portable DVD player for convenient storage. LEDs are rated for 30,000 hours. Includes four AA batteries. 2-13 1/2" H x 7" Diam. (1 lb.)
Lifetime Guarantee
The Brighter Foldaway Vanity Mirror comes with The Hammacher Schlemmer Lifetime Guarantee. If this product ever disappoints you, for any reason, you may return your Hammacher Schlemmer purchase for exchange, credit, or refund.
Should you have any questions, we are available seven days a week (8:00 am – midnight EST). Please call 1-800-321-1484 to speak with a specialist or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com to receive a response within three business hours or less.
Shipping charges noted in parentheses apply in addition to our standard shipping & service.
We're sorry, but gift wrap is not available. Please call 1-800-395-7006 for Premium or Express delivery rates.
Oversized items scheduled for expedited delivery (Premium or Express) may incur additional shipping and services charges because of their unusual size. Please call 1-800-321-1484 for an estimate of S&S charges. International callers, please call 1-513-860-3397.
We're sorry, but gift wrap is not available for oversized items.
Shipped via truck and may require customer assistance upon delivery. You will be contacted to make an appointment for delivery.
We're sorry, but gift wrap and gift cards are not available.
GST still applies and will be charged upon processing. For complete shipping & service charges please call Customer Service at 1-800-321-1484.
May we recommend:
(based on 189 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Stars
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Best Uses
Reviewed by 189 customers
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
Previous Page | Next Page »
(25 of 26 customers found this review helpful)
The Perfect Travel Companion!
By blondie6
from Cadillac, MI
As a woman approaching 50, lets just say my eyes are not what they used to be. I travel quite a bit, and was having difficulty doing my make-up without my good high-powered makeup mirror from home. This has been the perfect solution. Now I can do my makeup anywhere when I travel!
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- flag this review
(16 of 16 customers found this review helpful)
Love Love Love this mirror
By Cheri
from Fairfield, CA
I had purchase one before this and it had broke. They replaced this with the new and improved one. And its great and can see how they improved this mirror...
(14 of 16 customers found this review helpful)
Too much of a good thing
By Paula the walker
from New Jersey
This is great for heavy magnification of sectionsof the face. Not so good if you want some magnification of the entire face for putting on make-up
(12 of 12 customers found this review helpful)
Foldaway Mirror
By Fussy
from Burkburnett, Texas
The mirror is exactly what I expected when I ordered it. It arrived in short order.
Fold away lighted vanity mirror
By Mimi
from Shelton, Ct.
Just spent 12 days in Europe---this prodect was a hit with me--runs on batteries, comact, excellent lighting and magnification!! nice job!!
Great for traveling
By Suzi
from Palm Desert CA
I bought this for traveling for putting my contacts in. It's so great I'm using it at home too because of it's powerful magnification. I can see hairs on my face that I never knew existed! And the lighting really helps, too.
(10 of 10 customers found this review helpful)
By doglover
from san antonio tx
I wear glasses and have trouble tweezing my eyebrows. This mirror has solved all my problems. I can tweeze away without my glasses on. It folds up very nicely for storage, although the design is attractive enough to leave out on your vanity.
(9 of 10 customers found this review helpful)
By mature lady
from hilton head
It was just as I expected from the description.
Perfect for traveling
By Danny
from Canada
This mirror is perfect for traveling because it islight weight, easy to pack and takes batteries. There is no need of a transformer or different plugs.
(9 of 9 customers found this review helpful)
Excellent mirror and light.
By A Heart
from Vancouver Canada.
I ordered this to Canada. I love it so much I want to use it every day and not just for travel. In order to get the power adaptor I will have to snail mail a check to the manufacturer and then they will ship it. I would have prefered online ordering to expedite this order.
COPYRIGHT © 2017 HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER & COMPANY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. W108147 E. 57th ST • NEW YORK, NY • 10022 • 1-800-_321-1484


text:
CIA's secret 'Midwest depot' arms cache really in ... Texas?
(NEWSER) – A retired CIA analyst may have lifted the lid on one of the most secret facilities in America—the "Midwest Depot" where the agency has stockpiled untraceable weapons for decades. Allen Thomson has assembled evidence that suggests the facility that the CIA used to supply weapons to operations including the Bay of Pigs invasion and to insurgencies around the world is actually at Camp Stanley, an Army weapons storage facility just north of San Antonio, Texas, the New York Times finds.
Read the full story on Newser.com


text:
WATCH: Pharrell's 'Happy' reimagined by cute puppies
Listen to Pharrell on iHeartRadio
(Yahoo!) - It doesn't get much happier than wagging along to this.
The folks over at The Pet Collective are at it again, this time featuring a whole lot of adorable dogs and puppies romping around to the tune of Pharrell's hit Academy Award-nominated song "Happy" from Despicable Me 2.
In the changed lyrics, the song takes on a canine perspective on happiness.
"I might be waggy, but I wanna play / I'm your best friend but you can get away / I deserve a treat 'cause I'm a lucky babe / I got hair, shakin' the air, doggie by the day," the new track goes.
it's unclear if Pharrell re-sang the song or not, but it certainly sounds like him. Consider us barking along!
In celebration of the International Day of Happiness, Pharrell partnered with the United Nations Foundation to celebrate 24 hours of happiness. Check out some his favorite videos from around the world on his website.


text:
Our Stores
Find a Store
A Harvest Dinner at Noci Sonoma Farmstead
Learn More
Give the perfect gift. Any occasion, any time.
Shop Now
Hand Crafted Botanical Wreaths
50% Off All-Clad d5 Nonstick Covered Fry Pans
Buy One, Get One 50% Off Silicone Spatulas & Spoonulas
Up to 65% Off Zwilling Four Star Cutlery!
Up to 50% Off Philips Electrics
20% Off Baking Dishes
Buy 2, Get 20% Off Outdoor Food
Italian Table
Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice is Back!
Up to 50% Off Outdoor Event
Hello! We are so excited to be getting married and hope to celebrate with you on our big day! We love you all!
Registrant appreciates gift cards in any amount.
Some of the items requested may only be available online or through the Williams Sonoma catalog. Please see an Associate for assistance or call our registry center at 800.541.0015.


text:
School shooting drills can be more terrifying than helpful
Thursday, Addison High School in Lenawee County, Michigan holds an emergency preparedness drill involving "a car fire diversion that enables six individuals to launch a shooting spree". Two victims, played by student volunteers, will be "killed" and eight wounded.
Last month, some 300 students at Cherry Valley, Arkansas' Cross County High who participated in last month's active shooter training drill, the type of full-scale exercise now required by law in several states. School districts across the country are responding to new state regulations, implementing mock shooting scenarios varying in scale and intensity, the more realistic drills involving simulated fatalities and victims played by student volunteers. But as some students and staff begin to report more stress than preparedness, experts worry that if not carried out with proper caution, these exercises could do more harm than good.
Since the school shooting in Newtown, school safety has become a central public concern. However, in spite of the inevitable media crush following a mass shooting, these events remain a statistically rare occurrence and school administrations and law enforcement may be going too far in a rush to protect students.
On March 18 at Cross County High, the sheriff's department alongside police, firemen, dispatchers, paramedics, and evaluators from around the state came together to test the school and local law enforcement's ability to handle an armed intruder. Carrying a gun filled with blanks, the shooter entered a classroom of twenty students, taking one student hostage. While he had his arm around the student and a gun to his side, police entered and took the shooter out.
In what Superintendent Carolyn Wilson described as a "totally transparent" drill, students, law enforcement, and the community were informed ahead of time of what would be taking place. What the students did not know is that the shooter would be played by someone they were very familiar with, their local pastor and school janitor.
"I felt betrayed," senior D. J. Roberts told his local news station, "I was scared because I saw him coming with the gun and I was like, 'Oh my gosh!'"
Riley Stephens, who acted as the hostage and whose mother played the second shooter describes entering the classroom of students and seeing "some more frightened than others." "One of my teachers was very upset," Stephens told The Daily Beast.
Cross County's drill is certainly not the first to receive attention for the stress caused to its students. Responding to complaints from parents after an unannounced drill at a Cahokia, Illinois elementary school last month, the superintendent said, "I'd much rather your children be a little bit scared and alive, than not knowing what to do and end up being hurt."
In spite of these reports of student anxiety, state lawmakers continue to pass new regulations requiring intruder drills. Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee join Arkansas in requiring schools to stage these type of full-scale exercises, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). In addition, there are "at least 32 states that require schools to implement some type of general lockdown or general school safety drills other than fire, earthquake or tornado drills," NCSL research analyst Lauren Heintz tells The Daily Beast.
Read The Full Article On The Daily Beast
More articles from The Daily Beast:
- CIA Strikes Back On Benghazi
- A Lot of Earthquakes Have Been Reported Lately, but Scientists Aren't Worried
- Cases of New Tick-Borne Illness, Heartland Virus, Grow
© 2013 Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC


text:
Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom reunite at Kanye West concert
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom reunited at Kanye West's concert in Los Angeles on Monday night, but a source close to the pair tells Gossip Cop this does not mean they've worked out their issues.
GC's insider says Odom went to the show, but he and Kardashian "didn't go together."
The whole reality TV clan was there to watch West perform, and Gossip Cop reports the NBA free agent did hang with the family for a bit — but that's the extent of him and Kardashian's reunion.
Odom has reportedly been sober for several weeks.
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Cleveland Kidnapping Suspect Makes Partial Confession
(Cleveland, OH) -- Alleged Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro is reportedly confessing to some actions. CNN reports Castro has admitted to certain elements of the case being built against him. He was arraigned this morning on charges of kidnapping three women and imprisoning them in his home. The victims were allegedly raped and beaten over years of captivity. Castro could face the death penalty because he's accused of terminating the pregnancies of his captives.


text:
Is Ted Cruz Doomed to a Political Flameout Like Michele Bachmann's?
Sometime near the end of his 21-hour speech, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took a question from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who offered him a quick reminder of what was really happening: "This is not a filibuster. This is an agreement you and I made to talk."
There's nothing wrong with stunts in politics. But unlike Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster against drone strikes and the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA, orWendy Davis's against an anti-abortion rights bill and misogyny in the Texas state capital, Cruz wasn't working toward a concrete goal or trying to highlight a particular issue. The Affordable Care Act is law. It was passed by large majorities in both chambers of Congress and signed by the president of United States. It survived a Supreme Court challenge and was relitigated in a national election. Yes, voters don't know much about the law, but they know where both sides stand: Republicans oppose it, Democrats don't.
At most, Cruz gave a long and inconsequential speech as a capstone to his doomed effort to defund Obamacare, which has earned him the ire of colleagues in both chambers of Congress. My colleague David Frum argues that this is a net positive for the junior senator from Texas, especially if his goal is to become the recognized leader of the conservative movement. "In the Senate," writes Frum, "Cruz may look right now the very opposite of shrewd. But the view Cruz cares about is the view from Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina—and from there he looks like a hero to many of the Republicans who'll choose the party's nominee in 2016."
I have no doubt that Cruz will succeed in raising his star with movement conservatives, who hunger for someone to take the fight to Washington and stand up to Obama. As Frum notes, Cruz is "a hugely smart, highly focused political player, with a clear-eyed view of political realities." But this isn't as big an accomplishment as it sounds. A large swath of the Republican base is eager to give money and enthusiasm to whomever piques liberals the most. It's part of whyMichele Bachmann was such a fundraising powerhouse. She didn't necessarily command respect, nor was she poised to achieve genuine power. But she annoyed Democrats and satisfied the huge conservative market for people, lawmakers or otherwise, who attack President Obama with little regard to how it sounds to anyone outside the bubble.
If Cruz wants to become the Bachmann of the current election cycle, he's well on his way to success—and a healthy war chest for his next campaign. But if his goal is to become the next presidential nominee of the Republican Party, he may have hurt his cause with the last two weeks of stunts and confrontations.
In the lineup of Republican presidential candidates, Cruz is the insurgent. He's likely to occupy the same general space as former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in 2008 or former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum in 2012. And that isn't a bad place to be. As we saw in both of those cases, intense grassroots energy is enough to deliver key wins, generate cash, and stay competitive. But it's not enough to win. To do that, you also need support from the establishment.
Read The Full Article On The Daily Beast
More articles from The Daily Beast:
Brooklyn Is the New Guantánamo for Three Suspected Al-Shabab Members
Somalia President: Al-Shabab Could Attack the United States
© 2013 Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC


text:
Brain-Dead Teen's Family: Hospital Is Starving Her
(NEWSER) – The family of Jahi McMath, the California 13-year-old declared brain dead after tonsil surgery, is still desperately trying to find a doctor willing to operate on the daughter hospital officials refer to as a corpse. The McMath family has reached out on social media and elsewhere in their quest to find somebody who can perform surgeries that need to be carried out before the teen can be moved to New Beginnings, a New York brain-injury treatment center dedicated to Terri Schiavo, reports the Oakland Tribune. The facility says its nurses are willing to care for the teen, and says it would hire a pediatrician who would do the same; an air ambulance company has agreed to fly Jahi there for about $31,910.


text:
Your shopping cart is empty!
Real Madrid 2013-14 home long sleeve shirt.
Real Madrid's new home jersey has a subtle stripe detail, and gold detailing. Real Madrid badge, adidas logo and sponsor design are on front.
100% polyester with ClimaCool moisture control and mesh ventilation.Add player N&N from drop-down box.
|Name and Number
Soccerplus first opened in 1994. We were one of the first soccer websites to hit the webView more
Address: 1640 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca 91104, USA
Phone: 1-800-945-7291
Get Direct


text:
In 7 Months, It'll Be 'Saint John Paul II'
(NEWSER) – It's official: Pope John Paul II will be declared a saint on April 27, 2014—as will Pope John XXIII, pontiff from 1958-1963, in the Catholic Church's first-ever double canonization. Pope Francis, who will lead the ceremony, announced the date at a meeting with cardinals today, theAP notes. He'll declare John XXIII a saint even though he has only one miracle on his record, short of the usualrequirement of two, the BBC reports. Known as a progressive, John opted for the vernacular, rather than Latin, in masses; he also improved the Church's relationship with Judaism. Pope Benedict will also be on hand for the canonization.


text:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Which Writers Most Influence Your Work?
No writer lives in a vacuum. We all take inspiration from the people who have come before us. We are moved some of their best ideas, we all start through imitation before we graduate to originality, and it's important to recognize and honor the people who paved the way for your work.
This is an important process, and even as we mature as writers and as human beings we continue to be shaped by those around us and whose work inspires us, just as I've cribbed social media lessons from Tahereh Mafi and The Rejectionist even as they've become real-life friends.
I've asked before who in your life most influenced you on the way but who are the writers who have shaped your work?
For me, it's Bill Watterson, Douglas Adams and Roald Dahl.
Art: Ein Maler bei der Arbeit by Paul Cézanne
58 comments:
- GabrielD said...
Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey
- December 5, 2012 at 12:11 PM
- Gabrielle Prendergast said...
So hard to say. Once I might have said John Irving and Margaret Atwood. Then I might have said JKR, but now I write for teens and in verse so...Ellen Hopkins? I'm just trying to find my own voice I guess.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:18 PM
- agilebrit said...
When I grow up, I want to be an unholy amalgam of Jim Butcher and Rob Thurman.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:19 PM
- Carolyn said...
C.S. Lewis has informed my world view more than any other writer. I have profound love and gratitude for the man, but I write nothing like him.
Hemingway's world view is antithetical to my own, and I see the man as a coward, chauvinist and childish twit. But I read Hills Like White Elephants in the 8th grade and dammit if I didn't fall in love with those sentences. Later, I fell in love with the screenplays of Frank Darabont.
From a story perspective, it's Poe and King.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:23 PM
- cindy said...
On different ends of the writer genre are the two authors who have influenced me the most; Francine Rivers and Ted Dekker.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:24 PM
- John Doppler Schiff said...
Michael Crichton (The Andromeda Strain), Roger Zelazny (Nine Princes in Amber), and Stephen King (The Shining), my earliest encounters with sci-fi, fantasy, and horror respectively.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:25 PM
- Liberty Speidel said...
Right now, I'd have to say J.D. Robb has influenced me a lot. But, so has Diane Mott Davidson, K.M. Weiland, and Janet Evanovich. Lately, I've been really into Craig Johnson (he's really shown me how to have an unreliable narrator at times.) Some of these are for their style, some for content. Weiland is for beauty of prose and complexity of plot.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:28 PM
- Melanie Schulz said...
I know this sounds trite, but really Stephenie Meyer. WHile my story is completely differnt than hers, I have to admit that it was when I finished the Twilight series that I got a real passion for writing.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:37 PM
- Jaimie said...
Jane Austen, CS Lewis and Lev Grossman, all of whom are wonderful people. And while he's less of a wonderful person, his writing style was an enormous influence in my formative years: Orson Scott Card.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:39 PM
- Julie Luek said...
I love a non-fiction writer named Michael Perry. He can take any subject and with such elegant and easy writing (and how he achieves both is art)and engage me as a reader. I also love how Fannie Flagg weaves a really good story. Barbara Kingsolver, Bill Bryson and Anne Lamott are also wonderful authors. I will read almost anything these folks put out there.
- December 5, 2012 at 12:41 PM
- Matthew MacNish said...
Back in the day: Tolkien.
Now? Andrew Smith, A.S. King, Paolo Bacigalupi, etc.
- December 5, 2012 at 1:07 PM
- Leigh Caroline said...
Victoria Schwab, CE Murphy, KT Hannah, Catherynne Valente, Trisha Leigh, and Seanan Mcguire.
Depends on what aspect you're talking about.
Style? Victoria Schwab and Catherynne Valente.
Characters? CE Murphy, Seanan Mcguire, and Trisha Leigh.
Getting me to keep putting one word after the next? KT Hannah and Rebecca Weston.
- December 5, 2012 at 1:33 PM
- Angie Lockett said...
Wow, tough question. There are many.CS Lewis had a huge impact on me as I grew up. Stephen King for showing me that characters should be flawed and screw up. It makes them interesting and it makes them relatable. JK Rowling for demonstrating how world building is supposed to be done. And the list would not be complete without Dr Seuss. He was another one that I adored while growing up and his amazingly creative stories prompted me to write my own first stories as a child.
This list if far from complete though, every author that I've read has influenced me in some way.
- December 5, 2012 at 1:43 PM
- JeffO said...
Though I don't write horror, I'd have to put Stephen King at the top of my list.
- December 5, 2012 at 1:59 PM
- Nathan Elberg said...
Aldous Huxley, Terry Goodkind,and my father, Yehuda Elberg
- December 5, 2012 at 2:10 PM
- ADominiqueSmith said...
Zora Neale Hurston, Oscar Wilde, and J.K. Rowling.
- December 5, 2012 at 2:20 PM
- abc said...
Salinger, John Green, Katherine Patterson
Maybe, I'm just guessing. In reality, I don't know! This is a tough question. I don't want to compare myself or my writing to anyone (not because I'm great, but because THEY are), but I can speak of influence. Well, it has to be Salinger the most. The guy was a dick, but I love how he wrote. I love his characters. I love the pain and the humor, the insight, the existential plight, the beauty and ridiculousness and grandeur and difficulty of life represented. Holden, Buddy, Zooey, Franny, Seymour--my god!
John Green is just awesome.
Katherine Patterson shows us a lot of beauty. I'm pretty sure she is the one that put occupation: writer in my mind.
In nutshell I'm about humor, suffering, humanity, beauty, more suffering, connection, existentialism (finding meaning, authenticity, while recognizing one's humanness). This reminds me--Carson McCullers. Can't forget her!
- December 5, 2012 at 2:59 PM
- Alex Newman said...
JK Rowling - makes me fall in love with characters and world-building all over again.
Sarah McCarry - the Rejectionist - encourages me to write passionately and transparently.
CS Lewis - my writerly godfather whose thoughts and views on life and the written word and fantasy shaped my perspectives irrepressibly.
- December 5, 2012 at 3:17 PM
- Naja Tau said...
I definitely feel the vibes of the people above me... love Hemingway's style (also think he had a chauvanist POV), in awe of J.K. Rowling's ability to create a world... read a lot of Michael Crichton, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien... watched my best friend in 3rd grade obsess over Roahld Dahl. I admire and appreciate countless many more. But the people who REALLY influenced my writing are not actually writers. I picked up my lust to write from reading comic books from garage sales and thrift stores and drawing and writing and copying till my fingers blistered and warped. Then I started reading books based on comic books (novels about Spider-Man or Catwoman, etc.). And also watching really long, drawn out TV shows or playing video games in a series also made me really crave more lengthy, in-depth relationships with fictional characters. I remember as little kids, me and my friends would act out our own "productions" of the shows we watched and the video games we played. TV series like "I, Claudius" and "Star Trek" got me to read the books when I was a teen. And I could never tell you the names of those authors, but they did spur my imagination on. Eventually as an adult, I stumbled around through various majors and trade school, then the rebel in me was a bit disappointed to see that I had the exact same knack for English that my father does. But I accept it. Then I realized that the best way for me to thoroughly build my own characters and retain the most purity and dignity in that work was through writing novels and not through screen writing or play writing, acting, drawing, etc.
Good post! I agree that it's very important to honor the people who influenced us today. I really enjoyed seeing who was inspired by who.
- December 5, 2012 at 4:33 PM
- Zan Marie said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- December 5, 2012 at 4:33 PM
- Zan Marie said...
Diana Gabaldon who inspired me to strive for lyrical prose and directed me to the Books and Writers Forum--the best writing workshop on the web.
Lois McMaster Bujold whose stories remind me that anyone can be a main character.
- December 5, 2012 at 4:38 PM
- Michael Pickett said...
I have been told that a new writer should have a succinct way of summing up what kind of writer that they want to be. I guess the best way to describe what I want to do with my writing is to be the Mormon David McCullough.
- December 5, 2012 at 5:20 PM
- Bryan Russell said...
Daniel Woodrell
Cormac McCarthy
Ryszard Kapuscinski
Ann Patchett
Eduardo Galeano
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ian McEwan
Steven Erikson
JRR Tolkien
David Foster Wallace
Tim O'Brien
Lloyd Alexander
James Joyce
Italo Calvino
I bet that would be a great dinner party, too.
- December 5, 2012 at 5:26 PM
- Bryan Russell said...
Also, the Anonymous who wrote A Woman in Berlin. Whoever she is.
- December 5, 2012 at 5:30 PM
- Kirsty said...
Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, Patricia McKillip, Julliet Marillier... a lot of strong female characters & fantasy.
- December 5, 2012 at 5:59 PM
- jongibbs said...
I'm a huge fan of the way Terry Pratchett combines humor and tension, especially in the 'Guards' and 'Witches' Discworld series. I love how he can make me love and tear up, often on the same page :)
- December 5, 2012 at 6:50 PM
- Genevieve Graham said...
Diana Gabaldon. No question.
- December 5, 2012 at 6:51 PM
- jongibbs said...
Lol, and by 'love' I mean 'laugh' :)
- December 5, 2012 at 6:51 PM
- LinWash said...
J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Robin McKinley, and Terry Pratchett.
- December 5, 2012 at 6:54 PM
- GSMarlene said...
Madeleine L'engle, Piers Anthony and Roger Zelazny. I think (hope) my first manuscript has a tribute to each of them.
- December 5, 2012 at 6:55 PM
- Deborah Brasket said...
Toni Morrison, Virginia Wolfe, Peter Mathiessen, Faulkner, Marquez Tolstoy were huge in writing the kinds of works I wanted become immersed in and creat myself. And also some poets like Dickenson and Whitman and Wallace Stevens and Neruda.
- December 5, 2012 at 8:15 PM
- Terin Tashi Miller said...
Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, Mihail Lehrmontov, Prevost, Juan Benitez Perez Galdos, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Hugh Mottram, John Dos Passos, Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Ross MacDonald, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Emile Zola, Honore de Balzac, Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, Wilfred Owen, W.H. Auden, Tim O'Brien, Alistair MacLean, Rudyard Kipling, and friends Loren D. Estleman and Barry Holston Lopez...:) So far...:)
- December 5, 2012 at 8:20 PM
- Chelsea Schmitt said...
Nathan, that's not a fair question. It's a little like asking me to name generally recognizable constellations that can be viewed, kinda, sorta, through the light pollution of a big city instead of every star in every galaxy visible across the Milky Way. From the incredible to the awe inspiring, from the inane to the terrible, they're all deserving of a mention.
From Carl Sagan, to Isaac Asimov, to Piers Anthony, to Orson Scott Card, to Tamora Pierce, to Mercedes Lackey, to Sara Douglass, to L.E. Modesitt Jr, to Michael J. Straczinsky, to Greg Rucka, to Mike Mignola, to Sandy Mitchell's Warhammer 40k tie-in fiction, to White Wolf's World of Darkness, to everything I've ever read, watched, or played.
So, who influences my work most? Everything. I like it that way.
- December 5, 2012 at 8:24 PM
- Pamela Lord said...
Lee Stroncek. One of my earlier blogs actually discusses your topic. Here it is: http://pamelalord.com/?m=201206
- December 5, 2012 at 8:48 PM
- tanyagrove said...
Roald Dahl is definitely one of my influences too, as well as Louis Sachar, Sharon Creech, and more recently, John Green. And Anne Lamott has been my greatest inspiration to keep writing ever since I read Bird By Bird.
- December 5, 2012 at 8:58 PM
Truman Capote and Dave Barry.
- December 5, 2012 at 9:32 PM
- Lisa Shafer said...
Douglas Adams, Mark Twain, and Ian Rankin.
- December 5, 2012 at 10:02 PM
I've learned from just about every book I've ever read, but one author dug into my chest and pulled out my heart, made me ache to be able to write like her--
Margaret Atwood.
- December 6, 2012 at 12:21 AM
- Ted Cross said...
George R.R. Martin
J.R.R. Tolkien
Fritz Leiber
Robert E Howard
Stephen King
Terry Brooks
Dennis McKiernan
Ursula LeGuin
and all the writers who did the Thieves World novels
- December 6, 2012 at 2:43 AM
- Cecelia Dowdy said...
Oh, man! Two authors that I've always admired and used to read back in the day were Jackie Collins and Sidney Sheldon. Both of them created simply amazing stories that captured my interest, helped me to realize I wanted to become a writer!
Growing up, I loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries as well as the Little House on The Prairie novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
- December 6, 2012 at 6:54 AM
- Judith Mercado said...
Hemingway and García Márquez. How's that for a combination? But, Hemingway has influenced my preference for economy of expression and García Márquez has enabled me to express non-material realities, albeit expressed with an intention of economy.
- December 6, 2012 at 9:54 AM
- considerablespeck.com said...
Good question! I think I'd have to say Brian Jacques (because his books made me want to be a writer) and Meg Cabot. Okay, now I have a question for you: Do you ever find that when you have read a book that you love you start writing in that author's voice for a little bit? What do you do when someone else's literary voice is a bit too infectious?
- December 6, 2012 at 10:26 AM
- JusB said...
Jane Austen for dialogue, David Sedaris and Christopher Moore for humor, and Ken Kesey for thought processes and description.
Ooh, and Stephen King, thanks to the advice he gives in "On Writing."
- December 6, 2012 at 11:07 AM
- Tom Bradley Jr. said...
Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen.
- December 6, 2012 at 11:43 AM
More than a few have influenced me. And one of the most recent is you, Nathan. I like the tight way you write, and yet there's nothing simple about it. A lot of MG/YA books just can't cross over because of the writing. But you seem to have mastered that.
- December 6, 2012 at 11:52 AM
- Zack Kullis said...
I think there are a few writers that have influenced my writing more than any others, simply because their writing feeds my imagination and makes me want to write.
Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Thomas Harris.
- December 6, 2012 at 11:57 AM
- Spike said...
Jack London, for laying out an adventure, and Jim Croce, his lyrics were genius. And there are many others, Steven King, Robert Lewis Stevenson, and... and... and...
- December 6, 2012 at 1:43 PM
- Cynthia Washburn said...
Alexander McCall-Smith
- December 6, 2012 at 1:56 PM
- k m kelly said...
One of my boys says I write like James A Michener. My gosh, I hope not! Don't get me wrong-he wrote fascinating books. I've learned so much history from the man. But a person has to plod on and on to get to the end. So, while I do like to use in-depth research, I try to be a lot less windy.
I once picked up a ya book by Larry McMurtry that had the most fun voice, edgy and full of attitude. I copied out long passages by hand just to get the feel of how he was expressing himself. That one book has had a profound effect on my writing, too. From it I learned writing doesn't have to be dull and prosaic.
- December 6, 2012 at 2:05 PM
- John Durvin said...
When I was younger, I read Douglas Adams way too much; Tolkien made a big impression on me too. Unfortunately, these two left me with the awful habit of throwing in lengthy tangents and fascinating but extraneous heaps of world-building that my test-readers always complain about. Then I got into guys like Kafka and Beckett, and my characters got even weirder.
More recently, an obsession with John Hodgman's "Areas of My Expertise" trilogy and the works of Lord Dunsany has only made things worse.
- December 6, 2012 at 4:16 PM
- Archer Caldwell said...
Elmore Leonard, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, and Patricia Hightower.
Each of them have taken a mystery and given it life in such an extraordinary way that you often find yourself wish for a sequel, even just a chapter to check in on the characters you became so attached to in just the span of a few hundred pages.
- December 6, 2012 at 6:53 PM
- S.K. Renait said...
An opportunity to demonstrate an education; the breadth of reading; just how many of the admired and fêted authors you know. For me it has to be Hergé and Enid Blyton. Nothing hidden, no subtext unwittingly placed between the lines. Everything accessible and understandable. Fun. (Of course, Hérge was full of subtext, but no-one knows that.)
- December 6, 2012 at 10:02 PM
- Charie Dawn said...
Easily, I would say say Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
With more thought, a lot of choldren's books writers including Rolad Dahl and Robert Munsch.
- December 7, 2012 at 2:33 AM
C.S. Friedman, Margaret Weiss, Anne McCaffrey, Laurell K Hamilton, John Scalzi, Guy Gavriel Kay, Tad Williams, and L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
- December 7, 2012 at 5:17 PM
- G. B. Miller said...
Interestingly enough, no writer influenced my writing, which is probably due to getting a very late start in writing (started 6 years ago when I was 41).
I did enjoy stories that were well written, so perhaps the only influence I had on my writing, indirectly at least, were pulp/noir fiction writer/editor David Cranmer and fantasy/horror writer Charles Gramlich.
- December 7, 2012 at 6:21 PM
- James Duckett said...
Stephen King, which is slightly disconcerting since I write MG. great post!
- December 7, 2012 at 10:01 PM
- wordboy said...
Robert A. Heinlein, Harlan Ellison, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury
- December 10, 2012 at 1:57 AM
- cgblake said...
Anne Tyler, Alice McDermott, John Updike, Michael Chabon, Saul Bellow, Richard Ford. It's a pretty eclectic list.
- December 12, 2012 at 7:18 AM


text:
LISTEN: Ariana Grande debuts Zedd collab 'Break Free'
Listen to Ariana Grande Radio on iHeartRadio | Listen to Zedd Radio on iHeartRadio
After weeks of teasing her Arianators, Ariana Grande has finally premiered her Zedd collaboration, "Break Free." The song is the second single off her upcoming album My Everything.
Last month, Zedd talked to Billboard about the song and said, "Her voice is super-recognizable, it has a unique texture, and really, that's all I'm looking for in a singer, is to have a voice that is really special and different from other voices you hear everyday."
With the gal @ArianaGrande. pic.twitter.com/EvO00p1sQI
— Zedd (@Zedd) May 11, 2014
Meanwhile, when news of "Break Free" first broke, she told 102.7 KIIS FM backstage at their Wango Tango concert, "I love that song so much. He's fantastic, and the song is very fun. And it's very different for me, especially." She continued, "I never thought I'd do an EDM song."
Check out "Break Free" below!
Photo: Getty Images


text: The facility includes refurbished teaching and research laboratories, classroom and office space, a science library, a computer laboratory, and several study areas. The addition connects two of the wings with a courtyard in between. The building houses the departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, physics, and psychology. Containing modern scientific equipment and... read more


text:
Paula Deen museum still in the works
Plans to turn Paula Deen's childhood home into a museum are still moving forward, despite the controversy upending the queen of Southern cuisine. Businesswoman B.J. Fletcher hopes the holidays will bring an eventful ribbon-cutting ceremony in Albany, Georgia.
The museum idea has been in the works for almost two years now. Fletcher has been working with Deen's ex-husband, Jimmy Deen, to get it off the ground. They're awaiting approval from the city leaders to move the home from its current location to a location near other Albany tourist attractions. Once everything is in place, Fletcher says the Deen home will be comparable to the Tupelo, Mississippi home Elvis Presley grew up in as a must-see stop for visitors.
Deen, meantime, continues efforts to salvage her crumbling empire cracked by a discrimination lawsuit and her admitted use of racially-charged language. The fallout has cost the celebrity chef numerous partnerships with high profile business interests.
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Gretchen Wilson to perform at SeaWorld this weekend
Listen to Gretchen Wilson on iHeartRadio
Gretchen Wilson is one of the stars who isn't scrapping her scheduled appearance at SeaWorld.
"The Orlando Sentinel" says the country singer is Saturday's performer for the park's "Bands, Brew, & BBQ" concert series.
Meanwhile, "Blue Collar" comedian Bill Engvall is slated to appear at SeaWorld on Sunday. Wilson and Engvall are following Alan Jackson and Kid Rock, who met their SeaWorld commitments last weekend.
A number of other artists who had been scheduled to take part in the concert series cancelled their shows. Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, Trace Adkins, and Martina McBride are among the country stars who dropped out of the SeaWorld event over the movie Blackfish and an internet campaign to stop their shows.
Photo Credit Getty Images


text:
Transfer Admission Requirements
Transfer students should meet the following criteria for admission:
(Student who have less than 22 transferable credit hours are still encouraged to apply; however, a high school transcript and SAT or ACT test scores should be submitted as well for review.)
Transfer Scholarship Application: The deadline to apply for the Transfer Scholarship is June 30th. Click here to complete your transfer scholarship application. A 3.0 minimum transfer GPA is required to be considered for the scholarship.
Students interested in transferring from a South Carolina Technical College can view the 2016 Transfer Credit Guide indicating which courses will transfer to FMU.
For more information about transferring into Francis Marion University, please refer to SC TRAC, a helpful website that aims to guide students through the transfer process. From the home screen there you can plan your transfer, find course equivalencies and learn more about the transfer process. The site is being updated regularly and just because the courses you've taken aren't listed as an equivalent doesn't mean it won't transfer. To get the most accurate credit evaluation you'll need to apply for admission and send us your official transcripts.
*Click here to request and send an electronic copy of your college transcript to FMU. You may also request your high school transcript via this method.
NOTE: Students who do not meet these criteria may apply and will be considered on a case by case basis.
If you've already applied and been admitted as a transfer student, click here to see what is the next step!
Transfer Guide