text:
Shinobu Oshino (忍野 忍, Oshino Shinobu) is a mysterious vampire girl who acts as Meme Oshino's companion in the ruins of Eikou Cram School. Later in the series, she resides in Koyomi Araragi's shadow during the day.
She was formerly a human child princess named Rola (likely meant to be Lolita or Laura in English) who was cursed into causing anyone in proximity to her to commit suicide. She then took the name of Acerola before meeting a purebred vampire that turned her into a powerful vampire named Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade (キスショット・アセロラオリオン・ハートアンダーブレード, Kisushotto Aseroraorion Hātoandāburēdo). She now takes the form of an eight-year-old girl with another new name after losing most of her powers. She refers to herself using "washi" (ワシ), which is often used in fictional settings to represent characters of old age.
She is the titular protagonist of four main arcs: Shinobu Time, Shinobu Mail, Acerola Bon Appétit, and Shinobu Mastered, and four minor arcs: Shinobu House, Shinobu Science, Shinobu Figure, and Princess Beauty.
Name Edit
Shinobu Oshino is the "human name" of the vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. She generally is called this, depending on the person talking about her or her power level at the time.
It is understood that people who have known her, either directly or by reputation, call her by her full vampire name in all cases, exception made of the specialists close to Meme Oshino who was the one to adopt and name her Shinobu after she lost her power following Koyomi Vamp.
On the contrary, people close enough to Koyomi Araragi to be aware of her existence refer to her as Shinobu, as her child form is the only one they generally know of (exception made for Tsubasa Hanekawa).
Only Koyomi refers to her with both names, generally to referring to her according to her power level. Shinobu herself agrees that being weak changed her personality and that she knows her personality would probably revert to pre-Spring Break if she were to come back to being the powerful vampire she once was. Koyomi generally refers to her as Shinobu intimately, but doesn't hesitate to refer to her by her full vampire name when thinking about her, not wanting to forget her nature nor forgive her actions during Spring Break.
Intimately, only Koyomi and Seishirou Shishirui called her by the nickname Kiss-shot in front of her. However, most people referring to her vampire nature abridge her name this way behind her back.
Shinobu is a young female with yellow eyes, pointy ears, sharp fangs, and long blond hair whose ends curl outward at the end. During the course of the series, she takes on several changes in appearance depending on how much of her vampire powers she possesses. Through most of the series, she assumes a younger form as an 8 year old. She wears a loose dress and a pair of sandals, with an aviator hat as an accessory in Bakemonogatari.
As demonstrated in Nisemonogatari, she can suck blood to become older; she appears as a girl in her adolescent years, tying her hair into a ponytail and wearing a black camisole inside a purple jacket, a black skirt and black hosiery. In Kizumonogatari, obtaining her stolen body parts causes her to age. Her true form as Kiss-Shot depicts a woman in her late 20's wearing a large, red and black dress.
After losing most of her vampire powers, Shinobu falls into a long period of stupor. She is frequently seen in Oshino's place with her hands tucking her knees in, her face always in an emotionless state. She often spends most of the day in one spot, doing mostly nothing with a bitter expression. Shinobu also does not talk to anyone, but she is familiar with Koyomi Araragi and Meme Oshino, and would follow requests from either of them.
Later she reverts back to her brighter personality after "reconciling" with Koyomi. She is rather talkative, and often asserts her superiority through her archaic speech. She mostly plays with Koyomi's tendency to act as the follower between the two. During sometime after Koyomi Vamp, she appears to find a liking to donuts and they become her obsession.
Due to being around Meme for many hours while performing her silent treatment, she's obtained a bit of knowledge about different types of oddities, but she's still no expert.
Background Edit
Shinobu's past from before she became a vampire is revealed in "Princess Beauty" (うつくし姫 Utsukushihime), published in Anime Monogatari Series Heroine Book 3: Shinobu. It was later included in Wazamonogatari.
She was named Rola (possibly meant to be Lola in English) and was the only daughter of a noble family in an unspecified kingdom. Her beauty was famous throughout the entire kingdom. Countless people would line up outside her palace everyday just to see her. Anyone who sees her for the first time is shocked that her beauty exceeds any expectations, and they would bring her countless gifts everyday. Despite everyone's love for her, Lola was never happy, and she never smiled. She wished people would see what's inside her, instead of just her exterior. One day an elderly witch came to grant her wish. The witch turned her physical appearance invisible, and people could only see her inside.
However, her interior turned out to be far more beautiful than her exterior. Her inner beauty manifested itself as a bright light that enveloped the entire kingdom. After seeing her inner beauty, her father felt extreme guilt for not being able to understand her and see her true self, and killed himself out of this guilt. Her mother was so satisfied by giving birth to such a perfect child, that she felt she had nothing left to do in this world. Thus, she also committed suicide. People were so astounded by her pure heart that instead of giving her material gifts they gave her their most valuable possessions: their lives. If they had things more important to them than their lives, they would give her those instead. (e.g. a musician gave her his ears, a poet gave her his tongue, a sculptor gave her his eyes, and some gave her their children's lives, their grandchildren's lives, etc.). Corpses of those who committed suicide for princess beauty piled up outside her palace. Before long, the pile of corpses grew higher than the palace.
Lola was devastated at the result. The witch couldn't turn her back because she gave Lola her knowledge-filled head (the witch beheaded herself). However, Lola's tear was able to revive the witch for a small moment, and the witch told her to go on a journey. The witch told her to avoid people, and to never stay in one place for too long. Otherwise, people will get drawn to her heart, and start taking their own lives again.
Acerola Bon Appétite Edit
This section contains content from Wazamonogatari.
Princess Beauty, at that point taking the name of Acerola, continued her journey to find someone to cure her curse that caused all around her to kill themselves at the sight of her beautiful heart. She met a purebred vampire named Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master who allowed her to stay inside her castle in order to find a solution to her problem, as she, due to her immortality, was the only person able to communicate with Acerola.
After she overstayed her welcome to him, Suicide-Master's servant, Tropicalesque Home-A-Wave Dog-Strings, attempted to kill her, brutally killing himself past the point of regeneration in the process. Devastated at causing yet another death, she requested Suicide-Master to turn her into a vampire so that even if she can't lift her curse, she can at least eat the corpses she leaves so that their deaths won't be in vain.
Suicide-Master renamed her Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade, the Kiss-shot portion referencing the fact that kissing a prince might be the only way to lift her curse. After becoming Suicide-Master's servant, she left to continue wandering the world and eventually, the curse seemed to have lifted. It's not clear if becoming a barbaric vampire was the direct cause of the curse being lifted, or whether or not she actually found a prince to save her, but Suicide-Master seems to suggest that the former could be the case.
Koyomi Vamp Edit
This section contains content from Kizumonogatari.
Kiss shot arrived in the Japan, the place she met the person who eventually became her first minion, for the second time in her life, looking for a place to die. Sometime after arrival, she was attacked by three vampire hunters at once and decided to let them kill her. After her limbs (and unknowingly, her heart) were stolen, she was left for dead and had second thoughts, fearing death at the last moment. Koyomi Araragi finds her limbless and is terrified. After demanding him to give his life in order to let her live, he runs away as she cries for her life. After contemplating, he changes his mind and gives his neck to her, ready to die.
He awakes in Eikou Cram School as a vampire and finds Kiss shot had now taken the form of a 10 year old girl. She tells him that he can turn back into a human if he can get all of her missing limbs back from the vampire hunters. With each limb retrieved, she grew older by a few years, to a 12 year old and later a 17 year old. Once he succeeded in getting her last limb and also her heart, she returns to her original form and eats Guillotine Cutter. Shocked and outraged, Koyomi contemplates suicide for reviving a monster that eats people. Tsubasa reveals that in order to become a human again, he must kill his master.
Kiss shot planned on having Koyomi kill her so she could finally find a proper way to die and allow her minion to turn back into a human. The two fight a pointless fight, excessively decapitating their immortal bodies. In the midst of their fight, Tsubasa arrives. Before Kiss shot could harm her, Koyomi jumps on Kiss shot, sucking her blood to the brink of death, but stops. With the help of Hanekawa, they realize her true intentions.
After having her plan revealed, Koyomi rejects it as he doesn't want to kill her. With the help of Meme Oshino, he finds a compromise that leaves no one's wishes granted. Instead of killing her completely, he would get her to the brink of death, weakening her power, making him as close to human as possible. In return, she'd be so weak that she wouldn't even be able to take the same name anymore. To keep her alive, Koyomi would occasionally feed her his blood. This plan goes through. The now unnamed vampire holds a grudge and refuses to speak.
Tsubasa Family Edit
This section contains content from Nekomonogatari.
During the Golden Week following Koyomi's encounter with Kiss-shot, she continues to stay inside the abandoned Eikou Cram School Building, where she appears to have developed a more childlike personality and physical appearance, reminiscent of an eight-year-old. In one visit, Koyomi brings some donuts for Meme, but they ended up in the vampire girl's hands after she stubbornly demanded some.
Koyomi later pleaded for her to lend him the Kokorowatari for him to use against Tsubasa Hanekawa in an attempt to separate the sawarineko from Tsubasa herself. She gave him the sword after days of Koyomi's incessant pleas to her, but she ends up using the oddity killer herself when Koyomi exposes his incapability of using the sword properly. After swallowing the sword whole and biting Tsubasa, Black Hanekawa was suppressed.
Hitagi CrabEdit
This section contains content from Bakemonogatari.
During Hitagi Crab, she spends most of her time inside Eikou Cram School, sitting still in a corner and continuing not to talk to anyone. Meme revealed a new name for her, suggesting her name be Shinobu (忍), as "heart" (心) under "blade" (刃) matches with her original personality and name.
Suruga MonkeyEdit
To prepare Koyomi for his fight against the Rainy Devil, Shinobu sucks some of Koyomi's blood upon Meme's request, allowing him to make more use of his vampire powers within a limited period of time. Her contribution barely helped Koyomi in subduing the Rainy Devil, but it was enough for him to survive for the entire ordeal before Hitagi Senjougahara's intervention.
Tsubasa Cat Edit
After spending the night in Eikou Cram School, Nadeko Sengoku tells Koyomi she saw Shinobu glaring at her for some reason.
Mayoi Hachikuji claims she saw Shinobu running away from home. As Koyomi searches for her, he contacts the other girls to help him. While everyone searches by themselves, Koyomi ends up searching with the help of Black Hanekawa.
After it gets dark and they arrive at an area full of street lamps, Black Hanekawa threatens to kill him if he doesn't go out with Tsubasa, revealing the feelings for him she's been keeping secret since they first met. As she chokes him, Shinobu reveals herself by jumping out of a shadow and suppressing her once again by sucking her blood. Afterwards, without saying a word she submerges into Koyomi's shadow, where she commonly resides for the rest of the series.
Karen BeeEdit
This section contains content from Nisemonogatari.
During Koyomi's predicament with his sister Karen Araragi's condition, while bathing Shinobu jumps out of his shadow and properly talks to him for the first time since he refused to kill her. She asks him to kill her to become a real human once more, but he rejects the idea, never wanting to talk about it again. He declares he'll only let her die if he dies with her, even if his vampire life span causes him to witness all his friends and family dying before him. Although she claims that she does not like him, Shinobu agrees to reconcile with Koyomi.
She helps out in curing Karen's oddity-induced fever, claiming that hanging around Meme for so long gave her a huge wealth of knowledge about oddities. The next day, Shinobu helps out in tracking down Karen, who after recovering left the house in an attempt to get back on her defeat against Deishuu Kaiki.
Tsukihi PhoenixEdit
Shinobu asked Koyomi to take her to Mister Donuts for the 100 yen sale. Koyomi agrees as he wants Shinobu to tell him about Yotsugi Ononoki and Yozuru Kagenui. She does, and Koyomi learns about Yotsugi, but Shinobu refuses to share information about Yozuru, stating she is "not going to share information about a respectable person" and tells him to ask Deishuu.
Later after powering up into a similar form of her former self she helps Koyomi fight for his sister by fighting Yotsugi. She also learns Tsukihi Araragi's the "tsuki" part of Tsukihi's name, as it means moon and she likes the moon, the sun is her enemy. During the fight with Yotsugi and Yozuru, Shinobu was powered up into her teenage form and easily beat Yotsugi in battle off screen.
Mayoi Jiangshi Edit
This section contains content from Kabukimonogatari.
In Mayoi Jiangshi, Shinobu and Koyomi travel to an alternate timeline where Shinobu went berserk after they failed to find her and Koyomi was killed by Black Hanekawa. When she originally ran away, she had sworn to destroy the world if Koyomi didn't find her. When he died, her original powers returned to her and she turned everyone in the world into zombie-like vampires. Afterwards, attempted suicide but failed due to her regeneration.
As Shinobu and Koyomi prepare to fight the alternate Shinobu in hopes to get her to send them back to their original time, she instead weeps at the sight of her being able to come to an understanding with Koyomi in an alternate timeline, as now she feels nothing but despair for what she'd done. She allows real Shinobu to suck her blood and turn her into ghastly energy, allowing them to travel back to their original time.
Shinobu Time Edit
This section contains content from Onimonogatari.
Shinobu tells Koyomi the story of her first minion, as well as the anti-existence known as "The Darkness." When she first arrived in Japan as Kiss-Shot, she jumped from Antarctica. In doing this, she accidentally saved a local village from a drought when she made it "rain" after splashing into a nearby lake. The villagers praised her for creating a miracle, and began worshipping her as a god. She let that misconception stand and played the part, hiding her true identity as a vampire.
An oddity specialist- now referred to by her as the original oddity slayer- eventually came to check up on the rumor of a newly manifested god. This man is the original owner of the twin blades Kokorowatari and Yumewatari. Occasionally, Kiss-Shot and this man would slay oddities together, implying a bond of sort was made. But eventually, everyone in the village mysteriously vanished until they were the only two left. It turns out an anti-existence known as "the Darkness" and swallowed them in its pursuit for Kiss-Shot. The Darkness swallows oddities that stray away from their original purpose, and it was after her for pretending to be a god. The Darkness swallowed all of the original oddity slayer except for his hand which held on to Kiss-shot as she jumped back to Antarctica. Feeling lonely after what she'd done, she bit into his disembodied hand, reviving him and turning him into her first minion. Outraged upon figuring out the truth, the man was furious that she had gotten so many innocents killed and turned him into one of the very monsters he dedicated his life to hunting. Their relationship quickly broke down and the original oddity slayer cast himself into the sun as an act of suicide, but not until leaving her a replica of Kokorowatari.
After telling this story, the darkness appears again, this time in pursuit for Mayoi Hachikuji. It temporarily severs her connection to Koyomi while in his shadow. Yotsugi Ononoki used Unlimited Rulebook to teleport her along with Koyomi and Mayoi away, incidentally leaving Shinobu behind. After they left, it's implied that the Darkness was gone and Shinobu was safe. She went home and waited in Koyomi's room until her appearance in Tsubasa Tiger.
Tsubasa Tiger Edit
This section contains content from Nekomonogatari.
Black Hanekawa finds Shinobu in Koyomi's room after she disappeared in Shinobu Time. The two come to an agreement to help each other, and arrive at the now burned down Eikou Cram School. Off screen, they end up fighting a monkey-crab oddity together when Yotsugi comes to finish the fight with Unlimited Rulebook. She then is stays at Namishiro Park until Koyomi and Suruga Kanbaru find her in Shinobu Mail.
Shinobu Mail Edit
This section contains content from Owarimonogatari.
After finding Shinobu, the monkey-crab oddity returned. Koyomi used the kokorowatari to slay it, but then Jagirinawa jumped out from its fading corpse. Shinobu defeated the snake and ate the rest of the corpse.
The oddity was sent from Seishirou Shishirui, the original oddity slayer who had returned to claim his kokorowatari back and make up with Shinobu after he had attempted to kill himself after he found out she turned him into a vampire and tried to kill himself. Shinobu was bitter about the situation and refused to see him as she had made a new minion and expected to never meet him again.
After Koyomi beats Seishirou in a duel by planting a talisman on him, Shinobu apologizes to him and cries as she eats the remains of his body, allowing him to finally die.
Nadeko MedusaEdit
This section contains content from Otorimonogatari.
It seems that she does not like Nadeko Sengoku very much. When she slept over in Nadeko Medusa, Shinobu manages to prevent Nadeko and Koyomi from sleeping on the same bed, in which Shinobu tells Nadeko that she's lucky that she's cute enough to be able to stir up protective feelings from Koyomi.
As Koyomi and Shinobu spot Nadeko about to swallow the tailsmen in his room, she tries to eat her before it's too late but fails and Nadeko turns into her Medusa form. She and Koyomi later meet Nadeko at North Shirahebi Shrine to fight. She nearly kills both of them before Hitagi calls Nadeko on the phone to convince her to wait until Koyomi graduates from high school.
Koyomi Torus Edit
This section contains content from Koyomimonogatari.
After discussing the predicament they're in with Nadeko wanting to kill them both, Shinobu and Koyomi play a game of donut hide and seek.
Yotsugi Doll Edit
This section contains content from Tsukimonogatari.
Shinobu and Koyomi discover that he's turning back into a full vampire after finding he has no reflection in the mirror. They contact Yotsugi Ononoki and Yozuru Kagenui to help them. Tensions between Shinobu and the pairing still seem to be in mostly bad terms, as she still threatens them and bluffs about being able to win a fight. They tell the two that they have to stop relying on vampire powers in order to keep Koyomi alive, otherwise he'll turn into a full one and not be able to live life as a human anymore.
Later when Koyomi and Yotsugi are about to initiate their plan to take Suruga and his sisters back from Tadatsuru Teori, Shinobu explains that she doesn't necessarily mind if he were to become a full vampire herself, so if he's in a dangerous situation, she'd risk making him use vampire powers in order to survive.
Koyomi Nothing Edit
Mayoi Hell Edit
Ougi Dark Edit
Karen Ogre Edit
Shinobu Mastered Edit
Catchphrases / Running Gags Edit
- "Ka ka!"
- "Panaino!"
- Shinobu always labels herself as around 500 years old; her actual age is 598.
- In the first trailer of the Kizumonogatari movie, the name of the voice actor who will play as Shinobu is shown only as "××××". Although Shinobu's voice actress in the Bakemonogatari drama CD is Aya Hirano, Maaya Sakamoto took the role of Shinobu in the Nisemonogatari anime series.[1]
- Her current voice actress, Maaya Sakamoto, refuses to sing character songs. This is why Shinobu Time and Shinobu Mail have unique themes with opera style singing.
- Her appearance on the cover of Wazamonogatari bares a striking resemblance to her 10 year old form in Kizumonogatari. Assuming the cover is supposed to be her in the first arc of the book, this form could represent her original appearance as a human. Otherwise, the cover could be referring to Karen Ogre instead.
Appears In Edit
Main Series Edit
- Bakemonogatari
- Kizumonogatari
- Nisemonogatari
- Nekomonogatari
- Kabukimonogatari
- Otorimonogatari
- Onimonogatari
- Tsukimonogatari
- Koyomimonogatari
- Owarimonogatari
- Zoku Owarimonogatari
- Wazamonogatari
- Musubimonogatari
- Shinobumonogatari
- Yoimonogatari
Short Stories Edit
- Nisemonogatari Anime Complete Guidebook
- Yomiuri Shimbun/Onimonogatari BD/DVD vol. 1
- Nisemonogatari Premium Item Box
- Anime Monogatari Series Heroine Book 3: Shinobu
Other Edit
Characters of the Monogatari Series
|Araragi Family
|Koyomi Araragi • Karen Araragi • Tsukihi Araragi • Araragi Matriarch
|Hitagi Senjougahara • Mayoi Hachikuji • Suruga Kanbaru • Nadeko Sengoku • Tsubasa Hanekawa/Black Hanekawa • Shinobu Oshino • Sodachi Oikura • Ougi Oshino
|Oddity Specialists
|Meme Oshino • Deishuu Kaiki • Yozuru Kagenui • Yotsugi Ononoki • Izuko Gaen • Tadatsuru Teori • Seishirou Shishirui
|Hearsay Police Department
|Zenka Suo • Nozomi Kizashima • Mitome Saizaki • Tsuzura Kouga
|Vampire Hunters
|Dramaturgy • Episode • Guillotine Cutter
|Other Characters
|Hitagi's Father • Hitagi's Mother • Tsunade • Mayoi's Father • Tooe Kanbaru • Suruga's Father • Suruga's Grandmother • Nadeko's Parents • Tsubasa's Parents • Mizudori • Rousokuzawa • Seiu Higasa • Rouka Numachi • Sasayabu • Komichi Tetsujou • Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master • Tropicalesque Home-A-Wave Dog-Strings


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March 28, 2012 Coast Insider Audio
Dissident researcher Michael Cremo discussed his continuing work in forbidden archeology and human origins, his scientific papers and theories, as well as ancient Sanskrit history and lore. In regards to the ancient aerial craft known as vimanas in ancient India, he said there was reportedly an appearance of one around 5,000 years ago in the city of Dwarka. The vimana was said to attack the city, using different types of aerial weapons, but according to the ancient writings, Lord Krishna shot the craft down and it crashed into the sea. "Some of these vimanas…were made of metal; they were mechanical devices, other ones appeared to be more interdimensional," he detailed.
The ancient Sanskrit material describes periodic catastrophes that wipe out life on Earth over broad cycles of time. We're now in the middle of one such 300 million-year cycle, and in about 180 million years, we can expect a huge devastating cataclysm, Cremo said. He also spoke about his research into psychic archeology and cited how the prominent archaeologist J.T. Robinson, had in 1960 brought a psychic to use in archaeological research at the Sterkfontein Cave site in South Africa. He connected this to accounts in ancient Sanskrit of sages or mystics having a dream or vision about a sacred image being buried in the Earth.
In his just published collection, My Science, My Religion, Cremo has put together 24 different papers that he presented at scientific and academic conferences from 1994 to 2009, many of them dealing with archaeological anomalies, and evidence for extreme human antiquity. If humans have been here for millions and millions of years "that means our current scientific understanding of who we are and where we came from is wrong," he remarked. Further, the non-spiritual materialist world view that humans are like machines made of matter has bred ceaseless conflict and environmental crises, he commented.
First hour guest, Brendan Cook of the Ghost Investigator's Society (G.I.S.) returned to the show to talk about ghost investigations and share electronic voice phenomena (EVP). He noted that since the advent of digital sound technology it has been easier to locate anomalous voices within a long recording, and apply filters to make them clearer. Two of the EVPs he played were recorded in a private mortuary in northern Massachusetts, and sounded like the voice of a child. In one, a plaintive voice is heard to seemingly utter "I need you– are you behind me?"
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Equality Ride
"I was told I was going to Hell. … Now I want to work toward reconciliation and loving our neighbor."
An Oklahoma Baptist University student watched and listened for a few minutes, then had the courage to introduce herself and shake the hand of every one of the Equality Riders. It was a moving moment for the bus riders.Photo by Josh Varner
PHOTO ESSAY from the '07 Equality Ride
On March 22, 2007, a bus pulled up in front of Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. A group of 25 young people got out and formed a line at the edge of the campus, which college administrators had forbidden them to enter. One of them announced that they had come to share their experiences with homophobia and Christianity.
Hundreds of students milled around eying the newcomers. A few approached and engaged them in conversation. Others got on their knees and prayed for God to forgive the riders. One black student compared the treatment of the riders to the treatment of African-Americans during the civil rights movement. The riders' leader said they wanted to come on to the campus to talk with other students. As five of them attempted to enter school property, policemen arrested them.
This encounter was part of the 2007 Equality Ride, a tour that brought 50 young people to 34 conservative campuses across the United States.
The riders hope to show the humanity and spirituality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and to represent others on campus who are too scared to speak out for themselves. Following the teachings of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., riders see Conservative Christians, not as enemies, but as "victims of untruth." The ultimate goal is reconciliation, not confrontation or "winning."
That philosophy is so essential to Soulforce, the group that organizes the rides, that they named their organization with the English translation of Gandhi's word for nonviolent activism, "Satyagraha." Soulforce was founded to overcome the religious bigotry at the root of homophobia.
That doesn't mean they have anything against religion itself. Many of the participants in the 2007 Equality Ride are life-long Christians who want to talk about tolerance with others who share their faith. Several are former students at religious colleges the ride visited in 2006, its first year.
Vince Cervantes, one of the 2007 riders, attended a Christian college and endured "reparative therapy" for his same-sex attractions. "It gave me a deep understanding of the harm of homophobia within the faith community," he says.
Angel Collie went through the ordeal of coming out in a conservative Baptist family at age 14. "I was told I was going to Hell," Collie says. "Now I want to work toward reconciliation and loving our neighbor."
Relationships with LGBT friends motivated Abigail Reikow and other straight allies on the ride.
Not all schools reacted to the riders like Mississippi College did. At some universities, administrators embraced the ride as an educational opportunity and set up breakfasts, debates, discussion groups, and other forums for interactions between students and riders. "Easily more than half were welcoming," says Soulforce outreach director Jarrett Lucas. Even at colleges where the riders were not allowed on campus, they were still able to connect with students, often at a nearby location like a coffee shop. At Mississippi College, the riders who avoided arrest shared lunch with students off campus, where they continued their dialogue.
Some students wanted nothing to do with the riders. Others wanted to confront them over their sexuality or their interpretation of the Bible. But many were interested in talking, despite differences in beliefs. Some students, "didn't seem to know what to do with a bunch of Joe Schmoes," said one rider, who guessed they were "expecting lumberjacks and drag queens." The majority of those who disagreed were civil. Some of the students had never spoken with a gay person, let alone one who shared their deep commitment to Christianity.
Robin Reynolds, one of the 2007 riders, was inspired to see "the look a person gets when they've never heard an idea before."
"It was harder to throw out one-liners and rely on stereotypes when students were face-to-face with LGBT people," she said.
Some students approached the riders because they wanted to know how to support their LGBT friends and family. Others were closeted gay and lesbian students who thanked the riders for showing them they weren't alone.
After the riders moved on, students continued the conversation through emails and Facebook. Some have started Gay-Straight Alliances on their campuses to keep the momentum of the ride going.
The Equality Ride will hit the highway for a third time this October, this year visiting colleges exclusively in the South. As Angel Collie put it, "there are a lot more people out there that we need to reach."
|Noah Grant wrote this article as part of Purple America, the Fall 2008 issue of YES! Magazine. Noah, YES! Editorial Assistant, is an activist for LGBT rights.
Interested? See this Photo Essay from the '07 Equality Ride.


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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Meet Poor Pitiful Pearl....My New Slipcover
My Bucket List...is quite long, I have to say...There are so many things that I want to experience before I kick the ole'...you know... bucket...Don't you? So many of them are scary to me...Would you believe me if I told you I was afraid to sew on a zipper...lol..I know...A silly little zipper...I tried to get around it...BUT, now I am glad I bit the bullet and did it...I'm a Zipper Making Mama, now...Yes, Sir~Re~Bob! I plan on remaking the cushion with a new foam, so that it is more square {Boxy} like...But I had to get it done...because I had promised you I would...Don't you hate when a blogger or a real person for that matter tells you they are going to do something and they don't? I hate that...So, I was up until early morning hours completing it just for little ole' you...
Here she is...I love her sooo much!!! I had to name her... You know I name everything and rename people ;)...Her name is "Poor Pitiful Pearl"...I think she is beautiful...I felt as though I was an old~fashioned dressmaker, back in the day...I roll play a lot! I don't really know why...I suppose that it is the actress in me...;) You should of been a fly on my wall...I had pins in my mouth and I had the measuring tape wrapped around every inch of Pearl...Like I really knew what I was doing...I really didn't...I am surprised she looks as good as she does...That Poor Pitiful Pearl ;)
She is made from a painters' drop cloth...I washed the material before I started the project...So that it would shrink up a bit...She doesn't look like a drop cloth, does she?
I did the old mock box trick on the cushion cover...It is actually one continually piece...Very easy to do...And it looks more professional, too...
Do you see Poor Pitiful Pearl's little boo~boo? I pinched her a bit...Ouch!!!...Oh well, as least I will be able to tell her apart from her soon to be twin, Olive Oyl...lol... Yes, Olive and Pearl will be twins in the Old Saloon Gameroom...I am off to sew her up and put her on that ole', ugly, FREE chair that I drug home...I can't wait to see the pair together...
Emmers is getting pretty comfy in Ole' Pearl, isn't she? Awww...so sweet!!!...I love that slip covers can be enjoyed and not worried about...All I have to do is wash her up and put her back on...Easy Smeasy...Don't you think? ;)
XoXo, Screaming Meme {Zipper Making Mama}
52 comments:
- Parsley said...
Your Golden looks right at home on your new completed project!
- March 10, 2010 at 12:32 PM
- Carol said...
Superb job Meme! I love the fact that you used a painter's drop cloth. Did you buy them at Wal-Mart? Thanks for sharing your 'poor pitiful pearl'! This gives me an idea for a post.
- March 10, 2010 at 12:37 PM
- Pedaling said...
oh, that puppy face...gets me everytime!
nice job on the slip cover- i just ordered one- wish i could sew.
- March 10, 2010 at 12:41 PM
- Connie said...
Squeeeeeal, squeeeeeeeeal, that is adorable!!!!!! You did good, chick, so now do ya wanna make me one also??? ;-)
- March 10, 2010 at 12:41 PM
- Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...
Nice job! Love the ruffled skirt!
- March 10, 2010 at 12:45 PM
It looks fabulous! My last slipcover looked like an industrial accident :)
- March 10, 2010 at 1:19 PM
- Susan S. said...
Great Job on "Pearl"....I love the look of the drop cloth. You are quite the seamstress...I used to have a sewing machine, but gave it away many years ago and now I'm regretting it. :( Emmer's sure looks happy on "PPP". What a cutie!
- March 10, 2010 at 1:19 PM
- TheVirginiaHouse said...
Great Job!! I'm so inspired...but not sure that I'm ready to tackle that! You did so good though, I really am impressed.
I'm also starting a giveaway tomorrow so be sure to stop by! (shoot, I missed yours too :-( )
- March 10, 2010 at 1:40 PM
- Prissy Southern Prep said...
I love it!
- March 10, 2010 at 1:40 PM
- kim said...
You did an awesome job. I love those drop cloths. Emmers is quite comfy on your new slipcover. I have got to get a sewing machine.
- March 10, 2010 at 1:52 PM
- marty (A Stroll Thru Life) said...
I love it. You did a great job. I really need to slipcover my sofa. I just need to figure out how to make it. lol It looks wonderful. Hugs, Marty
- March 10, 2010 at 1:52 PM
- HeathahLee said...
You did a GREAT job! I have a glider rocker that I need to have slipcovered...want to come to North Mississippi? ; )
Emily looks very content with how well Pearl turned out! : )
And if you put Jonathan's face on that picture, it would look just like him when he was that age! Gangly youth! :D
- March 10, 2010 at 1:55 PM
- Melissa Miller said...
How pretty! Love the slipcover and your precious dog too. ~Ah!
Thank you for your kind words on my recent weight loss. You're the best my friend.
~Blessings, ~Melissa :)
- March 10, 2010 at 2:40 PM
- Rachel said...
Wow I love it, you did such a fabulous job!!! Now dish out some tips, I have a wingback chair I need to recover and I need TIPS!
Ps, I'm so loving your blog!
- March 10, 2010 at 3:06 PM
- Victoria@WhimsybyVictoria said...
I think I am going to just call her Pearl...after all, she doesn't look pitiful to me! lol She is divine...yes, I love her! :) Your doggie is adorable...now Pearl can be a throne.
- March 10, 2010 at 5:06 PM
- Gwenn said...
Wow, that's awesome! I love to sew too but I haven't ever made anything like that. Great job!
- March 10, 2010 at 6:03 PM
- Graceful Moments said...
Emmers looks like she's (he's) in love with PPPearl! Pearl is amazing! Who knew you could do all that with a drop cloth!
Very proud of you for tackling the zipper...it's been quite a while since I did the zipper thing. I do not remember it fondly.
- March 10, 2010 at 6:05 PM
- firstname.lastname@example.com said...
Pearl looks great to me! You did a fine job! That puppy is looking pretty too!
- March 10, 2010 at 6:15 PM
- Pink and Polka Dot said...
oh my, it's not poor and pitiful. It's great and gorgeous! Fantastic job! Please post it on Friday so everyone can see what a fabulous job you did! I love that you're dog is on it...live on them is what I say!
- March 10, 2010 at 8:48 PM
- Angie said...
The slipcover is beautiful and so is your precious dog!
- March 10, 2010 at 8:58 PM
- chair up said...
You are one brave lady! I am yet to tackle a slipcover even though I can upholster a 3 piece lounge suite. Slipcovers freak me out! Good for you.
Your puppy has the most gentle eyes.
- March 10, 2010 at 9:06 PM
- Michelle said...
You did a great job! Drop cloth works wonderful. Love the pic of Emmers, she looks very comfy!
- March 11, 2010 at 4:59 AM
- tammy said...
I love it.
- March 11, 2010 at 7:24 AM
- Jen T said...
Meme that is gorgeous. I love the simplicity of it but it's elegant & no doubt durable. You did a wonderful job!
- March 11, 2010 at 8:57 AM
Wow! That is awesome! I am so not crafty. Whenever I try it is a super fail.Thanks for stopping by my blog. I look forward to following you!
- March 11, 2010 at 9:50 AM
- Lynda @ SportsMadGirl said...
Pearl sure does look good. It's amazing how nice a painters drop cloth can look. Oh man that Emmer's sure is a cutie!
- March 11, 2010 at 9:58 AM
- Bonnie said...
That is one purrrtty pearl. :)
You did a fabulous job, I never would have guessed it was dropcloth just by looking.
Thanks so much for the warm greeting over at my blog. So glad you stopped by and introduced yourself!
Best wishes,
- March 11, 2010 at 10:45 AM
- myletterstoemily said...
how can you call a chair that beautiful,
'pitiful pearl?' take it back!
your sweet 'love' comment on 'my letters'
reminded me of a hilarious karen (my
alter-ego) line,
"honey, i love you like the mother i had
committed against her will."
blessings on sweet pearl,
- March 11, 2010 at 12:06 PM
- Ticking and Toile said...
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! I'm glad so I could find you...you are hilarious & fun! I think 'Poor Pitiful Pearl' turned out amazing! She is just perfect!! I love painters drop cloth...I've been wanting to try something with it. You did a fabulous job on the gathering...perfect timing ~ I was just contemplating how to make gathers like that on my dust ruffle!! Was that hard? or was it probably similar to ruffles?
Great job & nice to meet you!
- March 11, 2010 at 1:06 PM
- Brie said...
That slipcover is awesome! I just recently started getting into sewing so someday I'll have to try my hand at one of these because I love finding stuff off Craigs List to reuse.
Thanks for your sweet comment on my cream puff post. I'll definitely be stopping by more frequently for great inspiration!
- March 11, 2010 at 1:45 PM
- Dawn said...
wow! i am impressed :) i guess white slip covers are the thing! i am suffering wnough with my cream leather though. but i love yours! and out of a drop cloth! i might be inspired... but i really get frustrated working with such big pieces of fabric!
- March 11, 2010 at 2:19 PM
- Infarrantly Creative said...
Awesome job! Looks like the dog has taken up residency ;-)
- March 11, 2010 at 2:49 PM
- Mrs. Ohtobe said...
Thanks for the invite and I love, love, love the Pearl. She looks so comfortable and aged - like she has been around for generations! Good job.
- March 11, 2010 at 3:10 PM
- Our Porch in Hillsborough said...
Love the slipcover - especially that you made it with a drop cloth! Thanks for stopping by my blog - I'm off to check out some of your older posts.
- March 11, 2010 at 3:16 PM
- Grandma said...
I saw your comment on Joy's of Home and had to check it out. Good job. I really don't like making slipcovers but your turned out great. Maybe I'll try again. Cute dog by the way.
- March 11, 2010 at 3:24 PM
- Leanne said...
That looks amazing. I'm too scared to try a slipcover. Maybe I can work up to it. Thanks for stopping by.
- March 11, 2010 at 5:23 PM
- mandiegirl said...
I love it! So glad you invited me over! ;) I wish I could make one for my sofa- it SO needs one!!! I bought a few months ago, but it looked terrible!!! :) Wanna make one for me!
- March 11, 2010 at 6:07 PM
- Robin said...
It looks great! SO MUCH BETTER than I could ever do....lol! Thank you so much for visiting my itty-bitty blog!
Robin :o)
- March 11, 2010 at 6:21 PM
- Elizabeth (blue clear sky) said...
Thanks for stopping by and for the invitation. Poor Pitiful Pearl is neither poor nor pitiful! Your first attempt rocks! Your gathers look so good and very even at the floor too. Way to go.
- March 11, 2010 at 7:09 PM
- Isabella & Max Rooms said...
Look at this!! Wonderful job and such a funny post! Janell
- March 11, 2010 at 7:52 PM
- East Coast Suburbanite said...
great job! thanks for stopping by. Love the skirt part of the slipcover.
- March 11, 2010 at 7:55 PM
- Carrie said...
It turned out so great! I cannot believe that is a drop cloth!!! Wow.
- March 11, 2010 at 8:50 PM
- tiny twig said...
impressed! yes, i think the second chair is more intimidating because you know the work that went into the first. kind of dreading it. :)
- March 11, 2010 at 11:47 PM
- Pink Princess said...
You did a great job, love it!
Thanks for the invite :)
Hugs fropm Marian
- March 11, 2010 at 11:58 PM
- Double Wide Mom said...
very clever and beautiful. I'm happy to meet you too and look forward to becoming very fast friends!
- March 12, 2010 at 6:36 AM
- Just a little something from Judy said...
Don't be surprised if you find some of my old chairs sitting at your doorstep. I want you to make them look just like the one you just did. What a beautiful transformation, and look of the completed project. Great job!
- March 12, 2010 at 8:35 AM
- Love the Decor! said...
Great Job!!
that dog is too too cute on it's "new" bed :)
- March 12, 2010 at 4:21 PM
- Style Sisters said...
Meme...you did such an amazing job! Did you make this pattern up yourself or did you use a store bought pattern? I love the painters drop cloth so much! I think I am getting the slipcover bug. I may decide to jump on a project soon...very very soon. Fabulous!!
- March 12, 2010 at 10:38 PM
- Melanie said...
Looks great!
- March 13, 2010 at 8:08 PM
It was extremely interesting for me to read that post. Thanks for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read a bit more soon.
Joan Hakkinen
- August 24, 2010 at 11:30 AM
- Cindy said...
Looks so nice, love your puppy too!
- April 29, 2011 at 2:18 PM
- Inspired by you said...
Awesome job! Give yourself a big pat on the back!
- April 30, 2011 at 6:07 PM


text:
Well it's finally november here on the east coast, which means... yes! lots of rain!
I am going to do something different this month, I am going to kick it off with a hate-per-day, since it will probably (more likely) rain all month, it's the perfect time to get gloomy. Be sure to tune in every day this month at precisely 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. However, today, it will be more like 3:00PM Eastern Daylight Time since today marks the last day of the dreaded daylight savings time, period.
I would like to dedicate this string of posted articles to my favorite thing in the world, the November Rain. And it does not have anything to do with that song, I loved this sweet rain far before that to-continue-to-be-nameless band decided to ruin the term. The rain is particularly sweet this month, because of the falling of the leaves. It is the time of year where all trees are free to mourn their losses to the sounds of rattling chainsaws, and, rejoice in the fact that they won't be hearing too much more of them until the spring comes back.
So, be here, or be elsewhere, 2:00 Eastern, (1:00PM Central, NOON Mountain, 11:00AM Pacific, etc). And today, on hour earlier.
It means I must have been in a car wreck, or hit by a train during my morning walk down the right-of-way, or perhaps I came down with a terminal illness and might even be dead as your reading this right now.
That's fine, hopefully the posts will do well, not that I expect readers. I expect just some adbot hits which is enough for me. I dont really do this for you guys, think of it as an anonymous, private, public journal. Most of what I write is encoded somehow, so good luck figuring out the real meanings behind my future, past, and (yes even this one) posts. They can be deciphered with a certain [item] which is to be *hint, nameless*.
Sorry to all who cared, but I had to go sooner or later. I am glad to be helping the world not be so over populated. I'll see everyone again in my next existence... which is most likely to happen about 1^10x100000000000000000th u-years** later!
* [h]ints our encoded slight[ly] two.
** u-year: the time in which it takes for the entire universe to create and then re-destroy itself, and all life contained within it
HATE THE INTERNET = [H]orrific [A]nalysis of [T]he [E]arth and (of course) THE INTERNET. You didn't really think I had a purpose did you?
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Welcome to November, Rain!
1 comment:
StamiMax that nights you can work. During that time observing go sleep in the guest room or along at the couch from a different room where you are going to be distracted or feel obligated that may with the. This is your sleep time. That leaves the weekends or any other time about to catch working a person your spouse with the child. http://jackedmuscleextremeadvice.com/stamimax/ReplyDelete
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text:
"There's a club if you'd like to go [...]
So you go and you stand on your own
And you take some photos
And some mates turn up
And you go home
And you cry and you want to die
Because none of the pictures are in focus
Not even the ones where you used the flash."
As Morrissey never sang.
I decided Spellbound, 'the 80s night for people who hate 80s nights' would be the setting for my first foray into nightclub photography.
I entertained myself taking pictures of the ceiling to begin with.
Then the lovely Nic agreed to be an actual human model for me :O
She has also agreed to share tips on how to write without being distracted byThe club began filling up.
Much better with all that ceiling shite edited out. I propose Komedia remove their smoke detectors for aesthetic reasons and so we can smoke indoors. PRIORITIES, PEOPLE.
I shooped Mark as well.
I have no idea who this is:
But thank you, kind lady.
What happens when you leave your drink unattended:
Of course, this being Brighton, I attracted the attention of a wealth of other photographers. And two business cards.
A doorman altered the settings on my camera and took this:
(It's probably the best picture.)Although I'm also fond of this one:
Mark and Nic with doorman's fancy-ass settings:
Nipple Dave was there! Why not tweet him to ask how he got that name!
Keepers of doors and coats and givers of hand stamps! Shit, I forgot to take a picture of that. Nice one, Karen.
Conclusion: I've taken better pictures with my camera phone. I've skimmed the manual that's come with my camera and other photography books, I've listened to tips from taleted pros and amateurs, I've been on day courses. But when people start banging on about apertures and f stops and ISOs I'm all stamping my feet and bleating "when do we get to the part where we go out and take pictures" or "can we skip to the part where we have sex already?" Still, it's an excuse to go out again and do better. I enjoy going out alone too; I've made a massive tit out of myself so many times you get to the stage where you don't care what people think of you for that sort of thing. Although I was relieved when Dave n Co turned up. Dancing alone is a little strange. Holding a beverage AND a camera AND twirling about to the likes of Siouxsie and her Banshees also proved tricky. Torn between breaking out the best of my goff moves and protecting the DSLR swinging from my neck like a papoose containing a thing I actually care for resulted in much spasmodic jerking about.


text:
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage went on sale in 2005, taking up residence in Aston's lineup and the bottom end as the "affordable" Aston and gunning for the Porsche 911. As true of most all Aston Martins, the V8 Vantage is beautiful, with a hand-crafted interior and engine. The next step, of course, is a convertible.
Can I have this as my AutoPacific company car? I'd give up my Audi TT for it!
Aston Martin used Los Angeles as a backdrop for introducing their latest breathtakingly gorgeous roadster. Los Angeles is a strong market for Aston Martin, and convertibles as a rule sell in higher volumes than coupes in the States, so the decision to launch in Los Angeles is glamorous and smart. And Aston Martin convertibles command enough attention and carry enough presence that they don't need a Hollywood starlet like Jennifer Love Hewitt (see the Sebring introduction) to introduce their convertible, though Jennifer's scripted appreciation for the Sebring might have sounded more believable applied to the Aston. In fact, instead of a paid celebrity endorsement at the press introduction for the V8 Vantage convertible, Automobile Magazine Editor-in-Chief Gavin Conway presented Aston Martin with an All-Star award for the convertible. (For our discussion the full list of this year's All-Stars, click here.)
Continue Reading


text:
"I just want to take a photo of my baby" is often the surprised response of the proud parent who I've just informed that unfortunately they can't use their camera in the pool area.
I always feel a bit sorry the bewildered parent as I try to explain that it is the privacy laws that make it difficult. But it is for both the protection of their child and others.
Cameras on at a swimming pool can be very tricky. Every pool has a different policy with regard to their use as they try to interpret the law.
Some pools don't allow any camera use at all; others allow it with some restrictions; others still, only allow camera use if you sign some sort of agreement and maybe even sometimes an indemnity form. So if you are going to a camera in the swimming pool environment, make sure you are not breaking any privacy of other legalities.
I've only used one waterproof camera; with permission of course; and that is the Agfaphoto compact 109uw.
Why did I choose that particular camera?
Well I'd like to say that it was because it was some particularly special technical reason or that it was because of it's superior photo quality or it's feel and striking looks: but the reality is I chose it because it was genuinely cheap for a genuinely waterproof camera.
The camera is completely sealed in that to retrieve your images you need to remove the memory card. This is a little inconvenient but does make the sealing much more secure. Unlike a water proof camera my son bought that leaked and blew up on it's first use.
The next question is of course, why did I want a waterproof camera?
In my case all I wanted was to be able to take photos of some of my favorite students underwater.
The problem has always been getting permission to use the photos or videos. So you won't see many of the ones I've taken on line. However it is great for that purpose. You won't get very good photos form any kind of distance shots either above the water and defiantly not below however it is ideal for low res mid to close photos and videos.
If you are going to take photos of your own children in a private pool or if you own a commercial pool and are happy to contend with the privacy laws of your state and if you only want an inexpensive basic camera this one works.
But the purpose of this post was not make a case for any particular camera buy rather a heads up that to say that cameras are fun in the pool both as a source of some wonderful memories and a great coaching and teaching tool. But using them in the pool environment is not always straight coward and you should ask before you click. Enjoy


text: Robert Tateossian founded his namesake brand in 1990 with a collection of cufflinks. Today, the brand offers an extensive collection of jewelry for men and women. The Tateossian collection includes a fine assortment of cufflinks, leather bracelets with sterling silver clasps, and textured tie pins crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Engraved prints add a distinctive style, while bold colors lend a lively and glamorous touch to the collection. A knack for tiny details and signature motifs has made Tateossian jewelry popular among fashion icons and celebrities. Neiman Marcus offers an excellent selection of Tateossian cufflinks, bracelets, and tie clips.


text:
EastEnders spoilers: Ronnie Branning gets a slap from Kat Moon
SPOILER ALERT: EastEnders" cat fight sees Ronnie Branning get a stinging slap from Kat Moon in baby-swap climax
2:01 PM on 6th July 2011
Cat fight: Ronnie Branning, played by Samantha Womack, gets slapped by Kat Moon, played by Jessie Wallace
Set-up! Ronnie went to the park after being lured there by Michael Moon and is set-up to look like she"s taking baby Tommy again
Terrified: Angry Kat and Alfie Moon run to the park after being alerted by Michael to save baby Tommy
Believe me! Ronnie begs them to believe her that Michael set her up and she wasn"t trying to take Tommy
Back inside: Ronnie is at court awaiting her sentencing after kidnapping baby Tommy


text:
Quick Reference
In 1968, former Yardbirds Jim McCarty (b. 25 July 1943, Liverpool, England; drums) and Keith Relf (b. 22 March 1943, Richmond, Surrey, England, d. 14 May 1976; vocals/acoustic guitar) reunited ...
Subjects: Music.
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text:
Mike and Danny: In Love
Note that these stories, including this one, are not an endorsement of unsafe sex. They take place many years before the appearance of AIDS and before it was standard practice to use condoms to reduce the risk of infection from sexually transmitted diseases. Remember always: that was then, this is now. Sex is precious, and so are life and health.
Chapter 12
He didn't drive straight home after Mike dropped him off at Tully's farm. Going there would have meant spending the rest of the evening with his folks, and that was the last thing he wanted.
They'd be watching TV, his dad either not talking to him, or trying to pick a fight, giving him the third degree about what he'd been doing, so he could turn around and tell him how he'd fucked up again. Or revive an old argument or pester him about something, like when was he going to get a car and stop borrowing the pickup. The possibilities were next to endless. It was better coming home after they'd gone to bed.
Mike had loaned him a pair of socks and some old sneakers to wear. So he tossed the wet and muddy ones onto the floor of the truck and drove into town to the Silver Bullet for a couple beers. The place was smoky and there was only country music on the juke box, but it was somewhere you could find a dark corner to disappear into, if you wanted, and people left you alone.
The bartender was a beefy old guy who owned the place with his wife and checked his ID each time like he was an escaped convict, then flipped it back to him as if it had to be fake. It didn't seem to matter how often he'd been there. They didn't seem to remember him.
But once he got his bottle of beer, he could sit at the bar for a while, maybe getting some quarters and drifting over to the two pinball machines against the side wall. There was a pool table in the back corner, but he wasn't any good at pool, and somebody was always hanging around there looking for someone to put five bucks on a game. He didn't like losing money any more than he liked getting beaten.
He hadn't been here often, but he was already getting a feel for who were the regulars. They small talked and told off-color jokes and bought each other drinks. Specifically, they ignored him.
Tonight was not much different. The storm had caused some welcome excitement and was a topic of conversation. People told and retold how the wind had taken part of the roof off the Assembly of God church, and there were trees down by the county court house. Someone driving on one of the back roads around Shelton swore they'd seen a funnel cloud.
It went on like that. He could have told them about having the power go out while you're trying to milk cows, but no one would have cared much. It was a town crowd, and they weren't interested in some farmer's hard-luck story. They barely even listened to each other. People in bars were like that.
It had been different at Mike's place. So different that he'd wished he could just stay there. The three of themMike, Rich, and Tyhad made him feel something he hadn't felt for a long time. They'd made him feel like they wanted to know him, to be his friends.
He couldn't remember meeting anyone like Mike before. He was such a regular guy, a real shirt-off-his-back kind of man, who seemed to honestly care about Marty though there was at least a dozen years between them and they'd hardly known each other before tonight.
Sitting with him in the truck, talking together, he felt Mike trying to understand him, really listening, even while he was disagreeing with what Marty was sayingnot accepting what he believed about himself and not rejecting him either like he'd grown so used to from his father.
With anyone else who'd tried to tell him he might be wrong about something, he'd walk away angry, thinking "fuck you" if he didn't actually say it. But though he wasn't exactly happy when he closed the door to Mike's truck, he realized that he'd felt something else, too. He liked Mike enough to still be thinking about what he'd said.
And here he was still thinking about it.
He liked the two other guys, too. Rich, the older one, had seemedwell, there was no other way to put ithe'd seemed a wall of strength, and Marty got the feeling that if they were friends and there was a need for it, Rich would defend him against all comers, fighting with him side by side.
And Ty was just a pool of tenderness, someone he'd never have given a second thought to if he'd met him anywhere else, but tonightwell, where were the words again?Ty had let Marty see right through to his heart. And what Marty had seen there made him aware of how his own heart had been locked away, far beyond anyone's touch.
"Well, look who we have here," came a voice from behind him, and someone's hand clapped him sharply on the shoulder.
He turned and saw a face from his high school days. It was a guy named Chuck who used to sit next to him on the bench during the time he played football.
"Marty, you old sonofagun," he said, putting out his hand to shake Marty's. "How long you been back in town?"
Chuck had never been much of a friend, but they had usually shared a joke about their lack of importance to the team when they were in the locker room getting undressed after another practice. Always ready for the showers first, Chuck would stand in his jockstrap, waiting for Marty to get out of his uniform.
He was standing the same way now, one hand on his hip, the other holding a long-neck beer, resting it against the inside of his thigh.
"So, you livin' out with your folks?" Chuck said.
"For the time being."
"You workin'?"
"Milkin' cows,"
"Sounds exciting."
"No shit," Marty said, looking past Chuck to the wall behind him, where someone had tacked up a wrinkled poster for the State Fair.
Chuck sat down on the next stool and tucked his feet under it like he was going to stay for a while. "Heard you was in Alaska," he said.
Marty nodded and took a drink of his beer
"What's it like up there?"
"Cold, dark," Marty said. "Winter's way too long."
"I hear there's more men than women. Get laid much?"
This was the old Chuck. Never letting a conversation wander far from his main interest in lifesex.
"Compared to here," Marty said. "I didn't notice the difference."
Chuck laughed. Unless he'd found a way to get luckyand the Silver Bullet didn't seem like much of a place for thathe was probably no better at finding a bed partner than either of them had ever been.
Chuck had both elbows on the bar now and was peeling the label off his beer bottle with one thumbnail.
"You workin'?" Marty asked him.
"Layin' carpet."
"How long you been doin' that?"
"Too long." He turned again to Marty and tapped a finger on his knee. "You know what my problem is?"
"You got a problem?"
"I need me a good pickup line."
Marty couldn't help but laugh. They were back to Chuck's favorite subject.
"How about," Marty said, "How about your clothes would look good on my floor."
Chuck gave him a sly grin and then shook his head.
"Always works for me," Marty said.
Somehow they were teenagers again, laughing at jokes that weren't funny to keep from feeling like failures on the gridiron. If Marty stayed in Grand Island and the two of them hung out together, they'd be doing this for the rest of their lives.
After another beer, the idea of that didn't seem so bad. He looked at Chuck as they talked and wondered about him. He wondered about the thoughts that went through his head when he was alone, falling asleep at night, waking up in the morning. And he would like to have found some way to ask him.
So they talked of other things. Marty asked about their schoolmates, and Chuck told him who got married, who went into the service, who went to college, who had kids already, who was at the last class reunion.
"Shoulda been there," Chuck said. And he told a long story of a romantic triangle that surfaced between the class president, his fiancée, and a girlfriend he'd apparently never stopped seeing on the side.
Though Chuck had never done much but complain about high school while they were in it, he seemed to think differently about it now. Some things he still spoke of bitterlylike their miserable algebra teacherbut looking back, he had mellowed a little about others. And a few things he plainly missed.
"You know, I was always kinda curious about you, Marty," he said.
Marty wasn't sure how to take this. Chuck had never been serious about anything, and he wondered how much of this he really meant.
"How so?" he said, like he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"I dunno, you were just a puzzler," Chuck said. "Sorta kept a person guessing."
"You're making this up, aren't you." Marty was still expecting some kind of punch line.
Chuck looked at him. "I was never sure what you were going to do or say next. It was like there was some other guy inside you just biding his time, waiting to pop out."
"A serial killer?"
"No, not like that," Chuck said, shaking his head. He pulled out a cigarette and lighted it slowly, like he was thinking all the time exactly what he was going to say.
"You always played your cards real close to your chest," he said. "Made a guy wonder just what you were holding."
"Bum cards, that's all."
"Not that either. Some day I figured you'd turn out different and surprise us all."
"Sure ain't happened yet," Marty said and tried to catch the bartender's eye for another beer.
They both fell into a thoughtful silence, and Marty wondered if he'd ever had any suspicions about Chuck. He'd never seemed more than just an ordinary kind of guy, always horny and not up to much of anything except getting by.
"Anything about you I didn't know about?" Marty said.
"No mystery to me. What you see is what you get."
Marty laughed. It was the old Chuck, but with a difference. He'd been out in the world awhile, even though he hadn't left his hometown, and there was something about him that hadn't been there before.
He'd learned some things, had some hard knocks maybe. If you spent some time with himand after enough beershe might get to talking about it. And Marty would listen, really listen.
"What do a couple of guys our age do for fun in this town anyway?" he said.
Chuck glanced over his shoulder. "Look around. This is pretty much it."
This place sucks, Marty wanted to say. Maybe he came here to get away from his folks on a night like this one, but it wasn't his idea of fun.
"You like to go camping?" he said.
Chuck shook his head. "Did that once."
"You gotta be kidding."
"How about the Y? Shoot some hoops."
"Bad knee."
"Can't be that bad."
"Rolled a car a year ago. Didn't exactly walk away from it."
And he talked about being in the hospitaland the surgeries to put a shattered leg back together.
"Finished with physical therapy less'n a month ago," he said. "Took me a while to get back to work."
Marty thought he understood now where the change in Chuck had come from. He'd had a close call, and it had given him time to think about what his life was worth. Talking with him about that was the kind of conversation Marty had been looking for with another man.
But he didn't know how to get it started.
"A thing like that must give you a different outlook," he said, fumbling for words.
Chuck met his eyes for a moment. He had a frown on his face, like whatever he was thinking was something painful.
"Yeah, after the drugs wear off, everything hurts like hell," he said, darkly, "You get to hating everybody who can walk around on their own two feet. Coming and going as they please. Even the nurses."
It was kind of a grim outburst, and not what Marty expected. He hardly knew what to say and just watched as Chuck took a last drag on his cigarette, burning it down almost to the filter.
"I can't imagine going through something like that," Marty said.
"No, you probably can't."
Chuck finished his beer and set the bottle down on the bar, picked up his pack of cigarettes with a swipe of his hand and dropped them into his shirt pocket.
"Been real nice talking with you, Marty," he said and got up from the stool. "See ya again." And he walked away.
Marty watched in the mirror behind the bar as Chuck crossed the floor to a booth against the wall, where he stood for a moment talking to two guys who seemed to know him. And then he sat down with them, never glancing back toward Marty. Like he'd already forgotten about him.
Fuck you, too, Marty thought, and in his reflection he saw his lips form the words. You got laid up in the hospital and went through a lot of shit to get yourself back together, and I'm some jerk for asking about it. Excuse me for caring.
He looked at his beer, and for a while just felt the urge to get really drunk. But he knew he was done drinking before he got around to ordering another.
He paid up and left, walking outside into the night, where the air smelled of rain and the moon shone overhead through broken clouds. Somewhere in a drainage ditch nearby, there was a chorus of frogs singing.
After driving around town aimlessly, leaves and branches on the wet streets blown down by the storm, mist gathering sometimes in the headlights, he decided that his folks would have gone to bed by now, and he went home.
In his room, he started to undress, sitting on the edge of his bed to take off the shoes he'd got from Mike. "The socks are mine," he'd said. "But these sneakers are Danny's. He's your same size."
They were scuffed, white sneakers, run down at the heels, and soft with age. He set them side by side on the rug beside his bed, thinking of how they'd been worn by Mike's friend, who he'd never met.
The feeling he felt as he looked at them was a kind of gratitudea strange mixture of happy and sad. He and Mark, his fraternity brother, had worn each other's clothes once or twice, and it had given him this same feeling.
"Walking in another man's shoes," he thought, the phrase slipping into his mind from nowhere.
When he took off the rest of his clothes, to lie naked on the bed, he left the socks until last, taking a long look at them there on his feet, wiggling his toes in them, and almost feeling Mike present in the roomor maybe just wanting him to be there.
He remembered how he felt in the calm and quiet of Mike's kitchen. The peace that had come over him had made his life up until then seem a rough ride on a hard road. He tried again to get that feeling, but it wouldn't come.
He slowly pulled off each sock, setting them beside the sneakers, and in the darkness, after he'd turned off the light, he put his hand between his legs and held himself while he drifted off to sleep.
The next day, he was putting in a new corner post for one of the corrals, and replacing some planks that two of his dad's yearling bulls had busted up while having a stand-off. It was hot, sweaty work. Must have been over 100 degrees in the shadeand no shade.
The sweat had soaked through his shirt, and it was running from under the cap he was wearing and down his face. He'd finally taken his cap and dipped it into the stock tank just to cool off the top of his head.
Standing there, he'd looked into the water past the reflection of the windmill overhead and was tempted to shuck off his clothes and jump in, but the bottom was covered with algae, a slimy green that gave him the creeps at the thought of stepping into it.
As he worked, he kept thinking about the night before, the way Mike had come to his rescue with Tully's cows and then sitting in his kitchen with Rich and Ty, all of their faces softly glowing in the lamplight.
And then he'd thought of how the night had ended, the encounter in the bar with Chuck, who seemed half-friendly at first and got Marty thinking of ways they might get to know each other again, picking up where they'd left off in high school now that they were both a little older and wiser.
But Chuck, he found, had maybe not grown up at all. Or the way he'd grown had just made him more screwed up than before. Marty kept going over what they'd talked about, but he couldn't find a way to make any other sense of itChuck had always been something of a jerk, and from the look of it he still was.
When he'd finished the job, he walked over to the house where his mom was picking string beans in the vegetable garden. He turned on the garden hose and took a long drink from it, letting the cool water splash across his mouth and his face.
He didn't know where his dad had gone. He'd taken the pickup and driven off somewhere right after dinner.
"Mind if I borrow the car for a while?" he said to his mom, standing at the garden fence.
She looked up, the glint of her glasses all he could see of her face under the brim of the floppy straw hat she was wearing.
"Your chores all done?" she said. Like he was still a teenager and thinking he could sneak off without doing something he was supposed to. Farm kids, he'd been told countless times, had responsibilitiesunlike town kids who never had to do a lick of work.
"I don't have chores, mom," he reminded her.
"Well, whatever your dad told you to do before he left."
"I did that."
She shrugged and went back to picking beans. "Don't stay gone long," she said. "Your dad will be back any time."
It was hard to say who was really his boss. His mom made it seem like his dad called all the shots, but while she never contradicted him, she had her own opinions and wasn't one to back down easy. Tough as they come, she never gave Marty much slack. She didn't trust him and was still trying to keep him in line.
He wasn't going to argue with her and rarely had. He just said, "Thanks, mom," walked over to her car, and got in.
He'd thought of driving into town, just to get a root beer float at the A&W drive-in, but as he drove past Mike's place, he decided for no reason to stop there instead, maybe get whoever was there to go along with him. He didn't have the sneakers with him to return, but he could return them along with Mike's socks when they'd been through the wash.
Mike's pickup was gone, but there was a car he'd remembered from the night before parked by the front gatean old Nash Rambler. A dog came running up to him barking and wagging his tail, and someone stepped out through the open door of a shed across from the barn. It was Ty.
When he got out of the car, Ty called out a hello and waved him over to the shed. Inside he found Rich, in coveralls, working on his motorcycle. There were engine parts and tools scattered on the floor.
"I've already replaced the plugs and points. Now I'm thinking it's something wrong with the fuel line," he explained.
Neither of them asked Marty what he was doing there. It was almost like they'd been expecting him.
"Hey, Ty, be a sport and go get us some beers," Rich said. It was hot in the shed, the air not moving.
Ty left, and while he was gone, Rich kept working, his dark hair falling into his face as he bent over the parts he was studying in his hands. He said nothing, just concentrated on what he was doing. Marty looked around and found a stack of winter-tread tires to sit on.
He watched Rich, the coveralls zipped all the way open in front, down to the waistband of a pair of white jockey shorts. His chest, with a trace of dark curly hair, was damp with sweat, and to one side Marty caught a glimpse of a colorful tattoo.
"It may look like I know what I'm doing, but I don't," Rich laughed.
Ty came back with the beers, one for each of them, and said, "How much longer is this going to take?"
"If you were any kind of help, we'd be done by now," Rich said, glancing over at him, still grinning.
"I don't know anything about that stuff," Ty said. "Do you?" he turned to Marty.
"Not much. My dad's probably the one you'd want. He's the Mr. Goodwrench."
After leveling with Mike the night before about him and his dad, it seemed funny talking about the man like they were on good terms with each other, but that's the way he'd always been with people. A farm boy and his father were supposed to be a team. Their continuing differences embarrassed him.
And Marty's unwillingness to learn engine repair had been one of those differences. He could change the oil, check the battery, and keep the tires inflated, but he didn't see the fun in tearing down an engine and getting grease all over himself.
He wished now that he'd taken the time to learn something. He might have been able to help out, and he wanted to.
After a while, Rich had put the bike back together and was revving the engine, listening to it like it was a band playing out of tune.
"Let's get out of here," Ty shouted, his hands over his ears, and he and Marty walked out of the shed into the heat of the afternoon sun.
"I'm for getting wet," Ty said, and the two of them walked to the house where there was an above-ground swimming pool in the backyard, shaded now by the trees.
Ty got out of his clothes and climbed naked up onto the deck, while Marty was still realizing that he wasn't going to need a swimming suit. He pulled off his shirt, still damp with sweat, and his boots and jeans, and he climbed in after Ty.
The cool water welling around him was a pleasure beyond words. He felt his body let go of the tightness and the tiredness, and the sensation of ripples all along his bare skin and between his legs made him sigh aloud and want to laugh.
The two of them sank up to their chins in the pool. Marty tilted back his head, looking up into the trees, which were alive with the buzz-saw sounds of cicadas. He ducked under the water for a moment and came up again.
He let loose with a long whoop that burst out of him, something from his fraternity days, when one or another of the brothers was overcome with good feelings. Glad to be alive.
The motorcycle engine had fallen silent in the shed, and Rich was walking over to them. He came across the lawn pulling the coverall over his shoulders and his arms from the sleeves. It had dropped to his waist by the time he got to the pool, and after he'd pulled off his boots, he stepped out of it and stood for a moment in his jockeys.
On his chest Marty could now see his tattoo, a coiled dragon. It was beautiful.
Then he pushed down his underwear and climbed up onto the pool deck. Of the naked men Marty had seen in his lifenot many, but in the fraternity there was next to no modesty, and the brothers had a way of showing off when they got the urgeRich was by far the most fiercely handsome.
Marty couldn't help staring at him, head to toe, and feeling that next to him, he'd hardly measure up as a man. He wanted to say something, but all he could think of was "Where'd you get the tattoo?"
Rich looked at him for a moment, as though weighing the questionor weighing Marty himself.
"Nam," he said simply.
"I like it," Marty said.
Rich said nothing to that. Just got into the pool, gliding in like an eel.
"What are you doing Saturday night?" he said instead.
"Come on over. Danny's gonna be getting home. We're havin' a little get-together for him and Mike."
"Sure," Marty said.
"Keg of beer, steaks on the grill, whatever else comes up. Could go all night."
"Don't tell Mike, though," Ty said. "It's supposed to be a surprise."
"OK," Marty said.
But while they were talking, something had happened. Rich had moved through the water until he was standing behind Ty, and he had first put his hands on Ty's shoulders, massaging them with his fingers. Then, as he kept talking, he'd put his arms around Ty, pressing up close against him.
It was a gesture that one good friend might make to anotherand he remembered once walking up behind Mark when he sat studying at his desk and hugging him in just this way.
But both of them had been wearing clothes. With the image in his mind of Rich standing naked by the pool, he sensed suddenly something else. And something like a shudder went through him.
"You two aren't just friends, are you," he said.
And it was at this point that everything seemed to go into slow motion.
Both of them were looking him straight in the eye, and then Rich said, "Is that gonna be a problem?"
Marty swayed backward a step in the water. "Whoa," he said, and inside he felt himself floundering.
As he pulled away, reaching for the side of the pool, he was half aware of Ty, a look of concern on his face.
"If it's a problem, I'm sorry," Rich said, though he didn't sound very sorry. "I thought you understood."
Marty had nothing to say. He was just getting himself out of the pool and thinking about where he'd left his clothes.
Rich said something else that sounded like "You may want to think again about Saturday night." But whatever he said after that, Marty didn't hear any of it. He was pulling his jeans over his wet legs, grabbing the rest of his clothes and heading barefoot across the lawn to his car.
Continued . . .
© 2007 Rock Lane Cooper


text: Today, 23 September, at the Scatol8® Lab, we celebrated the end of the curricular internship of Mr.Muhammad Naeem Akhtar. To keep faith with our tradition, which consists in managing a simple party with traditional products, Paolo Cantore has invented a light breakfast, in Pakistani style. Mr. Muhammad Naeem worked on the Scatol8® Project for a duration of 250 hours (from Ju...Read More


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Niello Audi is proud to present its 12th Annual Audi quattro Cup, the World's Largest Amateur Golf Tournament, benefitting Shriner's Hospitals for Children, Northern California. Please mark your calendars for one of Sacramento's best golf tournaments on Friday, May 18th, 2018 at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Roseville, CA.
|Friday, May 18, 2018
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11:00am Tournament Start
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$325 per Twosome
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Pebble Beach Resorts — Pebble Beach, CA
Eligible winners from this year's Niello Audi quattro Cup Golf Tournament on May 18th at Morgan Creek Gold Club will advance to this year's 2018 Audi quattro Cup U.S. Final at Pebble Beach Resorts in California. From there, the top two teams will represent the U.S. at the World Final.
Kitzbühel, Austria
The Audi quattro Cup World Final 2018 will be staged in Kitzbühel, Austria from September 23 - 27.


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We're happy to answer any of your questions about our menus or help you customize a private event. Please call us at 732-449-6630, we'd love to hear from you!
Celebrate An upcoming event
Are you looking to plan a special occasion? We'd love to talk details. Give us a call today at:
(732) 449-6630
After hours? You can reach us through our online form.


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New York State Department of Education - Creative Arts Therapy
Creative arts therapists are trained in psychotherapy and in specific arts disciplines, which may include dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy and art therapy. They have training in areas that include clinical practice and human development as well as the use of the creative arts to provide appropriate services, and multicultural and artistic traditions.
How To Register
Once it is determined that your education is acceptable, you will receive a letter with instructions on how to register for the examination.
Schedule A Test
When you register with the examination administrator, you will be asked to schedule two testing appointments at a test center.
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Castle delivers tests for some of the best testing programs in the world. Our mission is to provide you with a safe, secure, comfortable, and convenient testing experience.
We wish you good luck on your exam!
Prepare For Your Tests


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PARIS (Reuters) - Oscar-winning New Zealand director Jane Campion will head the jury for the 67th Cannes film festival in May, the festival announced on Tuesday.
Campion, who won an Oscar for best screenplay for her 1993 film "The Piano" and is the only woman ever to win the top Cannes prize, the Palme d'or, for that same film, succeeds U.S. director Steven Spielberg, who headed the jury last year.
"I am truly honored to join with the Cannes Film Festival as president of the in-competition features for 2014," Campion said in a statement issued by the festival. "In fact I can't wait."
"Since I first went to Cannes with my short films in 1986 I have had the opportunity to see the festival from many sides and my admiration for this queen of film festivals has only grown larger," she said.
Campion lauded Cannes' ability to celebrate the glamour of the film industry with its stars and parties while "rigorously maintaining the festival's seriousness about the art and excellence of new world cinema".
In addition to "The Piano" winning the Palme d'or in 1993, the festival that year named Holly Hunter, who played opposite Harvey Keitel in the movie, best actress.
Campion, who was born in Wellington and originally studied to be an anthropologist, started making short films in the 1980s and won the top Cannes prize for a short feature in 1986. Her first feature film was "Sweetie" (1989) followed by "An Angel at My Table" (1990) and "The Piano".
Other films include "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996) based on the Henry James novel, "Holy Smoke" (1999) and "In the Cut"
Writing by Michael Roddy; Editing by Gareth Jones


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Butterflied Turkey with Cranberry-Molasses Glaze
Why This Recipe Works
We crisped the skin in our butterflied turkey recipe by poking holes in the bird's fat deposits and promoted browning by rubbing salt and baking powder over the skin. We seasoned the turkey's meat with salt and then air-dried the bird for 1 hour. Roasting the turkey in a low oven, with a blast of high heat at the very end, gave the turkey evenly cooked meat and a nicely browned exterior. Molasses, which we thinned with apple cider and cider vinegar and thickened with cranberries, served as a flavorful glaze. Finally, butterflying the turkey gave us an even plane to which the glaze stayed adhered.


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The most frequent question I am asked, both online and off, is:
"What's the best Web structure for my international site?"
This question might seem quite basic and fundamental, but unfortunately, there is no clear-cut "right" answer. Although there are general best practices, the truth is that if you're in a relatively competitive industry, the selection of the best international Web structure should take more into consideration than what Google suggests.
The structure you choose should be based on your specific needs, your current status and your competition within your targeted markets. It's important to consider all these factors, as you can end up creating more challenges in your international SEO process or completely risking your international SEO success if your selection is not the best one.
Here are the factors I take into consideration to give the best possible recommendation for every situation, by asking these questions:
This should always be the first question to answer in any international SEO process: How will you target (or how are you currently targeting) your international audience? By language? By country?
Many businesses are not completely clear on this, which can cause issues with international SEO implementation. It's the reason websites end up trying to target France's audience with a subdirectory in a UK country code top-level domain (ccTLD) or by featuring flags in their language-targeted Web versions (as if they were country targeting).
Although ideally, the best way to target any audience is to do it at the most granular and personalized level (which in this case would be to country target), the truth is that there are some situations where country targeting is not the best option:
Although you could be completely country or language targeting, the reality is that at the beginning, you might have a mixed approach: country target your most important markets, language target others. What's fundamental, though, is that you know very well how you're targeting your international markets and why you have chosen the type of target you have selected; this will be the first and the most fundamental criterion to take into consideration when selecting your international Web structure:
For any of these options, it's a good practice when targeting many countries and languages to use hreflang annotations in order to make sure the right version of a page is shown to the desired international audience in search results. This is especially true when you have many versions in the same language targeting different countries.
Each potential implementation has pros and cons, and you shouldn't just blindly select an implementation without thinking it through.
For example, although ccTLDs are the "ideal" option to country target, a brand-new domain with no link profile may require much more effort to grow in popularity and thus might not be the best option for a competitive market. In cases like these, it's necessary to assess more information about the targeted international search markets.
On the other hand, subdirectories for language targeting might also seem the best option. Yet this option may carry more risks if you're in a sector or market where you're more liable to be spammed or penalized, as this could end up hurting your whole domain as a consequence.
This is why it's necessary to answer additional questions that will give you insights into the markets you are targeting. Determining how you plan to target (by country, language or some combination thereof) is an essential first step in selecting the best international implementation for your website.
It's important to understand your starting point in your desired international target markets. Your ideal Web structure could change based on the current rankings, traffic and authority you have with your current site in your targeted markets — especially if you have already established an international Web structure for them.
To identify this, you can answer the following questions:
For example, if you have a current ccTLD targeted towards your existing local market and nothing else, then the possibility of enabling a subdirectory that leverages your current domain link popularity is eliminated; if you're targeting another country or a language worldwide, you won't be able to effectively target and rank with a subdirectory on an irrelevant ccTLD.
On the other hand, if you already have a high-authority gTLD that is ranking for a few queries in your international markets without even being optimized or with subdirectories targeting them, you might be able to leverage it based on the next step's results.
I've also seen a number of situations when there's already a well-established ccTLD ranking for non-trivial queries in their targeted markets, and the reason for assessing a change is to identify opportunities to simplify the website's management and operative costs. So, in this case, it is important to identify how visible, established and profitable the current Web structure is and if it will be worth it to migrate it to another one.
Use SimilarWeb "Industry Analysis" to list the top overall sites of your desired countries' and sectors' markets, as well the top ones specifically in search, in order to identify the Web structure of the best-performing and most popular sites. Is having a ccTLD correlated with the best ranking and overall most popular sites? What's the percentage of the top sites with gTLDs?
Extend this validation by using services like impersonal.me or I Search From to simulate your search from your targeted international markets, or ideally, a proxy to search from a local IP directly, and verify the Web structure of the top-ranking sites for the most popular and relevant queries. This can change a lot even in the same sector, between queries.
For example, you can see the difference between the sites ranking for "car hire Marbella" in the UK, where half of them are ranking are gTLDs and the other half are UK ccTLDs. But, for "car hire South Africa," only two of the sites ranking have a UK ccTLD, four have a South Africa ccTLD and the other four have a gTLD.
Is it then a must to verify for your most important international queries if it would be viable to rank in top positions with a gTLD or if the already ranking sites are only or mostly local ccTLDs?
Besides identifying and analyzing the Web structure of the top-ranking sites targeted for your main queries in your international markets, be sure to investigate their link profiles, as well.
In addition to the overall popularity at a domain and page level, look at what percentage of links are coming from local sites — with local ccTLDs and IPs — versus gTLDs. How natural are these links? You can use Open Site Explorer or Majestic or simplify the analysis with tools like CognitiveSEO.
It's important to identify the link popularity gap that you would have in case you start with a completely new ccTLD or (in case gTLDs are also ranking for your top queries) by using subdirectories in your existing gTLD. This will help you assess how feasible it is to rank with one configuration versus another (and the level of difficulty you would have in doing so).
If you have seen that most of the ranking sites are ccTLDs with a lower level of authority, then it might be feasible to start directly with a ccTLD with no or very low link profile; however, if the link popularity gap is too big, you might want to consider using a gTLD if these are ranking in top positions in these markets.
This question isn't always possible for you to answer, as it requires access to search visibility and traffic data for sites already ranking in your targeted countries and sectors. In the event that you're not starting from scratch and/or have access to data of sites targeting to the same countries, languages and industries, it's definitely worthwhile to analyze the influence of cultural factors and preferences of your international audience when it comes to choosing ccTLDs vs. gTLDs. You can even test these by launching pilot projects with only the top site pages.
Keep in mind that a site's performance can be affected not only by the specific characteristics of your targeted countries but also by the visibility and authority of the brand you're working with locally; if it's a branded or non-branded query; if it's a mobile or desktop result; the number of ads shown; and organization of the SERPs, among other factors.
Thus, it isn't advisable to simply generalize and expect to draw accurate conclusions from market to market or business to business just with this data. Still, it's worthwhile to take a look if you have firsthand data, to identify potential patterns.
For this step, you can use the "Search Analytics" report in Google Search Console and use the filter to select specific pages and queries for which these pages rank, to identify their click-through rate (CTR) vs. position difference from country to country. See if there's a correlation between having a higher CTR with the exact same position, page and query just because of using a local ccTLD vs. a gTLD.
For example, you can see here how the CTR changes when using a .com gTLD across the US, UK and Australia. In Australia, despite having a better position than in the US for the exact same page and query, it doesn't result in a higher CTR.
If the same happens across many pages and queries, and the search result pages in these countries are similar (in terms of layout and number of ads), then it could point to a potential impact in the user behavior for that specific country. That can end up giving you the last insight you needed to avoid the usage of gTLD in this specific country, especially if you have also seen that most of the top sites in that country are ccTLDs.
Although it would be difficult to draw complete conclusions just by using this data, it can provide additional insight in your analysis to make a final decision.
By answering the questions above, you'll be able to make a much more informed decision when selecting the best international Web structure in your specific situation — one that can effectively perform in your desired markets and that's flexible to grow and scale over time.
Do you use any additional data or research to make this decision? Feel free to share!
Photo by Alexander Kaiser of pooliestudios.com.
The post 5 Questions To Select The Right Structure For Your International Websites appeared first on Search Engine Land.


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Friday at 5 pm the candidate filing closes. Last chance. Outside Boise many races have no challengers still.
Many of the candidates do file on the last day. It is the big surprise day. I know of two more great candidates about to file in District 19. Other places I don't know about so I worry. I figure it is better when a seat is vacant to have too many people jump in and to sort it out later rather than to have no Democrats run because everyone is waiting politely, afraid someone better wants the seat.
We need willing people, problem solvers and passionate people. We need those brave enough to stand in front of the train with us, to stand up with school kids, the lowest paid state workers, teachers, counselors, people with disabilities, the state's Hispanic communities, the elderly, those literally dying for substance abuse treatment, those who have lost jobs, run out of unemployment, those who need a state legislature that does more than pretend to balance a budget to look good in an election year.
Money will literally run out in several state budgets right after the elections. Some will run into the red sooner. We know that now yet here this week we push those budgets to the floor and into law. Some seem to feel that the bigger the train wreck we create this year, the easier it will be for them to raise taxes next year.
We are talking about people's lives here. If you all plan to raise taxes, be honest and do it this year before schools lose their best teachers, before kids sit in crowded classrooms slowly falling behind, and before people with chronic illnesses run out of their medications and end up in the hospital. I wish we would all just be honest, not hurt people to justify what we know must do to fix the hole we blew in the state budget with all the corporate and special interest taxes we have cut this past decade.
So tomorrow is closing day and I know my speech here is not uplifting, it is damn depressing, but if it makes you mad and makes you want to do something about it then look at the filings and if no one is running, put your name in. The Idaho Secretary of state has the forms on line. You can get them notarized and faxed back by 5 pm. Burley to Eagle, Twin Falls to Coeur d'Alene, we need you in here.
I stay in here and serve because I care. I need to say too what an honor it is. It is hard but it is an honor to serve doing what I think is right, standing up for those in the state with so little voice in here. This place can only get better if more people run. We have to keep the debate going, it makes the policy better when races are challenged, even if you don't win the first time.
Someone winning one new seat in the house can change everything, get Democrats more seats on committees, give us a larger voice, more energy and momentum. To me, the party is the people who do these basic critical things like run and volunteer and get the work done. We make the party what we want it to be. If you think something can be better, it can. That's your job and mine. I choose to make this party a party that cares, cares deeply and with that I try with all my might to make a difference.