Soon after he offered public assurances that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus, the powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading between $628,000 and $1.72 million of his holdings on Feb. 13 in 33 separate transactions. As the head of the intelligence […]

By Isaac Cabe  Published: May 06th, 2020 

By Luis Prada  Published: May 07th, 2020 

This morning, I attended a meeting of a coalition of local organizations who provide services for people who are unstably housed. I was glad for the opportunity to listen to how the members of these organizations are supporting our community, and I was especially touched by how a couple of these members reached out to... Continue Reading →

That's Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen having a rather... unfortunate encounter with some peppers. That final photo? The result of some of her Instagram and Twitter followers telling her that milk would help neutralize the burning - which by all accounts it did!

It's not perfect but I did enjoy it!

If you are a frequent event attender like myself, you have probably gotten a handful of emails with the subject line “Schlesinger v. Ticketmaster Settlement.” This was a class-action lawsuit where someone actually took ticket monopoly Ticketmaster on and sued them for all their excessive and deceptive “processing” fees. For once, the good guys won … Continue reading "Even in Losing, Ticketmaster Sets the Terrible Rules"

Frank Ocean Blonde and Endless New Orleans-born and L.A.-raised Frank Ocean has been one of the most consistently interesting and mysterious pop stars of the 2010’s. After helping shape the sound of boundary-pushing and controversial L.A. rap collective Odd Future, Ocean released his first mixtape, Nostalgia Ultra in 2011. Frank Ocean was then highly featured … Continue reading "Frank Ocean’s Two Album Splash: Endless and Blonde"

This election season couldn’t be over soon enough. This fall’s music has offered both a respite from the political ugliness and also has spoken straight to the urgency of it like the David Egger’s led 30 days for 30 songs now 40 songs in 40 days for a Trump-free America. Whether you are feeling righteous … Continue reading "A Break from the Election Blues: LxListening"

Old man winter has decided to take up residence in my neck of the woods and boy is he hungry! To satisfy his craving and keep him warm I decided to treat him to a pot of Craftylittlmonkey’s Black Eyed Pea and Squash Soup. I can feel good making this dish when I use vegetables […]

Perfectly seared steaks in a quick, easy and tasty blue cheese pan sauce! Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and I have one more recipe to share with you, steak in a blue cheese pan sauce! This meal is perfect for special occasions and it’s so quick and easy that you can make it for mom...

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The post Pan Seared Steak in Blue Cheese Sauce appeared first on Closet Cooking.

On this week's show I try and avoid all the heavy stuff about the team, the manager and all the rest. It's been done to death and nobody needs to hear it all again. So, for this episode I chat with the co-host of the Stadio Podcast, Ryan Hunn, about lots of stuff, including his show, podcasts in general including some recommendations, music, VAR and its use in the Premier League, former players as managers, Thierry Henry's appointment at Monreal Impact, Ian Wright's finishing and lots more.

Follow Ryan @RyanHunn and @Stadio

 

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I adore hearty soups for dinner, and this delicious crock pot vegetable lentil soup is my latest favorite! This slow-cooker lentil soup is a top pick from my readers! Crock Pot Vegetable Lentil Soup Recipe I originally found this recipe via an email sent by Forks Over Knives. I made just a couple small changes […]

The post Crock Pot Vegetable Lentil Soup appeared first on Dear Crissy.

Back by popular demand is our minimal and modern 2020 free printable calendar! This gorgeous free 2020 calendar is clean, simple, and perfect to help you plan your busy life. Free 2020 Printable Calendar Per your requests, we’ve even upgraded this year’s free printable 2020 calendar with options for a Sunday or Monday start calendars! […]

The post 2020 Free Printable Calendar: Minimal & Modern appeared first on Dear Crissy.

Come on now, is it really possible to generate 20 leads a day using article marketing secrets? That is the question! Well I am going to discuss this right now because it has been questioned a few times.

When you are working out how to market your blog it is important to focus on what is most effective. Not only that, you need to go with what is also cost effective. I have some article marketing tips that will truly explode your blog traffic.

I am going to explain how to advertise your blog for free and drive massive traffic. There are so many ways to do this, however the average person will get overwhelmed and achieve nothing. I am going to make it nice and easy for you!

How to increase my blog subscribers? I am going to show you how to do this and you will be happily blogging to the bank in 2010!

Do you want to know how to get more traffic to your blog? Well, I am going to reveal the advantages of press releases to boost traffic to a website. Once you know this your business will explode!

“Can I get these double-sided?”

- A client asking for fridge magnets.

We’ve had a lot of good times. We really have. But lately, we’ve been feeling like… there’s more out there. And it’s not that we don’t love you, it’s just that we feel like we’ve been in a rut. Links haven’t been working, service has been out… things like that.

And there’s no easy way to say this, but we’re leaving you. We’ll still be around (at https://clientsfromhell.net) but we just won’t be with you, Tumblr. We’re sorry, but we really feel that this is for the best. 

We can stay friends. On Facebook. Or you can see what we’re up to on Twitter. And hey - if we run into each other on Instagram or some other platform someday, say hi! We’d love to hear from you, Tumblr. Really we would.

It’s okay to be sad, but let’s remember the good times. The likes, the reblogs. We’ve had a lot of fun, but not everything lasts forever and that’s okay. 

 Goodbye, Tumblr. We wish you all the best.

By WADNER PIERRE

For too long, people paid by Haitian people to do their job have not been held accountable. Now, it’s the time for the Haiti’s electoral officials – the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) – to either fix the electoral mess or go to jail.

It is despicable that a CEP official threatened to shut down the whole electoral process instead of collaborating with a government-backed commission to investigate massive electoral frauds that they fail to avoid. Marie Carmelle Paul Austin, a member of the electoral council, told a radio in Haiti’s capital that the electoral council members are ready to depart in bloc “If this commission’s purpose is to redo or verify the work that the CEP has already done, the council members will resign.” What Madame Austin did not say is that when you betray your people, violate your country’s laws and contribute to social and political destabilization you should be in jail.

For too long, Haitian people have been struggling for participative democracy and social justice. They’ve been ignored by Haitian officials who primarily seek to satisfy the interest of their international backers like the United States, Canada and France by either plotting electoral coups. Although the Martelly administration finally established a commission to address the latest electoral disaster, it is uncertain that anything will come of it.

Martelly himself was a beneficiary of an electoral fiasco. How can one believe he will accept any recommendation asking the removal of his handpicked candidate? This move reminds me of an article by Haiti’s renowned author Edwidge Danticat: Sweet Micky and the Sad Déjà Vu of Haiti’s Presidential Elections.

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1. Das ist dran an Ken Jebsens großer Gates-Verschwörung (t-online.de, Jonas Mueller-Töwe) Ken Jebsen hat auf seinem Youtube-Kanal „KenFM“ einen halbstündigen Monolog veröffentlicht, der innerhalb von wenigen Tagen rund drei Millionen Mal angeklickt wurde. Das Opus heißt „Gates kapert Deutschland“ und gibt damit bereits die Marschrichtung vor. Jonas Mueller-Töwe hat sich die Mühe gemacht, das […]

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider yet another case regarding whether employers can decline to cover contraceptives in their health care plans. Reproductive rights groups warn that depending on the outcome of the case, tens of thousands of American women could lose vital contraceptive coverage. The case, Little Sisters of the Poor and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, involves a 2017 Trump administration rule change that significantly broadened who can claim an exemption to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraceptive coverage mandate. The 2017 rule change, issued without a notice of proposed rulemaking or public comment opportunity, expanded the scope of religious exemptions and added an additional moral exemption claim. States had successfully challenged the rule, calling it a violation of the constitution, federal anti-discrimination law, and the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). A federal appeals court issued an injunction, preventing the Trump administration from enforcing the rule until the case was decided. Both the district court and the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed that states were likely to succeed on their APA claim. The court will now consider whether the Little Sisters of the Poor have standing and whether the Trump administration lawfully exempted religious objectors from the […]

I bless your timeline with inside out Fezzik! #cat https://ift.tt/39Q0Esz

Advice for those who are trying to get published or who want a longterm career in the publishing industry: you need to develop a thick hide when it comes to criticism. 

No matter what stage you are in your career, if you are putting yourself and your work out there for people to see (whether it's agents or editors or art directors or reviewers or other readers), you WILL get criticism. It might be criticism in the form of critiques from a trusted group of writer or illustrator friends. It might be a form rejection letter or detailed rejection letter. Even after you get a contract, you will be getting feedback and change requests from your editor or art director. After your book comes out, some people will not like your book -- and some of those people may be reviewers.

If you are sensitive to harsh judgement, you need to find a way to cope with this early on if you want to stay in the game. Just don't do it in public!

For critiques of your work, never make changes right away. This is especially important for those who are insecure about their own skills! Let the feedback sit for at least a day or two (longer if you can wait), THEN come back to it with more objectivity. Do you agree with the feedback? Don't blindly make a change to your manuscript if you don't agree or understand why.

And never, ever respond to negative reviews in public.

Some useful resources:

Gail Carson Levine has great advice about how to take criticism, particularly from a critique.

11 Writers On How They Deal With Criticism - by Jason Diamond.

6 Top Tips For Dealing With Criticism Of Your Writing - from WritersEdit. This piece advises AGAINST reading all (if any) of your reviews in Goodreads and other places geared toward readers; I've heard this piece of advice from a prominent author in her workshop as well.

Deal With Criticism Like A Pro - by Bryan Collins on WritetoDone. This advice is mainly geared toward negative feedback from an editor; Bryan is a nonfiction freelance writer.

I had to use PHPMyadmin a few days ago to delete old tables in my WordPress Database. They were created by a plugin that I tried but decided not to use. Normally when you uninstall a plugin the developer deletes the tables in your database that they create. In this case this author didn’t. It […]

I have finally seen The Black Hole for the first time in probably 25 years. No, make that 35 years. I don’t know, it’s been awhile, which is kind of weird for such an iconic, formative movie. Don’t laugh, you know it’s true — there’s a whole generation of us who saw this while we […]

This book contains essays from the 2016 postings of A Philosopher’s Blog. Subjects range from the metaphysics of guardian angels to the complicated ethics of guns. There are numerous journeys into the realm of political philosophy and some forays into …

Though it did show signs of greatness akin to those which made the previous Terre d'Ange novels such incredible reads, I felt that Naamah's Kiss turned out to be Jacqueline Carey's weakest Kushiel-related work to date. Given the originality and the quality of its predecessors, Naamah's Kiss and the next two installments had big shoes to fill. Which is quite unfair as far as expectations go, but that's the way love goes.

Weakest installment or not, Naamah's Kiss was nonetheless better than most fantasy titles out there. And its sequel, Naamah's Curse, turned out to be a better balanced read. Indeed, it was another convoluted book full of wonder and sensuality.

Understandably, I was looking forward to discovering how the author would close the show in Naamah's Blessing. And I'm pleased to report that Carey brought this trilogy to a satisfying ending.

Here's the blurb:

Returning to Terre d'Ange, Moirin finds the royal family broken. Wracked by unrelenting grief at the loss of his wife, Queen Jehanne, King Daniel is unable to rule. Prince Thierry, leading an expedition to explore the deadly jungles of Terra Nova, is halfway across the world. And three year old Desirée is a vision of her mother: tempestuous, intelligent, and fiery, but desperately lonely, and a vulnerable pawn in a game of shifting political allegiances.

As tensions mount, King Daniel asks that Moirin become Desirée's oath-sworn protector. Navigating the intricate political landscape of the Court proves a difficult challenge, and when dire news arrives from overseas, the spirit of Queen Jehanne visits Moirin in a dream and bids her undertake an impossible quest.

Another specter from the past also haunts Moirin. Travelling with Thierry in the New World is Raphael de Mereliot, her manipulative former lover. Years ago, Raphael forced her to help him summon fallen angels in the hopes of acquiring mystical gifts and knowledge. It was a disastrous effort that nearly killed them, and Moirin must finally bear the costs of those bitter mistakes.

As is habitually her wont, Jacqueline Carey's worldbuilding is great. Eschewing the traditional European medieval environment, Carey's creation is a Renaissance era analog and it is set in an alternate version of Western Europe. Previous Terre d'Ange books took us on amazing journeys that enabled readers to discover more about her universe. Richly detailed and imagined in terms of cultures, religions, and politics, every installment of Moirin's trilogy was a textured and sophisticated novel that took us to alternate versions of Britain, France, China, Mongolia, Russia, India, and Nepal. Not surprisingly, Naamah's Blessing turned out to be another vast and captivating travelogue which introduced us to Terra Nova, an analog of the New world with alternate versions of Central America and Peru. The author's depiction of the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca cultures was well-done and certainly gave this novel its unique flavor compared to its predecessors.

There was a lot of drama involved in Moirin's return to Terre d'Ange, yet it was nice to see things come full circle in that regard. Scenes featuring young Désirée with Moirin and Bao were emotional and Moirin being named the child's sworn protector added another layer to the already complex relationship between the bear witch and the royal family. But to a certain extent, the tale truly begins when Moirin sails away to the new continent. Readers have always known that they would see Raphael de Mereliot again, that the storyline betwen Moirin and her former lover was not over. But I never expected this. I loved how the author tied up that loose end.

I'm not the only reader who missed the first person narrative of Phèdre nó Delaunay early on. Having spent her childhood in isolation in the wilderness, there was an innocence and vulnerability to Moirin, but also a definite strength that Phèdre did not possess at a young age. That resolve got sorely tested in the second volume. During her search for Bao, she often found herself alone and forced to rely on no one but herself. I feel that her harrowing experiences during the search for her beloved and subsequent captivity and flight finally made her come together as a main protagonist. So much so that I stopped comparing her to Phèdre and Imriel, as if Moirin's voice and perspective had finally taken their rightful place in the driver's seat. And it's even more evident in this final installment.

Jacqueline Carey has a knack for creating endearing and memorable secondary characters, and once more she came up with a wonderful cast for Naamah's Blessing. As mentioned, there are some poignant scenes featuring Désirée. But there is also Balthasar Shahrizai and Lianne Tremaine, as well as Moirin's father. There is Eyahue, the randy jungle guide, the ferocious warrior Temilotzin, and the brave Maidens of the Sun. And, as always, Bao, who carries half on Moirin's soul in his heart.

The author continues to write with elegance. As I've said many times, her lyrical prose is something special and I feel it could well be the very best in the genre today. Once more in Naamah's Blessing, her enthralling prose creates an imagery filled with wonder and beauty. And other than Robin Hobb, no one makes her characters suffer as much over the course of a book/series.

Like its predecessor, this novel doesn't suffer from any pacing issues. The rhythm flows well throughout and the ending is a compelling blend of happiness and heartbreak. One can only hope that Moirin and Bao will now make those fat babies. Round as dumplings! God knows they have earned some joy and peace of mind.

When all is said and done, though rewarding and satisfying, Moirin's trilogy couldn't possibly hope to equal or surpass Phèdre and Imriel's tales. Still, the series is well worth reading and is superior to most SFF works on the market today.

The final verdict: 8/10

For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe

VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Oblivion (2013) Claire: 4.6/5 stars, 8.8/10. Carolyn: 5/5 stars, 8.6/10. Native rating: 7.1/10 IMDB. Don’t see this on Netflix for some reason. This had a little bit of everything – mankind moving off planet because the planet is inhabitable, Matrixy aspects, “Go out into the radiation zone to find out the truth”, […]

My face masks never quite worked with my ears. Prior attempts were not snug or comfortable on my face. And I had limited elastic narrow enough. So the clips came in handy for a fitting face mask. The elastic and face mask clips can be removed when washing the mask. CDC recommendations on cloth face […]

The post Clips to secure face mask comfortably and quickly appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Posted by: beatrice_otter

Fandom: Star Wars
Characters/Pairings: Mace Windu/Cody, Anakin Skywalker, Shaak Ti, lots of Jedi and clones
Rating: Mature
Length: 202,217 words

Summary: Plo has an idea. Mace agrees, and everything snowballs right into hell from there.

(Or: Mace and Cody get married in order to give the clones citizen status. Before they can focus on that, though, they're going to have to deal with ancient Sith artifacts, evil prophets, plots to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor, lost planets, monsters warped by Sith alchemy, inconvenient feelings, and Darth Sidious turning his eye on a potential new apprentice. Just...not in that order.)

Why is it the BEST THING EVER: Besides having a really unique idea for a fixit, I love the way the characters are written, and the development of Mace and Cody's relationship is wonderful, and the action is engaging and well-written.

Fanwork Links: hunting toward heartstill

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The Princeton University Relief Fund will provide direct support to community organizations that are working to alleviate economic distress related to COVID-19 among individuals and businesses.

Alan Blinder, the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, is the latest guest on the "We Roar" podcast.

With the aim of accelerating solutions to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Princeton has awarded University funding for seven new faculty-led research initiatives with strong potential for impact.

A county-by-county analysis of the United States by Princeton University researchers suggests that rural counties with high populations of people over 60 and limited access to health care facilities could eventually be among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Princeton this week endorsed new guidelines aimed at accelerating the transition of the University's COVID-19 discoveries into solutions to protect health care workers and prevent, diagnose, treat and contain the pandemic.