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This week I’m excited to welcome fellow author SherrieLea Morgan back to the couch with a character from her new release GhostDrums. Sherrie and I are in the box set A Wicked Halloween (still free in KU) together, and I also enjoyed her novella A Timed Wager. Marine Veteran Marcus Lincoln returns home after almost being … Continue reading Characters on the Couch: SherrieLea Morgan’s Marcus
Just three weeks til A Wicked Halloween releases! Meet Meghan Nightshade, a solitary witch with parent issues.
Today my novel The Mountain’s Shadow has been released into the electronic world. As I walked through downtown Decatur this morning running errands, I imagined invisible electronic copies zooming over my head as people bought it. This is truly a dream come true for me, and since there’s not an acknowledgements section in the book, … Continue reading The Mountain’s Shadow Release Day & Acknowledgements


Five years ago, 3D Robotics introduced what it heralded as “the world’s first smart drone.” Dubbed Solo, this quad unmanned aerial vehicle was powered by twin 1-GHz computers. Since then, suppliers have been pushing drone technology to meet users’ demands for more intuitive and responsive data collection and flight.
An example of where the technology has been heading lately can be found in Ann Arbor, Mich., where researchers at the University of Michigan last year developed what they claimed is the first visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) microprocessor integrated into a drone camera to help a robot navigate its environment.
At the same time, drone makers and software developers are rolling out niche products for specific jobs and industries, partly to tap markets in which industry leader DJI isn’t so dominant. AirFusion, Skyspecs, and Sterblue focus on infrastructure and wind turbine inspection;
Ware on warehouse inventory automation; Accuware’s Dragonfly is a visual positioning system; ABJ Drones makes task-specific sensors; and VHive’s software allows swarms of drones to work in tandem.
There is also a slew of drone hardware and software producers that has come out with solutions that use the word “autonomous” in their marketing. “Autonomous drones aren’t unique,” says Michael Blades, a Vice President with the business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, based in San Antonio, Texas. “Automation is driving the market, gradually.”
However, most “autonomous” drones that can operate without pilots or in GPS-deprived areas are still being programmed for flights and tasks. San Francisco-based AutoModality, for example, develops applications for use cases, like bridges, agriculture, and mining. It recently devised an app for high-rise curtain wall inspection and has tested an app to help drones fly inside a warehouse, says Aaron Singer, the company’s CEO.
Exyn Technologies is marketing a system that it says allows full autonomy for drone flights. It has tested this technology in mining applications, and is actively pursuing the construction industry. Exyn Technologies.
AutoModality’s products rely on its AMROS operating suite and Perceptive Navigation robotics vision platform, which enables the drone to maneuver assets precisely and in close proximity. “We can track exactly where the drone is, and localize the data,” says Singer.
While he’s “comfortable” with his company’s app for indoor flight, “it still needs to be improved,” with quicker ways to learn and respond to complex indoor environments. “We’re pretty close to perfecting this.” Singer thinks that mapping a drone’s location will get easier as artificial intelligence and sensors evolve.
Switzerland-based Flyability just opened its first U.S. office in Denver. Its small (15.7-inch) Elios 2 drone is encased in a cage that protects the robot from collisions. Marc Gandillon, Flyability’s Marketing Manager, says that collision tolerance is actually better than collision avoidance for operating drones in tight spaces like mines. In January, the company entered into a partnership with Pix4D to accelerate the growth of indoor 3D modeling in confined spaces.
This technology, though, isn’t cheap. AutoModality charges between $10,000 and $25,000 per year to license its software. And Flyability’s Elios 2 runs around $33,000 in the U.S.
Pictured from left: Nader Elm, CEO; Jason Derenick, CTO; Ben Williams, COO. Exyn Technologies.
What many drone users crave, and what a growing number of suppliers are striving to deliver, is full autonomy, which is a robot equipped with a processing unit with computer vision and machine learning to make its own decisions. That includes turning itself on and off, deciding what to fly over and record, and when to return home.
Right now, autonomous outdoor flight is, essentially, illegal under Federal Aviation Administration rules that require a drone to be piloted and visible within the pilot’s line of sight. But autonomous drones are permitted for indoor flying.
“This technology is still in its early days,” says Michael Oldenberg, a spokesman for DJI, which doesn’t have an autonomous drone on the market, but does offer robots with 360-degree sensing capability.
Skanska USA Building, whose fleet includes 25 drones and 30 certified pilots, uses aerial robots for site analysis, tracking a jobsite’s vehicular flow, logistics, and phasing. It hasn’t tried autonomous flight yet, but has had some success flying piloted drones indoors in tight spaces, says Oliver Smith, Skanska’s Southwest Region Director of Innovation and VDC.
Smith observes that drones tricked out with Vision Positioning Systems and collision avoidance still are limited. “I can fly all day inspecting elevator shafts, but for other spaces it’s challenging using a drone, especially if the sensors require a certain amount of light.” Skanska often flies its DJI drones in “tripod” mode, which throttles the robot to give the pilot more control.
Design-build firm Clayco has 30 drones and 35 pilots. Tomislav Žigo, AIA, LEED AP, the firm’s Vice President of VDC, thinks avoid-detect technology is “getting better” and that the biggest obstacle for drone use continues to be data bandwidth and processing power. So far, Clayco hasn’t flown indoors, partly because it hasn’t had a reason to, but also because Žigo isn’t confident yet that drones with detection programming and sensors are ready yet to fly around “dynamic” construction sites with people and equipment moving around.
See Also: No labor. No infrastructure. No problem.
Drones that think
Clayco “is a risk-averse company,” says Žigo. And the construction industry in general is usually more of a follower than leader on testing new technology. But AEC firms might want to keep an eye on what’s going on with autonomy, “which we think is a bigger deal than we give it credit for,” wrote the website Dronerush.com last December.
AI-enabled autonomous drones are already in use by other industries. One such product is the Aertos line, from Digital Aerolus, whose software, according to that company’s CEO Jeff Alholm, was built on a model of the human brain to be predictive instead of reactive. Aertos also has a “TouchandGo” feature that lets the drone get close to a structure for inspection without crashing into it. Digital Aerolus isn’t pursuing the building construction sector, but its commercial drones are being used for infrastructure inspection.
Construction is among the sectors that Boston-based Neurala serves with its AI-powered system whose “Brain Builder” software facilitates visual inspections. In January, Neurala formed a collaboration with the drone service provider AviSight to identify defects in critical infrastructure for customers who require a complete solution for drone-based inspections, including Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.
Exyn Technologies, a startup incubated at the University of Pennsylvania’s Grasp Lab, has raised $20 million in investor capital to further develop and expand the technology for its Advanced Autonomous Aerial Robot (A3R), which Exyn brought out in 2018.
Exyn claims that its proprietary exynAI software provides drone users with full autonomy, which the company’s CEO Nader Elm says means that the robot doesn’t rely on any infrastructure, such as GPS, markers, beacons, or motion capture systems; does not require prior information about its environment to execute a mission; and doesn’t need persistent communication with its ground-control system.
Exyn’s 3D LiDAR-based SLAM system allows the robot to track geometric features in its environment to estimate its relative changes in position and orientation over time. It combines that ability with optimization techniques that refine its local map quality in order to navigate safely and generate a digital twin of the environment.
“Our greatest technical challenge was enabling the robot to understand where it is located and what it sees around it,” explains Elm. He adds that a “fundamental tenet” of Exyn’s systems is that they react dynamically to changes in the environment to be able to re-plan their missions in real time as that environment changes or as the drone learns more about its surroundings.
Exyn Technologies is one of the few systems providers that specifically target the construction industry. A drone equipped by A3R can be set up anywhere on a construction site and navigate that site autonomously. It can build maps and collect data of the area it scans (even in low-light conditions), and transfer data to a cloud for BIM model comparisons and project report generation.
“The cost of no data or poor-quality data is a trillion-dollar problem in construction,” says Elm. By using A3R, construction firms “can improve the documentation process, and benefit from lower acquisition costs, more frequent and higher-quality data.”
But Exyn Technologies—which declined BD+C’s request for pricing information or construction-related use cases—has some work to do on the marketing side. None of the AEC firms contacted for this article had heard of the company or its platform.
Jeremiah Karpowicz, Executive Director for Distributed Communications, which publishes Commercial UAV News, says he’s always suspicious about “first” claims by any drone or software supplier. But Karpowicz is quick to acknowledge that the technology continues to get better. “It’s gotten to the point where drones are being adopted into companies’ workflows,” he says.
Skanska’s Smith adds that price isn’t necessarily an impediment to using drones. “We’ve been looking at thermal drones—which can cost up to $40,000—for exteriors, and it calculates that these are worth the cost.”
Exyn claims that its proprietary exynAI software provides drone users with full autonomy, which the company’s CEO Nader Elm says means that the robot doesn’t rely on any infrastructure, such as GPS, markers, beacons, or motion capture systems. Image: Exyn Technologies.
A communications tool
Drones are still controversial. The hottest debate currently, says Karpowicz, is over FAA’s proposal to require all drones have remote identification. The agency has shown a willingness in the past to adjust its regulations to accommodate expanded drone use, either through waivers or rule changes. Regulations that prevent flying beyond the pilot’s line of sight, or that limit flying over people, are expected to become more lenient over time, say industry watchers.
Clayco’s Žigo would like to see drones that are fully autonomous within compliance with FAA regulations. He’s also eager for drones with more data bandwidth and processing power to make captured images “actionable” sooner. Such combinations would give Clayco the luxury of monitoring the progress of construction and documenting underground work and installation. And if a drone could stay in the air for a couple of hours (a pipe dream at the moment when most drone flights last 10 to 20 minutes), that would greatly enhance the robot’s utility as a construction tool, Žigo posits.
Smith would like to see drones that integrate more smoothly with other platforms like AI, and with software for photo recognition and data analysis.
Both agree that, right now, drones are good communications tools that provide consistency and quality imagery that can be shared with all stakeholders on a project.
Smith says that Skanska has found that drone information is actually more reliable than that from other sources. The information comes in handy when Smith’s team works with the firm’s design group, as well as its advanced visualization group to develop 3D models, VR, and AR for clients.


This remarkable looking device was worn on the shoulders and was meant to provide neck(i.e., cervical) traction. It was controlled pneumatically. Not clear if it was meant for the ambulatory patient or only those confined to bed. It is stamped with a maker’s name on the back of the top bar but I have not been able to identify the firm. Not working as offered but the replacement of tubing and lubrication of the pistons should offer a solution. Leather chin strap shows wear.
Ask the Dealer
M and R Gordon
Michael and Roberta Gordon have been dealing in medical and dental antiques for more than four decades. They have helped build a number of major private collections and have contributed to the holdings of many museums. They also deal in other scientific and technology related items, including calculating instruments, office machines, patent models and wine-related accessories such as corkscrews. ROBERTA GORDON IS A SKILLED RESTORER WHO CAN HELP YOU WITH ANY INSTRUMENTS AND CASES THAT NEED ATTENTION. Feel free to contact them for details at: [email protected] or 718-623-6777
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1919 Ritter Dental Catalog $195.00
C1860 Horn Cupping Set $1095.00


Anderson's bat helps Cougars complete sweep on Senior Night
PROVO, Utah – Behind a power performance by junior Brennon Anderson, BYU completed the sweep on Senior Night with a 10–5 victory over Santa Clara Saturday at Miller Park.
“That home run (by Anderson) took the wind out of their sails early and I think they had to have the feeling that it didn’t matter how many runs they scored, it wasn’t going to be enough," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "As long as we keep having quality at bats from hitters one through nine I think we’re going to compete in every single game we play.”
With the win over the Broncos (23-29, 10-17 WCC), the Cougars (37-15, 18-9 WCC) are tied with Gonzaga for first place and remain in contention for a partial share of the West Coast Conference regular season crown.
Relief pitcher Keaton Cenatiempo (3-1) earned the win after four innings of work, allowing just three hits and one run against 16 Broncos batters.
On the offensive side for the Cougars, Anderson went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI off a home run and a double. Senior Eric Urry batted 3-for-4, scoring three runs and driving in a run while fellow senior Hayden Nielsen went 1-for-4 on the evening.
“These seniors mean so much to our team off the field and they’re great players, too," Littlewood said. "Hayden has started every single game at short and Urry came in as a sophomore transfer and turned into an all-conference player for us. But what they have done off the field is more important and helped us build a winning culture.”
The Broncos began the scoring in the top of the second. With runners on first and second, Woods hit a dribbler up the middle to score the runner from second giving the Santa Clara an early 1-0 lead.
Still in the second with the bases loaded, the Broncos knocked in another run after Stevie Berman singled through the left side. A sacrifice fly by T.C. Florentine brought home one more run and the Broncos led 3-0.
In the bottom of the second, Urry made it on base after a Bronco fielding error and Colton Shaver reached on a walk to get things started for the Cougars. Anderson came up next and drilled a ball over the left field fence for his sixth home run of the year to tie the game at three.
In the bottom of the third, Urry singled up the middle to score Brennon Lund for the go-ahead run, putting the Cougars ahead 4-3. Next, Shaver hit a bloop single to right to advance Urry to third before Keaton Kringlen doubled off the right field wall, scoring both Urry and Shaver for the game-winning RBI. Anderson followed with another deep double to center for the Cougars’ fifth hit of the inning, scoring Kringlen and giving BYU a 7-3 lead.
The Broncos scored their fourth run of the game in the top of the fourth with Florentine collecting his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle that scored Kyle Cortopassi from second. The Broncos’ threatened to score again but the Cougar defense turned a double play on the next batter to avoid any further damage.
Bronson Larsen kept the hitting going for the Cougars in the bottom of the fourth with a bloop single to left. Lund laid down a perfect bunt to the left side and the Cougars had two runners on with no outs.
The Broncos retired the next two Cougar batters before Urry drew a walk to load the bases for Shaver. Santa Clara pitcher Jake Steffens hit Urry on the elbow to walk in a run for BYU making the score 8-4.
Relief pitcher Cenatiempo assumed pitching duties for the Cougars in the fifth and held the Bronco offense to limited production for the rest of the game.
With runners on first and second in the top of the sixth, Florentine picked up a third RBI with a single to center to cut the Cougars’ lead to three for the final Broncos’ run of the evening.
BYU answered in the bottom half of the sixth after Urry doubled. The Cougars scored two runs off back-to-back errant throws by Broncos shortstop John Cresto off routine ground balls to put the score at the final tally of 10-5.
BYU begins play in the West Coast Conference tournament Thursday, May 26 in Stockton, California at the Banner Island Ballpark. Games will be available for live streaming on TheW.tv and fans can listen to the radio broadcast on ESPN 960 AM and BYU Radio —Sirius Satellite 143.
BYU head coach Trent Pratt today announced the 2023 baseball schedule that includes 22 home games at Miller Park as…


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Apple has made further clarifications to its App Store guidelines after a recent update appeared to prohibit casual dating and hookup apps.
In the ‘Safety – Objectionable Content’ section, guideline 1.1.4 bans “overtly sexual or pornographic material” and makes a reference to “hookup apps”. Some commentators thought this update was targeting dating apps, specifically those in casual LGBTQ demographic.
However, a spokesperson for Apple confirmed to AppleInsider that the ruling only applies to the products that are using dating as a cover for more illicit activities. This includes general pornography, prostitution and human trafficking.
All legitimate dating apps are free to continue operating as usual and are unlikely to have ever been at risk of being taken down. The spokesperson also added that the update was first made to crack down on new scam apps before they made their way onto the store.
The wording on the official guidelines have now been improved, which should hopefully prevent any further misunderstandings.
Apple also recently changed the way that app developers gain permission to gather their users data and distribute it to third-party advertisers.
Developers are now required to show pop-up notifications and give users the ability to make conscious decisions about what happens to their data. Analysts believe that less than one-third of consumers will opt-in, while Bumble expected that number to be under one-fifth.
However, Apple’s user privacy chief Erik Neuenschwander told Reuters in April that developers could easily increase opt-in rates, as long as they communicate their messages clearly and honestly.
Read more here.

domain: news


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LED Display Cabinet Lighting, Dimmable Ultra Thin 6 Pack 1020LM LED Puck Lights with Touch Dimmer, Warm White Under Cabinet, Counter, Kitchen, Closet Lighting, All in Kit by LEDLampsWorld at Mpclex. Hurry! Limited time offer. Offer valid only while supplies last. The best LED puck lighting is now available! Looking for an easy way to brighten your house? Here is the answer! The LEDLampsWorld LED puck lighting is 100% what you need. The thinnest puck lighting almost could be put in anywhere. And it could be installed by using those accessories included or JUST USING A 3M STICKER TO FIX IT under the cabinet light! And needs no additional power supply. Lower cost with higher brighteness! This incredible cabinet lighting features an ideally design.
Have questions about this item, or would like to inquire about a custom or bulk order?
If you have any questions about this product, contact us by completing and submitting the form below. If you are looking for a specif part number, please include it with your message.

domain: design


text: Either way, you are sure to have a lot of fun on your special day with country love songs such as these. "38) "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline Romantic Lyric: "I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name. I'm gonna love you forever & ever, forever & ever amen. A woman is saying to his man that living without him is not possible, that's how much she loves him. Let's begin this love journey with a little bit of country. "8) "Behind Closed Doors" by Charlie RichRomantic Lyric: "She's always a lady, just like a lady should be. However you're observing Valentine's Day this year, take a look at some of the best songs to celebrate yourself with. With this song's lyrics, you'll be also reminding him to not take you for granted. She's in love with the boy. "And I will always love you You can try to find a gift to show him how you feel, but you can't buy a gift every day. Here's a list of the 50 best country love songs in the genreâ€™s storied past, from cute odes and sweet ballads to deeply romantic music moments. I'm just not myself when you're away. His latest update when someone asked him if it worked out? "I dare you to let me be your, your one and only "2) "Almost Like a Song" by Ronnie MilsapRomantic Lyric: "You were in my arms, right where you belong. Even though we may be This makes them perfect for millennia lovers. Speaking of Lucinda Williams I have to say that Something About the Way We Talk might be one of my Top 10 favorite songs ever, and one that I DEFINITELY love for a first dance song. How about some Queen Bey? "27) "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Sammi SmithRomantic Lyric: "Yesterday is dead and gone, and tomorrow's out of sight, and it's sad to be alone, help me make it through the night. What is not to love about country music? There are so many good choices for this genre but we selected three for you to sing and dedicate to your man. The chairs up and the lights turned way down low. There is without a doubt a cute country love song to go with every aspect of a relationship. This is definitely one of those first dance wedding songs with an attitude, and we love that. "58) "Love Me Tender" by Elvis PresleyRomantic Lyric: "Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go. "73) "Somebody Like You" by Keith UrbanRomantic Lyric: "When you put your arms around me, you let me know there's nothing in this world I can't do. Oh, darlin', how I'd love to lay you down. All Rights Reserved. Do your heart skips a beat every time you hear his voice or is near him? Either way, this delightful list of top country love songs from the country pop genre, can help you decide. "51) "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry" by Hank WilliamsRomantic Lyric: "Did you ever see a robin weep when leaves begin to die? 'Cause I believe she deserves it, my woman, my woman, my wife. Music is a wonderful thing, it can soothe a soul, it can put a smile on a face, it can evoke the most amazing feelings.

domain: artistic


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The post is not sponsored or advertising, just sharing my experience and impressions.
At the end of July, I was to travel to Germany, and, to be honest, I wanted to make the trip as budget as possible. Therefore, I began to consider various options and ways to implement this item in May. A very sensible decision, I will say without modesty, because I spent only 3,200 rubles for a trip from St. Petersburg to Berlin. How is that even possible ?!
So, I chose the tickets on the website of the company Lux Express, which is engaged in bus transportation throughout the Baltic States and Europe. The interface of the site is clear to everyone, it does not cause any difficulties when searching and booking. Just enter destinations “from” and “to” and you get all possible options, choose the flight that is suitable for the time and price, book and are ready. By the way, it is very convenient to choose places, since the site has its layout. Important note: the earlier you plan your trip, the more profitable the offers will be and the more options of places.
I was pleased with the discount system since I am not yet 26, I entered the “youth and students” category, which gave me a bonus in the form of a reduction in the price of tickets. Very nice such a bonus, you see. There are also discounts for senior citizens and children.
The system picked me up a connecting route from St. Petersburg to Berlin in the form of three tickets. SPb-Riga, Riga-Vilnius, Vilnius-Berlin. Docking time at each station from 2 to 4 hours, which is enough to find the right platform, eat and relax.
Now about the bus companies themselves. Maybe for some, it will not be fiction, but as a “pioneer of bus travel,” I was pleasantly surprised that there are sockets for charging equipment for each seat, free wi-fi, and a coffee machine. Drivers give each passenger drinking water. The seats are comfortable, laid out almost to a horizontal state, it is quite possible to sleep, believe me, I spent two nights in them. Before each passenger there is a mini-screen on which you can watch movies in Russian or English, play games, surf the Internet, see how many kilometers are left to the next destination (this was my favorite entertainment).eEaMMqZbJeg
Service is up to par, drivers welcome passengers in three languages: Lithuanian, Russian, English. Arrive at every point exactly on the time specified in the ticket. Very quickly and without conflicts, they solve minor difficulties with the distribution of places.
Another subjective advantage for me was that you can see so many interesting things along the way, the picture outside the window is constantly changing. This wonderful Latvian houses, and storks in the fields, and sunset in Poland, and the morning with the ducks at the train station in Riga.storks
After this trip, I realized that traveling by buses is not scary, but on the contrary, it’s beneficial, comfortable and exciting if you have some free time that you can spend on the road.

domain: travel


Flow cell for the connection to tubes with needle valve and flow measurement.
made of acrylic glass for one oxygen sensor "SS Oxytrace SC"
including mounting angle made of stainless steel
with needle valve and flow…
Including 50ml filling solution, 3 spare membranes and sealing screw with O-Ring.


Senior Network Engineer.
Senior Network Engineer
For a global automotive company we are looking for a (Senior) Network Engineer. As a (Senior) Network Engineer you are responsible for the operations and maintenance of three datacenters in US, EMEA and APAC. If this sound interesting, please apply now!
· Ensuring continues improvements in all aspects of life-cycle management.
· Investigating and resolving 2nd and 3rd level incidents; activities in the area of incident, problem, change and configuration management.
· Establishment of reporting and dashboards for real time and historical analyses.
· Support users in 54 countries around the globe and the clock (>1.500 end users).
· Support the Lead Service Architects in defining new solutions design.
· Maintain and establish vendor relationships with service providers and IT integrators.
· Annual execution and reporting of disaster recovery concepts.
· 5 years of experience in a similar role.
· Experience with setting up IT Service operations.
· Practical experience with Network security and services: Checkpoint, Juniper, VOIP.
· Experience with datacenter network technologies: Cisco Nexus, VMware.
· Experienced in working with the following network protocols: Border Gateway Protocol, Cisco Overlay Transport Protocol.
· Duration of the project is 6 months + extension
· Start date asap
· 36/40 hours
If you are interested in this position as (Senior) Network Engineer please apply now or contact me via firstname.lastname@example.org or 0203050061.
Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.Jimi Kivit
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Free piano sheet music resources for our students to use.
Optimised lyrics sheets and links to vocal music for our singing students to print off.
Animations of popular piano music, learn piano from your iPad or phone
How to set up and use your own home studio, plus free plugins etc. from around the web,
Free links to guitar tabs and resources
Music theory sheets, games, practice records and lots more.
We are pleased to be able to offer our students a collection of free resources, either written by ourselves at Music Rooms Pontcanna, out of copyright classical music from the IMSLP Petrucci Sheet Music library or sourced from other websites around the web. This page is being constantly updated with the latest music and performance tips and are checked for accuracy . To access the resources please click on the photographs below.

domain: hobby


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This is part 2 of the article I posted yesterday from SCMP about the whole free to air TV license thing. In Part 1, TVB’s GM Mark Lee got the chance to give his ‘argument’ for why additional TV licenses shouldn’t be issued while part 2 gave CTI’s chairman Ricky Wong the chance to voice his argument in support of the license issuance.
Personally, I feel that Ricky Wong has a more valid argument -- he is pretty much able to refute each of Mark Lee’s main points, attaching concrete numbers / statistics to support his points just like Mark Lee did.
To be honest, after reading these 2 articles, I can’t help but side with Ricky Wong – to me, whether Mark Lee has any valid points or not doesn’t matter anymore because I absolutely detest his attitude! Pretty much after I read the part where Mark Lee “threatens” to take away employee benefits and such if the government “dares” to issue the free TV licenses, I was instantly turned off by his arrogant lack of concern for his people (aka the people who work for him) and basically didn’t care any more what else he had to say. I mean, come on now -- as an employer, when you start threatening your employees' livelihoods and essentially tell your employees that you are "using" them to further your own selfish agenda (which is pretty much what Mark Lee is doing with the ‘threat’ that he made), how can you expect your employees to continue to be 'unquestioningly loyal' to you? Personally, if Mark Lee were my boss and he "threatened" me like that, I would quit right away and tell him to go take a hike (to put it mildly)! Who needs to be treated like an 'easily dispensable piece of trash' and then to be 'threatened' with having your benefits taken away on top of that?
Ask any owner of a successful, prosperous business and they will tell you that their biggest asset is their people (aka their employees) – without the ‘people’ who diligently and loyally work hard day in and day out to service the company’s customers, the company would go nowhere (this is especially the case in the entertainment industry – heck, there wouldn’t even be an entertainment industry without the artists, producers, directors, etc. who are the ‘core’ of any production!). TVB’s management obviously doesn’t understand this concept otherwise Mark Lee wouldn’t say the stupid stuff that he did! This is actually one area where Ricky Wong has the upper hand and why, despite how much some people may dislike him for the way he operates or shoots off his mouth, they are still willing to stand behind the ‘cause’ of his company getting their license – the way he treats his employees is drastically different from the way TVB treats theirs….he treats his employees with respect and humbles himself in front of them, plus he’s willing to take risks and give people chances that they may have never gotten before (of course there will be those out there who argue that he’s doing all this just for show and such – but hey, at least he’s willing to make the effort to treat people well for however long it lasts…unlike TVB’s management, who basically don’t give a crap and don’t even bother to ‘pretend’ to treat their employees decently!).
In terms of the ‘argument’ from both sides….well, Ricky Wong may not be 100% right with some of his points and who knows if he will actually ‘follow through’ with all the stuff he says he’s going to do, but regardless, he still has a decent, valid argument. Come to think of it, TVB’s argument is actually kind of weak – their whole point is that the HK advertising revenues isn’t enough to sustain so many TV stations. If that’s what the ‘gist’ of their argument is, then fine – but if you really want to hear my opinion, that ‘argument’ itself can be shot down because if you really think about it, even if the other 3 stations get their licenses, there actually won’t be 5 stations competing against each other. Why? Well, look at it this way…
ATV is pretty much out of the picture already because they are so far gone, no one can save them anymore – so they basically don’t count.
NowTV has already said their focus will be on the Mainland market and not really HK audiences, so they won’t be in direct competition with TVB.
I-Cable hasn’t really revealed much about their plans, but it sounds like their focus will be more on ‘large scale’ events (such as Olympics, World Cup, etc. – those type of big sporting events) as well as informational shows, so I highly doubt they will be much of a ‘threat’ to TVB.
That pretty much leaves only CTI in direct competition with TVB….so in essence, at the end of the day, there will still only be 2 TV stations battling out – the only difference is that CTI will be a strong competitor against TVB rather than a weak, virtually nonexistent one like ATV was.
So basically, the only TV station that will truly be threatened if CTI comes on board is ATV, since most likely they will go bankrupt and close up shop (which honestly is perfectly fine for most of us at this point). TVB will probably make "less money" because they have to share the pie with someone else, but in no way will they be "in the red" as Mark Lee claims.
In essence, my whole ‘take’ on the issue is: give the 3 new stations their damn licenses already!!!
TV licence to thrill: Ricky Wong's pledge for the future
In the last of a two-part series, the City Telecom boss talks about his dream for a station that will rebuild lost pride in Hong Kong's culture
Written by Vivienne Chow and Amy Nip
Source: South China Morning Post
But one green item the telecoms maverick still can't get his hands on is the government's green light for his free-to-air television licence application. It has been more than 1,000 days since Wong's CTI applied, as did subsidiaries of PCCW and i-Cable.
He has become increasingly vocal over the past month about the delay, making himself a target for criticism from the two existing terrestrial television stations, Television Broadcasts (TVB) and Asia Television (ATV). TVB argues there isn't enough advertising revenue to support more new stations, while ATV has attacked Wong in its Blog the World show, dubbing him a demon.
That has not dampened Wong's spirit. It's a battle he is determined to fight - CTI sold its 20-year-old telecoms businesses in May for HK$5 billion to concentrate on television. He vows to create a TV station that belongs to Hong Kong.
ATV's attacks don't appear to faze him. "They have probably helped me indirectly," says Wong, clad in a zipped-up Louis Vuitton hoodie and jeans.
Indeed, public opinion is lining up behind him. More than 85 per cent of respondents in a survey by the University of Hong Kong wanted more free-to-air TV choices. Over 200 industry veterans signed a petition calling for more TV stations. And his comrades are with him for the battle. A text message on his mobile phone, sent from one of the 220 artists and 500 people on production and creative teams he has hired, reads: "You have sold your son [the telecoms businesses]. Let's do our best together."
Wong is keen to respond to claims by TVB Group general manager Mark Lee Po-on that the government has not been clear about its broadcasting policy and that TVB has been kept in the dark about how many new licences would be issued. Lee argues there is not enough advertising revenue available to support new players.
But Wong says the government has long been clear about its plan to open up the domestic free-to-air TV market.
Pointing to a 1998 Legislative Council briefing paper on a government review of television policy, Wong says the only reason the market was not opened up earlier was constraints on the broadcasting spectrum.
"Under the new technology-neutral licensing regime, there would be no limit on the number of domestic free licences to be issued," the review paper read.
The paper said that because of the plan to open up the market: "Advertising and subscription royalties for all television and sound broadcasting licensees should be abolished."
Wong says the government has scrapped what it used to charge TVB - 9 per cent of the total locally generated advertising revenue - since 2000. He estimates TVB has already saved HK$2.4 billion in such royalties from the HK$26.6 billion in advertising revenue generated since July 2000.
"I don't understand why TVB doesn't know the government's policy," Wong says. "The government did not beg TVB to open up the television market. The government has already given TVB benefits [by scrapping royalties] and has been very clear about having no limit on the number of free TV licences."
Wong plans to produce 260 hours of drama and 104 hours of variety and infotainment programmes this year, followed by 650 hours of drama and 520 hours of variety and infotainment next year. Pre-production has been extended from three months to six to allow the creative team more time. CTI has reserved HK$2.8 billion for the development of TV and multimedia business in the long run.
His television station - if a licence is granted - will begin with five channels. A year later the number of channels is slated to rise to 12, then 20 in three years and 30 in six years. He has put HK$300 billion into the venture so far. He has also promised he will maintain an English-language channel, one of the licensing conditions for TVB and ATV.
In the past couple of months, Wong has taken a new direction in his battle for the licence, going from Mr Nice Guy to a high-profile figure challenging the delay publicly. He has appeared in press conferences, radio interviews and back-to-back media interviews to make his case. After all, the group's multimedia business, which includes TV, has already recorded a net loss of HK$73.8 million, according to CTI's annual report.
Wong does not buy TVB's argument about a lack of advertising revenue. Lee says the TV advertising market is worth HK$3 billion per year, a stark contrast with advertising monitor admanGO.com's estimate of HK$18.2 billion last year.
But Wong says the figure doesn't worry him - he expects his new channel to generate only half of its revenue locally, with the rest coming from selling content.
One episode of a TV series can, for example, be sold to a mainland web portal for between 600,000 and 800,000 yuan (HK$987,200). And Wong believes CTI's quest to offer something different will bring viewers back to terrestrial television.
CTI has already invested HK$87.6 million in programming, including drama series ranging from 10 to 30 hours per series. Four drama series have been completed and four more are in production - with the offerings ranging from a musical, a drama revolving around the controversies of plastic surgery, a crime thriller with supernatural elements, and even one youth-orientated drama tipped as Hong Kong's answer to the vastly successful Twilight vampire romance series.
It's a sharp contrast to TVB's tear-jerkers. "It's a misconception that people don't watch dramas any more," Wong says. "What takes up the greatest internet bandwidth is watching dramas. It's just that young people don't watch local dramas because of their poor quality. They watch Korean, Japanese and American TV shows."
Wong has long criticised TVB dramas for their lack of creativity and limited genre - a staple plot involves middle-aged people caught up in love crises. "How can you expect that to attract a young audience?"
But since last year Wong has targeted much of TVB's creative talent - from scriptwriters to directors and even production crew, as well as make-up and costume artists. Lee says Wong is criticising TVB's product while trying to hire away the very employees who produce it.
Wong responds: "These people are truly talented, but their talents will never shine under the [TVB] system. They are like leopards caged in a zoo. And I release them into a safari park. There, they can run as fast as they want."
Wong dismisses Lee's claim he was aggressive in his recruitment and was aiming to paralyse TVB's production.
"I didn't expect all 30 people I met would jump ship. I offered them only a 20 to 30 per cent pay rise, which is reasonable. Why is it my fault? Shouldn't [TVB] be alarmed and reflect on what went wrong? Their management didn't even know how many had left until months later.
"Do you know how much money they make? A director with 25 years of experience under his belt, creating shows achieving 30 to 35 rating points [an audience of 1.9 million to 2.3 million], can generate HK$3 million to HK$4 million in advertising revenue in one hour. And they are earning only HK$20,000 a month with no commission. But why did they stay [at TVB]? Because they have nowhere else to go, unless they go to mainland China."
Wong says CTI spends HK$1 million per episode on a drama series, against what he says is TVB's HK$300,000. Trailers for CTI's shows will make their public debut on December 4.
"We apply the techniques of shooting a film to making a TV show. All the scenes were shot on location," he says. "We once rented an office at Two IFC, which costs HK$80,000 per day. We rented it for two days, so that we could get a genuine harbour view where you can see ships actually move, not a poster backdrop like what you see on TVB."
But even if CTI wanted to shoot in a studio, it has a problem - it doesn't have one yet. Its 500,000 sq ft multimedia production and distribution centre, which will consist of 12 studios, is still under construction at Tseung Kwan O and won't be ready until 2014, at a cost of HK$800 million.
It has been suggested political reasons are behind the government's delay in issuing new licences. Reports have suggested Wong, perhaps mindful of Beijing's perceived wariness of expanded coverage of Hong Kong affairs, has played up dramas at the expense of news.
CTI's news programmes are currently carried by pay-TV concern bbTV over the Hong Kong Broadband Network, which CTI sold to CVC Capital Partners along with the IDD telecom business in May. Wong says editorial and current affairs programmes will remain unfettered and be integral to the operation.
Wong hopes his channels can break even within three years - but that can't happen without a free-to-air licence. He is confident the green light will come soon. TVB says it is ready to take legal action if licences are granted, while Wong is prepared to go to court if the permit doesn't materialise by the end of the year.
Wong has long insisted he wants to create a station that truly belongs to Hong Kong, a place he describes as free and creative.
"Hong Kong has become a very unhappy place. As a media person I hope to rebuild the pride Hong Kong once had. To some, this pride comes from money. But to me, this pride comes from our culture," Wong says.
"In the past, Hong Kong film exports made Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan household names around the world. We were a culture exporter. But our TV culture has deteriorated by a great deal."


text:
Most people who enjoy collective sports like football, baseball or hockey will follow a blog to read about the sport, the players and technical comments about each game in a competitive season.
In individual sports, especially in strength sports, the reality is unfortunately different. We have very few blogs devoted to providing news or competition commentary. From the top of my head, I can name only one in powerlifting (Powerlifting Watch). We have, however, hundreds of blogs where training advice is offered in the form of bullet proof methods.
Most strength sports bloggers offering training advice, service and products, like online coaching, e-books and seminars have no background in sports science, exercise physiology or the biological sciences in general. Some even offer nutritional advice, again with no background in nutrition, human physiology or biochemistry. Obscene scientific heresies are published every day.
Nothing regulates this market: anyone can put up a blog and, with smart marketing strategies, promote themselves as new gurus.
Sport blogging in the strength sports simply doesn’t exist. People who are interested in competition commentary are left with forums, where participants will, at best, offer their own view of things they can barely see through streamline. The great majority of strength sports lovers are left with guessing and partisan views of what really happened in every event.
Simple things in sports journalism, like interviewing judges, organizers and athletes to offer the sport lover a wide perspective on the event is completely neglected. I have never read any commentary where judges were interviewed and spoke about how hard it was to judge some lift, or how scary it was to be close to a good catch from spotters. Instead, the day that follows an important competition is littered with “youtube referees” that will simply ignore the fact that three certified judges were sitting on their chairs and go into endless debates about whether a squat was high or deep, whether there was or was not hitching on a deadlift and other technical issues that belong to an expertise called “judging”.
Very few times an athlete is interviewed right after the meet to speak about how he felt during the lifts, about breaking a new record, or about failing to do so. There is nothing about how the athlete and his coach are handling an important injury. Instead, there are hundreds of blog entries about how they should do it.
As I read sports blogs from other sports, I can’t but conclude that the organizational and cultural deformities in strength sports are responsible for the inexistence of decent journalistic blogging.
We have recently lost a historical publication, “Powerlifting USA” . It was created in 1977 by Michael Lambert and lasted until 2012, 35 years later. Serious powerlifters mourn the loss of this important publication. Lambert’s concern was precisely to offer good sports journalism.
As in other areas where such deformities are manifested, I believe it is our role to confront them: produce sound written commentary, promote the magazines that are trying to do that and the people who try to do a serious job in sports blogging and journalism.

domain: sports


I actually cut of a little to much but not more than I can hide with epoxy
When I had a reasonable fit I screwed supports to the case, these will be screwed to the bottom plank so that I can make sure it is 90 degrees to the bottom.
Support brackets fitted and I am ready to slap on the glue!
Just before I started to mix glue I thought perhaps it could be a good idea to consult the building description before proceeding. There I could read that it is a good idea to fit the frames forward and aft of the case at the same time as they support each other. Ok, back with the case on board, go get frames #3 and #5. Hmmmmmmm.... seems I forgot something....
The case log extends to the end of the casing however frame #5 will support the extreme end of the case so I need to cut the case log back about 25mm. Also in the forward end I need to make a small adjustment to the case. In this end I remembered to keep the case log short, but as the case is positioned a few mm further out than it was intended on the drawings (or my lowest stringer is positioned slightly further in on the bottom plank) I cannot fit the frames perfectly aligned on the center line. I will have to make a small adjustment to the case or the case cut-out in the bottom.
I am just too tired right now to be able to figure out which is the best way to proceed. No big problem but I want to be clear in the head so I do not make more mistakes.
Time today: 1.5h


text:
Situated in Austin in the Texas Region, this detached holiday home is 1 km from Austin Convention Center. Guests benefit from terrace.
A dishwasher and an oven can be found in the kitchen and there is a private bathroom. A TV is provided. Other facilities at Willow HouseHoliday Home in Austin Home include a fitness centre.
Capitol Building is 2 km from Willow HouseHoliday Home in Austin Home, while Frank Erwin Center - University of Texas is 2.1 km away. The nearest airport is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, 8 km from the property.


text:
The OYO 84788 Hotel Khushboo Regency is your budget haven in Gorakhpur. It offers standardised amenities at the best value to make your stay comfortable and memorable.
The hotel is located 46 km from Vinod Van and 50 km from Zoo.
★ OYO 84788 Hotel Khushboo Regency has been delighting guests since 08 Dec 2021.
Distance in property description is calculated using © OpenStreetMap


The beginning of April marked the end of the UK governments call for evidence regarding the effects of gambling in the United Kingdom.
Leeds was ranked as the 7th highest city in the UK for searches related to online casinos and online slot sites and any changes to the 2005 Gambling Act will have an impact on cities across Yorkshire. Gambling reformers hope and expect that any changes made to the Act will have a positive effect on casino customers in the county.
The Call for Evidence took place between December 2020 and 31 March 2021 and aimed to scrutinise online restrictions, marketing and the powers of the Gambling Commission.
Bringing Gambling into the Digital Age
Oliver Dowden, the secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) stated in 2020 that the 2005 Gambling Act is being reviewed in order to “bring the Gambling Act into the digital age.”
The question of how to control online gambling in the digital age is a difficult one to answer. The UK remains one of the tightest regulated gambling markets in the world. On the agenda of the gambling reform protagonists is a ban on gambling advertising and sponsorship in sport as well as a limit on how much players can spend when gambling online.
The justification for anti-gambling laws is problem gambling. However, according to economist Christopher Snowdon writing in the Yorkshire Post, the number of problem gamblers in the UK has remained at around 0.6% of the adult population since 1999.
There has not been a shortage of online gambling regulations in the UK. In April 2019, gambling with credit cards was banned whilst all online gambling operators are required to join GAMSTOP, the self-exclusion system which prevents anyone who has excluded themselves from playing on a regulated gambling site. In 2020, it became mandatory for state schools to teach students the risks of online gambling.
The government continue to try and ensure that online gambling is as safe as possible for UK citizens. However, Sports minister Nigel Huddleston stated that it is important for the UK government to find a middle ground for regulation in the UK gambling sector. He said:
“The review will seek to strike a careful balance between individual freedom and protecting the vulnerable.”
Ian Proctor, the UK Chairman of Flutter Entertainment Group which owns SkyBet and Paddy Power agrees that the Act needs updating but he also believes that for the vast majority of UK gamblers, gambling is a fun pastime. He told BBC’s Today programme:
“For millions of people every week, they enjoy a bet, it’s a leisure activity, it gives people a lot of pleasure. For some people it’s not, for a small minority. And we need to make gambling safer for those people.”
Does the Answer Lie in Technology?
In March 2021, the UKGC fined the online casino Casumo a record £6 million for failing to protect players. Earlier this year, it was also revealed that SkyBet were using software in order to profile players by whether they chased losses, how often they opened emails from the casino and whether they are ‘high-value customers.’ This technology, however, can and should instead be used to protect vulnerable players.
Unfortunately, it seems to be the case that currently, gambling operators are not utilising this technology to help support potential problem gamblers.
The danger with placing further regulations on operators is that players may turn to unregulated websites which offer very little protection to players. Furthermore, the government treasury only receives revenue cuts from operators which are regulated.
‘Big data’ can be used to help gambling customers. There is currently a huge number of new slot sites in the UK, all of which are regulated and are a part of GAMSTOP which is able to utilise technology to help players.
As it stands, online gambling companies use technology to both attract players and to make them play for longer, but the UK government has the power to force gambling operators to use the technology to help players. Responsible gambling teams hired by gambling operators should use advanced technology to spot problem gamblers and support them as well as to stop players from losing money which they cannot afford to use.
The Danger of Further Restrictions
The UK online gambling market is heavily regulated; but it is thought that further restrictions may do the opposite of what they intend. Arguably the most positive aspect of the UKs regulated online gambling market is that all the gambling operators you see promoted on television and online have had to go through strict requirements put forward by the UK Gambling Commission to ensure they offer 100% fair play. In addition, regulated gambling operators are forced to be a part of GAMSTOP.
If further restrictions are put into place, for example, a limit on the amount punters can bet, it may create a large black market of UK gamblers signing up to and playing at unregulated black-market operators which do not have the same limits. The dangers here are clear. Unregulated sites are under no obligation to protect players. Furthermore, the UK government treasury does not receive any money in tax from unregulated and unlicensed operators.
Government ministers have stated that a delicate balance is needed between protecting gamblers and individual freedom. It has not yet been revealed exactly when or if the government will enact the ideas put forward from the review.


The traffic jam caused by tourists crossing Kamehameha Highway to see green sea turtles basking at Laniakea Beach on Oahu’s North Shore finally may be alleviated.
Thanks to a surcharge on rental cars that was passed in the last legislative session, the state Department of Transportation now has approximately $33 million statewide for road improvements, including the realignment of that stretch of highway further inland.
“We have a funding source that’s available,” said Ed Sniffen, deputy director of the state’s Highways Division.
The quarter-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway at Laniakea faces a double whammy of issues: the constant traffic congestion due to pedestrians crossing the two-lane highway, as well as threats from coastal erosion and sea level rise.
So the state is now committed to realigning that stretch of the highway and moving it farther inland, he said.
The question is whether to shift it over a short distance of at least 40 feet or so or to move it much farther, at about 1,000 feet or so inland, along a curved path that would make it resilient to coastal erosion in the long run. The shorter shift would cost an estimated $6 million to $10 million, he said, and the larger realignment, an estimated $35 million to $40 million.
Sniffen, who recently presented these two options to the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, prefers the latter.
“We’re looking at that corridor as a piece that’s either going to be inundated or impacted by higher wave action in the very near future,” he said. “If we move it to the larger realignment we’re proposing, we can get about 1,000 feet inland and out of the future inundation zone that we’re seeing from the (University of Hawaii) studies.”
If the state were to move the highway farther in about 40 to 50 feet, he said, it would buy another 15 to 20 years, perhaps, before it is affected by erosion.
What Sniffen proposed as a short-term solution for Laniakea’s traffic and safety issues is the installation of guardrails where the concrete barriers once were in the mauka area dirt lot across the street.
Given that there is no parking on the ocean side, a constant stream of tourists eager to see the turtles featured prominently on social media park at a dirt lot on the opposite side and randomly run across the two-lane highway.
There is no crosswalk or signal light, and Sniffen said it is not an ideal site for one.
The installation of concrete barriers in 2013 became a point of controversy in the community for years due to beach access issues. A year after they were installed, a group called the Save Laniakea Coalition, made up of surfers and residents, filed a lawsuit to remove them and won.
But Sniffen said those barriers worked at reducing the conflict between pedestrians and motorists.
After a 10-year-old boy visiting from California was struck by a car while crossing the highway at Laniakea last summer, state transportation officials renewed efforts to reinstall the barriers, saying it was confident the collision would not have happened if the barriers were in place.
“If the barriers were in place when that kid got hit, it wouldn’t have happened,” Sniffen said Thursday in an interview. “There would be no reason for that child to cross the street in that area other than to get to parking.”
The average daily traffic at Laniakea is at about 12,700 vehicles per day, according to HDOT statistics. HDOT said a study found the number of pedestrians crossing the highway after barriers were put in place dropped by about 400 during peak weekend afternoon hours.
If the state can install the guardrails as a short-term measure to improve safety, Sniffen said his preference would be to pursue the larger realignment project.
It would be a more complicated project and involve crossing into lands owned by the city and Kamehameha Schools, which has leased out parcels to ranchers. It would be a much longer process involving negotiations, and take several years longer than the smaller realignment project, which could be done in the fall of 2022.
Following further review, the larger realignment project, which was initially estimated to cost about $60 million, is now possible at about $35 million to $40 million, he said.
If installing guardrails is not an option, then Sniffen said the state would pursue the smaller project.
Both options would connect Laniakea to Chun’s Reef and provide an alternative route for motorists. The current highway, meanwhile, would become a local road to access the beach, he said.
The guardrails would be standard, he said, at about 3 feet in height, and span about 1,000 feet across in the same area as the concrete barriers — but would not be considered a development — in order to prevent people from parking at the mauka area dirt lot.
They would cost an estimated $30,000 and could be installed in as little as two to three weeks. It will be up to the state Circuit Court whether to allow them, he said, but plaintiffs in the suit are still opposed to barriers that take away parking.
“If I can put the guardrails in place, I would rather put all our resources into getting the longer realignment done,” he said. “That would be the best solution.”
Sniffen said he will know which route the state intends to take in the summer.
In a statewide report on coastal highways at high risk of erosion, Laniakea was actually ranked No. 18. The highway at Hauula, where a section collapsed early this month, prompting emergency shoreline repairs, was ranked No. 1.
State Sen. Gil Riviere (D, Heeia-Laie-Waialua) said the community has long wanted relief from the congestion but that it has to be done right. He hopes HDOT really is committed this time.
“We’ve been waiting for over 15 years, so action will speak louder than words,” he said. “We hope they’ll give us short-term relief and be serious about long-term solutions. Everyone’s just groaning for relief.”


Analysis: Democratic-leaning constituencies celebrated Trump’s capitulation on the citizenship question as a big political loss for the president who’d pushed so hard for its inclusion.
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The former Texas congressman has undoubtedly got some game when it comes to social media. Who can forget that Instagram video of his dentist visit? So, Fallon has imagined other videos that O’Rourke may share on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and MySpace during the 2020 campaign. The first episode, shared online Friday, features Fallon as O’Rourke […]


text:
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Due to strong demand, THE DECEMBERISTS show scheduled at the Orpheum Theatre on August 5 has been moved across the street to Overture Hall.
Everything else remains the same. Tickets are general admission, $26 advance, $28 day of show. Doors are at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:30 with an opening set by Heartless Bastards.
Tickets are available at the Overture Center Box Office, charge by phone at 608.258. 4141, or online at www.overturecenter.com.

domain: entertainment


text:
Common sense isn't.
This article (archive, 2001) also appears in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review (Vol. 25, Nos. 3 and 4), a quarterly research and development magazine. If you'd like more information about the research discussed in the article or about the Review, or if you have any helpful comments, drop us a line at: electronic mail, firstname.lastname@example.org or email@example.com; fax, 615/574-1001; phone, 615/574-7183 or 615/574-6774; or mail, ORNL Review, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 4500-S 6144, Oak Ridge, TN 378312-6144. Thanks for reading the Review.
Spreading out along broad valleys cut by the Clinch River and framed by the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Oak Ridge seems an unlikely setting for events that would change the course of history.
At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, century-old family farms and small crossroads communities such as Scarborough, Wheat, Robertsville, and Elza occupied what was about to become the Oak Ridge Reservation. Outsiders considered the region a quaint reminder of the 19th-century frontier that time and progress had passed by.
In truth, the area experienced enormous change during the early 20th century. On the up side, it felt the effects of Henry Ford's automobile and shared, to some extent, the comforts afforded by electricity; on the down side, it reeled from the aftershocks of the Great Depression that rocked the economy and exerted additional pressures on the region's fragile natural resources. Located just 25 miles from the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) corporate headquarters at Knoxville and just a few miles below TVA's huge Norris Dam on the Clinch River, the area was, in fact, a focal point of one of the nation's boldest experiments in social and economic engineering. The tiny Wheat community, for example, had been selected for a TVA-inspired venture in cooperative agriculture.
Residents of the Oak Ridge area in 1941 did not feel bypassed by history. But even the advent of the automobile, the introduction of electricity, the hardships of the Great Depression, and direct participation in an unprecedented government-sponsored social experiment did not prepare them for what was about to happen.
In early 1942, the Army Corps of Engineers designated a 59,000-acre (146,000-hectare) swatch of land between Black Oak Ridge to the north and the Clinch River to the south as a federal reserve to serve as one of three sites nationwide for the development of the atomic bomb. About 3000 residents received court orders to vacate within weeks the homes that their families had occupied for generations. Thousands of scientists, engineers, and workers swarmed into Oak Ridge to build and operate three huge facilities that would change the history of the region and the world forever.
On the reservation's western edge rose K-25, or the gaseous diffusion plant, a warehouselike building covering more area than any structure ever built. Completed at a cost of $500 million and operated by 12,000 workers, the K-25 Plant separated uranium-235 from uranium-238. On its northern edge grew the workers' city named Oak Ridge; south of the city rose the Y-12 Plant, where an electromagnetic method was used to separate uranium-235. Built for $427 million, the Y-12 Plant employed 22,000 workers. Near the reservation's southwest corner, about 10 miles from Y-12, was the third plant, X-10.
... snip ...
The land occupied by these settlers had been acquired for homesteading in 1798 by a treaty between the U.S. government and several Cherokee tribes. Some of the residents of the four communities had moved there after being displaced by government activities such as the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by the National Park Service and the construction of Norris Dam by the Tennessee Valley Authority. In September 1942, about 1000 families were displaced again by the U.S. government's acquisition of 59,000 acres for the wartime Manhattan Project.
The four displaced communities were Elza, Robertsville, Wheat, and Scarborough (now spelled Scarboro).
Elza, named after a construction engineer in charge of building a railroad bridge there, was once the home of John Hendrix, the "prophet" who around 1900 predicted that Bear Creek Valley (where the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant stands) "someday will be filled with great buildings and factories, and they will help toward winning the greatest war that ever will be."
Robertsville was settled in 1804 by Collins Roberts, who had received a 4000-acre land grant in what is now Oak Ridge. Robertsville High School was built there around 1915; its auditorium is now the gymnasium of Robertsville Junior High School.
Wheat, settled in the middle of the 19th century, was named after the first postmaster, Frank Wheat. It was the home of Roane College, a liberal arts college that was open from 1886 through 1908. The community was dispersed by acquisition of the land for the K-25 Site.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its surrounding land displaced Scarborough, which was founded in the 1790s and named after three early settlers--Jonathan, David, and James Scarborough, brothers from Virginia. The area had been called Pellissippi by the Cherokees.
Of the four communities that predated Oak Ridge, only Scarborough retains much of its old character (although the houses and country stores along Bethel Valley Road are gone). Scarborough Elementary School burned in the late 1920s but it was rebuilt as a brick structure, part of which is still standing and used by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Also standing is the New Bethel Church across from ORNL. Church leaders were convinced that the government would tear down the church in 1942, so they voted to erect a monument to the church as their last official action. The memorial behind the church reads "Erected in Memory of New Bethel Baptist Church, Open 1851 Closed 1942...Church Building Stood 47 Feet in Front of this Stone."
However, the U.S. government let the building remain and used it for storage, meetings, and experiments. It serves today as a museum about the residents who had to move and leave their beloved land.
Residents of Scarborough were as unhappy as the settlers in Wheat, Robertsville, and Elza about leaving their farms and land. But, as one of them said: "What do you do? The government needed your land to win the war. Who would refuse such a request as that?"
|Quote of the moment
|Cannibalism to a certain moderate extent is practised among several of the primitive tribes in the Pacific, but it is upon the bodies of slain enemies alone; and horrible and fearful as the custom is, immeasurably as it is to be abhorred and condemned, still I assert that those who indulge in it are in other respects humane and virtuous.
|~ Herman Melville (18191891), U.S. author. Typee (1846), ch. 27, The Writings of Herman Melville, vol. 1, eds. Harrison Hayford, Hershel Parker, and G. Thomas Tanselle (1968). ~
Common sense isn't.
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domain: geography


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These marvelous drop Victorian design earrings features ±2,00ct. Amethyst and Marcasite (Pyrite) crafted in Silver.
Details: ±2,00ct. Amethyst, Marcasite (Pyrite), Silver Earrings.
Dispatches from a small business in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dimensions: 6.5 cm.
Weight in grams: 12.
The Victorian Era spanned Queen Victoria's rule of England from 1837 until 1901. During this time, a middle class began to emerge, sparking a demand for jewelry in the mass market, jewelry trends often reflected the tone of current events. The era is usually divided into several subsections: the Romantic Period from 1837 to 1861, the Grand Period from 1861 to 1880, and the Aesthetic Period from 1880 to 1901.
During the Romantic Period jewelry also featured nature-inspired designs, similar to jewelry of the Georgian era. Frequently, these designs were delicately and intricately etched into gold. Lockets and brooches were popular in daytime jewelry during the early Victorian era, whereas colored gemstones and diamonds were worn during the evening.
During the Grand Period jewelry , because the Grand or Mid-Victorian era corresponded with the death of Queen Victoria's husband, many jewelry pieces have solemn, somber designs. Known as mourning jewelry, the pieces feature heavy, dark stones. Jet, onyx, amethyst, and garnet are frequently found in jewelry from this period. Compared to previous periods, Mid-Victorian-era jewelry features highly creative, colorful designs using shells, mosaics and gemstones.
During the Aesthetic period, jewelers used diamonds and feminine, bright gemstones such as sapphire, peridot, and spinel. Star and crescent designs as well as elaborate hat pins were also popular. Some scholars believe the aesthetic era began sooner, in 1875, and ended as early as 1890.
Amethyst has historically been the most prized gemstone in the quartz family. It is treasured for its purple hue, which can range in tone from light to dark.
Marcasite is an iron sulfide mineral with an orthorhombic crystal structure. It is very brittle and unsuitable for jewelry. What we call "marcasite" in jewelry is actually Pyrite – "fools gold" – that has been faceted to imitate diamonds. Popular from around 1700 onward, marcasite is usually found mounted in silver. Because of its golden yellow color and metallic luster, Marcasite has remained popular in higher quality fashion jewelry. In antique jewelry, marcasite can be distinguished from cut steel faux gems because marcasites are usually bead or prong-set as a gemstone would be and cut steel is riveted.
Silver is a white metallic element, harder than gold, softer than copper and second only to gold in malleability and ductility. Represented on the Periodic Table of the Elements by the symbol Ag, silver is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Silver is considered one of the noble metals because of it is excellent resistance to oxidation. Historically, silver has played a prominent role in the production of jewelry an objets d'art and is usually alloyed with another metal to harden it enough to maintain the desired shape and details imparted to it.
|Weight (in grams)||


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A bill authored by U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., that would modernize the way both the states and the federal government track the shipment of hazardous waste was passed by unanimous consent this week by the full Senate.
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domain: law


text:
Buzz Feitshans papers
Margaret Herrick Library © 2014
Title: Buzz Feitshans papers
Date (inclusive): 1972-1997
Date (bulk): 1978-1996
Collection number: 402
Creator: Feitshans, Buzz
Extent: 11.7 linear feet of papers.
Repository: Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Available by appointment only.
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies or individuals before quoting from or publishing materials obtained from the library.
Buzz Feitshans papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Gift of Buzz Feitshans, 1997
Buzz Feitshans, born Fredrick Rollins Feitshans III, is an American film producer. Feitshans produced films from 1972 to 1997. He supervised film productions at American International Pictures, Carolco Pictures, and Cinergi Productions, often collaborating with writer and director John Milius.
The Buzz Feitshans papers span the years 1972-1997 (bulk 1978-1996) and encompass 11.7 linear feet. The papers contain production material for more than a dozen films either produced by Feitshans or for films in which he served in a supervisory production capacity.
Arranged in the following series: 1. Production files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 2. Subject files


Iggy Azalea Talks ‘The New Classic,’ Twerking Overload & Embracing Scandal [Exclusive Interview]
All eyes are on Iggy Azalea as she steps into a secluded private dining hall at the posh Mondrian SoHo Hotel in New York City. She's here to be interviewed by eager journalists and to promote her boldly-titled debut 'The New Classic.'
Her very existence confounds almost every stereotype of what a rapper is supposed to be like. Her gender, her pale skin and blonde hair, and even her nationality (Australian) make her an atypical candidate for mainstream hip-hop superstardom. But this is America, Land of Possibilities. A few blocks away, an Anthony Trollope quote painted on a store wall reads, "No other city is so intensely American as New York." Azalea may not have roots in U.S. soil, but her successful immersion into the hip-hop world and the city which gave birth to the genre prove with a little bit of 'Work' even a young girl from Australia can live the American Dream.
Iggy Azalea has become part of the rap conversation through her affiliation with T.I.'s Grand Hustle label and signing to Island Def Jam. Her rise may seem invasive since she is an Aussie rhymer taking on a southern-flavored style of hip-hop -- southern drawl, fast tempos and all. Regardless, she has found success, being crowned as one of XXL's 2012 Freshman Class, had her first charting hit with this year's 'Work' and earlier this week, she debuted the 'Change Your Life' EP.
If the aggressive electronic influences, intensely clubby percussion patterns and synths and catchy hooks in her songs don't leap out at you, her personality will. Iggy's candor is not lost on someone who's read her various interviews, where she's talked about having sex at a young age and questioning Miley Cyrus promotion of twerking.
She's especially expressive in person. Iggy doesn't lie back and politely take questions. She's in your face, literally. Leaning forward as if she's unaware how her beauty may be intimidating for some, she thoroughly attacks questions flung at her in a manner that's blunt, never crass, but always unapologetic.
"If you feel like there’s a question that you don’t want to answer and people can tell that, that’s the thing that’s going to poke out forever," she tells The Boombox. "It will be the bane of your f---ing existence."
And on any future backlash or scandal?
"I say if anybody released topless pictures of me, it wouldn’t really matter would it? Because I’ve already shown my tits," the rapper states. "You just got to own your whole thing. You should not be ashamed, if anything it makes you more relatable.”
An instance this refers to is in her latest video -- 'Change Your Life' featuring T.I. -- in which she emerges from a pool wearing a nipple-revealing swimsuit -- her lady parts painted red. That's just within the opening minute of the video. The latter scenes are a 'Showgirls' shout-out where she dances in cabaret attire, gets arrested, makes love on a car and lights another on fire. It doesn't make much sense from a narrative standpoint (neither does 'Showgirls') but it's showy, just like her escapades in India in the visual for 'Bounce' and her road trip in 'Work.'
Iggy says her future music videos will follow that format -- a focus on creating well-choreographed events that recall the Missy Elliott and Aaliyah visuals of the late-90s to early Aughts. She wasn't even in her teenage years during that era, so her childhood amazement comes out as she enthusiastically speaks about her influences.
“I was a kid watching music videos, which were so cool and made me want to learn how to dance," Iggy shares. "I wish I could’ve gone to dance classes and learn like hip-hop dancing. I was from the country. I didn’t get to have that, but I wanted to learn how to do those moves. Now I feel like a lot of the times it is just video vixens. How do you take a turn from that? From dancing with dancers to video vixens.”
The goal slightly switches up in the process of making her forthcoming album, 'The New Classic.' While the term "classic" tends to refer to hip-hop's golden year, she seeks to make a new body of work that will be retrospectively lauded as a representation of the genre's evolving sound.
“I guess that’s what ‘The New Classic’ is like: Me wanting to experiment with those things and saying it’s a mix and what about it is the new sound," the blonde rhymer explains. "It’s not like I’m creating the new sound. I think the sound of our now involves these elements. I think this is our classic and these sounds are classic for our generation. I think that in 10 years people will wish that they had this moment.
“I think we get obsessed with golden era and mimicking it instead of just drawing inspiration and creating our own thing.”
Despite her aspirations and openness about everything else, she stays relatively tight-lipped about which songs or collaborations are featured on 'The New Classic.' Iggy says she'd rather have 'Bounce' as a bonus track since it doesn't "sonically" fit in with the rest of the album and 'Work' serves as "the turn of the album." She also has a reggae collabo, but stressed it's not going to be Sean Paul, even though they've teamed up for a track on his upcoming 'Full Frequency' LP.
Another note: Don't expect more cuts like 'Work.'
“When I listen to the album back, I think this is more of a mid-tempo record. It’s more like a ‘Change Your Life’ pace," she discloses. "Everything I do is more upbeat and bass-driven and this is probably a bit slower than what people are used to. But I think it’s good as an artist; I’ve had enough of those songs to last me for a while. I need something else.
"I understand why people are like, ‘Oh, Iggy! She likes twerking.’ That’s not all that I f---ing love. It’s not even my top five favorite things, you know. I really want this album to come out so people can understand.”
Fans must wait until February 2014, when Iggy says 'The New Classic' will arrive, to digest that.


text:
Title: Imperial March
Voicing/Format: Concert Band
Publisher: C L Barnhouse Co
Composer: King, Karl L
Arranger: Swearingen, James
Catalog #: 012-4110-00
Price: $65.00 See More…
If you're looking for the real deal, look no further than the circus march king. Strong melodies and counterlines, bouncing 16th note rhythmic patterns, dynamic contrast, and boisterous enthusiasm --all hallmarks of King's craft and showmanship!
i-Link Sound File
This promotional recording is for listening purposes only.
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin
Sound Files Unavailable for Purchase due to Copyright Restrictions


text:
From this video we learn two things:
- (Most) People are terrible designers
- (Most) Designers have no balls. Rather, they collectively pander to client requests instead of imposing their professional will on customers much like a doctor or mechanic would. This is a disservice to both the client and the designer — everybody loses.
[via Nick Roussos]


text:
Meg Pt. 03
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Meg was tired, but she tried to shake it off as she pulled up to the bar. She was in the middle of a big project at work, but some of the fatigue likely came from her nervousness for this evening. She stepped out of her car and walked in the door.
Alex had been waiting for her at a table in the corner, but when he saw her, he stood and met her near the door. They looked at each other, then hesitantly hugged.
“You look nice,” Alex said.
She wore a purple button-up shirt, black pants, and black flats. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun.
“Thanks,” Meg said, blushing. “You look good, too. You’ve changed a lot.” He wore jeans and a plain gray t-shirt. He seemed a little taller, and Meg wondered if it was normal for men to grow after leaving high school.
Alex led her back to the table. “What can I get you?”
“Just a root beer,” she said. “I can’t stay too late tonight.”
On a Friday night, she would have ordered a drink and then eaten food to work off the alcohol. But she didn’t want to sit around long enough for the drink to wear off, and she figured she’d need all her faculties if she was going to have a conversation with Alex.
He came back with her root beer and a plate of mozzarella sticks.
“These okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I love mozzarella sticks,” Meg said. She snatched one, dipped it in sauce, and bit into it.
“So, you’re a wedding DJ now?” Meg asked him.
“Yeah. It lets me do something with music now that high school is over. Do you still play flute?”
Meg shook her head. “I still have it in my closet, but I can’t practice in an apartment. I haven’t played in a few years.”
“That’s a shame,” Alex said. “You were really good.”
“Yeah, well, I have other things to keep me busy. I’m sure, even if I had a house to play in, I wouldn’t have much time for it.”
“What do you do for fun, then?” Alex asked. “Do you still bake?”
When they were dating in high school, Meg had gone through a baking phase. She had even considered going to culinary school. Every weekend, Alex would come over to her house and she’d have a new treat for him to try – éclairs, cake, crème brûlée, banana cream pie.
“A little,” Meg said. “I like to have something to bring with me when I meet up with friends.”
Alex smiled. “So where are my cookies?”
Meg laughed. “I don’t have time on weekdays. If this was a Saturday, that might have been another story.”
She took a sip of her root beer. “Have you seen the new high school?”
“Yeah,” Alex said, “that renovation looks fantastic.”
Their high school was torn down the year after Meg graduated, and new students had a brand new, shiny high school. She vividly remembered the floor tiles cracking when she walked over them. She had been to a few plays at the new high school, and the auditorium was stunning.
“I wish we had gotten to go to school in a new building,” Meg said.
“Well, the old school had character. And good memories.”
“Anyway,” Alex said, “I’m sure you went to some fancy college that was nicer looking. Where did you end up going, anyway?”
“MIT,” Meg said.
Alex grinned. “You were always a genius. Are you coding for Apple or something?”
Meg laughed. “No, I’m working for a web design company. We mostly design websites for start-ups. It’s a lot of fun.”
Alex chuckled. “Yeah, I remember your idea of fun. Doing extra math problems in your down time. Reading novels published over a hundred years ago.”
“Well, what are you up to when you’re not at weddings?”
“I compose songs,” Alex said. “Turns out I’m not too shabby. It gets me a little money on the side. And I keep some of the songs I write for the band I’m in.”
“You’re in a band?” Meg asked, interested.
“Yeah, we play at a few different restaurants.”
“I’d love to see you guys some time.”
“That’d be nice,” Alex said. He took a swig of his beer.
“So why’d you decide to unblock me?” Meg asked. “I kind of expected you to die still hating me.”
“I never really hated you,” Alex said. eryaman orospu numaraları “I was just hurt when you ended things. It’s not your fault you weren’t in love with me, though. Maybe I held on a little too hard.”
Meg shook her head. “It was just bad timing. There were other things going on in my life, and I’m sure that made whatever we had impossible to keep up.”
“Like what?” Alex asked.
Suddenly Meg wished she was drinking something with alcohol. “Well, you knew I was dealing with depression. I ended up going to the hospital – a few, actually. I got a new therapist and some antidepressants in my system. I was a pretty different person by senior year.”
She was about to say more, but then her phone started ringing.
“Damn it, this is work.”
She took the call and stepped out of the bar. When she came back inside, she was frowning. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” she told him. “There’s a problem at work, and I have to go back in. We’ll meet up again, okay?”
“Okay,” Alex said. She could tell he was disappointed, but also that he was trying not to show it. He gave a forced smile as he stood.
She pulled out her wallet to help pay for the food, but he waved her away.
“I got it,” he said. “Go do your thing. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Thank you,” she said and rushed out the door.
Meg was running on three hours of sleep. She hadn’t bothered doing anything nice with her hair, and she knew she had rings under her eyes. She got an iced coffee at the coffee shop by her building and nearly stumbled into a man coming in the door as she was leaving.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she looked up. “Oh.”
“Hi,” Luke said. “I didn’t know you lived around here.”
Meg stepped back inside with him so as not to block the door. “I work right down the street,” Meg said. “You?”
“Yeah, over in that strip mall down the road.”
She blushed as she cradled her coffee. “Look, I need to go to work and I’m running on very little sleep, but you want to meet me for coffee tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Luke said. “Seven okay?”
“Okay, see you.”
Bye,” Meg said. She slipped out the door, this time managing not to bump into anyone else. Outside, she stirred her coffee and took a sip before walking down the street to her office.
She worked for a few hours that day, making sure the website was running smoothly, and then her boss sent her home early to get some sleep. She collapsed on her bed and didn’t remember falling asleep.
When she woke, it was dark. She was still sleepy, but she was also hungry, so she heated up some leftovers. She checked her phone while the microwave ran, and she saw she had a text from Alex.
Alex: “Hey, sorry we got cut short last night. Hope everything’s going well at your work. If you’re free on Saturday night, my band is playing at the Atomic. Meet me there?”
Meg smiled and texted back: “Sure, I’m free that night. I’ll see you there.”
As she ate, she looked up the Atomic, which was a restaurant out in Somerville. She got a notification on her phone and saw Alex had sent her a smiley face.
After she ate, she crawled back into bed and slept until her morning alarm.
The next morning, Meg got ready for work early so she could meet Luke. She put on her standard black dress pants, black flats, and a white blouse with gray polka dots. She pulled half of her hair back in a barrette and put on a pair of silver hoops.
She beat Luke there and got herself a latte and a blueberry muffin. She sat down at one of the black metal tables outdoors. Luke came a few minutes later and joined her after he got an iced coffee.
“Good morning,” he said. “You look nice.”
“Compared to yesterday?” she laughed. “Yeah, I had to work until 2am, so I was running on fumes. I got more than twelve hours of sleep last night, so you could say I got my beauty sleep.”
Luke smiled. “I didn’t think I’d see you again, after the wedding. I figured Sophie’s family mostly came from out of town.”
“Some did,” ankara escort Meg said. “But a lot of us live in the area. I didn’t expect to see you after, either.”
She took a sip of latte. Luke stirred his straw around his coffee.
“It was a fun wedding,” Luke said.
“It was,” Meg said, grinning but also blushing.
“I hope this doesn’t come across too forward,” Luke said, “but I wouldn’t mind seeing you more often. Since, you know, we work a stone’s throw away from each other. And since we both had fun together.”
Meg thought for a moment. “As long as we’re just friends, nothing exclusive. I don’t want a commitment.”
“That’s fine by me,” Luke said. “We’ll just go with the flow.”
Meg thought back to the way he gripped her ass the morning after the wedding. “I have nothing on the calendar tonight,” she said.
“I don’t, either,” he said.
“Let me get a pen,” she said, reaching into her purse. “Ah, there it is. This is my address. And bring a pizza.”
“You got it. I get off at 5.”
“Me too,” Meg said. “Here, let me write my number down, too. Text me when you’re there.”
She took a bite of muffin, and Luke took a moment to look her body up and down. She suddenly wished it was evening.
Meg tidied her apartment when she got home. She stacked all her half-read books on her desk, washed the few dishes in her sink, and made her bed. She redid her hair, which had gotten frizzy through the day.
Her phone buzzed from an unknown number. She answered it to be sure it was Luke, and then she let him into the apartment. He held a box from Pizza Regina’s.
“You have good taste,” Meg said. “That’s my favorite spot.”
Meg only had a white folding table for eating, since her apartment was too small for much hosting. She had set it with plates, napkins, and two glasses of water.
“Do you want anything else to drink?” Meg asked. “I have soda and beer.”
“A beer sounds perfect,” Luke said.
“IPA all right?”
“Works for me.”
He sat at her little table. Meg got two bottles from the fridge, opened them both with a bottle opener she kept hanging in the kitchen, and brought them to the table.
“God, this looks good,” she said. “It was a long day.”
“What do you do?” Luke asked her.
“I work in web design,” Meg said.
“Wow, nice,” Luke said. “I tried taking a computer science course in college, but it didn’t go very well. I scraped by with a B- and stayed away from computer science the rest of my education.”
“What did you study?” Meg asked.
“Math. I’m an accountant now.”
“Nice,” Meg said. “That probably gave you a lot of options getting out of college.”
“Not as many as I’d have liked, but I found a decent job, so I can’t complain.” Luke took a swig of beer. “I like this place you’ve got.”
“Yeah, much nicer than mine. It’s decorated.”
Meg snorted. “Boys,” she said. “I dated a guy in college who literally lived out of his suitcase. He thought it took too much effort to put all his clothes in his dresser when he’d just need to pack up for vacations.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” Luke said, “but it drove my last girlfriend crazy that I used bar soap for shampoo.”
“Oh, jeez,” Meg said. “Do you still?”
“No, she converted me to real shampoo. I hate to admit she was right, but it does make my hair feel nicer.”
Meg reached her hand out to touch the top of his head. “Yes, it feels quite soft,” she said.
She gripped her fingers around his hair for a moment, then let it go. She went back to her pizza, eager for the meal to be over.
“Have you seen the pictures from Ray and Sophie?” Luke asked. “Italy seems like it’d be an amazing place to honeymoon.”
They talked a little about Italy and the places they wanted to travel when they got the opportunity. Meg finished her pizza and stood to clear her dish from the table. Luke hurriedly finished. He handed her the plate and then stood behind her while she rinsed it off. She liked the feel of elvankent escort his breath on the back of her neck.
“You want to see my bedroom?” Meg asked. She turned and he kissed her, pressing her against the counter. As his tongue flicked in her mouth, she tasted pizza again, and the beer.
“Lead the way,” he murmured.
She took his hand and led him into her bedroom. His eyes flicked across the room and then he was looking back at her. He ran his hands along her spine, then fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. She didn’t help him; she was too busy undoing the buttons on his collared shirt.
Meg finished unbuttoning first, and he rolled his shoulders back to help her slip the garment from his body. It fell to the floor. Luke pulled off her blouse and let it fall. She had changed into a black lace bra for the occasion. One of his hands pulled a breast loose from its cup while the other hand pressed a spot on her back between her shoulder blades.
Meg felt him begin to harden under his pants. She touched the bulge and rubbed it softly. It twitched, asking to be let loose. She teased him for a little while longer before unzipping his pants. His underwear had a wet spot from pre cum.
Meg pulled his pants down around his ankles and got on her knees, taking him in her mouth. She moved slowly, tasting up and down his shaft. He wrapped his fingers gently in her hair. She touched his balls, squeezing them slightly with her fingers while she bobbed her head faster, sucking harder. His legs trembled a little as she moved, and she slowed down, letting him go. She didn’t want him to come just yet.
Meg pulled off her pants and laid back on the bed. Luke laid down on top of her, using one arm to hold himself up over her, the other to knead her breast.
He moved back and pulled her underwear off. His tongue lapped between her legs. He wasn’t bad at foreplay, but she felt an impatience when he fooled around down there. She knew his penis was better at the job, and she was eager for the final act of their performance.
“Condom,” she finally said. “And then get the hell inside of me.”
Luke grabbed his pants from the floor, took out a condom, and slid it on. He entered her and Meg moaned a little as he slid his entire length inside. Luke worked at the clasp of her bra and slipped it off. He played with one of her nipples, tugging at it until the nipple stood up tall.
Meg raised herself just enough to reach his lips, then pulled him back down against her, letting her tongue run over his as he found his rhythm.
Suddenly he wrapped his arms around behind her back and rolled over so she was on top and he laid under her. His hands gripped her ass as she grinded her hips against his.
When he couldn’t take it anymore, Luke grabbed her hips and started thrusting harder and harder into her. Meg leaned back and put her hands on his thighs to steady herself as he hammered his entire length inside her over and over again.
“Oh, ooh, OH!” Meg cried out and then her eyes glazed over as her whole body succumbed to the sensations.
Luke came in her silently, pumping his hips until he’d finished.
“Fuck,” she said as he came to a halt.
“Fuck yeah,” Meg said. “I needed that.”
She climbed off him and laid down in bed next to him. She was close enough to him that she could hear his heart pounding.
She was able to rest for a moment, and then her mind returned to the dishes in her sink, the clothes strewn on her floor, what she would wear the next day. She sat up and started gathering her own clothes.
As she pulled on her underwear, Luke said, “I didn’t bring anything with me to stay over. Would you be offended if I headed out?”
“That’s fine,” Meg said. “Next time, we’ll plan ahead better.”
She tossed his underwear at him and he started pulling it on. She put her own clothes in the hamper and dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top for bed.
She leaned against her wall and watched him get dressed. He may not have had a six pack, but he was in shape and an appreciated sight in her bedroom.
When Luke had finished dressing, she walked with him to the door.
“Text me when you want to do this again,” Meg said.
“You’ll hear from me very soon,” Luke promised. He gave her a peck on the lips before leaving the apartment.
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