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World Cup: European team guaranteed title
By Kevin BaxterStaff Writer
Reporting from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia —
Losses by Brazil and Uruguay on Friday reduced the World Cup to a European championship with the tournament's final six teams all calling the continent home.
Neighbors France and Belgium have already advanced to next week's semifinals while the remaining quarterfinals Saturday will send England against Sweden and Croatia against Russia. When those games are concluded it will mark just the second time since 1982 that the final four of a World Cup have all come from the same FIFA confederation.
It also happened in 2006 when Italy, France, Germany and Portugal reached the semifinals.
End of era in Uruguay?
Uruguay's loss to France could mark the end of era in South American soccer in several ways, most notably if Oscar Tabarez, the team's 71-year-old coach, retires.
Tabarez, who has taken Uruguay to four World Cups over two stints as its coach, transformed the national program in his final 12 years as its manager. But he declined to discuss what he plans to do next.
"For me, it has been a huge honor to be the national coach. And there's nothing more beautiful or more satisfying than that," said Tabarez, who walks with the aid of a cane.
Tabarez's second stay with the national began in 2006, after Uruguay had missed three of the preceding four World Cups. He not only led the country back, taking it to three consecutive tournaments appearances, but in 2010 Uruguay reached the semifinals for the first time in 40 years.
"Obviously everybody knows what el maestro means for the team," forward Luis Suarez said. "For Uruguay as well."
Tabarez insisted the country will remain in good hands no matter what he decides to do next.
"What I know for sure is that Uruguay is going to be a football nation. It's going to keep developing," said Tabarez, who managed more than 190 matches for Uruguay, 20 of them in the World Cup.
"I think the world has seen what we have achieved. The world knows what we can do."
Three dads-to-be have made trips home from Russia to welcome a child, with the blessing of coaches and teammates.
The latest was Fabian Delph, who missed England's match against Colombia in the round of 16 while awaiting the birth of his third child.
"Some things in life are more important than football," England coach Gareth Southgate said. "His focus needs to be with his family at this time."
Southgate echoed a view of parenting that runs through the World Cup.
Switzerland forward Breel Embolo also dashed home during the tournament for the birth a daughter and described it as "the most beautiful 24 hours" of his life.
The family friendly trend was started by Denmark's players, who helped send teammate Jonas Knudsen home in a private jet. Knudsen's daughter was not due until after the tournament, but the team wanted him to see her right away.
"It's a bit of perspective in life," Southgate said. "Everybody says you only get one chance to be in a World Cup but also there's only one day in your life where your children are born."
Southgate acknowledged his decision to release Delph, who played in England's two previous games, would not always have been approved.
"My father's generation and those before them would view that differently," said the England coach, who is building a reputation for smart and thoughtful handling of his players. "But you have got to be there for your family."
kevin.baxter@latimes.com | Twitter: @kbaxter11
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Kevin Baxter
Kevin Baxter covers soccer for the Los Angeles Times, where he has worked for 23 years.
'Chicharito' Hernandez to join Galaxy, become highest paid player in MLS
Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, Mexico's all-time leading scorer, will replace departed Galaxy star Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the lineup and on the marquee.
Soccer on TV: Bundesliga returns and Real Madrid looks to stay hot in La Liga
The Bundesliga's return highlights televised soccer from Europe this weekend while in Spain there's a battle atop the table.
Hernandez: In Galaxy of stars, Chicharito is another triumph for MLS
Javier "Chicharito" Hernández joining the Galaxy won't turn L.A. on its head, but as with past stars he will make MLS more relevant than it was before.
Galaxy closing in on deal with Mexican star 'Chicharito' Hernandez
The Galaxy and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez continued talks Tuesday, and a deal had not been finalized. However, a person with knowledge of the situation said an agreement "seems likely" and the club was starting to make preliminary arrangements for an announcement.


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Review: Mnevermind series by Jordan Castillo Price
Titlle: The Persistance of Memory (Mnevermind #1)
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Genre/Themes: Dystopia / MM romance
Every day, Daniel Schroeder breaks his father's heart.
While forgetting your problems won't solve them, it does seem like it would make life a heck of a lot easier. Daniel thought so once. Now he knows better. He and Big Dan have always been close, which makes it all the more difficult to break the daily news: the last five years were nothing like his father remembers.
They're both professionals in the memory field—they even run their own memory palace. So shouldn't they be able to figure out a way to overwrite the persistent false memory that's wreaking havoc on both of their lives? Daniel thought he was holding it together, but the situation seems to be sliding out of control. Now even his own equipment has turned against him, reminding him he hasn't had a date in ages by taunting him with flashes of an elusive man in black that only he can see.
Is it some quirk of the circuitry, or is Daniel headed down the same path to fantasy-land as his old man.
Purchase links: Amazon - Smashwords - iTunes
Titlle: Forget Me Not (Mnevermind #2)
Release Date: 19 Feb 2014
No two people are exactly alike, but Elijah Crowe is very, very different.
Elijah is on the autism spectrum, so the tasks of day-to-day life most people breeze through are a challenge for him. His career suffered because he never got the hang of schmoozing, and now his talents are being wasted teaching classes at the mall. His social circle is limited to his ex, his therapist, and a structured inclusion group at the Rec Center. The one bright spot in his life is the memory science of Mnemography.
Although he loves nothing better than devouring the latest research and tinkering with all the specialized equipment, he never clicked with any other experts in the field until he met Daniel Schroeder. Daniel runs a memory palace—he even writes his own mnems—and that shared interest alone would make him fascinating. But Daniel and Elijah met under unusual circumstances, where the statement, "I like you, and I think you like me," held some surprising nuances.
Now Elijah suspects he's gay, but the few prominent people in his life are less than supportive. Some are downright hostile. Elijah might not be neurotypical, but he's plenty smart. Surely there's some way to get people to accept him for who he is. If only he could figure out how.
Purchase Links: Amazon - B&N - Kobo - iTunes - Smashwords
Titlle: Life Is Awesome (Mnevermind #3)
Daniel Schroeder wants nothing more than to repair his father's broken memories, but it's been a long time since he's thought of himself as a memorysmith. Even though convincing Big Dan of their current reality is the most painful task Daniel faces every morning, somehow life manages to prevent him from finding a cure. He needs to keep their family business running. And he needs to moonlight at a competitor's shop to keep all his employees paid. Or maybe he's just trying to keep himself from exacerbating the situation.
A year ago, Daniel would have presumed he was clever enough to memorysmith his way out of their predicament, but nowadays he's not so cavalier. Playing with people's memories shouldn't be taken lightly, and things can always get worse. Even with the help of some of the best minds in the business, Daniel still isn't sure how to navigate his way out of the persistent false memory that's crippled his life. Is new programming the answer? Better gear? More money? Or is time the only thing that can heal Big Dan's memories…if they can even be fixed at all.
What Daniel needs most is some breathing room, and Elijah Crowe is eager to provide it. Since he's smitten with Daniel, Elijah is determined to prove himself—and he's more than qualified to clear Daniel's schedule by taking over some duties at Adventuretech. With the support of his new boyfriend, possibilities begin to open up for Daniel, hints of things he hasn't even realized he'd stopped hoping for: the contentment of a harmonious family, the fulfillment of his creative expression, and a chance for a relationship with a man he loves.
Purchase links: Amazon - iTunes - Kobo - B&N - Smashwords
I read this series a while ago and was very much impressed by it. I meant to review the complete series of three books together but somehow it was never the right time.
I have so many thoughts about these books and will at least try to express some of them in a coherent manner. Simply put - this MM dystopian/speculative (romantic) fiction, and I'm not using these terms as strictly defined categories but rather as a reflection of what the story felt like to me while reading it - is breath-taking, raw, emotional and real and oh, so clever.
I'm amazed at the imaginative genius of Ms Price. The other work of hers I've read (review), Meatworks was also very rich, imaginative romance, though I definitely liked this one better.
The story is set in the not so distant, somewhat bleak future where people experience mnemes (as a mix of dreams and memories) as a form of entertainment.
This is the story of Daniel and Elijah, a story of being adult - serious and responsible, but also hopeful and forgiving and never really giving up on your dreams.
Book 1 was slightly slower, more descriptive, in a way setting the stage for the things to come in the next two books. It created this richly imaginative world populated by characters who felt so real, human, very much like the people we meet in our life - some were smarter, others less so, some were compassionate and loyal, others - less so. They were all multi-faceted, multi-layered, with thier own strengths and weaknesses, searching in one way or another for that forever elusive piece of happiness and sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Book 2 stood out the most for me. It's told from Elijah's POV and I can't describe how much a loved it. He is on the autistic spectrum and Ms Price made him an absolutely unforgettable character. There was no melodrama and excessive sentimentality in his portrayal. He felt real, his voice was a mixture of strength and confidence on the one hand and vulnerability and confusion on the other. His sudden attraction to Daniel after being married to woman was confusing for him but he took it for what it was and explored it without prejudice or judgement.
The romantic relationship was mostly the focus in the final book. It was difficult, there was no magical 'We belong together, so everything happens naturally/effortlessly'. It took some work both for Daniel and Elijah to be able to be together. The way it is most often in life - love is there but being with someone also takes time, takes getting used to one's quirks and oddities, accepting some limits.
The whole mneming business was complicated to comprehend though in my mind I had this weird association between mneming and a children's animation I watch with my kid (Zack and Quack). The depths of the desrciption of the this future world was fascinating and what was even more fascinating how personal, human Ms Price made the story.
If you are looking for a brilliantly writtne, imaginative, yet as real as it gets, romantic story, you need to try this series!
Review: Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins
Title: Level Hands (Bend or Break #4)
Date of publication: 25 August 2015
Genre/Themes: Romance, queer
When it comes to love, there's no such thing as smooth sailing.
Rafael Castro is so far out of his element he can't even see it anymore. Carlisle College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from his Dominican Republic roots.
The only thing keeping him attached to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a knife-like boat. Now, two years later, on the wings of a rowing scholarship, Rafi is attending Denny's elite college.
Even before the excitement wears off, Rafi is struggling with classes and fending off rumors that Denny's family, not Rafi's talent, won him his spot. To quash the gossip, Rafi tries to steer clear of the man he wants. A plan that evaporates in the fire of renewed attraction.
But Carlisle's academic pressure cooker has Rafi barely treading water. And when a family crisis hits, both Rafi and Denny must pull hard to keep their relationship from capsizing in rough waters.
This is book 4 in the Off Campus series and while I loved them all, I think this is my favourite story. I rarely do more personal reviews but this book touched on so many personal levels that I can't help it.
It's a tender and sexy interracial mm college sports romance and Amy Jo Cousins covers brilliantly, I'd say, so many aspects of college life and the struggles to fit in, to belong in a place and with a person (you love).
It's Rafi's book through and through, not just because the story is told from his POV. Don't get me wrong, I loved Denny quite a lot and he has a strong presence in the story but Rafi got me teary eyed a time or two in this book.
It is uncanny hom much I could relate to some of his college experience given how differen him and I are. I'm a 36 yo white het woman from a small country in Europe. I went to the best University in my country and who lived with her parents at the time and didn't suffer from racial or sexual abuse but none of my parents have university degrees and pressure to fit was real. My first year was so intense and scary and wonderful without having to navigate a love relationship at the time.
In short, for long stretches of of the story I felt like Rafi's thoughts were mine. His struggle to make sense of this new, unfamiliar place, to be good enough/to deserve his place there (since he got there on a scholarship). His experience was powerfully presented and his anxiety felt real and true to life, especially to me as someone who is pretty anxious about a lot of things in life.
And I absolutely loved that the story made me look back on my own experiences in university with just a touch of melancholy and no real sense of regret.
The story covers Rafi's life in its complexity - the romance, the college, the family stuff, the rowing. There is even a brief and rather sweet appearance of Steph and Cash (with some Tom and Reese on the side). Rafi struggled with so many new things in his life and it all was interconnected and affected deeply his relationship with Denny.
The chemistry was really strong but they had to deal with a lot of issues on practical level, basically they had to find a way to be together. I liked how Ms Cousins didn't gloss over their difficulties and made their romance a perfect one. The love to each other and both felt they belong together but that didn't save them from making mistakes along the way. They are too different in terms of social, ethnic background, financial situation, family situation and their love didn't just magically erase those difference. They had to learn how to be together while still being different. There was no sacrifice on oneself just to make the other happy. Rather what we got were two young people making compromises for each other.
There is an element of coming-of-age to this story. Both Rafi and Denny had to figure out what they wanted in life and how to go about getting it. The ending came as a bit of surprise but I think it fits the characters and I see it as promise, something that helps them to be happy together.
It's a very moving, touching story and at the same time it felt real. This series keeps getting better and better and is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites.
I want to end this embarrassingly personal review with my favourite quote from the book which is about Denny but I think it fits Rafi as well and pretty much sums up my way of loving - "Denny needed to take care of him because that was how Denny loved."
Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks / ARebooks / Samhain
Release Day Launch for Unconditional anthology
Purchase links: Amazon /B&N / iBooks / Kobo
Life isn't easy. Love is harder. Love cuts, love burns and sometimes love breaks.
But living a half-life, living with regrets, that's no life at all. People say we're broken, not like other people. Maybe that's true—ability, disability—what's in a word? So whatever the world throws at us, we won't stop, we won't crumble. When we love, we love hard. Love without limits. Unconditional is an Anthology from authors Stacey Wallace Benefiel, Jane Harvey-Berrick, Sarina Bowen, Mary Elizabeth, D.Hart, Amber L. Johnson, CJ Lyons, Lauren K. McKellar, Shay Savage, and Magan Vernon.
Crossing by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
He stole her lipstick…and her heart.
Twenty-year-old Dani Walker can't believe her luck when she's paired up with the gorgeous Liam Garrett as her Acting I scene partner – or when he ends up in her bed. Being a Plain Jane with a mouth on her hasn't exactly served Dani well in the guy department. In fact, she's had nothing but one night stands.
The Education of Caroline by Jane Havery-Berrick
Ten years after their first affair, Sebastian and Caroline meet again. Now a successful journalist, Caroline heads out to report from the front lines of the war in Afghanistan. Love is the last thing on her mind when she crosses paths with Marine Chief Sebastian Hunter.
Will this chance encounter reignite the erotic passion of their past, or will the hidden cost of war tear them apart again?
Falling From The Sky by Sarina Bowen
Until his accident, bad boy Hank "Hazardous" Lazarus had everything: a gorgeous girlfriend, a career as a freestyle snowboarder and a spot on the US Olympic team. Could he possibly meet the love of his life in the last place he ever wanted to go--the hospital?
True Love Way by Mary Elizabeth
Some days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel is invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses. Dillon Decker hopes he is the cure to her madness. But when friend turns to lover, and lover turns to caretaker, how much can either of them tolerate before they're swallowed whole?
Forgotten Treasures by D. Hart
Fate took away Baylor's past, giving her a second chance at life, but when faced with a choice to move forward, leave it buried, or follow her heart, she struggled with her basic need to survive and be loved. When she met Brandt, he gave her a reason to rebuild a life full of forgotten treasures.
Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson
When it comes to love there's no such thing as conventional.
Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special.Lilly Evans just thinks he's fascinating.
Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.
Lost In Shadows by CJ Lyons
A West Virginia mountain, the middle of a blizzard, killers on his trail…no place for a city boy like Lucky Cavanaugh, an ATF explosives specialist.
Out-manned, out-gunned and shot, he takes Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Vinnie Ryan hostage until he convinces her that he's one of the good guys.
Vinnie heals not only his injuries but also his broken heart. But when they uncover a terrorist plot, Lucky is forced to choose between duty and passion, risking the life of the woman he loves in order to save the lives of thousands.
The Problem With Crazy by Lauren K. McKellar
When eighteen-year-old Kate's father turns up drunk to graduation, she knows something is wrong—really wrong. What she doesn't expect is a hereditary disease that will turn her life around.
The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life—about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.
Surviving Raine by Shay Savage
Isolated on a raft after their ship capsizes, an alcoholic death-match fighter and a young woman have to face the elements as well as their entwined pasts. Bastian can survive in the harshest environments, but can he survive Raine?
The Only One by Magan Vernon
Honor student, manager at the campus coffee shop, owner of an impressive sweater collection – Melanie Wilder has it all together. Then John "John Boy" Walden strolls into her life wearing nothing more than an impish grin and all-too-revealing loin cloth.
Soon, make-out sessions replace homework, lust triumphs over work. And to further crumble her perfect world, an unexpected phone call threatens to take away everything she's worked for.
Release Day Launch
Releaze Day Launch for Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis Graves
Title: Heart-shaped Hack
Author: Tracey Garvis Graves
Genre/Themes: Romance, lawyers, hackers
When Kate Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis, she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.
Ian intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he's snooped around on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds herself falling for the mysterious hacker.
But Ian has enemies and they're growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a target's weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she'll discover just how strong her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart.
Purchase links: AMAZON / B&N / iBooks
© 2015 Tracey Garvis Graves
Heart-Shaped Hack
"Oh, hi," she said.
"Imagine running into you here."
"This is quite a coincidence."
"It's not a coincidence at all. I knew you were following me."
"You did not."
"I spotted you hiding behind the plant when I walked into the bank. Plus I could smell your perfume as soon as I stepped out here."
"Did you"—she used her fingers to make little air quotes—"appropriate money from this bank?" she whispered.
"Of course not. I do all my work from the Batcave. Believe it or not, I actually bank here. I was just signing some papers."
Kate had never seen a man look so utterly scrumptious while wearing glasses. There was something about the combination of his hair, his scruff, and the semi-rimless designer frames that made him irresistible. "Are the glasses a disguise? Because I totally knew it was you."
"The glasses are real. I often suffer from eyestrain since I spend so much time on the computer, and I was up late last night, working."
"They make you look very smart." She took a moment to imagine how his scruff would feel rubbing against her skin if he were to kiss her.
"I am smart, but I think you mean devastatingly handsome. More so than normal, that is."
"You're so humble."
"Ready?" He walked to the door and held it open for her.
"Follow me." He looked at her and laughed. "That shouldn't be a problem for you."
They took the elevator to the basement, and when the doors opened to the parking garage, Kate followed Ian to a row of cars. He stopped beside one and pulled a set of keys from his pocket.
She gasped.
Ian smiled. "It's a—"
"1964 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe."
"'65. But color me impressed."
"My brother Chad was obsessed with this car. He used to have a poster of it on his bedroom wall. There were only six built between 1964 and 1965."
"A bit rare indeed."
The last authentic Shelby had sold at auction for around seven million. Ian's was obviously a replica, of which there were quite a few, but it was still a very notable vehicle with a price tag that started in the low six figures. "Helena called it an old blue car."
He grinned, looking contemplative. "Technically, that is correct."
Kate could not resist running her hand lightly over the Guardsman Blue paint and the white racing stripes on the hood. The Shelby was unmistakably race-car-like in appearance with its aerodynamic design and unique body style. Chad was going to be so jealous. "For someone who values his privacy, isn't this a bit ostentatious?"
"Rakishly handsome playboy who makes grand philanthropic gestures and drives a flashy car. Any of this ringing a bell?"
"Rakishly handsome playboy?"
"Well, if the Prada loafer fits. Wouldn't you fly under the radar more easily in, say, a Ford Focus?" she asked.
"A Ford Focus? You want me to tool around town in a Ford Focus? Jesus, would I still have my balls?"
"No, they cut them off when they hand you the keys. Of course you'd still have your balls. What kind of question is that? This conversation has gotten way off track."
"You mean because we started out talking about my car and now we're talking about my balls?"
"Are we?"
"I believe so."
"Maybe we should go back to talking about your car."
"You want to drive it, don't you?"
"Why would I want to drive your car?"
"Why wouldn't you want to drive my car? Can you handle a stick shift?"
"Yes, and rather competently I might add."
"That's an enormous turn-on. Truly."
She pretended not to hear him.
"This is not a good car for Minnesota winters." "Horrible, I agree. My other car has four-wheel drive, but it's not nearly as fun to operate as this one." Ian dangled the keys in front of her.
He was right. Kate was dying to drive his car and couldn't wait to see how it handled. She took the keys, opened the door, and reached over to unlock the passenger side for Ian. They belted up, and she started the car.
"Please note that I'm already making good on my promise, Katie. Because I assure you, driving this car will be the opposite of boring."
Author bio and links:
Tracey Garvis Graves is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into twenty-seven languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, and Cherish.
Tracey loves to interact with her readers and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Goodreads Amazon Author Page
Mini Review: Deeper Than Dreams by Jessica Topper
Title: Deeper Than Dreams
Author: Jessica Topper
Genre/themes: Contemporary Romance, Musicians
Will wedding bells rock out for Louder Than Love's most beloved couple in this Love and Steel novella?
Falling in love with rock star Adrian "Digger" Graves was a dream come true for former librarian Kat Lewis. But with a little help from friends and family—including Kat's adorable daughter, Abbey—Adrian has planned an evening and a proposal beyond her wildest dreams.
The night before, Kat witnessed the triumphant reunion of Adrian's rock band at Madison Square Garden. Tonight, he will escort her to the elegant, ultra-exclusive Library Lion's benefit. It seems like a fairytale, but even fairytales have a deeper, darker side. When old habits return to tempt her knight in shining heavy metal armor, will Kat's happily ever after come crashing back to reality?
THIS IS AN EPILOGUE NOVELLA THAT PICKS UP THE DAY AFTER LOUDER THAN LOVE ENDS. This novella is intended to be read after Louder Than Love.
What a sweet follow-up novella to Louder Than Love (review) that was. It read like a lovely and absolutely sweet extended epilogue to Kat and Adrian's romance and made me love all the characters in this series even more than already did.
One could say that nothing much in terms of action happens in this story - just a preparation for a big/the biggest night out for Kat and Adrian, yet for them and their relationship it was like everything happened. Every little thing mattered and had deeper meaning and affected everyone around the main couple in one way or another.
Reading this felt like watching the farewell episode of a beloved TV show where we meet all the stars of the series again. We see all the important people in Kat and Adrian's lives and it was a true beginning of their HEA.
There was a lot of hope and optimism, some saddness and fear, some fun and sexy times. The story sets stage is set for Rick to shine in the next book coming out in September.
Recommended read for fans of the first book. Adrian is even sexier and kinder and more of everything and Kat just melts my heart.
Pre-order link: Amazon
Waiting On Wednesday: Everything I Left Unsaid by Molly O'Keefe
Title: Everything I Left Undsaid
Author: Molly O'Keefe
Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, abuse
Pre-order links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo
Why am I waiting for this? - I absolutely loved Boys of Bishop series of contemporary (so raw and gritty) and when I saw that ms O'Keefe is writing a new contemporary series it got on my TBR list right away. I just love the cover and the blurb is the right kind of mysterious to get me hooked up completely.
Anne Calhoun
Release Day Launch for Evening Storm by Anne Calhoun
It's release day for Evening Storm by Anne Calhoun, next book in her Irresistible series. She's sharing an excerpt, as well as a great giveaway, so be sure to check out all of the release day festivities!
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The national bestselling author of The List continues her sinfully addictive Irresistible series...
When it comes to the wolves of Wall Street, Ryan Hamilton is the leader of the pack. But his bravado is all bluff. The bank he works for is up to it's assets in fraud and shady deals. And thanks to pressure from the NYPD and FBI, Ryan is working as both a trader and a whistleblower. His only respite from the tension is when he parades his latest arm candy at a fancy lingerie shop.
Simone Demarchelier owns Irresistible, crafting custom high-end lingerie. So she's more than happy that Ryan is spending a fortune on his women. But she senses that behind the hotshot facade there is something more. Something tortured and sad. And when he flies her out to the Hamptons in the shadow of a summer thunderstorm in order to fix one of her designs, she instead finds herself stuck in the opulent home with a distraught Ryan.
Is Simone the one person who can mend Ryan's heart and soul?
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N
Exclusive Excerpt
"We have a situation in the Silver Room."
Simone Demarchelier's assistant, Lorrie, murmured the words as she paused at Simone's side on her way across the showroom. A padded brown satin hanger draped with the Woodland Nymph bra dangled from Lorrie's left hand, and similar hangers carefully arranged with matching silk charmeuse robes hung from her raised right hand. A customer waited patiently, for now, by the big front windows.
Simone looked over Lorrie's shoulder to the fitting rooms at the back of the showroom space. The door to the Silver Room had been closed for nearly thirty minutes, which wasn't unusual, or even a problem. At Irresistible a woman was free to take as many items into a dressing room as she liked, and was even encouraged to do so. She would be assisted by Simone, Lorrie, or one of the other lingerie fitting experts to ensure the perfect selection with the perfect fit. Buying lingerie was an intensely personal experience, seeking to showcase the truth and beauty of each woman's skin. So the length of time wasn't the issue. The problem was that the woman, who Simone recognized as "Just Jade" from the spring Fashion Week runways, had been in the room for thirty minutes with a man.
Simone was French, and far too experienced to be naive, but the situation called for a certain level of tact, and that authority came from the designer and owner, not a salesperson. "I'll handle it," she said just as quietly. "See to the woman by the windows."
A smile firmly fixed to her face, Lorrie moved off, distributing the bras on a rack to one side of the elaborate four-post bed in the middle of the showroom, then the robes on a display on the other side. Hands suitably free, she made contact with the customer. Satisfied, Simone crossed to the fitting rooms and rapped smartly on the door.
"Madame? May I assist you?"
From behind the locked door came a rustle of fabric (the sound of silk and chiffon against wool, if her ears didn't deceive her), a throat clearing (male), and then a woman's haughty voice. "As a matter of fact, you may."
The handle turned and the lock clicked open. Simone automatically registered the dark gray raw silk that draped the ceiling, anchored by a sparkling chandelier. Plush pewter carpet blanketed the floor, and mirrors covered three walls from floor to ceiling. Silver hooks hung at regular intervals on the remaining wall, painted a dusky blue that softened to robin's egg near the ceiling. The beautiful room looked like a petulant toddler had torn through a toy box full of the highest quality fabric on the market and hundreds of hours of work, much of it by hand. The petulant toddler in question was a supermodel of international fame known by a single name, Jade, describing the unique color of her eyes. Bras, panties, corsets, slips, and nightdresses were strewn from hooks, on the chaise, and the floor.
Despite Simone's worst fears, Jade was fully dressed, or as dressed as she could be in the Nightwing ensemble, a robe of dramatic thundercloud-gray satin shot through with red, the paler gray panels shifting like racing clouds to expose, then hide, the breasts and thighs. Her caramel and blond hair (definitely extensions) tumbled around her shoulders, framing her dramatic cheekbones and full mouth (either Botox or recently thoroughly kissed).
Simone's gaze flicked past the woman to the man seated on the moss-green, silk-covered chaise lounge, knees spread, hands laced behind his head, staring fixedly at the ceiling. He wore a charcoal- gray suit her practiced eye immediately recognized as bespoke, and a purple silk tie so luscious her fingers itched to touch it. The tie was loosened, exposing a tab-front collar, and his hair was rumpled, but whether from her fingers or artful styling, Simone couldn't tell. A telltale heat stained his cheekbones, matching the slightly swollen look of his mouth.
Recently kissed, then.
He turned to look at Simone. When their gazes met, Simone's heart kicked hard against her breastbone. His hazel eyes widened ever so slightly. She'd never seen this man before in her life, but she knew this type. Her family's house had been a mainstay in the fashion world for nearly two hundred years. Her father told stories of businessmen in the seventies bringing in their mistresses to be fitted for smart suits perfect for lunching at La Tour d' Argent. Her grandfather told stories of aristocrats in the thirties bringing in their mistresses to be fitted for ball gowns and day dresses. They both told stories passed down from her grandfather's grandfather, stories of royalty ordering a king's ransom in silk corsets, pantaloons, fur-trimmed robes, and sheer nightdresses. Men with money used it to get houses and planes and cars and tables at exclusive restaurants. They also used it to get mistresses, and used it to dress their mistresses for their pleasure. They expected personalized service, immediate delivery, and privacy while the woman du jour modeled for them. They were smart and powerful, and felt at home in a world where politics, entertainment, business, and sex came together in a combustible mix. But because the last thing she needed was a reputation as someone who poached from her clientele, they were off-limits.
Off-limits never looked so irresistible.
Anne Calhoun Bio
After doing time at Fortune 500 companies on both coasts, Anne landed in a flyover state, where she traded business casual for yoga pants and decided to write down all the lively story ideas that got her through years of monotonous corporate meetings. Her first book, LIBERATING LACEY won the EPIC Award for Best Contemporary Erotic Romance and was chosen as one of NPR's 100 Swoon-worthy Romances, and her latest novel, THE LIST, received a Starred Review from Publisher's Weekly. Anne holds a BA in History and English, and an MA in American Studies from Columbia University. When she's not writing her hobbies include reading, knitting, and yoga. She lives in the Midwest with her family and has successfully overcome her Starbucks addiction.
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Enter Anne's Giveaway!!
Friday Favoruites # 13: Laura Florand
Today's guest at Friday Favourites is the amazing Ms Laura Florand. She writes sensual romantic stories with complex characters exploring their emotions and desires set in the wolrd of top French chocolatiers. Her new series takes us to French rose valleys, La Vie En Roses, and the romance is just as delightful.
1. Favourite place
I honestly have far too many to choose one. I love Paris, and many special places in it, the Seine at night, the special chocolate shops, the Luxembourg Gardens. And I love the south of France, where I'm setting the Vie en Roses series. I think you can tell both of those loves from the books! But I really love to travel, so there are also many other places I love—in Spain, in Italy, in Tahiti, in the U.S., in Belgium—that are beautiful and special but don't make it into the books.
2. Favourite food and drink
That one is easy for me! Chocolate, of course. Very, very good chocolate!
3. Favourite music/genre/artist/song
I'm not entirely sure I have one. My playlists change so much according to mood or what I'm doing. (You want different music for a long plane ride than you do for a run or the gym, for example.) Let's see—if people are looking for French music, I really like Zaz. That rough voice and jazz-rich music. "Je veux" and "La Fée" would be my suggestions for first songs to listen to from her.
4. Favourite movie/TV series
I usually do poorly with TV series. They drive me crazy. But one very brief series, which I loved and hope will be renewed, is Agent Carter. Very, very well done, much better than Agents of SHIELD, which, alas, I only managed to get 5 episodes into before it started making me too crazy. (I know, I know—everyone loves it. I'm sorry! My tastes are often weird.)
But for favorite movie? I am going to have to admit that it is, of course, Star Wars, like I think many of my generation. That was the second movie I ever saw in an actual theater—our father took us to exactly five movies as children, Snow White, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and a French movie which I don't remember well, but I believe he regretted it, because there was nudity beyond my years.
For older films—some of the animated films that have come out in the past ten years or so are incredible. One of my standout favorites of those is actually Lilo and Stitch for the relationship between Lilo and her sister, but Big Hero Six won a big place in my heart just a few months ago.
And I love black and white romantic movies with great dialogue, such as Bringing Up Baby.
5. Favourite hobby besides writing, if you consider writing a hobby
I definitely don't consider writing a hobby. It's a full-time career, and as I juggle two full-time careers right now, between writing and Duke, and have a small child, I often feel I don't have any time left for hobbies.
The closest thing might be exercise-related. I used to do a lot of dance (I co-led a semi-professional dance group, in fact) and then triathlons and now weight-lifting. I'm not sure if hobby is quite the right word for any of those, as they're pretty demanding, but the physical exercise helps me a lot with stress and balance, which is one of my challenges right now.
I do love to travel, though, and travel a lot. And I love food, so one of my hobbies is actually searching out all kinds of new foodie places, particularly chocolate, and trying them.
It is very hard for me to answer this question. I have so many books that I love. I'm going to just look at my iPad, where my Kindle app is set to organize books by most recent reads, and tell you the last five books I read that I really loved. They're in all kinds of genres!
1) Dorothy Sayers' Gaudy Night and Busman's Holiday. (Strong Poison starts the Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane arc, so a new reader needs to start there, as it's the whole arc that interests me, but the last two were the best.) I had never read these, and people had recommended them to me frequently, and it's true—they're wonderful books.
2) Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm. (A re-read for our course we taught on the Romance Novel at Duke. I love Kinsale's writing so much.)
3) Sage Blackwood's Jinx and sequels. This is a middle grade fantasy, and it's just delightful—the main character, the setting, the author's use of language. I highly recommend it!
4) Ilona Andrews' On the Edge. Another re-read, also for our course. Ilona Andrews (or Ilona and Gordon together) write such fantastic stories. I recommend anything they write.
5) Terry Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight. Also a re-read. I went on a re-reading stint of Terry Pratchett's books after his death—it just consoled me to know I could always read his books—and so the next ten recommended reads after this would be just more of his books. I Shall Wear Midnight is the last book about Tiffany Aching, one of my favorite characters. (I strongly recommend that everyone read Pratchett's books about Granny Weatherwax and then go on to Tiffany. The books about the witches are works of wit and art.)
Those are my most recent stand-out reads! What about the rest of you? What are you reading right now? What do you recommend?
Thanks so much for inviting me to join you, Elena, and thanks to all of you for reading! I'd love to learn some of your favorites, too.
Laura Florand is the international bestselling and award-winning author of fifteen books, including the Paris Hearts series (All for You) and the Amour et Chocolat series (The Chocolate Thief) where sexy Parisian chocolatiers woo the women they love with what they love best – romance you can taste. Her books have appeared in ten languages, been nominated for RT Reviewers' Choice Best Book of the Year, received the RT Seal of Excellence and starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and been recommended by USA Today, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal.
She was born in Georgia, but the travel bug bit her early. After a Fulbright year in Tahiti, a semester in Spain, and backpacking everywhere from New Zealand to Greece, she ended up living in Paris, where she met and married her own handsome Frenchman, a story told in her first book Blame It on Paris. Now a lecturer at Duke University, she is very dedicated to her research into French chocolate. For a glimpse behind the scenes of some of that research as well as recommendations for US chocolate, make sure to check out her website: www.lauraflorand.com.
Laura Florand's latest release is A Wish Upon Jasmine, book 2 in her La Vie En Roses series. This time we follow the fates of a family of French perfume makers in the Valley of roses/jasmine near Grasse, France. I'm just finishing the book and will review it shortly.
Ruthless. That was what they said about Damien Rosier. Handsome. Wealthy. Powerful. Merciless. No one messed with his family, because to do so they would have to get through him. No one thought he had a heart. Not even the woman he gave his to.
Cynical. That was what they said about Jasmin Bianchi. A top perfumer of her generation, Jess had achieved commercial success by growing a protective shell over a tender heart. The one time she cracked it open to let Damien in, he crushed it—after a night of unbelievable passion.
Lovers. That one magical night couldn't survive the harsh light of dawn. When Jess woke up to discover the man in bed beside her had stolen her company, she fled.
Enemies. Now she's come to the south of France with a threat to his family heritage. If he wants to reclaim both it and the woman who walked away from him, he's going to have to fight as dirty as only Damien can.
But Jess knows how to fight dirty, too. And these days, she has nothing left to lose.
Certainly not her heart.
Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Kobo
Review: Truth or Beard by Penny Reid
Title: Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers #1)
Author's links: Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!
Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level headed good girl, has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life. His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she's never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can't stand him, and she's pretty sure he can't stand the sight of her…
But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane's disdain; therefore she's unprepared for the reality that is Duane's insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica's muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang.
Certainly, Beau's magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-headed heart is she willing to risk?
Series Description:
Everyone in Green Valley, Tennessee knows that the six bearded Winston brothers have been imbued with an unfair share of charm and charisma… and are prone to mischief.
Truth or Beard is book #1 in the Winston Brother's series. Each book is a standalone, full length (120k words), contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the romantic exploits and adventures of one of the six Winston Brothers.
This is book 1 in a spin-off series to the Knitting in the City series of romantic comedies. We met the six Winston brothers in Beauty and Mustache (review) and they completely won me over with their unique type of hillbilly/gentlemanly charm.
I really, really loved this story. It has the trade-mark Penny Reid's humour and awkwardness, smart and sassy heroes and heroines. Duane is one of the ginger twins and he was such a well developed character, curious and in typical for Ms Reid style - a mix of contradictions. Just when you think you know who he is - a hillbilly small-town mechanic and you are thrown in for a loop - he is romantic and gentle, devoted to his family and friends, loves his woman with a passion but is willing to let her go if that is what will make her happy. I absolutely loved his gentlemanly and old-fashioned courtship of Jessica. It was sweet and over-the-top and absolutely irresistible. He tried so hard to make everything perfect which naturally doesn't work in real life but his tenacity, in a way his stubbornness won my heart forever.
Jessica is another strong, independent heroine Ms Reid has created. She just got her degree in math science and is teaching at the local school, while saving money to fulfil her dreams of travelling the world. I loved her a lot, though for me Duane stood out more.
What I particularly appreciated in the romance is that he didn't make her change for him, he realised that making her give up her dream for him would eventually made her desirable. I didn't really buy her fear of permanence, her reluctance to accept him in her life. I respect that she had dreams she wanted to pursue and they didn't include the conventional find true love, settle down and have family and kids. It was just difficult for me to relate to her stubborn refusal to accept that life throws surprises in your way and need to adapt to them. And these were even the good kind of surprises. Maybe her dreams were just too different from my personal views on life but still, I appreciate how they tried to find a way to be together without either of them giving up their dreams. They were ready to come up with new common dreams.
Some plot twists and turns were quite surprising and didn't make much sense initially but I believe their deeper meaning will be revealed as the series progresses.
I absolutely loved the humour in the story and the drama in the Winston family was engaging and made be anxious about the stories of the rest of the brothers.
I've read all of of Ms Reid' books so far and can honestly say that her romantic comedies (Knitting in the City and Winston Brothers series) work best for me. She is an autobuy author for me and these series are my perfect comfort read - sweet and quirky and fun and a little bit sad and serious. She creates a rich colourful world full of odd-ball characters. Penny Reid plays with words so skillfully and it's always a pleasure to follow her word games and obscure pop culture/science references. Can't wait for the next Winston brother to fall in love!
Purchase links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / iTunes / B&N / Kobo
You can find my reviews of Ms Reid's other novels in the Review Policy and Archive section of the blog.
Jessica Topper
Waiting on Wednesday: Deeper Than Dreams by Jessica Topper
Pre-order: Amazon
Why am I waiting for this? - I came across Louder Than Love (review) by chance last year when it was released. I took a chance on new author and ended up loving the book. There was no HEA epilogue for Adrian and Kat, so instead Ms Topper wrote a full follow-up novella and I'm sure that it will be just as good as their first book. Older hero, (ex) rock/metal star and a widowed librarian with an adorable daughter - sounds like a perfect romance to me.
Releaze Day Launch for Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey...
Waiting On Wednesday: Everything I Left Unsaid by ...
Waiting on Wednesday: Deeper Than Dreams by Jessic...
Friday Favourites #12: K. J. Charles
Review: Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Waiting on Wednesday: Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ronald Summerfield
Trustees >
History of the Trust
Administration of the Trust
Legacies and Donations
Grants Paid
Grants Paid Reports
ABOUT US > Ronald Summerfield > The History of the Trust > The Trustees > Administration of the Trust > Legacies and Donations
The History of the Trust
Ronald Summerfield set up the framework for the Trust just weeks before he died in March 1989. At the time, only his few closest friends were aware of the legacy he was to leave behind.
It took a team of 10 men four months to sort through and catalogue the two million items stored at his shop and home including paintings and artwork, silverware, jewellery, textiles, clocks, ceramics, statues, furniture and books. The treasures went under the hammer at a series of auctions carried out by Christie's of London,Sotheby's and Gloucester-based Bruton Knowles, raising a total of £7 million. Virtually all of the money raised was left to the Trust and was invested. With the help and foresight of the founding Trustees - Earl Fortescue who was working at Christies Auctioneers at the time, and Cheltenham solicitor Martin Davis - the money raised from Ronald Summerfield's estate continues to support many charitable projects and good causes throughout Gloucestershire today.
Above are images of some of the auction catalogues from the sales held in Cheltenham and London (scanned from originals), and photos of the contents of Ron's home and shop (photos courtesy of Simon and Martin Reynolds).
Click the image to view report
More than 20 Years of Grant-Giving in Gloucestershire
Since its inception in 1989, the Summerfield Charitable Trust has donated more than £7 million in a total of more than 2,300 separate grants. These grants have directly benefited many different charitable projects and good causes in Gloucestershire.
To commemorate our 20th Anniversary in 2009 we produced a report giving a background of grants awarded over the years. Click on the thumbnail image to view the report.
ADMIN & TRUSTEE LOGIN
© 2018 Summerfield Charitable Trust
Site maintained by The Trust Partnership


text:
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//
// Copyright Microsoft Corporation
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

using System.Management.Automation;
using Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.ServiceManagement.Properties;
using Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.Utilities.Common;
using Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.Utilities.Store;
using Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Management.Compute.Models;

namespace Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.ServiceManagement.IaaS.Network
{
    [Cmdlet(VerbsCommon.Remove, "AzureDns"), OutputType(typeof(ManagementOperationContext))]
    public class RemoveAzureDnsCommand : ServiceManagementBaseCmdlet
    {
        public PowerShellCustomConfirmation CustomConfirmation;

        [Parameter(Position = 0, Mandatory = true, HelpMessage = "Name of the DNS Server")]
        [ValidateNotNullOrEmpty]
        public string Name { get; set; }

        [Parameter(Position = 1, Mandatory = true, HelpMessage = "Service Name")]
        [ValidateNotNullOrEmpty]
        public string ServiceName { get; set; }

        [Parameter(Position = 2, Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "Do not confirm deletion of deployment")]
        public SwitchParameter Force { get; set; }

        private void RemoveDnsServer()
        {
            ServiceManagementProfile.Initialize();

            ExecuteClientActionNewSM(null,
                CommandRuntime.ToString(),
                () =>
                {
                    var deploymentName = this.ComputeClient.Deployments.GetBySlot(
                        this.ServiceName,
                        DeploymentSlot.Production).Name;

                    return this.ComputeClient.DnsServer.DeleteDNSServer(
                        this.ServiceName,
                        deploymentName,
                        this.Name);
                });
        }

        private string GetWarningMessage()
        {
            return string.Format(Resources.RemoveAzureDnsServerWarning, this.Name, this.ServiceName);
        }

        protected override void ProcessRecord()
        {
            if (this.Force.IsPresent)
            {
                this.RemoveDnsServer();
            }
            else
            {
                CustomConfirmation = CustomConfirmation ?? new PowerShellCustomConfirmation(Host);
                bool remove = CustomConfirmation.ShouldProcess(Resources.RemoveAzureDnsServerCaption, this.GetWarningMessage());
                if (remove)
                {
                    this.RemoveDnsServer();
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: How to compile an Angular template and insert it in DOM with appendChild? I'm trying to insert a new  into page html. This div should get it's content from an Angular template.
I've tried this and it doesn't work.
var tpl = $compile( '"

"' )( scope );
document.body.appendChild(tpl);

tpl returns null.

A: Don't be tempted to do that. I know when dealing with jQuery and coming to Angular we feel the urge to try to use strings for everything, and appendTo, prepend, replaceWith.
Directives are your best bet, and you don't need to get your hands jQuery-dirty.
app.directive('includeIt', function(){
  return {
    restrict: 'A',
    scope: {template:'=includeIt'},
    template: '

'
  };
});

app.controller('Ctrl', function(){
   this.templates = ['template1.tpl.html','template2.tpl.html'];
});

then you use the directive in your HTML

This way you can include automatically all your "templates" automatically, that appends to the DOM without you having to touch jQuery. See it in action here http://plnkr.co/edit/WFEcB1QJlD9D98rC57J9?p=preview

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Recently was held the inaugural meeting of two new Full Frontal groups in Chatham. One is around Chatham Station and the Alexandra Hotel – run by Andy Butcher who also hosted the meeting in the pub – and the other – FF Gibraltar Hill, run by Sandra Fowler. Full Frontal welcomes both groups!
We have a NEW GROUP in Brompton High Street is starting up with planting an empty raised bed outside the block of flats, Boleyn Court on the corner of Brompton High Street – Plants ordered and planting date tbc soon! keep watching this spot!
…. And Introducing Castle Avenue!
Rochester Avenue's branch of Full Frontal is going really well. There are about 18 houses involved, and we have noticed other houses also planting out, which is great news. The gallery shows off some of this summer's frontages.


text: Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian, who was active in voice-over roles. He was known for providing the voices of Walt Disney's George Darling and Captain Hook in Peter Pan (1953), for playing the villainous title role in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, Dr. Miller on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's Dudley Do-Right cartoons, Professor Waldo P. Wigglesworth in Ward's Hoppity Hooper cartoons, and Professor Kropotkin on the radio and film versions of My Friend Irma. He also appeared as Uncle Tonoose on Danny Thomas' sitcom Make Room for Daddy, and in multiple roles on I Love Lucy.


3D Printing Insider: LIX, World's Smallest 3D Printing Pen – prints in thin air.
The LIX 3D Pen offers up a futuristic alternative to doodling — users can create firm, freestanding structures by simply writing and drawing in the air. To begin creating, users need to plug in the LIX Pen power cable to a USB outlet and wait less than one minute for the colored plastic (works with both ABS filament and PLA filament) to heat up to the desired temperature.
← 3D Printing Insider: 3D Printed Cartilage for Osteoarthritis.


Christmas is many many things!! But this Christmas we return back to the original "Cast of Characters". This week Pastor Jeff looks at the Shepherds and what they heard and how it brings clarity on the message of Christmas.
You may think you know all the characters of the Christmas Story. We'll uncover the stories behind the story & how you fit in. Most people will spend Christmas somewhere. We would love for you to spend it with us and bring someone else along!


Monthly Get together events for Turkish Business Council are going on.
23rd April National Sovereignty and Children's Day has been Celebrated over a lunch and with Geveze Show at Beach Rotana Hotel on 15th October 2013 with 350 people.
Eid Al Adha was celebrated over a breakfast event at Beach Rotana Hotel on 15th October 2013 with 200 people.
From comparatively small beginnings in 2009, Abu Dhabi Turkish Business Council or TBC as it is now popularly known, has grown in stature and influence with members comprising of corporate and individuals. TBC is a non-profit organization.
I would like to draw your attention to the vibrancy of the young and highly educated population of Turkey. It becomes clearer each day that Turkey provides many opportunities for Emirati businesses of all types. We work strongly to enhance the bus..
Turkish Business Council was very usefull to our business establishing in Abu Dhabi by guiding and directing us thru government official. We would like to thank them in their business and wishing contin..


Whether you are a seasoned baker or a novice, there's a cake you can make that will leave Mom impressed, proud, and touched with your thoughtfulness.
Baking a cake is one of the sweetest ways to show Mom just how special she is. It's a meaningful gesture because you've spent time creating something with care and love from your own hands. Below are five of our favorite cake recipes that are sure to please.
A good bit of salt enhances all the flavors here. Combine that with rich browned butter and deep cocoa and you've got an amazingly decadent (yet light) dessert.
Don't panic--this strawberry and whipped cream-filled cake is surprisingly easy to roll. The tender almond cake is perfect for enveloping the sweet strawberries and rich cream.
This gorgeous dessert uses only five ingredients--sugar, butter, eggs, cake flour, and cocoa (we don't count water, salt, and cooking spray). The chocolate sauce that tops the individual cakes is luscious, thick, and glossy, with full-on chocolate flavor.
Pull a cake out when you start making dinner, and it'll be ready for dessert. Now that's sweet! Everyone will get an individual cheesecake, perfectly portioned with creamy cheese filling, tender rhubarb, and crunchy granola.
You'd never guess that this gorgeous cake is gluten-free. Made with a combination of almond flour and macadamia nuts, it has a naturally rich flavor and delightful crumbly texture.


text:
Truck Accident Brain Injury Case Results in $5.5 Million Settlement Our Virginia truck accident injury law firm settled multiple cases stemming from a collision between our clients' car and a tractor-trailer. We obtained $5.5 million for one girl who suffered traumatic brain injuries and developed intellectual impairments.
$340,000 Arbitration Award for Man Who Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury From Crash Caused by Distracted Driver Our Virginia traumatic brain injury and car accident law firm secured a $340,000 injury and disability award for a human rights advocate and attorney who suffered traumatic brain injuries in a crash caused by a distracted medical van driver.
Boy's Brain Injury From Virginia Beach Drunk Driving Accident Results in Sizable Settlement Our Virginia car accident and brain injury law firm helped a family secure a large settlement from the insurance company of a second-offense drunk driver.
I would highly recommend Mr. Shapiro to any victim of a traumatic injury who is in need of an attorney they can trust. Mr. Shapiro will give your case the attention it deserves, regardless of the complexity of the legal issues, severity of the injuries or the final reward. L.M.
Motorcycle Rider Killed in Henrico Co., VA Crash
A crash between a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle near Richmond, Virginia (VA), left the motorcyclist dead. The fatal collision happened near an entrance to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens on Lakeside Avenue in Henrico County a little after 6 pm on April 9, 2017.
Investigators did not release details on the cause of the deadly wreck. It is known that the motorcycle rider died at the scene, but the nature of the fatal injuries was not reported.
Passenger vehicles represent a constant threat to motorcycle riders. A thorough analyses of federal crash statistics by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) researchers revealed that in 2013, "there were 2,182 two-vehicle fatal crashes involving a motorcycle and another type of vehicle." These deadly incidents accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, and those numbers leave out the roughly 88,000 motorcycle riders who suffered injuries in wreck with other vehicles during 2013.
The most common scenario in which a motorcyclist died in crash involved a car, SUV or truck turning left in front of the rider. This finding confirmed analyses of crash data from 2007, which showed that "for the passenger vehicle drivers involved in two-vehicle motorcycle crashes, 35 percent of the driver-related factor was failure to yield right-of-way compared to only 4 percent for motorcycle operators."
That earlier study, which was also performed under the authority of NHTSA, also revealed that "for the passenger vehicle drivers involved, nearly 15 percent had violations of rules-of-the-road charged (like turning, yielding, signaling); about 9 percent had violations charged for offenses like reckless driving, careless driving, and hit-and-run."
The biggest problem with such negligent or reckless errors by drivers is that a motorcycle rider has none of the protections afforded by a passenger vehicle. Motorcycles have no side panels, front crumple zones, bumpers or fenders. Any kind of crash can easily prove fatal.
While the investigation into the deadly wreck in Henrico County continues, the family of the motorcyclist who died could benefit from consulting with a Virginia wrongful death attorney who has experience representing victims of wrecks caused by car and truck drivers.


But what about the 'tracer'?
It wasn't that impressive, believe me!...I missed two completely!
I have never used tracer....you're confusing me with someone else.
We were talking about tracers.
[ps, I know how you feel, pigeons are a lot of fun at this time of year].
#4 shot is too big. #6 30g.
I use gamebore CP 6's why do you go for 4's MM?
Bought them cheap from a bloke in the pub!
I think I need more tuition. All these years later, my hit/miss ratio hasn't improved. I now use 32g 6's, but still miss at least 50%.
I first read that as "I used to be madam"
Calm down, dear. No cause for excitement.
And another four years on and nothing has changed apart from Deerstalker shuffling off his mortal coil.
My shotgunning is still rubbish. I may sell the shotty and just stick with my rifles.
Don't you start I get enough of that from young Smutty!
He's not so young now!
Trouble is, rifle shooting and shotgun shooting do not go together. If you shoot a rifle a lot the temptation is to shoot a shotgun the same way and you can't. If you try to aim with a shotgun you're always going to miss behind, as if you're pointing right at a moving target when you pull the trigger it won't be where you've aimed.
With a shotgun it's always 'don't shoot where it is, shoot where it's going to be'.
Take limited notice of me though, as I've only been clay shooting about a year and I'm still very much a C class shot (averaging in the mid 60's).


text:
Anderson, William G. 7
Anderson, Norma L. (Norma Lee) 5
Kennedy, Robert F. 5
King, Coretta Scott 5
Southern Christian Leadership Conference 5
United States. Dept. of Justice 5
Albany, Ga. 7
Albany Movement 7
name:(Anderson, Norma)
Photo of Slater King, Charles Sherrod, Norma Anderson, Lois Marian Steele, William G. Anderson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, and Ralph Abernathy at Mt. Zion Baptist Church
[Albany, Ga.]
[8/10/1962]
King, Slater
Sherrod, Charles
Anderson, Norma L. (Norma Lee)
Steele, Lois Marian
Anderson, William G.
Abernathy, Ralph
Mt. Zion Baptist Church (Albany, Ga.)
Albany Movement
Albany, Ga.
WAC-INP
William G. Anderson Collection, In Private Hands
WGAC-GAMK, William G. Anderson Collection, Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
Jones, Clarence B.
Lubell, Lubell and Jones
v. cut
Jones, Dana
Kennedy, Robert F. [United States. Dept. of Justice]
O'Dell, Jack (Jack H.)
United States. Dept. of Justice
Strength to Love
MLKJP-GAMK
Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers (Series I-IV), Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
WPRC-MiDW-AL, UAW President's Office: Walter P. Reuther Collection, Wayne State University, Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs, Detroit, Mich.
2/10/2022 mcweaver
8/9/2022 dalai
Memo, ''Racial situation, Albany, Ga.''
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Garrow, David J. ed., Centers of the Southern Struggle: FBI files on Montgomery, Albany, St. Augustine, Selma, and Memphis [microfilm], (Frederick, Md: University Publications of America, 1988).
Abernathy, Juanita Odessa Jones
Walker, Ann
Walker, Wyatt Tee
Roos, Stephen A.
Mt. Shiloh Baptist Church
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Union Baptist Church
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation--Archives
FBIDG-NN-Sc
David Garrow Federal Bureau of Investigation Collection, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, New York, N.Y.
Testimony in Anderson, et al. v. City of Albany
Abernathy, Ralph, Defendant
Scott, Dred
Hollowell, Donald
Bryan, William Jennings
Leverett, E. Freeman
Pritchett, Laurie
Anderson, Norma
Shiloh Baptist Church (Albany, Ga.)
Albany City Hall
Albany City Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Arrests
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Trials, litigation, etc.
Segregation--law and legislation
GEpNASR
United States National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, Ga.
12/5/2012 szwald
Press release, ''New York ministers plan march on White House, Georgia unless JFK acts to support Dr. Martin King''
New York Friends of the SCLC
Lawrence, George W. [Southern Christian Leadership Conference]
Kilgore, Thomas [New York Friends of the SCLC]
Anderson, William G. [Albany Movement (Albany, Ga.)]
Hildebrand, Richard [Bethel AME Church (Manhattan N.Y.)]
Ray, Sandy F. [Empire State Baptist Convention]
Walls, William Jacob [AME Zion Church]
Robinson, James H. [Church of the Master, United Presbyterian]
Donegan, Horace W. B. (Horace William Baden) [Protestant Episcopal Church (New York N.Y.)]
Williams, Joshua O. [Salem Methodist Church (New York, N.Y.)]
Weston, M. Moran [St. Phillips Episcopal Church (New York, N.Y.)]
Antioch Baptist Church (New York, N.Y.)
Friendship Baptist Church (New York, N.Y.)
Bethel AME Church (Manhattan N.Y.)
Empire State Baptist Convention
AME Zion Church
Salem Methodist Church (New York, N.Y.)
St. Phillips Episcopal Church (New York, N.Y.)
Protestant Episcopal Church (New York N.Y.)
Second Emancipation Proclamation
Church and Race Relations
WGAC-GAMK
William G. Anderson Collection, Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
Press release, ''Latest from Albany''
King, Slater [Albany Movement (Albany, Ga.)]
Gober, Bertha [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.)]
Collins, Norma [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.)]
Kelley, Asa D.
Simmons, Joe E.
Daniels, Carolyn
Daniels, Rochester
Zellner, Bob [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.)]
Ellis, Augustus
Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest)
McDew, Charles [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.)]
Albany State College
Albany Movement (Albany, Ga.)
Georgia National Guard
United States. Interstate Commerce Commission
Albany (Ga.). Police Dept.
Tallahassee, Fla.
Jail no bail
Police - Complaints against
Segregation in transportation
ACLUR-NjP-SC-SC
American Civil Liberties Union Records, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
Box 127, folder 16, Reel 6
6/5/2013 dbeals
Transcript of Trial Testimony, Kelly v. Page, 335 F.2d 114, (5th Cir. 1964)
7/30/1962-9/26/1962
1711 pp.
12/10/1961-7/21/1962
8/6/1963-8/8/1963
Roos, Stephen
Moore, Howard, Jr.
Campbell, David C., Jr.
Elliott, Robert J.
King C. B. (Chevene Bowers)
Motley, Constance Baker
Joiner, Claude, Jr.
Greenberg, Jack
Rachlin, Carl
Rawls, H. Grady
Jones, Charles Miles
Hurley, Ruby
Tuttle, Elbert P. (Elbert Parr)
Bootle, W. A.
Burt, Hilliard P.
Parker, H. Okay
Cowart, John P.
Reeves, Frank D.
Ingram, Anna
Wadsworth, Edward W.
Carow, Raymond A.
Campbell, Kathryn T.
Wells, Samuel B.
Jackson, Emanuel
Wright, Irene Asbury
Stricklin, Jonnie L.
Humber, W. M., Jr.
Ezell, G. G.
Anderson, Marian
Zellner, Bob
Smith, Vic
Gay, Benjamin
Harrison, Elijah
Smith, Joseph R.
Harris, Emory
Courson, Evelyn
Janelle, Ray A.
Jackson, Bo
Hammontree, R. V.
Sweeting, W. E.
Clegg, Melvin R.
O'Scott, David R.
Lorig, M. C.
Hill, Claude
Heidt, E. H., Jr.
Friend, J. E.
Manley, B. L.
Moody, E. E.
Johnson, George F.
Luton, Ollie
Phillips, Ernest Vandousen
Robinson, James M.
Blalock, Rodney H.
Summerford, Leslie
Wilson, Ossie LeVernette
Westbrook, Price L.
Johnston, Proctor M.
Lairsey, J. J.
Slaughter, Raymond F.
Churchwell, Allen
Cochran, Ben
Quarterman, Ola Mae
Gaines, Patricia Ann
United States. Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
United States. District Court (Georgia : Middle District : Albany Division)
WALB-TV Television Station
Textile Workers Union of America
Cities Transit, Inc.
Ministers Association
Federal Women's Clubs
Negro Voters League
Albany Herald
Atlanta Constitution
Kiokee Baptist Church (Albany, Ga.)
Rhodes Furniture Company (Albany, Ga.)
Albany City Commission (Albany, Ga.)
Albany Chamber of Commerce (Albany, Ga.)
Union News Company, Inc.
City Transit, Inc.
F. & S. Services, Inc. (Albany, Ga.)
Harlem Cab Company (Albany, Ga.)
United States. District Court (Tennessee : Eastern District)
Legal and Defense Fund
Trailway Bus Company
Southern Regional Council
California College of Medicine
New Orleans, La.
Dougherty County, Ga.
Muscogee County, Ga.
Nashville, Tenn.
Columbus, Ga.
Macon, Ga.
Newnan, Ga.
Charlotte, N.C.
Griffin, Ga.
Camilla, Ga.
Newton, Ga.
Waycross, Ga.
Sylvester, Ga.
Flint, Mich.
Sarasota, Fla.
Meet the Press Television Program
Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas
Discrimination in public accomodations
USDCAlb-GEpNASR
Civil Cases, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (Albany), United States National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, Ga.
Record Group 21
''Albany: Special report of the Southern Regional Council''
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt)
Smith, James W.
Walden, A. T. (Austin Thomas)
McCollum, Selyn
Gray, James H.
Reagan, Cordell
Toney, Evelyn
Wilson, Eddie
Carswell, Julian
Gober, Bertha
Hall, Blanton
Searles, A.C.
Lee, Bernard Scott
Taitt, Lenora
Hayden, Tom
Collins, Norma
Jones, Willie Mae
Forman, James
Laursen, Per
Kennedy, Robert F.
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines)
Mathison, E.Z.
Jackson, Andrew
Dennis, William H.
Roberts, Gordon
Pollock, Marshall
Freedom Ride Coordinating Committee
Albany (Ga.) Police Dept.
Southwest Georgian
United States. National Guard
New York Times Company
University System Board of Regents
Trailways Bus Company
Athens, Ga.
Royal Oak, Mich.
Brunswick, Ga.
Americus, Ga.
Dawson, Ga.
Leesburg, Ga.
Jackson, Miss.
Birmingham, Ala.
McComb, Miss.
Greensboro, N.C.
HZP-WHi, Howard Zinn Papers, 1956-1970, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
TeM-TNJ, Facts on film [Microfilm], Southern Education Reporting Service Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
12/21/2012 szwald
Wiretap of telephone conversations between Stanley D. Levison and Clarence B. Jones, between Levison, Lester Hamilton, and Toni Hamilton, between Levison and Coretta Scott King, between Levison, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jones, and other miscellaneous calls
Levison, Stanley D.
Levison, Beatrice
Olson, Avery
Javits, Jacob K. (Jacob Koppel) [United States. Congress. Senate]
Hamilton, Lester
Hamilton, Toni
Lancaster, Burt
Goldberg, Arthur J. [United States. Supreme Court]
Goldberg, Dorothy K.
Berg, Gertrude
Wilkins, Roy
Evers, Medgar Wiley
Thompson, Allen C. [Jackson (Miss.). Office of the Mayor]
Steele, C. Kenzie
Douglas, Paul H. (Paul Howard)
Lee, James A.
Newman, Paul
Brando, Marlon
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Victoria Theater (New York, N.Y.)
United Auto Workers
Jackson (Miss.). Office of the Mayor
Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, District 65 (New York, N.Y.)
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance files
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Civil rights demonstrations
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Critics
SLFBI-DJ
Stanley Levison FBI File, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Bureau File 100-111180-9-185a


Try out our amino acids in different flavors. One-time portions that just unpack into water and enjoy!
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Holistic health and wellness: Being located inside Yarra Medical Abbotsford provides a patient-centred, multi-disciplinary approach to holistic health and wellness. The medical practitioners have entrusted us with the care of their patients, whether it be injuries or health concerns.
Detailed initial assessment: An initial assessment allows us to precisely assess your condition and provide you with an accurate diagnosis, formulate a treatment plan and work out underlying predisposing factors to prevent re-occurrence.
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Hands on treatment: Soft tissue and joint manipulation. No reliance on passive machines. We never treat more than one client at a time and treatment is provided in a private room.
Exercise prescription: Provide a tailored written exercise program with instructions/diagrams with follow up updates and progressions.
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Evidence based practice: All techniques used are based on current validated research.


TAMPA, Fla., April 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Citrus Bancorporation, Inc. (OTC Pink:FCIT), the parent bank holding company for First Citrus Bank, has released its financial results for the first quarter of 2018, with quarterly earnings of $609,000, or $0.32 per share.
Return on equity 7.92%, a reduction of 1.13%.
Net income for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $609,000, or $0.32 per share, compared to net income of $561,000, or $0.34 per share for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The common stock offering completed on December 29, 2017 and increased shares outstanding by 286,339, reducing EPS by $0.05 per share. The additional shares were sold at a 24% premium to book value.
Book value per share at March 31, 2018 was $16.06, an increase of 11.3% over the $14.43 book value per share at March 31, 2017.
Total assets were $369 million at March 31, 2018, an increase of $45 million, or 13.9% from $324 million at March 31, 2017.
Total loans grew to $291 million at March 31, 2018, an increase of $25 million, or 9.4% from $266 million at March 31, 2017. DDA balances for March 31, 2018 were $101.5 million, an increase of $22.2 million, or 28.1% over 2017. DDA balances represented 32.4% of 2018 total deposits.
"We believe the opportunity for accelerated market share growth continues to be extraordinary. Which is why we raised capital last year for the first time in over a decade," says John M. Barrett, President and Chief Executive Officer.
About First Citrus Bancorporation, Inc.
First Citrus Bank, a $368 million commercial bank, was established in 1999 and is headquartered in Tampa. Ranked as one of the Top 25 Commercial Loan Producers in the Nation by the magazine IB Independent Banker, it serves businesses and individuals through a range of tailored financial solutions. Specializing in retail and commercial banking services, First Citrus Bank has five locations throughout Tampa Bay.
First Citrus Bank creates a more vibrant Tampa Bay through financing economic growth at the local level. For additional information, please visit http://www.firstcitrus.com.
Information in this release relating to the Company's future prospects which are forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) operating, legal and regulatory risks, such as continued levels of loan quality and origination volume, continued relationships with major customers and technological changes; (2) economic, political and competitive forces affecting our banking business, such as changes in economic conditions, especially in our market area, interest rate fluctuations, competitive product and pricing pressures within our market, personal and corporate bankruptcies, monetary policy and inflation; (3) our ability to grow internally or through acquisitions; and (4) the risk that management's analyses of these risks and forces could be incorrect and/or that the strategies developed to address them could be unsuccessful. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "expects," "believe," "will," "intends," "will be" or "would." First Citrus Bancorporation assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information in this announcement, except as required under applicable law.


text:
Afterpay users could face surcharge
John KehoeSenior Writer
Nov 29, 2019 — 4.39pm
The $6 billion of buy now, pay later transactions made via Afterpay, Zip Pay and Flexi Group may soon have surcharge fees added on, because of regulator concerns other customers are subsidising users through higher prices.
The Reserve Bank of Australia strongly signalled it favours ending the "no surcharge" rule imposed on merchants such as retailers by Afterpay and other buy now, pay later operators.
Buy now, pay later operators typically impose a fee on merchants of between 3 and 6 per cent, but stipulate the costs cannot be passed directly on to consumers using services such as Afterpay.
The RBA is worried the costs borne by merchants are being recouped from the fees being indirectly passed on through higher prices of goods and services to all consumers, regardless of the payment option they choose.
Afterpay is in the sights of the RBA. Supplied
"The Bank has long been of the view that the right to apply a surcharge on more expensive payment methods plays an important role in signalling the costs of different ways of making payments to consumers," the RBA said in a Review of Retail Payments Regulation issues paper released on Friday.
"If a business chooses to apply a surcharge to recover the cost of accepting more expensive payment methods, it is able to encourage customers to consider making the payment using a cheaper option."
"By helping keep merchants' costs down, the right to apply a surcharge means that businesses can offer a lower total price for goods and services to all of their customers."
Buy now, pay later services have become increasingly popular, accounting for an estimated $6 billion of sales in Australia and New Zealand in 2018-19, up from just over $3 billion in 2017-18 and a bit over $1 billion in 2016-17.
Younger people, such as Millennials, are avoiding racking up debt with credit cards and embracing the buy now, pay later services.
For example, a retailer may sell a $100 jumper to an Afterpay consumer.
Afterpay immediately pays the merchant about $97 and bears the credit risk of collecting the $100 (a $3 margin) from the customer through four equal instalments due every fortnight.
The maximum purchase is typically $1500 and a consumer cannot use the service again if they skip a repayment.
UBS analyst Tom Beadle said given the significantly higher cost of providing buy now, pay later services for merchants, "if such customers were presented the true cost of using BNPL [Buy Now, Pay Later] services, we believe it is likely many may choose alternate payment methods."
"Afterpay is most exposed to this risk, in our view, given its economics relies on merchant fees. For Z1P, our preferred pick, this is incrementally negative."
Afterpay's share price fell 2.5 per cent to $31.68 on Friday. The share price of the rapidly growing company is up 120 per cent over the last 12 months.
The RBA said the growing popularity of buy now pay later services was due to their convenience and was a lower cost to users than high interest charging credit cards.
The central bank acknowledged arguments from the buy now, pay later industry that the system may facilitate increased sales and that retailers were paid upfront and did not bear the risk of fraud or customer non-payment.
Any move to end the "no surcharge" rule would give merchants an option to pass on the cost, but wouldn't be mandatory.
Credit card operators such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express are not allowed to prevent merchants from passing on surcharges to consumers.
In 2016 the RBA forced airlines Qantas and Virgin to replace their fixed-dollar surcharges of $7 for credit cards and $2.50 for debit cards with a 1.3 per cent surcharge for credit and charge cards and 0.6 per cent for debit and prepaid cards with caps of $11 for domestic flights and $70 for international flights. Airlines have since reduced their charges even further.
The RBA regulates the payments system and has strong independent powers to enforce rules on card operators.
John Kehoe writes on economics, politics and business from the Canberra press gallery. He is a former Washington correspondent. Connect with John on Twitter. Email John at jkehoe@afr.com


My ideal tablet device does not (yet) exist.
The tablet that comes closest to my ideal is one of the least popular tablets to hit the market: the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Ironically, I once owned BlackBerry PlayBook (16 GB). I loved the hardware, I loved the operating system, I loved the size (7"). I even shot some decent video on its HD camera. The one thing I did NOT love about it - and what led me to eventually sell it over 6 months ago - was its severely lacking app library compared to its competitors.
Then began my tablet quest.
At the time, I still had a work-issued iPad 2. And there is no doubt that Apple makes very good, very popular tablets. But I soon missed the smaller, easier to hold PlayBook, the stereo front-facing speakers, the better cameras, the true multi-tasking of the PlayBook OS, and other things that I really loved about the PlayBook. I eventually got another job and I had to leave the iPad behind.
I currently own a Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. I already get to enjoy the benefits of a pure Android experience and OS updates straight from Google. I didn't want to have a tablet that felt like larger version of my phone, I wanted some variety.
App selection - weak. Amazon is using a forked version of Android and their own app store.
OS/User Interface - Clearly designed for media browsing and consumption, but not much else. Many reviewers said it was sluggish.
I love Amazon, and I really liked the idea of being able to have better access to their media content and services, but I want to use a tablet for more than just media consumption and shopping, which it's clear is the main focus of the Kindle Fire HD. If you want to use it for productivity or presentations, for example, the functionality is limited. Also, the overall look and feel of the hardware didn't appeal to me, with the exception of the HD screen.
Built-in stylus and stylus support - one of the strong points of the Note 8.0. I could definitely see myself using it for jotting quick notes or drawing diagrams.
Split-screen support - Samsung's attempt at multi-tasking. Allows you to have 2 apps displayed simultaneously on the screen with a movable bar separating them. Only supported by a handful of apps, but I like the concept and would definitely make use of it.
This was my favorite of the Android-based tablets I looked at. I really liked the nice, vibrant screen, expandable storage, great specs, and stylus features. But what it came down to is that it wasn't worth $400 to me. I'd want a more quality (less plasticky) look and feel at that price.
Apps, apps, apps - this is really the bread and butter of iPads. The app selection on iOS is still second to none. Android is catching up in some ways, but you still can't beat an iPad where apps are concerned.
Scratch and dent prone - the back is prone to scratching and denting.
I came very, very close to getting an iPad Mini. The main reason? Apps. Hands down, this is the main strength of iOS devices. That said, the iPad isn't quite as versatile as I want it to be. iOS (still) does not support true multi-tasking and is looking rather long in the tooth, compared to other mobile OSes. There's only one port and you have to use adapters depending on what you want to do. For me, this could be problematic. For example, you can't charge it while you have it connected to an external display. The screen was another turn-off. If I'm going to get an iOS device, I want a Retina display. But would a Retina display be enough to sway me? At the end of the day, probably not.
So with the iPad Mini, it really came down to the apps. Did I want access to Apple's gargantuan library of apps enough to overlook the things I disliked about it? I agonized over this question for a while, but ultimately decided the answer was no. Apps aren't everything (to me).
So why did I go with the BlackBerry PlayBook (again)?
Apps are, perhaps, the most important aspect of any mobile device. They enable you to use the operating system, computing power, and hardware of your device to do what you want/need. The PlayBook is severely lacking in this area, but - at least to me - apps aren't everything.
Hardware matters. Things like the quality of a tablet's design and build, where the speakers are located, or what kind of port(s) it has may not be very important to most people, but they're very important to me. If I'm going to invest hundreds of dollars in something I want it to be the best quality possible and last long enough for me to be able to get some kind of return on my investment.
It's a sad commentary on recent "innovation" in the tablet industry when a 2 year old tablet still has among the best overall hardware of any similar-sized tablet on the market today.
There is a very good possibility that BlackBerry 10 - the OS running on BlackBerry's newest smartphones - will be coming to the PlayBook. This would breathe some new life into the PlayBook and enhance its functionality and usefulness. But even if BlackBerry decides to pan the PlayBook completely, its current OS has enough functionality and features that I could be very happy with it for a while yet.
I'm picky about audio quality. Most of the time I'm fine with using ear buds or headphones. Other times, I prefer to listen to the built-in speakers while I watch a video, or just listen as I do other things. And sometimes I like to set the tablet down while it's playing audio.
Rear-facing speakers in tablets like the iPad and Nexus 7 limit your options, here. If you're holding the tablet and using/watching it, the sound is projected away from you. I actually found myself cupping my hand around the iPad's rear speaker to try direct the sound towards me. Not very practical. You can't lay the tablet down on a soft surface like carpet or a bed if you need to see the screen, too. Your only option in that case is to use a hard surface like a table or counter.
The Kindle Fire HD comes closer to my ideal, as the sound from its rear speakers can also project out the sides of the device, but the sound is still projected away from you.
The PlayBook has stereo speakers mounted on the front on either side of the screen, probably the most optimal location for speakers on a tablet. The sound is always directed upward and toward you, no matter whether you are holding it or laying it flat on a hard or soft surface. And for a mobile device, the PlayBook's speakers are of surprisingly good quality.
Android used to support flash, but has officially ditched it in favor of HTML 5. You can still run flash on Android, but it takes some doing on your part. iOS never supported flash and never will. The PlayBook, however, supports flash out of the box and will run it like a champ. Some websites and online video services still use flash, and the PlayBook is the only 7" tablet that can easily run this content with no extra effort on your part.
The PlayBook's multitasking and HDMI out functionality makes it a strong candidate for running presentations, which I think will come in quite handy in my current profession. Most tablets allow you to connect to external displays/projectors, but usually the display is mirrored. If you want to do a professional, dynamic, seamless presentation using multiple apps, without showing the home screen or app switcher on your presentation display, you have to go with a PlayBook. Clearly, this is another area where the PlayBook excels.
Since I sold my last PlayBook, I have acquired a Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. It's not the latest and greatest Android phone available, but it is able to take full advantage of Google Play and its vast Android app library. It should help me compensate for the PlayBook's poor app selection. I can also use it as a WiFi hotspot and connect my PlayBook to it when I'm on the road.
At the end of the day, this is probably the biggest consideration for me. I love gadgets, but I have a family to provide for and more important financial goals to reach. With every technology purchase I make, I try to find the absolute best value for my money.
I would never have bought a 64 GB PlayBook at its list price of $699, but due to its unpopularity, the price has been drastically cut. A new 64 GB PlayBook currently sells on Amazon for $190.00. That's a great deal for what you get, considering 64 GB iPad Minis are going for $530. At $200 the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD offer a quarter of the storage capacity.
Then there are accessories. PlayBook accessories are also relatively inexpensive. For example, 2 rapid-charging dock stands, 2 HDMI cables, and a Bluetooth keyboard case cost $70 total on Amazon.
So for a total cost of $260, I could get a 64 GB PlayBook plus the accessories above. For that same amount I could get a 16 GB Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire and maybe an accessory or two. I'd need another $50+ to get a 16 GB iPad without accessories, or an additional $140 to get a Galaxy Note 8.0 with no accessories.
From a price standpoint, the PlayBook made the most sense to me.
The problem with being a gadget and technology lover is that technology is constantly evolving. Almost as soon as you buy that "cutting edge" gadget, a newer, more "cutting edge" gadget emerges to knock it off its pedestal. If money were no object, I would gladly own the latest and greatest gadgets. But like most people money is a finite resource.
But even if I had all the money in the world, I fully admit that I would probably never be completely satisfied with the gadgets I owned, even if they were the latest and greatest. So why spend huge amounts of money to have the latest gadgets when I know I'll be tired of them soon, anyway? When the time comes to replace my PlayBook, I'll feel a lot better about having spent only $260 on it.
There are some great tablets in the 7"-8" range, each with their own unique merits and weaknesses. After carefully considering the most popular models, I realized that none of them provided the experience I'm looking for. But I remembered my experience as a former PlayBook owner, and I realized it still comes the closest to my ideal, offering the best combination of my preferred features and functionality at a great price.
So, assuming the tracking information is correct, as of this Wednesday I will once again be a BlackBerry PlayBook owner. And this time around, I know I'll have no regrets.
Am I overlooking something? Want to share your experience or insight? Please leave a comment!
Great review, Dallin! I'm definitely going to get your opinion the next time I'm preparing to buy, um ... anything.